January 11, 2016 Happiness is a Choice--Nueva Santa Rosa, Cuilapa 5

Hello Family ...and Friends....and that one guy that doesn't know why he's reading this,

I know why. Because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is real and true and will change the life of anyone that is simply willing to accept it. This treasure chest is available to everyone. They just need to step up and open it. 

Attached is a picture that I found glued onto one of my buddy Elder's agendas when we were on splits. I love it. It is soooooo simple but yet take the time to ponder it and then apply it. The best part, it's not a onetime thing, it's infinite. Let's all act and open this treasure chest of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Right now many of you cannot see the treasure inside, are you now willing to open the treasure chest of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and trust in God? The treasure chest is full of infinite treasure for you, but hey I'm just some 18 year old kid down in Guatemala. What do I know? Find out for yourself. Take a peak. Maybe it's empty, but what if it's FULL?! I know it's full. How do we open this chest? There are people like me in every part of the world, missionaries. We are messengers of the existence of this Chest. Our drive and joy is in seeing others receive the endless joy that this gospel brings. Our message is only to present the opportunity, we do not force, pressure, or push. We only share our knowledge of it and help others to find it. The invitation is not to accept this, but to hear it and find out for yourself. The invitations always end with, "You can know for yourself, through prayer. We want you to ask him and gain a knowledge for yourself between you and God. Ask God and he will tell you whether it is true or false. It is 100% one or the other. God cannot lie. He will tell you." Remember that we cannot say whether a cake tastes good or bad without testing it or trying it. This is the best tasting cake that exists; it is endless and your favorite flavor. Take a taste. Missionaries have given two years of their lives to the Lord to serve him and all the Children of God. Invite them over. Ask your Mormon friend about them. Or at least just meet them. If you do and do not like the taste, if there is no treasure, so be it. I have lied to you and now you know. But how sweet is the joy that the message of truth brings. Other ways to take a peak are to read the Book of Mormon, a sacred scripture written thousands of years ago by the prophets in the ancient Americas for YOU. Ask about this book.  It can and will change your life. Also, the doors of the church are always Wide-Open to all. The Church OF Jesus Christ is for all. Jesus loves each and every one of you individually and sincerely.

That being said, this week was Great! And I am Happy! I think I have reached the point where I have found the Joy in helping others find the truth in the sense that other things don't really matter anymore. My main concern is fulfilling the will of the Lord being the same will of God. 

We had our (well my) first scorpion in the house. Mission rules say we can't have pets, so after deep thought, I taped him to the floor and waited for him to calm down then studied him good being stuck on the tape. Very interesting creatures. 

We see miracles (the hand of the Lord) every day. These people here are amazing. I LOVE the bread here in the little panaderias. They are sooo cheap. I'm in the process of making deals with the different little shops to buy all their old bread that they don't get to sell. I started saying that it's a real problem, my love for bread, then I looked in a mirror. I should eat all of the bread in Guatemala. These people are actually rather psychic and know that I would like to gain weight. They are helping me a lot. 

We have a Less Active (stopped attending church and partaking of the Sacrament) named Raul. He really wants to come back and feel that sacred special power of the Sacrament again, but just has fear of what people will think. He was offended by a member and is afraid of being offended again because he wants to attend faithfully as soon as possible. Last night, we shared the same scripture that they had been studying....for the second time in a row. It's pretty special. No credit to us, we just try to follow the Spirit.

Oh! Yesterday we had our first English Class. This class is open to all. If someone can speak English down here, they automatically get double pay. They are all soooo excited. After one class (the alphabet and different *non-existent* sounds (to them), they all think they're pros and will be speaking fluently in a couple weeks. They are all going to bring friends to the next one. The mouth is incredibly interesting how we make all of our sounds. Take a moment and think, what are you actually doing. This took a long time for me to prepare because it is just so natural. Tips? Fun Games? Ideas? I need help. But it's fun!

-Love you All!!

Elder Olson

I just had this thought and wrote it to my Mission President:

I had a thought about improving. It's like trying to make the best cake. We already have the recipe and we try over and over again to make the best cake but it comes out unsatisfactory each time. Before we think about and try to see what new ingredient we can add or what we should take out, we first need to re-examine the recipe and follow it exactly. If we do not, and think that we know better from the beginning, how can we ever know how it would have turned out with what we have been given. My companion and I are looking for many new ingredients and we have found some that son tan rico! (English classes) But first we need to step back and follow the recipe EXACTLY in order to achieve success. 

The second part is that Happiness is a CHOICE. My mother had a quote up on the wall for years which said, "Happiness is not doing what you like to do, but liking what you have to do." That is so true! I am Happy. 

We visited the capital for a meeting of new missionaries.  Afterward, we found my "grandpa."  He trained my companion, who is my "papi" because he trained me.

This is after our shopping trip today.  My companion needed new shoes, and I bought bread!