Final post!

            Well Family, I don´t believe it, but the time has arrived. These have been without a doubt the fastest two years of my life. Also the best decision I have ever made, one that has changed who I am, and my priorities in life. I will be eternally grateful for the help the I received from You, Cole, Kade, and Paige, from grandparents, family and friends and most of all from my Heavenly Father. What an incredible experience. I honestly can´t put it in words, much less in this short email I will send today. But know that I love you guys, and I love my mission. It was the hardest thing that I´ve ever done, but the most rewarding. It taught me so many things. 

As for this week it was very good!!! A bit different, but we made a lot of progress in getting the ward more excited and willing to help out. Hopefully preparing the area for the new missionary that will arrive. Today I will buy some things, and then tomorrow I will go to sugarloaf. 

I am sooo excited to see you guys this thursday!!

I have to admit, I’m not leaving here without being sad. I have grown to love this place, and the people here. I have so many friendships, I hope to continue them, but I am super excited for Thursday, and look forward to it more than anything! I Love you all sooo much!!! 

Thanks a billion!!!

Elder Connor Keetch Ottosen




Bittersweet

Hey Family! 

This week was a very tiring and hot week. But it was good! We had zone conferences, and yes I was able to bear my testimony! Really awesome conference where I learned a ton about the importance of the book of mormon. Saturday morning we went to a city square and did contacts with the book or mormon. We were able to find a lot of people interested in learning more. It is awesome like this because the people don´t think that we are coming to leave just a "religious" message, but one about the book of mormon. This week we were also able to get a ton of new investigators! Now we just need to organize ourselves to work with the people that will progress the most. I am excited though, and we have some really awesome families I would like to help get baptized before the end. A very bittersweet feeling, but I am excited to work my hardest for the next two weeks. I for sure though won´t miss the heat. haha This past week has gotten pretty hot, with a good amount of humidity. It´s good though, reminds me of the summers here.

Well that’s about it. I am a bit sick so I am not going to take a long time today writing. Next week should be email like normal, but the next I am not sure, maybe just enough to read email if there is anything important. Not sure what I will do at the end. By mission home do you mean the President´s house? We eat dinner there, but that’s it. The last few days I am sure will be very busy. haha. Well Mom thanks for the email and hope you guys all have a great week! Love ya´ll!!!

Love, Elder Ottosen

Gospel protection

Hey Family! 

So Isabele was baptized yesterday! It was an awesome experience, and the ward really came together to make it special. It was cool because the aunt talked to us earlier and told us how much they had worked to have an influence in their family. They live in the same yard as many other family members, and most are against the church. Now we are teaching her parents, and even though it is going a bit slow, I´m excited to see what happens. This week we also had a lot of progress teaching with some of the members. It is sometimes interesting. Our ward mission leader went with us yesterday. He is a member for about 10 years, but before he lived on the other side of the fence. He took us to visit one of his old friends yesterday. She was very accepting, but it was sad. As they talked about old friendships many of them had already died, very very young. Others are addicted, and others are lost. Now you look at where our ward mission leader is, with his own home remodeling business, doing very well with a family married in the temple. Truly the gospel provides the only real protection against the increasingly worse world. I hope to be able to share it with as many people possible in the short time I have left. 

We will have zone conference this week with President. It sounds similar to what you had and I am very excited! 

Well tell the family that I love them, and am always praying! Love you all!

Love, Elder Ottosen

Work to the end!

Hey Fam!

So this week we were able to make a baptismal date for next week for Isabella. She is a young woman, going to church for some time now, and her parents are just now letting her get baptized. It is exciting because we are going to take her parents to church and help them to be baptized next, after Isabella. They don´t have any church, but from what we saw they are really receptive. This week we also worked a bunch with the families that we have, but not too much progress. We are going to have a training this week, so I hope we can get some ideas. A lot will depend on getting the members more excited for the work. Like all the presidencies of the organizations changed yesterday, from primary to high priest. So I am excited to help them out and I think that a lot of good will come. 

Well that is honestly about it for the week. Things are going well and I have no intention of stopping before it ends. We saw the library of the stake counselor the other day, and wow. I am excited to read church books after the mission. haha He had a lot. There was a quote that he told us I liked a lot. Our conversion is the gift we give to God, thanking him for the gift of our testimony. 

Hope you all have a great week and can feel the spirit daily! Love ya´ll!!!

Love, Elder Ottosen

Ending in Caxias

Hey Family!!!

Wow this week was awesome. We had an experience super spiritual and Janaina stopped smoking and was baptized yesterday. I would like to tell you in person the whole story. But basically she wasn´t planning on getting baptized until Saturday afternoon, when we had an amazing lesson with her. I am super happy because she did a complete 180 in her life, and I feel she will be a very important member for the church here. Besides this we had transfers today and I will be staying here with Elder Asto until the end. I am happy though, and think that lots of amazing things will be able to happen. 

So we also have a lot of families that we are working with, and a few that we are going to try and get married by the end of this transfer. I am really excited to end here in Caxias, working really hard and doing lots of work with Elder Asto. 

So that is exciting to hear about the new high school! Well I love you all so much and Hope ya have a wonderful week! Sorry i have like no time today. haha 

Love, Elder Ottosen