Hey,
We have a new investigator that I want to tell you guys about. His name is Pop and we found him through our English Program and he has truly been prepared! After our English program for about the last 20 minutes, we talk about our church and invite people to come and learn with us if they're interested. Last week, we talked about the love of God and how we are all children of Him. After we had closed the lesson and were putting away the chairs, this 19 year old kid came up to us and said, "Elder, I want to know about God's Love. I want to know more about what you teach. I'm free tomorrow if you can meet." I was blown away! I've never had anyone come up to me and say that they want to learn more like that! I told him for sure! So we set up a time and the next day we went and met him at the church and he started telling us about himself and he has a hard history! His parents are separated and pretty much abandoned him and he has been living on his own since he was 15. He has been totally lacking love in his life so when we talked about the love of God, he got excited and wanted to know more! After we taught him more about God, he told us that he felt really good and warm coming here to church and meeting with us. It makes him want to come back! We invited him to church on Sunday and he said for sure he would be there! He came on Sunday and it was an awesome experience for him because there was also a baptism we had on Sunday so he was able to see how it was. He asked us how long he had to learn until he could be baptized as well! We said not long! We then set a date for him to be baptized in 6 weeks and he was been way excited about it. We have only been teaching him for a week and he has been amazing! I have a feeling that he will for sure be baptized and be an awesome member. Having God in his life will have an amazing influence in his life! I'm way excited to see how it end up!

Steve

FLOODING IN BANGKOK

Hey everyone!
So I just got to say thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the letters you guys send. They probably help me more then you think! I love getting them. Also Baylee! Thank you so much for the 2 letters you sent! I got both of them by the way. I was way surprised when I got a letter from you! Thank you so much! I was so happy to get them! I will write you back for sure, don't worry.
So there has been major storms coming and going here in Thailand. The streets in my area have been completely flooded. Apparently there was a huge storm that hit Laos and we are getting some of the affects from it. The other day it started raining at about 7 o'clock at night and it didn't stop raining until about 10 o'clock in the morning the next day. There were parts of the city that we couldn't go because the water from the flooding was up to our waist! I have never seen it so bad! We took a taxi to try and go find an investigator and that didn't work so well...Every way we went was flooded and the only way out was to go through the water. It was like our taxi turned into a boat and our boat had a leak. As we were going through the water, water started coming into the taxi! I couldn't put my feet down because it would have come up past my ankles. I think we ruined his car by going on this adventure. I felt kind of bad. We didn't even get to our investigator's house because the roads were flooded too bad. We spent most of the day on our bikes riding from canceled appointment to canceled appointment, trying to keep our legs out of the water. We did pretty good for a while but then we came to a road were it was just not possible. The water was way too deep and we had to go through it! Once into it my bike soon disappeared under the water and all that was seen were my handle bars. It was quite the ride. I was disappointed because for most of the day I had stayed dry! After that road it didn't matter anymore. We just rode wild! It was a lot more fun that way anyway. At the day's end, we looked back on the day's accomplishments and say that we were able to achieve absolutely nothing! We weren't able to get any work done because of the "Mother Storm". That's what I call it because following that storm, many other little ones came as well. It's rained everyday for the past week. It's even raining right now! It makes working hard but we are still getting it done. Our golden investigator Tig was suppose to be getting baptized this weekend but he said he just isn't ready. I don't know how to help him because he says he doesn't have any concerns but if that was the case he would be getting baptized! He knows it's true and has an amazing testimony. This Sunday, there is another investigator getting baptized and Tig should be going to it so hopefully it will help him see that there's nothing to worry about. I'm not to worried though. He will be baptized in the end.
Well I love you guys but I got to go!
Steve

Dear Elder Olsen
You Mom said that you never get any mail. I told her you probably mean just your immediate family (parents and sibs) who aren't sending mail because I've sent you nearly 40 (forty) letters to date. Baylee has mailed you two recently. Hope you have been getting them.
We had a great time in Disney-World, with Ron, Karlene and kids. We all signed a post card and mailed it to you.
We LOVE reading your blog and hearing about your mission, and looking at your pictures, etc. Also we continue to enjoying your singing on the CD your parents gave us. LOVE listening to it - it is my favorite music to listen to. Makes me miss you more though.
Winter is approaching - snow in the mountains.
Love - Grandma & Grandpa

October14, 2009

Hey,
So Halloween is coming around right? There is no sign of it here. They don't celebrate it here. There are maybe a couple places at the major malls that will have a Halloween display or two but nothing other then that. They will put it up to embrace our American culture because there will be a lot of Americans that go to those places. But they don't celebrate it here.
So concerning that lesson that you will have to teach about goals and not retiring from the church. I've given a District Meeting on setting goals and how important it is to our everyday lives but for me it was being based on the lives of being a missionary so I don't really have much that would be good. In Preach My Gospel there is a really good quote on setting goals from one of the General Authorities that I really like. Its in Chapter 8 under Setting Goals. If you have a Preach My Gospel at home, you might want to check it out. Preach My Gospel is the ultimate resource manual for teaching! So things are going well with my new companion. He is a way hard working missionary. Sometimes it gets tiring speaking Thai 24/7 but its helping me grow. English Class is a lot harder now because I teach a class of 30-40 people completely by myself. It's ok though. It helps find investigators.
Well I love you Dad! Thanks for all the emails and all your support!

