"I just love all our amazing investigators here."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMANA FUNK!!

  Feliz Cumpleano. My comp and I work up at 4 yesterday morning to decorate the house!

Guess who got baptized?

HEYSON AND HIS CUTE FAMILY.

One day it was really hot....I was sweating a bit...

Well, Morgie, how has your week been? I hope all is well for you. How are the meetings going with your investigators? How about the new street you found last week---any good from that? How is Alva? How about Dennis...is he doing any better? Don't give up on him! How about Danny? Is Heyson's baptism on for this next Sunday?

I will explain all of that at the end!!!

I missed the Pingrees homecoming because we were at Pres. and Sis. Petersens homecoming. Spencer mission Pres for the last year. They did a great job. One thing I remember very clearly that he said, because their name is spelled with an "en", not "on" at the end, they taught their missionaries to "change the o to e..."I get to do this, not that I got to do this or that". I can't remember the other words he changed the o to e for. but it was a good thought. That's how they helped them to remember how to spell their name too! So it all tied in. Anyway, about Pingree's, I will try to remember to ask them about Sis. Zamacona and if they know her, or remember her. Would she have been here for it?

Maybe, my comp said she was maybe going to go. They will know her.

How was Hermana Funk's birthday? What did you do for her party you were planning?

My companion and I woke up at 4 am to decorate the house, and then later we had cake and ice cream. Thats it. hahaha she went with some members and ate lunch. But it was a fun day. Fun to be able to spend it with her!!

Well, yesterday was Paul Schwartz's farewell, and he and Tyler Bodily go to the MTC Wednesday. Tyler (for Dajong, Korea) to Provo and then Paul to Mexico (he is Oklahoma City, Spanish speaking).

Alex's farewell is this Sunday and then your mission Pres and wife, who I cannot wait to meet, up by Logan. I am excited for that! You know they were with you much more recently than I was. I hope the kids go with us, but they might not. At Spencer's they didn't even come talk to the pres and sis with us. So if they won't meet them, there is no point in them driving there. They can stay at Julie's open house, or come home I guess. I hope they decide to come with us. I am going no matter who else decides to go.

AH THEY ARE AMAZING! GIVE THEM BIG HUGS FOR ME. Incredible people.

SO...this very morning, it is 5:53 am right now, and you wonder why I am up so early, but I took Spencer and Jeremy to the stake center for Trek. They had to be there at 5 am prompt. Spencer hadn't been set apart, so he actually had to go at 445. I hope Jthey will both have a great experience! This is a big deal for both of them.

SO FUN.

Dad has done pools for Spencer soo much this summer. He has been gone a lot! Dad just loves waking up at 630 to go to work ---   =[   kidding. He really doesn't. But he does it and has been great about helping him and Jeremy out when they need help.

Well, we love you. We still pray for you in every prayer. I pray you will be strong and healthy and safe and protected. I can't ask for more than that. I hope you are safe. I know you wouldn't tell me otherwise. That's why I pray for it. Glad the 'house pool' is gone! Remember to check for mold. It can really make you very sick. If there is any mold, you need to "bleach diluted in water" it with the windows and doors open for ventilation.

Take care of you. Love you so much! Hopefully you will get Dad's letter soon. It has a cute pic of Emma - you could add it to your photo album if you wanted to.
Love you,
Mom

FYI, next week we will be writing Monday because we are going to the zoo on Tuesday.

So Heyson did end up getting baptized this past Sunday. It was awesome. Everything was perfect except for when I called his mom to make sure she was going to make it on time and she said she wasn't going to come because she had a lot to get done in the house. I FELT SO BAD FOR THE KID. His grandma and little sister and little cousins were there which was great. they were there for all of church but he was so sad his parents and other sister weren't going to be there. Well the baptism was great. WE HAD SO MUCH SUPPORT FROM THE WARD! His cousin gave a talk, who is a convert of 6 months. Heyson bore his testimony and ended quick cause we started to cry, and it was just a special day. The VERY end of the baptism, right after the prayer his family walks in. Mom, Dad and sister. HE WAS SO HAPPY. They missed the baptism, but we got to talk to them for a while. We had never met them, only the grandma, but we finally got to talk to them and after a bit they warmed up to us and they are all going to start coming to church. It was really special.

Arjona is progressing! We are so excited for him. His slogan is slowly changing from poco a poco, aka little by little, to ire y hare, which is i will go and do. The other day we taught him Word of Wisdom. Well as we went through the 5 things that we con consume, he had or has had problems with all 5. The kid frustrates me because he is a soccer addict, but is so silly about what he consumes...but he said, IRE Y HARE. We were so excited. He is reading in his book of Mormon and the other day i had called him to go visit him. He was working but he goes at the end...hey can you send me a new reading assignment over text....WHAT!? Who asks that? We were so excited.

I think I told you about Osmar and Yhereni. The kid who looks like peter pan...well his dad had told us he didn't want us to visit them. The other day we found Osmar in the street and he asked why we hadn't visited them. He told us he doesn't judge his dads religion and his dad cant judge HIS! haha soo cool.

Alva is the same. We havent seen her for a while because she has been out of town visiting family. but she is rgreat and reading and told us she wants to get baptized.

