November 10 2015 The CCM is the Bomb.net

Hey guys I figured out we can send pictures but I don't know how to do that, because these computers are weird. I'm gonna say a couple things then try to answer all of Dad´s questions if I can.

First off, this week was a little bit harder than last. I lost my spiritual fire for a bit and I was hanging out with my Latino brothers and I just couldn´t understand them at all. It was really weird. Then I figured it out. I had slipped into casualty. I was writing in my journal when it came to me. I had been speaking a lot of English and kinda dragging out of bed. During study, I let my goals slide and I had stopped serving everyone around me. Writing in my journal in English was overly easy too. Right then I decided to fully rededicate myself in all aspects and wrote it in my journal. I was gonna only speak Spanish or else I would have to write all English phrases down and translate them. In that instant, the next word came to mind in Spanish and I have been doing alright since. 

Sundays are sooooo awesome. I saw Dallin Davidson in the Feb 2013 MTC devotional by M. Russel Ballard.

Funny stories. One night we downed a five gallon water tank in about 7 minutes. The next night someone whipped out a 21 foot sheet of sudoku puzzles in the hall. My running shoes got a nice hole in the bottom of it so I have had fun with mole skin and duct tape and stuff remaking it and now it's like brand new. Also, in a lesson, the hermanas asked their investigator (a teacher who dresses up) if he would read Moroni 10:3-5 and pray about it to know if it is true...only they had him read Mormon 9:4 instead. It was sooooooooo hilarious. Also, my Latino brothers left this morning for their missions. Elder Taylor and I were crying a lot last night. WE loved those guys soooo much. They took me in and every day told me we were family. I will send you a pic when I figure out how to.

 Annamarie do you know a Megan Stoor? She went to BYU Idaho. She is one of the hermanas in my district. Sorry Dad I will answer your questions next week. Well I love you all.

I do have a bit more time. When we teach lessons, you prepare a lesson so the lord can bless you, but the whole lesson is listening. It's been really cool. Oh guess what, no pictures. They just said so. So give me a couple weeks. I love you all. Joseph smith really was a living prophet of god and Christ is our savior. I love the line from general conference of that humble man. ¨it's true isn't it? . . . .then what else matters?¨ The temple is like 200 feet from the CCM. Oh and today a money truck came to the CCM and the whole street was full of little guatemaltecos with silver shotguns. It was awesome. I said hi to every single one on the way back from the temple.

The other missionaries are here to kick me out. Well I don't know the address yet. Maybe mommy has it. You can probably look it up on google. Love you all.

-Elder Olson

Note from Mom:  Ammon's mission address (not the CCM, but the actual mission address where he'll be in a month or so) is
Elder Ammon Olson
Guatemala Guatemala City South Mission
Ave. Reforma 8/60 Galerias Reforma
Torre 2 Nivel 6, 606 Zona 9
Guatemala
Guatemala

November 3, 2015 I Love the CCM, and The Gift of Tongues is Real!!

Hey guys!!!! I love it here!!!! It is soooo awesome. We are too busy to think about it. We just have to learn and do our best. We have an hour and a half of sports every night which is fun but they don't let us play soccer or true futbol because we only have a basketball and volleyball court. Since today, Tuesday, is my p-day, a group is going to a nearby park to play soccer. I need to get my skills up so I can spread the gospel on my mission. They are leaving right now so I have to go. Just know that LOVE you guys and I am so excited for this work. I'll fill ya in on the nitty gritty later. Also I need emails. Love ya.

