Thursday, February 23, 2012

Letter from Week 2


Dallin Ollerton dallin.ollerton@myldsmail.net
2:44 PM (7 hours ago)
to Matthew, me
Hey all!
Wow!! i have completed my first week of my mission! I can hardly belive it!! Where do i even start! well since i wrote home last i have been very homesick. I would be having a little episode every night. at one point i got to the point of anger. and my companions seemed to have noticed and took action on it on monday night. we had a companionship inventory and elder frei told me that i needed a better attitude. so what did i do? i got on my knees to and asked Heavenly Father for a better attitude. And guess what? these past two days have flown by so quickly! i'm starting to get over my homesickness. i'm not sure if that's a good thing or not but i think its a step towards progress!!
So we have taught our first "investigator" four lessons completely in spanish! it was such a challenge, but my companions and i found a great routine that led us to getting him a baptismal date! i have to say it was all thanks to elder frei or else i would have been lost. see elder frei has already been here for four weeks with the english speaking district. because of medical reasons he had to stay a few more weeks and he wanted to learn spanish because he is going off to roseville california. but he has been cleared from the the doctor to leave and he will be leaving next wednesday! i hope Elder Farnsworth and i will be able to do just as well as we have without him here. i can already tell i'll have to step up to be the leader cause elder farnsworth is a pretty quiet guy. but i know i can do it! Thank you so so so so much for your packages of candy! it's starting to disappear already! but luckily i havent gained any weight yet! haha
Today was my first real pday! we went to the the temple to do the 720 session and it was flippin awesome! i love going to the temple! there is no other place in the world like it. and you cant have the same feelings in there anywhere else! after that ive been writing letters and doing laundry! so whoever sent me a letter expect to get one soon! :)
Momma, I miss you so much and i know what you mean by the hug thing! i think about all of the hugs as i departed from you. i miss you guys so much and i can feel your prayers! I thank you all so much for them. You are the best family any man could ask for!! I pray for you guys everyday! and what i have read from our weekly letter i can already tell my prayers have been answered!! Tell trevor and Cameron congrats for me and tell them to continue to work hard! it's so important that they do that! I'm so proud of them!
Justin, i got a letter coming to ya but i want you to know that i love you so much and i hope track, school, and everything else is going well! if not, pray!!
Dad, How has work been? still staying busy eh? have you been up to work on seths house again? how is his house looking? I love you so much dad! I often use you in my examples during class. You are a great man and example to me. I love you!!
so in my personal study i keep finding myself reading about Nephi (the original) there is a certain story i keep reading about and i feel inspired to share it with you. so in this story Lehi and his family had just departed out into the wilderness. Nephi and his brothers went out to hunt. but Nephi's bow broke. Nephi's brothers murmured as they came to the point where they were very hungry, and so were their wives. Nephi then goes to the Liahona for guideance. he is guided to beasts and is able to get food. So what's the principle behind this. Earlier in my scriptures i wrote in my margins taht the liahona is the word of God. Sometimes we may find ourselves lost and spritually starving of what we need. But it's SO important that we use the Scriptures to answer the questions of our daily lives. I know this to be true!! So there is my sort spiritual thought for the week.
K, so next week I promise i will be getting pictures up. sorry im still trying to figure out the system here and i know i'll be getting some to you! i hope these letters are long enough...haha! what has everyone been up to?? hey if you could send me a dear elder response to this email i would love it! i've gotten a lot of those lately and i've loved it! well, it's time for me to go. we are limited to 30 min a week on email. but a lot of letters are going out!
Yo se que la igelsia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias es verdad! Te amo todos los dias!!
Elder Dallin Matthew Ollerton