We found this great lady the other day. Abilia. We contacted her in the street and she told us she just had to go talk to her neighbor quickly and then we could go to her house with her. She doesn't understand everything super well. WE have taught lesson 1 like 3 times, but each time she understand more. She wants to go to church, she gets home from work at 4 am Sundays and she said she is going to go to church after. She told us her and her 2 kids are all going to be there.

I just think its kind of funny...roller blades here are so cool. EVERYONE HAS THEM. I just remember Becca and I always rollerblading and its like a cool thing here. Also, soccer is everyone's life here. I could live here for the rest of my life.

Edgar hasn't been to church for 3 week and we haven't been able to get a hold of him. We found out the first week was because he went to visit family..then we didn't know why. Well he just got a cell phone and we called him and he didn't come because he didn't have any shoes. But he has shoes now and will be there from now on. Holy cow. Its amazing the way people live, yet how strong they are. My problem here in Guate is i see the way people are living and i just want to be the problem solver. I want to be able to make everything better. But, the only thing that can really help them is the gospel.

WE FOUND DENNIS FINALLY! It had been like 2 week since we had seen him. He has been getting home from work at like 11 pm. Well Sunday he doesn't work so we finally found him. When i called he was playing soccer...we told him to come to a members house and he was like...no, i don't really want to...so i told him for that reason he needed to come. Well we went and found him...took him from his game and went to this members house. WE get talking and had a really great lesson. WE talked about the 2000 stripling warriors and he finally got his excitement back. He has been really down lately...but i know its cause he hasn't been reading every day and he hasn't been learning or feeling the spirit. Well the good old Dennis is back.

Danny is so cool. He was going to come to church Sunday but he thought it started at 10. He didn't go to school because he was going to come to church but when we called him at 755 to make sure he was going to be there he was shocked cause he thought it started at 10. So he didn't go to school or church. He has gone all week without percinando...i don't know what the work in English is...but its the cross people do before the prayer. Well we challenged him to do it this week and see how he feels. He told us he has felt the spirit really strongly. He has quit doing his cross t thing to pray. MIRACLE. Before he told us he couldn't stop doing it. He was going to do it til the day he die.d He is so cool. Yesterday, p day, my comp and i, we decided we were going to take a nap. well last week when we were just about to be able to fall asleep the phone rang with the news about emma. Well yesterday when we were just able to be able to sleep the phone rang. It was Danny. He told us he was in the colony and his mom wasn't home. He didn't have a key so he was like i cant hang out here for an hour and a half....we had a lesson with him at 5...well we decided to just end p day early and go teach him in someone else's house. WHAT A BLESSING THAT WE DID IT. The spirit was so strong. He is progressing and slowly giving up the things of his catholic church. The spirit really does work on the people.

I just love all our amazing investigators here. I have never learned so much. Each one of them have different situations. But each one of them I can feel so much love for them. SO MUCH. ITs unreal. and i have such a desire to help them.

FUNNY STORY OF THE WEEK. We were teaching Heyson in Ema's house. It started to DUMP rain. Well the roofs here are just tin. Lamina. and it was raining SO HARD. Well all the sudden the roof starts falling in...There was rain just flooding the house. We were all trying to push the roof back up and laughing so hard we couldn't breath. It was too funny. I wish I had taken a picture, but if i had pulled my camera out it would have gotten ruined..

Today we had a meeting with President Pineda. The stake president. Well the meeting ended and we were about to sing. I just about started playing the introduction to the hymn when he stand back up again and goes, the spirit has indicated to me that we should all go to Mcdonalds and eat. HAHAHA well Pres.Pineda bought us all Mcmuffins and hash browns and orange juice. What a cool guy. He really is an amazing man. I always say that when I am home and i have to start looking for a husband, i hope i can find someone as powerful and spiritual as Pres Brough or Pres. Pineda. Then I start thinking...and realize that in order to do that i have to be like Hermana Brough and Hermana Pineda...that is HARD. They are incredible women. They are amazing mothers. Amazing leaders. All I can do it work my best to be a better me each day. I am grateful for the amazing examples i have here in the mission. What a blessing i have to be in his mission. I feel grateful every day. I LOVE MY MISSION! But most of all I LOVE MY SAVIOR. I KNOW he lives. Because he lives, we have second opportunity's. Because he lives we life. We can be born again spiritually each day. I have experienced that in the mission. What a blessing i have to be able to read in the scriptures 2 times daily. I learn so much each time. I LOVE THE SCRIPTURES.

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!
HERMANA OLIPHANT

Love you Morga!!!

LOVE YOU TOO! ADIOS!! LES AMO CON TODO MI CORAZON.  (Google translate tells me this means I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART." I had to look it up!!)

"LOVE MY MISSION. LOVE MY SAVIOR. LOVE MY FAMILY."

Here is Morgan's letter from last week - how do I forget to forward these??? I do not understand that at all. Sorry - here you go! 

Not sure what happened but these blister slash cut things KILLED ME.

We found this closet in the house we never looked in...well it was the solution of the water problem...cause this closet was really a toilet...FULL of old crap from the old elders that lived in the house. IT WAS FULL. So yesterday we had to clean it out....it was DISGUSTING. so we made our own little gloves out of garbage bags.

 Viva Guate!!

