Thank
you so much for writing me always. I think I am the worst missionary that keeps
in touch. And it surprises me tanto because I love keeping in touch so much.
But well, my mission has been a whole chunk of time of plain basically not
keeping in touch the way I would have imagined it haha. Don't take it
personally, please. I absolutely love your emails and everything about all of
you. For me at least, my service here just hasn't permitted much time to
dedicate to you. And that is how it is. I just hope you all understand that :)
Every Monday I get all excited and say, ''I'm going to reply to
everyone this week!'' ...and then it just doesn't happen. Thank you for your
patience always. I treasure you all!
This week was great.
It passed by so fast! ...as I look back on all that went down, though, it feels
like a lifetime (...well, I suppose that ends up flashing before your eyes as
well).
Monday we cleaned
the house and bought food and wrote to you all. Then we met up with an Hermana
from Francke ward! Because her daughter's last name is Segura and she had a
dream always to take a picture of her little girl with Hermana Segura’s
missionary placa. When I said bye to her two weeks ago (before knowing I would
be Hermana Segura's companion), I gave her the number of the missionaries in
Rahue alto. She called on Monday and when she found out I was Hermana
Segura’s companion she and her daughter screamed and ran to us across the
street with tears in their eyes. It was a precious tender moment. Hermana
Segura felt like a Disney Princess :)
Then we waited for a
colectivo to our sector. They take forever to find one that has space for two
people. I don't know why those colectivos are so limited for where we live. Two
grannies butted in front of us while we were climbing in. Then half an hour
later, a mom and her son did the same. haha I guess we missionaries just have a
good nice impression on the world so much that they don't fear my ninja powers.
My ninja powers have not been released for a long while. haha Anyway we made it
home eventually. I always like to think that we did those impatient people a
favor. A lo mejor they had an emergency to take care of!
Enough of that
nothing.
Tuesday we had a
meeting then scurried off to intercambios with the hermanas in Centro. I went
to their sector with Hermana Leiva. They had to wait for an hermano to come
repair some things in their house, and it just so turned out to be my old
missionary leader and another hermano from barrio Francke! We also ended up
going to their first ward council in that barrio centro. The zone leaders of
Osorno were just put in that ward. And being as it they were my old zone
leaders they called on me to put in my two cents from my experience with
Francke with the missionary work with the ward. The council got super excited
to put in more effort. That was pretty cool.
Wednesday we had
another meeting and Hna Segura and I found some new people to teach, then a
member met up with us for an appointment that fell through. And so she walked
around with us for a bit as we tried to enter more houses. Meesh. Nothing ended
up happening while we were with her, but it was a good time anyway. She wants
to accompany us again.
Thursday we had
zone conference with Presidente. It was filled with much learning and
evaluating. I loved it. He let us know with all the love of his heart, that we
aren't doing everything that the Lord is expecting. There is a lot to do. We
focused on ourselves as missionaries and how we are going to change and do it
NOW so we can get on moving and progressing even more. We had a very good day
that day.
On Friday we had
intercambios with the sisters in Rio Bueno. I stayed here in this sector with
Hermana Sosa. She only has a week and a half in the mission, but president had
called us saying she wanted to go home already. She misses her family terribly.
She talked to me all the hour ride back from Rio Bueno and said she just didn't
feel like the mission is the greatest just like ''everyone told her.''
Well, we ate lunch
with the mamita and got to work. ....we were lost for an hour and a half trying
to find the house (I had no idea where anything was in this area) so that we
could drop off her suitcase. We looked pretty desperate and it turned out to be
a great street contacting tactic. We had so much fun and found a lot of new and
cordially receptive people. By the end of the day, we had contacted 30 people,
and taught two families! And they both accepted to be baptized! It was a really
fun experience. When we were leaving, Hermana Sosa said, ''The mission is
incredible. Tell president I'm not going home.''
Saturday Hermana
Segura and I reunited again and finally planned for the next week. It's a
pretty odd point in my mission right now. There is a lot to be done and a lot
to be balanced (as always but like times 14). This upcoming week we have 3
intercambios. It's crazy! Lots of meeting and lots of traveling and lots to do!
And not to mention our own working area! It will be alright though because the
Spirit fills us in on everything that we need to know and what we've gotta do.
I gotta focus more on that.
Hermana Segura and I
have been enjoying each other’s company a lot lately! We are always laughing
and every moment is a great adventure. One of our favorites was trying to
contact a reference of a 15 year old boy named Belham. When we showed up at tal
house, we found ourselves with his Evangelist Priest Grandpa with his little
oyente half-drunk man. They both started trying to argue about whatsoever thing
possible. It was pretty silly. I don't have time to tell you it all but just
imagine Voldemort with Wormtail (the weird rat man sidekick?) and the missionaries.
It was so interesting and rather hilarious. Ask me about it someday. I'd like
to have a good laugh!
One tarde while
walking in the street, we found ourselves in silence. And randomly, Hermana
Segura said, ''Do you know what I want'' And without hesitation, I said
''Chinese food.'' She freaked out because I was right. I was completely right.
I just smiled. She was practically jumping up and down in unbelief. I still
don't know how I knew that, but in the moment I also felt like it was one of
those DUH thoughts.... haha Chinese food doesn't even exist here. We had never
spoken of that either... The weirdest part of it all was that was all said in
English. Pretty sweet.
We both bought a
separate jar of peanut butter last week. That was a fat mistake. Quite
literally because it's already gone.
This ward is so used
to sister missionary ''deaths'' here that it is pretty much ALL they talk
about. Then they all go into their lamentations of how depressed they were when
they got back home and how the life never really is the same. And that we only
have so long before (most say the exact amount of days) PSH! Please! I feel
like I have opened that cursed Jumanji board and I am involuntarily being
sucked into that black globe!
Pues, we are running,
I feel very alone. Kind of like my junior year cross-country days... However, I
remember just pressing on until I caught a second breath and began gliding
toward the finish line.
I love the scriptures.
I love the hymns. And I love prayer. They all turn my heart to my Heavenly
Father and keeps me hopeful and happy for the end. I'm here now and I will
gladly keep going. The challenges right now is like a constant lucha libre in
my mind. Constant prayer has the greatest punch. I am constantly receiving
answers. Yesterday, I had a spectacular finding in the scriptures. I was
searching some footnotes on something and found D and C 34 written to Orson
Pratt. In the Spanish version, it begins with his name and so the giant all cap
letters say ORSON, but I just so happened to ''accidentally'' read it as
''OLSON.''
As accordingly, I read
something that I had felt had been written just to me. It was a very clear and
special answer that I needed in this time!
I'm just gonna keep
going and as I do, my Savior, Jesus Christ will be with there with me. Always.
Even to the end--the very day He comes again.
Isn't that marvelous?
Wouldn’t any person in this trying life like to feel that? And have it be their
own?
Yes.
And this is my
privilege in this moment. And forever more. I'm a daughter of God helping my
brothers and sisters come unto Christ. He is my shield and buckler of any
challenge or fear that tries its way.
Soy Hermana Olson. He
sido llamdo de Dios a predicar su evangelio como voz de trompeta. Y en esto, me
gloriaré.
That second breath
will come. I'm happy. I'm smiling. My foundation is built upon the rock of our
Savior. There are only great things to come and great things already!
We have a family night
in the house of our bishop and his family! And we are bringing along a family
that is investigating the church! The husband is menos activo, and his wife is
preparing for her baptism in two weeks! I also just finished a pretty
perfect loaf of banana bread. So tonight will be GR8. :)
Miracles are always
happening. High fives all around.
I love you.
Hermana Olson
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