Elder Olsen Letter Feb 16 2009

Hey family!!
well this was a great week! also a very dramatic week. it felt like i was in an episode of One Tree HIll! haha but really it was nuts.. i wont have enough time to write about all of it cause i gotta pack and everything.. i am not looking forward to that at all. So as it turns out that Alex the father of the family that we have been teaching is a Heroine and Crack Cocaine attict. . he has been doing it since he was a teenager. I always felt like there was something going on with him, but i thought that it was just alcohol or something. so Carmen is the mom right. well she has been getting pretty sick of him and his habits. Stealing stuff, pawning stuff from the house. you know your typical attict. . so wednesday alex stole some money from carmen and threatened her with a knife and than threatened maria the daughter with the knife as well. and than later that day he got caught by the cops for smoking crack on the roof of the building. and than come to find out that he is allready on parole for a bunch of other stuff. and he is not allowed to be living with carmen and the kids. and if child services finds out that he has been they could take away the kids. so he went to jail and than got out the next day. im not sure how. and than that same day he got arrested again for going to carmens house. So carmen was pretty stressed out. we have been going over to their house every day checking up on them . So we decided after alot of prayer to still go through with the baptism. so sunday rolls around and about 20 minutes before the baptism starts alex shows up at the church. So he was able to be there. i think that it was a good thing for him. the baptism went amazing. the spirit was really strong. i Baptized alejandro, Elder - baptized alex and a member of the ward brother - baptized maria. it was really cool. an amazing feeling. I am so happy that the lord led them to us when he did. cause if not there family would be a mess right now. and the kids lives would really go down the drain. especially growing up where they live, it is amazing how the lord works when you put your trust in him. So after the baptism we took alex into a room and talked to him about his problem. he is going to a Rehab facility for 30 days and than i told him about the 12 step program and he said that he will go to that. well all is well with the family now. carmen is being a really strong woman, i'm really impressed. her 6 kids are not easy to take care of. especially when you have a husband who is worthless. Ah well alot more stuff happened but i just dont have enough time. i will write a good letter though. I am really sad to be leaving this ward! I truly love this ward and i feel like i could do so much more work here. but i have to move on. i dont know where i am going yet. they dont tell us until tuesday morning at transfer meeting. well i hope all is well back home. i love you all and thank you for your support. i can feel the impact of your prayers every day! Hurrah For Israel!!Elder Olsen