I'm Getting Transferred!

Good morning back!

Alright just to let everyone know because everyone wants to know. I'm getting transferred! It was rough i really  really really don't wanna go. On Saturday i got a call in the middle of the day and all they told me was that they were releasing me as a district leader. I didn't know that they did that but whatever, i basically figured out at that point i was being transferred.

So then later we got the transfer calls, guess what? Elder Dietz is also being transferred! Which i was actually not too happy about. I've repented of that but I'm really concerned now that all of the people
we are teaching are just going to fall through the cracks. But i know that it's the Lords work and not mine and He cares about those people more then i do and will take care of them.

Sacrament meeting was ridiculous. So we were telling people here and there before the meeting that we were getting transferred. I told Elder Dietz that if i tell to many people that i was just gonna start
crying. So then of course it's announced that we're leaving over the pulpit which is like telling everyone! Luckily i was sitting in the back, I'm really gonna miss Hartsville.

We had a fantastic week though! Right before i got released as a District Leader we had found a new investigator and put her on date for baptism for Sep. 22. Which is cool because her birthday is on the
23. But anyway she just agreed with everything we taught, as we taught it she knew it was true because of how she felt. She already had a close connection with the Holy Ghost it seemed so it wasn't hard for
her to know it is true. She just started crying when we quoted the first vision. It was a great experience. Her daughter sat in for the last half of when we taught so hopefully she will get baptized as well. Along with the other 3 daughters that she has.

So when i realized i was getting transferred i realized how much stuff i had acquired while i was here. Wow, i gotta send a lot of stuff home there is no way i can pack that all. It was actually pretty cool, yesterday we were at the Laffidy's and their son who is about 14 gave me a leather jacket. He got it for free and i always joked about taking it from him. So it was funny because we walked out to the car and when i sat down he threw the jacket at my face then ran into his house. Good thing it was dark because i got all teary eyed again. I'm tellin y'all i haven't cried this much in my life. Just to let y'all know i've promised practically everyone in Hartsville that i would come back to visit.

So i can't believe that i didn't wish dad a happy birthday! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I will say that i've told almost every companion that i involintaringly look at the clock at 8:18 because dad used to always
point it out while we were driving. I even said that it was his birthday a few times to some people back on the 18. But anyways happy birthday again and don't think i forgot because yours is about the only birthday i can actually remember! Besides yours mom 3/3 (nice and easy)

I love y'all!
Elder K. Olsen

P.S. We're getting our picture taken with a lot of families so when thats all done I'll be sending home over 1000 pictures and about 50 videos.... have fun!!!

Guess who got the Priesthood?!?

Monday Monday Monday!

This week was so fantastic! We actually were able to find a whole bunch of new investigators! One of them will be hard to catch because he coaches the football team here in Hartsville. Which by the way the Hartsville football team might as well be a NFL team, because that's how they are treated out here. Oh, and guess what? The captain of the football team blesses the sacrament every Sunday. So that's pretty cool.

Also we finally got back in contact with Makayla yesterday! We called her and she said that she's been super busy and that she promised that she continue coming back to church and take the lessons. It was funny as i was on the phone with her we were in the Laffidys home and sister laffidy told me to tell Makayla that her son would be coming with us. Well i told Makayla and then after the phone call Sister Laffidy told me that Makayla has a crush on her son so it makes our chances of teaching her better. I laughed pretty hard.

Someone else we actually found at church. This guy was visiting with a couple of his kids and i guess he was visiting a girl that lived in Hartsville and she came to church with him. Well he is back in Utah now and we have the information of Andrea who we will be teaching this week. She seemed really excited to hear more about it.

Do y'all want to know something really exciting!? So guess who got the priesthood on Sunday? David! That was probably one of the coolest moments on my mission. It's amazing to watch people grow in the gospel. To start by knowing nothing about the Restoration to going to receiving the power of God given to man on earth. Now i truly understand the joy that the scriptures talk about when you bring a soul unto Christ. 

So I've been getting pretty good on my bike. Because of all the major road trips which we had to make this month we only have 100 miles left. If you do the math that gives us about 7 miles a day. Which gets us pretty much no where haha. But the great part is that we have unlimited miles on our bikes. Have i mentioned that i absolutely love my new bike? Because if i haven't i just want to let y'all know that i do. 