Wouldnt have been p day without pipza.  Pipza is what our good friend Evans says. He and Claudia are our friends at the pizza place. They always hook us up with extra pepperoni and cheese for free....they also are going to go to church sunday. Oh they are so great!

Wow i am still just in shock about Emma. Its hard to believe. I will never forget all the great times we had up in Idaho with them. I always looked up to her. She is one of those people i always thought was too perfect. Too good to be here. I know she is needed more where she is now. I cant explain how comforting it is to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. She is one amazing person and is doing a lot of work where she is. I am praying for her cute family. That is what is the hardest. Thinking of her cute Nora, but i know she has a great daddy and emma will be right there with them every step of the way. Give everyone BIG HUGS FOR ME! PLEASE. I hope all goes well with the luncheon and everything. What amazing people there are in this world to help out with these things.

Well i dont have TONs of time but i will tell you all the good stuff. The other day i played a joke on Heiyson. Cause he was so sad when we had to change his date to the 20th of july...the other day when we went to plan his baptism and do the agenda i told him we had to talk cause we had to move his baptism again...OH MAN. You should have seen the poor kids face....i told him it was a joke and he laughed and it was great. Well he got us back Sunday. After church he said we had to suspend the baptism....should have seen MY FACE. The only thing is this wasn't a joke....We have to push it back to the 27th because his cousin Ema wont be able to make it...his cousin who is the recent convert...and he wants him to be there so we are moving it back a week. Let me just tell you about the kind of kid Heiyson is. Well the other day he and Ema went to do a visit with us...to visit this other little 13 year old kid Victor. Well Ema and Heiyson offered to go pass for Victor to go to church sunday. Turns out Ema was sick...but Heiyson, our 13 year old investigator is passing for one of our other investigators to bring him to church...HELLO. He's too cool. He is seriously the greatest. We gave him a couple ties the other day that a member gave us to give to investigators and he was SO excited.

Miracle in Proyectos. This lady, Alva just moved in with a member family. She is living here with her little son Carlos aka carlitos...aka my best friend. Well she is GOLDEN. She came to church Sunday...she loves it. She will be baptized. She told us she knows the book of mormon is true. She wants to be baptized...we just have to put the date for sure for sure. But her little son Carlitos is the cutest kid ever. The worst thing is not being able to hug the little kid. He is so adorable. He didnt want to go to primary sunday cause he wanted to go to class with us cause he saw us there in church. He is the cutest 3 year old in the world.

Dennis is struggling right now. He hasn't been able to change his schedule yet. I was talking to him Sunday on the phone and when he told me he couldnt change it i asked him if he even wants to and he got really quite then goes, Hermana, you know that is my greatest desire. He is just struggling right now. Prayers for Dennis would be great.

Arjona also is struggling but in a different way. I dont know if i told you yet, but he is 21 and he LOVES soccer. Like its his life. He has recently gotten into drinking though...just occasionally with his friends...he is so silly. I get so frustrated with him...because he knows what he is doing is stupid...he just always says, poco a poco...aka little by little and we are trying to change his slogan to ire y hare...aka i will go and do. But the poor kid lost him mom 4 years ago...he uses soccer to get rid of stress, and apparently now alcohol. But we taught sabbath day the other day. I thought he was going to cry when we told him he couldnt go play soccer sunday. He goes...ok, listen. Ive had 3 girlfriends in my life. I left them before i would ever leave soccer...we were like well good thing this has nothing to do with your girlfriends and also good things its a commandment from GOD. Oh he just frustrates me but I love the kid. I just wish he would act. I wish he would just do it. He knows what he has to do...ahhh. We are praying a lot for him. He is reading in the book if mormon and this is helping him a lot.

My companion and i were talking the other day....we've had too many people breaking up with us...in other word they tell us they dont want to listen...its ridiculous. BUT we know that means good things are coming.

Danny, Hermana Thomasa´s son is cool. I know he has his answer ...he is just afraid to accept it. He looks for things to like give him the doubts...he has his answer and he knows it. He is like trying to convince himself that its now true because hes been catholic his whole life. We are in a lesson with him the other day with his mom and little brothers..word of wisdom. WE ask is he has ever drinken alcohol. He says no...i says never in your whole life..he goes well...ok one time. from my mom...WE WERE LIKE WHAT!! hahaha he goes wait let me explain. Apparently when they were younger the 3 of them, the brothers always saw men drinking so they wondered what it tasted like. They were planing to buy a beer to try it. Well Hermana Thomasa heard and decided to intervene. She decided to make this chicken that you cook in beer...and she told her kids to come and try some of the beer. She thought it would help them realize how gross it really is...it worked...they all remember how nasty it was and never want to try it again. Now i woudnt suggest this to the parents out there...but it was a funny story.

Mom if you go to pingrees homecoming ask them if Hermana Zamacona is there....she is my companions sister and served in pingrees mission. Just thought it would be fun for you to meet her. 

Funny stories.
My companion and I have had this problem recently arise. We will knock a door and something funny will happen and we start laughing...like cant stop. The people open their door and there we are just laughing and cant even talk to them. 5 minutes later we can control ourselves and we contact them..the good thing is they like to listen cause they can tell we are enjoying ourselves..but its so funny as they just stand there looking at us trying to control ourselves.

