HOLA from the Great San Fernando California! I can not believe we're only two days away from Christmas!! I will definitely NOT be having a white Christmas this year! Mine will be hot and drrrrry. But that's okay because much like Kenny Chesney, all I want for Christmas is a real good tan! ;) Jokes jokes! I have though successfully gotten the whole San Fernand valley hooked on Scotty McCreery and Brad Paisley Christmas!!! :) But for reals this year has flowwwwn by! Happy Birthday Jesus, Happy Birthday Jake and Happy Birthday Dad! Love you all
This week was great!! We went to LA for the Visitors Center with Brian (investigator), his girlfriend and Holly (another investigator) on Monday. We saw a few of the videos, met up with the ward to watch a bell choir and then walked the grounds to look at the lights. Holly set a baptismal date and Brian is on the verge of setting one also so it was exciting. The spirit was so strong! Wednesday morning we got up at 5:30 to head back to LA to do a session with all the English speaking missionaries in the mission. THAT WAS COOL! We did a chapel session and sitting in the chapel waiting to get started, "Behold, A Royal Army!" was seen in an all new light!!! WOW! There were about 125 of us, all dressed in white. Getting to the end and being in the Celestial Room with them was even happier and more powerful than when we went for my birthday with the departing missionaries. And I didn't have any "wardrobe malfunctions" this time so it was a great experience. We saw a lot of heart ache this week. We met a girl who had an abortion because her boyfriend got another girl pregnant and another girl who was four months pregnant and leaving her boyfriend for a better life. SO proud of her but I definitely had an overwhelming reminder that the Lord has given us commandments for our blessing, happiness...and sanity. In the bible dictionary under the commandments it says they may also be referred to as "the covenants." I love that! It's not just a list of thou shalt nots, it's ways the Lord has set up to make life even better for us. We had exchanges this week and I went to Woodland Hills with Sister Lewis, one of the Sisters I was in the MTC with. SO MUCH FUN! It was my first time on bike and I hope I get transferred to a bike area at some point.
This time of year is so amazing! I was nervous because I LOVE Christmas! It's my favorite time of year. But I have had countless tender mercies on a daily basis with just loving where I am right now. We've been incredibly busy so that always helps... At Mission Leadership Council the start of the month, Sister Hall said this year, as missionaries, we are the angels of the Christmas story. We get to go forth to other people and tell them "...Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people... Glory to God in the highest. And on earth, peace, good will toward men." I love this gospel and the ways it has blessed and changed my life. I'm grateful to have time to help others find the peace they don't have in their own lives...yet!
I can not wait to see your faces in two days!!! I have no idea what time but I'll give Bishop moms' number and they can talk and get it figured out for sure. Ahhhhhh!! And I have a surprise for you that day...
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! ...and to all a good week!
Love you all!
With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen
PS Remember how mom would re-write Christmas carols for our Christmas cards? Here's my version of the 12 Days of Christmas as a missionary haha sing it as you read it!
"On my first Christmas away from home the good Lord gave to me...."
-A companion just like me!
-Two skirts I love!
-Three colored pens
-Four favorite verses
-FIVE BAPTISMAL DATES!
-Six types of cereal
-Seven Sister exchanges
-Eight hours sleeping
-Nine dogs a barking
-Ten strangers staring
-Eleven ways of tracting
-Twelve pounds of letters
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