April conference, a baptism and finding Peace through the Savior

Hi everyone!

Somehow this didn't send on Wednesday...

Transfers were this week which is why our p-day got switched to today. Sister Humphries and I are both staying! It is extra exciting because we have a baptism on Friday! Carol has been in Mexico for the last month for work. Missionaries have been teaching her for a couple months now. We met with her on Monday and she told us that she wanted to be baptized on Friday! It was quite the surprise. So this week we have been busy planning the baptism. We had her baptismal interview yesterday and met with her to finish teaching the lessons. She bore her testimony to us on how she decided to be baptized. It taught me that the way people become truly converted is by reading the Book of Mormon and praying. In short, it was the time that Carol spent reading the Book of Mormon on her own and reflecting that lead her to the water of Baptism. 

Adventure Story of the week: There were a couple of guys that we met who aren't members, but have been coming to activities. We talked to them a week ago and planned to watch conference with them on Sunday. Long story short, Sunday came and we set off across town in a thunderstorm. It was pouring rain and at one point we stopped off on the side of the road because the visibility was bad. We also eventually found out that the address was wrong and that they didn't live in our area. We ended up watching conference at a church building in East zone. So, it didn't quite work out in the end, but we certainly tried! 

This past week I also had the opportunity to learn a lot. I was able to go to MLC on Thursday. We spent a lot of time learning how we can help people have spiritual experiences. In essence, prayer, reading he Book of Mormon, and attending church are the three things that we need to do in order to become closer to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. This all of course went really well with Conference this weekend. There were so many amazing talks. Some of the themes that I found were how to be a better disciple of Christ and the Holy Ghost. I loved that our Prophet counseled us to read the Book of Mormon. I would encourage everyone to continue to do the simple, daily, acts of worship. I know that they will bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. 

Have a great week! 

Sister Olsen 

Proof I am in Texas:)

Mission Leadership Conference

Two hilarious women at the senior center that we volunteer at. 

Hi Everyone!

It was a great week! Carol's baptism came together really nicely. Her uncle baptized and confirmed her in Spanish. I don't think I ever expected to go to a baptism for one of my converts and have it be in Spanish. Even though I didn't completely understand everything that was said, I could still feel the Spirit. She said that she wanted to be baptized so that she could be "Good with God".  After her confirmation we asked her how she felt. She said that he heart felt hot. What a sweet way to describe the Holy Ghost :)  On Sunday she had an extra happy glow to her. I look forward to helping her now to go and do baptisms in the Temple. 

The rest of our week was spent trying to find more people to teach! We have decided to work more with our members and help them in their missionary efforts.  We have been helping them share the new Easter video with their friends. I would encourage y'all to watch the Prince of Peace video and to share it with a friend. (You can find it by going to mormon.org). We shared it with a woman one night and it helped her have peace as she was going through a stressful move. 

Have a great week!

Sister Olsen 

Carol's baptism

Filling the Font

Spring in Texas

March 6, 2017

Hi everyone!

This week was amazing! I was able to go to MLC (missionary leadership council). I drove up with Sister Philpot (my first companion in the field). She is so great. It is crazy how much has happened since we were companions. President Polley talked a lot about how we can work more with the members. He invited us to go with the members on ministering visits. I am so excited to start working more with the members to go on these visits. I know that there are so many blessings that will come as we go on these visits. 

This week we also have been using our recent converts more when we need people to drive us around and visit potentials. One blessing that I have seen is that we are able to help uplift them while we are driving around. We also are able to find more people to teach. After driving to a couple people last night, Yessenia said that she had a friend who she had been texting and was willing to have a lesson that night. So we drove back to the church and had a great first lesson with Jason. We were able to answer a lot of his questions and invited him to church next Sunday. He seems very sincere and I am excited to start working with him! 

