Thursday, December 11, 2014

ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE

December 1st

This week was amazing! I felt such an overwhelm of love and appreciation for all of the blessings I have!

We were well taken care of for Thanksgiving! We actually ended up having TWO! We went with some members the day of Thanksgiving. It was really fun! They have a big family so it was fun getting to know people and it made me feel right at home! They were super nice to let us come crash. One of our investigators lives right by us and works at the hospital. She had to work the day of Thanksgiving so her family did it on Friday, and she invited us to join them as well. I felt really really blessed to have people take us in on the holidays and let us spend time with them. It was also really fun!

Sister Aholelei had the flu this week so it was pretty uneventful aside from that. I spent LOTS of time reading the Book of Mormon, cleaning and getting a little bit ready for CHRISTMAS! I can't believe how fast it is coming, it'll be here really soon! I got the package from Wilsons...THANK YOU! Aren't they such a fun family?!?! I love these people. So much! I feel blessed to have lives "cross" like this week when people I love out here and able to meet people I love back home. It's like the best of both worlds for a minute. I have the pictures of the babies up of course!!! First things first.

I am so thankful for the gospel. I know it's the only way we can have true and lasting peace in our lives. I know we are never too far gone or past hope. I know cause I've had to go down that road myself. Heavenly Father really is our perfect father who loves us ESPECIALLY when we are struggling. I'm thankful to have three months left to be a missionary. Heavenly Father has blessed me more than I deserve!

LOVE YOU ALL WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen

Yes it was in the 80s and I was sweaty the day of Thanksgiving!

​Thanksgiving round 2

​Thanksgiving round 1

Such is Life Nov 24th

​This little girl has been reading the Book of Mormon. She went to get it to read her favorite verse to us. It was 1 Nephi 3:7 which is my favorite too! And we even had it marked in the same green! It was really really cute!




Short On Time!

November 17th--

My time went by way too fast today! This week was WONDERFUL! And it flew by. Here's some fun pictures to catch you up on the latest and greatest! One funny story from this week...we went to leave dinner one night and I look over to Sister Aholelei. She's got some wire thing in her hand that she's wrapping around her handle bars. She had somehow disconnected her brakes, drug them for a while and then was sick of them dangling so she wrapped them up. I was CRACKING UP! She's been scared to bike and said that day she felt like her bike was out of control. Turns out it was because she had no brakes! I love her. We've had a lot of fun and are working really hard. We also have been freezing here.....nothing makes you want to put on a coat like hitting 60 degrees! I wish I could say jk but seriously, I AM SO COLD! I have become truly pathetic after teh 115 degree temperatures. Hope you have a great week, LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every COLD footstep,
Sister Olsen

ALOHA!!

November 10th-
Alooooooooha from my new companion, Sister Aholelei, and I! I am training her and as of today she is about 2 weeks out of Hawaii. And she's Tongan. I KNEW at some point I'd officially have a polynesian companion! I love it.

This week went by really fast! It was so so good! We had transfers Tuesday. Before we went I just had a really strong feeling I was going to have a poly companion and when the new missionaries came in, there were only 2 english speaking. The other one got assigned pretty quick so I just laughed cause I totally called it.  That night was crazy with both of us trying to move into the Saugus apartment and get established there.

Thursday we set a baptismal date with one of our investigators. She is so little and precious! At one point, she told us she really likes primary and coming to church. We asked her why and she said "I feel happy. Primary is my family." She is crazy shy and still hesitant to pray in front of anybody but us, but it's getting SO MUCH better! After one of our lessons this week she said it in front of her family,. We asked her how she felt and she said good. We pointed out that everytime after she prays she has a HUUGE smile on her face! I'm so excited for her!

I tried this meal called "Caribbean soup." It was kinda interesting but really really good! An interesting combination... raw shrimp, fresh peaches and a vegetable stew! IT WAS SO GOOD! I kinda laughed when people asked if I was bummed I stayed in the states for my mission. just in the last 2 weeks we have had Swedish food, Peruvian food, Persian food, Mexican food...and ELK! haha So I guess full on American food. What better place to be serving a mission?!! It's like I get to hop around the world while speaking english!

