WEEK #2 - Embracing HAPPINESS is a CHOICE

Sad news - We had a missionary go home from the CCm this week for personal reasons. It was out of the blue. He wasn´t in my district but he still felt like a brother. So tough. This is not an easy experience. Having our buddy go home has strengthened all of us and we hope and pray that he does awesome things!! 

To all of those people who may be thinking of serving a mission - THIS IS NOT EASY. It is quite difficult actually. One lesson my dear mother desperately tried to teach my throughout high school was that YOU CAN choose to be happy. A lot of you probably know that I fought her a ton on that...sorry mom.. I definitely realize that I was wrong. Grateful for that wonderful lesson now. This will be the coolest, most fun, and most refining experience of my life. I deeply encourage those thinking about a mission to pray and ask God if they should! This is the coolest and best thing ever!! You will not regret it. 

My goal is to be the best me I can be. 

Elder Oliva

I have learned more about myself, more about Spanish more about anything in the last 15 days than I had the last 18 years.

I CANNOT SEND OR RECIEVE LETTERS FOR THE NEXT 6 WEEKS  - so sorry.

This is by far the coolest, most fun, and most intense thing I have ever done and I will never have the priviledge to do anything like it ever again!

It's going by crazy fast!! A missionary yeasterday was like ugh we're only 2% done with our missions and I was like 2% already!? I´ll be home before we know it!!

Sorry for all the typos..I[m on a spanish keyboard and it's weird..

I really love it here!! Trying to talk to all the natives is so funny! They´re so much fun hahaha. My buddy that sang Moana leaves next week and it breaks my heart! I´ll miss him so much hahaha. He promised he´d be moving to America after his mission with his futuro esposa and that we could meet up at Waffle House hahaha. 

My district has been struggling a ton with homesickness and it´s been really hard for me to try and help all of them. Feeling that responsibility is quite overwhelming. It´ll all work out. We had a big group heart to heart last night and have a plan to make it through and love all these people!! I had the priviledge to be a part of a blessing to a girl in my district! It was extremely special! 

If anyone has suggestions on homesickness let me know! 

Also please don´t respond to this email! Start a new thread so I can answer you!! 

Love you all and hope to hear from you!!

The two southern boys have found each other!!
Elder Chevrier from Atlanta on the left

Love you all, love this church, love my family, and love my life! 

See ya soon :)

Love it, thanks, I have to get off now. 
Connor

The Lima Temple

A TAD MORE INFO FROM VARIOUS EMAILS TO ME AND TO MATT

Make sure everyone knows that I love and miss them at home!! 

I will write on Tuesday next week!!

HERE ARE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I ASKED CONNOR THIS WEEK. Still not enough details for this momma but I'm grateful for the answers I did receive and LOVE his spirit of JOY!!

1.) How did you and Elder Bailey realize that you had JOY and RICHARD as your common thread? His Mom and I AND MISS JOY are wondering the same thing!!

I thought I knew him from EFY and when he said Layton I just threw it out that maybe he knew them hahaha

2.) How’s the Spanish coming along? 

Slow but it will come

3.) What was your 2 most spiritual moments this week? 

Elder Holland´s devotional and bearing my testimony to my struggling district for sure

4.) How has your testimony grown and strengthened while being there?

How has it not? This will be the only two years where I can fully focus on others. It´s great.

5.) Hardest part of the week?

Definitely Elder R from another district went home. Super cool kid. I Love him.

7.) FAV new scripture? 

Alma 26. The whole chapter. I do not boast of my own strength but of my God. 

8.) Best teacher experience? Do you have one male teacher and one female teacher?

Maestro Rojas and Maestra Coca are amazing.

9.) How's the adjustment to the intense study of the scriptures each day?

I love it. I´m studying Isaiah..

11.) How can I help you? How can I help the others?

I´m doing fine, My friend I told you about is doing 100% better, I love him

12.) Tell me about Presidente and Sister Moore

They are the sweetest people in the whole world. It´s lñike having grandparents here.