What a wonderful week

The Logan Temple

Hola Everyone!

Thank you to those who wrote me this week!

So this week was somewhat uneventful.  Not a whole lot happened, but it was a great week!

We went to visit a referral and they opened the door and told us that they had met with missionaries and needed time to get an answer and to come back in November (which was like 8 days away at the time) but we will be back in 2 days.

In the beginning of my mission, I would tell people I was from Michigan and sometimes they would joke and say oh Michocan?  (which sounds like michigan with a spanish accent, but is actually a city in Mexico)  I would say yes and then they would laugh because I mis-understood.  But I don't do that anymore.

I got to call to make the dinner appointment once this week.  It was a bit scary but the phone was on speaker phone and so my companions could help me.  I did fine and only needed a bit of help at the end.

I love going to an investigators house and just hoping they are home, and then they are and you get to teach when it wasn't planned.  The chance to teach when you weren't expecting to is so wonderful!  We have 2 investigators with a date! Janie is 10 and from a less active family.  Her date is Nov 24 and Lavinia is the investigator who speaks really fast.  We taught her yesterday and the spirit was so strong, she set her own baptism date!  Nov. 14th!

We have also been teaching Lola this week.  She started coming to church on her own and seems to really enjoy everything.  She is fun to teach because she has a lot of really good questions.

Another contact we made this week was really funny.  We knocked on the door and heard a voice call, "Quien?" (who) so not sure what to say, I respond, "Las Misioneras"  This was not the best idea, because she didn't open the door then.

We also got a contact for an older man who is living in a nursing home in north Logan.  His name is Rodrigo and he was not interested until he realized that we were Mormon.  Then he got really excited.  So we visited him a second time and we brought a Book of Mormon on audio because he cannot read.  When we arrived, his nurse was there trying to help him find $13,000 and the cops were on the way to help and figure out what happened!  The nurse left and Rodrigo tried to give us another 11,000 because he was scared it was going to be taken from him (he knew he wasn't supposed to have the money-the nurse told us they keep all hospital residents money in a safe).  But we did not take the money.  The cops arrived and we told them that he had more and Hna. Marin got to fill out a police report.  We get into the craziest experiences as missionaries!

Speaking of funny experiences.  On Friday, we lost our phone.  We had pulled up to a lesson, and we saw all the lights in the house go off so we got out of the car as quickly as we could.  Then Hna Pena says, "oh freak" and tells us that she dropped the phone down the sewer!  We were freaking out and I was laughing.  Long story short, our ward mission leader who was there to help teach lifted the grate off and we were lucky because it wasn't a deep sewer and it was only full of leaves, no water.  He reached down, pulled out the back of the phone, the front of the phone, and finally the battery.  The phone still works! whoo!

This week, the English sisters had a baptism and we took our 12 year old investigator to it. She said it was beautiful but thought it was going to be in a river!  

Also this week we got to go to the SLC Latino cultural event Luz de las Naciones.  It was a bunch of dances from Spanish speaking countries celebrating the Book of Mormon.  We also had a mission wide fireside with songs and testimonies. We had 1,000 people there!

Tomorrow is halloween and we have to be home by 6pm.

Not much else has happened.  I have been a little stressed, but not bad.  We went to the Temple this morning (I thought of you Kaylie Moon. One day you will get to go, it was BEAUTIFUL!!) and that helped.  My doubt was resolved.

Con amor,

Hermana Olsen

Another Beautiful Week in Logan Utah

 Killing the chickens.

 Rain...

 ...and it SNOWED.  I am thrilled.  I love the snow.

 The sister as a pig is a Visa Waiter for Spain Madrid like me.

 I was my companion, Sis. Pena, and she was me.

 This is not the mask I bought, but it is a funny picture.  We bought Old Men masks for the Old Person dance. [Shelby is the one on the right. Yikes!]

 A baptism for an 8 year old taught by the other sisters.

 My other companion was a Mexican (cause she is Mexican).

See my snowman!

Hola Familia Y Amigos!

I hope everyone is doing well!  I sure am!  A special thanks to Corinne, Sydney, Kate, Sarah, Sis. Huch, and Mom for the letters. I have sent letters out, so hopefully everyone got them!

Okay, last P-day after sending E-mails, we went and played soccer and it was pouring rain!  It was sooooo much fun.  Which is saying something, because I don't like soccer! It was a fun P-day

To help me learn Spanish, I got the Book of Mormon on Audio.  I hope it will help me with my pronunciation!