I love it out here. I love being a missionary. With holidays coming up, it's so exciting to get to spend this time with people i love so much and try to help them out in any way. I am so grateful for the gospel and the role it's played in my life. I had to speak  in church yesterday on faith and quite a bit of my "story" came out... I am incredibly thankful for a Savior who never gave up on me. And if HE never gives up on us, then we have no right to give up on ourselves.

Hope you have a wooooonderful week! Enjoy that cooler weather! We were in the 90s yesterday walking home from church but I have my quilt on my bed for nights. LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen

Funny story for the week:
One of our investigators is married to a less active member. We asked her to say the prayer before we left. She did which is AWESOME cause usually she tells us no. She was uncomfortable and so she went pretty fast. As soon as she finished her husband starts laughing and says "Did you say HALLOWEEN Father?!?! That's not His name...." Indeed it is not. It was hilarious!

Attitude of Gratitude

November 3rd-

I have felt so overwhelmed this weekend with gratitude! Tis the season anyways but especially this year! I thought about all of the MANY blessings I have recieved lately. I felt flooded with love on my birthday, THANK YOU THANK YOU so much! I have some funny pictures I will try to send but my computer is fighting it right now. I thought about how even though I'm sad to say goodbye to Mint Canyon twice, I'm grateful for having the chance to go back there for three more weeks! I LOVE THAT WARD! I'm grateful for all the people I've been able to meet so far on my mission. They have left an influence and impact on me for sure! I am grateful to still have the time left that I do. I'm thankful for Heavenly Father answering my prayers. I'm thankful I get to have a real companion again tomorrow :) :) SO thankful! I'm thankful we had weather cool enough on Halloween that I even got to put my coat on :) Felt like Halloween at home.

I'm thankful for everybodys constant support and prayers. There really are days where I just feel them! And I appreciate it. Things are good here. So gooood! I don't have much time today but thanks for everything. Hope you have a great week! LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every grateful footstep,
Sister Olsen 

Bledsoes are so sweet! We had dinner with them right before my birthday and when she found out I love oatmeal cream pies, she went to get some for dessert. ...expecting a real little pie haha she had no idea what they were!



Birthday with the Jones kids! I LOVE THIS FAMILY! They are adorable! Emma drew that picture for me and right as we went to take a picture the baby left the dishwasher and jumped in. Austin (big brother) came running over saying "YOU'RE A BOY! YOU CAN'T TOUCH HER!" Thanks Austin haha



Tender Mercies

October 20th--

I got to see the Whatley boys this week! I JUST LOVE THEM! We went to the church to meet with the Mint Canyon ward Relief Society President and it was mutual night so after just a few minutes of being there, they came walking in. Those boys mean so much to me! For some reason I feel such a connection to them and will definitely be coming to visit them for a long time.


Sunday, October 19, 2014

Hit your knees, dig down deep!

October 14th--

Sunday in church I realized how much of a role prayer had come to mean to me. It's more than just a casual check in or doing it because I'm supposed to...I started praying and really needed to talk about how I felt or pleading for help. There's a scripture I really like that talks about how I feel with it:

" Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?" (D&C 6:22-23)

Sister Ivory, my companion, went home this week. I miss her! She struggled with clinical depression for a long time but eventually Salt Lake decided to send her home for a litlte while. She is a fighter!! I have never seen somebody have such a strong desire to serve. I learned a lot from her and I know the Lord had us be companions for a reason. I know that the Lord hears us when we pray. I know he answers our prayers. I know He's aware of our struggles and our needs. I feel like I've also come to appreciate the plan of salvation a lot more as well. I love the promises in the scriptures about having a perfect body and all ailments will be gone! I think it is so beautiful. I know that no matter what it is we struggle with in this life, it will eventually be taken away and we will have peace from it.

I hope you all have a great week this week! LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!
With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen

Meet the MORMONS!!

September 29th--
This week we got to do something kinda uncommon and go to the Valencia stake center to watch the churchs' new movie "Meet the Mormons." It was actually really good!! Salt Lake approved all the missionaries to watch it so that we'll be able to talk to the members of what it's about and answer any questions on the street we may get about it. We watched it with our whole mission which is also pretty uncommon so that was fun! It made me excited to be a missionary on the last clip with the "Missionary Mom" to be able to help make a difference in other peoples lives! GO WATCH IT!