At church yesterday a woman bore her testimony about how she was studying the scripture in Matthew in which the Savior teaches "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light". I know that the Savior is always there to help bear our burdens. This doesn't always means that life is easier. However, I have come to know that the really blessing comes from being yoked with the Savior. This is how we come to know him personally. I have become so much closer to my Savior as I have served here in Texas. I love it so much. I love the people so much it is crazy. I hope we will be able to continue find people so that they can draw closer to the Savior. 

Have a great week!

Sister Olsen 

March 13, 2017

Hi everyone!

This week was amazing. I was able to go on exchanges with Sister Wells
and Sister Dalling. Both are an amazing sisters. It was so much fun to
be with them and I learned so much from them. It interesting to me to
see how different each of the sisters are. Everyone of us has our own
individual strengths. I loved hearing how these sisters are using
their talents to bless their areas.

This week we got a call from the Stone Oak sisters. Apparently last
week when we went to In-N-out there was a man who saw us there. He was
thinking about investigating the church and when he saw us there he
knew it wasn't a coincidence. He referred himself to the missionaries
and the Sisters had an amazing lesson with him. It was a powerful
reminder to me that we have that we all have a much greater impact on
people then we see. Often times it is easy to think unless  you see
the results of your effort, that there isn't a positive outcome.
However that isn't faith. Faith is a "hope for things which are not
seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21) .  I would encourage y'all to
continue to seek to serve those around you. Know that no matter if you
see the positive effect or not, that you are making a difference.

The work here continues to be amazing. Sydney, our recent convert,
went to the temple to do Baptisms for the dead on Friday. She is so
great and it was excited to hear about what a wonderful experience she
had. I know that baptism is the first step that leads us to the
temple. I am so happy to see her continue to progress and to have her
eyes set on the temple.

Hope y'all have a great week!

Sister Olsen

March 20, 2017

Hi! 

Wow! So much has happened this week it is crazy. The week started off by working with Sister Holt for a day. She is a brand new missionary and is so amazing! She has such a sweet spirit and is an amazing missionary. We were able to talk to a lot of people. I enjoy being able to work with different sisters because I learn so much from each of them.

This week we also had a mini-missionary with us, meaning we had a Sister who is in High School and preparing to serve a mission come with us for 48hours. So we were in a trio for a little bit. Sister Nelson was great she has such a strong testimony and will make a great missionary one day. 

Saturday we had zone conference and Elder Christensen of the Presidency of the 70 spoke to us. He has the opportunity to work closely with the twelve apostles. He talked to us about how conversion is a process and how important it is to work side by side with the missionaries. 

We have a couple of new people that we are teaching right now. One of our investigators name is Betty she is a cute grandma who used to be in the Elder's area, but has moved into ours. We had a lesson with her this week and read in the Book of Mormon. She loved stopping and discussing the scriptures. Our other new investigators' name is Jose. He is friends with one of the YSA's. We taught him on Sunday and helped him understand that the blessings of the gospel come from acting. 

I know that Heavenly Father is always seeking to help us and that he does answer our prayers. I also know that if we really want his help we have to be willing to do what he asks us to do. I would invite y'all to seek the Lords counsel more in your daily life. Alma 37:37. 

Have a great week! 

Sister Olsen 

March 27, 2017

Hi everyone!

It was another great week! It started off by going on exchanges with Sister Garza. She is a new missionary.  I loved being with her for the day. She has so much energy and excitement. While I was with her, we met a man who was sitting in his car. We had knocked on his door a couple of weeks ago looking for someone else. He was excited to see us again. We talked to him briefly about the Book of Mormon and he was excited to receive a copy. Sister Humphries and I went back on Friday and taught him about the Restoration. Long story short, he has such a sincere desire to change and follow God's will. I am so excited to continue teaching him and to help him keep the commandments. I know that God gives us commandments because he loves us. 

It reminds me of the scripture Mosiah 2:41" moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it"

Other Highlights from the week:

1. We didn't realize that there was a meeting for the new missionaries the morning that we were going to exchange back. So we got to get up super early and drive out to the country at 6 am in the morning. 

2. I went on exchanges with Sister Jones. She goes on exchanges with all of the Sister Training leaders. It was nice to be able to learn from her and learn ways that I can help the sisters that I am over. 