Our District this week has made it an effort to knock every day. It was getting to a point that knocking really wasn't happening that much. It was really starting to effect the work. So on Tuesday during our district meeting we had a lot of discussion on how we can improve. After we came up with all of the things that would help us i told them that i would be calling them a couple times a day to see how it's all going. Which helps me as well, because if i don't do it then it won't drive them to do it. I'm starting to understand how to be a truly effective district leader... it only took me six months haha. 

So I've been here six months and it's really sad because i really don't want to go. But we find out about transfers this Saturday and unfortunately there's a good chance that I'm leaving. There's so much that's about to happen here, now that school has started all of the people we are teaching aren't on vacation and we can actually teach them. But nevertheless I know if i stay or if i get transferred it's what needs to happen.

I'm so extremely grateful that i can be a missionary. That the Lord would send me here and help me learn so much and grow so close to Him. I've grown more in the past year than i probably have the rest of my life. I can see how different i am from looking at my desires and my dreams. I look to the future now thinking of how much more i can succeed in. I just love the gospel, I love my Savior, i love being a missionary.

And i love y'all!!!

 

Elder K. Olsen

Good morning back

Good morning back

Uh oh, my mind is drawing a blank and i forgot my planner with my
notes... I'll do my best!

Well first off we had a couple rough days this week. Elder Dietz was
sick for a couple days so we had to stay in the apartment. I don't
know how i could just lay around back home i was so bored! I read some
scriptures, took a nap, cleaned, ate, took a nap (i was aloud to so i
took all the chances i could get). But there's only so much you can
do. But on the bright side he is better and we were able to work
yesterday! Hallelujah!

Sunday was great as usual. It's actually become my favorite day of the
week. Because we're able to feel that spirit during church and then
everybody wants to talk to us because they have things for us to do.
So i'm formal speed walking around the church talking to this person
and that person. Then when we get outside we run to the car because we
have to go give someone a blessing and teach this person and have
dinner over at this house. All i can say is that i love being a
missionary.

I was able to give a blessing on Sunday and i love using the
priesthood. I feel so honored that Heavenly Father would reach down
and inspire me to say what he wants and use me as an instrument. I was
able to say things in the blessing that she needed that she hadn't
told anyone about. Tell me the Spirit wasn't there.

So i was able to go up to Cheraw with Elder Homer in my District for
exchanges for a day. We had a really good time. Luckily while i was up
there my hollow leg was working cause i ate a ton! Breakfast was four
waffles, four hours later i stuffed myself at chinese buffett, ten
minutes after that we go to a members house, and she's all, "Heres a
giant plate of food!" It was massive! and i was full! Somehow i ate it
all... with some help from the dog. Then just two hours after that
some members took us to dinner at Wendy's where i got two hamburgers
and some chicken nuggets. It was ridiculous. As we were riding our
bikes home we crossed a street covered in change. When we counted it
we found out that we picked up $13.82! It was awesome, there was over
300 pennies. But as we were riding home there was a huge thunderstorm
and no rain. We got home and it started to sprinkle, then i turned
around to shut the door and it downpoured! I don't know if i've ever
seen that much rain. So i thought it was cool that the Lord stopped it
from raining just for two little missionaries.

We had our Zone Conference down in Monks Corner on Wednesday. Which is
a two hour drive from Hartsville. We needed to be there at 8. Well the
rest of the District stayed the night so we all stayed up talking
until 1 am. Not our smartest idea ever. So then the alarm goes of at 4
so we could all get ready. I was so tired i have no idea how we all
stayed awake the entire time. But we had a great time and it was
basically all the same stuff from the Leadership Training Meeting.
Which i actually love all of these meetings because it gets me pumped!

