JUNE- Weeks 66-69

June 15
Buenas tardes mis queridos!

I had my first mission leader´s counsel!(I have no clue what you call it in the states) Boy, was it amazing! We always start off with going to the temple to be instructed by the Lord. I love the temple even though ive been there a lot i always learn something new, even during the videos! It hepls me remeber the covenants I have done with the Lord and be more faithful to Him. How amazing is the plan of God?! He thought and carefully planned everything so we can live with him again.

I have truely come to love being a sister training leader! About a 3 weeks ago i had been praying to my Father to allow me to develope more charity. And then Bam, STL! These past two weeks have been fulfilled with worrying, praying, and servicing the 8 sisters im serving, with Hna Jaimes! Charity is the pure love of Chirst.

Speaking of the Pure love of Christ. yesterday while looking for people to contact we walked down a street we had not walked down before. As we walked passed a small cement house 3 little kids started shouting "HERMANAS; HERMANAS; HERMANAS!!" They were shouting it with such joy that i thought "we have to talk to this family." We said hello to the mom and entered into the house to talk with them. It turned out that the parents had been Baptized 3 years ago but had fallen away. As I started into the eyes of one of the little boys the filling of pure love filled my heart. In that moment Heavenly Father let me fill just a little of His love for them! I testify that Heavenly Father knows and love us perosanly. He wants every last one of us back.   

But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

With all of my love,

Hna Olsen 

June 8
Buenos Días!!

Well like God, Presidente Riggins likes to work in mysterious ways. Last Tuesday we got the phone call that Hna Johnson would have cambios to Quevedo and that Hna Jaimes, from Perú, would be my new companion. Oh and that we are sister training leaders together! Pres Riggins has decided that there should be campionships of Sister Training Leaders, unlike it has been before. I love hna Jaimes! We get along amazingly and we teach with a lot of unity! Without saying anything we can communicate. We  have been working hard to keep up with the things we have to do in our own sector while the rest of the hermanas we have been called to serve. Tonight we will be heading to Guayaquil for a meeting that all of the Zone leaders and sister training leaders have ever month. Im sooo Excited! 

This week has been great and interesting! One funny experiences we had this week was a candle light dinner that hna Jaimes and I had! I was making patacones and when i truned both of the burners on of our "camping-like stove" there was a power surge and we didnt have light and some of the outlets didnt work. We got the lights back on but we still have to fix the outlets.... 

We were also able to put 2 bautismal dates (pray for Maoly and Mercy!) and we were able to find a lot of new people to teach! Between our own contacts and the contacts we did in other sectors to help the sisters, we have done 130 contacts in this week...... Thats alot of people! But I love doing the work of the Lord and proclaim the gospel to everyone! 

I hope that all is well!

LOVE

Hna Olsen

June 1
Hey mom!

Im doing great! There was transfers but we are still together. We are working hard and finding new people all the time. We have a couple witha date but they are never home so we can never teach them............... School, work, what is this non-sense? 

We reciently had interviews with the pres and a training, I just loving being tuaght by Pres Riggins! He focused a lot in making this work more spiritual, having a better relationship with the Holy Ghosst, and better prayers. I applied the things that I learned from him and the change huge! The spirit is strong, and the Lord is blessing us the work even more! 

DandC 103:36 All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith, 104:79 And it is my will that you shall humble yourselves before me, and obtain this blessing by your diligence and humility and the prayer of faith. All blessings come from our diligence and prayers full of faith!

Wow, lots of people are coming home! I cant wait to see Lincoln!  Mckay is getting really good at the violin then! ESO!! She´s a senior what?!?!!!  

So i had been praying and thinking about school. My goal is to get to byu-i in jan but this semester i´ll just take it easy. Its so true what you said to me.. "but look at what you have done!" Ive done alot, ive accomplished what the Lord has sent me to do(still have more, until the last day)! These classes look fine. Ill figure the rest out when thats what i can focus my mind on. I got to many important things to do here.  

Well my clothes..... A dog kinda almost bit my butt and ruined my favorite and mostly used skirt... 

But I love my mission and serving the Lord! 

MAY- Weeks 62-65
May 25
Hello! 

We had a great week, The Familia Ganzabay got married and baptized! That was a spirit-filled baptism! I know that they will stay strong in the church! I cant wait to for them to go the temple! We are working hard! We did have a Family History training, like how we can use it in the mission. We sang "Called to Serve" at the beginning, and when presidente got up to talk to us he started crying while explaining to us how we are God´s army and how, in a way, we are saviors. Never have I seen him cry!

May 18
Hola,

I'm on early this week because later in the day we are going to have a wedding for the Family Gonzabay! They are super excited to get married and then baptized Wednesday! They have been focused on this goal for months now and have done everything in their power to get themselves right before God! Its amazing to watch the changes in the people I teach! Its true what it says in DandC 18, that there is great joy in the repentance of one soul...but how much greater will be your joy if you bring many souls to repentance! 