3. We were able to go to women's conference with our investigator Betty. She is a grandma. It was fun to see her get to know the different people at the ice cream social before the conference. 

Have a great week!

Sister Olsen 

 Leadership conference pictures:

 Lunch at In and Out...Yum!

February: Baptisms! Keeping her companion, but losing the mini-van.

February 13, 2017

Hi everyone!

It has been a great week. The weather has been perfect. It was a busy week! Sydney, who we met a week ago, is getting baptized this upcoming Friday! We have met with her about every other day with her in order to teach her all of the lessons. She is already familiar with them because her fellowship taught her about the gospel. She shared that at first she had questions about the commandments, but after searching the scriptures and praying she was able to understand the blessing that come from keeping the commandments. I know that the answers to our questions are in the scriptures! 

Last Sunday we had Kristal and her family come to church. The loved it so much and stayed for all three hours. We had a lesson with them this week with a member from the ward. They were so great to have in the lesson and were able to help connect how living the gospel blesses our families. We are working with Kristal to help her gain a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. I know that anyone who earnestly reads the Book of Mormon and asks if it is true will gain a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Kristal seems really sincere in her searching so I look forward to continuing to help her. 

Also, Maggie, a woman that I taught in the very beginning of my mission is getting baptized tomorrow! When I first met her she was just barely learning about Jesus Christ. Everything we taught was brand new to her. It is amazing to see how far she has come. 

Have a great week,

Sister Olsen 

February 20, 2017

Hi everyone!

It has been an amazing week this week. 

Funny story: We were in a complex and asked to share a scripture with a man that I would call a "True Texan". He told us, " I defend the two lone star nations: Texas and Israel". Upon hearing that Sister Humphries was from California, he said, " So you are a flaming west coast Liberal". At the very least talking to everyone makes for funny conversations. 

I had the privilege to see two of my investigators get baptized this week! On Tuesday we were able to see Maggie get baptized! I enjoyed seeing the members that have been there supporting her the whole time as well as some of the other missionaries that taught her. She bore her testimony afterwards and it was simple and beautiful. Little by little she has gained a testimony of Jesus Christ and his gospel. She was so happy afterwards and said that she knew that she made the right choice. 

Sydney was baptized on Friday and then received the gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday. ( The gift  of the Holy Ghost is the right to have the Spirit with us as long as we are choosing their right). She was so happy as well. Baptism is the way we start on the path back to our Heavenly Father. That path is what leads us to joy and happiness beyond our comprehension. I don't think I can adequately explain how happy I was so see Sydney make this step that I know will bring her so much joy. 

Sister Humphries and I will be working here for another transfer! I am so excited! Sister Humphries is an amazing missionary. I have learned so much from being with her. I look forward to another transfer with her in this Area! 

Hope everyone has a great week! 

Valentine's Day Picture

Sister Olsen 

February 27, 2017

Hi everyone! 

So like wrote last week, both Sister Humphries and I are staying. Debbie, the mom van, however was transferred to another area. We were using the mom van until are car got out of the shop, which was supposed to be on Feb 11. We are making the best of it. We have used this as an opportunity to work more with our members and to talk to more people as we are out walking.

 Cool person that we met this week: Brad Cornwall. He is an older man who has spent the last 6 or so years waving at all the cars that drive past on Redland road. He had some really cool stories about how he has made people's day and in some cases changed people's lives. It sounds like he has been on the news here, so lots of people know him. 

We had Sister Polley, the mission president's wife, come out with us for the evening. It was so great to be able to work with her and learn from her. She is a great example of how we can talk to everyone. We also went out with a young woman from a nearby Ward on Saturday. The weather was nice and we were able to talk to so many people! We were able to hand out a couple  Book of Mormons. 

This week I also received the assignment to be a Sister Training leader. It means that I will work more with other sisters nearby and help train them in their missionary work. It is exciting and also very humbling. I know that I will be able to learn so much from the sisters that I will work with. 

