About to Leave the CCM - week 5

Dear Friends and Fam,

    Last time I'll be emailing from the CCM! I am incredibly excited to get out of here (92 hours left just by the way). It's been a wonderful experience but I'm dying for a change from the routine. Although, I'll be a little sad to say goodbye to the friends ive made here. Luckily all of my district not going to Rancagua (just the Hermanas and Elder Tilley) will be returning to UT post mission so there's a good chance I'll see them again.

    I leave for Chile at 6 am on monday morning. The sixteen of us headed for Rancagua will all be flying together connecting through Panama City, arriving in Santiago at 12:19 a.m. I'm all packed, and I was a little worried due to a new 22 lbs weight limit on carry-on bags. Luckily I had some extra room in my checked bags.

    This week my Comp and I taught a lesson in district meeting because our district leader had another appointment and he basically uses our companionship as vice presidents. It was actually a really great lesson about overcoming trials through the atonement. My favorite scripture is on that topic (Job 23:10), and I also HIGHLY recommend going and reading DyC 121 & 122 (although if you want a shorter version just read 122: 5-9).

    This week has been especially exciting due to our discovery of a soda machine that dispenses random sodas. Our whole district meets up there after lunch, and we enjoy a fun little game we call Mexican Roulette. The machine once gave us a Coke, and we all are sincerely praying that one day we can get one too. It doesn't sound all that fun, but to be honest we're all pretty hungry for any form of entertainment here.

    We will have the opportunity to watch general conference this week, which I am super excited for. Luckily it's in English. Some of the apostles speak spanish though, and I really enjoy listening to  them because they speak really slowly and it´s really easy to understand. Keeping up with the translators takes a lot more focus though and I think going for that long would seriously melt my brain.

    The spanish is going really well for me though, we took an assessment with another district and I got significantly above the average (actually the second highest out of both districts, so basically I'm a prodigy). However, I know that it'll be WAY harder in the field. Chilean spanish is crazy fast and full of slang, but I think I'll get it.

    The church is true, I Love you all, and I hope everything is going well back home.

Hasta Luego,

Elder Olson

P.S. 91 hours left now..

Our morning Maestra (teacher), Hermana Nuñez

Packing up

Week 4 - 1 month down - in the Mexico CCM

From: Jacob Olson <jacobbrianolson@myldsmail.net>

Subject: Re: Emailing so it gets there

Date: September 22, 2016 at 1:12:07 PM MDT

To: Julie Olson <rjolsonfamily@gmail.com>

Dear Friends and Family,

Sadly this letter is going to be wicked short because i put it off until the end of email time and I want to get a few pics on here. It's been a good week, we've really gotten into the routine and the time is starting to fly.

Speaking of time, I had a pretty clever (yet stupid) idea for a prank involving my comp´s alarm clock. He has one of those clocks with the bells on top that you only ever see in cartoons. We locked it in Elder Haar's closet set to go off at 1:30 in the morning. Super funny, BUT the next night I woke up  at 1:30 to, you guessed it, that same alarm clock. I opened my closet (Elder Musselman being the gentleman that he is pretended he was sleeping through it and I had no problem with taking care of it) and found behind my suitcase on the top shelf the clock, padlocked inside a toiletry bag. I just threw it out into the hall so Elders Haar and Jensen could deal with it, but guys, don't play pranks in the MTC.

This sunday we watched two recorded devotionals from Elder Bednar and Elder Holland. Absolutely fantastic. Bednar's was themed around mosiah 3:19, and focusing on turning outward rather than focusing on yourself. I invite you all to search for specific examples of the savior doing this in His own ministry. We will find the most success when we are absolutely selfless. Elder Holland also gave a quote I enjoyed: "You show me how your obedience is and I will show you how your mission will be.¨" 

I've been trying extra hard to apply these talks to my life. While my comp was practicing the piano (he accompanies the choir) I noticed a man cleaning the auditorium. I asked him using my limited spanish if I could help, and spent the next half hour helping him (his name was Javier) to clean. Also, this week I placed my first Book of Mormon. There is a construction project here at the CCM, for which they use private contractors who are not necessarily members of the church. We stopped to talk to one (named benjamin) and gave him a Book of Mormon. He didn't seem particularly interested, but he took the book. I've just been glad to have some opportunities for some kind of service while I'm still in the MTC.

We also got to participate in a celebration for Mexican Independence Day, which has been our only chance to get a little wild since we've gotten here. I've attached some pics below (I also want you all to notice how scary the way my companion is staring at me in the first picture is...hahaha)

I'm loving the emails/letters/packages im getting from everyone, as well as the updates on BYU football from my fam, so keep it coming.

Les amo mucho,

Elder Olson

Also, Enjoy how fantastically dorky we all are. Love you all <3

P.S. (friends and family) I love getting pictures from you guys so please send me more of those. Thanks <3

Week 3 at the CCM

Mexico City Temple - They got to go this morning

Elder Olson and his district at the temple

Hola amigos y familia!

