Oh Barrio 1

 The baptism of Dantel.  I’m pretty sure he is from Ecuador, but I don´t know for sure. hahaa.

 My photo wall.  On the very right you can see pictures from Corinne´s wedding!

P-day today.  We went to Parque Europa (Europe park).  It was my third time going and I´ve already sent pictures from it, but this one was different.  We found this little vine tunnel, I don´t know what it is. haha. i cannot talk in English anymore.

Hola Familia y amigos,

Barrio 1 is different.  It has been a CRAZY week.  White washing is not easy.  But we had a baptism on Sunday, so I cannot complain much.  It´s just been hard getting to know the ward and our investigators, and our area!  We were doing weekly planning before we had even MET some of our investigators.  We still haven´t met them all!  But we are working hard and overall I really like Barrio 1.  It is a smaller barrio, but really good. We have only met a few members, but they are so nice and one Hermana is willing to help us with anything.

So we spent a lot of time going through the area book, and having the Elders help us and trying to make sense of everything, but I will tell you about our Baptism and the Bolivar family.

Dantel (30 yrs old) got baptized yesterday and it was AMAZING!  Long story short we had some struggles.  We had the baptism planned for Satuday, but it ended up happening yesterday.  Missionary life--things happen!  I´m just glad he got baptized.  He was so cute after, he looks at us and says, “I´m not an investigator anymore.”  hahaa.  

It was super weird that we were the ones to baptize him too.  He had already been taught EVERYHING.  We just gave him a pre-interview and then he had his real one.  The day of his baptism was like the 4th time we had met him! haha.  But he is super cool.  i felt the Spirit really strong when he got baptized!

The Bolivar family.  They are AMAZING.  They are a FAMILY first off.  And they are from Peru.  They have been meeting with the missionaries for about 3 years now. The only thing stopping them from being baptized is that they are not married.  But that isn´t stopping their children!  

They have a 10 or 11 year old son who is a member and we are currently preparing their 8 year old for baptism.  We don´t know if the parents are just waiting for marriage but I think they are.  To me this family is incredible.  They are raising their children in the true church and patiently waiting their turn for baptism.  They go to church every sunday, and are super active.  They have the picture version of the Book of Mormon, the New Testament, AND the Doctrine and Covenants.  Their kids know sooo much about the gospel.  It´s amazing.  

Rosalind, the 8 year old, is SOO funny.  We are teaching her all the lessons to make sure she is ready.  Yesterday we did the Plan of Salvation.  When talking about the resurrection and being restored to our perfect state, she asked us what would happen if somebody had a face and half of it was one color and half was another?  To what state would they be restored?  It was SO funny.  

Hna Palomino was great.  She just said, "The only answer we have is what the scriptures say.  They would be restored to the perfect state.  If we meet someone like that in heaven, we can ask them."   Teaching children, is fun.  After her baptism, which is this saturday, we are going to start focusing on the parents and see when they can get baptized.  They are getting married on December 11th so hopefully pretty soon!

This week, we are going to have to work hard on finding because we don´t have a very big group of people to teach!  Prayers that we can find people prepared for the gospel would be awesome!  Thanks.

Con amor,

Hermana Olsen

Estoy serviendo en Barrio 1

 Me and our ward mission leader

 Me and Armine.  She helped us a ton with lessons!

 The district-all of us served in barrio 8 as well. Our ward was a district.  It was awesome!

saying good bye to: 

Justino (recent convert)

 Oscar (recent convert)

 Rosa

Oliva. Isnt Oliva sooo short?  I LOVE her soooo much!  She is probably one of my favorite members of my whole mission.

Hola familia y amigos,

We have had quite the transfer.  I am serving in Barrio 1.  I am still in madrid, but more in the North.  i live really close to Cuatro Caminos.  I don´t know if this is just a metro stop, or the actual part of Madrid, but you could look it up and figure out where I am.  Is it funny that I don´t really know?

My mind is a bit scattered this morning with transfers and everything. I must say I was surprised by the transfer. We have just arrived in Barrio 1 and we have a lot of work to do already! Hermanas Talbares and Ferrari worked hard and we have many progressing investigators and 4 on fecha. It surprises me that an area like this was white washed, and I feel bad for the other hermanas. But I know all is in the Lords hands and we will all see the miracles that we are meant to experience.
So they white washed the area we are currently in.  My new companion is Hermana Palomino.  She was raised in New York and Utah, but speaks perfect Spanish and English.  