The lessons I have been able to teach this week have definitely been the highlight of my week.  I LOVE to teach.  To tell someone the eternal principles of the Gospel.  It just doesn't get better than that.  I love to share scriptures too.  This is something we do if we don't have time to teach a whole lesson or if we are meeting with a member.  I love to read the scripture, explain why it is important, and bear my testimony.  I LOVE to bear my testimony!  It is something I can do in Spanish and I LOVE to bring people closer to Christ.

This week we had exchanges again.  Hna. Pena went to the English Program (She is my Companion from Honduras and is learning English) and we got Sis. McMillan.  She is such a sweet sister, and it was fun to try and teach her Spanish and just hang out with her.

We had a somewhat unproductive week.  There is a huge musical Fireside that the whole mission is putting on for all of our less active, investigator, and member friends.  So a lot of sisters are singing in the Choir.  Because we live an hour from Ogden (where the 2 practices have been) we wasted a lot of time driving.  However, I stayed in Brigham with another sister who did not want to sing, so it worked out pretty well.  Also, my companion had a doctors appointment and the mission doctor is in Layton.  I understand these things, but it doesn't mean I like them....

Serving in Brigham while my companions are at choir practice has actually been really fun for me.  The sister that I was serving with, Sis. Wunderli, is from Hungary. She has been out for about 3 or 4 months and her English is very good.  I served with her on Friday and Sunday.  On Friday we mostly just knocked doors.  We went to one and this very nice, but not interested in the Gospel, Lutheran man talked to us for a while.  

We went on to another house, and the thought that I did not ask him if he had read the Book of Mormon popped into my head.  Oh well, I thought.  But the thought would not leave me and then I thought, well I could go back and ask him.  Oh man that thought scared me!  I did not want to go back, he clearly was not interested.  But I couldn't shake the idea, and I knew I was being prompted by the spirit.  So we went back and I asked him.  Man was I terrified when he opened the door!  He said he hadn't read it, but he still wouldn't accept the one I tried to offer him.  Said he would rather not.  I bore testimony of the Book of Mormon and he said he only read the Bible.  Although he did not change his beliefs, I felt such a feeling of Joy and Success because I had followed a prompting.

We had several lessons this week.  But the best one was with Osvaldo.  He has so many random questions, and wants all is answers in the Bible so we pretty much had a question and answer session.  But we were able to read the Introduction to the Book of Mormon with him.  I liked this lesson, because I understood him pretty well and participated quite a bit.  The best was when I bore my testimony about the Book of Mormon, and also when I recited the first vision.  He is pretty stubborn and I don't know how he felt about what we were saying, but I think the lesson went pretty well.

Another highlight lesson, was when we got to teach Janie.  Her family is less active.  She is ten and not baptized but she wants to be and her parents will let her/want her to be too.  We are trying to reactivate the whole family.  She is so cute when she prays.  She will say things like, "thank you for my family because I wouldn't want to be alone" or "thank you for all the beautiful things you have given us"  She is really sincere and so cute.

On Sunday when I was in Brigham, we had a dinner appointment.  Not going to lie, eating with Americans was pretty nice.  We had ham, rolls, and potatoes!  They had a beautiful family and the parents asked the four kids to ask me and Sis. Wunderli any questions they wanted.  It was fun to answer all the questions.  

After the dinner appointment we went and talked with a less active man named John and his 8 year old nonmember neighbor Tim.  John is really cool and has a lot of potential and Tim is really cute too.  I think the Brigham City sisters will have some success with them.  But it was just fun to talk and get to know them better.  After meeting with them, we went to visit an 8 year old from a part active part less active family that had just gotten baptized.  We had fun talking with them, and they gave us some deer (it tasted pretty good!) and gave me some pumpkin seeds.  

During these experiences I was kind of thinking, I wish I could do this in Spanish or It would have been nice to serve English speaking.  I was feeling like I was actually helping people because I could communicate with them and be their friends rather than just teach them.  But as I thought these things, I realized I could react to the situation in 2 different ways.  I could be really mad and frustrated because I still don't speak much unless I am teaching.  I could be really negative about it and just wish I was English speaking. OR (and this is what I am trying to do even though it is harder) I could use these experiences as motivation to one day (hopefully sooner or later) speak really good Spanish and be able to form deep friendships.  I know I am capable of it, with the Lord’s help, it is just hard to see that day.  I loved being able to say exactly what I want to say, so I will always remember my time in Brigham and use it to fuel my desire to really learn Spanish.  Because I WILL LEARN SPANISH!

