Star Wars sun

Monday, August 19, 2024; Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil:

Heyyyy everybody! How are you all doing? 

This week my city turned even more so into a desert (despite being very forested). It got super-hot, and then the air became full of fumes and pollution. 

-Lots of Awesome sunsets!

-Kept thinking of Luke's planet from the movie Star Wars, because the sun was so dulled out and just looked like a red or orange ball and we could stare directly at it.

-A decent number of people here got sick with cold symptoms because of the smoke and fumes in the air.

This week was super awesome. We had a ton of lessons, met a bunch of new people. I saw a ton of small miracles in our work, from people being home when they normally weren't, to being impressed to go visit people who were needing a visit... there are so many small stories I could tell but I won't. Just know that there were a ton!

But the last big event of this week was that on Sunday, at church, instead of having 2-3 people assigned to speak, they held a testimony meeting, just like it is normally done every first Sunday of the month. The leaders gave time for members of the ward-who had traveled to Manaus to go to the temple--to speak and testify of their experiences. A bunch of people spoke, and it was awesome!

But one brother was really inspiring in what he said, and how he said it. This guy got up and started speaking of the miracles as well as the difficulties they had faced. It was a long bus ride (more than a day I think) to Manaus from Rio Branco. Families stuck in a bus for a day to get there, and then another to return. Having kids with you on the bus. The bus hit a ton of potholes and rocks along the way. It was hot inside the bus, and opening the windows just let a bunch of dust in.... etc. He then mentioned that he and his wife arrived home, to find someone had left a window to their house open, and with all the fumes in the air, their house got pretty dirty. A ton of small difficulties. 

But what was inspiring to me was HOW he said it. He wasn't lamenting, but instead had a smile on his face. He was rejoicing that he had the chance to go to the temple. That the small things didn't impede what was most important.

That's my invitation today.... think about what's most important to you? Or what SHOULD be the most important to you? Are you letting the small things impede or get in the way of that important one?

Love you all!!

Elder David Olson

Missão Brasil Manaus Sul

Pics-

-Volleyball on Thursday

-Elder Nascimento and I

-Red Ball of fire up in the sky

-A random brick road