It's crazy that my I just finished my third full week in the CCM, but I also feel like I can't get out into the field fast enough. It's a great time to be in the MTC/CCM though, because there have been 3 live broadcasts for apostles in the past week and a half (Christofferson, Ballard, and Cook). At this point I can sleep right through the gunshots and dying dogs without a problem. I had the opportunity to participate in my first healing blessing this week for an Hermana who wasn't feeling well. Our district leader Elder Robinson gave the blessing, and it really felt like it wasn't him speaking, but the spirit. This week Elder Musselman and I got locked out of our room for the third time! It's not our fault, the electronic lock keeps resetting and won´t accept our cards. This time it happened during our gym hour and the only person who could fix it was an hour away, so we got an extra hour of gym time this week. This week we've played a lot of dumb little puzzle games (if anybody's familiar with black magic, that's been a big one). Those games really get us through the day. Elder Crompton's birthday was this week, so we had a lot of little fiestas. I've eaten an awesome amount of chips and queso/salsa from our districts care packages. Last P-day I may have gone a little crazy with the sports. We played five hours of soccer, and another two hours of ultimate frisbee in a zone tournament. We didn't think to wear sunscreen, and at an altitude of 10,000 feet the sunburns ended up being pretty brutal. I got a haircut this week as well, and the back is shaved in a latino style that's pretty interesting. My district all say it looks good though and  more just signed up to get haircuts tomorrow so it must not be too bad. Pics to come when I can actually send them. We had the chance to attend the temple again today, which is always a fun experience.

Today we also lost the first member of our district. Elder Wilcox went home this morning, which has been tough for everyone. His companion Elder Tilley will be assigned to a trioship in our district and moved to the casas instead of the apartments.

Love and trust have been major topics in our meetings and devotionals this week. One point I really enjoyed came from D Todd Christofferson (at least I´m pretty sure that´s who it was, there´ve been a lot of devotionals). He talked about how trust is a greater measure of character than love. Christ loves everyone, BUT we need to make it our goal as missionaries and as members of the churc to be someone he can trust.

I've mentioned before that Elder Musselman doesn't have a whole lot of experience with Spanish, so I just want to give you guys some quick little quotes that I found particularly inspirational.

First, early on he tried to tell the maestra(teacher) that he was embarrassed about something he said. However in spanish the word Embarasada/o means pregnant, so he told the teacher he felt very pregnant XD

Others include:

"Jesus Christ atoned for our fish."

and "When we take the sacrament we eat the bread and drink the buttcheeks."

Just a little extra uplifting for you all.

I hope everything's going well back home, I've really loved getting your letters and packages these last couple weeks. If I didn't respond to you today and you've sent a letter using the package service then I probably just haven't received it. There's still a two to three day delay with the letters.

I love you all,

Elder Olson

----------------------------------------

Note: Elder Olson finally got the camera connected to send some pictures.

From the Mexico City Airport to the CCM

Trying to capture the glimpses of the city enroute

Mexico City

The LDS Mexico CCM gates

The streets of the CCM

Elder Musselman, CCM companion

CCM "Abbey Road", Elder Musselman, Elder Olson, ___, ___

a 90 acre campus protected by gates, barbed wire and guards

The missionary "DAB"

Elder Olson and District 6C at the Mexico CCM, Sept 23, 2016

companions

Elder Musselman and Elder Olson

Week 2: At the Mexico CCM - Mission Scriptures

NOTE FROM JACOB’s MOM: Jacob asks at the end that while he’s at the MTC, that people use this website… http://www.mtcmexicocarepackage.com to send free letters to him during the week (send by Tuesday each week) so that he has more time respond in email form on his Pdays. He only gets an hour on the computer and he keeps running out of time. If people use that service, they print out the letter and deliver it the next day and he can read them during the week and will have more time to respond on Thursdays via email (that’s his hope anyway). He still is having a hard time getting his pictures uploaded so hopefully he can figure that out by next week.

--------------------------------------------

Dear Friends and Family,

I don't have a lot of time, as usual, so bare with me if there are typos or other mistakes. The second week has simultaneously flown by and dragged on forever. We've visited the infirmary twice this week, both times for my companion. The first time he got a bug bite which swelled up from dime size to baseball size in about twenty minutes. The second time he accidentally ate a hot pepper at lunch and chugged 3{4 of a gallon of milk to cool off, which screwed up his stomach big time. We got to see a broadcast from D Todd Christofferson this week, and will get to hear from two more apostles live from Provo next week. What a time to be in the MTC. We tried to speak only Español for 24 hours twice this week as a district, but so far we're yet to make it past lunch. Everything is going well, we had a great experience this week spontaneously sharing our mission scriptures. Mine is Jacob 5:71, and my comps is Helaman 5:12. Both great scriptures. My district plays soccer every day; we're trying to train so we can handle the 6 year olds in Chile. One Elder has already broken a foot though, so we probably need to dial it back. Last PDay we had the chance to do a session in the Mexico City temple, which was awesome. Afterwards, my companion wanted to go talk to some kids outside the visitors center with their grandma. We´re a good team, because I wouldn't have thought to talk to them and he can't talk to them because his Spanish is still pretty rough. It was great practice.