This week we also went to an activity that our district leader and companion put on for their ward/ investigators.  We got to go because they were doing a talent show and needed us to help them with their act.  We got to perform the "Danza de los viejos" or something.  Basically it is "The old man dance." We bought old men masks at Walmart and found sticks in the woods and danced the dance on the stage.

This morning, we killed Chickens.  We went to an investigators and she killed the chickens but we got to help her prepare them and some other food.  After, we are going to go back and eat lunch with her.  I will send pictures.

As for my Visa- I have been hearing end of December.  So feel free to send letters to the Ogden address until then!

As I close my letter, I want to invite all of you to do something.  One of the things my Mission President asks us to do, is to have 10 Quality Gospel Conversations (QGC's) every day.  Anyone who wants to, should set a goal of how many they want to have.  10 might be extreme.  Maybe you want to do 3 or one every day.  Maybe you want to have 1 every week.  Whatever it is, just give it a shot. Ask someone to share a scripture or talk about General Conference.  Just give it a go, because they are really fun!

Con Amor,

Hermana Olsen

Another Beautiful week in Logan Utah

Hola todos, [Hey everybody]

Thanks to all that wrote me this week.  I do not have my list, so don't feel bad if I forget everyone who wrote me.  Thanks to Mom, Sydney, Amanda, Jordan (Can someone thank him for me...and tell him I liked the cow), Keith, Dad, Kate, Steven, Grandma and Grandpa, and anyone else.  Sorry if I forgot you!

So this week has been an interesting one.  On Tuesday not long after sending off my email, we went to the bus station (not allowed to use cars during P-day) to catch a bus to Pizza Pie Cafe.  We barely missed it--we were running after it and watched it drive away.  Really hungry and a little frustrated were were about to sit down and wait for the next one when this lady comes up to us speaking Spanish looking for someone who knows Spanish and English to help her father buy a ticket to Mexico.  We were able to help her father and talk to her.  She was so nice and really interested in our message (she has Mormon neighbors and really likes what she has heard).  At this moment, I KNEW the Lord had a hand in us missing that bus.  We taught her, Amalia, yesterday.  She loved what we had to say and seems golden.  I am so excited to keep teaching her! I LOVE THE GOSPEL! 

This week I have been feeling a little overwhelmed.  I have been telling myself that i am not doing enough and that I am not working hard enough.  When i make a mistake I would feel bad, like what if I put someones salvation at risk because I didn't ask for a reference or I didn't talk to that person.  I have also been feeling a little bad about my Spanish.  It is embarrassing when people ask why I am so quiet (do they not understand that I am learning a new language!) or speak English just because they see my white skin (not often, but it has happened).  

Sometimes I can tell that people are talking about me but i cannot understand what they are saying.  I also worry what the people think of me.  I feel like I have such a fun loving happy personality, but I have a hard time showing it because I cannot speak the way I want to.  I want to be friends with these people and I want them to trust me, but I don't know what they think of me.  But I have been working hard to think more positively.  I know I am making mistakes, but I haven't been out long.  I continue to improve every day, and I know God does not expect me to be perfect.  So it has been a hard week for this, but I am doing well, and things are just fine!

We are teaching 3 children whose mom is less active but really wants to come back to church.  The children are 11,12, and 14.  We have only taught them once, but they seem interested enough.  I just hope we are teaching them in a way that they will truly be converted rather than joining just because their mom wants them too.

Wednesday afternoon my companion Hna. Marin got a text that one of her best friends in the mission (serving in Ogden) was going home about a month early because of knee problems.  She would be leaving the next day.  So she called our district leader and got permission to go to Ogden to say good bye.  She sensed that I did not like this, and so I got dropped off with the Brigham sisters so I could still do work.  I was so happy about this!  So Wednesday night and Thursday until around 1:30 I spent in Brigham.  We helped someone move all her stuff from this little farm town (nothing more than cows and hay) called....CORINNE UTAH to Brigham.  It was so weird being in Corinne, Utah.  It was fun to do service though and help this investigator move.  

Thursday Night around 8pm I was back in Brigham.  This time we were doing exchanges so it was legit.  So I spent all of Friday in Brigham on exchanges.  I was with Sister Hernandez who goes home at the end of the next transfer.  It was a fun day, neither of us can drive so we spent the whole day walking around Brigham knocking on doors.  It was really good practice for me.

