Family!! :)

Thanks so much Dad for sharing that experience with me!!! I can’t imagine how hard it was and I bet you had fun but it turned out to be a great spiritual experience and I am so glad you shared it with me!!! It reminded of the story in Ether chapter 6:5-6 about the Jaredites and how they had to go through so much just to get to the Promised Land. A quote I have to go with that scripture is "A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for." Even though the Jaredites were going through so much huge waves and storms, just like you guys were, they were still being pushed towards the Promised Land just like you were being pushed to your goal of the lighthouse. And yes just like the guide, Father never leaves our side he is always there telling us that we can do it. He is helping us be calm and patient. This experience you shared was so perfect because our mission president told me right before I came into the area that there were people prepared for me and it’s been hard because I haven’t found them. I have been starting to get tired and frustrated a bit with myself and God, but I know I need to trust in him because even though I may be going through trials and tribulation, I am being pushed towards the Promised Land (people who are prepared for me). It will all work out in the end. I have faith :))

I think for me the hardest part on my mission hasn't been the sun, my condition, hard comps, or rejection, but trusting in God’s will. That’s something for me that I have been working on a lot in my mission. A member gave a talk yesterday about how he had to build a fence for a farmer and how he first had to dig holes to put in fence posts. So he dug a hole that he thought was deep enough and put the fence post in. When he was done, the farmer came over and kicked the fence post and it fell over. The farmer said it needed to be deeper which means it would take more work and he had like 200 fence post to do but he did it. We can’t just do what we think is right we need to do God’s will even if it means much patience and work. We need to have strong, firm testimonies. We also need to be strengthening all of our fence posts. He said that it’s not just one post that makes a strong fence, but many. 

     

      

Thanks so much Dad for that talk you sent last week!! It was amazing!! I loved it!! Super inspired!! And I am excited to read the one you sent this week!! Thanks so much :)

            Juan is doing awesome!! He is super excited to get baptized!! He fell yesterday and had to go to the hospital so he is now getting baptized on the 29th. He is super excited and said nothing is going to stop him! We had a great lesson with him the other day and he bore his testimony about the Book of Mormon and it was amazing. The spirit was so strong!! :) I am so excited for him! I love him! :)

            Right now we are just working on finding people to teach. Knocking lots of doors but its fun and I love it!! Love this work and this mission!!! It’s such a blessing!! I have learned so much!!! Would you be mad if I said I wish I could stay longer?!?! hahah jk I love you all so much!!! Thanks so much for all you do!! Sorry this is so short, time got cut today at the library. Love you!!!

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