Merry Christmas Eve!

Hey Family!!

Merry Christmas Eve!! I hope you guys are having a wonderful day! So Estela wasn´t baptized:(. She wasn´t home at the scheduled time for the interview and said she had lots of things to do, maybe she will be baptized next week but I can´t be sure. The coolest thing this week was Saturday. Remember I talked a few months ago about a man we met, an American, his mom was an Irish missionary that died in South Africa, and he does lots a missionary work too? We found him again last week and he invited us to go to a Christmas party at a children’s homeless shelter this Saturday. We went and it was really cool, 17 kids and teens that have difficult situations with parents or don´t have a home live there. Anyways because we went, he said he would go to the ward Christmas party Saturday night. He showed up with his wife and 4 kids and it was great. Before soon the kids were playing with the primary kids, the 14-year-old boy was playing soccer with the young men, and the young woman and hanging out with the young women. Then he started asking me about the book of Mormon and everything, so I started to explain about Joseph Smith. It was a really good experience.  Good thing Joe Jack gave me a book of Mormon in English that he got in the MTC, I held on to it this entire time, and it was perfect cause he wanted one in English, and I had one to give him! Anyways we have a few good people that we are teaching, but Estela is the only possible baptism for next Sunday. 

Wow it is insane how fast Christmas came. So today we are going to a bbq after emailing at a members house, then we will maybe pass by an investigators house? Tomorrow I will Skype you guys either around 8ish, or around noonish. Sorry I can´t give better info. At least it will not be 9 until 11, because we have a district meeting. So I have been loving the 12 days of Christmas still! The Genealogical Charts were awesome! And we had some fun with the Alaskan Snow, the other American in our house got a mini Chirstmas tree, so it really feels like Christmas! Yes I got the 4 packages, and no I have not gotten the 2 document packages yet, but I am sure I will.

Sounds like you guys are having an awesome time in Utah! Hope this is a Christmas to remember! I read Jeffery R Holland´s talk in the December Liahona today. Awesome, I feel a lot like that. It is not a Christmas with a big party, it is almost a normal day, but I am learning to really recognize it more than ever as the Birth of our Savior. How wonderful it is that he came into the world to save us. 

I love you guys more than every, hope that everything is going well and you guys are feeling the spirit of Christ. Can´t wait to talk to you guys tomorrow!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Elder Connor Ottosen

Awesome divisions with ZLs

Hey Family! Hope you guys are having a great Christmas time! 

This week was both awesome, but also really slow. Estela wasn´t baptized yet, unfortunately she had to work. But we are planning a baptism really special for this Sunday, I am excited and think that everything will work out. Conference with President was awesome. I learned tons, especially about how planning makes a huge difference in everything we do. I loved being able to feel the Spirit that President has. I was also able to see a bunch of old friends. Everyone I think is doing pretty well. I got your packages! I am loving the 12 days of Christmas! haha Great idea. My comp says super thanks for the package. He was really excited. So it might take a while for you guys to get letters or packages now. For some reason almost all of the póst offices in our area closed, something to do with not having money. I think there is still one open, but it is a long ways away. So don´t worry if letters don´t arrive soon, I am working on it. Tell the ward thanks for the Christmas notes, I loved them. haha. Anyways I had an awesome division with our ZL this week. W Ferreira is Brazilian, he has one of the strongest testimonies ever. We went to this families house, not in my area, and the dad was just arguing with us. I thought that things would never work out. But his daughter arrived. They have been teaching them for a while but no one was progressing. Out of no where the daughter says "I got my answer" apparently she was in her room one day, looked up and Said "God Is the Mormon religion the right path for me?" Right at that moment the Dad yelled to her mom in another room "It is Woman!!!" And that was her answer! haha I have to say best answer I have ever heard.

Besides this it was a bit of a slow week. I am going to be able to Skype next week on Christmas, 40 minutes just with you and dad. The others can be there, but I can´t talk to them. Sorry I don´t make the rules, just follow them. haha I will call around 9 to 11, just be ready. Besides this everything is pretty normal here! 

Anyways glad to hear things are good back home. The advent calendar was a great idea sounds like! 

Give everyone a hug for me and a Merry Chirstmas! Love you guys a ton!

Elder Ottosen

One small act of kindness

Hey family! 

So summer is coming in fast her in Rio, haha Friday and Saturday were about 100 to 107, pretty hot. I will have to get used to it again. But right now it is cloudy and cooler so that is good. Things were pretty good this week. We visited Estela and marked her baptismal date firm for this Sunday. She went to church again yesterday and loved it. It was also really cool cause Bruno, her 24 year old son, and Juliana, her 15 year old daughter, finally came to listen to the lessons. Bruno is a bit atheist, but went to church yesterday with his mom and said he would go next week again with his girlfriend. Besides that we have been doing tons of contacts and knocking on doors. We have found a few people, and a new family, but still no one that is progressing. The family we found is good, but are super busy with work, college and the holiday season. We haven´t been able to visit them again yet, but I will let you know. Things here in Tijuca are good, but we still have lots of work to do, but I feel like little by little we are having more success, more investigators that are progressing. This week we have zone conference with president so I am excited what he has to say and teach us. 