Anyways I love being a missionary and i love y'all!
Elder K. Olsen

I know that my Redeemer Lives

So this Sunday service was absolutely amazing! I was able to pass the sacrament today and i love doing it so much. I'm so thankful that Adam Alviso made us pass it perfectly back when i was a deacon. It gave me so much respect for it that as time went on i learned to love the sacrament more and more even though i didn't quite have a testimony of it. Well as you know about a month ago i learned a lot about the sacrament and now it's probably one of my favorite parts of the gospel. So when i was able to pass it again imagine my excitement! When i was taking the water to everyone i held it in my right hand (at a perfect 90 degree angle, thanks again Adam) but then i couldn't help but to keep it perfectly stable with my left hand because it just seemed to precious to me. The sacrament is so wonderful.

Then the testimonies which were said were amazing! It was just heartfelt testimony after heartfelt testimony. So when we got to the closing hymn, "I know that my Redeemer lives" we were all singing as loudly as you can while still be extremely respectful. I felt as though we weren't just saying the words, we were feeling the words. The Spirit is amazing.

The only downside was that none of our investigators were able to make it to church yesterday. Which is too bad because yesterday we taught Carolyn with the member that was going to pick her up and the lesson went great! At the very end we asked Carolyn if she knew how to pray. She said yes and recited the Lords prayer. Then we taught her how to pray from her heart. She didn't quite understand and recited the Lords prayer again. But then the member was inspired and said something that just clicked with Carolyn and she got it. Then she said a true prayer, she actually spoke with Heavenly Father for the first time. I couldn't help but cry that i could actually be a tool in something so amazing. After she prayed Carolyn said that she was going to always pray like that because she felt really good. As she said that she felt really good she would point to her heart. So even though she didn't come to church i was so glad that she was able to do that.

Also this week i was in Columbia for a couple of days. We had a LTM (leadership training meeting) which lasted most of Thursday and Friday. That sure was a lot of meeting and talking. But i got so many good notes and I'm so excited that i get to share it with the District tomorrow. We learned a lot about teaching skills and how to better make teaching plans for the investigators that we have. The only part that i didn't really like about it was the sleeping arrangements. Imagine having nearly 90 missionaries and having to cram them into 5 or 6 apartments... yeah. So I slept in a double wide trailer with 12 other missionaries on the floor. We were all pretty cozy haha. It wasn't too bad, and somehow we were all able to shower and be ready in the morning by 7:30. Then i also wasn't too fond of sitting in the back middle seat for an hour and a half crammed between two other missionaries both ways. But it really wasn't that bad. But still imagine how excited i was when i slept in my own bed which is only 6 months old (I'm the only one who's slept on it) and with the memory foam mat on top of it. Yeah i may have just started laughing without meaning to because i was so comfy.

Hey! So in my stuff i have a two year missionary calendar that i forgot to bring but that i would really like if you can find it.

Anyways I love being a missionary and stuff

Elder K. Olsen

Two Years Flies by

Well... Here we go!

I don't really think about it a lot but it is strange that I've been out a year and that i only have one more to go. I actually figured out that i will fly home next august 1. Well would you like to know that i just had a heart attack? I've probably said it before but a mission seemed like such a long time when i first looked at it. But now that i look at it, it doesn't seem that they give us any time at all. Two years flies by so quickly.

But now for the updates! So we weren't able to teach Makayla and her family this week because their schedule was super busy. But they wanted to make sure that we knew that they weren't ignoring us. So hopefully we'll have a better update with all of them this upcoming Monday.

But in other news we have a sweet old lady named Carolyn planning to be baptized on Aug. 25. She definitely has some challenges that she'll have to overcome. She has a smoking problem and she can't read or write, but our plan is to get her a CD player so that she can listen to the Book of Mormon on CD. Then she isn't able to drive because she doesn't have a car. But we have some members who will be picking her up this Sunday! So please pray that we'll be able to help her overcome all of these trials!

So I really want summer to end! Not because of the heat, but because it seems that everyone leaves on vacation. We have a lot of referrals from members but it doesn't seem like any of them are ever home. But we'll keep pressing forward!

We picked up that package right before we came over to e-mail and i was able to glance at everything but i haven't really been able to look. It did take me a few moments to realize that it was for my one year mark birthday, not my actual birthday. But i plan on making those cakes and things and whatever else was in there! I'll tell y'all how that works out. (We sent Kyle a 1st year package.  It had a #1 candle, and the ingredients to make a peach cake.  It also contained a book of our testimonies, and a copy of Kyle's testimony he sent home while he was in the MTC 1 year ago.  I can't believe he's been gone 1 year already.)

