Happy Thanksgiving! November 27, 2011

November 25, 2011

(MOM)

Good morning,

How was your day yesterday? Did
you have a nice thanksgiving? We did. I had the turkey done with 9th ward again
and it was so good. Brett came up around 115. We cooked and cooked. We ate
around 330 and we were all cleaned up by 530. They brought german chocolate
pie, cheese cake and Pumpkin pie and I made pumpkin creme brûlée. It was all
really good. It was a nice day. I also went to step class with Kayla and got my
butt kicked! We're not going shopping
this morning. I don't want to go fight the crowds.

Garrett got into your closet and
found your old steelers jersey and was wearing it. Haha mrs Collins likes the
steelers too so he took a picture and sent it to her

I think I'm going to put up
Christmas this weekend. I might as well since I'm so busy during the week. I've
got to get your Christmas in the mail this weekend so it will get to you in
time.

Well have a great week and be
obedient. Lauren isn't coming to Provo until tomorrow. And she's not bringing
you diet dew. Get that put of your mind! We love you remember that rules do
apply to Elder Olsen.

Love you, MOM and garrett

(ELDER OLSEN – November 25, 2011)

Dear mom and everyone,

We had a pretty good day yesterday. we had a
different schedule than normal so we were able to sleep in an extra hour before
breakfast hahaha. Then we had a devo that said it was to be given by pres brown
the mtc pres so we almost didnt go but
when we got there and got seats and everyone stood up. And we only stand
up when a general authority come in and it ended up being russel m nelson and
his wife it was way cool. After we had to go on a walk up to the temple to let
some of the others get dinner 1st then we got to go. it was nothing too
exciting just a normal mtc dinner. Than we had another devo to explain out
service project. We made injury kits that are going to the sudan it was another
lds service project where they think its going to take a lot long than it
really does hahahah so we just messed around with all the missonaries for like
an hour after we were done hahah. Then we had a final devo that was like a
little skit one of the presidency wives put on and we sang a few hyms and a few
missionaries got to say what they were thankful for. But after that we were
supposed to have a "Special Concluding fireside." I was like well if
a ga is a normal fireside that whats a special one we have to be getting the
prophet hahaha. Nope. But we did get to watch 17 miracle that was way cool. I
really like that movie. But ya it was another pretty uneventful week at the
mtc. Other than... i had to talk to one of the mtc presidents. So there were 2 guys in our zone that left for the guatamala mtc. And they
were our neighbors and one of the guys left his hey and id card in a computer
lab before he left. So i took it and mess with the guys next to us. So they
went and told the front desk and they got the mtc presidency invovled it was
way dumb and a waste of everyones time. But whatever hahaha ya it has been a
pretty good week were get our tracle plans in a week and leave in about 2 so
its coming down to the wire. Im so pumped to get out of here its too cold and
too easy to gain weight. But ive done pretty well about that. Well ill talk to
you next week

Love

Elder Spencer Olsen

November 18, 2011

(November 18, 2011, MOM)

We’ll today is Friday, and that means it’s email day. I had sent him a letter last night and we also sent him a package. He needed a different pair of tennis shoes and he wanted a sweat shirt. So instead of going out and buying him a new one, I sent him an old one of Dad’s. He responded to all of that….Here is my letter to him from last night:

Spencer,

Just a quick hello. I don't want to take up your computer time. We just wrote to pres Peterson. I'll send you a copy of the letter and his response when we get it. I finished up the preschool class today and them went and helped with the Wise and Noble dinner. It's been a long day. Not much is going on. I get to teach girls PE at Gilbert tomorrow. I have to be there by 6:10 so hopefully I 'll get home early tomorrow. We are going to go to Matta's tomorrow night with Uncle Lester and
family along with Shelly and Grandma and Clarke. I'll let you know how that goes. Dad sure has stepped it up in helping around the house since I really started working so much. It sure is nice. Still no Basketball in site!! Bummer. It gets boring around here at night. I need to know what I should do for you for Christmas. I plan on getting it in the mail just after Thanksgiving so it will get to the mission home in time. Ask your trainers if they have any ideas. It needs to be little and
light. Do you know your travel date yet. Do you know the elder that just left that had the hurt foot? He had a 12 hour layover in Atlanta so be prepared for that!

Well, I'm going to go to bed. 530 is going to come awfully early. I don't even know what I'm going to be doing tomorrow. Oh well, it's a job. And then next week I get to go to science camp with Garrett. He can't wait. He tells everyone just like he did for Harry Potter. Oh yeah, Breaking Dawn midnight is tonight, and no I am not there!!! Not worth it!! Love you, Pray for you, Proud of you!! Be Obedient!!