I love my mission and I love the Lord. I know that he is always there for us and if we turn to him we can grow and reach our divine potential.

Have a great week! 

Sister Olsen 

Saying goodbye to "Debbie"

Temple visit and Everything in the Lord's Timing

Hi everyone!

I am sending this out a couple days late because we went to the Temple! We can go twice during our mission and Sister Humphries and I decided to go today. It was a wonderful experience. The temple truly is the House of the Lord. I enjoyed being able to pray and communicate with my Heavenly Father in a very special way.  I went to the temple with specific questions in mind and was able to receive the answers I needed from my Heavenly Father.

The rest of our week was amazing as well! We were able able to see many miracles. One of them happened Thursday evening. Earlier that day we had a lesson planned with an investigator everything was planned. We had a member there with us, but our investigator wasn't home. I remembered this happening in my first area and the member that was with us promised to us that the Lord sees our efforts and would bless us later that day as we continued to work diligently. So even though I was sad that our lesson fell threw, I looked forward to the blessing that would happen later that day. Fast forward to the end of the night, we decide to find one more door in an apartment complex to knock. There we met Shirad. He wasn't the potential in the area Book, but was more than willing to watch the Because of Him Video. We were able to talk to him for a little bit and see that he wanted to follow God. He was really excited to read the Book of Mormon and meet with us again. This showed me that the Lord will lead us to people who want to hear our message if we continue to act in faith. 

I love my mission so much! It has helped me grow so much as a person. Most importantly I love serving my Heavenly Father and Savior by serving the people here. I love meeting with people and being able to tell them how much their Heavenly Father Loves them. I know that our Savior is always there for us and that we can draw closer to him as we live the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Have a great week!

Sister Olsen 

Hi y'all!

These last couple days have been so great. On Thursday afternoons, we normally stay a little longer in our apartment to plan for the upcoming week. However, we got a prompting to go and give one of our investigators a story that would help her understand the Atonement (Christ's sacrifice for us). We had a really good lesson with her the night before and at first it seemed a little weird to drive all they way back out there. However, I knew that it would help her and that you should always act on spiritual promptings. We also were given a loaf of bread when we went to Kneaders on Wednesday to give to someone to help soften their heart . We had a person in mind to give it to, but they lived far away (coincidentally near Meek) and they were only going to be home for a little bit. So, we drove all the way out there and started planning in the back of the minivan. Then when they got home, they texted us and were able to give them the the loaf of bread. It's not how I would have planned the day, but it worked out they way it was supposed to be. 

On Friday we went on exchanges, so I had Sister Dearden with me. Driving has been a lot of fun. It also means that we make a lot of U-turns. Without Sister Humphries to direct me we made more u-turns then normal. One of them took us going the wrong way on the 1604. It would have made more logical sense to have changed our plans and worked in the area that I drove to.  But, that morning we felt that we needed to go to the complete opposite side of town. So, we turned around and headed over to where we had planned. The whole night I was wondering why we had to go there. At the very end of the night, we knocked on a less active members door. The sisters had been trying that door for awhile and someone finally answered! Not the person we were looking for, but another man who was less active. He hasn't been to a church for awhile, but wants to. We were able to give him the information for church and hopefully he will be there next Sunday. 

Saturday we got a call from a set of Elders and they told us that they have an investigator that is actually in our area and she has a baptismal date for February 18! We had a hand-off lesson yesterday and Sydney is so great. Her boyfriend has taught her a lot about the gospel and she is already recognizing the blessings of following the commandments. She hasn't had that many of the missionaries lessons, so we are going to be super busy the next couple of weeks! It is interesting how sometimes we spend weeks/ months trying to find people who are ready for the gospel and other times it seems like prepared people just come out of no where. However, I know that everything happens in the Lord's timing. I have learned to love every stage of missionary of missionary work. I love going out and trying to find new people. I also love teaching people and helping them prepare for baptism (no matter how close that baptism is). I love being able to serve my Savior in whatever way he needs me to serve. :) 

Have a great week!

