Greetings from the Ghetto! :) We made three trips to Santa Clarita AGAIN this week, I totally saw Billy Ray Cyrus at dinner at this place called "The Yard House", the Jeppsens went back home to Utah, took the new missionaries out for contacting, we moved apartments three times (seriously still sore from that), set up exchanges for the eight companionships (16 sisters) this transfer, set a baptismal date with this guy named Josh and had a night in when Sister Kemp got super sick. Whaaaaaat a week!
So this week we met this guy named Michael. He just got out of prison and, like much of the valley, has some pretty strong gang affiliations. He has a slit tongue....apparently that's a real thing that if you snitch on other members, they'll slit your tongue. We were talking to him when his "baby mama" called and she cussed me out for talking to her "baby daddy." So fun! We also had a hand off lesson for another guy this week. He is 22 and so awesome! He also has been into some pretty heavy gang stuff; he's covered in tattoos and piercings. But the last year he's worked really hard to genuinely turn his life around and better things for his two kids. He'd been on drugs since he was 12 and is finally totally clean and working hard to find clarity and peace. It made me think about Alma 36:21 where it talks about how the Atonement can take any bitter or awful thing and make it equally as great and sweet to us. MY FAVORITE SCRIPTURE FOR SURE! We set a baptismal date with him :) :) February 16th so hopefully he can continue to work hard to make sure it follows through. We ended up not getting one solidified with Bryan this week but we know he still is so close! There's nothing really holding him back and I am SO EXCITED for him to finally get to that point! Just a step on the way to the temple for him and Kristy.
I forgot to mention, but for the last 3 weeks I have been back in the driver seat! WOOP WOOP! Great news, I know ;) Life in LA is still taking a little bit of getting use to for me. We go to District Meeting in Sherman Oaks; 10.4 miles from our home exactly. Mom thought going from Helper to Provo traffic was bad.... It takes us FIFTY minutes to get there! 50 minutes to go 10 miles!!! It drives me crazy. Patience continues to be an attribute the Lord teaches me.
Taking Sister Lind up to the office this week to go home was one of the saddest drives! It was hard. We also joke we go "roadtrippin" up there but this was by far the worst. We picked them up right after District Meeting (which was actually 60 minutes after...) and went to meet President and Sister Hall at the office. The assistants came out as soon as we got there to help carry stuff in. She started crying and it was really hard to see it ending so much sooner for her than she'd planned. She'd been out about ten months. Definitely a testimony builder to always be as obedient as possible and ALWAYS make each day count.
As you can see below, we also are having a white winter ;) Although ours is in the form of blossoms instead of snow! And it was pointed out I never sent pictures from our ocean lookout drive. So there's that as well :) my last day as a blonde so about a month ago. It is such great weather down here! We dropped for a little while but are back in the 80's-90's. God is great, beer ain't good, and people are crazy! LOVE YOU ALL and hope it's another great week!
With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen
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