So i had a funny thought the other day. I was thinking about how when i get home and give my "homecoming" talk that i would have a lot of great things to say how i spiritually grew. But then i realized that no one is going to be able to take it seriously because my southern accent is really starting to attach. I do have to admit that I'm definitely not trying to get rid of it though. But anyways it will be nice because you know how everyone tells a joke to break the ice in there talk? Well I can just get up there and say, "how y'all doin brothers and sisters?" It'll be interestin fer sure.

Ima start typin like the way i tawlk. Naw i'm just kiddin i think ya wouldn be able to see any of the wurds cause of all the red lines underneath em. I'm tellin ya, y'all are probly laughin right now but i tend to tawlk alowt liiike thiis quite offen.


Plus i almost forgot to tell y'all! The other day i had a tomato sandwich, which entails bread, mayonnaise, a big slice of tomato, and salt. Evidently it's a southern tradition, i actually loved it. So now i put tomatoes on all of my sandwiches and even ate a tomato by itself and liked it. Weird huh? (Very weird, Kyle has always Hated tomatoes.  Hated!)

Anyway i just wanted to let everyone know that i'm doin just dandy down here in the south and that i'm lovin every minute of it!

Love,

Elder K. Olsen

"Apple Guy" is pretending to be Elder Dietz.

 

a picture of me and "Apple Guy"

 

Elder Dietz doing something

 

A picture of me with my Jigglypuff stuffed animal piggybank thing

 

Nephi Rd. sign

 

 A close up of where i signed the stop sign in the apartment.

I <3 Hartsville!

Well i guess i'll be reaching my year mark in a few days which i admit is really weird. It doesn't feel like I've been out nearly that long, and a year left seems like such a small amount of time left. I find it funny because i look back on what I've done so far and think, i need to do a lot more! It's just so strange that when before my mission i looked at two years as such a long time span, i looked at it as something that would just never end. But here i am halfway through it and i still remember vividly sitting in the park right before we crammed into the minivan to go to the MTC.

Well I believe i told y'all about Mikayla last week, so I'll just try to give you a good update about it! So it was awesome because she is a friend of a member of the Laffidy family and Sis. Laffidy is helping us out so much! Last P-Day we had the strangest impression to go over to the Laffidys and to bring the hair clippers with us. So we go over there we go inside and Mikayla is there! But guess who else is there! Her mom! Guess what she does!? She cuts hair for a living... well isn't that a happy coincidence? Of course i got a free haircut... So basically we needed to get permission from her to teach and baptize Mikayla. Because Mikayla wants to be baptized, i don't know if i mentioned that. Her Mom and Dad are totally happy with that, and even better they want to sit in on the discussions as well at the Laffidys house. Then we also found out that Mikaylas grandma had moved here recently and she had had missionary discussions before, she loved them enough i guess to give Mikayla a Book of Mormon which she reads every day. So yeah, Grandma wants to be in the discussions as well. I just love it when the Lord is just kind of like, "Here ya go." 

Yesterday was a really good Sunday service, it just felt really uplifting. Last week i pondered a lot about the sacrament prayers and it really strengthened my testimony about the sacrament. Because i noticed the differences between the bread and the water prayers. I noticed that the bread talks about if we are willing to take his name upon us and what we are going to do in the future (keep his commandments, always remember him.) In doing so we will (in the future) have His spirit to be with us. But then i noticed that the water is completely different. The water talks about who we are at that moment. The prayer of the water says that we "do" always remember Him and keep His commandments so that we can have His Spirit to be with us. I just found it interesting that that's what I'm saying to God when i partake of the bread and water. I remember I took the bread and just looked at it for a bit instead of eating it purely out of habit. And it was great because for those moments i forgot about everyone else in the room, for those few moments it was just me and the Savior. And i loved it.

I guess I've changed a lot more than i had realized. Because when the Avengers came out in the past i freaked out and would have really liked to have seen it, i didn't of course. But when i found out that the new batman movie came out i didn't freak out. Which is funny because that was the number one movie that i didn't want to miss before i left. I guess at this point I've just realized whats really important right now. So I'm very thankful that the Lord has taken some distractions from me. It makes this a lot easier to do.