Sister Olsen 

Planning in mini-van

P-day after chair soccer.  Not sure exactly how this works, but sounds like they like it.

On exchanges.

A baptism, a new companion, and a car (well a mini-van)

Hi everyone!

Wow it was such an amazing week. This week we had zone conference and were able to hear from President Polley. This conference focuses a lot on listening to our investigators and to the spirit so that we could teach to their needs. Sister Humphries and I were able to take what we learned and apply it as we taught Jessie. Jessie recently married a member and in the last couple of lessons was really shy. We were able to ask her questions and she opened up about her concerns about being baptized. We then were able to teach more to her needs and help her start to resolve those concerns. A couple days later we texted her a scripture. She replied back that she prayed before reading and that it helped her understand the scripture. It was so exciting to see her recognize that God does answer our prayers. He will help us understand the gospel if we will turn to him in prayer. 

This week we also had interviews with President Polley, exchanges, and stake conference. I was able to learn a lot from all of these meetings and I left being super excited for this upcoming transfer. I went on exchanges up in Boerne and that is closer to the country so I got to see stars. There we did service at a thrift store. People donate weird stuff. I also saw my first long horn on the way to the stake center. 

The weather has been super nice this week. On Saturday we were able to walk around and talk to people who were outside and enjoying the weather. That afternoon we were able to hand out a couple of Book of Mormon to people. :)

I love driving a minivan. At first it was weird to drive and park a car ( I felt like I was 16 again) , but I am getting used to it. Luckily we are good on miles because I sometimes take the long way to get places.

Carrie, our YSA investigator, is back from Mexico! She came to stake conference on Sunday and is super sweet. She is really close to being baptized so more to come from her next week. 

Sister Humphries is amazing! She is great at going up and talking to everyone and always is offering service. She has been a great navigator and has been patient with me as I drove this week. ( We got a mom minivan this week. We named her Debbie). 

I love being able to serve the people here in Texas. As I have served the people, I have grown to love them so much! 

Sister Olsen 

Pic 1  zone conference 

Pic 2 picture with the mom van  

Pic 3 riding in the dirt (before we got our car)

Pic 4  I found some cheese

Hi everyone!

It was a great first week with Sister Humphries. She has been out for 3 months and is from Riverside California. She is really nice and is an amazing missionary. She has been awesome at leading out the area. It always takes some time to learn the area and get to know the people, so she has been super helpful. 

Our car is getting fixed because it got hail damage last spring. So, we had a member drive us all around San Antonio on Saturday afternoon to visit people. (The congregation is all of the young single adults that live in the North and East parts of the city). It was a lot of fun and we were able to meet Quetta. She is a investigator that they were teaching for a while, but weren't able to come in contact with during the Holidays. She is super sweet and we should be teaching her this upcoming week. 

This week we also stopped by a less active family in our family Ward. We were able to sit down with her and hear about her struggles. We were able to share with her how through Christ's Atonement we are able grow and become better. She was very grateful for our visit and said that is just what she needed. I always love it when we are guided to those who need our message. I know that lessons like this one are never a coincidence.

The highlight of the week was seeing Jeanne being baptized. I don't think I can adequately express how joyful the occasion was. I just kept remembering when we first met her. We were just walking around her complex, when we came across Jeanne feeding her cute little kittens. At first we didn't know how interested she was is, but we kept going back and teaching her. Overtime, she came to an understanding of the gospel. My last lesson with her she bore her testimony of the Book of Mormon. It was so tender and sweet. Everything with the baptism went well. I am so happy that I was able to make it. I look forward to hearing about her growth as a recent convert. 

Have a great week!