The two Hermanas before us are staying together and were sent to go open an area.  It is super weird because white washes tend to happen when companions have problems, or the area is not going well.  But they stayed together, so clearly there are not problems getting along, and they left us with 4 investigators that are scheduled to be baptized. 2 this week and 2 next!  And an agenda full of appointments and stuff.  We don´t know why the area was white washed, but we will have a very busy and productive transfer!  

I have to explain a story.  Sunday morning President called, and told me that he wanted to read my letter to him in stake conference!  He asked my permission, and of course I said yes!  Wow, what an experience.
I was sad to leave Barrio 8, it was my longest area in my mission, but I feel good about Barrio 1 and am ready to work harder than ever before and see miracles! I was very surprised Sunday morning, when the phone went off and you were calling. It was amazing that you read my letter in Stake Conference! I do try to write with my soul, but I never realized my letter could have such an impact! Thank you for that opportunity.

This last week,  I really thought I would be transfered.  I just had a feeling.  I sure did not want to go though.  And it was super hard.  It honestly felt like leaving Logan again.  I had been in Barrio 8 the same amount of time, and it was hard to say goodbye.  I had the chance to say goodbye to Justino, Oscar, and a few of our Menos activos (less actives).  Justino gave me a farewell gift, and Oliva did too.  So SWEET.  I love the Latin people!

My last week in Barrio 8 was wonderful! I loved my time there, as I have loved my time in every area. I have come to think, that my current area is always my favorite because it is where I am currently loving the people. I still have great love for all of my areas, but I can say with confidence that right now Barrio 1 is my favorite area, or very soon will be!

I don´t really remember what we did this week.  Lora has continued to progress, and she is seeing miracles.  She told us she read more in the Book of Mormon and that she started at the beginning like we asked her to.  She read the first 5 chapters!  And she says she feels more energy and fuerza (strength?) to go about the day.  And she is feeling more peace and tranquilidad.  She says it is super weird, but making her think.  

I think it was hardest to leave her, and i did not get the chance to say goodbye, but I wrote her like a 2 page letter.  I really think she will get baptized this or next transfer.  It is hard because I am not close enough to go to the baptism, so I won´t be able to see it.

But I am very excited to be in Barrio 1.  We don´t know our investigators or the area or the ward, so I think i am most looking forward to the chance to start over.  I can be whoever I want to be.  I can be the best I have ever been, and really make the most of my last 3 transfers.  This is probably my last area, but with me you never really know!

This transfer, as we are white washing, I really want to work hard with the ward. We don´t know the area or anything, so we really need their help! And we need their trust, so I hope we can befriend them and serve them! I also want to work on teaching more by the spirit. To really rely on the Lord and so I am going to really study Predicad Mi Evangelio chapters 3 and 4. I am very excited for this transfer and for the MIRACLES that are waiting me, as I strive to do what the Lord would have me do in His vineyard!

I have a million pictures to send home, and not much else to say.  i KNOW this church is true.  I know God needs me in Barrio 1 for a reason.  I know I am in his hands.  We sang “I´ll go where you want me to go” the day we learned about transfers.   I love that song so much, and it really has applied to my mission.  I have had 18 companions, slept on 10 beds, and packed my suitcases 6 times now!  But every change has brought forth miracles and I know this one will be no different!

Con amor,

Hermana Olsen

a week of MIRACLES

me and my compañera at the mission home today.  we had an Hnas only activity!  We have 50 some hnas in the mission and about 45 in madrid that came to the activity!  I LOVE this mission!

Mis FUNDAS. por fin.  My scripture covers. Finally!  I ordered them LAST General Conference.  A guy in Malaga makes them.  I finally got them, and I LOVE them!

Hola Familia y amigos,

The stuff in grey is copied from my letter to President.  We haven´t much time, but what I wrote to president is pretty much everything that happened this week.

I saw miracles this week! It has been such a great week! We worked hard, and saw miracles.

