Travel Day to Honduras

December 13, 2011

Well, we got word that Spencer was traveling to Salt Lake City the night of December 12^th. He told us that he could call us from SLC because he had about 3 hours at the airport. Between the emails he said he had a calling card and he would call us and I told him if nothing else worked I could page him at the airport.

About 10:15 or so Grandpa Anderson (my Dad) called and said that Spencer called him. They had a good visit. Grandpa had his game night over and so he put him on speaker phone and they all had a nice chat with him. One friend had been on a mission so she had some nice advice. Another friend was a 95 year old lady that had a son that served a mission over 45 years ago. We hung up with Grandpa quickly with anticipation of the call from Spencer. It never came. We went to bed a little disappointed and a little angry that we didn’t get a call. All of his brothers stayed up until midnight and no one really got any sleep.

My alarm went off at 4 am so I could get in the shower to get ready for the day. I had a job to be at by 7:30. We waited and waited for the phone call. It finally came at 6:15 am. The payphone he was using was not working so he finally borrowed a cell phone from someone from his flight that was also going to Tegucigalpa to visits some friend. We talked for about an hour.

We first asked him why he hadn’t called us yet and he said he thought we were going to call him. I screamed…..How was I going to do that. He said you said I was going to page him at the airport so he was waiting for me to call. Emails. Sometimes a poor way of communicating.

We asked him about his weight. He thinks he did alright. He probably gained some weight but he could still wear all of his clothes but it was a little hard to button his suit coat. He also thinks he will lose it quickly once he gets down there. He played basketball everyday.

He was traveling with six missionaries including his companion from the MTC, Elder Harrington, and 3 of them have been in the MTC for only 3 weeks and they were traveling to the Guatemalan MTC. So they were only with them to Atalanta. He said he knows Elder Morris who I have meet his parents through Missionary Moms.

He told us that he ran into Don Fletcher. They were all standing at the gate and a man came up and introduced himself as Bishop Fletcher from San Francisco. Spencer looked at him and said, “I think I’m related to you.” I have relatives that live in San Francisco that are the Fletchers. Sure enough, he is Allan’s cousin’s husband. What a small world. Don sent us an email a couple days later telling us the same story. He said that Spencer looked great and was excited to be out in the mission field. I thanked him for being at the right place at the right time. Just a little “Tender Mercy” that day!

Spencer talked about Sundays at the MTC. They had breakfast, priesthood meeting, study time, Lunch, Sacrament at 12 pm, Temple Walk, Study Time, Dinner, Devo, and Study Time. He said that every day felt like Sunday.

The first three weeks drug on, but then the time flew by. He talked with some people at the airport in Spanish and he could barely understand them!

He was freezing in Utah and he couldn’t wait to get to Honduras. We told him that it was 85* in Tegucigalpa and he was excited about that! He told us that he no longer wants to go to school in the snow. He is going to go to ASU where it is warm. I told him to wait until he gets home to see how much it costs! We’ll see.

He had a district of 6 Elders and a Zone of 5 Districts. He really liked his companion. They got along really well. They will be out the same amount of time.

Computer time: The MTC figured out how ALL the missionaries were going around the timer and how they could email/text so they put a stop to it.

He received all of the dearelders! Thank you everyone who wrote him! He received an email from Kevin Morrison. He said he was out giving lessons in the street the other day and having some great success. (He’s a friend that is in Puerto Rico)

We talked about our trip to Lake Havasu, The Cardinals beating the 49er’s, basketball NBA starting on Christmas day and the Suns crazy schedule. He knew about it from new missionaries coming into the MTC.

He loved Devotionals. Elder Scott he said was big and talked really slow. M. Russell Nelson was his favorite. The Prophet was at BYU but he didn’t come to the MTC. They were disappointed.

We told him about Garrett wearing his Kermit hat and Mitchell got mad at Garrett for wearing it because Spencer gave it to Mitchell. Garrett got it taken away but I wrote a note to the teacher to have him send it back home. Garrett wouldn’t wear it anymore.

Garrett asked about the little stuft animal he sent and Spencer said that some little Honduran boy will end up with it.

His iPod is good! Yeah! I spent a lot of time getting it ready for him. His comp only had 30 songs on his. He wished I had put the whole Wicked CD on it. He is going to make a playlist when he gets down there. They’ve listened to it everyday since he got it =)!

We talked about DearElder.com, emailing and computer time. He doesn’t think he’ll have much computer time but I told him they will have a computer somehow, somewhere. The missionaries have to write home and they have to write reports to the Mission Pres.

He hasn’t heard from his Mission President and he doesn’t know much about his mission.

He talked to Grandpa and Allie while at the SLC airport. He called us, Grandma Linda and Lauren before he left Atlanta. He missed talking to Connor because he had to leave for school.