On Saturday, we went to a baptism.  It was for an 8 year old in our branch.  We taught her all the missionary lessons because her mom wanted us too, but her baptism would have happened regardless of us.  But it was so good to see her baptism.  We had so much fun and she is such a cute little girl.  And some good may come of it.  Her father is less active, but we met him for the first time at the Baptism, and we got to talk to him about the church later that night at a little gathering.

Sunday was SO GOOD.  There is a non-member who has started coming to church (we met her at church a few weeks back) and we have been trying to visit her because she is obviously interested, but we had a hard time finding her house.  So it is good to know that she is still coming to church even though we did not visit her.  We have better directions now though!  

There was another investigator at church and we are going to visit her tomorrow I think.  Sunday was kind of unproductive because Hna. Pena was sick for a while, and we had a hard time finding people.  We visited some members because we couldn't find anyone else to visit.  So it wasn't terrible, but it was not the best use of our time.  We stayed at the member’s house for 2 1/2 hours!

Our ward mission leader is INSANE!  In a good way.  He always has referrals for us and he always wants to be involved in what we are doing.  He is really good at finding people. If things go well, we may have 5 or so baptisms by the end of this transfer.  So we taught a lesson to a 12 year old yesterday and I think it went pretty well.  But it is hard to teach children, because I have a hard time knowing if they are taking lessons because they want to or their parents want them to.  I want to have baptisms on my mission, but I want EVERYONE I convert to actually be converted and to get baptized because they have a testimony and they know it is true.  Not because their parents want them too.

Monday night we drove down to Ogden for a SISTERS SLEEPOVER!  It was so fun.  We dressed up in our halloween costumes and just had a fun evening. And we got to stay up past our bed time!  And now it is P-day.  We came straight from the Sleepover to the library, so I don't have my camera cord.  Lots of pictures next week.  I PROMISE!

One other thing.  Our apartment is HAUNTED.  It started a few days ago, with a knock on the door.  It was a loud knock and all three of us heard it.  We ran to the door but nobody was there.  We looked around back to see if we could find anyone, but nobody was in sight.  Then one night, Hna Marin heard this awful screaming.  She said it was about 10:35 (which means I definitely had not fallen asleep) and that it was really loud.  But me and Hna. Pena did not hear it at all.  Then on Sunday, Hna Pena had a hallucination (best word I can think of to describe what happened).  She was sick, so she was taking a nap and she told us that a woman (that looked like Hna Marin) came in and pulled her leg, poked her side, and sat on her.  Like she saw and felt all these things happen.  She said she couldn't speak and she couldn't open her eyes all the way but it looked like Hna. Marin.  But me and Hna. Marin were upstairs studying the whole time she was napping!  Nobody touched her.  And yesterday, we were doing our companion study and we heard this huge crash.  Me and Hna. Marin went downstairs to see what (or who?!) it was.  Our laundry detergent had somehow fallen off the shelf and landed on top of the washer.  We have now idea how it fell.  It was pushed back and very securely on the shelf.  But it fell.  We have had a fun week being "scared" by our "haunted" apartment.

Well I love you all.  I know this Gospel is true and that I am doing the work I need to do! 

 I am writing letters, but our apartment does not have a place for sending letters, so I have not sent any yet.  Hopefully I can figure that out today! 

Con Amor,

Hermana Olsen

October 9, 2012

 P-Day, Giraffe glasses

 Hermana Olsen and Brogan Udall

 P-Day hike.

Angel Moroni statue

 

Hola todos, [Hey everyone]

Thank you Mom for the letters, Corinne for the email (I will try VERY HARD to write you a letter today), and Hno. Ton-son for the email!  Also, thanks for the package mom.  I loved the Halloween stuff.

First off, I want you all to know that the Utah Ogden Mission is the best mission IN THE WORLD!  And Logan is the best area in the mission :).  This does not mean that my week was necessarily easy, but with all the ups and downs I can see the Lord's hand in my life and that makes my mission the best because I know my mission is exactly what the Lord wants for me!

So this week we really got to teach some lessons.  And I have had the opportunity to contact too.  Oh man, my first contact.  This is a good story.  I knocked on the door of this house because we saw a little girl in the window and she looked Hispanic.  Her older sister opens the door and she speaks English.  I said something like Hi how are you.  But I had never contacted or practiced contacting in English so my mind blanked.  I couldn't think of anything to say.  Finally my senior companion took over.  It was pretty funny.

I actually do teach in English occasionally.  It is common for the parents to speak Spanish and the children English.  So we have some bi-lingual lessons.  But I am still hearing plenty of Spanish, and I would like to say my Spanish is improving.  I think some of our investigators will end up getting baptized.  Some have so much faith, and from what I understand I think we may have some baptisms in a few weeks.  