Miracle 1
We are teaching a Spanish Woman who has lived a hard life and has told us that she has no faith and a hard heart. Our first 2 or 3 return appointments, she had not read in the Book of Mormon. Our last appointment with her, she read 3 Nefi 14 and Moroni 10. She had sticky notes marking the chapters, and had things to share about what she liked. We then spent time reading with her in 2 Nefi 31 and that brought a strong spirit. We talked about it and she said the closing prayer. She prayed in gratitude that she felt better and believed that God was helping her and that it was because she was learning about His truth or something. She also seemed happier, and I know she is begining to change.  gospel is helping her!
Lora is absolutely amazing.  She has seen a lot of hardship in her life, but now that she has started to read the Book of Mormon, I hope she will continue and see the blessings that it brings.  She still has a long way to come, but I know this gospel is for her, and I am sooo excited for her to progress!  I know this gospel is what she needs.  We haven´t known her very long, but I have so much love for her!
Miracle 2
We were out contacting one morning and we started with a prayer. We quickly recieved about 4 references. I was very happy, but praying in my heart that we could find a lesson. Not long after we found Suelita. She is from Leon, but living in our area. We were walking down the street and all of a sudden, I find myself talking to this lady, and asked her if she had some time. She said yes and so we sat down and taught her the Restoration. She really enjoyed it and we are going to continue teaching her!
This was a huge tender mercy for me!  I was really praying in my heart that we could find someone prepared and that we could have a lesson on the street.  I honestly cannot remember starting to talk to her.  I just remember talking to her all of a sudden.  I love moments like that.  The spirit really guides us to find those who we are meant to find.
Miracle 3
On Friday at Mediodia until Saturday at Mediodio we fasted that our investigators, less actives and recent converts could come to General Conference. This is my last General Conference in the Mission and I REALLY wanted the chance to watch it with someone. I was able to watch every single session in Spanish! The saturday session we had an investigator and her less active, husband-to-be, and 2 recent converts. The Sunday sessions, we had a recent convert, Oscar. He got to the chapel at 10am for his priesthood interview with the bishop, and stayed all sessions. It was a once in a life time experience to sit in the chapel and watch conference with these people that I love SO much! I am very glad that I had this opportunity!
This might be the biggest miracle of the week.  It was a little disappointing, because we were expecting so many more people to come.  But I will NEVER forget the moments where I was able to feel the Spirit and feel the love of God and the leaders of the church, and to look over at Oscar and know that he was feeling it too. He is super shy, but I know he enjoyed conference and that it made him feel good!  and Justino came for the saturday session.  He REALLY enjoyed it!  He said it wasn´t long enough.  But he couldn´t make it to the sessions on Sunday, other than priesthood.  i LOVE General Conference sooooo much!  I recieved a lot of inspiration and revelation to my questions and doubts.
I LOVE the mission, and am trying to make every moment count. I love my Savior and love this chance and opportunity to bear testimony of Him and the restoration of His gospel!

This week has been wonderful.  As is every week.  Every MOMENT of the mission is just fantastic!  I LOVE the mission soooooo much. Can I say it enough? I wish I could adequately describe how i feel, but there just are not words for it. 

Con amor,

Hermana Olsen

On the radio en Spanish

Cars parked randomly in the middle of the street.  I have seen parallel parking on the sides of a road, but never in the middle!

The black poster in spanish says, "now we cannot stop to save lives"  I think it is for a hospital or some group like red cross or something.   But I like the missionary relation!

 

Trying to fix the shower.  There was a hole in the shower pipe and so all the water was coming out right under the handle.  We had to KNEEL to shower! In the end we called the dueno (owner) and he got it fixed for us!  We could not unscrew the old shower hose.  But we had fun trying!

Hola familia y todos,

This has been quite an amazing week.  What an amazing week.  We continue to work hard, and are really blessed for our efforts.  We had some amazing lessons and experiences this week.

Maybe the most incredible was the chance to record for the radio.  I hope so much, that James recieves permision to air our little ¨show¨.  James, we contacted a few months ago.  He does not have time to recieve the lessons, but he was more than willing to let us come down to his radio and record an interview.  

He has a show, but he also has a director that has to approve his material.  So we don´t know yet if it will go on air, but we recorded it!  We got to go with two other Hermanas and 2 elders.   It was so fun to record, and I will never forget the moment.  How blessed I feel to have had the chance to testify of the restoration on radio!  