The other day my companion contacted this lady. She was MEAN. She started yelling and as she was talking my companion whispers to me that something bit her butt. WE DIED LAUGHING. This lady, yelling at us in the street and us just laughing. So she got even more mad and my companion goes, disculpe pero algo me pico...aka sorry but something bit me. and the lady just walked away...some but bit my companions bottom and we were just laughing sooo hard.

The other day we were contacting and found this street we have NEVER SEEN BEFORE: WE HIT THE JACK POT. This street leads to a whole little neighborhood....like its pretty big actually...WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!

Well thats it...the swimming pool is gone. I love m mission. My comp and I are still together with Yepez and Funk. Hermana Funks birthday is Monday so we are planning a PARTYYYY!! haha so great.LOVE YOU ALL.

LOVE MY MISSION. LOVE MY SAVIOR. LOVE MY FAMILY.
Hermana Oliphant

The mission is the best. I have never learned more in my whole life.

My second client at work Tuesday asked me if Morgan was affected by the earthquake. I didn't know there had been one, so I hurried and sent another email and asked her about it. This was our correspondence about that (in orange) - (I caught her online!)


Lisa Oliphant <balfoliphant@comcast.net> wrote:
Earthquake?? Did you feel one yesterday?

Morgan Oliphant <morgan.oliphant@myldsmail.net> wrote:
ya!! It was wildddd!!! we were sleeping. my companion thought i was shaking her bed to wake her up, but no...it was just an earthquake!

Lisa Oliphant <balfoliphant@comcast.net> wrote
Wow---scary!

Morgan Oliphant <morgan.oliphant@myldsmail.net> wrote:
not really. it was just fun!

Here is the letter for the week! It is long and I loved it! My questions are in green, her answers are in red (for those of you new to this strange moms weird way of forwarding her letters!) I might leave most of the spelling the way she sends it --- some of it is sooo funny to me. She is really having a hard time with either the typing (I think it is that because she said they are Spanish keyboards or spelling in general because she really does type sooo fast!) Try to decipher it all! It can be challenging!) 

 

This is cute Allison.

This is Allison and Hesler.

Our pina and melon.

We ordered pizza again, but the jeans still fit.

My favorite missionaries.

We are just laughing, but the other one is blurry.

So, before I forget, I have to tell you, when I was reading your thought about Alma 29:9-10. I was reading out loud to Spencer and he said guess what, Alma 29:9 was my mission plaque scripture. I didn't know that. Thought that was a fun coincidence.

I LOVE THAT SCRIPTURE! Also, i found another one that explains my week and my mission....Alma 28:14. Read it. IT is so true!!! 

I tried to find that movie Gracias a el...I can't find it anywhere. You can show us when you get home. I don't know where you went to find it originally actually. Was it lds.org?

Mormon.org    (I still can't find it?!)

This week has been fairly average. Spencer went to Lake Powell with the Hansen's. We took him to N. Salt Lake on Wednesday night and they drove down---probably got there 1 or 2 am, I don't know. They are staying until this coming Friday. It's a long time. I just try not to think about it. Nate's dad made the mistake when we got there of saying, "thanks for trusting us to take him with us, we haven't had the best of luck there the past couple of years." I said really? He said, "let's just say we will try NOT to have anyone life-flighted out this year"! I wanted to say, you don't know me do you, or you wouldn't have told me that. Whatever, I asked Spencer to be super careful for me. I keep a prayer in my heart all day every day. Weird things happen down there, I don't love it!

HAHAHA obviously doesn't know you at all!!! oops! HE will be fine!

Ashley spent the whole week at Heidi's! She helped Heidi with her kids all week. Tuesday Kelly's family went to the temple and sealed her parents to their parents and then sealed them to each other, and then her siblings to the parents...it was pretty cool. Then they went to a Lagoon to celebrate. Dad and I met them there and just hung for a while. It was fun. The kids were cute and had a good time. She finally came home Sunday after noon. She didn't want to, she would move there if given the chance. Lots of babysitting and lots of horses with Amanda.

Cute pictures. What a fun way to celebrate...different kind of spirit, but still fun!!

For the 4th of July we went to a movie, you won't believe it, "Heaven is for Real". The story about that little boy who sees heaven during his surgery. You will love it. Dad, Jer and I. Jeremy didn't want to go, but I think he enjoyed the movie. He was super tired. I'm glad he came. He slept when we got home for like three hours. So dad and I rented "Saving Mr Banks" -- a Mary Poppins story. That was cute, too. Then we went and closed Jeremy's pool and as we drive back east we saw fireworks galore. That was cool. Everyone on the freeway was going about 50 to watch the fireworks going on. We went and watched them Thursday night at Granite High, so we didn't worry about Friday nights much, the pool closes at 10 on fri and sat. A couple pics for you to enjoy ... Pretty blurry.

Stop it!! I AM SO STOKED FOR THAT MOVIE!!! I will send you a pic, but for the 4th of July we received a pineapple and a melon from an investigator. She was so funny. At the end of the lesson we go, do you have any questions, and she says, just one, do you lke pineapple or melon more? We were like..uhh i dont know...she was like oh forget, you can have both of them. So we walked around with them in our backpacks all day. so funny!! Um, but this lady, Brenda with her 3 kids, Katerine, Carols, and Angel....i literally had this street pictured in my head for like a week. it was a street, i knew right where it was but we have never knocked doors on this street. It was the second door we knocked and this cute lady brenda let us in. She is incredible. We are still trying to get to know her, but she is super excited and intersted. 