It's great to hear that Chris is so close to going on a mission! I thought for a moment how awesome if it would be if he came here to the south and i got to train him. But then i realized, the Lord is smarter than that and probably wouldn't want to put us together. But anyway tell me when he puts in his papers! I'm excited to hear where he goes, because missions are capital W aWesome!

As for the package that you plan to send me i have no idea what i need. Unless you want to send me a new fluffy pillow! But for the most part i never really know what i want. Because i've pretty much got everything that i need i think. So i'm probably just gonna leave it up to you because you're always really good at finding that stuff i never knew about but wanted my entire life. 

But anyways my life is great and stuff

Elder K. Olsen

p.s Love y'all!!!

Staying in Hartsville

Hello Back!

So i got the stay cool package and i loved it. I have to admit that the spray bottle isn't really whats needed in the south because I'm already wet. But the fan works fantastic! I especially love the necklace fan, it's been an odd thing when i turn it off because I'm getting cold. Also I'm very grateful for the water bottle for my bike, I've just been using normal water bottles that i keep in my backpack. So it's pretty "cool" when the water is still cold after a couple of hours. Plus the water bottle makes my bike look pretty legit.  (We sent Kyle a "Stay Cool" package, since it's been so hot in South Carolina.  We sent an Insulated Water Bottle for his bike, a fan he can wear around his neck, and a spray bottle with a fan attached.  We also sent him treats, like Cool Ranch Doritos and a variety of blue candy.  I realized after I sent the package, that a spray bottle with a fan probably wouldn't help in a State with extreme humidity...but I'm from Utah, and I wasn't really thinking, and it's really the thought that counts, right?)

So Elder Dietz and i have begun to see the light at the end of the tunnel from our hard work. Many people are showing interest and members are talking about people that they have thought about sharing the gospel with. I know that this is the Lords work and i think it's time for people to be gathered into the fold here in Hartsville.

One person in particular is showing interest. Her name is Mikayla and she is a friend to one of the youth here in the ward. I guess her grandma gave her a book of mormon and she has been reading it. She also practically lives at the members home so she has a lot of good influence. But her grandma isn't a member so we talked to Mikayla at church and asked if her grandma would care if we came by. She said that she wouldn't and that she would get the address. Then we told Mikayla that we want to teach her as well. As we said that she got a big smile on her face and said Okay! I wish i couldve taken a picture.

I guess many of you are wondering! I'm not getting transferred! Which means i get to stay another six weeks in Hartsville with Elder Dietz! I feel so blessed to stay here longer. Because i feel as if many things are about to happen here and if i work hard enough the Lord will allow me to be here when it happens. 

I truly have loved the experiences that i have gained from being sent here to Hartsville. It's a testimony that our Heavenly Father knows each one of us personally and knows what is needed specifically for us. Again i am so grateful for the trials that the Lord has blessed me with. Not because i liked having them or that they were fun. But i see a trial as two paths, one path leads away from the Savior and the other leads towards Him, and it's our choice where we go. I can truly testify that I am closer to my God than i ever have been before because through these wonderful challenges i have had to give my burdens to the Lord because i could not carry them alone. I wish i could somehow send the feelings i have through this e-mail but words can't seem to describe how much i love my Savior. 

Isn't this gospel fantastic! I feel as if i could talk about it for hours and how much joy it brings to me! There is so much to study it almost seems never ending. We have the scriptures and general conference talks and ensigns, we have a promise from God that if we ask we shall receive. I just love that we have the fullness of the gospel. I see so many religions and faiths around me that are happy to an extent but still feel as if something is missing. They all are great followers of the Savior, but they have questions and are confused about all of the different doctrines that are being taught. Oh how i wish i could help every one of them, but unfortunately that's not what the Lord wants me to do at this time. He wants me to do my very best to help every one of them, but their agency will be the deciding factor.

I feel as if I'm rambling but i just love talking about these things. I am just filled with the Spirit as if I'm about to explode. I love being a missionary

Elder K. Olsen