GATORAMA!!

Hello!! Hope y'all had a great week! We sure did, although nothing too wild went down. We just had another week full of lessons, and some unexpected exchanges! We did service again this week for Jim, a part member family in the area. We cut down a few of his large trees, so that was definitely a blast!

Wednesday we had another exchange. I stayed in Sebring with Elder Amos. We had a pretty good time and I definitely saw a ton of miracles that day. We received 2 media referrals, so I checked who they were and decided to go pay them a visit! One was a member media referral. A member from Utah sent his biological sisters information to us and asked if we could visit! So we decided to give it a try and see how things end up. She came to the door and was pretty excited to see us! She said she would be perfectly fine with us coming again and talking about the Restoration of the church! But sadly, at that time, she was busy... So we hope we will be able to see her this week! Also, out of nowhere, we received a text that said "hey missionaries, while moving to my new apartment I misplaced my Book of Mormon. Could you bring me a new one...etc." So we got his name, and address. I looked him up on our old teaching records and found out he was a previous investigator with a baptismal date, and that missionaries had taught him basically everything. But unfortunately, he wouldn't quit smoking, so they stopped visiting him. So he's a super cool guy and we will be working with him a little more.

After that exchange, we had an "emergency exchange" because Elder Davis
and Elder Rowley had to go to a meeting in Orlando, but it was a unexpected unannounced meeting. So Elder Goff and I spent the day together. We started out in his area for an appointment, then came up to Sebring and spent the remainder of it here. It was a pretty fun time and we had just some more solid lessons that day!

This week we also went over to a members who has one of our current
investigators living with them. So we went to teach her and the member, Sister Davis walks out and hands us two coconuts!! Both still in the hard shell that surrounds the normal looking brown hairy coconut. We spent like 20 minutes busting one open so we could reach the actual coconut inside! If was awesome! Those things are tough! I have a few pictures of that here.

COCONUTS!!

Me and Elder Davis with before and after coconut

Also, we just got back from a placed called Gatorama!! It's a super cool alligator and crocodile habitat where you can play with the gators, feed them, etc. It was super fun and we definitely had a good time. I've attached lots of pictures of that so you can see what it's like! We gotta catch some 3 year old gators!

Look Ma!  A Gator!!

Just some Elders and their Gators!!

Close Call!

Other than that, nothing overly exciting or crazy happened! Thanks for the emails! I have a quick spiritual thought I found as I studied and taught from the Life of Howard W. Hunter: "And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:11–12). Think of it! When his body was taken from the cross and hastily placed in a borrowed tomb, He, the sinless Son of God, had already taken upon Him not only the sins and temptations of every human soul who will repent, but all of our sickness and grief and pain of every kind. He suffered these afflictions as we suffer them, according to the flesh. He suffered them all. He did this to perfect his mercy and his ability to lift us above every earthly trial.

Thanks for all you guys do! Have a GREAT Easter this week. Thanks for the love and support! Y'all are the best! Love and miss you! Also.. We have transfer calls the end of this week, Saturday... So we will see what goes down!

-Elder A. Olson