Steve

Hey!
So Moves Meeting was last Thursday and I have a new companion. He's Thai! His name is Elder Kongla. (He says hi by the way) He has been a missionary for 6 months now and is way good. I also have 2 new Sisters in my District who are also Thai. It makes me the only White guy in my District and I'm the only one that can speak English so that means I have to speak nothing but Thai for the next 6-12 weeks. This will sure give me the chance to get better at the language! Elder McCoy moved over to an area in Bangkok called Dindaeng and he is companions with an Elder that's in my group from the MTC! He was a little bummed that he didn't get out of Bangkok.
This Friday I will have hit my 1 year and 6 month mark as a missionary! I'm 3/4 the way done with this adventure! Its gone by pretty fast. Well I don't have to much this week because we have just had a lot of meeting the past week with Moves Meeting. But I love you guys and I thank you for all your support and everything you do! You guys are always in my prays!

Love,
Steve

Hey guys,
So tomorrow is Moves Meeting and Elder McCoy is moving. Actually out of my whole district, I am the only one staying! They are whitewashing the Sisters area. It’s going to be weird to get an entirely new district! But it will be cool. It’s been a fun ride here with Elder McCoy. I'm glad we were able to be companions! I learned a lot from him.
So this past week we have been pretty busy! Last week on Wednesday we had to go to the mission office because there was an Elder that comes down from the north that had to have surgery on Saturday and we were chosen to be the ones that watched over him until that day. So all of last weekend we were at the hospital for consultations and appointments for the surgery. After that was over, we then had to help the Sisters in our area move houses. They live in a house that was a lot like the house I lived in, in my first area. So we helped them clean their new place and move everything over there! It’s been really busy and we haven't been able to get much work done and having Moves Meeting tomorrow makes it so even more work gets lost! But all is well. I love you guys and I hope to hear from some of you! Maybe...talk to you later!

Steve

September 23, 2009

Hey everyone,
today I had to go and renew my visa in downtown Bangkok and everyone from my MTC group had to go as well. It was the first time since we left the MTC that we were all back together and it might be the last time before we go home so we had to celebrate this special occasion by eating at the tallest building in Thailand: Baiyoke Tower. We got some pretty good pictures from it so that’s what those are. (There’s a picture of Elder McCoy and I with a tower made out of straws. It has nothing to do with what I'm talking about but it was cool because we had a competition at a Zone Meeting to see who could make the Highest, most durable tower out of straws and our District won! So that’s why I sent it...ha-ha) but it was fun to see each other today and it was weird to think how far we have come since our MTC days. It didn't seem like it was that long ago that we were sucking Jello shots off of our trays in the MTC cafeteria and throwing hacky sacks down the halls of our dorm at each other! Thinking back on those memories helped me realize how much fun we had at the MTC. I have nothing but good memories from it! Jason you don't know what you're talking about when you said the MTC was terrible! It was a blast for us!
Well I don't have too much for this week. It was just another average week. Our investigator Tig is doing awesome! He has read up till Helaman in the Book of Mormon now and is just waiting for us to finish teaching all the lessons so he can get baptized! He has been awesome to teach because he has just been ready for this!
Elder McCoy and I are doing well. We have Moves Meeting next Thursday and one of us might move so I'm not sure how much longer we will be together. If I move, I hope I get the chance to go back up country. This is my 3rd area in Bangkok and usually people aren't in Bangkok for this long. So hopefully I get to go up north if I move!
Well I love you guys! I hope all is well and thank you all for the emails you have been sending! I love it!

Steve

September 16, 2009

Hey,
Thanks for the email Mom. Tell everyone that says my mission is going by slow that before they know it I will be home! I only have a little over 7 months left. But sometimes I feel the same. Sometimes I feel like my mission has been going by slow and I feel like I have been a missionary forever! But then when I look back on certain days of when I was a Greenie, it feels like it was just yesterday but it was really over a year ago! So I guess sometimes it depends. But its been good. I definitely don't regret any second of it!
Yeah that is sad to hear about Oreo having to be put down. I was wondering when I left if Oreo was still going to be around when I get back. I guess not. Its OK though, she was old! Well Mom, I love getting your emails and updates on stuff that's going on back at home. Though, Spencer gets a lot more updates on whats going on then I do. He tells me stuff that I have had no idea was going on! Like Margret updates him very well on things going on in the ward and just random stuff. That information is valuable for a missionary! Just to let you know...Well I love you Mom!
Steve

9-9-9

Hey Dad,
Oh my heck! I cant believe that BYU pulled the upset!! That is awesome! Ahhh! Why cant I be there for it! This is probably what kills me the most. I miss football...You have to do what you did last year by sending me the BYU news feed from the Games. Also if there is any ESPN stuff about it, you can send that as well. The news of the BYU game is the talk of the mission right now. Yesterday we went to the office for interviews with the Mission President and that's all everyone was talking about! We were all dying. So do they look good? Do you think they are finally good enough to go far this year? I know its probably early to say but still...what are your thoughts?