I forgot to mention....our mission got approved for "mobile devices" as early as next month! We will have access and permission to do Facebook. Right now the church is trying to decide if we should do it with iPhone 6 or iPads...which is what will factor into the time of when we get them. Pretty crazy huh?





Kinda cool....I was able to make a connection to Tanner Man! There is a woman named Zoila we are working with who is from CHICLAYO, PERU! It was so so cool! She made us delicious Peruvian food and then told me about growing up there. And she gave me her dads information for Tanner to go by and visit him! That was definitely a fun point! This is her....

Pretty Little Liars Anyone???


But there were......lessons learned!!





September 15th--

So the top three things I have learned this week:
1- Modest is indeed hottest. Like, really. Three layers of clothes from shoulders to shins and biking in 108 degree weather makes you sweat. Profusely. One man answered the door and we knew we looked rough but his first response was: "Wow! You are drenched!" Turns out we looked a little worse than we realized ;)
2- I NEVER STOP EATING! I ate a lot before but since switching to bike, I feel like I constantly have some kind of food in my hand! Sister Ivory was laughing at me the other day because we were on our way to dinner, but I had two pieces of pizza in my hand to eat on our way. Seriously. Not to be dramatic...but biking makes me feel like I'm starving.
3- I can not only do "no hands" on my bike sometimes but even get in two or three pedals with it too! Yep..feeling quite accomplished on that!

This week Elder Carlson from the seventy visited our mission. It was such a great day! It went by way too fast. He talked to us a lot about being a consecrated missionary and how nothing about our missions is about us until you go home and then realize EVERYTHING in your mission was really about teaching you.

I learned a lot from him! It was interesting to see the Lord once again know what I needed and where I was at. I had a couple of questions going into it and it was one right after another that got answered.

One thing he talked about was how the scriptures have power to change our lives! I LOVE THAT! And it is so true! I have seen this time and time again as I have actually started to read from the Book of Mormon. I'm working on the Bible but let's be honest...I don't really like! I don't hate it. But I don't know it so I don't really like it. But the Book of Mormon has changed my life SO much. I am so grateful for that! I know that the changes I've made and the desires I have for the future, have really come because of the time I have spent in there. I love those people! I love all that they were willing to go through for the Lord and in bringing forth the Book of Mormon for us now. I love having those men to look up to as examples and guidance for my life. Cause if they can do those IMPOSSIBLE things, then the hard things asked of me are absolutely doable!

I'm glad this week was good! Keep us in your prayers and be mindful of those people the Lord has placed in your life. Cause I promise they are there for a  reason! LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen ...and Marcum and Ruby! (SO COOL!)

Let's Go Bikin' Now....

 September 8th--
"LET'S GO BIKIN NOW...SISTER OLSEN'S LEARNING HOW! THANKS TO SISTER IVORYYYYY!" (To be sang in the proper Beach Boys song)

Hello from SAUGUS! This week went by so fast that it's weird today is already Monday again. I have officially survived my first four days in biking without getting hit by a car so that's a plus! It's gonna be good :) 

Funny story of the week: I fully acknowledge that you probably won't understand the hilariousness of this without knowing the area I am talking about! So after an incredibly crazy week, we were in a mood on Saturday night where alllll we wanted was pizza! We had this add for Little Cesears new "Pretzel Pizza" sitting on our table this week and that suddenly became all we wanted. We knew it was a few miles away but thought we were up for the walk so we text our district leader, he said it was fine so we started walking. We left around 7:20 and thought for sure we'd be there and back by like 8:30. Long story short: we severally underestimated the distance! We walked and walked and walked. And walked. And walked. For an hour and ten minutes to be exact!

We finally got the Little Cesears and we couldn't stop laughing! Then we got a tiny bit panicked because it was 8:30 and since we'd walked downhill, we imagined probably taking more time to get home and we need to be in by 9. We also had gotten crazy sun burned that day so I'm sure we looked pretty hammered. Almost like we'd walked ALL day to get this pizza! We started calling all the Sisters to have somebody come pick us up. We hadn't heard back from anybody so we started walking back, with our box of pizza, and prayed somebody would call us back. Still couldn't stop laughing!