Sister Olsen

Olsen 

Happy New Year from San Antonio (and a doggie adventure)

Hi y'all

This week we continued to help her prepare for baptism. We were able to help her start her family history work and teach her about tithing. We had her all set to go to church on Sunday. We show up to church about twenty minutes before it starts and get a call from Jeanne that she wasn't going to make it. She wasn't ready by the time her ride was coming and told them to go ahead. We weren't going to let Jeanne get off that easy since she needed to come in order to be baptized on the 14th. So, we called Jeanne and asked if she was ready then. We said great we will be there in 10 minutes. We then grabbed a member and drove down the street to pick her up. We there just in time for the Sacrament hymn. Jeanne loved it and later told us that she was grateful for the second chance. 

Adventure story of the week: we were walking our bikes on through the brush on side of the road. All of a sudden we hear a pack of dogs behind us. We look and there are three big dogs that are pit bull mixes behind us. We jump on our bikes and bike into a parking lot. The dogs all follow me and so I just bike as fast as I can to get away from them. Meanwhile, Sister Atkins is calling the dogs to get them away from me. She isn't paying attention to what is in front of her and somehow catches air by going off a bump in the road. They followed us across the street until we were eventually able to get away from them. 

This week we also got a referral for an investigator family that was moving into our area. They had never seen sister missionaries before (I always find it fun when people meet us for the first time). I could tell that they we shocked to have us show up on bikes and help them out.  We literally biked 30 mins, moved them for 15mins,  and then biked like beast to our dinner appointment which was another 30 mins away. We came, we moved, we leave. While helping them out meant a lot of extra biking for us, I was happy to do it. I know that in many ways we share the gospel in our actions and not our words. I would encourage y'all to find simple ways to serve. I know that it is the simple acts of kindness that really brighten people days. 

Have a great week!

Sister Olsen 

Christmas Messages From Sister Olsen (2 Weeks)

Hi y'all,

This was such a great week here in Texas. We were able to find and teach a lot of new people. Jeanne is still doing great. We were able to have her come to the chapel for a church tour with a family in the ward. We were able to show her all the different rooms and paintings in the chapel and she was able to feel the spirit inside. We were really happy that everything worked out so that we were able to do that with her. 

We had zone conference this week. It was fun to hear all of the different music numbers. Sister Polley talked about the Wise Men from the Nativity. She focused on how they received revelation to go and visit the Savior. She likened that to us and how we can act on the promptings we get. I loved studying the Nativity story more in depth this week and seeing how we can follow the example of the Wise men and Shepherds. 

Merry Christmas!

Sister Olsen 

Hello Everyone, 

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Christmas was amazing here in Texas.  Jeanne came to church on Christmas and she loved it so much.  The ward was so great and everyone came up to introduce themselves. Afterwards, she told us how much love she felt.  We are super happy that she came because it means that she is on tract to be baptized January 14th. So, we will be busy the next couple of weeks teaching her the rest of the lessons and planning her baptism. We had dinner with her Christmas Eve and she loved watching the little kids reenact the Nativity story. We also played Christmas carols with pipes. 

This week I also went on exchanges with Sister Judd, so I spent the day in the Helotes area. This also meant I got to spend the day in a car. It was a lot of fun to learn from her and to teach the people in her area. Sister Atkins stayed in our area and was with Sister Nate.  Their day went a little bit differently. After removing tile for service, they walked home to realize that they were completely locked out of the apartment.  An hour and a half later the other sisters were able to let them in. Later that night the home button on her Ipad broke and locked her out of her Ipad.  After we exchanged back we fixed her Ipad and everything is good now.  

Fixing Sister Atkins' Ipad took us to the mission office. While we were there we were able to find the Book of Mormon on tape. We having been trying to get Jeanne the Book of Mormon on CD so she can listen to it (she doesn't have a computer). We thought we had found it, but when we got home we realized they were cassettes tapes. This lead us to tract down a cassette player. Sister Atkins also discovered a new talent. She can fix broken cassette tapes. So, the miracle is that Jeanne can now listen to the Book of Mormon. 

I love being a missionary! I have learned so much here and I look forward to the new year and all the many miracles I will be able to see here in Texas. My testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Gospel of Jesus Christ has grown so much! Above all, I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that we can always turn to him for peace and guidance. 

Happy New Year!

Sister Olsen