SO get to work my dear family to fill that joy by helping others coming unto Christ! 

This week we will have a training on family history work,I'm excited to learn about it so we can bring more converts to the temple with their own names!  

It makes me sad to see that Lil baby Lincoln is getting bigger! Make sure he doesn't get too big cause i have a shirt for him. So whats new this week? Did you enjoy your mothers day letter?

Love ya Lots

May 11
(Short email since we Skyped yesterday for Mother's Day)
Haha well mom some of it was sweat but i hope must of it was the spirit! I truly love my mission and don't want it to end! It truly has been the best time for/of my life. I have learned sooo much and grow as a person. I know that this is the only true church on the earth today and that it is lead by a true and living prophet of God! 

May 4

I'm doing great! We are working hard, real hard. Thanks to the Lord we are leading the zone right now! We have had 5-6 invest in church for like a month now! My convert is doing great, only that her son has chicken pox and she cant bring him to church... so she cant come to church. WE are praying that she will come this sunday. We have some really good invest, 2 couple getting ready to be married and lots progressing!

When ever i think about going back to school i get anxious and overwhelmed. I know i need to go back and i want to but it scares me. I really dont want to come back to the real world.... My release date is the 25 of ago. When does the fall semester start? I would like to take spanish!! What kind of electives are there? when does the next semester start up after fall? What should i do mom? What do i need to do to get placed?

 Thank you for all that you do! I for got to bring the card i wrote for you for mothers day so youll be getting it next week! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Hna Olsen!!

APRIL- Weeks 58-61

April 27
Mom!!

Que trunkie eres! jajaja Te amo bastante! 

Not going to lie, the time is passing by super fast... and I dont like it. Not one bit. I totally forgot about mothers day, but ill look for a place to skype! Whats the time differences? Happy to hear about Lil baby Lincoln! I bet he's the cutest baby since me! jajaja 

I had a great week! I had exchanges with the sister training leader this week and we had a great time. Im just going to say that Ecuador is awesome and I have the best mission in the world! Why you may ask? Well the people of ecuador are amazing, the food is dilicious, Pres Riggins is the best man i have ever met, and i got to hold a squirel(ya, dont know how to spell anymore...)! 

As members of the true church of Jesus Christ we should be proud to procalm the truth! There is no reason to fear. The Lord is always on our side if we are walking in his ways. He has our backs and will help us through anything. So my dear family be BOLD, share the glorious truth with everyone that you can! If you dont more blessings will rain down upon your heads! 

I love you all! 

Hna Olsen 

April 20

We had a baptism! Vanessa Correa! She is 19 years old and she has a lot of family in the church! she told me after her baptism that she felt sooo good and she couldnt describe how she felt because she felt so amazing! 

Remember last week how is said that the rain wasnt going to be a problem? Well we only had the biggest storm in 20 years! It rained sooo hard that part of the sector got flooded! We walked through that part cause we had appointments set up and we wanted to check on the families we have there. The water was an inch or 2 past my knees and in the houses of people.Everyone was ok... just with a lot of water! Just imagine 2 white girls in skirts walking around the flooded streets of ecuador! It was fun! The Elders didnt enjoy so much.... haha they refused to enter and the members called them out on it saying that the sisters are working harder! My comp said that the night before the storm sounded like world war 3! I wouldnt know, some how i slept through it..... normally any little sound wakes me up so i have no clue how i slept through it. 

this week was a good week! we are working really hard and our numbers are great! I havent had such a great week in along time! 

I love just getting work done! Coming home really tired but knowing I helped a lot of people that day! Its addicting and I never want it to end! I know that this is the work of the Lord, and when we are working in it we are the Angels sent from God to be His instruments. What could be better than that? NOTHING! 

Lots of love,

Hna Olsen  

April 13
Buenas Tardes!!

I'm doing great! We should have a baptism this saturday! We got a reference from some of our invest who are getting married soon who wants to get baptized! Her name is Vanessa, she had been listening in a different sector and then move over. She had been attending church and has strong desires to be baptized! She had her interview and is set to go!!!! Pray for her that she can give up Coffee and be baptized saturday!!!

I Love my mission, it really is the most amazing thing that ive ever experienced! I have the strongest desires to just work, help people, and serve the Lord! I have grown a lot in many ways, spiritual, in my confidence, in the ability to teach and well... in pant sizes but thats ok! jajaja The rain isnt that big of a problem right now, just alot of sun. 

I know that this is the only true church in the earth and that it is lead by a living prophet today. It is thanks to our Savior that we are saved from sins through the power of His Atonement, grace and mercy) If it wasn't for His Atonement we would be lost forever. Share the gospel with everyone! 

I love you guys!

Hna Olsen

April 6
Buenas Tardes!

I'm doing great! We got a bapt coming up at the end of the month! Angelo, he had a problem with drinking and we were passing by one night on our way home and he called us over while he was drunk and ask us to help him! Hes been sober for more than 2 weeks now! We´ll have a wedding next month for the family Gonzabay, they will be baptized the Saturday after wedding!! Sooo happy! We are working with lots of other people too.