The best lesson to tell about was the one we had last night.  I had a classic "Best Two Years" Moment.  I have been here for about a week and really thought my understanding was improving.  I am talking a little bit more.  But the lesson last night, I could hardly understand a word she said.  Which was unfortunate because she was cracking a lot of jokes.  After the lesson we were walking back to the car and I looked at my companeras and said, "What was she speaking, cause that was not Spanish!"  But with time I hope to understand even her!

So I think I mentioned that we have dinner with a member family every night except P-day.  This is usually really fun and I love it.  But it scares me every day, because a few times the food has been something completely foreign to me and I haven't really liked it.  It is kind of a problem, because they usually serve us and always I am given more than I can eat.  But I do my best and always eat as much as I can.  It is usually really good food, just sometimes.  At least I am well fed.  And if we don't have a dinner appointment we can go to Chispitas a mexican restaraunt owned by members and eat for free!

We got to go to a Baptism this week for an older woman in the Elders area.  That was a special experience.  The spirit was very strong.

General Conference was FANTASTIC.  I am stoked about the missionary age change.  I think it is a stroke of inspiration and it only confirmed my testimony that this is the Lord's work.  Best part is that I was in the conference center when our beloved Prophet, Thomas S. Monson made this glorious announcement.  We had tickets so on Friday we had permission to leave Logan and go spend the night  at the Ogden Sisters place.  Then on Saturday morning we got to take a train to SLC.  We were able to attend that Session Saturday morning and the second we watched in one of the Temple Square visitor centers.  

In between sessions we went to the city creek mall and walked around temple square.  I ran into a few people that I know (If you are reading this, it was GREAT to see you!)  

After the second session we went back to the mall for a bit.  I wanted to take a train home and go read my scriptures, but we did not end up leaving until almost 9.  We stayed the night on saturday with  the Ogden sisters and then we woke up sunday morning and drove to a member family and they drove us to Salt Lake for the Sunday sessions.  We watched the first one in the visitors center and we had tickets for the second but gave them to the family that took us because they fed us breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and provided transportation.  It was only a fair trade.  

So after the first session we went to the museum took pictures with the angel Moroni and then watched conference in a theater in the museum!  My favorite talks in conference would have to be the one, Elder Nelson's I believe, about "Ask a missionary, they can help you!"  and Elder Eyring's about receiving revelation.  I LOVE CONFERENCE!  I am now having post-conference depression.  I blame you for that mom! :)

So sometimes I miss the MTC.  Not often but it happens.  But how could it not.  I had such amazing experiences there and had such a wonderful district and wonderful teachers.  I think  I miss it most when we are in the car listening to music (we are allowed to listen to Disney, but I would rather not.  But it isn't breaking a rule so I can't do anything about it...) or in a store where there is music.  I hate being in the world.  I wish I could talk with investigators and members all day.  i just want to teach.  I LOVE teaching.  I know I am not even close to fluent or good at it, but it is SO FUN to say something in broken, unconjugated, gringo, Spanish and have the thought that I may have helped someone feel the Spirit or desire to come unto Christ. So I  miss the mtc sometimes, but I really do love the field.  The spirit is so strong and I can feel so much love and support from my Heavenly Father and from all of you!  Thanks for the prayers.  I don't want to know that my life would be like without them!

So serving in Utah is so different than I bet most missions are.  There are restaurants and car wash places that are discounted for missionaries and sometimes free.  People come up to us and ask how we are doing, people say hi to us in stores and stuff.  I LOVE IT! At conference we were talking to some girls and they asked to take pictures with us!

Hno. Ton-son,

Gracias por su email y su ayuda en el CCM. Ahora yo puedo decir que yo estoy muy agradecida por su ayuda.  Pienso que yo estoy preparado bien. ( I am well prepared.)  Y el razon es su amor y su ayuda.  Y Hna. Camacho tambien!  No se si ella recibe mis emails, pero por favor diga a ella que yo estoy muy agradecida por la ayuda y que normalmente yo siento (prepared).  Mas de nada, tengo el conocimiento que Dios va a ayudarme con todo.  Y que yo puedo servir mi mision y completer cada cosa que yo necesito completer.  Gracias por esto.  Tambien, diga a Hna. Camacho que yo ensene una leccion a una chica que tiene 8 anos y yo ensene el cancion "cabeza, hombros, rodillas, y dedos" para ensenar la ley de castidad muy sencillamente.  Y la chica le encanta la cancion!  Otra vez, gracias a ustedes por todo!  You so da kind... :) Pienso que hoy, puedo escribir cartas a ustedes!