YSA Sisters finally called us back and came to rescue us. We were sweaty and sun burned and exhausted that our pizza didn't even sound that great anymore. We took it home and Sister Ivory started laughing and said "I'm gonna eat another piece. Merely because I just walked AN HOUR TO GET THIS!" It was pretty fun.

I am already seeing my blessing be fulfilled. I truly have loved every moment of my area this weekend! I love Sister Ivory! We had the advantage to be friends before we were companions and it's been going really well. I love Saugus 2nd ward! It's a lot quieter than Mint Canyon haha But it's great! I know without a doubt that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. And that feels pretty good. Hope yall have another great week this week! LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen

​At our ward mission leaders house last night :)
Being rescued hahahaha
​MOM YOU'RE THE BEST!
​After my last MLC. SISTER HACKER! Love her. We're going to the Houston Rodeo post-mission

Happy Labor YEAR

 September 2nd--
Hey hey hey! This week has taken one interesting turn after another haha where to begin?!

"I'll answer dear Lord with my hand in thine....I'll go where you want me to go!" I have been reminding myself of this for the last 26 hours now. President Hall called me yesterday and....we talked through an emergency transfer for some Sisters we've been working with. So tomorrow night I'll be packed up and heading out to a new area. And after almost 10 months I'll be released as a Sister Training Leader. We were at a members when he called so we quickly left and I let my heartbreak on the walk to the car. It is gonna be really really hard to leave this ward! I feel like family here and I have LOVED every single day! I got a blessing last night and one part of it said "You are blessed to enjoy every single moment of your next area." So who can turn down that promise right?! As much as I wish I still had at least the next three weeks here, I know the Lord is mindful of me and that all of this really is for the best. IRONICALLY ENOUGH we have a "Boot Barn" in our area and our member lives right by it! I turned to Sister Wensel, crying but laughing, and said I just need to go sit in Boot Barn for a minute and wear some boots. ;) They heal everything. So we did!

Hitting a year this week was CRAZY! Can you believe how fast it's gone?!?! Cause I can't. I have been blessed to not only feel the atonement in my life, but get to watch it go into effect for other peoples lives. I have seen just a glimmer of how much Heavenly Father loves us. I have seen prayers answered; sometimes years later and sometimes as the prayer is being said, but I know they are always answered. I have learned what it means to ME to be a daughter of God. And I have actually started to believe it. I have seen the importance of forgiveness both in giving and recieving. But especially in giving. I have experienced that the priesthood is not a man. And I have been happier than any other time in my life! 

I'm grateful for this change of plans in my life now. One thing I wanted to work on this year was accepting the Lords will. Note to self: when you make goals like that, the Lord gives you OPPORTUNITIES to work on them! Next time I'll set a goal to learn how to walk into an inheritance... But really though, I love in Alma 14:13 the way Alma demonstrates this when Amulek asks him if they're gonna die too "Be it according to the will of the Lord..."HE DOESN'T EVEN HESITATE! I love that.

Thanks for your emails and thinking of me this week :) It sounds crazy but there are certainly days on a mission where you literally feel the prayers a little stronger and see the power of them. So thank you! I need them all ;) LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen

And I'm emailing late because today was also a temple trip day for Sister Wensels and Sister Ivorys' birthdays :)

"It was Labor day weekend, not quite 17...but we bought some cokes and some gasoline!" ;) About as "celebratory" as we got yesterday!
hahaha awkward family photos at Dumayas' with Lindsay. She was defintiely the hardest to say bye too

Alma 36:21

August 25th--

Sorry this week is kinda crazy and I don't have time to really email so I figured I'll send pictures instead!

One of the "crowning events" of this week was Marisse was baptized! One of our favorite songs to listen to says "And the most wonderful sound I've ever heard, is the sound of water running in the church as someone I've come to love got dressed in white. My eyes saw their first glimpse of heavens' light." This has never been more true to me! Her baptism was beautiful :) She's carried some heavy stuff for a good 40 years and when she came out of her interview she said "I don't know how I could be happier." Thursday night is a night I'll remember forever! SHE WAS SO HAPPY! We sat there just laughing and making jokes for a while and she seemed so light. It was easy to see she'd had quite the burden lifted.

