June 19, 2017 Atoyac Barrow Negro

Dear mom and everyone,

This week was pretty normal. Monday, I spend almost of money to cool good food. I got some meat, I can't remember what kind and I got stuff to make a homemade mac and cheese with chicken. Monday, we also made something really good, it's like you make a tortilla but before you flatten it you fill it with meat and cheese and then you fry it, it was super good.

Tuesday, we had divisions nothing too exciting minus getting hamburgers that ended up making me sick. Woke up in the middle of the night.

Wednesday, I got to our house and just rested, the member we live with was kind enough to give me something to calm my stomach. In the night, we made burritos with the meat we bought on Monday and it tasted pretty good but it need salsa that I forgot to make.

Friday, we saw Nancy and Carla and had a super awesome lesson, they should be getting baptized this week. I'll let you know how that goes. Nanci's sister, Francisca' that we are also teaching, hit a road block (not a literal one that Oaxaca is famous for) she's going through some pretty rough depression. We are trying our best but we can't do much other than teach her the gospel and hope that it shines the light that she needs in her life. We also saw Citlali, She's the lady that knows a lot about the bible. She's progressing really well and should be baptized the 7th of July (it's Friday because she can't Saturday). 

Sunday Citlali and her 4 kids came and also Nanci and Carla. It was cool, because Nanci and Carla need to go one more time to get baptized this week. 

Today we climbed up a little mountain and enjoyed the view. I forgot to bring my camera so I couldn't get any pictures. 

The area is made up of about 10 neighborhoods but we go to only about 3 or 4 and it takes about an hour or so to bus from one end to the other. The church is kind of far away, I think you already have mapped out the church, well we live in the neighborhood Animas Trujano. nope I’ve never been in the gilbert bus. We have a washing machine to wash but we have to rinse them and ring them out by hand, and it always seems to rain when I put them out to dry. The bus ride was a 12-hour ride with about 8 other elders. the church is cool about 70 go but usually show up late because it starts at 8am. 

Well I love you all

Elder Olsen.

the first Pic is a huge Rottweiler that the members that we visit a lot have he's super friendly when he knows you and is in a good mood. 

The next could are some art of barrow negro. I want to send a package home with a bunch of this stuff. 

The last pic is Nanci and Carla hopefully next week I’ll be sending baptism pictures of them.

June 5, 2017 Zone activity with the five zones of Oaxaca and Nochixtlán

We were told that there was a chance that Mitchell was going to be transferred this time and he thought he might get sent back to the city.  Sure enough, he was transferred to Atoyac.  He is close to the Mission Home/Office and the Oaxaca Temple.  This is a picture from Sis Madsen's Facebook Page of the AP's working on the transfer board.  if you look closely, you can see Elder Olsen's picture under the Atoyac Area.  

Mitchell was transferred just in time to attend the 5 Zone activity to Mount Alban.  What a fun opportunity.  He will be in the OAXACA sign forever.

June 12, 2017 Atoyac and Mount Alban

Dear Mom and Everyone,

This week was pretty cool,

We had super cool lessons with some of our best investigators named Nanci and her daughter Carla. They are super awesome because the rest of their family are either JW or Catholic, and they still listen to us. They are progressing really well we are teaching the plan of salvation to them and they are taking it really great, in our last lesson Nanci said she knew she was on the right path. They should be getting baptized in two weeks.

We have another investigator named Francisca, she's Nanci's sister. She was progressing great and was going to get baptized this Saturday but, it ended up that she didn't feel ready. Her husband just left her a few months ago and she says that it still hurts, so we will be working on that.

Another Investigator we have is Carlita (most of our investigators are women). She's awesome because she knows a lot about the bible. Usually that's really annoying but she's making a lot of super cool connection. But one of our last lesson we had with her we brought a member with us. Right when we got there the spirit was different, like she seemed annoyed or something. But when we started she didn't agree with something and we tried to explain it. She was about to throw us out but I got in and bore my testimony and she really calmed down. we almost lost her but she accepted another appt. the next lesson was a lot better and like normal.