Steve

9-9-9

Hey!
We have a golden investigator right now. It’s the guy that I told you about, Big. I came to find out that his name isn't really Big...It's Tig. I have been saying it wrong! We took a member to help us teach him and she asked him what his name was and he said very clearly that his name was Tig. I felt kind of dumb when I found out it wasn’t Big...But anyways, the reason why he is so golden is because we have only been teaching him for 2 weeks and he has already read all the way till Alma chapter 5! He says he takes the Book of Mormon with him everywhere he goes and whenever he has free time, he opens it and reads it. It's amazing! I have never met anyone who was so determined to read! It makes teaching him way easy because the stuff we teach, he already kind of knows about it! The other day we taught him about repentance and how we can be forgiven of our sins and at first he was a little worried. He was excited about the idea of being able to be forgiven of the things that he has done but he is worried that he might sin again and on his own, he won’t have enough strength. So we shared Alma 26:12 with him and told him if he places his trust in God, he won’t have anything to worry about! So I asked him if he could do it and with a smile on his face he said, "Yeah, I can do it." We left the appointment and left the commitment to start repenting of his sins and to continue that pattern of repentance throughout all of his life. He was excited to start!
Yesterday, we had a dinner appointment at the Bishop's house and after it was over and we were walking home, we got a call from Tig. He said he had a concern that he wanted to talk about. I said ok, let’s talk! He said he sinned and he felt bad. He went on and told me what he did and what it was was he had lied to someone at work and felt guilty. So I asked him what he felt he should do and he said, "Well I prayed to God and told him I felt bad and I asked for forgiveness." I said, "ok good, what else do you think you should do?" "Well, I was thinking I need to go and apologized to the person and try and fix what I did." He said. I told him that was exactly right! He then thanked me for helping him and then hung up. I was way impressed with him! He had done something as little as a lie and felt terrible about it and knew he had to repent of it so he called us to make sure he was going to do it right. I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the night! He has definitely been prepared to receive the Gospel and he was just waiting for us to walk up and talk to him. He came to church last Sunday and he said he felt really good when he came. He loved that everyone seemed to be best friends with each other and just a big family. He said he is excited to get to know everyone and be a part of it! These are the type of people that make every second of the hours we spend inviting and getting rejected worth it. These are the type of people that make any thoughts of wanting to be anywhere else disappears!
Well I got to go. I love you guys!

Steve

September 1, 2009

Hey everyone!
Yesterday we went to a hospital to go and do some service and it was way fun! It was about 11 a.m. and during the day there is nothing to really do. Everyone is at work! So we decided to head over to the nearest hospital and do volunteer work. We got there and it was more like the employees were serving us then us serving them. They took us on a tour of the hospital and they showed us everything! We even got to go into room that I don't think normal people are allowed to go in. I learned something interesting when we went into the birth room, yeah...they took us there too, I felt weird...But apparently its bad luck to call a baby cute. If you think a baby is cute you have to say it’s ugly! We have a Thai missionary in our district and when we went to the birth room she stopped to look at some of the babies and she told the mother that her baby was so ugly! I thought whoa whoa! Well yeah it’s not the best looking kid but you don't have to let the mother know! Later I asked her why she said such harsh things! and she started laughing...She said if you say a baby is cute then it will curse them in the future and when they are older, they won’t be good looking. So you have to say they are ugly and by saying that, it's a compliment to the mother. I thought how bizarre that is! That doesn't make sense at all...But hey, its Thai culture. So continuing the tour of the hospital, they took us to the Surgery Room and showed us how things worked. Then they said that at 1 o'clock, there was going to be a surgery taking place and they asked if we wanted to watch it! I thought...can we do that?! Everyone was like yeah! Let’s do it! But I was a little unsure...I don't like watching surgeries...I remember when I was little; Mike and I would always find them on TV and watch them. I don't know why we did this because we both hated it and it grossed us out! Now I was put with the same situation where I was offered to watch again. I kept saying no but everyone else kept saying yes! I didn't want to look like a weenie so I had to give in and say ok. They got us all dressed up in these nurses’ closes and sent us in. The whole time I was thinking how stupid this was that we were watching! Why would anyone want to watch a surgery! Its torture to your eyes! What had happened was this kid ran into a tree somehow and broke his arm and they had to get in there and put it back into place. The X-ray looked pretty cool, the surgery didn’t though...I was holding my mouth the entire time thinking why am I watching! Turn away! But I couldn't...I was intrigued. They were shoving clamps, scissors and all sorts of tools in there. At one point they even took a power drill to his arm! I'm not sure what that was for. But I was cringing the entire time. I didn't like it! In the end I was pretty proud of myself for being able to watch the whole thing. I wouldn't choose to watch it again though. This experience helped me to realize that I could never be a Surgeon. I wouldn't be able to handle it.
Once the surgery was over, it was time to go home and we ended up not getting to do too much. We sent like 3 people up the Delivery Room and that was about it. It was fun though! Good experience.
Well I got to go now, I love you all!

Steve