March 15, 2013 New Address for Letters

Hello Everyone,

I just received this information from another Missionary Mom, and I am passing it on. 
Spencer would love to hear from you.  He only has 7 months left on his mission.
(hint - hint)   

Have a great day!

*Passing on this Tegucigalpa Mission address if you want letters to get
there quicker. It’s much shorter to address. 

REMINDER: DO NOT SEND PACKAGES ONLY LETTERS to this address:

Elder Spencer Olsen
Mission Honduras Tegucigalpa  
Apartado Postal 556 o´ 3539
Tegucigalpa, MDC Honduras C.A 

March 12, 2013 Langue Garrett's Letter

Garrett (almost 13), Spencer's youngest brother wrote to him on our way down to Rocky Point.  He wanted me to post it on his Blog.  Garrett loves it when his brother writes back!

March 12, 2013

Dear Bro,
    We are heading to rocky point as we speak. Can you believe you only have 7 months and I will be a teenager. On my birthday I get to go to state with tech club. We even get to take a charred bus like the on you take on field trips. Dad gets to come to. Connor sent his papers in. We got a new presidency in deacons. The president is a new kid you don't know first council is Ethan and I'm second council and Luke is secretary

Hey Garrett,

Man sounds like you are doing great kid. Mom sent me a pic of you in the suit i found for Mitchell haha. it was really funny. Well let’s see yesterday I went to Tegus and got to go in a bus too. But we didn’t charter it haha. I hate buses you have no idea. And next week I should have changes and I’ll have to take like 3 or 4 buses in like a 2 day period haha. And next week is the Temple Dedication I’m so excited haha. That’s so cool that you are the 2nd councilor I’m so proud of you. Do good be a good person and watch your actions get ready for you mission no so you don’t get left behind when you go out. 

Love you so much 

Elder Spencer Olsen 

March 12, 2013 Langue Splits with Tarver

Our Family went to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) for Spring Break this week.  We have gone several times but haven't gone for a long time. We knew Spencer would be a little baggy from us going.  He's excited to go with us so he can be our tour guide.  We always take clothes to trade for souvenirs and give to the Members of the Church down there.  We ran into the missionaries while we were down there.  One of the Missionaries, Elder Hillier from Colorado, was in the MTC with Spencer in his District and remembers him.  What a small world it really is.  We took a bunch of clothes over to the church on our last night and talked with the missionaries there for a while.  They are having great success down there.  There are 2 Branches and 3 sets of missionaries just in Puerto Penasco. 

Mitchell, DAD, and Garrett sitting in the middle of the street at the "Paved" Dirt Mall in Puerto Penasco.

This was taken for Spencer in response to when he was sitting in the middle of the PanAmerican Highway. 

March 12, 2013

Hey mom dad and everyone,

Man this week was really good. So it was a normal week. So we started going with the husband a few weeks ago. This guy has been so tough. The missionaries have been going there with his wife for like 10 years and he hasn’t wanted anything. He had gone to church and stuff like that but baptism he didn’t want anything haha. Even with my last comp he didn’t want anything. But now with Mendoza we started to break some ground haha. So at the beginning of last week we told us he was a smoker and that he smoked 10 cigarettes a day. Man I got down on that one. But he said he would make an effort to stop smoking. So the next day we went over he told us he was only going to smoke 3 cigs that entire day haha. I was so shocked. And day by day he dropped one each day.

So then on Thursday I went on division with Elder Tarver and we went over to the guys house. His name is Alfonzo Calix Yanez. So with Tarver we set up a plan so that he would drop smoking completely by Sunday and that on Sunday he would go to church. And we also put service with him on Saturday.

So on Saturday morning we went to go do the service which was to go into the middle of nowhere and put together piles of rocks to make a floor they are putting on the side of his house. So we did that and also got a bunch of fire wood. I took a huge log and we had to walk with it for like a half mile it was so far haha with how big that log was haha. So we did that and left with that he was going to go to church the next day.

So we were getting ready to go to pick him up to go to church and we called them first cuz they live kind of far away. So we called them and we found out that he wasn’t going to be able to go and I thought that he was going to have to go to get baptized. So I got upset it was really sad. But yesterday I had to go to Tegus and talk to president about a few things and  I was able to ask him about Alfonzo and president told me that it doesn’t matter when he has gone to church but he just need to have gone to church. And he has been before so I’m going to be baptizing him this Saturday hahaha. Another family I’m so excited. He also has completely stopped smoking I’m so excited. 

Well we have the dedication this week I’m so pumped to see. It will be a great time. I should get changes this week so I’m starting to say good bye to the people. But I’m ready to get out of here. I love you guys have fun in Mexico.  Next time we go you will have a translator hahaha. 