Your dad is opening Spencer's five pools while he is gone, so he leaves every morning at about 7 to start. It's good, it gets him up and going. He will have to do it again while Spencer goes on trek toward the end of July, so it's good practice.

Is he going to be a pa?

I can't get me mind off your letter from last week when you said, "We have funny stories every week. Some i wont tell for a couple months :)". You're a pill.

I HAVE SO MANY THIS WEEK! GET READYYY!!!

How are the investigators coming along? Heiyson, Sergio, Arjona, Yerani and Osmar. Funny that you remembered the Peter Pan guys name that you said your investigator looked like. Spencer laughed at that comment and at your "McFlurry of Kit Kat"...the Spanish translation wording. He thought that was soooo funny.

i cant speak englihs....its going to bad when i get home...i already know!!

How was the coast...meeting your new mission Pres and wife? Hope you will love them, too. Was it a neat area you went to? What are their names again, and where from, California I think.

WE actually didnt end up going to escuintla to see them...just an area about 15 minutes away that we go to all the time for meetings...but they are amazing!!! President and HErmana Markham they are from california. I AM SO EXCITED. He is amazing. She is so cute. She cant speak spanish for the life of her but the spirit is so strong when she talks. He talked a lot about covenants and the importance of covenants....we all made a covenant that day to read from the scriptures every morning and every night. 2 times a day for the rest of our lives. I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO EXCITED! What an amazing covenant and promise. It has been the best thing ever. The blessings of covenants are amazing, but only if we keep them.

You sound great. I am glad you are. I hope you and your companion are learning a lot together. How is that camera---keep it TOTALLY AWAY FROM MOISTURE. That could be what ruined the last one...maybe. Try a zip loc to carry it around in maybe.

The camera is great. I love my companion. I have learned so much this change. More than my entire mission, and more than my entire life. I AM SO GRATEFUL. we have changes tomorrow, but my companion and i are staying together....i kind of figured, to end her training...but i am so grateful!!

DID YOU GET GMA AND GPA's PACKAGE YET?? Now that one is killing me. I want you to get the socks is in there...badly! They want you to get their treat, badly!!

YES I GOT IT! THANK YOUUUUU!!!

Well, tell us everything. I hope the shoes are working good. How is the new backpack doing? Glad you got a camera.

LOVE IT ALL!!

Hey, how is the swimming pool in the study area of your house? Make sure mold doesn't grow cuz of it. Bleach it so it won't grow---with the windows open of course. Mold will make you sick. I hope the water ent away.

Well its still there....we could probably do swimming for our exercises if it wasnt against mission rules!! HAHAHA but they are going to take care of it this week!

Do you still wear your night guard retainer? Spencer forgot to take his to Powell...that will hurt to put it back in!!

EVERY NIGHT and I am flossing.  Tell Richard for me! HA

Love you so much, Morgan.
Mom 

I HAVE SO MUCH TO WRITE: I dont know if you want the funnny or the spiritual first...lets stick with the funny.

The other day we were teaching a family....i started talking about Joseph Smith...and the man didnt understand what jose smith meant....so he goes...wait...why are you speaking english? I dont speak english? For like 2 minutes we tried to figure out what he was talking about...the only thing he didnt understtand was the name. it was so funny.

So yesterday we went with HErmana Thomasa to teach her son. He lives far away but has been staying with her. He is 21...well we taught, the lesson was great. He is going to get baptized and be a great leader in the church. At the end of the lesson...we had like 15 minutes maybe 12 til we had to be out of the house...we can only be in there for 1 hour...and they love talking...we they gave us food at the end...we were trying to eat so fast...it was like tostadas with chou mang on top...i hav eno idea how to spell that...anyways....all the sudden my companion starts laughing. SO HARD. no one knew why. Like she couldnt talk....we left the house and she goes....i was laughing at the bug on your food...i was like...uh what bug? She goes YOU DIDNT SEE THE FLY IN YOUR FOOD?! Uhh,.... no, because no one said anythig....turns out, i definitaly ate a fly...i had no clue...i ate everytihng...and way fast...and we just left the house crying we were laughin so hard.

Yesterday we saw one of our investigators on his motorcycle...it is impossible to find him...he waved at us and we yelled at him and started chasnig him...we arent sure if he is hiding from us or really just never is in his house, so we saw him and started to chase him...we chased him all the way to his house so we could teach him....hahah oh we look like idiots running through proyectos....or like last night when we left the very last street of proyectos at 915 and we have to be in the house at 930....so we are booking it....and get in the house at 927....we could have taken a trici...a bike with a part to ride on in the front...all the trici guys were yelling at us to get in their bikes...but we didnt want to pay...also we were running faster than they could have gotten us tehre.