Okay our apartment is in the house of some members. They treat us really well but we live very separately. All of our rooms are like a motel and our kitchen doesn't have a door. The Kitchen is okay. There is literally no counter space but we have a gas stove and oven. I'm planning on making homemade mac and cheese with chick breast so that should be good. yes, I did bring my pan and I love it. and yes, the Saturday I got here we baptized and girl named Hiadi (picture below). It was cool to come in to that. The area's cool butt super big we take the bus at least 2 to 4 times a day if not more but there are really cool investigators and members here. The ward is pretty big about 100. but church starts at 8 am, that's super rough to get people to church. and yes, I got the package thank you very much. I love the tie clips and my comp does too.

Well that’s about all, I love you all 

Elder Olsen

 Mount Alban

 I am assuming that this is the figurine that Mitchell talked about last week made out of Barra Negra, a black clay only found in the area he is in in Oaxaca

June 5, 2017 Atoyac Elder Valinzuela (I think) and Mount Alban

Dear Mom and everyone,

Okay first thing, in my rush I must have not read or read over the letter so fast that I didn't read that Bro Greer past away. Send my Love to them and Tell them he was a great man and he'll be missed until we see him again.

This last week was super cool, I got here and then we have a baptism. A girl named Haidi was baptized, she’s a young girl that the missionaries have been teaching for 4 year and now was her time. So, we visited here every day this week. We taught her word of wisdom, chastity and, tithing in the same lesson. that was fun but we taught her everything before Saturday. 

The Area is super big and yes, the Rio Atoyac is a part of our area. We take a lot of busses and spend a lot of money on travel. But the members and the investigators are super cool. There’s this thing called Barra Negra, it’s like black clay, well this is the only place in the world were its made and one of the members here is really successful selling black figures and he’s going to give me a little black statue of Joseph Smith that will be super cool. I’ll get pictures next week. 

Investigators we have some people that are really cool. Some are Francisca, Nanci and Carlita. They two sisters and Carlita is Nanci's daughter. They are super cool because their parents are JW’s and their siblings are catholic but they are still listening and accepting everything really well. Well in short, this area is bien pilas and we are going to trabajar bien duro. 

My comp is Elder Valinzuela (I think) he's cool love to work, he used to be assistant and this is his last change, He's also from Sonora and has been at Puerto Peñasco. They city is cool, there’s less new investigators but more progressing investigators so that’s cool. The storm, I have no idea, I got out of there right before it hit, but I heard that the missionaries didn't go out for a few days. It just rained in the city (all over my drying clothes).

Oh, today we went to Monte Alban that was super cool, I bought a cook book one of those cool backpacks and a few other things and the ruins are super cool look them up online because I won't be able to send photo today:/. 

Well I love you all 

Elder Olsen

Mount Alban this is the ruins that Mitchell went to that I found on the internet

June 1, 2017 President and Sister Madsen

Hi Parents and Family,

Just thought I would write you all for the last time from here in the Mission.  So much has happened in the three years that we have been here and the time has passed very quickly, these last few months in particular. In January the mission department announced to us that zone conferences and interviews are to be conducted every transfer instead of every 3 months.  It has meant more travel for us but we think it is a very good thing for the missionaries and we always enjoy all opportunities to be with our missionaries.  They have been working very hard and we have seen the many fruits from their labors.  We have seen many miracles happen as lives have been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 It has been our great privilege to be here with the Saints in Oaxaca.  We have seen faithful members living the gospel and have heard the testimonies of new converts.  This has strengthened our testimonies.  Many of our missionaries are converts of only a couple of years and what a blessing it has been to experience their dedication and excitement as they share the gospel.

 We are going to miss the people here but more than that we will miss our dear angel missionaries.  Many of the members have said to us-- with your time coming to an end here in Oaxaca it is probably going to be hard to leave these missionaries.  Yes it definitely will be hard but the reality is that we have actually experienced these types of feelings every six weeks of the 3 years we have been here in the mission—as we have had to say good-bye to dear missionaries completing their missions and going home.  Even though difficult to say good-bye we are also so happy for them knowing they are to soon see loved ones and moving on with their lives, hopefully now with a firm testimony in Jesus Christ.

