Hello everyone!

This week has been pretty great! I love this area and the people here. Oh shoutout to Kali that got her mission call to TAIWAN! And also to Emma Jackson who is leaving soon! Good luck you two! I got excited for what you will accomplish! 

Oh and Jon and Carley are home, that's insane! Time is flying bye! Send my love to them! 

This week was fun. On Monday we made Pupusas, they are a delicious dish from El Salvador. Basically it's like a stuffed tortilla with beans or cheese or meat or a combination of the three. It's quite delicious. 

I found out about transfers, and I will be leaving. It's sad that I have to leave the people that I have grown to love so much, but I know that Heavenly Father will take care of them. I will be serving in Rose Park in the Riverside stake. I'm excited. I get to whitewash the area so that kind of makes me nervous but excited as well. (Whitewashing is when one companionship-both missionaries-leave their area and two new missionaries come in. I will be whitewashing with Sister Ribucan, she's from Hawaii and I'm super excited to whitewash with her)

So because I have to frantically pack EVERYTHING of mine this email isn't going to be too long. 

Cool experience from church:

It was testimony meeting, the sacrament meeting where anyone can go up and share their testimony about what they believe. During the meeting, Hermano Pimentel and Calderon were sitting in the stand, both of their little boys come up and just sit on their laps. It was at that moment that I realized once again why I love this gospel. This gospel is for families. What other church could you have little kids run up to their dad and just sit on the stand? Only a church where families are important and essential to our progress. This gospel isn't for just adults, or just people with college degrees, or for people of a certain race, this gospel is for EVERYONE. This gospel allows us to progress as a family, during this life and after. That is why I love this church. Families are central to Heavenly Fathers plan of happiness for us. 

We had a miracle last night. We had our first lesson with Marvi and Juan. It was wonderfully. First off, Juan turned off the super bowl to listen to us, so that was pretty special. Then everything just went right. The spirit was super strong and they felt really good. At the end of the lesson they accepted to be baptized once they came to know it was true. WHAT A BLESSING. 

We also had zone training meeting and it was super spiritual. We did the seminary doughnut and push-up story in our zone. If you don't know that story you can google it. It was a somber moment seeing this one elder struggle to do push-ups for the rest of us. In the end he almost couldn't do it. I am so grateful for the Savior and His sacrifice to me. I couldn't do my own push-ups, I couldn't save my own life, at is why I had to have a Savior. I love Him and he loves me, and you. 

This gospel is amazing. I'm sad to leave these people and this area, but I'm excited for what's to come. 

Have a great week! My ponderizing scripture is Jacob 5:41 that chapter is pretty intense. 

Hermana Olivas

Utah Salt Lake City Mission