The other day we were teaching a lesson to this man about prayer...the word for pray in spanish ir orar....the word for save moeny is ahorrar....they sound very similar...welll we start teaching and i asked him when the lsat time was that he prayed...he said oh this morning...and i said why do you think we should pray every day? and he says, will i have my reasons...i was like uhh.ok. then he goes, are you guys going to charge me? we were like, no, just share a message. He says, ok. then we asked him why shjould we pray in the way christ traught us? he said, he didnt know...so we read a scripture..he goes, wait...are we still talking about money? hahaha a good 5 minutes he though we were talking about saviing money...and we were talking about prayer...turns out hes never prayed in his whole life...

There was a fight in proyectos the other day and these two guys started throwing rocks at each other...as i told my companionwe just needed to walk fast and get out of the way she saw the rocks flying and stayed put as i kept walking...all the sudden i turn around to make sure she was with me and she was no wehre to be found....there is a rock flying at my fast...and a man covered in blood standing 2 feet away from me....i freaked out...only because i couldnt see my companion....hahaha i finally found her and we just round out of there....it was so funny after...we were both freaking out could we couldnt find the other...not because there was rocks...like literal blocks flying through the air...hahaha i didnt get hit...dont worry...but it was wild!

Ok, i think thats it for the funny....

TYhis week has been amazing. We see miralce after miracle. We have experiences amazing.

Heiyson is getting baptized the 20...he would be getting baptized the 13, but he was late for sacrament meeting and they ahve to be there for the sacrament, even if the arent taking it. He brought his grandma to church and he is so awesome. As we taught him after church in the middle of the lesson he goes, hermana i have 1 doubt...when am i getting baptized...he is just SO EXCITED!!! I LOVE THIS KID!

The other day we went to a part of our area, called Planes de Barcenas. Well its like 10 minutes away from proyectos and alamedas in bus, so we dont go every day...but this day we had a couple awesome lessons planned...so we went, and when we got there...not one of our appontment was there...the problem is this area ia a residencial area so we cant knock doors...we decideed to go and look for people out in the street.,...we came upon this man...he lives in front fo a memeber...and he accepted to listen so easily...he and his wife...they are amazing. The lesson was so pwerful, and they are going to the temple one day. I can see it now. what a miracle.

MARISOL AND ANGEL TOLD US THEY WANT TO BE BAPTIZED. He is already planning on going to the MUNI to get married in august and then they are getting baptized. They were like well obviously we want to be baptized, now we just have to get married....like HELLO MIRACLES!!! EVERY DAY!! It is amazing.

So we havent seen sergio for a long time, and last night....when we had all our appontments fall through, we saw him just standing outside so we went and talked to him...at the end of the lesson we asked him to pray. He told us he has never prayed before in his life....every time we asked before he just wanted to do it in his head...but we decided tis time he had to do it. So he has never done a formal prayer in his life...just in his head....wellll he did it. It was the most amazing, powerful prayer...even though we had to teach him outside, the spirit was o strong. He felt it. HE told us. He is so cool.

K, everyone here studies on sundays.....i HATE IT!. Literally hate it. Dennis, Sergio, Rosa, this cool man we found in planes, Danny...Thomasas son..., ...like the whole world...its cause they work during the week so study on the weekends. Me cae mallll.....

Dennis hasnt been able to change his schedule yet, but we are sure we weill see this miracle soon!!

So Arjona....we havent found him in FOREVER. yesterday we called him an dhe said he was working...we were like like whatever...we will find him one day...well at 855 he called us...from a pay phone...he was likerally like 20 feet from us..he was like, oh i see you,...so he came and talked to us..we decided to do a lesson...HOLY COW. This poor kid....he is strugglñniog...he wants to change so bad. He has made sme big mistakes in his life, but he wants to change..he is afraid of getting baptized and failing again....so we talked to him...but not a ton...cause we had to get him...this is why we were almost late getting home...but we made a really great leson plan for him today...and i am SO EXCTIED. I have never felt so strongly the changing power of the atonment....with him...and then with Douglas....well Douglas, you remember our less active...the other night we went with him and we asked him to share his testimony...he has such a strong testimony...we asked him to share it because he always is telling us he neeeds more time...well, we wanted to hear his testimony...and we listened...he cried...then we asked him to share how he found the gospel....HOLY COW. I have never learned so much about the atonement...the atonement is powerful....and i just hurt listening to him...he is suffereing...he knows exactly the joy that we can feel as we have the spirit, but he also knows what it feels like to loose it....he is miserable...he just doesnt want to act..i think he is afraid...it is awful. But this week, as we talked with out amazing investigators and less actives, i learned more about my savior jesus christ, and about the atonement and the saving and changing powerfs of the atonemtn. More than my entire life. I felt a littttttle bit of their pain...only a tiny bit...and it was so hard for me...but i found peace in the scriptures, and we found answers in the scripttures. Wow.

The mission is the best. I have never learned more in my whole life. I have never been happier in my whole life. I am just loving every second. I wont go back. One has to let the mission change them and i am trying my best to change and to be what i should. I am learning every day. the time is flying, and the people are changing. We literally see the change in them each and every day. it is incredible. I LOVE the scriptures. I LOVE GUATEMALA. I love my savior. He lives, and because he lives, we live. and we have second chances. WE have the opportunidad to become a different person. And it is never to late to start again. Because he lives, we have the opportunity to be born again, spiritually, each and every day.