She got baptized a little different because of some concerns she had. She knelt down and went forwards instead of the usual backwards. After, she just sat there for a minute by Bishop and everyone stayed silent for a good two minutes while she kind of processed. It was powerful to see how much it meant to her and the impact it was having. I first met Marisse when I was 1 month out so I have known her for quite some time now. When we were talking Thursday it was hitting me just how much she's changed and what a better place she is in now.

This gospel is amazing! As great as it was to have the atonement changing my life so much before, it feels almost even more powerful to see it in work for somebody else. I love seeing people become happier! I love seeing them start to understand that God really does love them. As a missionary, you hear a lot that missionaries are happiest at baptisms. I'd have to disagree. Baptism is amazing, but seeing the gospel actually mean something to people and see their whole lives change because of it as they build up their testimony....THAT is what makes a missionary happiest.

I can't believe all the rain Utah got this week!!!! AH! I felt culture shock just looking at all those pictures. But the Lord knew what He was doing in giving me Southern California....it hit 81 this morning and I'm sitting in a cardigan ;) Hope you have another great week! Thanks for thinking of me! LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen

​Amanda....LOVE HER! Her and her boys are getting baptized soon. THey have an amazing story and even asked how soon they could get sealed before we even had a baptismal date set :)


P.S. I can't believe I've been out for a year this week. I have been telling everyone I'm at about 9 and I think I'd tricked myself into believing it. We had interviews with President Hall this week and he brought up that the things I learn are going to soon be more about me than my investigators and that was really hard to hear. I feel like a mission has become such a part of me since I"ve been out of course but it's been like the last THREE years of working towards it that I really really am emotional and sad to think I'm on such the downward slope of it and it will indeed be coming to an end. But that's okay. I'm just gonna keep working my butt off. I heard a saying once my first transfer out "Make them send you home." And that's what I'm gonna do!

LOVE YOU!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

World's Crossed

 August 18th--

OH MY GOSH!!! I can't believe you got to actually meet my CALIFORNIANS! Those are some of my favorite people from out here. Not gonna lie...It took me a minute to figure out what baby Bishop was holding hahaha sorry Lex! It took Emily's email "Your niece is so cute! Cheeks for days" to really connect that it was Lex. She's SOOO big from when I left!

This week was great but definitely a little bit different! TRANSFERS came around again! Splitting from Sister Johnson was pretty hard. We didn't talk about it all weekend and then Monday visiting one of our favorite less actives, Jeane pointed out we wouldn't even look at each other haha I knew that'd be hard for me with being out here though :) Goodbyes just are not my favorite.

And speaking of goodbyes, some of my favorite missionaries I've served with went home this week. Including EMILY Kemp. It was weird because I realized that with this group, all of the Elders and Sisters I've looked up to the MOST would now be home. President has them come sit up on the stand at transfers and it was cool to think about how much I've learned from each of them and all the good times. Especially with Kemp ;)  And it's motivating as well to hope that I'm being a good example or influence for somebody else on their mission, the way that my friends were for me.

This week as well...one of our investigators quit smoking!!!! After years and years and years of trying, she's gone officially longer than a week without it. HUGE MIRACLE! We saw her Wednesday and as she was talking about it, she just lit up! She was SO happy and I've never seen her look like that. It was another testimony builder of the atonement and how it works. Alma 7:11-13 talks about it, where the Lord suffered for us IN the flesh, so He knew how to help us perfectly. There isn't a struggle we could ever go through that He couldn't help us with!  It truly does work and is there to help us overcome anything we struggle with. I am forever grateful for that and the many miracles I have felt from the power of the atonement.

My new companion is Sister Wensel. We have had a funny funny week! This is her first transfer as Sister Training Leader so it's been fun to get to help "show her the ropes" so to speak! I'm excited to get to work with her :) Hope you all have a great week! Thanks for always thinking of me. LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen



​Emily Kemp. I just love her! I will be forever grateful the Lord let us serve together and for her literally helping to change my life.
Tyson Hansen.......​...went home to Idaho but will also be converting to Utah haha
​Sister Hacker and I with Talin Schick. He was both of our first zone leaders
Spencer Kottcamp actually left a few weeks ago to get home for baseball. And he's a HUGE Utah fan. He just doesn't know it yet...
​Larry Wright! First time I ever really talked to him, I asked him if he's related to the Wright brothers in rodeo haha Nope!

