It explains a lot. Her letters haven't been coming through for a few weeks. This is worth reading! It's a beautiful letter about her peace at the end of her mission, and her zeal that will continue until the end.
(Mom)
Home Sweet Home with some Good June Gloom June
5, 2016
Hey there sweet family of mine!
SURPRISE! I’M HOME!
The call came Tuesday afternoon that I would be leaving early Wednesday
morning to the mid-South of the South of Chile’s bigger and busier city, PUERTO
MONTT! Can you believe that?! My last 6
weeks of my mission in a fairly foreign city!
To be quite honest, when I received that call, I felt that it must have
been a mistake of some sort because there was so much left for me to do and so
much left undone! (…that’s kind of
redundant). But, if you really look for
it, the Lord does a pretty great job of tying His purposes for you up with
those same hands that created all the wonderful opportunities to serve as one
of His many instruments.
My last bit of service in the Rahue Alto was filled to
the brink with so many small and simple miracles that, at the end of the day, I
could pack my suitcases with ease of heart, nothing but thrilled for the new
and completely unimagined adventure that lie ahead of me. . . . . . . .
The next morning, I left Osorno for the first time in
9 months! The lady next to me was fast
asleep, so I just ended up praying and conversing with Heavenly Father about
all my new hopes and desires of this final chapter of my mission. . .then I
fell asleep.
And when I opened my eyes, . . .I looked out the
window to see one of the most gorgeous aliment of God’s creations ever—2 majestic
neighbor volcanos welcoming me home. A
new world lay before my eyes, and I felt as if I’d arrived to my promised land
and the Lord had said, “BEHOLD, PUERTO MONTT.”
I got off the bus and guess who God’s great plan of
happiness let me run into? . . .actually you would never guess because it’s
someone none of you have ever met, but this was TOO GOOD to not be made
known! Once upon a time, a girl quit
soccer and decided she would never play again.
Upon another time, (about 3 years later to be exact) she got up the
courage to face whatever it was that old challenge and try out for her college
team. Upon that same time,
another girl got up the courage to face an unfamiliar challenge and try out for
the very first time in her life. Both
made the team as defensive line. They
were friends instantly and had some great moments playing alongside each other
(and might I also add. . .having a blast in Outdoor Activities a well) and
within 2 short months, they had made a fantastic friendship that would last on
much longer and much farther than Rexburg, Idaho soccer fields!!
That right! My
latest buddy from college and I weren’t just meant to be defenders of a soccer
ball together. . .rather we are now DEFENDERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS on the other end
of the world together!
And I had no idea until I saw her face because I never
learned her last name before my mission, so when I heard “Hermana Hess” it
never rang a bell. Haha!
Anyway, we aren’t companions. She was actually just on her way down to
Punta Arenas to open up a new sector of hermanas!! They closed my dear sector of Patagonia 2
cambios ago and now they are opening up a new sector of hermanas in a part
called “Rio de la Mano.” Anyway, it was a very joyous and unexpected reunion
and I am absolutely THRILLED for her down there in the tippy end of the
world. I could tell she was a stellar
missionary tanto como persona. Boy, if
you can’t already tell. . . I was very happy to see her here! It’s crazy to think a year earlier almost to
the date, I was headed down to Punta Arenas right after my training too! Funny how things just happen like that!
WELL, . . .moving on.
I also ran into my new and last companion! Hermana Norton. We hit it off quite literally from the moment
we saw each other. I feel like I’ve
known her forever. She’s from Lindon,
Utah, comes from a family of 7. She’s
the second youngest and her little brother just put his mission papers in! She has 3 brothers and 1 sister. She seems to come from a family with a lot of
personality. She’s a beast at lacrosse,
loves to eat hamburgers, and is a professional at cracking herself up. I’ve absolutely loved these last 5 days with
her! I’m so excited for everything we
are going to accomplish together!
These past few days she’s shown me a bit of our sector
and BOY IS IT HUGE! I never imagined such
a big area for two missionaries! It
makes me want to take back any “giant sector” statement I had made previously
in my mission. It’s absolutely
amazing. Our house is a box above a
mini-storage unit for a small business called “Fenix.” It’s very neat and tidy looking inside which
makes me want to act like Mr. Rogers! It’s
great! The funniest part of it all is
that we live about a mile into the sector of the Elders so we’ve got some good
mileage to start off our days!
Puerto Montt is the biggest city in Southern Chile, so
it’s very populated and we work right in the business of it all. There are
always people in the street (aydahdeedahday!)
and I can already hear the bustle of potential. Last Saturday, there were 3 baptisms! But now there are not so many progressing
investigators, so we’ll be relying on the Lord a lot to find the people He has
prepared!
The ward is amazing!
United and very mission-work focused.
¾ of the members live in the sector of those elders, so many of the people
we contact on our way to and back from lunch are contacts to pass on over to
them, but we’ve been talking to everyone!
Wow! I just LOVE the city!
I realized there was a homier place reserved in my heart for one more
Chilean city before I go. It’s amazing
how well our Heavenly Father knows us so individually. I know that trusting in Him will eliminate
any form of regret we could have had otherwise.
Today Hna. Norton and I were talking about our fear of
regrets in life. I had felt in this past
week that I had found that hidden feeling of PEACE and hope and a confirmation
that I am doing all that I can to serve my God and help others come unto
Christ.
Right now, I feel the greatest I have ever felt in my
life! It is as if everything I have
learned and experienced in the mission, be it good or bad, has made me fit to
apply it to the maximum here in “Libertad”--- fitting is the name,
right?
FREEDOM!
It’s worth fighting for! I hope to achieve, or at least develop better
here, persistence, so that I can become a better servant of the Lord and feel
good at the end of zippy next 6 weeks!
That’s all for now folks. Catch ya next week to tell you how this
begins, or rather, continues playing out.
I love you!
Hermana Olson
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