So Nephi Was My Kind of Dude!

05/25/2015

Well, another week down... and it’s weird because there’s not that many left.  Anyways, this week was pretty rough.  I got a cold, and it’s like 100 degrees everyday so I don’t know how that works.   But ya, so I’ve been like full of snot and coughing for the past few days. 

This week we were supposed to have a baptism of two kids but it didn’t happen because the dad didn’t come to sign the form. So that was a little bit of a disappointment.  But we are going to try and do it this Saturday.  The area is pretty good.  There’s a ton of work and we had a ton of people come to church on Sunday so I’m happy with that.  There’s always a few things we have to work out in our companionship, but that’s solvable.  I still have no idea what I’m doing as a zone leader but hey, if it’s what the Lord wants, I’ll do it! Ha ha

This week I’m still working on finishing the Book of Mormon before I get home and as I’ve been getting into Second Nefi and finishing First Nephi… I always just look in awe at Nephi.  He was such a faithful and obedient servant of the Lord.  He always had such an attitude of obedience.  He had some pretty unique challenges that the Lord gave him.  He had to leave his home and establish a new life in a whole other continent.  He had to deal with his grumbling brothers.  He had to have a lot of faith.  I always love the scripture “I will go and do.” When he broke his bow, he went and acted and because of all these things, he was blessed to know many of the mysteries of the Lord.  He saw the things that John the Revelator saw, and I’m sure even more things that aren’t written. He also went a lot into the mountains.  There’s a lot of references about how he went to pray at the tops of the mountains.  So Nephi was my kind of dude! ha ha.  I know that we all need to develop the attitude of obedience and faith that Nephi had.  Even though we have challenges, or it doesn’t seem easy to obey, we should remember what Nephi says….when the Lord gives a commandment, He has prepared the way that we can do it!  But we have to act with faith!

Elder Ollis

So Build on that Rock and Let the Rains Come!

05/18/2015

Well this week was a big surprise. I got changed out of my area.  I’m no longer in San Antonio, I’m now in La Lopez in Zona Fesitranh.  I had no idea.  It was really weird because I was only three months in San Antonio.  So the Lord knows.  I guess this is my last area too.  It’s pretty cool because the ward meets in the same chapel as Cerro Verde, my second area.  So I got to see a lot of the members I already met again. I actually went on divisions with an elder to my old area and that was pretty cool. My new comp is Elder Avalos.  He’s from Mexico, and so far it’s been hit and miss with Mexicanos. ha ha. My favorite comp was a Mexican and my comp that I had for five days then we got changed was from Mexico. And he was pretty crappy, so we shall see.  They also put me as a ZL... so I have no idea what I’m doing ha ha.

This week was pretty normal for changes.... I was just meeting all the members and trying to figure out the area.  Apparently there’s a lot of people with a baptismal date.  So that’s good.  And I have Latino comp again, so my Spanish will get better again.

I don’t really have much more to say this week actually, sorry.  I started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning again to finish it before I get home... and that’s going pretty well.  Not much else... it was just a get to know the new area week... so not much happened outside normal mission work. And I only have like five minutes left... so this is probably all.  

Just keep reading the scriptures and praying and going to church everyone! Those things help us to have the strength to keep going.  It says in Helaman that if Christ is our foundation then we cannot fall.   In third Nefi it says, that if we take the sacrament we will be founded upon the rock of Christ.  And we all know the primary song…. the man who built his house on the rock didn’t fall when the rains came.  So build on that rock and let the rains come!

Elder Ollis

05/12/2015 - "I'm not going to lie, I cried when I said goodbye to this guy."
Elder Ollis with Brother Chema

05/11/2015 - Elder Ollis with recent comp, Elder Harris

05/11/2015 - Elder Ollis being....well, just Elder Ollis

You Will Know. I Promise.

05/11/2015

Well, here we are another week down, and it was pretty awesome because I got to see my amazingly, awesome mother, that is better than all your mothers.  And you can challenge me all you want, but it’s true, my mom is the best.  I don’t remember where, but I was reading something about how sometimes people have children that stray. The writer was saying that maybe before this life, God had told those future parents that he was going to give them one of his children with a lot of problems and difficulties because he knew they were the best option for that spirit child, and that coming to the earth in their care would allow this child to become the best that he could be.  That they would help this child more than any other person could.  I’m sure my mom was one of those, ha ha, ‘cause she got me.  