​Tyson Hansen: I served around for half of my mission...

Mint Canyon Lovin'

 August 11th-
Hello hello from the sunshine and good times!

This week was amazing!!! It went by way too fast. We had a lesson last Monday with one of our members friends that he told us to call. She is INCREDIBLE! She's a single mom of two boys and a girl and they have quite the story! For example: the boys are huge into hockey!  Holden is the 14 year old boy and last year he BROKE HIS NECK! He got checked in a game and was out. Not only did he live and is back to fully functioning, but he's just getting back into hockey again as well. He's a tough one! We were able to set baptismal dates with all of them! And in our very first meeting the mom asked: "How soon will we be able to go to the temple?" :) Yep, all RMs reading this, read it again! That just doesn't happen. Ever. It was a huge testimony builder that when we work hard and do what we're supposed to do, the Lord truly prepares the way! And we are SURROUNDED by people who are ready for peace and more happiness in their lives. So a roadtrip next September is already being planned for when they will be sealed!

Last week, Ashlyn sent me this video and I LOVE it! http://www.mormonchannel.org/mormon-channel-daily/213?v=1839005837001#.U9_POjjFWYU.email

It's something that's been on my mind a lot this week! Sometimes the Lord is going to cut us down. And sometimes it hurts...a LOT! Watching it, I thought back to some of the moments in my life where I was crying because of being hurt. I know that the Lord truly was not only there for me during those moments, but that it was all a part of His grand design for me. I have seen that many times with those people surrounding me now! "Thank God for all I missed...cause it lead me here to THIS"

Transfers are tomorrow and I'll be staying but Sister Johnson is headed out. I'm so grateful to get to have more time with these people! I love them! I love this area! I love getting to be a part of these peoples lives for only a moment and help them to see how the Lord is cutting them back for their benefit as well. This week I also got to teach at a baptism in the YSA ward. HUGE tender mercy to get to go back and see some of the people there who meant so much to me.

Hope you have a great week. LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS! Check out the dress Marisse gave me that she wants me to wear to her baptism..... Definitely called for a photoshoot! It's a fiesta down here!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen



Last week we finally had RAIN! Never thought I'd miss that stuff. And yep...I again got ALL bundled up for 70 degree weather

The shirt Rebeca sent me for an early birthday present! Isn't that adorable?!?! I'm obsessed. Now I have one that says HOME with Utah and LOVE with California :)

Yesterday at church with our investigator Marisse :) She's from Poland and is a HOOT! I love her so much. I first met her when Sister Hacker and I were in YSA. The Mint Canyon Elders called us to "help her organize a little bit" and when we got to her apartment her door would barely even open! A little help Elders?!?! She's getting baptized in 2 weeks :) And her apartment is also now fully established :)

Connor and Kameron! I LOVE THESE BOYS! We are teaching them and their parents but we had just found our Kameron and his dad were moving out so we were taking pictures and telling them bye. Both of them are very talented at skateboarding. Jax needs to come learn some tricks ;)

Wasn't gonna show this to anybody but it was pretty funny! Connor was doing pull ups on those boxes so we joked about arm wrestling.... If you look close you can see how flexed my arm is. And how close I am to seriously losing haha oh well! Sometimes you just lose to 9 year olds... ​
Meet Delane and Kaleb! They are 2/7 kids at our complex that have figured out where we live and that we constantly have candy with us. EVERY time we come home, within 2 minutes of our door closing, they're out there knocking and asking for candy! I LOVE THEM! If I could adopt them, there's a chance I would. They can't come inside so we put that table out there and gave them a mini ping pong kit they can play ping pong while we make lunch. We've also taught them about service so now they also love to come "help" us; they check our mail and take out our garbage :)
We did a "literal fireside" with our youth a few weeks ago. SO FUN! But every better sat way far back haha A fire pit in 114 degree weather? Oops hahaha  I love working with the youth!!!