I had the chance to testify of a message of peace and happiness.  I don´t really remember what i said, i was pretty nervous, but I talked about how the exact church that Jesus established is on the earth again.  I think i said something about eternal families too.  After the experience, there was more I wish I had said, or I wish I had said it more clearly, more boldly, but I did my best and I have to put my faith in that my intention will speak louder than my words.  Oh how badly I hope this gets aired!

This week was a little hard.  We managed to teach a significant amount, but everyone we are teaching seems to be struggling.  Nobody comes to church, or that I know of is reading.  I see their potential and am trying to do everything that I can to help them. but i do not know if i am actually doing everything i can.  

Part of the problem is that they won´t answer their phones and so we cannot even meet with them regularly.  I know meeting with them on a regular bases would help them progress!  But what can I do if they won´t answer their phone?  Sometimes we pass by just to see if they are in, and it has worked occasionally, but we are struggling to see our investigators with a regular basis.  But I try my hardest and feel comfort in that.

I am doing really well.  I am starting to feel like I am truly working my hardest and I sure am trying to make the most of my mission!  I have done this my whole mission, but now, with 5 months left, I feel a drive to work harder and do even more.  I like how I am working, but often I feel like I am not doing enough.  Maybe this is because nobody is progressing, but I just really don´t want to go home with regrets, and I feel the urge to do more, but I don´t know how to feel like I am doing enough.  I guess this is something I need to study and pray about!

I am beyond excited for General Conference.  It is my favorite weekend every 6 months.  Me and my mom always get post Conference depression when conference ends.  It has always been something very special to me!  Lately I have been going with a question or 2 and this makes it all the more meaningful.  This week I will be studying and doing some soul searching to find out what question(s) I want to bring to General Conference.

I LOVE my mission, and look forward to another week to love and testify of my Savior and what he has done for us!

Con amor,

Hermana Olsen

What a week

Hola familia y amigos,

This week has been absolutely amazing.  Probably one of the best of my whole mission!  We worked hard and really saw success.  We had some low moments, but compared with the miracles that we saw, what are a few hard hours!?  One rough day?  In the grand scheme of things, they don´t mean a thing!

We got a member reference from a recent convert in Barrio 6.  He just went through the temple this month and has a friend that lives in Barrio 8.  Her name is Lora and she is Española.  She NEEDS the gospel!  She has lived a hard life, and doesn´t have very much faith in anything good right now.  She is searching for comfort, peace, and happiness.  And this is what we have promised to give her!  At this point I don´t know if she believes it is possible.  She is willing to listen to us, but I feel like as we teach her, she wants to believe but doesn´t see how it can be possible.  I know the gospel can help her.  She has a lot of doubts, but I pray sincerely that she can find faith and that she can find what she is looking for.

I want to take the time to bear my testimony that I KNOW the Book of Mormon is true!  I have read it, I have prayed about it, and God has told me that it is true!  I have had the chance this week to share my conversion of the Book of Mormon with many people.  I want to share it with all of you.  

When I was about 15, our family went to sit outside the Temple and finish reading the Book of Mormon as a family.  This is a tradition we have and whenever we get close to finishing the Book of Mormon as a family we go to the temple.  But this year was special.  I remember after finishing the Book of Mormon, my parents gave us time to walk temple grounds and be alone.  I found my family all walking their own way and I went to a little bench by a flower bush and started thinking.  

I was old enough to start doubting if the Book of Mormon was true.  Mom and Dad always told me it was.  I felt good reading it.  The stories applied to my life and helped me, but was it really a book from God?  Did his prophets really write it?  I was not sure.  So I knelt down and I prayed.  I don´t remember the prayer, but it wasn´t long.  I do remember what happened after.  Exactly.  

As I knelt by that bench, the flowers, and the temple. I felt something.  I felt peace.  I felt the Holy Spirit speak to my heart and testify that the Book of Mormon is true!  The mission has only increased my testimony of the Book of Mormon.  I know it is true.  To read its pages and have the words of the ancient prophets counsel me in my day.  Every morning is an hour of bliss as I study the scriptures and the words of Christ and His prophets.

This isn´t actually the story I had planned on telling.  We had an experience with the Book of Mormon that made a good analogy, but I felt like starting with my testimony of the Book of Mormon.  This week, we gave away our last 4 Books of Mormon (Book of Mormons?) . So we called our District Leader and asked if he could bring more to our ward Noche de Hogar [Family Home Evening].  He brought a box and his companion brought a box.  36 Books of Mormon per box.  Me and Hermana O´Keeffe had to carry these boxes home.  36 Books of Mormon are HEAVY.  

