Liking my new area

Hey family!

So I am really liking this new area. It is a lot different. It is tons of beach, super organized and clean, favelas don´t exist here. The people are usually super open and receptive, the bishop here is also awesome and ready to work. The chapel is brand new, but not as big as the one in Nova Iguaçu. The ward has about 100 to 110 that go to church. The vast majority of the people work on oilrigs or other ships, so the stay 15 days on land, then 15 days offshore of something like that. It is a small problem in keeping the ward very strong. My comp is Elder Lamb. He is from California.  We have some good families that we area teaching but lots aren’t married yet. One that is married has a baptismal date for this Sunday, but we haven´t been able to visit them yet so I will let you know. In our district it is us, and two pairs of sisters in Cabo Frio. First time that I have been in a zone with sisters, it seems pretty cool. They seem pretty excited to work. The area is pretty beautiful, we don´t see the beach a lot, but most of the houses are organized and look good. Honestly if I every lived in Rio, I would seriously consider Rio das Ostras.

I met a member yesterday that will be staying in Utah the end of April to the middle of May. He said he would be passing in Draper, and he would love to pass by just to say hi. He was a foreign exchange student in Morgan Utah, got baptized there, and then moved back. Really cool kid, he is 20 years old and getting ready for the mission.

That is awesome that San Francisco turned out good! awesome to hear you guys had a good time! Glad the weather is good in Draper. The weather here is also better, a bit cooler and generally has a coastal breeze. 

Great to hear about all the new missionaries! Honestly that will make a bit difference I think.

Oh so we just got an update from the 1st presidency that we can email friends and anyone from home. So anyone who emails me I can email back, if I have time. haha

Also I might send a package home soon, but don´t get too excited. It will just be personal things that are kind of heavy or taking up lots of space. Things you can keep until i get back.

Well I pray for you all! Hope things are going well and getting better!

Love you!!!!

Elder Ottosen

Next stop, Rio das Ostras!

Hey Family!

Wow so this week was good, Flavia´s mom and sister got baptized yesterday. It was interesting because the first time we talked to Ruth, (her mom) about baptism she was firmly against it. Then this week her x husband showed up telling her tons of lies about our church. She got really worried, but decided to open the Book of Mormon, it opened to a page about married, and she was able to see that we don´t practice polygamy. But she still had tons of doubts about the church. Friday she finally decided to pray and ask for an answer. She got it, and decided the same day she would be baptized with her other daughter, really an awesome experience. Just if everyone would be so sincere and pray and ask like she did, haha. Satan didn´t stop though, cause while we were filling up the baptismal font yesterday, the water ran out. We did everything to fill it up, even used a fire hose, but the water ran out there too. haha. Finally we ended up baptizing sitting down. But everything worked out and I got super happy. Now Ruth and her two daughters are baptized. We also have a baptismal date for next Sunday of another investigator. We are starting to have lots of progress here.  This is why I got sad when I learned that I am getting transfered... Looks like my work here in Nova Iguaçu is done. And I am going a bit far this time. It is called Rio das Ostras. I have heard a lot about it. It is supposed to be a good area, so I am excited. My new comp is elder lamb, and I don´t know a lot about him, just that he is American.

So we let the investigator decide who baptizes, and the bishop decide who confirms. I baptized the other daughter, and Elder Barbosa baptized Ruth. 

You guys are in San Francisco! No fair, haha just kidding that is really awesome. Hope you guys were able to have a good time there. Let me know how it was. It is awesome to hear that everyone is doing well. Tell Cole hi for me. Sorry I have been so bad at letters recently, it has been really busy. 

Man it is crazy, all I hear about friends and the ward is marriage and missions. haha. Nobody will be home when I get back! haha just kidding. And about my birthday, honestly nothing special. I can wait to eat whatever food I haven´t eaten recently.

I am really happy to be on the mission right now. Man my testimony has been, and continues to be fortified. 

I love you all, thanks so so so much for the love, the advice, the prayers. 

Have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder Ottosen 

Things are looking up!

Hey Family!

So we had a baptism yesterday!!! Finally! haha. Flavia got baptized, and her mom and sister went to church and loved it so we are going to see about them next week. It was really awesome to finally have everything work out well. We also are starting to receive more references from the members as they are getting more excited to help us out. Things aren´t perfect yet, but we have a bunch of possible investigators that we need to work hard with and maybe we can baptize. This is actually the last week of the transfer, and we want to end on a good note. We have a good area here, and I would like to be able to stay here for at least one more transfer. 

I know that I am super excited for this conference. Every conference I am getting more excited and more uplifted. The mission is good like that, lets you really focus on the spiritual parts of life, and gets you excited to study and hear the gospel. 

So tell grandma to get well soon, and give congrats to Cole and Paige for the English papers. I never was good at English, or any language for that matter. haha.

Love you family! Thanks for everything! I am glad things are going well. Love, Elder Ottosen