Monday, August 11, 2014

Hey Hey Hey

August 4th.....

First and foremost...HAPPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEZY GIRL! Oh my gosh I can't believe she's five! That's crazy.

This week was good! This is our last week before transfers and so everything will be up in the air again on Saturday. Transfers go by so so fast! Sister Johnson will probably be transferring out but we'll see. We're getting a new zone leader for sure because Elder Kottcamp went home. And Sister Kemp goes home next week...we won't talk about that! :(

I love this area! I love love love these people! It's so fun getting to work with them and getting to know them. It's such a blessing that the Lord lets us be involved in their lives for a little while.

Not much time today because we have a lesson at 11 but:
Thought for the week: Helaman 5:6-7 talks about what it means to take His name upon us...
         "Behold, Chantel, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should decalre unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you my name; and this I have done that when you remember your name ye may remember me; and when ye remember me ye may remember my works; and when ye remember my works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good. Therefore Chantel, I would that ye should do that which is good; that it maybe said of you and also written, even as it has been said and written of me." 

And quote of the week:
"She burned a Book of Mormon once. But she's learning she shouldn't do that! She should READ IT!"

Haha hope you have a great week again! Kiss the babies for me! We are making cupcakes later to celebrate Kezs' birthday ;) We are totally safe with the fires and floods. No worries! We hit 114 degrees twice thise week and then yesterday it hit 73 and was raining! pretty crazy. LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen

Happy 11 Months!

July 28th--
Sorry I didn't write last week!

Last night getting ready for bed, I realized that today is my 11 month mark since I went into the MTC! CRAZY! Ahh it's going by way too fast! Most of the people out here that ask how long I've been out, I white lie a little bit and tell them I've been out "about nine months" so it's weird to realize how long I truly have been gone.

So what does one learn in 11 months as a Sister Missionary?
1- Missionary work is the TIREDEST I have ever been in my life!
2- Sometimes missionaries feel as awkward standing on your doorstep, as you feel to find them there!
3- Every word in the scriptures God put there for a reason. It's our job to study them and find out why
4- Having charity is a lot more than just getting along with people
5- Avocados and guacamoles are not different vegetables. In fact, avocados MAKE guacamole...
6- Many morning prayers go: "Help me to want to wake up. Help me to have the strength to do so." 6:30 am just never gets easy!
7- The priesthood is not a man. And there are amazing priesthood holders out there.
8- Studying the scriptures truly can change your life!
9- It goes by faster than ever imaginable
10- Seeing people feel the atonement in their own lives is the greatest feeling in the world!
11- When it's hard and you are doubtful, give more!

I can't even express everything I'm thinking today! This week I learned so much! I was reminded again of how aware of us the Lord is, and knowing that everything we go through in life is according to His plan. We followed Nephis' example a lot this week: "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do" (1 Nephi 4:6).  So many times this week, we were lead somewhere not sure why. But we followed the promptings and did our best to be where we were supposed to be. We saw amazing blessings and miracles from it!

I am so grateful for being out here! I am so so grateful the Lord let's us see and be a part of so much! It's crazy the miracles He lets us in on. Hope you have a great week! LOVE YOU ALL!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen

​Got a crazzzzy tender mercy this last Monday! Sister Johnson was trying on clothes at KOHL's and LUKE BRYAN video pops up out of nowhere for Crash My Party!!! Yep...tears were shed again ;)
 

All of the Sisters in our zone

​About 10 seconds before that pointy end went through my thumb hahaha but looking at this picture...at least it didn't go through my head
​Shane loves to draw so asked him to draw me as a missionary so this is my superhero picture. LOVE HIM!
​Sister Training Leaders Meeting
​SANTA CLARITA ZONE CONFERENCE THIS WEEK
​When Lindsay got baptized! She put on the jumpsuit after we'd been laughing about it and then she went really serious all of a sudden and said "I really do feel so pure." LOVE HER!! ​
"Literal Fireside" with the youth this week
Remember the Frost family from when I was in YSA? Christiane on the right is who I'd always take pictures with that they would text home. LOVE THEM! They went and watched a baptism with us and Jazmin on Friday night. Their daughter/sister comes home from Spain in October.
hahaha no comment needed :) ​