We had to walk to the bus stop, and walk home from the bus stop.  We don´t live far from the bus, but we don´t live close either.  I would say from the church to getting on the bus and from getting off the bus to our house we walked a good distance. Enough that we had to stop and rest several times.  Enough that there was once or twice where my arms literaly gave out and I dropped the box.  We were talking about it, and decided that if the Book of Mormon was not true, we would not have carried it so far.  We hurt so bad afterwards.  This was on Wednesday, and I´m mostly back to normal, but my arms still ache a bit!  THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE!

I also want to bear testimony of the Atonement.  We had our ward Noche de Hogar and the elders did one of the coolest atonement analogies I have ever seen!  We stood in a single file line and Elder Shumway (our district leader) put a hymn book far from us.  He told us we had to jump past the hymn book.  Then he took Elder Miles and gave him a raw onion.  He said for every one of us that missed, Elder Miles had to take a bite out of the onion.  Some jumped and actually got close.  None of us made it.  Elder Miles ate just under half of the Union.  Then Elder Shumway says, what about the people that have not come yet?  You have to eat the whole onion.  Eat it for everyone.

So we watch Elder Miles eat a WHOLE onion, and Elder Shumway bore a really powerful testimony about the Savior and how he suffered for us.  The Spirit was so strong, and if I was a crier, I would have been crying my eyes out.  I sure teared up.  We ended by singing “I Stand all Amazed.”  It was perfect.

This week, we talked to a lot of people.  We gave a lot of cards away, and got a lot of received.  It amazes me how easily I can talk to people.  How comfortable I can feel having a conversation with someone.  In SPANISH. I can joke, and show interest.  In the begining of my mission, I kind of felt like I lost my personality, because I could not communicate the way I wanted to.  

Now, things are different.  I SPEAK SPANISH!  And I am persistent, or better:  bold with love.  We were talking to a lady and she told us she was difficult.  She didn´t really believe.  She could listen but not understand.  I asked her if she thought it imposible.  She said no.  I asked her if we could write down her number because we knew this message was for her, she was a precious daughter of God.  And I told her that I liked a challenge.  I was shocked that I said that to somebody!  But she laughed and gave us her number.

We are working better with members and with the ward than ever before!  We are going to see the broadcast from FOREVER ago on Sunday.  At least parts of it.  Better than nothing right?  And we are inviting members to help us in lessons and asking our bishop and ward mission leader to help with things that we are struggling with.  We usually write our struggles on our informe but to actually call and ask or ask during correlation is making a huge difference.  

And we are teaching a mother and her 14 year old daughter.  We talked with the Young Womens president and she got us in contact with the miamaid advisor who is going to come with us to our next lesson to support, AND invite her to activites so that she can get to know the other young women!  None of that would have happened had we not asked!

Barrio 8 is amazing!  Our recent converts and those of the other missionaries are doing so well. One blessed the sacrament yesterday and was just called to be Young Mens Secretary.  He has been a member for about 3 months!  Our recent convert Oscar is going to help the Elders teach one of their investigators and fellowship him!  This work is just amazing!

The last thing I want to talk about is bread.  I absolutely LOVE bread.  I have a sandwich every day and occassionaly will just buy a barra de pan; it is like a fresh little loaf of bread that I will eat plain and right away. Especially if I am having a hard day.  One of the Elders has noticed me with bread a few times and always asks me when the last time I had bread was.  It is super funny.  He actually gave me bread once.  We just had a lot of jokes about it, and it is super funny.  

But I was also thinking one day about our meeting with Elder Ballard.  I made myself laugh when I realized that when he is discouraged he looks at a picture of the Savior.  When I am discouraged, I buy bread.  This got me thinking though about how Christ is the bread of life.  Studying His life and what He has done for me and for everyone does bring me much more joy than an actual loaf of bread.

So as you can see by the length of this email, it has been an AMAZING week!  And things are only going to get better!  We are working hard, and are going to keep working HARDER, because that is what brings the miracles.  I am HIGH on life as I write this to you all.  Very very happy!  It just doesn´t get better than this!

Con amor,

Hermana Olsen