I've Grown A Foot Or Two!

Family!!

This week was a good week! Nice and hot!! With the random storms as usual. This week was again filled with lots and lots of knocking. But our efforts paid off this week when on Saturday we went to go see a less active. When we went there he had a friend over. His name is Juan and he is in his 60s. He is from Cuba and is super elect! We taught the restoration right there and he loved it and accepted a Book of Mormon and was excited to read it. While teaching him we had a scare because when we were talking about Jesus Christ and he said do you think Christ was perfect? And we said yes and he said nope he wasn't perfect. Right then my mouth dropped open. Sister Moise said yes Christ is perfect and he continued to say no. At that point I put my head down and was like oh no, what’s going on! Then he said "Christ was more than perfect!" Me and my comp let out the biggest sigh and nervous laugh haha. But he came to church on Sunday and loved it! And he accepted a date to be baptized on the 22nd! We are going to see him today and teach him the plan of salvation. We are super excited!! He is all we are teaching right now but that's okay! Have no fear we will find more this week!!

Area where we were knocking on doors. Almost got kidnapped but that can be a story when I get home. Don't let mom know! But don't worry all is good! :)

This week in the new Ensign there was an awesome little insert about patience. I read it because I need patience and lots of it haha. While I was reading I felt like it was meant for me. It was so closely related to me it was scary. It was like I wrote it or something! Here is a part of it!

“Sister Olsen, we bless you with patience.” Those weren’t the words I wanted to hear. I had been praying all day to have enough faith to be healed. In the blessing, I was promised that I’d eventually get better, but I was assured that it would take time.

I sighed as the elders finished giving me a blessing. I had only three months left on my mission, and I wanted to be out with the people—not sick in bed. I wanted to accept the Lord’s will, but I honestly didn’t understand why He would make me wait.

It took me several days to come to terms with my situation. I had resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to get better right away, but in the meantime I was miserable—until one day I turned to the scriptures. Eventually, I found the peace I needed in James 1. Joseph Smith found his answer in verse 5—mine was in verses 2–4:

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations [the Joseph Smith Translation changes “divers temptations” to “many afflictions”];

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

As I read those verses, I can’t say that I was suddenly able to “count it all joy” that I was sick, but I did learn some things that helped me feel less miserable about my situation.

The fact that I hadn’t been immediately healed didn’t mean that I didn’t have faith, and it didn’t mean the Lord didn’t care about my situation—quite the opposite, actually. The Lord cared enough to test my faith by not healing me right away so that I could develop patience.

I realized that the Lord wanted me to develop patience because it’s a vital characteristic. Patience refines us. Patience helps us become more like the Savior. I did have important responsibilities as a full-time missionary, but I realized that when it comes to serving the Lord, He cares just as much about the instrument as He does the task at hand. The Lord was teaching me patience so that I could be a better and more effective missionary in those final months of my mission.

Knocking in apartments! Creepy yes haha fun yes just kidding they weren't that bad:)

I loved it! I have learned that patience doesn’t mean to shrug our shoulders and give up hope. Elder Maxwell said patience is not indifference. Actually, it means caring very much, but being willing, nevertheless, submit to the Lord and do what the scriptures call the “process of time”. I had always thought of patience as a somewhat passive response to life’s experiences, a sort of relenting. But patience is not relenting. Patience is a manifestation of inner strength and devotion to the Lord. Elder Maxwell also taught;
“Patience is a willingness, in a sense, to watch the unfolding purposes of God with a sense of wonder and awe, rather than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance. Put another way, too much anxious opening of the oven door and the cake falls instead of rising. So it is with us. If we are always selfishly taking our temperature to see if we are happy, we will not be.”
I loved this because it’s hard as missionaries when plans fall through or things don’t go according to plan. It’s hard for the natural man to understand divine timing, but what I have come to understand is that God is a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan that is filled with happiness if we are faithful. I am definitely learning how to accept his timing with confidence and not with anxiousness. J

We spray painted our shirts! my wonderful crazy zone :))

This week, the Head of Languages for the missions is coming this week to test us on our Spanish. Apparently we were chosen for this special thing. I don't know but that's on Tuesday. We will see how I do. Tests still scare me. Crossing my fingers! :) It will be fun. I think that's it for the week. Very short but super excited for this week and what’s to come!! Lots and lots of miracles.