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.

​super old caskets dating back to the 1900s. all are above ground and cement. super weird but cool!! 

Love you all so much!! Thanks for everything!!! Miss you all lots! Have a good week! J

Briaunna

Family!

That is crazy what happened to Trevor!! How scary that is but I am so grateful that the missionaries gave him a blessing and that he is taking the lessons!!! I have been thinking a lot a lot about Karissa and Trevor these past couple months. Such a miracle! I pray that even though he says he is just learning, his heart will be changed and he will want to be baptized and in the future enter into the temple to be sealed to Karissa! I am so grateful that he has such amazing brother laws to look to for an example! :)

So this week not a lot happened. We have been knocking and knocking and knocking to find people to teach. We have been knocking for about 5 hours a day. We still haven't found anyone yet but we have been planting lots of seeds. We have been praying to find a family of 3 from Honduras with a mom and a dad and son who is 12. We got super close when we found this Honduran family who has had lots of interaction with the church and even has family who are members! We thought this family was the one but they weren't quite ready yet. But that's okay because God is a god of miracles and things happen on his time table and not ours. We know he is preparing an amazing elect family for us and as long as we are faithful we will find them :) An exciting thing that happened is I almost got attacked by a dog! A huge American Bulldog. We were going to knock this house, so we opened the gate and clapped and whistled to check if there was a dog. After waiting nothing happened so we walked in and as I was almost to the door the dog came running fast. Sister Moise was close to the gate so she got out fast but I had to book it and had to push her out of the way. We made it safe but it was scary! Sister Moise is amazing!! We laugh so much! She has taught me a lot and is like my big sister! She is always positive and always uplifting.

So a while ago dad asked why we ask people to get baptized right after we pray with them and I still haven’t answered it so now I will! Yes it is a  mission thing to invite people to be baptized right after we pray. In 3 Nephi 11:18-23, when Jesus Christ comes to the Americas, the first thing he does after letting the people touch his wounds is he invites all the people to be baptized. He doesn't waste a minute because he knows how important it is. We follow that same example. We know as we are bold (3 Nephi 6:20) the spirit will be there to testify and touch their hearts because like it says in D and C 29:7, the elect will hear his voice. We believe in only working with the elect. Being bold and inviting people to be baptized lets us discern if they are elect. If they say yes and have true desires to change we will continue to teach them. It seems weird and at the beginning of my mission it scared me but it has helped my faith and trust in Heavenly Father and it is true His elect will hear His voice. I have seen lots of miracles come from it! :) Although we do not do it every time because we do believe as well leaving them feeling better than before and sometimes if they are strong in their faith an invitation to be baptized can offend some, so we really try and listen to the spirit but we make sure that everyone is given the chance to be baptized by the priesthood power and change :) pretty cool huh? :)

My funny Zone Leaders

So this week has been revelatory during my personal studies! A missionary’s mom sends me talks each week and the one she sent me this week was amazing! It’s called “Why Didn't the Angle Just Take Him Out?”   It starts like this, "I read Jane the story of Daniel in the lion’s den tonight. When we got to the part where the angel appears and shuts the lion’s mouths she asked, “Why didn't the angle take him out?” Don't we all ask that question sometimes? Why aren't you taking me out of this situation? Why aren't you taking away this illness? Why aren't you fixing this problem or relationship? Why aren't you answering my questions or taking my doubts away? I KNOW YOU CAN! Isn’t this faith? Isn't faith supposed to produce results? So Jane presents a valid question. If Daniel is a man of great faith, and faith produces miracles, why didn't the angles just take him out of the lion’s den? He could have. Because if he did Daniel would have missed the whole experience of being IN the lion’s den but not being eaten alive. He would have known God’s power to deliver him FROM difficulty but he wouldn't have experienced God’s power to deliver him IN difficulty. That is a whole level of power and requires a whole different level of faith. There was not just a single lion in the den. There was a whole group of them ready to rip him apart. But his faith was sufficient and God’s power was sufficient that none of them got a single bite. At times in our lives we feel like we have been thrown in the lion’s den. But instead of spending our energy wondering why God isn't taking us out we can step back and realize I am not going to be eaten alive here,.....even though I should be. Somehow I am going to come out of this alive. Then look around and see God’s angles who are holding back your lions."

Daniel in the Lion's Den

I loved this talk and often I find myself asking God why don't you give us people to teach, why don't you make this easier? Why don't you make my body feel better? There have been moments when I have felt like I am in the jaw of a lion but I am here and alive and stronger. As I reflect on my mission, I just stand in awe realizing I should have been eaten alive but I wasn't. Many people’s testimonies and faiths can be broken but mine isn't, it is stronger. I have grown in ways I never thought possible. My faith is deeper, and my foundation is stronger and my hope is brighter because of my mission. I have grown as a daughter of God in ways I never thought I could have otherwise. At times I have begged to just be taken out of this. But look at what I would have missed! I would have missed a deeper relationship with God and I would have missed the person I have become. So be grateful for your lions. When you experience deliverance IN the lion’s den, suddenly your faith and trust rise to a whole new level. One that never would have been possible had you just been delivered FROM it.