Saturday, February 18, 2012

First Letter Home

Hey all!
These last few days have been so crazy! today is my fouth day at the mtc. My companions names are Elder Farnsworth and Elder Frei. Elder Farnsworth is from Mapleton but he hasnt lived there too long. Elder Frei is a 13 month convert from Seattle. He has been here learning in English. But his lung collasped and he was extended so now he wants to learn spanish. he is a very obeidient elder. sometimes buggy, but it´s all good! My companions and i have nothing in common at all! which makes it a really tough challenge. They are quiet and don´t say a lot. My district is awesome! i actually played football against elder Lyman in high school and didn´t even know it! funny huh. Oh and guess who knows the most spanish...thats right. this guy. everyone keeps coming to me for help with their spanish in there personal study time. it´s pretty funny considering the little spanish i had taken in high school.
It has been a long and hard few days! lots of headaches. the language is frustrating at times. ive been pretty homesick. but i know that through Chirst I can do hard things. we have already taught two lessons all in spanish to an ¨investigator¨ We were so worried taht we would not be able to communicate our thoughts in spanish. but thanks to elder frei and his dedication to planning. we made a script and read it. even when our investigator went off of topic the spirit was able to help us communicate our thoughts to him. It was muy animando!!
The food here is great! and i got everyones packages and that made it so great! oh btw my pdays aren´t actually on saturdays, they are normally on thursdays, but we are having a short one today for some odd reason.
In my personal study i have been reading through the old testament in the book of matthew about Christ and His life. I love the story in Chapter 16 where the woman had so much faith that when she touched his garment she was instantly healed. I think i can follow this principal more. I can tell when my companions and other elders in my district were struggling with there spanish it´s like they had no hope. So right before our lesson i was able to pray and tell Heavenly Father that i knew He could Help me with the language. So i am so grateful that Ihave Him in my life.
Well it sounds like life at Springville high is going well! Tell just to write me a letter asap! not an email, but a letter please! I have been fighting a sore throat since i got here. Dad any suggesions. i have some mouthwash as always. I´m still pretty homesick too. Elder Frei has been good to distract me. Too bad he´s leaving in ten days. Dad, I love you with all of my heart. Thank you for being so good to me. I know this will all pass with time. I hope I can find someway to relate to my companions, or it´s going to be a very long nine weeks here. They aren´t the normal type of people i would hang out with at home. but they are really good people.
Ay ay ay perdon! I´m all over the place. oh btw there is a really easy and quick way to get me letters in my hands! you go to dearelder.com and idk where else to go but you guys will find out i´m sure. have jbird try it out. oh and will you please have jalon send me one too about the thing i told him to do please! Esta es muy importante! Well it´s about time for me to go now. let me leave you a sort testimony.
Yo se que Jesucristo, es el un salvador. Yo se que el libro de mormon es la verdad, yo se que te que amo. I love you guys and I wish you all love until i hear from you! but i would love letters! like zach said it´s so nice to have something to read rather than wait a week. Te Amo!! Dios bendice!
Elder Ollerton

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A Work in Progress

It went off like clockwork. We drove up 900 East in Provo, turned into the MTC and were directed right where to stop. One minute and forty-three seconds later we were parents of a full-time missionary. We took video of the event but I can't seem to get it to upload. I will keep trying.

There were tears shed, mostly by his parents. Dallin was quite stoic. He turned around and gave us the "I love you" hand sign (thumb extended, pointer finger and fifth finger extended as well) then turned and walked away talking to the "host" missionary who was helping him, and that was that. Weird.

It was definitely a lot harder then I thought it would be. I'm glad he had the BYU-Idaho experience to help this be less difficult for him. It does leave an empty spot in our home, especially since he has been here for the past two months just waiting to leave. I can't wait to get a letter, and neither can he.

Make sure you send letters by the ton. Every missionary needs them.
Elder Dallin Ollerton
MTC Mailbox #240
CA-ANA 0417
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, UT 84604-1793

I'll get working on the video.

Day One: The Day You Pray For

When Dallin was born one of the first things my mother talked about was "here is a future missionary". I was on board with that. We always planned on him serving a mission. We sang "I hope they call me on a mission...". Said prayers, went to church, etc.

Now that the day is here it is like a punch to the stomach (even worse for Dallin, he is sweating bullets this morning). I cannot imagine how I would feel if we were sending him off to war. The thing is we all know that this is the right thing to do. He needs to go serve the Lord. Not only for the people who need him, but for himself and the future family he will raise.

Three hours and counting until drop off at the Missionary Training Center. Bags are packed and sitting in the kitchen. Much pacing is taking place. "What do I do now for three hours?"

Personally I am excited for Dallin to begin this "adventure". So many great things are going to happen. He will discover himself and become more of a man than he is. He is far more prepared then I ever was.

I love you, Dallin
Dad

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Final Countdown

Dallin is minutes from getting set apart as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is serving in the California Anaheim Mission speaking spanish.

I am his Dad, Matt. His mother, Wendy, and I will try and keep this blog a blogging for the next two years. We are not professional bloggers so hang in there. If you have suggestions as to what we can do to make this better let us know.

Right now Dallin has gone downstairs to get his suit on in preparation for his setting apart. Some of the family are coming over for one final "good-bye". Dallin has been a little more quiet today compared to normal. I think the finality of the situation is setting in. I told him this is completely normal (been there myself). He will do great!

I guess I had better go get dressed myself. Toodles.