Con amor,

Hna Olsen

1st Week in the Field!

Pictures of Apartment

Hola todos! [Hello all!]

I hope all is well with everyone.  Things sure are great with me!  1st off, I forgot who sent me letters, but thanks to everyone I really enjoyed them all!  

okay, I need to talk about what happened my last few days of the MTC and then i can talk about my 4 or so days in the field.  Okay, finishing my time in the MTC was awesome but a bit stressful. I had to get ready to leave, pack, sign journals, and take pictures, and have in-field orientation in about 48 hours.  IT was a lot to do!  

Cool things that happened...The Temple dedication of the Brigham City Temple.  We got to watch the session.  We watched it at 9am and i was really tired, but it was such a spiritual experience.  I know that the Brigham Temple is a house of God and what a blessing temples are.  

I was a host missionary again.  I got to host for 3 sisters and it was so fun to get to know them and hopefully give them a good experience their first moments at the MTC.  In-field training was super helpful and fun.  We had a lot of workshops and we learned a lot.  It was a good day for learning how to be a good missionary.  But it was my last day in the MTC so it was hard to be in training for 12 hours of the day and find time to pack and everything.

Oh, my address is: 4380 south orchard avenue

                             South Ogden, Utah 84403

On saturday morning I woke up at 5:45 to finish packing and be at the office at 6:30.  Then me and 4 other missionaries (also waiting for visas to Spain) got in a van and we were driven up to the Ogden mission office.  At the mission office we were given breakfast, had interviews with President Heirs, and met a lot of missionaries.  I was then told where in the Ogden Mission I would be assigned.  

SO, drum roll please....I am in the LOGAN Cache Valley area.  Shout out to Kaylie Moon and her family. I totally recognize stuff from when I went to your house.  But I am in a Spanish area and I think my area ends right before providence.  But the Temple and everything is in my area.  I am emailing from the Tabernacle.  

So, it has been a weird first couple of days in the field.  My first day was weird because I began to realize how much Spanish I do not know.  But things are okay there.  I can understand concepts, but never well enough to contribute anything.  Oh, my companions!  I have 2!  Sister Marin was born in Mexico but raised in Idaho. She has been out 6 months and is training me.  Sister Pena is from Honduras and is learning English.  She has been out for 2 months and is being trained too.  

Okay, so after everything at the mission home, I was driven up to Logan and taken to my apartment.  Then we went out for a Pizza lunch.  We also went to visit A LOT of people, but nobody was home.  So around dinner time we went to the church for dinner and for the RS broadcast.  We left early because we had an appointment, but again nobody was home.

On Sunday I was bombarded by Spanish.  We went to church with the Buenavista branch and sacrament program was the Primary Program.  It was cute. So our ward is a bunch of Spanish people.  I am the only one that does not have brown hair and the only one that has white skin.  I am also the tallest woman.  That is a new one for me!  haah. 

Every dinner we have with a member except for P-day.  So on Sunday, we are walking up to the door of the Members and Hna. Marin says to me, will you share a scripture with them.  I said yes and after dinner shared in spanish a scripture.  It was scary but it was good because it was like the first time I spoke.  This is what I need to work on.  Speaking.  We also visited a less active sister on sunday and she said she would come to church.  I think.  

Yesterday we had zone conference.  It was really good.  We have a goal.  3,6,9, obedience time.  In 3 months our mission wants to baptize 600 people, and teach 900 lessons to less active or recent converts.  IT is a mighty goal but with exact obedience i think it is possible.  

Yesterday we talked to quite a few people.  I said the basic hola or como esta, but not much more.  I speak a lot of spanish with my companions, but that is it.  During lessons I am pretty quiet.  Yesterday was kind of hard, because we spent time going to walmart and smiths and just driving around.  We then went to mcdonalds and a spanish bakery.  It was such a waste of time.  I need to figure out a nice way to tell my companions that is not cool.  We are in a car area, too.  

Also during zone conference we were invited to read the book of Mormon and mark references of the Holy Spirit.  We were asked to invite our families to do the same.  So, anyone who wants to do this, feel free!

I am excited for tomorrow, because it will be my first full and normal day in the field.  I am doing really well and am very happy with my re-assignment!  I love you all and would love to hear from you!  Pray that I can learn better Spanish and actually open my mouth!

Con amor,

Hermana Olsen