TALOFA!

June 23rd--

Hello hello from Canyon Country! Oh my goodness, sounds like quite the week for everyone back home haha This week I got thinking that I was really missing "the summer season"...a truck drove through our parking lot during studies the other day and stopped right outside our building. He had music up looooud and I realized it was LUKE BRYAN!! I cried haha full on, had three tears roll down my face. BUT getting emails today and being reminded that with rodeo and concert season comes HAY SEASON ...I find myself not missing summer quite so much ;)

Well this week has definitely been one of the strangest weeks of my mission! Long story short: last Sunday, we got a call from one of the district leaders around 1015 saying that we needed to get to some of our Sisters apartments ASAP. We kinda laughed and were like okay we'll hurry and get dressed. He said "No really!" We went in pajamas and retainers and flip flops and confused what was going on. GOOOOOOD TIMES to show up and have the district leaders, zone leaders and President all be there haha Sister Missionaries at our finest ;)

By 2am we were finally headed back home but with different companions. Sister Johnson stayed with one and I took the other home with me. She's Samoan!!! What are the odds huh?! This week has been pretty funny with the Samoan aspect...feels like high school again living with a poly! We are going to stay in these companionships until the end of the transfer, which will be good but now I'm REALLY praying Sister Johnson and I stay together because we only got four weeks! CRAZY that transfers are already next week!

President Hall told us to do whatever we needed to do this week so this week was a "recovering" week. It was actually really really good! We didn't get to do much of the typical missionary work but got out a lot, and talked through lots of different things. It's so crazy how the Lord had really prepared us to be companions this week. And just prepares us in general. We did get to meet with one of my favorite families this week! I LOVE THEM! I pray all the time that we can continue to work with them and help them progress because I see how much they want and need the gospel and how much it would bless them.

This week we get to go to the temple as a mission :) So Wednesday morning the army will all be down in LA. I AM SO EXCITED! I know I took the temple for granted before I left; I never went! Now I'm excited to really be learning the difference and impact it can have in our lives if we make it a priority.

This week we also did run into a bull statue hahaha (again, I wish I could send pictures but not happenin') Tinges of home sickness came for a second but then like 30 seconds later, we ran into a woman who opened up right away about how much she needs peace in her life right now and what a dark place she's been in and instantly I was grateful again for being able to be a missionary. I LOVE being out here! I LOVE that Heavenly Father lets us be part of so many miracles! I LOVE how much spiritual growth we're able to experience when we allow Him to help us.

And I know I'm totally like starting to talk like a valley girl haha BACK OFF! Hope you all have another great week! Don't get stabbed Jake! He was probably wanted down in my area haha  And remember it's Chantel on a mission...not Brittany ;) OFA ATU whole heaps!

With faith in every footstep,
Sister Olsen