Elder Spencer Olsen 

 Splits with Elder Tarver - El Salvador is behind them

  I'm going to escape haha 

 Man I'm in the middle of nowhere

 My Elders Quorum Pres is just a doofy kid haha

 We made baleadas on Saturday

 This is where Alfonzo lives

This is where he went to do Service.  A Rock Floor and Firewood

1st time at circle k in 2 years haha

 I love going to Tegus haha 

I am friends with Elder Tarver's mother and she posted these pictures on his blog

 and gave me permission to use them.  

 Every once in a while, the missionary companions switch things up and trade companions for the day.  It's called Splits.  Spencer did Splits with Elder Tarver and Spencer took him to go see a man that the missionaries had been working with for a long time.  He lives on the Honduras/El Salvador Border.

 El Salvador (Tarver)

 The Bridge to El Salvador (Tarver)

 The Border (Tarver)

 Looking like Tourists (Tarver)

 San Lorenzo District (Tarver)

A Carnival they saw when they were on Splits (Tarver)

March 5, 2013 Langue Starting Over

Hey mom Dad and everyone,

Man thanks for the updates haha. Man I can’t believe that so much is going on with out me. Seven more months hahaha. Tell the bishop to open up a spot on the agenda. Man but it’s been a very difficult week. So when we got back from the temple on Monday I talked my branch pres into getting together the money to go again. So on Monday it started out good. Tuesday we talked to a guy with a 35 passenger bus so that we could go. Cause there was a few people who helped with getting stuff ready but didn’t end up going so I wanted them to go. So we talked to the guy and told us 4000 limps 200 bucks. So I was going to put 1500 and the branch pres also. But we couldn’t get any money together. So we left it just at 3000 limps and we were going to get a smaller bus on Friday but then we were going to have to choose 15 people to go and we could justify leaving people out so instead of making people mad at us or at the church we didn’t go. I was a big shame I wanted to go sooooooo bad. 

The whole week we were trying to go with the Nunez family but we couldn’t get a hold of them. Then on Friday we finally got to talk to Miriam and all she had to say were complaints about how the food was organized for the temple and all kinds of stuff that had happened. So we had to explain some stuff to her but she did like the actual temple which was good. So on Saturday we went back just to invite her to church and her son in law answered the door and told us that she wasn’t there. And I moved myself and I saw her run into another room. I almost asked her son in law if he knew that lying was a sin haha. But I didn’t haha. On Sunday we went over to see if she was going to go to church and she was still in her night gown making tortilla and was making up a bunch of excuses, so it looks like we are going to have to drop her it was really bad. 

Then that night we went with Miguel Gallardo. He is the principal of a school in San Lorenzo and is just way to busy. And basically explained to us that he was too busy to be able to listen to us for right now. So basically every one of our main investigators have fallen through this weekend. It was really difficult but it had to be done with both. 

But with Miguel there is hope still he just needs to be less busy. So right now with my last 2 weeks in this area we are starting from basically scratch. So will see. I imagine that Elder Mendoza after this change will be training as well so I’ll be having a grandson. I have to get the area ready for him so he has a good experience here in his 1st area haha. 

This week was a difficult week. So hopefully we can pull things together. I have the faith that we can do it. Man I can’t wait for changes hahaha. Love you guys tell everyone that I'm doing great and I say hi to all of them 

Elder Spencer Olsen 

we got a little lost hahaha

  This is my Branch Pres. youngest son his name is Christian i call him the muppet

 This is my Zone in San Lorenzo 

This is my Elders Quorum Pres. They told him that he could whiten his teeth with charcoal. So he did it. I told him he looked like he was dressing up like a clown to go sing to the people on the buses for money. 

People do that here  

 This is Elder Lopez. He is waiting for his visa to mexico. He is a really cool kid

 This is the new Suyapa, the Catholic Church that the temple was going to cover up haha

So our Church had chosen a site for the new Temple and had the ground breaking ceremony.  Then there were problems that the Catholic Church wasn't happy that our temple was right by their new Church.  So the Church Leaders decided to move locations to keep peace.  

 

ironing board hahaha

I love to see what is on his desk!

Langue Feb 26, 2013 Honduras Temple Open House

This was a rough week for me because I ended up getting really sick.  I knew that Spencer wouldn't be writing until Tuesday morning because they went to the Honduras Temple Open House on Monday.  I went to bed on Sunday evening with a fever. I went to work the next day but came home and went right to bed and totally forgot to write to Spencer.  When I got to work on Tuesday morning, I got a quick email from Spencer about how sad he was that I didn't send him a letter.  I felt awful!  He kept it going and we emailed a little bit and then he told me he was totally kidding with me.  But I still felt horrible that I had forgotten to write to my Missionary.  The ladies I work with were great and let me write a quick email to him and all was better.  He had a great week and day visiting the Temple.  He also has sent some fun pictures.  Enjoy......