 We will leave but God´s work will continue here in Oaxaca.  He is “bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life for all His children” and your sons and daughters are a part of making this happen.  Thank you for your sacrifices and support and the love you give to them.  They are awesome.  This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  God lives and His spirit is here to comfort and guide us.  The Book of Mormon contains the teachings of Christ.  How grateful we are for these wonderful missionaries that are sharing the Book of Mormon, spreading the gospel and the beautiful plan of happiness to all.  Thank you for your love and prayers.

Love,

President and Sister Madsen

Mission Mexico Oaxaca

May 7-13 Last Interviews in Puerto Escondido

Every 6 Weeks Pres. and Sis. Madsen travels to each of the areas and has interviews with each Missionary.  These are the last pictures taken of Mitchell in Puerto Escondido before he was transferred to his new area in Atoyac

 The Missionaries love their candy treats

May 29, 2017 Good bye beach and baptisms and Chicatanas

Ok this was one of the weirds weeks I’ve had in a long time, and everything is so jumbled I might mix some stuff up and I have like 10 mins to write so least see how it goes

Monday and Tuesday were normal looking for people and the such. At the end of Tuesday, we had a lesson Felix and Maricruz and we asked them to see them every day that week to prepare for baptism that Saturday

Wednesday, it started to rain at first it was little we thought it would go away because it usually only rains through the night but at about 6 it started to rain like a monsoon. It continued until we left. In-between our house and Felix and Maricrus' is a dry rive when we left is was about 3 feet deep or more. we had to take a street the center and walk along the high it took us like an hour to get home.

Thursday morning, we got up to catch these things called Chicatanas. It's a type of ant that is about an inch long with wing and they eat them here. toasted or in a sauce. So, when we got up our floor inside the house was covered in them, trying to fly trying to do something. I don’t know what, but we caught a lot about 200 or so and the we just sat there and told ourselves, what do we do now? we had a half pitch full of these giant ant things and we had no idea what to do. so, in the night we took them to a member’s house and she just threw them on the pan cleaned them with water and on the pan again with salt. The texture is kind of like popcorn but it doesn't taste good.

Well Saturday we had our baptisms it was super cool I got to baptism Felix and the next Sunday their friend confirmed them. 

oh, and now I’m in the city my area is called Atoyac I’ll tell you about next week

Well sorry for the speedy letter 

I love you all I’ll explain the pics next week to 

Elder Olsen

May 22, 2017 Ward Activity at the Beach

Dear mom and everyone,

This week was actually a lot of fun and we found some more people to listen to us.

Monday, we had a fhe with our investigators Felix and Mari Cruz. It was a good time, we had a member give a lesson on the calling of the church and then we played Charades, and had some sweet bread. It was super cool and those two are progressing really well. I’m pretty sure they will get baptized next week. 

Friday, we had divisions with the ZL. We were in a trio with one and the other went to another area. It was cool because we went to a neighborhood that we haven't been to for 3 months or more, this time we didn't get lost, but we did find someone interested. He said we was catholic but he hesitated to tell us and had the JW bible so I think he a JW, He seemed really interested but the ZL that was with us had a really weird way to teach the first lesson, so we'll see what happens.

Saturday, we had a branch activity in the beach, it was a lot of fun. We got together to convivir is the word in Spanish it's kind of a more formal way to say hangout. We played a few games that Mendez and I knew and we had a lot of fun tackling each other and racing and stuff. If I can get the pictures in time our investigator Mari Cruz is in the pink tank top. 

Today We went to the beach again and played a few of those games because at the activity and drink cream soda floats (there wasn't root beer in the store) and drink more coconut water (it's actually really good at quenching your thirst)

My Spanish is coming long well, this has made me realize just how bad me hearing really is, I could probably understand almost everything if I could hear people better (and I am a master of Spanglish). The ex-branch pres. still comes on his own, we haven't even been able to visit him and he still comes that's super cool.

Well today my spiritual thought comes from the bible. Mark 9 21-25 It was after Jesus came down from the mount of transfiguration. There was a boy who had a really bad problem and his father asks Jesus for help, Jesus tells him if you can believe all things are possible unto you. The first thing the father says is I believe help me unbelief. When the troubled times come the first thing we need to remember our faith then ask Christ for more of it. I know that when we do that the problems will be a lot easier!

Well I love you all,

Elder Olsen