Tegucigalpa is one of the most dangerous airports in the world to fly in to, “Top 5.” It’s a small runway and there are houses at both ends of the runway! Sis Sproge from our ward is a flight attendant told us about the airport. I would be white knuckling it that’s for sure!!

We were very happy and excited to hear from him. As we were ending our conversation with Spencer, I got a call from the Junior High that I was subbing for asking if I was on my way. I said no not yet but soon. I was then told that it was an “A” hour class and I was already 15 minutes late. I quickly said good by, got dressed and headed to work. When I got there they had another teacher sitting in for me. Once I got settled in, I introduced myself. I always tell my class about my family. When I started talking about Spencer I got all emotional and started crying. It hadn’t hit me until that moment that I just talked to my missionary. Over half the class was LDS so they were sympathetic for me. What a great day! I was on an emotional high. Now we have to wait until Monday to get our first email to let us know where he is in Honduras.

Last MTC Email!! December 10, 2011

November 19, 2011 (DAD)

DEAR ELDER OLSEN Sound like you are doing good but wanting to get to work out in hon.well thing are prity quit here with out you. Garrett is almost doing what he is asked to do .the gym rats ask about you all the time .Last week I went to Alicia's boys football game it was fun it was the play offs he is the QB the littleest guy out there they won so today your mother and I are going to the champship at Queen Creek HIGH .IT brings back all thoughts memorys with you.Time just FLYS. So dont mess around too much .I know you will but not too much. (I have no one to lisen to me when I get on my soap box So I had to stand on it .thanks for reading this ,I hope .) Dinner at mottas was good to hook up with UNCLE LESTER'S family we are going to do this every three mouths.WE are going down to Bretts for Thanksgiving to help him move 10 tons of rock it will be fun I guess .ASU plays U OF A tonight ASU was doing good but blow it the last 2 games they will go to a bowl game but it not sure how good of a bowl game BYU SUCKS this years.cards are playing the 49 'ers IN SF .they are do very good ( 7-1 )grrrr CARDS are 3-5.Iginio was trimming a door with a saw ,it kicked back and cut his legg IT was 1/2 to an 1" deep and 18" longs.Did not call me he finised the door went to work when he came home they took his to the hospitl he got 14 stiches got home at 2 am the next morning cleaned out side went to work .Day three i went down there and he told me what happened That is dedication and gutts he is my HERO.I LOVE YOU and pray for your DEDICATION AND YOUR GUTTS LIKE IGINIO YOU BOTH ARE MY HEROS PS like how you adderes you emails you would think that you only have a mom ha ha I know were I stand. I am proud that I raised a son who loves and respects his MOM like you do YOUR EARTH DAD ALLAN

December 9, 2011 (MOM)

Dear sweet spencer,
I just wanted to write a quick note to let you know how much I love you and how proud I am of you! You are a great young man and I am so excited for you and the experiences you are about to embark on. I know what you mean when you said that getting your travel papers is like getting a second mission call. It makes it real!
I went to the Christmas relief society party last night and all the ladies asked how you are doing and I told them all you were still in the MTC but leaving on Monday night/Tuesday morning. Sis udall (the dark hard one) thanked me for your thank you card. She has it one her frig and she says she gets a big smile whenever she looks at it! You have a special place in all there lives just by being who you are.
About calling from the airport sis Kerr said for me to page you so I'm going to call the airport today to find out exactly how that works and I will let you know. So be aware that your name will be called over the loud speaker in Atalanta! If that doesn't work you can call collect and then we will call you back
I have been subbing jr high and high school all of this week. I did Lang arts at greenfield on tues and it was horrible so yesterday I did the same at highland jr and I took my minute games and it worked All the classes were awesome. I am doing highland jr band today. They are taking a math test. Haha. I brought my basket again and I made cookies for jazz band cuz they did an awesome job at their concert.
We are going to lame havasu tomorrow and Sunday for grandmas bday. Us and shelly and mike and grandma and clarke. It should be fun. We were going to take the boat but it's way too cold and we aren't going as long as planned.
Oh guess what Dennis won a $1000 bonus last night at his work party. He was one of five that was awarded. Lauren called me all excited. They weren't expecting it at all. They were given front row seats for the event. They had a comedian come and they gave out a bunch a prizes before and that's when they gave it to him. It's a real honor to be given the award.
Not much else is going on. Just getting ready for Christmas. Inside is decorated. Lights are up on the house. I had to buy new ones because the old ones we threw away last year. I still need to get the tree up. I hope to get that done to night. His full time working is killing me.
Have a great weekend. Hope your infield training went well. We love you and well send one more letter on Monday and then you'll be gone! I can't wait to talk to you and just hear your sweet voice!
LOVE YOU. MOM
Ps how is the iPod? Did you get it? And the socks?