Hey mom and everyone,

Its ok I just love giving you a hard time. That whole pot stirrer thing has not changed haha. Every time we started a new change we always introduce ourselves and tell about ourselves and I always say that I like to bother people hahaha. 

My week was pretty good. It is always just the same, except we had zone conference. Was it intense? The whole thing with the temple president doesn’t want unworthy people going to the temple dedication so he has been hitting us hard with repentance haha. But it was really good. I got to see a bunch of my friends from the mish. The AP's had some really good classes also about the same thing haha. But it was awesome. 

Man the work out here is really slow. So this week we are going back to the basics to find some new peeps. But it’s because we have been trying really hard to help raise the attendance. When I got here there was a 23 average and now we are up to like 45 sometimes 50. So now that we have it a little bit higher, we are going to see what happens, cuz our numbers aren’t looking that good haha. So we are going to try to work more to get investigators. 

Well yesterday was awesome. It was the 1st time I have gone into the temple in about 15 months haha. So yesterday finally we got to go to the temple open house. WE took 2 buses. But they all didn’t get filled. But we had a good like 45 nonmembers go so it was an awesome time.

The coolest thing of all wasn’t even going to the temple it was getting to see all the member s from my 1st area Monjaras. Right as we go there they were coming out of the temple. It has now been a year since I have seen all these people. I was jumping and just so happy to see everyone. Hna Maricela was there and just everyone. A bunch of the YW were there too. I was so excited to see them. One of the helpers got a little mad at me because I was making a little too much noise hah. But I didn’t care I was just so excited to see them haha.

But at the temple we didn’t even get to be in there for much time. Inside the temple we were in there for like 10 minutes and there weren’t guides to explain everything. We just kind of walked through. But I'm talking to my branch pres so we can go one more time one Saturday the last day of the open house, so we can see more and be there for more time. Cuz I only got like 3 photos. But will see ill let you know. 

I love you guys, unfair about all the sushi but what ever I’m expecting to eat it when I get home haha

Love you all

Elder Spencer Olsen 

  This is Shela. She is the owner of the big water company here in Langue and we have gotten to be really good friends with her haha. And she is Honduran not Gringa haha 

 This is a really cool tree i climbed

  This is Hna Carmen and that bucket on her head is full of water. She climbed a steep 100' hill 

to get that back home hahaha

 Man I'm getting sexy hahaha

 This is Isela. She was baptized when i got here. She is way smart. In the bus to the temple 

 Here we are at the Temple. It was sooooo awesome

 This is the name of one of the neighborhoods by the Temple hahah Copacabanna 

I sat down on the middle of the Panamerica Highway hahaha 

They celebrated our bdays in Zone Conference  

 Here I am with Elder Tarver at the Temple. Just for you and his mom we took this photo haha 

These are my AP's Elder Clay and Ramirez 

February 19, 2013 Langue-Hammock

So one of Spencer's friend, Darin Kerr is serving in Boise, ID and will be coming home in June.  His brother, Taylor, who is Connor's (Spencer's Brother) Friend opened his call the other day, and he is going to Guatemala, Guatemala City South June 12th.  Spencer asked his Mission President if he could Skype us when Connor opens his call (which should be in the next month or so).  We told Spencer of the call and that Darin didn't ask his Mission President if he could call when Taylor opened his call.  Leave it to Spencer to not be afraid to ask if he could call when his brother opens his call.

Hey mom and everyone,

Q calidad para Taylor. That’s how you say that’s cool for Taylor in Guatemalan. That kid will fit in out there, dark skin shots with spiked hair haha. The kid is going to turn into a japine (chapine) haha. Man I can’t believe that Darin didn’t ask permission. Man my pres didn’t even think twice when I asked he just told me to do it haha. But that’s cool. I believe that he will have the Honduran border in his mission, I'm not sure. But man Guatemalan can get pretty chilly in some places. It can get down to like 30 to 25 degrees. Just cuz its Central America doesn’t mean it’s always warn haha. 

Man this week was another weird week haha. So on Monday we get a text that we had to be in Tegus for a trainer and trainee meeting with pres on Wednesday. So that meant we had to go in to San Lorenzo again to stay and wait for the bus again and when we came back on Wednesday it was cheaper for us to stay there again so we lost another 3 days of work. But the conference that we had with Pres was really good. Those conferences always make you want to be a better missionary haha. I got to see a few of my friends as well haha. So it was a good time. I did have to sleep in my hammock those two nights. Man did that just destroy my neck haha. 