I loved the story about the Christmas tree. So many people just need some small acts of service to change their day, week, year, or even life. 

I love you all so so much! Thanks for everything you guys do!

Merry Christmas season!

With love, 

Elder Ottosen

The story of the Christmas tree Elder Ottosen is referring to is that I (his mother) bought a small artificial tree to send to him for Christmas but it was going to cost too much to ship so I didn't end up sending it to him.  In the meantime our family has an advent calendar and on one of the days it asked us to "give a Christmas tree to someone".  My daughter was going to a nursing home here in Draper with the Young Women to take candy bars and Christmas cards to the residents. I asked her to take the Christmas tree in case someone there could use it.  While there, the nurses told Paige that a lady named Connie had wanted a tree.  The YW went in and decorated it.  Connie talked to the YW about prayer and the gospel.  She was so excited to have the tree.  She gave them all hugs and told them she loved them.  After Paige and the YW walked out, the leaders heard Connie say to the nurses, you told them to come and bring that tree to me didn't you. THAT is the magic of one small act of service.  

Have a Merry Christmas! 

Christmas season and the 90's

Hey Family!!

So unfortunately Estela wasn´t feeling prepared for baptism, so we marked for next week. But then she disappeared and we haven´t heard from here since Thursday. I am guessing she went traveling or has been really busy. People are always going to the beach or Christmas parties during December. But we are going to keep trying with her. Also we had a streak of good luck, Thursday in the middle of knocking doors on one of the highest hills in our area (but not a favela) we found this guy that said we could return Saturday. We taught them Saturday and it was great. A married family with two daughters and were really interested. They will visit the church next week and we are going to take extra care visiting them with members and everything. Besides that everything has being going pretty slow unfortunately. We have some investigators that we are teaching that are super strong in their beliefs. It is interesting because we you look at things, it only makes sense that religions can only be true if God revealed eternal truths to someone. How can you discover eternal truths about God by just studying the Bible, or by trying to see what is logical? I am not attacking other religions, I am just so happy to know that I can get on my knees and receive truth from God, of receive direction from God through Prophets and scriptures. Anyways we have some plans to find new investigators this week, I will let you know what happens. 

Sounds like the Christmas party was fun! Glad you guys had a good time. 

So the pizza buffet was super delicious. Yes Barra da Tijuca does have tons and tons of shopping malls and areas. They are actually building the biggest mall in southern or Latin American there. But no it is not part of my area. Also no I have never been in the same zone as a sister. They have a few zones that they usually go to.

Oh and we are trying to plan to go to the forest that is in our area, but we need a member to take us by car.  There isn´t a whole lot more in our area that we can do. Maracanã is a huge stadium is in my district, but it is under reforms for the world cup. 

That is about it for this week. I am starting to feel a little like it is Christmas season, even though it is the high 90s, the have quite a few Christmas lights people put on the apartment windows and stuff. Hope you guys are doing alright. Love you all!

With love, 

Elder Ottosen

Visit from the presidente

Hey Family! Hope you guys had a wonderful thanksgiving!

Things have been going all right here in Tijuca. Estela finally went to church yesterday! She liked it tons, and we are going to return tonight to confirm her baptismal date of this Sunday. She is loving our visits, but I am a bit afraid that she is more impressed by what we do as missionaries, than of the Gospel. Joana, the woman that showed up in church, we weren´t able to contact her his week. She had tons of things going on, but said she would go yesterday. She didn´t show up, doesn´t answer her phone, and wasn´t home, I wonder if something happened. Anyways this week we are going to do some serious searching for new investigators. We have very few people to teach, and those that we have are never home. I think we are going to continue to visit members and start working out of the area book. It was cool cause on thanksgiving we got a call during personal study. Presidente was outside our house. Lucky that we cleaned. haha He had comp study with us and I learned a ton. He is really such an inspired man, and I felt a huge desire to work my hardest to baptize families here. 

So we didn´t do anything cool on thanksgiving, but we are going out to eat today at a really good pizza buffet, man I am excited. haha

So I am glad to hear you all had a wonderful time on Thanksgiving and last week. Man I won´t lie I am pretty jealous, but it´s all good, haha my time will arrive soon enough, probably faster that I want actually. It is so weird to think about snow and the cold, it seems so foreign to me now. haha So was the new Twilight movie really big there? I ask because there are Twilight posters on literally every bus and bus stop and everything. I have never seen a movie so popular here. haha

Man Kory is home and Tyler soon after. Man that is crazy. Tell them hi for me. haha

Anyways things are going great here. I am excited for the opportunities I am having, even if it is a bit difficult. It helps so much knowing I have you guys behind me. Helping me in everything. I am so grateful for my mission, my family, and my Savior. You guys should watch the church movie on Christmas, in Portuguese it is mundo feliz, maybe Joy to the World? It is really good and I felt the spirit really really strong while watching it. I love you all so much. Hope the spirit of Christmas and Christ are with you all. 

Love, Elder Ottosen