I hope everything is going well back in the states, I love you all.

Hasta luego,

Elder Olson

P.S. My mom says she shared a website that allows you to send letters for free to me while im here in the ccm. That works really well for me bc i can read them during the week without using any of my email time. Gracias y les amo <3

------------------------------------------

Jacob with his District (6C) the day they arrived at the Mexico CCM

Jacob's comp is the goofy guy in the front, Elder Musselman. They get along well.

Smiling for real now. Elder Haar is the third from the left and his mom sent me these pics since Jacob's camera wasn't uploading. Elder Haar said the Mexico CCM is a 90 acre compound surrounded by barbed wire and guards to keep them safe. They often hear gunshots from the surrounding area which is quite run down in comparison to the beautiful campus they are on.

In class at the CCM 

Jacob and his comp in class. Sometimes it's a bit boring he says, but it's all necessary and good.

Week 1 : Mexico CCM

A picture we took before Elder Olson left home.

From: Jacob Olson <jacobbrianolson@myldsmail.net>

Subject: Week One Done, Mexico City MTC

Date: September 1, 2016 at 8:51:30 AM MDT

Friends and Family,

Well I've made it to my first P-Day, and I was so grateful to have a chance to read all your emails. I made it here to the CCM (Spanish for Missionary Training Center) without any kind of problem, and I was especially blessed because Delta lost 49 bags but mine all made it safe and sound (although customs did open one of my Christmas presents for me).

So far the CCM has been awesome. The spirit here is absolutely amazing, and every day builds my testimony a little more. All of the teachers here speak very little English, so we've all had to adjust very quickly, but the language really hasn't been too much of a challenge for me so far. Our morning teacher though is fantastic, and we have a lot of fun while learning. We have a deal where she'll "Dab" if she makes a mistake, and it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I won't lie it's been both difficult and even boring at times, but I'm enjoying the experience. There are many devotionals and opportunities to feel the Spirit, and a lot of it has felt perfectly tailored to my personal needs. For example, the theme for this week (not in our lessons, but in things I've personally noticed) has been the power of specific prayer. It has never been easy for me to recognize the Spirit, but specific prayer has always been the easiest way for me to the recognize its promptings. I bore testimony of this in a District meeting, then later that night we coincidentally had a devotional on specific prayer. There have repeatedly been instances throughout the week in which I've prayed for very specific things and each time my requests have been granted.

Another strong theme for this week has been the power of exact obedience. My mom will be thrilled to know that I make my bed every morning, and my dad will be thrilled to hear that I now take showers under ten minutes. Strict obedience to the schedule can be very difficult, as can be staying on task at all times. But one quote has become our motto as a companionship and as a district: "Obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles."

My companion's name is Elder Musselman, and I don't know that I've ever met a harder worker in my life. We work really well as a companionship. He has no Spanish experience and is struggling with the language, and I have been able to help him a lot in that respect, and he helps me remember the importance of hard work, doesn't let me slack off, and has done a great job of helping me keep from getting fat. Our district has become a tight knit group, and many districts aren't as good of friends as we are even after several weeks. However, our friendship presents its own challenges, because it is very easy to get off task and off topic.

Luckily the food hasn't totally wrecked my stomach, but several others in my district have gotten rather sick. I've been especially grateful for this because playing sports or lifting weights during gym time is pretty much the only way I'm able to keep my sanity. However, I recommend that you all read Jeremiah 4: 19 - 20 if you want an accurate description of the CCM experience.

I'm running out of time, but hopefully I'll be able to attach some pictures of my district before leaving my hour is up. We have the opportunity to visit the Mexico City Temple today, which I'm very excited for. Although, performing some of the ordinances in Spanish may be somewhat difficult.

I hope everyone is healthy and happy, and there´ll be more experiences to come next week.

I love you all,

Elder Olson

NOTE FROM MOM: I found a service that will print out and deliver emailed letters for free on stationary to the Mexico MTC the next day. They will also deliver specific packages/products you can order from their website. It worked really well. I sent Jacob a letter and a little Fiesta Package of chips, salsa and soda at the end of his first week  in the MTC. Here's the website...www.mtcmexicocarepackage.com/ He will be able to receive things through this site only until October 4th.

Since Jacob couldn't upload any pictures this week, I thought I'd add the pictures I took at his farewell here.