My health is good! The food is really tasty and my extra pounds would testify about that. Im starting a diet this week! Its been raining on and off. when its not raining its hot and when it rains it rains hard! 

They do celebrate esater but nothing like the states! They eat this nasty soup of every bean and grain ever with fish it and with rice(if you dont have rice then its not a complete meal) at night people walk around in a line sing songs of praises. Everybody gets drunk... Not cool. 

But the important things is that we have a loving Heavenly Father who sent his Son. Thanks to our Savior we can be made clean and over come any trail. I know that He lives. I know that families are forever and im so grateful for the one I have! 

Love

Hna Olsen

The tallest next to the shortest, He´s C. Contreras! He got baptized the following Saturday after i had transfers from my last sector. One of my favorites Converts! We literally saved him from the darkness! he was soo close to giving up on God. I knew him for 3 months before I started teaching him. The Lord told me, "just wait a little longer" for 3 months, until one day when he walked in during a lesson with his dad the Lord told me "NOW, DONT LET HIM GO!" It was an amazing experience teaching him! He would study the pamphlets and chapters in the BOM and take pages and pages of notes! At one point he was almost was a catholic priest which takes years to accomplish. He decided not to become it because he wanted to have a family! The Lord truly prepares people! SHARE THE GOSPEL WITH EVERYONE!!!!!!

MARCH- Weeks 53-57

March 30

Im doing fantastic! This week has been a really interesting one. It rained like crazy! and there was mud everywhere, those crocs are getting a work out! One part of the sector got totally fooled. it would be up to just passed my knees. It didnt enter in there but the elderes that we share the sector with did. Because of the rain it was really hard to get people to come to church... lame... Its just water, come to church!!! 

The lord put MANY people in our paths this week! Like at least 5 different people called us over to talk to them! Asking us "when are you going to visit me?!" Some were less actives, others old investigatores, and some others complete drunks! Contacting drunks is fun! But dont worry, we are very careful with the drunks and we dont contact them if the spirit tells us not to. Many people have told that they know we are sent from God. One new invest, Marisa, that has18 years told us here life story. I stared crying a little to hear what she had to go through... Thank you mommy for raising me SOOO good! I LOVE YOU! 

Cant wait to hold lil Baby Lincoln! 

Love

Hna Olsen

March 23
Hola!

I'm doing great! Working hard and getting to know the sector still.... its huge!! We've had a lot of rain which means a lot of mud... about half of the sector is all dirt roads with houses made out of sugar cane sticks, its an adventure walking through there!

We are working on getting a couple married really soon and are excited to get married! Everyone we meet aren't married... sometimes they are but to someone else and the process to get divorced and married to a new person is like a year long... ecuador...

But there is nothing better than being in the service of the Lord! Im learning so much everyday that only strengthens me! I'm happy to hear that you guys are helping in the work! Im sure you guys are seeing miracles from doing so!

Lincoln kills me! He is sooo cute!! What day exactly was he born? He´s already been shown around here to some of the members of the ward! 

Im sad to hear about Matt and Lacey..... Matt is kicked out of the family. Im happy to hear that Mckay is having fun! 

Love ya lots!

Hna Olsen 

March 16

Im doing great! My sector is freaking huge and sometimes we get lost... its fun out here in milagro! Sadly the comp of hna johnson before me wasnt all that great so we have some cleaning up to do! But the ward here is great and very supporting of the missionaries and we have lots of investigatores! The only problem is that none of them are married and we have to get them all married and thats hard here.... but hey, im here for a reasoning and im happy to be in the campo again! 

Sadly ive been slacking about taking pics but ill take lots this week!!

I loving being a missionary and preaching this amazing and true gospel! I know that we have a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior. This life is the time we have to prepare ourselves to meet Them. The gospel is the path that leads us back to them. We are the ones that choose if we are going to return or not! 

Love

Hna Olsen

March 9
Hello!!

I had transfers! Right now im in Bellavista, Milagro close to triunfo!! I was actual here for a intercambio like 6 months ago! My new comp is from Cali, Hna Johnson! She has 8 months but we were in the same zone when she just started her mission so we already knew eachother before! 

What miracles have i seen? Well the Lord opened my eyes yesterday, my last sector was full of miracles. I resuced a less active for 10 years, cecilia, her husband got baptized(RIchard) and this saturday thier son(Carlos) will get baptized! Just talking with my converts before i left about why they decided to listen to us, the Lord really does prepare people to hear us! 

I was hoping to see a pic of lil baby licoln! Tell him to come out already! Glad to hear that everyone is doing good! 

The weather is just hot with rain but nothing crazy! 

Lots of Love

Hna Olsen 

March 2 (short email this week)

We are finding alot of new familias and we hope we can get them progressing! I have come to enjoy talking to random people about the gospel and helping feel the love of Christ! Its the best thing when you can see the lives of people changing and you can say, "I helped make that happen."