Anyways, this week was pretty normal.... hot! ha ha.  We are still working on getting all six of the investigators that aren’t married, to get married.  Sadly, I won’t get to see any of that because I’m getting changed on Wednesday.... just found out.  Weird.  Only two changes here and they are kicking me out.  Anyways... things are good... just trying to contact a lot of people to find more people to teach. It’s pretty hard but I’ve been getting better at talking more. Even though I don’t like it much, ha ha.  The people are pretty rude sometimes but it’s what we do.

I’ve been trying to finish the Book of Mormon [in Spanish] before I finish the mission and it’s been going pretty well.  I just love that book!  It’s just full of awesome stuff.  I love reading about the people like Nephi and Lehi in Helaman who taught with such power.  I wish I could teach like them.  But I really do know that this book is true.  It is a guide book for us.  It tells us what we should do to get back to live with God. I know that as we read it, we will feel a difference in our lives, because I felt it when I read it before the mission.  The promise of Moroni is true. I’ve tried it and I have received a testimony from the spirit, just as he said would happen.  I invite you all to continually read the Book of Mormon.  And if you don’t know it its true, to try the promise of Moroni, to read and to pray and ask if it’s the truth.  You will know.  I promise it.  

So that’s all, not much this week sorry :)

Elder Ollis

[Note from Mom: We had a great skype call with Elder Ollis on Saturday.  Unfortunately, we couldn't see him very well, so no pictures.  A bad connection or camera (not sure which) made him look very pixelated, although he could see us just fine. In fact, first question of the call was....Thomas, are you wearing my pants?  And yes indeed, Thomas was wearing a pair of his pants.  

He said the ward building where he is serving is in a scary part of town so it's hard to keep members active.  They are afraid to go to church.  The ward has 900 members but only 140 attend each week. They have spent a lot of time trying to find those on the ward list, but often there is not an address, only a neighborhood to reference.  Many of the members have started attending other churches or are just no longer interested.  It breaks his heart that they don't understand the covenants they made through baptism and they have fallen away.  

As mentioned, he will be transferred on Wednesday back to Cerro Verde, Choloma.  This was his second area.  He is excited to renew friendships with members there and we will be anxious to hear how his first week goes.  And he promised more pictures!]

So I Can Feel and Know that the Lord Accepts My Sacrifice

05/04/2015

Well, week after week is going by and here I am trying to think about what to write.  This week was pretty normal.  The one awesome thing that happened this week was a cold front blew in and we had about four or five days of overcast rainy weather and I felt like it was fall.  It was a little weird.  But I’m not complaining, it was awesome to not be sweating my brains out.  So that was a big blessing!

Anyways, the work is going along.  We are in a bit of a hole and I’m really hoping the Lord will help us out because we aren’t going to be able to get this one done alone.  We have six investigators that are actually kinda progressing and the problem is that they ALL have to get married.  And some of them have to get divorced from their other wife too..... so we are in for a hard ride. I just hope these people have the faith and desire to follow these things.  Because if they do [have a desire] then they will try to do what needs to be done. So that’s our current dilemma.  

Just a little funny experience we had, we were contacting  and the lady we were contacting wasn’t interested, and some guy walked behind us and she was like “he doesn’t go to any church, talk to him.”  And he was says, “more like I would teach them.” It made me kinda laugh and get ticked a little too. Ha ha

Just wanted to share an experience that I had this week.  I was reading a little bit about the atonement of Jesus Christ in a book that talked about the life of the Savior and the Apostles.  It talked about how Christ said, “it is finished” when he knew his father had accepted his sacrifice.  Now I’m getting towards the end of the mission and it’s one of my greatest desires to feel and know that the Lord accepts what I have done for the past two years.  And something came to me.  Christ suffered more than we can understand or know.  He gave his all to sacrifice himself for our sins.  He gave his own life.  And I thought that if Christ had to give all of that, and I don’t even understand the level of suffering required, so that God would accept his sacrifice, I thought that I need to give more too.  I need to give my whole heart, might, mind and strength, at all times so that the Lord will accept my little sacrifice.  So that’s been something I’m trying to improve in, is focusing my mind on this work, my heart on this work and the people, my might and strength to serving others and working hard, so that I can feel and know that the Lord accepts my sacrifice.  

So not much more to say this week, and I will see you all (family) on Saturday! Whooooo!

Elder Ollis

05/04/2015 - P-Day at Lake Lojoa

05/04/2015 - Elder Ollis with companion on the right, and two other Elders on the left.

05/04/2015 - A member gave Elder Ollis a Honduran Military Police Uniform