Elder Olson

(Later the same day)

Before I say anything, AAAALLLLLLL credit to the spirit. For those of you who know me well, I did well in school, but didn't really pick up on Spanish too well. One of the gifts of the spirit is the gift of tongues if you have enough faith. Faith is an action word. You need to act inorder to show it to God. First of all at the airport, my whole generation, the influx of missionaries that you arrive with, was there. Hermana Colo who we met at the airport is in my generation but not in my district. Anyway, on the plane, My amigo, Elder Madero, sat in the aisle seat next to my aisle seat. I tried to use my Spanish as much as possible and Hermana Stoor sat in front of Elder Madero. She is one of two hermanas in my district. Well, I was asking the nice man next to Elder Madero, who is Latino and fluent in Spanish, how to properly say things, only the phrases I was asking about were, ¨Have you ever spoken to the missionaries before?¨and ¨Have you read the Book of Mormon before?¨ We ended up placing a Book of Mormon in Spanish (I brought one) and Elder Madero bore his testimony to him, then I asked him to read Moroni 10: 3-5. This is a beautiful scripture, if you want to read it, you can just go tolds.org and click on the scriptures then The Book of Mormon. Well around 2:30 a.m., a light flips on next to us and he starts reading. It was awesome. We landed around 6:30 a.m. so we got to see the sky view. Guatemala is BEAUTIFUL. About 70 miles from me is the biggest mountain/volcano I have EVER seen. All the other mountains are normal size like those in California, Utah, or Washington, then there's the volcano. It is three to seven times bigger and taller than them. The plushness or greenness (sorry it is surprisingly hard to write in inglish right now) is so thick. We have thick green hills right outside our window.  Well it is about 80% humidity here but I don't feel it until it is time to sleep. I arrived and during my interview, the thought came into my head about the scripture open your mouth and God will fill it (if someone could find that reference that would be great). Well the thought progressed to if you want God to fill your mouth, you have to open it. I have taken that upon myself. I sit with the Latinos every meal and talk to them the whole time. Of course remember, I'm a skinny little gringo, everything amazing is because of the spirit and not my own doing. Well the first meal, I understood everything they said. From then on, I have been able to say whatever I want. It's mind blowing. I haven't said any words yet that I have never known, but I've used word after word that I have only heard once in my life. My companion is Elder Rock. He is from south Ogden, Utah. He runs and swims and has a family of six. We sat down and both want the best experience. When President Cox asked me to be the district leader he challenged me to have the best companionship. We have taken that to heart. We work as hard as possible. May I just insert that there are so many guns and motorcycles here. You cannot look anywhere without seeing 30 of each. And SNICKERDOODL'n AWESOME buses. They are all school buses but tripped out completely. In district Santiago, there are 10 missionaries. I'll give their details later. My teachers are awesome. We have Hermano Abadillo in the morning who served his mission in Houston Texas and lives in Elder Grover's ward. And in the afternoons we have Hermano Baján. They are both super duper cool guys. Hermano Baján finished his mission 6 months ago in Argentina and Hermano Abadillo is engaged to a girl going to BYU Idaho. I think her name is Elise . . . no. Well um. We are too busy here to think much. Writing in my journal every night is a struggle. I spend all day trying to translate my thoughts into Spanish so that when it's journal time, I can't think of words or I have to translate back into English and I can't spell for my life. I am thinking and dreaming in Spanish now. Even with a limited vocabulary. When I don't know how to express a feeling, I get puzzled and then remember I can write it in my journal in English. It is awesome here. It is crazy tough though. I FOUND MY MISSIONARY SCRIPTURE!!!!!! (To go on my plaque at church at home) I have been praying for this and prayed for the courage to ask President Cox, a really old guy with the most energy you ever saw in your life, for his opinion. Instead, he gave it to me on Sunday during his devotional on repentance. That was my coolest most favorite devotional or talk ever. I'm pumped! My scripture is Mosiah 28:3:  "Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble." 

Well unfortunately I don't have that much time because I had to take district Santiago to the distribution center for books and stuff and the temple took longer than usual. The temple is gorgeous and insanely small. I was able to have the opportunity to do it in Spanish. I love these Guatamalan people so much already. I am soooooo stoked. Well I do have to go. Let me know what details you want to know. The church is true. and it is for EVERYONE!!!!!!!. I really do love you all. Dad can I please be unshunned for my last email? Also I can't send pictures while I'm here because they had issues with cameras recently. The president and vice president of Guatemala got arrested a few weeks ago! yippy! turmoil! more guns!. 

Love you all.

-Elder Olson