Hola familia y Amigos!
I'm finally in Puerto Rico! Can you believe it! It's crazy! And it's been a crazy hard week. I'm so glad that it's p-day and that I am finally able to hear from you guys and write to you all. I love you so much and I loved hearing from you when I arrived in the mission home on Tuesday. Thank you mom and dad for all of your wonderful packages and letters. It was so great to hear from you and to feel your love and support for me as I entered what has to be the biggest challenge of my life.
Jenny thank you so much for your package. The letter was so precious to me I read it every night. I want you all to know that I love you and miss you so much. As soon as I started writing this the tears began to flow. While this is perhaps one of the most exciting times in my life it has also been one of the most difficult. This has to be the hardest thing that I will ever do in my life. Before I tell you about my week, I want to give you my address so that you can write me. My address is:
Calle Vidal Colon
Casa #100 , Apt 101
San Sebastian, Puerto Rico 00685
I need your letters and support so freaking much you have no idea what this week has been like for me. I can't wait to hear from you and to hear about your lives. Dad thanks for the email about Trent. Trent, good luck with the tournament. I will be praying for you so you can play well, but also that you will be able to make the right decision. I know that whatever you do, if you have counseled with the Lord, the decision you make will be the right one.
OK so I don't have a lot of time. Usually only 15 minutes, so I will hurry. For future reference, your best communication with me is going to be letters not emails. We don't have a lot of time to email here in San Sebastian.
We arrived in Puerto Rico and every thing went according to plan. I got off the plane and I had the absolute best feeling that I had in a long time. I knew that this was the place that the Lord had called me and I knew that this was the place that the Lord had work for me to do. We met President Martineau in the airport and then we went to his house for a delicious meal. We had a meeting and we talked about the mission and the goals of the mission. It was so cool. Then we had a meeting with the area 70 who told us a lot about the people here and how he desires to have a temple for them. I desire that too.
After that we went to bed and had to get up early to get ready for the transfer meeting. We went to a big meeting with all of the other missionaries and we got to meet our trainers. It was nice because I got to talk to both Elder Lopez and Elder Bryant, both of them really gave me some great advice and it was awesome to hear from them.
My trainer is Elder Blandon from Nicaragua. OK I know I didn't spell it right. I'm sorry. Anywho he doesn't speak a lick of English so it's been a huge challenge, but he is a hard working and wants to get a lot done in our area so that's good. After we met we got in our car and headed out. Oh and guess who got to drive to the area. Me! So my 2nd day in Puerto Rico I got to drive 2 hours to San Sebastian. It was fun. I really like driving in Puerto Rico. It was nice to be behind the wheel of the car again.
After the two hours we finally arrived in San Sebastian. My area is in the northwest corner of Puerto Rico and it's totally different then I thought Puerto Rico would be. Tons of palm trees but our apartment is in the middle of a valley surrounded by huge hills. You can't see the ocean at all. The life the people out here is different too, it's insane. I wish I had more time to write about it. I will next week for sure.
Our apartment is nice. I'll send you pictures.
As soon as we got to our area we went out and began to tract. It was cool because my first time tracting was in a downpour of rain. My stuff got soaked and my brand new scriptures aren't so brand new, but it was way fun. What was even cooler was that there was only one lady on the entire street that was walking in the rain like us, so we knew exactly who to talk to. I know that the Lord prepares people and I know that the Lord want's His children to be happy. After the rain stopped we continued to tract. Tracting is fun here. You yell from the street and if people want to hear you they come out. If not, they stay inside. It's pretty and fun.
But it's also so hard. This week has been full of sorrow and depression. Every morning is filled with lots of tears because I miss all of you so freaking much. One morning this week was just awful. I couldn't take it anymore. I got down on my knees and asked Heavenly Father to help me. To help me to know that this is His work and that I will be able to make it through. I asked him to help me to feel the spirit so I could know that I would be a successful missionary and then . . . Nothing.
I was so bummed. But then I was reading in Alma 8:13-15 which is Alma. I forgot that in Ammonihah the people reject him. He leaves and is sorrowful and the Lord comes and tells him not to be sad for he has kept the commandments of God and that God is happy with him. I totally busted into tears and my companion had no idea what was going on because I was telling him in English. It was touching but also funny. I know that lord loves us and he hears our prayers.
I need your help and your love. Everyday I have to bike up a mountain for 2 hours to go to an investigator. It's a real testimony challenger and some days my weak little testimony just isn't enough. Your love and your support add fuel to my flame, it adds coal to my fire, so please, today if you have time, write me a letter. I know that it is really rude to say that but I need all the help I can get right now. I feel your prayers and I am thankful. Know that I love you and I am praying for you.
We have a few new investigators this week that I am really excited about. I don't have much time to tell you and I'm sorry but I will tell you more next week. I have a ton of time to write letters but no time to write emails so letters will work best.
As I leave I want to share one last experience with you. Sunday was another really rough day. I couldn't handle it and at priesthood meeting I again prayed and asked Heavenly Father if he would help me. After that Sacrament Meeting started and we sang "Onward, Christian Soldiers." All of this love swelled up inside me and I had a love for the people that I have never felt before it was so cool! I got to get up to bear my testimony. Of course I was bawling my eyes out. They all think I am a sissy but I said that I had so much love for them and if they helped us I know that we could get them a temple here in Puerto Rico. It got me excited to get out and work harder so that I could help them get a temple.
I love this work, but I miss you all sooooooo soo much. I have never been this homesick in my life. Trent good luck with your baseball tournament, play hard. Dad and mom thanks for your love. Mckay work hard and have fun in Orlando, prepare for humidity. And grandma and grandpa good luck with the house that's so exciting. Jenny thanks for your package. I didn't have any food and so your granola bars saved me. Thanks :)
The Lord has helped me so much this week and I am thankful for that. I want to share with you guys my testimony that I know the Lord knows our pain and our sorrows. Jesus Christ your Savior and Brother suffered for your sins but also for your afflictions. He knows everything you've been through and He knows how best to help you. I know that this is His church. Joseph Smith was a prophet and the Book of Mormon is proof of that. It wasn't written by him but was in fact written by prophets of God who lived in the Americas. I am so thankful to be here. It's hard, I want to be home. But I love it.
Thanks for all of your love and support. You have no idea how much it means to me. The Lord sends us angels to help us through our hard times and you are my angels so yeah. I love you guys.
With all the love in the world,
Your Missionary
Elder Oviatt
PS Happy 24th
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