week 33: I guess Corona is worse

Oí tudo mundo,


You all have probably heard already, but this week I will be cominghome because of the Carona Virus. It looks like we will be reassignedfor a different mission after 2 weeks of social isolation after I gethome. Thanks for all the love and support!
-- Elder Olson

Note from Elder Olson's mom: Well, I guess the Corona Virus won out. We received word from Elder Olson's Mission President on Sunday night that he would be heading home for a two week quarantine and then mission reassignment. The email is below.

March 22, 2020

Dear Family an Stake President,


In accordance with the latest announcements issued by the First Presidency with temporary adjustments made to missionary work and in response to the rapid increase of travel advisories and restrictions emerging around the world, the following steps are being taken in regards to foreign missionaries serving in Brazil:

· All missionaries returning to the United States and Canada who have more than 180 days left to complete their mission will be temporarily reassigned after their arrival. Missionaries who have less than 180 days left on their mission will be released.
· All sister missionaries returning to the United States and Canada who have less than 90 days left to complete their mission should be released. Sister missionaries who have more than 90 days left on their mission will be temporarily reassigned after their arrival.
· All missionaries who return to the United States and Canada must be quarantined for 14 days upon their arrival.

We will immediately communicate the flight itinerary to each missionary's stake president as soon as flights are confirmed.
We extend our gratitude, love and earnest pleading that the Holy Ghost may comfort us all at this time.

Sincerely,
President Piros

week 32: Which is worse? Dengue or Corona?

2nd week of 5th transfer

March 16, 2020

This week was a bit crazy because first we had zone conference last Thursday. So we had a road trip there. It's 3 hours to Uberlandia where our zone conference was. Luckily, they had a rented van for us, so our district of 8 elders rode in this van to the zone conference. It was actually kind of fun to be with the district but 3 hours there and 3 hours back in one day is a lot. We had to wake up at 3 in the morning to get there in time. And it was kind of funny, at the conference, they were like talking about the Corona Virus, and like "Oh everything is fine. We're more worried about Dengue Fever." And then the next day, Friday, we get a phone call, "All the meetings are cancelled. Every meeting is cancelled. We won't have Zone Conferences. There won't be sacrament meeting and all that kind of stuff." And we were like, "What?! They said everything was fine. What's going on now?" And they didn't tell us, so we just kind of worried all day. Because if we don't have Sacrament meeting, how can we baptize people. But luckily Saturday we got a message to go to the LAN house and look at our email and there was a bunch of information about how it was going to work with Sacrament and the houses of members and how we can...if we bring our friends to these little meetings in the houses of members, we can count it as one time that they were in church. So, yeah that was pretty crazy. Oh also, I forgot to tell you but Tuesday we had our district council for the first time here, but the chapel is SUPER far. It was like, I think we walked at least, I don't know in miles, like 12 km. So yeah it was like 6 there and 6 back on hills. It was a lot of walking. 

Then Sunday we had sacrament meeting in a members house which was cool. It was very different. It was more of a normal missionary work day, except that we went to a members house for 15 minutes to take the sacrament. But we tried to bring some of our friends but it didn't work out because we didn't know the day before where or when the sacrament meeting was going to be. We didn't know til Sunday morning. So we were passing people Sunday morning but obviously people already had planned stuff so it didn't work out.

Things that I hate this week: We've been without a phone these 2 weeks, which is a PAIN! Because we can't call for anyone, can't set up appointments. I have to use the other set of elder's phone to call for the district leader...everything is REALLY annoying. I called the office secretaries and told them and they were like, "uh we will call you back when we find out how to fix this problem. " And it's been 2 weeks. So...yeah...2 weeks without a phone. Pretty annoying.

Things that I like: So apparently we have a Walmart here but they rebranded it here in Brazil. They call it BIG. (the english word). So we went there today and they had a lot of stuff that was a lot cheaper than the other supermarkets here. The only problem is that it's a 25 minute walk there. So it's quite the long walk for groceries for the week but a lot cheaper. And then the other thing that I like, we're going to talk about Pão de Queijo again because a member made it for us this Sunday and it was REALLY good fresh. 

So that's it for this week. We haven't really been finding a lot of people to teach or progressing so that's why I haven't been talking about any of our friends. So yeah, we are kind of having difficulties there, but everything is great here. 

And WASH YOUR HANDS! Watch out for the Corona Virus. I think I am more safe here than you guys are there in the states because we don't have many confirmed cases in the area here close. So be safe and stay healthy.

Spiritual Thought: I would just like to bear my testimony that we have a real prophet that receives revelation. It's amazing to see what the church has done to take precautions with the corona virus. I know that if we follow the prophets guidance, all will be alright.

-- Elder Olson

p.s I received a photo that Isa (who I was teaching in Hidrolandia) was baptized!!!

Isa is in the middle.

