Oct 17, 2013 Spencer's Homecoming

What a great day Oct 17th was for our family.  We woke up that morning and watched YouTube videos of Missionaries coming home.  We got most of our tears out then.  I had to go to work, and Dad (Allan) and Grandma Linda spent the day cleaning the house. We had made welcome home signs and we hung some up on the garage door.  We left for the airport around 5:45 pm.  I had to drive because I was too nervous.  Of course there was traffic when we got to the 101/202 interchange.  But we got there in plenty of time.  He was flying in at Terminal 2.  No one was at the airport.  It was kind of weird.  It ended up being Mom (Me), Dad (Allan), Mitchell, Garrett, (Brothers), Grandma Linda, Grandpa Clarke, Uncle Mike, Cousin Preston, and Mindy and Chris Smith (Elder Smith's Parents) at the airport.  We had to wait for quit a while for him to come down the tunnel because he was at the back of the plane.  He flew into Houston and then into Phoenix.  When I finally saw him, I started walking towards him and then I ran.  Boy did it feel great to have him in my arms again.  We all hugged him and took pictures.  A HUGE THANK YOU to Mindy and Chris for coming and being our photographers.  

We left the airport and went to In and Out and had burgers and fries.  We had a huge surprise for Spencer.  We were flying her sister, Lauren and Taymar home to spend the week with us.  Well, her plane was delayed so it kind of messed the night up.  We called the Stake Pres. Secretary to see if we could come early.  He said yes, so we went to go see him and Spencer was released.  It was a nice interview.  Then we headed over to the Gateway Airport to pick up Lauren.  Spencer wanted to drive, so I just told him where to go.  He finally figured things out and guessed that Lauren was coming.  It was almost 10pm by the time she got there.  The baby was screaming and we had to stop by Walmart to get formula on the way home.  Spencer was just ready to get home.  It was a long day for all of us.

Saturday, Grandpa Ray flew in and Uncle Brett and his family drove up from Tucson.  We spent the afternoon just visiting and then we headed to San Tan Flats for a BBQ/Fireside Dinner.  It was a beautiful evening.  It was fun.  The RIBS are amazing there.  Brett's Ward was doing their Primary Program so they couldn't stay, so they drove home after we had dinner.

Sunday, Spencer gave a great talk about How to Find Peace Through Forgiveness.  We were so proud of him and the things that he talked about.  We came back to the house after church and had Randy's Chicken for dinner and lots of friends just stopped by.  It was a great day.  We love having him home.  He will be heading to BYU-Idaho in January to start his Education.  

Oct 14, 2013 Tegucigalpa Elder Olsesn's Last Email

Hey Mom Dad and Everyone,

It’s still unreal to me that this is the last time I am going to be writing you guys on the mission. Man how this last 2 years have just flown by and at the same time just been an absolute eternity. I have missed you guys so much. I can wait to get home and see how everything has changed or stayed the same.

Well let’s see. This week I have just kind of been getting a last few things done. On Tuesday I went on division with the Zl’s here. I went to go to do an interview for a guy named Diepte he is from a department called Gracias a Dios. That is where only indigenous people of Honduras are at. There aren`t missionaries there because there still isn’t a book of Mormon written in their language. But from what I hear they are almost done with it and shortly there after they should start sending missionaries there. The ones that leave there and live in main stream Honduras learn Spanish. He was a really cool seemed like he was a little high but Elder Oveson told me that that’s how he is hahaha. So I did the interview here in a really weird language in the background. It was really weird not understanding a language for the 1st time in like 18 months hahaha.

Wednesday was just a normal day like the rest. We did find out about the new dress code for the missionaries. WE are now allowed to have khakis. So as we were finishing division I know of a place that sells really good American cloths real cheap. So we went there with the Zl’s and Elder Oveson and I got some. I got a really nice pair of Dockers for 40 limps or 2 dollars. And they fit me great (photo attached at the bottom hahaha).

Then on Thursday we had my last district meeting. I went and got brownie mix and ice cream for my district. We basically verified what everyone had they we celebrated my last district meeting. At the end I put Elder Oveson to give a quick class. Then we went to lunch and I went out to a place called Sabana Grande to go do another interview. While I was there Elder Oveson as well was there with the other missionaries in this area. So I had to have my final interview with Pres Hernandez the next day so Elder Oveson, myself and one of his converts that was there with us stayed in the same house to come back to Tegus together.

