Buenas
Tardes Familia!!!
Okay first of all I'll
just say that skype was fun and interesting! Definitely not what I was
expecting...but now that I think about it, I didn't even make any expectations.
So! That just smoothly leads me right into my next point.
This week was better than
the last! And that is pretty hard to believe because last week was what I had
thought was the best week of the entire mission. Well, Hermana Gardner sure
liked how we started out for her first days in the mission and now she doesn’t
have anything else to compare it to, which means she doesn't settle for
anything less than our effort and our success we got her first week. And it is
SO AMAZING. I absolutely love her drive she has! We worked harder than we did
last week and reaped even greater fruits. We decided to make a better plan to
increase the church attendance of not just the investigators but of members too
(thanks for the consejo Dad!). And this week was absolutely perfect for our
plan because it was the Primary Program (so much cuter in a small Chilean
ward!). So many people came! Our attendance grew by 20 people and 6
investigators came again (still haven't met our ward goal of 10, but we'll get
it this week!). It was a great week. And I don't say that about very many
weeks. But in this mission I'm pretty sure I've said it 45 times. (Whoa...That's
actually pretty possible because I'm coming up on a year here soon!)
We are dying of
tiredness. I'm more tired than I was when I got to Punta Arenas where the
excessive cantity (is that a word?) of Oxygen literally poisons you of tired
bloatedness and you can hardly keep your eyes open for a week (especially when
you eat 37 pounds of pig fat filled hash browns for lunch), except there you
have the ripping wind to keep you awake or at least up in the air....almost
literally :)
Ok. Point is we are SO
tired! We can't figure it out because we can't even leave until noon because
we have more study time for the training schedule and so it's not like we are
out in the sun more or anything, but we are really putting in our all! I think
I've said that a lot of times on my mission too, but this week my understanding
has expanded EVEN MORE on the concept of ''giving your all.''
But we aren't
suffering. Al contrario in fact (aydirdirntevernneraywuzsteryingder! (Ignore
that (unless you are Samuel (Samuel will get it)))! I have never felt more
energy for the work and everything! And everything is the work! That's the
truth! That's what it is! This past week my body has woken up at 6:45 every
day just naturally, 15 minutes before the alarm--how frustrating! I would just
sit there trying to get back 15 minutes of juicy sleep, but it never worked.
Today, I told Hermana Gardner and she said it's been happening with her too! Hahaha
so we both have been laying there for 15 minutes in silence this entire week.
We decided that we are just going to get up from here on out. It's pretty handy
having a personal alarm clock. Now instead of seeing it as a frustrating
defect, we are kind of excited about this newfound super power we both
discovered in ourselves! Haha (just ANOTHER similarity)
This week we have been
focusing a lot on becoming. The gospel always teaches that
there are only two ways of becoming: deliberately and accidentally. After
looking more into this principle and then more into the depths of my soul
(muhuahua), I realized that for the most part of my life and even in my
mission, I have been one that seems to go with the flow and see whatever life
makes of me. I'm easily content with what comes and try to make the best of it,
but I wonder what the difference would have been if I had deliberately made the
effort to become whatever it was that I never really envisioned!
Well just in time to
realize all of that! Strolling around the corner is the New Year! Lo cual half
I'll be in my mission and the other half....home! Wow! What an opportunity to
take advantage of! So here's to resolutions, expectations, visions, efforts,
becoming!!!
I'm excited. I'm
always excited, but now I'm DELIBERATELY excited :)
Okay. I'm out of time.
I guess I could tell you more about Christmas another opportunity perhaps in
the Spirit world since there will be time to wait and we all know how long my
stories (still) are. :)
I love you! Oh! So
Claudio had a great trial this last week with his business and he's about to
lose everything, but we had great lessons with him and he showed so much faith!
And he's still in the meat of it all until Wednesday! I know that Heavenly
Father is going to take care of it all. He's so prepared for baptism and so
excited even though he's really on the teeter part of the totter. Keep him in
your prayers. Miracles happen.
I love this gospel. It
changes lives because the whole plan that Heavenly Father has for us was laid
before our lives even began. I'm trying to align my will with that of my Father
Heaven and it's the happy way to live even when the life part gets tough, I can
know I'm on the right point in the grand scheme of things. Woo! What
hope!
I love you all! Merry
Christmas!
Love,
Hermana Olson
Christmas Eve we ate
PORKRIBS! That was a great and fabulous time.
The dog named
Toby.
And the weather on
that ''wintry'' Christmas day.
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