What a wonderful week

 This pic is me and Hna. Hansen in the park!

 These 2 pics are from Sol in the center of Madrid.

  Hola Familia y todos!

This has been a wonderful week!  Lets start with the big news.  I am still in Barrio 6 in Pavones.  And I am NOT training.  I am one of 2 or 3 hermanas not training.  I am companions with Hna. Munden (was with her for a week before getting emergency transferred to Pavones).  It was a crazy night, finding out this information.  I was so expecting to train, and I was honestly excited to train.  I was a little hurt, many hermanas with less time in the mission are training.  

Why not me?  Why did God help me feel ready and excited to train, making me feel that I really could do it with Him, and then not have me train?  But it is a very humbling experience.  I know I am not training, not because I am not capable, but because it is not my time.  Maybe next transfer.  I am very happy to stay in Barrio 6.

Hermana Hansen is also staying which means we had to divide our area.  It was so HARD.  Last night we prayed a ton and the Lord truly guided us to know who should continue teaching who.  It was really hard to have to say goodbye to teaching some of our investigators.  But I know they are in good hands (those of the Lord!).

I am excited for a new transfer and for everything that can happen.  This area is alive with people that need the gospel!  I pray that I can help them understand that and help them understand WHY they need it!

I LOVE THE MISSION!  I hit 9 MONTHS on Wednesday!  Yikes.  It makes me want to CRY.  I NEVER want to come home! Sorry, but it´s so true.  I am so alive with the Spirit of God.  It is INCREDIBLE.  This week was amazing.  We had some great lessons with investigators, we found more people to teach, and we are working with some solid recent converts, and some less actives.

We taught the ward Noche de Hogar (family home evening) and we taught about the armor of God Efesios (Ephesians?) 6.  SO FUN.  We made the armour of God out of cardboard and we bought ping pong balls.  We had a volunteer get hit with the balls and talked about how it hurt/ was scary or whatever.  Then we had him put on the armor of God and not one ball hit him.  It was fun.  I will have to vestirme (get dressed) with the armor and send a picture!

Highlight/funny story of the week:  We were teaching a recent convert and she left to go make us lunch, when her 4 year grandson walks in and asks if he can sing for us.  We say yes and he proceeds to sing Baby, Never say Never, and Boyfriend by none other than my boy Justin Bieber!  I haven´t heard those songs in ages.  He sang them in perfect English too!  Other than the fact that he is 4 and can´t pronounce everything.  He had a pretty good voice too!  It was sooo cute and funny!

For those of you who remember and if not, i will explain again, cause i am super stoked!  ADELLA got baptized!  She was someone who I taught in Logan, UT and had been investigating the church for 5 years!  She really got baptized, and this is what Hna. Marcum wrote about it: 

"Then Saturday was adella's baptism. It really happened. I could not believe it and when we walked in she was wearing a temple dress for her baptism  oh it gave me so much joy and I loved to hear her say. “It took me 5 years to get to this point and now I just want to go to the temple. that is my goal to go to the temple.” I asked after if it was everything she wanted and she said it was more. she got up and shared her testimony and I was so happy for it. It is amazing that in baptism that I never cry and I am a crier. But the feelings that I feel at baptisms are the same feelings I feel in the temple that undeniable peace.  I know that baptism is a convent just like the temple. It is amazing. I was happy for her and me and elder lew it sing and I was so grateful to elder because he really sang with the spirit. In the beginning I went on auto pilot and it was not bad. but when start his part I know that the way he was singing was the way the song should be song for a baptism. So I quick followed his lead and we sang it in the right spirit. I really was grateful to him. everything was wonderful and there was so many people that it was in the chapel. It was like a sacrament meeting. I do think it was a little over the top but it what adella wanted. it was long it was almost 2 hours. I felt bad for elder lew.  But i was just glad that adella did it. she is a member and on the way to the temple. miracles happen and I know that there are more on the way."

How amazing is that!  I am so happy for her!

I KNOW this church is true.  I am being perfected in Christ and I will forever be grateful for Him and what he is doing for me and to me.  He is changing me into who He wants me to be.  Someone more amazing and glorious than I could ever imagine or make myself.  He can do this for YOU too!  Come unto Him and be LIKE Him!

Con Amor,

Hermana Olsen