The Work Begins!

     Hi!  I'm sending some pictures!  Today we just had a district meeting then went to lunch at a place called OEC, some japanese restaurant.  It was pretty good.  I had a pro bar for breakfast cause no other food,  and we are at the library right now.  We biked to district meeting and then rode in the car with the sisters and two elders to get lunch and then back to our apartment, then we walked to the library.  We are going home teaching with a member tonight and will go visit a less active member later today as well.  He has autism.  Idk if this is how it always is or what because I feel like we haven't done anything today but I'm sure work will pick up and I feel like Elder Ah Ching is very easy going and I'm not sure if he likes working hard or not yet because we haven't done anything and I don't know if what we are doing is normal or not because I just got here!  He has been a trainer before tho so Idk.  It is ok!  Hopefully we start to go and find people to teach and actually do something instead of just sit here, that's what I feel like we have done all day today.  Oh well though.  I still don't feel like I know enough but I'm sure it will come with time.  I still haven't been able to go to the store because we don't have the car yet,  something is wrong with the transmission.   Hopefully we will make it there tonight!  I had a blanket for sheets, blanket for a pillow, and a blanket for a blanket!  The beds are nice but everything else is pretty old and stuff.   The washer and dryer machines are in a shed outside lol!
     We had dinner last night from a place called Wards.  A member took us there because he was giving us a ride home from the church.   There are like 60 people in one ward and 80 or so in another I think is what he said, it might have been 180 I can't remember.  One is a ward and one is a branch.   There are a ton of inactive members here.  But the part of Brookhaven that is out in the country is the ward and it is bigger, then in the city it is a lot smaller branch.  The place we live in has railroad tracks right next to it and it's kinda in a neighborhood, it's a good area I think!   I'm the only new guy in our area.  The mission president and his wife were nice and pretty laid back I think.  I don't really know, I didn't get interviewed for very long but they seemed really nice!
     I'll talk to you again on monday mom!  Hopefully things start picking up, love you guys!!  Lmk how everything is going.  Love you!:)

Brookhaven Elders

Made it to Jackson, Mississippi!

     Hey Dad!  I made it here!  My p-day will be on monday after today.  We are all just at the church meeting our companions and stuff.  My companions name is Elder Ah Ching.  He is from Farmington and I think Hawaii.  Everyone is saying he is super awesome!  We are serving in Brookhaven.  No idea if I spelled that right, but it's not all the way south but it's in Mississippi, like directly below Jackson I think.  They said it kinda has a rich and also a hood area so that'll be awesome to see!  It's definitely hot and humid! I don't mind the humidity because it helps my skin but the heat is hot!  It is really hot haha and i have sweat a lot.  I got my bike and will lock it up.  It's not like super expensive is it?  I only have like an hour drive so that will be good.  If you look at the mission boundary Brookhaven is somewhere by Clinton, west of Hattiesburg, and it's not by the coast but farthest south it can go in that part of the mission.
     Yesterday we woke up like at 2:00 am and had to sit on the bus for like 40 min, and then drive 10 min. to the front runner station, and then when we got on the plane there was no room for my bag so I had to put it in a bin way far in the back and I had to wait for everyone to get off the plane to get it, and then we were running to get to our next flight!  Then it was only like an hour flight to Mississippi.  On our way to Atlanta, we flew over the Mississippi river and it is huge!  When we got to Mississippi, the airport is tiny, I don't even know if it had security haha but the mission president was there and we met them and all the AP.  They were super friendly and happy.  Then we went to the church and ate some pasta thing with chicken and it was really good!  We had to sit at the church for awhile and everyone talks and bore their testimonies and stuff.  Then we went back to the mission home.  It is super nice. The roads are like Georgia.  This whole place is like Georgia.  When we got there we were fed again,  just like sandwiches and stuff but it was still good.  We went to bed at 9:00 cause we were so tired but it was good!  Today we just got up and got ready to take some pictures and then headed out to the church so we haven't done much today but it's been good!  We've all been hanging out at the church playing basketball.  Everyone that has to go far away had to leave like 3 hours ago.  There are quite a few, like 20 guys here.  We have a car but it's in the shop so we don't have it at the moment.  Talk to you next week.  Love you!!!!!