Hermana Oliphant

"We see miracle after miracle. I have never been so happy."

Here is this weeks letter from Morgan - it is long, but it is good. Lots of happy stories with her investigators! As always, my questions are in green, her answers are in red!  Here is the only photo from this week!

 I think this is like the first time I've ever really been sunburned...

and I think it was just because it hasn't been sunny for agesss here!

Okay, so I am SOOO happy you got your package.  You didn't mention the pop rocks, or the beef jerky some guy wanted there, and what about the awesome scrubbie sponge and scrub brush...did you get all of it?? If you got the shoes, I assume it was all there, but I just had to ask. You said shoes and tootsie rolls (a lot of them I might add) and the chocolate from Sis. VanderLinden, but what about those other things????? Just curious!!

All of it!! Thank you!

I forwarded a photo from Morgan Evans from your email. He's is finished in August.  His dad will pick him up and they will travel through Romania home and they have permission for lunch or dinner with Spencer who will be there by then.  That's is cool.  Mike Dial is home in August, and Adelide Christensen is then end of a September.  Emily Burgoyne is September, Christine Alley and Andrew Dunford, too!!!  It is crazy.  All at once and SOOO many it seems like.  I hope you get to read the ward newsletter, I hope you get it still.  It is amazing, the messages are so good.  This one for JULY you will have to be sure and read.  The messages, to me, are great. And if you ever want to write your own note to the ward, please do and I will use it FOR SURE.   This month, July, we have Henry Christensen, Tyler Bodily, and Paul Schwartz from our ward going out--Spencer Evans left last week!

So crazyyy. Time FLIES! Literally..Becca gets home end of November....what! SO WEIRD!

Sis. Peterson came to me today and asked how you are doing.  I told her awesome!!
Thanks for the fun pics last week.  I LOVE pics.  I even put the dirty feet one on your blog.  Eeeww!  Dirty!

HAHAHA SO FUNNY!

Ashley is in Ogden this week.  She is going to help Heidi with her kids so she invited her to come up last Friday and stay til probably Saturday or whatever. She stays with Justin's niece Friday through Monday, and then Heidi needs her Tues, Wed, and Thurs.  She gets to ride horses, babysit Heidi's cute kids, and she just loves it!  We may never get her home either.  You and her love your new surroundings so much.  Makes me happy that you're both happy though.

I cant even explain how much I love this area and my investigators. LOVE EVERYTHING!!

I need to tell you a story...I will try to hurry!  After Alex finished in the temple, my brother Steve's friend from high school took us "behind the scenes" in the temple.  A teeny tiny bit like what Keith Jensen did for us---by the way Keith and Shelley just got called for an inner city mission--anyway, at the end of "looking around", Jed said to Alex, the most important thing you can do for your investigators is focus on the temple. Tell them "that is their goal" and baptism is just a step in the right direction to being sealed together as a family FOREVER.  I wanted to tell you that, I know you know, but I really liked that thought.  If they want to be a forever family, they must get baptized and work toward worthiness to enter into the temple and be sealed as a family.  Loved that!

So true! Too many people get baptized and think that's it...but that's not even close! We are working with a lot of in-actives who think that.  MAGDA CAME TO CHURCH SUNDAY!! Remember her...Maria and Douglas...well Magda came with her kids to church Sunday...MIRACLE!!! We had 5 investigators in church Sunday. I can't tell you how happy it makes me too see them in church!!

DID YOU GET GMA AND GPAS package yet? 

No not yet!

Your bus story last week! Funny, BUT, we (well me only maybe) are waiting for the end of the story.  How did you catch them, or did they stop, or what??  I hope your leg/knee is doing okay while your out chasing buses in Guatemala.  How about the rest of you?  All is well??  The dog story I didn't like as much!  Glad for that backpack that saved you though!!

So funny, the bus stopped finally, but it was just so FUNNY! My knee is great. Haven't had problems. I am so grateful.  We have funny stories every week. Some I wont tell for a couple months :) and some more I will tell you later on in the letter!! HAHAHA I loveeeee the mission!

So the picture of the baptism you sent last week...I'm not sure who that was??  Do you remember?

Well I sent one with Cristian and one with Edgar...Cristian has the glasses and Edgar is younger!

What else is happening with your other investigators?

Are you still in the house with Amy and Sis Yepez? According to Laurie Funk, you ended up going with Hepmana Yepez last week...I bet that was SOOO fun!

It was so fun!! I loved it!! We found this way cool family...but yes we are still in the same house. Speaking of the house, we now have a swimming pool in our study area..we have water seeping up through the tile floor! HAHAHAHA WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! It is pretty funny.

Did Dennis change his study time to be able to come to church yet?

How is Rocio doing.  You didn't mention her? Arjona, Sergio?
I loved the little boys comment about the video...so touching.  The Stake Conference Singer story is funny too!  Poor guy!  You only write in Spanish the name of the video...I don't know what to look up!

Gracias a el is thanks to him....but I don't know what its called in English for real...look up gracias a el...it might come up in English!! (I couldn't find it, if anyone can, let me know!)

Tell us all about your week.  I love you so much.  We pray for you every prayer.

