"My converts are progressing, and that brings me such a great amount of happiness."

September 12, 2009 -

Hey Fabulous Family,
I got a Birthday package from Grandma and Grandpa Olsen! I was so happy to receive it. It was filled with Swedish Fish, Tootsie Rolls, two huge bags of Doritos, and my favorite part…the DVD of High School Musical 3!!! Grandma says she’s keeping the cards warm. I wonder if I’ll still have my Canasta game on when I get home. I’m sure I haven’t forgotten how to play… I also received a Birthday card from Grandma and Grandpa Quinn telling me they gave you guys fifty bucks to put in my account. It will surely be put to good use… Please thank both sets of Grandparents for their special and precious gifts and let them know of my sincere love for them. Let them know I miss them and think of them every single day. I can’t wait to be back home hanging out with everyone again. It will come too soon…
This week was my big week. CHANGE WEEK. But it wasn’t as stressful as I thought it was going to be. Everything went great and smooth. I had everything under control and all went well. I didn’t make any errors with flights to and from the jungle. I sent the old Missionaries home and brought the new ones in. Everything went great. Elder Llacsa, my awesome companion from Iquitos, had a change from the jungle to Lima, so I was able to see him. When he walked in the door, I almost started crying because I was so happy to see him. I told him I had missed him so much, and that I missed being with him everyday. He told me many great things about the people in Iquitos. He says Yolanda is doing great and is so faithful in her progression. The husband of the couple we baptized there, Ricardo, is now the Ward Mission Leader, and is doing great work there. Two of his kids are now baptized, and a third one is close to getting baptized. That family is just progressing like crazy. He says Rosa is doing great as well. The only bad news is that my Mom and Dad from Iquitos (Letty and Leo, Sister and Brother-in-Law of Rosa) changed houses, and moved out of living with Rosa. They now live in a different part of Iquitos so I am going to have to find out their address to be able to visit them. Their son José Carlos has now sent in his papers to go on a Mission, and I can’t wait to find out where he is going. I can’t wait to go back to Iquitos… Talking about my investigators, Sister Luna, my friend from the Peru MTC, just baptized a good friend of the couple (Rosa and Juan) that I baptized in Collique, here in Lima. She told me that Juan is now the Ward Mission Leader as well, and that Rosa is in the Presidency of the Relief Society. They showed Sister Luna pictures of “Their Missionary”…that’s me… They showed her pictures of me with them bragging about me being “Their Missionary.” I was so happy to hear that, and after thinking about it for a while, I got a little emotional, and every time I think about it, I get a little emotional. My converts are progressing, and that brings me such a great amount of happiness. I know that the Lord is taking care of them. And I’ve got to keep in contact with them. I am going to write all of my converts and get letters off to them, telling them to keep going, and that I will be seeing them soon. I’m sorry I’m such an emotional guy, but when it comes to one of my special Peruvian friends, I get choked up just knowing that they are okay. I think I am going to have to come back every year to see my Peruvian family because I am already missing them. I do have family down here in Peru, and I can’t wait for you to meet them. Today for P-Day President Pérez took us out to lunch. We went by his house in Miraflores to a place called La Bisteca. It is a buffet that has every food you can think of. We ordered all-you-can-eat and I ate everything. It was a really fancy restaurant, and we were waited on hand and foot. I love spending days with President because he just spoils us. It was so good and I felt so spoiled. He takes such good of his Assistants and Secretaries. I think we’ll have to try out the restaurant when we come to Peru. President then took us all to show us some nice suits that were on sale for thirty dollars at a huge American Mall in Miraflores. I did buy one because they were cheap and Sister Pérez was there to help me look good and told me that I looked great in it. We also went to a place that inside looked just like Home Depot to buy some items for the Mission. When we walked in, my mind immediately reflected back on how many times I had been sent to pick up paint or some random building object from Home Depot, or all the times we went there as a family, and the workshops that we did. I felt like I was at home. Oh boy. Anyway, before going to the mall, we passed by a Marriott Hotel and then by a lookout that had a great view of the Pacific Ocean and the beach. It was a beautiful sight, and I loved feeling the wind that the waves were bringing in. It was just a relaxing day to be with President and his family, and the Office Crew. Please know that President is definitely taking better care of me than I need. He is absolutely spoiling me, and I love it. So don’t worry about me. I am absolutely in love with the Mission right now. I am not getting out and teaching as much as I would like to because I am not able to leave without having the help of a member, but I am just improving things here in the Offices. I am working really hard on gaining a better knowledge of the Scriptures and Preach My Gospel. I feel like I honestly don’t know anything. I am working really hard trying to understand, comprehend, and apply the Scriptures. I love reading now. I love reading the Scriptures. Just sometimes I wish I had more time to read and study, but that time will come after the Mission. I am learning a ton; I just need to be able to apply them better and remember the stories better. So that is what I am focusing on right know is bettering my understanding and knowledge of the Scriptures. I hope everything is going great at home and that you aren’t missing me too much. Know that I still get emotional thinking about each one of you because you have had such a great impact in my life. I would not be here without the help of each one of you. Dallis, thanks for making me laugh and for taking care of Mom. Help Mom and Dad out by enjoying baseball and just trying to improve every day and doing your best. Love doing it, and you’ll see that the season will just pass away. That’s what I did with the Mission. I didn’t really enjoy it at first because I couldn’t speak and I missed home and everything wasn’t how I wanted it. But there was a time that I just decided to start loving it, and now… I am absolutely in love with the Mission, and the time is passing faster and I can’t keep up. Try it with baseball and I think you’ll see what I mean. Chase, thanks for getting me into Theatre and helping me not be afraid of talking to people in public. I do a ton of it now, and I know now that I would not be afraid to go and ask for sauce for my taco… :) Be obedient to Mom and Dad. Being away from them has made me realize so many things. I know at times that their counsel may not be what we want to hear, but I also know that everything they have ever told me is something that has helped me and gotten me where I am today. Just take their advice and be obedient to it. Love being with them as well. Spend more time with them and Dallis. Time is too short, and one day, you won’t be able to just see them or call them up and talk to them… It’s something they call “The Mission.” Dad, thanks for being a great hero in my life. You take such good care of the family and you are such a hard worker. Oh man, where would we be without you? Know that I will never be able to thank you. I owe everything to you. And Mom… What can I even say? I don’t even know where to start? I’m going to try and put it into words, but I know it’s not going to come out how I want it. You are my Mom. I miss you like crazy. I thank Heavenly Father every single day for the bond that He made between you and me. We may be millions of miles away, but we will never be separated. We are going to be together for Eternity. I still cry thinking about your laugh and your smile. I miss it. I miss you. I miss my beautiful Mom. But I know we will be seeing each other soon. The Lord wants us to be where we are right now. He is blessing us beyond measure. I will never be able to thank Him for the blessings I have received and for the special family that He gave me. So once again… Thank you. I love you all and miss you even more. Hoping I didn’t make you cry too hard… :)Love, Coco