Finishing My Course

Well, the highlight of last week was that we had the wedding and baptisms on Saturday of the Familia L. F. They are an awesome family and some of the most ready family for baptism of my entire mission. I am so happy we were able to help them get married and baptized before I finished my mission. They were so excited and willing to do whatever it took to get baptized -- they helped organize the lawyer for the wedding and all the paperwork to get married. They also had a family and friend party afterwards in their relatives' home near the church. It was such an awesome day except....

Saturday would have been an even better day if I hadn't gotten sick (again). I was barely surviving from body aches and fever, but I was still able to attend the service and help out a little bit. However, because I was sick I couldn't perform any of the baptisms, so my companion did. I was better the next day, but Saturday I was hating it.

The rest of last week was just fairly routine except not a lot of the branch members were around during the week because they left on an excursion to the temple in Honduras. The closest temple is in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and the members here in Nicaragua only get to travel there 2 or 3 times per year if they can afford it or if they can get time off of work. Crazy to think how close we live to temples back home.

My companion will still have at least one family progressing after I leave and a couple of other baptisms lined up for the end of August with my replacement. Still, although next Monday will be a long day of flying, this week will be working with the remaining investigators.

Well, it is hard to believe that this is my last time emailing as a missionary. It still doesn't feel real, and honestly, even on the airplane, I won't feel like I'm really going home yet. I have a weird, butterfly knot twist in my stomach thinking about it, but it's just too hard to realize. I have learned so many things on my mission, and I have been told that many things I have learned I will not even realize I have learned them until I am back into normal life at home. I have seen the Gospel of Jesus Christ change so many lives and so many blessings and miracles. I know the gospel is true and the atonement is real. I have learned to rely on the Savior and His atoning power. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support and love. Can't wait to talk to you all in person next week.

Officially signing out,
Love,
Elder Olsen.