Here are a few pictures from Zone Conference

our last zone conference before the cancellation of meetings

they feed us well

Elder Williams and I (good to see old CTM friends)

 Here are pictures from the apartment. It's smaller than our old place but newer and cleaner and there are no bugs so that's the best.

the bedroom. the beds are kind of broken. 

my study area

hallway

washing machine

main room

we have a pull-up bar. we are trying to be better about exercise

The bathroom

the other bedroom

week 31: Traveling and Arriving

1st week of 5th transfer

I'm here in Patos. (Uberlandia is the closest large city, I understand that the area is called Califórnia)

So the night before I left, the members in Hidrolandia had a little get together and we said bye to them. Then Tuesday morning, I went with Elder Burt to the bus station. We got there about 11:30am. Then I sat there...he left about 1pm but my bus wasn't leaving til about 7:30 at night, so there was 7 hours waiting in the bus station. I talked to all that passed by but basically, luckily the bus station...we can't leave our bags, we have to carry our bags around everywhere....but the bust station is basically a shopping mall, so there was a McDonalds and stuff. So I passed by there with some of the other elders. (Note from mom: He told me that he ordered a Big Mac, Fries and a McFlurry and it was sooooooo good. He hasn't had McDonalds food since the one time at their zone meeting a long time ago. But this was fresh and hot and delicious he said.) So finally at 7:30pm our bus left and it was an 8 hour bus ride because I'm in a new state now. I'm in Minas Gerais. So it's not Goiás any more. So yeah, 8 hours all night until 4 in the morning, is when we got here. I met my new companion. Got into the new apartment. The apartment is really nice too. Luckily it's on the 4th floor. It's got a great view. It's a little small but it's really clean and it doesn't have very many bugs. The only thing that kind of sucks is my bed. It's really broken. But it's not really that big of a deal. The apartment is really nice.

So my new companion is Elder Barroso. He's from the northeast of Brazil. He's really awesome too. We worked really hard this week because we are basically opening an area because the Elders that were here before us were transferred during an emergency transfer three weeks ago so there were only 2 Elders here and my companion basically doesn't know the area. He knows it a bit because they would pass through it a bit because he was working here with just his companion before, but the area was too large. But yeah, we are basically opening a new area. Trying to find new people to teach. So this area is very Catholic and very rich. So it's kind of difficult. But we've been able to find some new neighborhoods that are a bit better.

Things that I hate is that it's really hilly. We have to walk up a LOT of hills. My legs are really tired. 

But things that I like: There's this park in the center of the city of Patos, a big park with a pond and a forest basically. It's really cool. We are going to go take pictures there next week. We didn't have time this p-day because we slept a bunch. 

Other things that I like: Here in Minas Gerais, they have really good Pão de Queijo which is the Brazilian cheese bread. It's way better than it is in Goiás. So yeah that's awesome.

So that's my email for this week. We didn't have anybody in church this week. Oh yeah, I forgot to say, I did give a talk my first Sunday in church because here is a Branch and we meet in a little house and they needed somebody to talk so he asked me two days before so I had some time to prepare. But my companion also had to talk but he didn't get a warning until 10 minutes before the meeting. Haha. But my talk went well.

Spiritual thought: 

2 Nephi 32: 3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.  

General Conference is coming up in these next few weeks, I want to challenge you all to prepare so that you can receive personal revelation. Really, the words of the Prophets are the words of Christ, and tell us all we need to do.
-- Elder Olson

saying goodbye in Hidrolandia

I will miss the members in Hidrolandia

New Elders, New area, Patos Minas Gerais

The view from our aparment

The Pão de Queijo is huge and delicious and the food is cheaper in Patos than Hidrolandia


Patos is outlines in red. It's about an 8 hour bus ride from Goiania up in the left corner and about 3 hours east of Uberlandia. We have to travel to Uberlandia for zone meeting this upcoming week

week 30: I'm going to Califórnia!

Week 30,  6th week of 4th transfer

March 2, 2020

The week started off with splits with zone leaders, we were in the city with them in their area in Aparacida. It was good. Nothing eventful. We didn't really accomplish much because that night was Carnival so all the people were drinking and partying so nobody was home or if they were home they were drunk. haha.

So this Sunday none of our friends with baptismal dates came to church which kind of stinks. 

But I found out that I am being transferred today, so I will be going to be leaving tomorrow for Uberlândia. That's in a different state. It's not in Goiás. It's in Minas Gerais. It's an area called CALIFÓRNIA! So I'll be going to Califórnia for this next transfer. Haha. My new companion is going to be, I think his name is Elder Vahasto (sp?). It's funny because he was in the same district in the CTM of my companion right now. So, I will be the senior companion again. So yeah, that's going to be interesting. I'm excited to change areas but I'll miss the members here. 

Things that I hate this week: I got very sick Sunday. I had diarrhea and it was really bad. But luckily...Things that I like: The members are really helpful. There's one member here who's a doctor and she gave me advice on what I needed to do and medicine. So I spent like half a day at this member's house and then after went home and slept a bit because I was not able to work. It was really bad. I'm doing better now but still have to have caution with what I eat. 

But yeah, that's this week. It's exciting. Next week will be something completely different. So yeah, I leave tomorrow.

(Note from Elder Olson's mom: He told me on the phone call that he will have to get up really really early and take an 8 hour bus ride to his new area. He wasn't looking forward to that part. He also will have to take a taxi/uber once he arrives and he's super anxious about the cost of it all because he hasn't receive reimbursements from the mission office for other expenses yet...they are often kind of slow about that, which makes budgeting the money they do have extremely difficult. But he's definitely learning a lot about money management, along with how to live with other people/roommates. Definitely good prep for college life when he gets home.)

I want to share with you a Spiritual Experience I had this week: When I was passing through the bus station, a man stopped us. He asked us what our work was, we told him we are missionaries. He told us that he stopped us because he had a dream that had a man dressed like us, with a "glowing face" like ours. He said in the dream, this man showed him a church building, that was "very simple" and "very beautiful". The man told him that this was the one true church. He told us that in the dream he asked the mans name and he said "Joseph". We were shocked. The spirit was so strong, the hairs on his arms were standing up as he told us. We started to write down his address and phone number, but his bus came and he had to leave right away to catch it. I'll never know what happened with this man, but it was a really cool experience.

-- Elder Olson

fejoada we made

burgers we made

Hidrolandia to Califórnia

Califórnia