Love you!
Mom

I hope this week you can copy and paste - this is long!  Sorry!I had to forward this to you.  I am on the iPad and sent it with NO RECIPIENT, duh.  So it goes to me and I have to forward it to you!  At least I didn't loose it all.

Oh, and PINGREE'S get home this week, I think Tuesday.  Forgot to tell you that!

Oh ya!! They did end. So weird.

Ok, ahora para mis amados investigadores. 

This week we found this great kid. His name is Heiyson which is pronounced like Jason He is 13. and he is the cousin of one of our converts. He told us one day he wanted to listen, and we told him we needed permission from his parents. So he said he would talk to them and we could teach him the next day. We taught him the next day and in his prayer at the end he said, Ayudeme que puedo bautizarme porque eso es mi mayor deseo.....aka help me to be baptized because its my greatest desire. WE ARE SO EXCITED FOR HEIYSON. He is such a strong, faithful, young boy. He only is 13 and he asked if he could receive a priesthood blessing for his leg that has been hurting him since he was a kid and had surgery. He has his baptism date for July 13. He has invited his family to church. He asked me if I would baptize him. He doesn't even care if the water is going to be cold. He is going to seminary. HE IS SO COOL!! LOVE THIS KID!!

Dennis went to school Sunday to change his schedule. His director wasn't there!!! I DIED WHEN HE TOLD US! But he is going to see if there is a way to get a hold of them this week. We taught Dennis Word of Wisdom this week and he was so funny. He was like so I cant drink coffee ever? We said no...never. He said not even a little bit?! NO NUNCA!! and he goes, well that's easy I don't even drink coffee....then he goes, wait not even when I'm a grandpa? hahaha this past lesson we had with him he hadn't read in his Book of Mormon and the first thing he said was, you guys are going to get mad....and we said why what happened?  He said well I didn't read...HE FELT SO BAD! hahaha but he promised he would read every day....he prays all the time to be forgiven for not reading...he's so great. We asked him the other day why he wants to go on a mission. He said because I know its the true church and I want to go out like you guys and be a missionary!! HI -- WE WERE SOOO HAPPY! Dennis told us that he sentio frio...aka he felt cold...when he didn't read. He didn't like it, so he said he was going to read every day so he could feel the Spirit more. HE IS TOO AWESOME!

Arjona is too cool. His mom died a couple years ago and we taught the Plan of Salvation and included baptisms for the dead. I wish you all could have seen his face when we explained it. He is too awesome. We asked him what changes he has seen in his life as he started listening to us...he said he has noticed a huge difference in his patience and he feels that this is an answer to his prayers. He is working Sundays but just with his dad so he told us he was going to change it so he could go this week.

We haven't seen Sergio this week very much except for one time.when we miraculously...I cant spell (I fixed it-her spelling is bad now!)...found him sitting outside of his house. Well he is way awesome and has such a deep desire to know the truth. He told us he doesn't like being taught outside so he is going to find somewhere where we can teach him.

We found this great family this week. Yerani and Osmar....Osmar looks just like Peter Pan...the Peter Pan with the real people...he looks just like Jeremy Sumter who plays Peter Pan. Its funny. But Osmar was up on the roof of his house...3 stories...and we just saw him up there and started to contact him...he said they were going to come down and we could teach them. Well he is 18, his wife is 22 and they have a 3 year old daughter Fatima. They are amazing. I have never had a lesson in the street so powerful. They have such a great desire to know the truth. We are super excited about them.  He told us how they met....he said oh...tomando...aka drinking. And he said he has changed and really wants a better life for his family. He loves his family so much. They are just an amazing little family and we cant wait to see them in white!!!

Yesterday we went to Walmart, the mall and Mcdonalds....yes, I ate a McDonalds hamburger, fries, and a Mcflurry of Kit Kat (Spencer is laughing at the way she talks in English now 'McFlurry of Kit Kat')....I will admit it was pretty good..I am shocked as well...the mission has changed me. (When I read that Spencer, said, ya, she can't speak right anymore) I AM STILL FULL THOUGH! It was SO MUCH FOOD!! hahahaha but it was funny. My companion and I were just DYING! Like so full but laughing and it hurt..but so funny! 

I love the opportunity I have to be here. I have realized the importance of obedience and diligence this week. It is something President and Hermana Brough always taught...but I realized it's because without the Spirit we are worthless here...and without diligence and obedience we won't have the Spirit. The Spirit changes people and we have seen that change this week in so many investigators. It is incredible. We see miracle after miracle. I have never been so happy. Alma 29:9-10 explains the mission. The mission is GOZO..aka JOY! I just feel so grateful and so blessed. I hope you are all reading in your Books of Mormon and really studying. It is amazing the power that this little book has. I have never loved it more. I know that is is the word of God and that it contains all that we need. Keep being amazing. Keep serving. Keep learning and growing.  I never realized how much time I wasted before my mission. The whole idea of not being light minded has hit me hard this week. I don't even know why, but it is so easy to fall into that trap of wasting time on things not important at all.

Oh I found this great talk that I think you should read for FHE. It reminded me of the scripture that talks about bearing the cross of Christ. Its from this past conference...Jeffrey R. Holland called The Cost-and Blessings-of Discipleship. (That scripture from a couple letters ago is Jacob 1:8)

Hermana Oliphant