Love you MOM

(November 18, 2011, Spencer)

Hey Mom and Mom,

Its been a pretty uneventful week. A few elders in my distric got sick and i got to go back to the room and sleep with them hahaha. Anyway Mom all i really need is teis and socks hahahah. These washing machine eat socks they its unreal i think i only have like 4 out of the 8 pair i came with so dumb. That really all i want / need hahaha. But thats crazy about that kid a 12 hour layover most i have been seening is like 3 here. LAst night this kid headed for tiawan only had a 3 hour layover in atlanta so hopefully that doesnt happen to us. Its been a great time here though but i wanna leave so bad and get out into the field. Im sick and tiered of it being so freaking cold all the time. The guys in my distict from utah say this is only fall but it has gotten colder than winter a home. Im never leaving arizona hahaha. But ya this last week we had Tad R. Callister from the Presidentcy of the 70 speak to us. It was so cool. He talked about 10 points that the Apostasy happened. It was way good super intense. Thats the really cool thing about beening in the mtc for a while we get to hear alot of people speak on deep doctrine all we get in class is that shallow fundemental doctrine to teach investigators. So it is way cool. The language principles are getting engraven in my brainit is way cool some of them are really hard though so luckly we have 2 teacher and like 4 tutors that can help us with those principle. The best experiences i have teaching in spanish is at this thing called Training Recouce Center (TRC). We have to teach different lesson every week and they have to be all in spanish but they are to members that come and volunteer so its way intense they dont even act like investigators so it makes it that much harder to do it in spanish when you dont know some of the words. Anyway about that sweater you sent... Ya that thing has stains all over it. I love the gesture but it would just make me look like a slobb lol so ill probably send it back lol sont worry about sending a new one lol. but hatnk you for overnighting my shoes i needed those so bad. i sould send the other shoes back today sometime. I also put a few pictures in there. There are also so pamflets that we have been using i our lessons that i think should help you alot with teaching the principles that are in them they are great. So send everyone my love tell them i miss them and to pray for me.

Love You All,

Elder Spencer Olsen

ps thank you for the sports stuff everyone always askes me about it hahahaha its way funny

(November 18, 2011, MOM)

I received the email while I was at Gilbert High teaching dance and a friend from 9th Ward, Elijah, was in my A hour class. He asked how Spencer was doing and I told him that I should be getting his email any minute. And sure enough, it came. So I was able to email Spencer right back and told him that E.J. says "hi" and Spencer responded "hi" right back. He is being obedient and not emailing/texting me anymore. =) I guess I need to get him some more socks for christmas! I think I'll send them to him at the mtc instead of paying for shipping to Honduras. haha. And the sweatshirt, I'm going to have Lauren pick one up and take it to him next week because she is going to go to Lehi/Provo for Thanksgiving weekend. The package I sent him had his black tennis shoes, his grey vans, a stained sweatshirt, and Dad got him a big bag of gummy worms, some almonds, and Garrett got him a Santa stuft animal. Garrett sure does love his big brother and he is to tender hearted. Until next week. Hopefully there will be pictures...

One Month Down...23 More To Go

November 13, 2011

We received Spencer's email early friday morning. Boy does it sure make my day to receive that letter. I try and write him a few times a week through Dearelder so he gets something in the mail everyday or so. The rest of the family does the same thing. I'm sure it helps for him to receive something in the mail. I remember when I was going to BYU-HI and getting a letter was "the Bomb!"

I didn't have time to get it blogged before I left on a road trip with Aunt Shelly to Chicago, so here are two emails, November 4th and November 11, Veterans day. When I woke up the morning of the 4th, it was 5:55 and I checked my email and Spencer had just posted his letter to us. I immediately posted back and asked if he was still there. Then I went to Dearelder to quickly send him a letter so that he would get it that afternoon. When I went back to my email, Spencer had responded! It was so cool. He said yes and that he was writing to Kevin and Darin. I went back to finish my letter and when I went back to my email, he said he had to go to breakfast and do his laundry. It was so fun! I felt like I was talking right to him...well I was!!