President and Sister Olsen

New MJM missionaries & Mission Prsesident

Brookhaven @ night

Street I live on

He's in the South

He's in the south

We don't know much about what's happening.

Email Before Airport

     Hi Mom,  How is Lake Powell?  I get to email right now because there won't be another time before we leave for the airport that I can contact you.   Hope you are all having fun!  I'm still alive and doing good.  I wrote you, dad, Tara, and Casey back on wednesday and realized you were going to be in Lake Powell and wouldn't get them till I leave, but I put them in the mail anyway.  How has the weather been at the lake?  I hope you get this email before I have to get off!
     I will be calling somewhere between 5-8 on monday morning.  I hope I can figure out how to use that phone.  I'm doing good and can't wait to talk to you!  I'm excited to leave!  I'll talk to you about everything on monday!

Good to see Scott!

Ready to go!

P-Day MTC

     Hi!  I'm still alive and doing good!  The experiences of learning have been awesome!  Most of the time I'm just confused about what is going on though and how I'm going to get things to apply to my investigator.  I would love it if you could send me 2-3 just paperback cheap Book of Mormons that I can read and mark up good while I'm here.
     I have to be in the travel office at 3:30 in the morning on monday.  30 People are traveling with us and our flight leaves at 8:30 am.  We fly to Atlanta and then to Jackson.  I'm so excited to go!
     Today for P-day we went to the temple, went to workout and now just getting done getting our laundry started.  I forgot my camera in the residence so when I go to change my laundry I'll bring it and send some pictures to you.  I have gotten a lot of stuff from Betsy!  All the other people in my district are jealous!  Keep using Dear Elder…it's so nice to come home and have letters waiting for you to open at night.
     I'm not great at this email thing yet, idk what to say.  My companions name is Adison and he is a funny kid!  The other Elders in my room are good too!  One is Elder Godfrey from Idaho, he is fun, and the other is Elder Palmer who loves DC and Marvel comics and yells when he's excited about things!
     Ok, Thank you so much, love you all and will talk to you all later! Have fun at Lake Powell!  I love you guys.  Take pictures and send them to me!!!  Keep sending Dear Elders!!!  LOVE YOU!!

Elder Wells & I playing football!! 

My MTC district!

My closet in the MTC

My roommates in the MTC

First Letter!! - MTC

      Hi Mom!!!  How are things?  The MTC has been lots of hard work, the food isn't that great, I feel sick after every time I eat, and I have been getting lots of headaches!  Maybe that's just cause I'm thinking a lot!  But my companion is good!  We have gotten along really well>  He is a kid from Bingham that was mimicking Maxwell at the basketball game!  Haha.  He is a funny kid!  Can you send me mints and a water bottle?  You were right and they won't let me chew gum.  My p-day is on Tues. and I think we are going to the temple in the morning.  I've seen Collin, Ben, and Tanner.  They all seem to be doing good and used to things now.  I also saw Kyle and said hi but I'm not sure he knew who I was!  My teachers are super nice!  We all got to pick form two investigators to teach and ours is named Sagen.  He seems like a really nice guy and hopefully we can learn enough about him to say what we need to say to help him!  Can you also send me like how to wash my clothes, like what to wash with what and what cycle to put it on?  I'm kinda worried about that.  And have dad tell me what to study when I'm doing personal study, I don't really know what to go and look for.  Overall, it has been good and I'm doing good!  The nights are definitely the hardest part for me.  Once I fall asleep I'm fine though.  I feel like things will just get better as time goes and especially once I'm in Mississippi.  Love you guys.  Talk to you on tuesday!

Elder Wells & me at the temple