I THANK MY GOD FOR EACH AND EVERYDAY

June 2nd--
Okay so for the record, mom wins for the best story telling abilities! hahaha I'm sad I missed the rodeo of the campout too! Sounds like things were crazy but fun!

This week I had a couple funny connections to back home! We were talking to a mail lady and as we talked about Utah she said her dream was to retire and move to Price! She asked if I'd ever heard of it and I laughed and told her that's where I'm from. I couldn't help but wonder if she's ever actually been there. Kinda of an interesting life dream... AND THEN I found out one of the Sisters out here was born at Castleview too and one of the members we had dinner with this week. Mormon world just keeps getting smaller!

Sister Johnson and I have been BLESSED beyond belief already! We continue to see miracle after miracle after miracle. We got two member referalls this week and set some crazy high goals for the month but we feel good about them. It's so nice to have a companion ready and willing to WORK and work hard and we're still cracking up every single day. This week I also got to go on exchanges with SISTER KEMP! Yep. The Lord is kind :) Our zone leaders doubted how "inspired" it was but it was straight from Heavenly Father and such a blessing.

One of the many inspired moments we had this week, was with a family that lives in our complex. The Elders taught them awhile ago but for a couple of reasons have been out of touch with them for months. We felt really strongly we needed to go by. The lady has some trust issues and so we decided it might be too much to just pop up and see how they've been so we made rice krispies and stopped by just to say hi and get to know them. THEY WERE HOME! AAAND even better, they let us come in and spend an hour with them. They are the coolest little family! It's a boyfriend and girlfriend with two little boys named Kameron and Connor. So that's kinda funny cause they remind me SO much of Pieries' little brothers and even have the same names... Hopefully we'll be able to continue to go back and start teaching them again. It was cool to see how fast the mom warmed up to us and how different she was even from when we got there to when we left.

Saturday was a crazy cool day! We had a stake event and it was so fun to see so many people from the YSA ward. One of them, being Brooke who Sister Hacker and I started teaching right before I left and now she just got baptized!!! YAY! And I was able to see Chelsea as well and talk about her baptismal date coming up. I continue to be shocked and amazed at how much the Lord has helped me to leave YSA. It was great seeing them and I miss them but it wasn't enough to even make me sad or wish I was still there. The Lord knew what I needed right now :)

Church was as noisy as ever haha I think cultural shock hit me more this week! It's SO different in Santa Clarita from the valley!!! I'm so used to falling asleep to sirens and traffic and noisy neighbors fighting and street racers... Now we have a big dry hill right behind our house and we wake up to birds! There's maybe one siren every other day. I like it but I must admit I still miss the crazy ghetto valley :)

Things are good here. I continue to be blessed more than I deserve! Hitting nine months this week was a weird point to be at. There was maybe one or two tears shed as we drove home that night. One of my favorite songs out here is on a CD called "The Work" and it talks about all the hard aspects of missionary work you come to love. It goes through telling your mom bye, singing in the MTC, meeting your trainer etc. but ends, of course, with " the hardest thing I ever loved to do, is getting on this plane and coming home to you. In a million ways completely torn apart, as a land so far away still owsn my heart. IN THE MOST SINCERE PRAYER I'VE EVER PRAYED, I THANK MY GOD FOR EACH AND EVERYDAY..."  I can't believe this ride is halfway over but I truly do thank my God for each and everyday. He blesses us MORE than we can imagine when we put our lives in harmony with His will. Enough rambling for this week and sorry it was long Tanner boy ;) LOVE YOU WHOLE HEAPS!

With faith in every laughing footstep,
Sister Olsen

REBECA came and surprised me for breakfast at Bishops' my last day. Don't judge me...I was exhausted and had had an emotional late night haha

Exchanges with Sister Kemp=blast from the past!

Dropping Sister Vanhoven off at the office when she left for Brazil

Dylan is home!!! So good to see him again!

The result of our Memorial day... only 2 hours in the sun playing ultimate

I've quit drinking it but seemed like the best way to celebrate!

Waking up in NEWHALL the morning of my 9 month mark :) Pretty fun to not only be with Sister Kemp but also in the same apartment I spent my first night in the mission.

Making pa-possas (I don't know how you actually spell it but that's how it sounds) Food from El Salvador that is crazzzy good!