I love you all soo much and miss you like crazy!!! Thanks for all the love and support!!!!!!! :)))))) have a good week xo

Briaunna

Family!

Yes it’s amazing the plan Heavenly Father has for each one of us. He doesn't let anyone slip through the cracks. One of the most amazing things about missionary work is seeing that plan unfold for each of his children. It’s beautiful. I miss Damien and my old area lots! I have never been so homesick for an area before! Which, by the way next summer I am going to have to come back because I have like 5 trips planned for me. The members said that all I need to do is buy a plan ticket and they will take care of the rest! but that brings me to my next point!! Soooo guess where my new area is?!?!?!?!

 HIALEAH!!!!!!!!! Yup! I am back to where I started!! During the transfer meeting when they said I was going back to Hialeah, I was shocked out of my mind! It’s really rare a missionary gets to end their mission where they started! It’s been amazing to be back at home! Although I miss Palm Springs my heart beats Hialeah! I have been praying since the day I left that I would be able to come back. I am with Sister Mosie. She has been out for 10 months and is from Spain. She is from the same stake as Sister Calvo. She is from Spain but her parents are Haitian. She is amazing. She is pretty quiet but funny and I love her lots. She is learning English. It is pretty limited so I am teaching her lots as well. She is helping me with my Spanish since that's the only way for us to communicate right now. I am good with talking about gospel stuff in Spanish but just random everyday things not so much haha. So I am learning lots! We live in the house by ourselves so it’s pretty chill. The one thing that has changed is the cockroaches! Which is awesome because last time I was here there were lots of them now we hardly see them which is a blessing because as long as I have been in Florida I am still not used to them!  

My new companion Sister Mosie!

It’s been so much fun to see the ward members! They were so surprised when I walked into church on Sunday! I got lots and lots of hugs and lipstick all over me! (Old Latin ladies) it was so much fun! I felt right at home :) It’s also been fun to go and see some of my formers like Daisy and her family! They are doing amazing! They are planning to take me on a trip to Cuba with them. Also I have been able to see my recent converts like Roni!!! He is doing amazing and is still active! Which makes me so happy!! I have missed him lots!

Reunited with Roni!

So this week has been fun and crazy. My companion and I both don't have a GPS. I haven super lucky and have been able to get away without having a GPS until now.  So I have been using a map and the spirit. It’s a good thing I served here before and remember where some things are.  It’s a good thing the grid system here is really easy. Pretty soon I will have Hialeah memorized! I think we have only gone on 3 adventures this week which is pretty good. Right now we are working with a family of a mom Cedellia and her daughter Liadett who is 11. Liadett is so cute and wants to be baptized so bad and so did her mom until we taught the commandment which was the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity. She doesn't have a problem with the Word of Wisdom but she does with the Law of Chastity . She got really offended because she said she has kept it for all of her life until a couple years ago. She thinks because she kept it for so long and now that she is 45 it doesn't apply to her. We read scriptures and bore testimony but not a budge. She wasn't so happy when we left. She didn't come to church on Sunday and when we went back with a member so didn't say anything at all. We have been praying super hard for her, but if she decides not to be baptized then we are going to ask her if Liadett could get baptized. Maybe seeing her daughter get baptized will make her want to give it up. They are the only ones we are working with. We are knocking a lot of doors and trying to get referrals from members. This week will be filled with miracles for sure! We now hope we will find more families!! :)

 

​Reunited with Amanda!! An awesome YW in Hialeah!

This week I was reading a conference talk called The Strength to Endure. Man, was it written for me!! It talked about how important it is to be physically strong as well as spiritually and that as we have that spiritual stamina it will make it easier to endure. One quote I liked was "You must become a rock the river cannot wash away." I loved this because when I was praying about whether I needed to stay or go, trials were thrown at me from all directions. Satan was playing hard and there were so many times when I thought going home early sounds super appealing right now! I miss my family! I want moms help and a fathers blessing etc. And I knew that I could get a plane ticket home like that with just a call to President. But I knew that's not what Heavenly Father had in mind. It’s so important that we become strong like a rock so that when Satan tries to pull us and wash us away we can withstand him. Never give in!!! I love what apostle Paul said "Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is before us" Couldn't have said it better myself. I like to think of my mission as a track meet. I am running the two mile and just coming down the last stretch. In track when you reach your last 200 yards you are supposed to "kick it" which means go all out in a full sprint and that's what I am going to do! It’s time to kick it and sprint to the finish line! I want to be able to say at the end what Paul said "For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

Get so sad with this much hair coming out daily

Thanks so much for all you love and support!! Don’t worry about me I got this! And I know that when I get home everything will be able to get taken care of! Another quote I love is "Stellar spirits are often housed in imperfect bodies" ;)) ha-ha I miss you all so much!!!

My address is 161 W 63rd St, Hialeah, FL 33012. I don't think I need anything.....not that I can think of right now :) but I will let you know! :)))

Briaunna