　
December 10, 2011 (Spencer)

Hey mom and everyone,
　
So this will be my last email in the mtc. Im so excited to get out of here. I should also have a lot of time in the Salt lake airport to call you we will be there for like 3 hours or so so i might call you frmo there also. I have a big box of stuff i am sending home and there will be pictures i should send it just before i leave. But ya i had heard of that manager too parra called her the oger hahahaha. But i have no clue about her. But it was a good week it goes by so fast that sometimes i forgot some of the stuff that goes on hahaha. But it has been a great experience here i just wish i had gone to another mtc. Well today has been pretty good we went to the temple this morning and we did the spanish session with out headphones i understood like half of it but mowst beacuse i knew what was supposed to be going on hahaha. So we have this tutor in our zone that she went to sps mission in honduras ans she was telling me and elder harrington all about it hahaha it got me so excited to get down there. well anyway idk iof i told you this but me and kevin have been emailing back and forth but darin never emailed me back you should talk to the kerrs about that for me hahaha jk. But ya he sounds like he is doing great. Oh ya i also saw weston bush here the other day that was way weird and i see corbin wheatherby every so often it pretty cool. Oh and i also see Alec steve and carlor's son that is my age i got a pic with him but i didnt get it devolped i had already doen that by then. But i cant wait to hear from everyone on monday or tuesday im so excited to get out of the cold.
　
Love Elder Olsen

Travel Plans: Tues, December 13th 12:55 am

December 2, 2011

(Mom)

Dear spencer,

Well another week has gone by so that means you're that much closer to leave. Do you have your travel date yet? I want to make sure I'm home that day so we can talk to you. We also need to figure out the best way to talk to you. Ask around and I'll ask too and we'll figure it out.

How is the weather? We finally had some rain today. Its all over the news and Facebook about the wind and snow you got today. Just think only two more weeks. Did you get my package? How is the sweatshirt? Better?

That is so cool that pres Curtis wrote to you. I gave him your address at church on sunday. He said he wanted to write to you before you left. We have stake conf this weekend so that will be nice.

So we finally went and saw breaking dawn. I used the last of the passes. We still have four more remits thy we'll save for Christmas. It was hrs to let go of the tickets the kid that went to the dback game took the tickets. I didn't remember him but he remembered us. Jenna was there too. She said you sent her a text on thanksgiving. She said she has picked up all of your shifts. She worked 56 hours last week. I told Connor he needs to work there! The movie....it was entertaining but the acting was terrible. Connor went with me along with Garrett and they had to leave during a couple of scenes. Part two will be better.

Well I know you don't like to get emails in the morning. But I forgot to write this morning. Please write to your brothers and your grandma. Have a good week. give me some details please. Are you still running everyday? How's your weight? How's your comp and district? Did you get Lauren and Dennis package? We Love you! We are excited to talk to you. Have a good week and stay warm!

Love you MOM

Ps I'm teaching AG at Gilbert tomorrow. Haha wish me luck!

(Spencer)

Dear Mom and everyone,

I GOT MY TRAVLE PLANS!!!! It is seriously like recieving a 2nd mission call its so awesome. My flight from salt lake to atlanta isat 12:55am on december 13. We land in atlanta at 630 or so then we have a 4 hour layover in atlanta and leave there at about 1030 so ya. It shouldnt be to bad. Then we get to honduras at about 130. I cant wait to get out of here. There weather isnt bad its jsut cold. We didnt get snow but we did get wind. we just got back from the temple and on our walk back we could still see our breath. I dont like it. While i was in the temple i met some elders going to pres. petersons mission hahahaha. It was pretty funny telling them about him haha. I tried to scare them a little bit.

I got your package and i love that sweatshirt its perfect. And i also got lauren's package when i opened the soda she got me (rootbeer) I didnt relieze how shake up it really was and i got it all over one of my shirts it was so bad but i did laundry today and i think it should be fine.

Its so hard to put detail into these emails right now there really isnt a whole lot going on other than class hahaha. Our 2 teachers are our investigators and they both are "getting baptized" tomorrow lol. How is your guys missionary work going? I really need to send you that package back there are some really good pamphlets in there for which help alot in our lessons. The language is getting better and better every day. I can kind of sort of not really hold a conversation lol. some of the concepts are really hard.

But ya everything is going great out here i just cant wait to get out of here are really starting doing stuff it really doesnt feel like i have even started my mission yet but in a good way i guess. So anyway im about to finally get out of here a week and a half so ill actually get to talk to you then. Oh also have you gotten a chance to finish my ipod yet. Cuz i would really like to have that before i leave. Les amo todo. Dios bendecirá cuando hacamos Su obras. Yo sé que es verdadero.

Love

Elder Spencer Olsen

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!