HOLA from the land of sunshine and good times! Today we went hiking to the place we went last week but with the majority of the zone. I AM BURRRRNED! And I love it!
This week went by really fast! As they tend to do... We had Mission Leadership Council last Wednesday, exchanges twice and then Zone Training Meeting as well. It was crazy but really fun!
Zone Training Meeting we started off with having the Zone Leaders and us talk about our dreams/reasons for coming on a mission. Our zone needed a little heart softening ;) totally worked!! It went great and it was good to see/hear everyone thinking of their own dreams and goals and what they wanted out of this. A reminder for why we're really here.
I talked about finding the meaning of the Atonement for myself and wanting others to have a chance at that same peace and lasting happiness. Saturday night, we were out on Parthenia talking to people and met this guy named Michael who had that exact question. He told us he knows God exists because when he was shot (I LOVE PEOPLES STORIES OUT HERE!!! So cool!) God saved him and let him live. But he didn't understand how "using somebody else" could bring you peace or why Jesus couldn't survive the cross.
We talked with him for a while, showed him some scriptures and bore our testimonies. He totally felt the Spirit! You could see it on his face! He wouldn't give us his number or address but as he walked away, I had a comforting feeling. It's hard!!! It is SO hard to see people turn away from something that I KNOW will bless and help them in life.
The plan of salvation has taken on such a different meaning to me. As hard as it can be sometimes, I'm grateful we have agency; that we have that choice to walk away and find truths for ourselves. I know that He totally has in mind constantly and that everything we go through is for our better. Sometimes I REALLY REALLY wish I knew the why but that's okay that we don't. I think teaching the Zone was what I needed this week. If I didn't have my agency to walk away before, I wouldn't be having these experiences now. So that's okay when others do as well :) I guess....
I read in Alma this week the captain Moroni chapters. Kinda fun right before we did the hike with the flag this week. It was definitely cool to sit and think up there for just a minute today why I'm out here and why this Church means so much to me. Hope everyone has a GREAT week this week! Until next time...
LOVE YOU TONS!
With faith in every dusty footstep,
Sister Olsen
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| Exchanges this week and we ended up here...felt like Bubbs' Tijuana pictures for a second |
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| Elder Smith...our district leader...is a visa waiter that has been here for ten months but tomorrow morning he finally leaves for Brazil. |
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| The majority of "The Granada Hills Zone" missing about 12 people so we have a huge zone! Our Institute building has a Title of Liberty Flag so I asked Brother Barlow if we could borrow it for the hike. Pretty cool! If you look really really close to the right of us you can see downtown LA and more to the right of us you can even see clear out to Catalina Island on a really clear day. |
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| Elder Nielson and Elder McCauley...LOVE THEM! PS That's Santa Clarita Valley in the background so it's a pretty bomb hike lookout wise. |
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