Man we really aren’t having much success right now. We are still working with Miguel Gallardo and it’s been really hard to keep appointments with him just cuz he the principal of a big public school in San Lorenzo and teaches classes in the university out there too. But he still looks really motivated we are really trying hard with him. He is a very intelligent man but some times that works against us but we are working hard to make sure he gets to be a member. We are still working with the family Nunez. It’s basically just the mom of the family her name is Miriam. She is a great women if they are making dinner when we get there she always has a little for us. Right now is to get here to go to church and get her married but her husband doesn’t want to so we will see what happens. But I really want to see that them both get baptized they would be great members. 

That’s been the really big thing this last week. We are going to the temple next Monday. Ill send you pics next week cuz the computer I'm using is really slow at uploading them. Talk to you guys next week. It will be on Tuesday again. 

Elder Spencer Olsen 

Ok, Spencer wasn't able to write on Monday because there was no electricity on Monday, so he wrote on Tuesday.  On tues. morning, I received an email through my text on my phone.  I was at school so we were emailing a little bit back and forth.  I was sitting at carpet time with my 20 preschoolers telling them about my son that lives in Honduras and showed them a couple of pictures of how he gets water and his washing machine.  I took a picture of my class and sent it to Spencer and asked him to send me one that I could show the class.  This is the picture he sent.

I can't wait for this coming weeks email.  He gets to go to the Honduras Temple Open House with his branch and there should be lots of pictures

Feb 12, 2013

So we usually get Spencer's email around 3-4 pm Monday afternoon.  I read a quick email from him around 3:30 and he said he would have to write on Tuesday because the power was just about to turn off.  The exciting news in our family is that our married daughter, Lauren and Dennis, is pregnant and she wrote to Spencer to tell him.  He was really excited.  He said in his quick email that he couldn't believe that she is prego and he was so excited.  So as you scroll through this post, you will see that he bought a new camera.  So there are lots of fun pictures.  Phylip and Kelsy are friends from our Ward, and Connor is our 2nd son who is working on getting his papers ready to submit to serve a mission.  We are getting excited to have two son's on missions.  

Hey mom and everyone,

Sounds like you just have my life planned out for me when I get home haha. Man and what about the stuff I would like to do haha. So it sounds like I'm going to have a nice new car when I get home haha. Something else I have been thinking about when I get home is a car and I think I want to get a small car like a Honda civic or a Toyota corolla. And good call in what you need to be worried about I’m more worried about getting assaulted then getting sick out here haha. Man and that sucks for Phylip. Send him my condolences haha. That’s way exciting for Kelsy and all the guys from the Ward. Now Connor just has to get his stuff in order and we’llll be in business. 

I can’t believe that my Sis is pregos!!! Ya voy a ser tio Spencer. I’m so ecstatic. You should have seen yesterday when I saw the email haha. I almost jumped out of my seat and was speaking very loudly in English. The people looked at me really weird, because that didn’t understand what I was saying haha. 

Man this last week was a big joke haha. We couldn’t work for like 3 days just so I could go get my camera haha. So I go the camera and man I dropped so much money on that thing haha. With an 8gig SD card and the camera it cost me all 7000 limpers that is the same as 350 buck hahaha. But man this thing is tight haha. It’s touch screen. I can send pics through wifi when I can get a hold of it and all the kind of stuff. And it takes such clear photos. 

So new subject haha. And also on top of not being able too much because we have not had energy in Langue for 2 nights straight. It goes out at like 4 or 5 and it doesn’t come back till like 10 at night. It’s horrible. So we have just basically had to chill like all night. We haven't been able to do anything. Man Honduras sucks sometimes. Wait till you guys come down here and you will see how I really. Live you have no idea. We don’t have clean running water. We don’t even get running water everyday during the week. 

Man I can’t believe how much life is changing without me. I just need you guys to pause for 8 months more so I can be at least a little up to date haha. I love you guys so much I’m doing great. 

Elder Spencer Olsen 

  Man I'm looking so good these days

This is the grandson of mirian nunez the family we are teaching haha big what big eyes he has haha

 This is how i fill up the laundray machine with well water we have to pull out of a 12 foot deep well 

 And this is the machine that i use to wash my cloths

  I would like you to meet my comp Elder Gillagin haha

 This is the branch pres they just took out. Hims name is Jorge Yanez 

 This is our primary presidency the one in blue is the president her name is diana way cool she is only like a year older then i am haha

 Look I'm home haha 

  This is my land lady. She is the Honduran Beautiful Judy haha

  Here I am with Elder Tarver waiting for breakfast baleadas

  just a little more of honduras

 Here is the Honduras i look at everyday haha 

Me with my MTC comp the day i got my camera