So on Friday morning we went to the office. It was a great day. We had my entire group there. It was a really baggy day hahahaha. But I got there and I had my interview with Pres. It was solid. He read my final report. I wrote it on my growth of my Christ like attributes in the mission. He said it was extraordinary. I felt really good about everything I had done in my mission.

Saturday and Sunday were normal. Nothing too big. Ill translate you guys my report when I get home so you can read it. Well I can’t wait to see you guys on Thursday. Ill let you all in on what’s going down on here in Honduras when I get home.

Love you all

Elder Spencer Olsen

 Brownies for my District. Last District Meeting

 Eating Brownies

 Elder Peterson

 Financial Guy in the Office.  Turning in my Money Card

 Look at all of the Cards that were turned in and all of the Shredded Cards.

The bus we took to church every Sunday

Elder Oveson and I bought Khaki's

Oct 6, 2013 Friends in the Mission

I received an email from a friend that I have made through Missionary Mom.  She was nice enough to send a couple of pictures of our boys together with their companions.  I love Missionary Pictures!

 Elder Mahan, Elder Smith, Elder Boe, & Elder Olsen

What a great looking group of Missionaries

Oct 7, 2013 Tegucigalpa Coca Cola Cristo

Hello Mom Dad and everyone,

Well it’s getting really crazy out here with everything that is going on. The last few weeks we have been doing things to get ready to go home like last Tuesday we went to the temple with the missionaries that’s are going home with us. It was kind of crappy because they just kind of let us know out of the nothing. So a lot of missionaries recommends were expired so they couldn’t go it kind sucked so hopefully they do something more before we leave. Today I heard that one of the APs moms is coming down to pick him up and she is going to make us all food from Peru. That should be interesting.

So here in Latin America we always watch conference in English. WE call it ´´Gringo Weekend.´´ I really don’t like watching it in Spanish. The translators are really boring. The same emotions doesn’t exist in them as actually listening to the Prophet Apostles and Seventy. So on Saturday we went to one of the buildings that is part of the stake but out of the zone. We hooked up with all the gringos of the 2 zones in the stake. We were 12 missionaries in a small family history center. It was a lot of fun.

The Sunday morning we had to watch conference in Spanish because we took a few investigators to it and we couldn’t leave them alone so we had to go with them. I fell a sleep for like 5 minutes in Elder Scotts talk. He translates his own talks because he speaks Spanish but he has a very dull accent in Spanish. But is was good.

My favorite talk was Elder Anderson´s talk about the priesthood. I was really thinking in his talk that now is the real test. That man know I have my whole life coming up on me. That this is the moment to really see what I am worth. I know what I have preached for the last 2 years is the truth and that I have done it through God´s power. I always want to be worthy of it. I don’t want to fall like I have seen so many people and members have done. I am excited to see what happens and to see how I can inform the temptations I have. I know God will be there to always help me I am just going to have to look for him to help me.

Well today we had a really good time. I finally after more then 2 years of waiting we went up to Pikachu. That’s is the statue of Christ here in the city. Or what you know it as the Coca Cola Cristo. It was a lot of fun. If we come down here we will have to go. It was really chill up there. It reminds me a lot of northern AZ like Flagstaff Payson area it is way cool. I felt like I was back at Geronimo again hahahaha.

Well it’s coming down to the wire one more Monday and that’s if you go back to writing one email hahaha that’s so crazy. I’m so excited to get things going. Can’t wait to see you all.

Love you all I’m doing great we should be having my last baptism on Saturday. I’ll let you all know next week.

Elder Spencer Olsen

 Temple Trip

the last one is a zone pic we did an activity in the stake center an we were getting everything ready 

this was a lot of fun 

 yeah buddy

the solo pic of me jumping over tegus 

 me and oveson are really weird hahahah

 the 3 gringos of the zone

 the airstipr where i will be taking off from in 10 days hahaha

 the national satdium of honduras 

 the temple from a distance

here is all of tegus 

 this is elder rivera he is from the cieba here in honduras he is a visa waiter for mexico he finally got his visa after 10 months of waiting this week hahahaha we all made fun of him saying that someday he would get his visa and go to mexico 

 elder boe being doofy he drew those pants hahahaha

 my zone minus 2 sisters that werent there when we took the pic

 it was a very tiring day for elder oveson and boe hahahah

We gringos are really weird hahaha 

 me and oveson are best mission firends we do funny stuff together

Our gringo group for conference