(From Spencer, Nov 4th)

Hey Mom and everyone,
Just another week in the mtc. The language is still pretty hard but i feel mmyself getting better everyday. We had a sub come it to are class (mom i dont want to hear you way why didnt they call me in the next email...) this week his name was harmano Orem. He really changed my prospective on learning spanish. He said that the language would come in time but to learn the lesson. And when studying the language dont think im not learning the language for myself but i need to think that how are my investigators going to understand if i dont learn this laguage. It has really helped me because when i got hear all i could think about was man i cant wait to get home and use this gift. But i needed to have the mentality i cant wait to use this gift to serve Gods children. It was a way awesome experience for me. Nothing really big happened this week regaurding myself. My amckle is baisically better now. The days here bleed together. They are just repetatvie and monotunus but totally worth it. It is a lot of fun. We had half our distric leave this week to go to the guatamala mtc. its nuts we went from a full class of 10 to a class of 6 its really weird. Me and my compaion taught for 30 minutes straight in spanish on tuesday. We do this thing called TRC where members come and have us teach them lessons in spanish. In the 1st lesson i did most of the talking. it was on personal revalation through prayer it was way exciting. The 2nd lesson didnt go as well but i still di alot of talking. Connor finally wrote me the other day. Still nothing from mitchell. Tell him he is a little punck for not sending me anything :-P! The days go slow but the weeks go fast its crazy. Its already almost been a month since i have been here. Did i tell you that i live in the same building as Jake packer and Robbie bowler its awesome seeing a few people from home. Well send eveyone my love im doing fine everythign is great im actually having the disapline to not eat so much or eat all of the bad stuff its awesome i can almost fit in my suit again hahaha. Well I'll send for anything if i need it. Actually on the note can you send me my gray vans and my gray nikes that i left i hate these black nikes they are really annoying. :) Sorry connor. And garrett i dont have time to listen to your song right now but ill save it for when im not strickly timed on my email. But im sure its great. Oh and Dad wheres my weekly sports upate shoot. I had to find out form one of the new elders who on the World serise go NL! And i also want to know about football. You are killing me smalls! Well ill email you guys next week
Love Ya,
Elder Spencer Olsen

(MOM)

So I went on a road trip with my sister in law, Shelly to pick up a car in Chicago and drive it back to Gilbert. We stopped in Nauvoo for 20 min and then to Carthage for 25 min. It was awesome. The second day we went to Oklahoma City and saw the memorial and I'm glad we did that. On the last day, we stayed with Shelly's boy, Chris & Heather, in New Mexico. The morning we were leaving to finish our drive home, it was Monday the 7th. At 7:30 I got a text from Spencer, " Hey, have a few minutes on the computer, how are you doing?" I was so excited and we shot a couple of messages back and forth and then he sent one to his dad and then one to Connor. Boy was that exciting! Let's just say, I didn't have time to take a shower because I was talking to Spencer. haha. I was able to send 3 postcards from our trip, Chicago, Nauvoo, and Oklahoma City. When I got back from my trip, I waited patiently for friday and his letter. I woke up and looked at my email and here it is:

(Spencer, November 11th)

Dear Mom And everyone,

Its been a crazy week. I feel myself getting more a hold on the languge everyday its great. On Tuesday i talked in spanish for 15 minutes about how the revalation through the bom has changed my prespective in the mtc. It was crazy. they have members come to the mtc and we have a subject to teach them on and give them a 20 minute lesson. I had been reading 1nephi 20 and vesre 2 (i think it was that) really hit me. It talked about how got has hidden nephi in the shadow of His hand and made his vocie like a sharp sword it was way cool but i was able to talk about that in my lesson. We also have 2 "progressing investegators" with "batismal dates". They are just our teachers but they acted like investigators that they had on their missions it is way cool. It was way cool i figured out how to texted you so all of those postcards were like 2 days late hahah it was funny. Anyway its been awesome here but a montunus having the same schedule everyday. But i love having the the spirit with me all the time. Its a great change in my life i cant wait to get out there and start teaching no matter how broken my spanish is. Well thats about it hey dad here is a phrase you can use at california st... Puedo usar su banjo (translation... may i use your bathroom hahahahaha) no you can say you have started learning spanish.

Love everyone

Elder Spencer Olsen

Ps mitchell still hasnt written me if he has the day off tell him to write hahah :-P

(MOM Nov 13th, 2011 - I didnt finish this before I left for church)

I received another text from Spencer today during Relief Society. He admitted that he needed to stop doing this but he asked for one more favor. Along with his vans and tennis shoes, he wants a hoody sweat shirt. Oh and a diet dew. haha. I said ok about the sweat shirt but I don't know about the dew. I also told him that I was worried about him communicating so much with me and that he needed to be obedient. We'll see if that continues. As much as I love getting those extra little hellos, he really does need to obey the rules.

Provo Temple

So in Spencer's hand written letter from last week, he talked about going to the Provo Temple and was able to take a tour. These are the pictures that were sent that were taken of him. We believe the tall blonde boy is his companion. And for those of you who are from our ward, you might have to take a double take because you might think that Kevin is there with him. But it's not him. He's in Puerto Rico. What a righteous looking group of young men.

Poor Spencer, he definitely did not get the tall gene of the family. His companion is 6'5". At least he's not the shortest one of the group!