Hello again!

Hello again!

Well first off I'm pretty happy to know that the house isn't burnt down. I found out when we were at a less actives house and they had a deseret newspaper. So I wasn't too worried because i figured someone would call me to let me know if the house burned down, but still seeing my mountain on fire was kinda freaky.

But it's been a good week for us. A little slow but still good. Actually i gave a talk in sacrament meeting yesterday. It was really interesting because it was the first time that i didn't have anything to read off of, besides my book of mormon. I had been thinking about the talk during the week, but i got up to the pulpit and i trusted the spirit that he would take over, and he did. I've never felt so calm giving a talk before, and i said things that i hadn't thought about while i was thinking about it during the week. I love giving talks because its one of the few times that my spirit is in complete control, where i don't even recognize my body to an extent. Because I've been told my knees shake, that my face gets red, that i grab onto the pulpit like a death grip. I wasn't told any of that this time, but it's amazing how i don't notice it. Because when i stand up there, or when i teach someone i feel extremely calm. So i gave about a fifteen minute talk and i think it went rather well.

What i started with is some stuff i have learned in my studies. What i talked about i refer to as "Ocean Trials", and i get that from the Brother of Jared. Because when they arrived at the sea they had already been traveling for quite a while through the wilderness "where no man had been before." So when they arrived at the ocean and saw the beach they set up their tents and got comfortable. Because the ocean is a challenge for everyone, especially if you don't have a motor, actually the ocean look impossible to many people. So when the Jaredites saw this impossible challenge they set up camp and got comfortable. But it says that the Lord would not suffer that they stop at the sea but that they would continue forward to the land of promise, which is a land choice above all other lands. Now to apply it to ourselves, we get to a time when these "ocean" or impossible challenges come into our lives. Challenges that seem impossible to overcome, challenges that seem like they have no end. But these challenges are placed in front of us for a reason. Because if the ocean wasn't placed in front of the Jaredites they wouldn't have needed to turn to the Lord. But they never would have been able to overcome it without the Lord. But it's also important to notice that on the other side of these challenges are blessings that are choice above all other blessings. The Lord has so many good things in store for us, but we can't get comfortable and set up our tents on the beach, we have to turn towards the Lord and keep moving forward even though the trial seems impossible. And if we do that the Lord will provide a way to overcome. But that doesn't mean he'll hand us the answer, but he'll hand us the blueprint so that we may act a make the answer. Because that is how the Jaredites MADE the barges, but then even with these there were problems. The barges lacked light and air, sometimes the Lord will give us the answer, just as He gave the Brother of Jared the solution to the air problem. But the Lord wants us to grow and learn, so if He knows that we can solve a problem and it will help us grow, then that's what will happen. Then if we just do the very best that we can, even if that is bringing simple stones unto the Lord, He can turn them into something amazing. So the main point is that we never get comfortable, we turn to the Lord, and we push through all of our challenges because the Lord promises us blessing if we do. He is always their for us.

Also something great that happened this week is that we all got to meet Elder Walker of the seventy. And his current assignment is that he is over all of the temples. So this past Wednesday we got to spend practically the whole day with him. And I'm glad i took a lot of notes because right now off the top of my head i can't remember anything. But i assure you that it was really great.

So we knocked a ton this week and it is really hot and humid! Unfortunately with all of our efforts nobody felt like talking with us. But that's okay because i know if we keep working that eventually we'll find another "David". I know i just talked about it in my talk. But in a very strange way I am very thankful for this trial, because i know that that only means that the Lord has blessing in store for us. Because at the moment we have three investigators. One we met this week and hopefully she'll be able to progress, her name is Lizzie. The other two are John and Clifford, both of which we were not able to teach this week. So it was kind of rough to have nearly 20 investigators drop in two weeks, and hopefully they'll investigate again down the road. But I will keep working and i know everything will be okay. I know the gospel is true, because how else could i still feel so much happiness!

But on the bright side we have set up a ton of appointments for this upcoming week! I love being a missionary!

Now i feel like I'm forgetting something important....

oh well!

I love y'all!

Elder K. Olsen

P.S. Just kidding i remembered! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMMY!!! I love all of the crazy pictures that mom sends me of you, i got to admit that you're a dork, but you're a very cute dork and that's awesome! I cant remember but you're like 29 years old right? Whoo! You're getting old! Haha just kidding. Hey i want you to do something for me.....

 Go and get a squirt gun and attack