Dear family and friends,
This has been a really good week. At least, a really good weekend. I do not remember much of what happened during the week. My life has been consumed by school and work and I have very little free time until the weekends.
So after a busy week of school, I was finally able to have some much needed fun. I miraculously did not have much homework this weekend and was able to get all of it done on Friday. This left my Saturday wide open and it was the best day I've had in a long time.
For weeks now, I've been feeling the need to go to the temple, but I've been making excuses about being to busy.Saturday morning I was debating going to the temple. My roommate and her fiance had planned a lot of fun Halloween activities and I really wanted to go. I also have 3 test next week and even though all my homework was done, I felt a little guilty about not having started to study. With all these thoughts going through my mind, I decided not to go this week. I was on pinterest at the time, and just as I decided I wasn't going, I found this quote from Pres. Hinckley. "I know your lives are busy. i know that you have much to do. But I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord, you will be blessed; life will be better for you." And that did it. I knew I had no excuse. I just HAD to go. And I did.
And I will forever be grateful that God led me to the temple that Saturday morning. I decided to do initiatory (an ordinance, like baptism, that is necessary to receive Salvation), and I had one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had in the temple. Before starting I prayed that, if God so desired, I would be able to sense those that were accepting the work I was doing for them. Upon finishing one of the ordinances for a woman who had lived in Hungary during the early 1800's I felt a peace incomparable to anything I have previously felt while doing temple work for others. I immediately thought of the prayer I had said. Again, I felt such peace, that I knew she had accepted the work that had been done for her.
I am certain, that God did not need it to be ME to perform her work. Anyone could have done so, and had the experience that I was so blessed to have. But I am so grateful that God loves me enough to give me the "shove" that I needed to get to the temple. I know that the temple is the house of God. I know that it is a place of peace and love. I love the temple because it reminds me of God's mercy and fairness. He loves all of his children the same. He wants all of them to receive the blessings of Salvation. Yet so many die without hearing of Christ, without knowing the truth, without receiving the ordinances necessary for Salvation. That's why we need temples! That's why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is different! So many believe that those who die in infancy are not saved. But the God I know doesn't work that way. He has provided a way for all of His children to be saved and to return to Him. If you know that this is true, I invite you to share it with someone. If you do not know that this is true, I invite you to pray. Ask God. He will answer you.
After going to the temple, we made our Halloween costumes, got dressed, and went to a corn maze. Then we went on a Halloween boat ride down the Provo River. We ended the night at an awesome dance party in an apartment's parking garage. During the day, I had been worried that the dance was going to go on so long, that it would be the end of our day, and I would not be able to begin studying for my upcoming tests. I needn't have worried. We got to the dance around 8:30 and were danced out by 10. We got home and I still had time! I spent and hour studying for my Spanish test (which was my goal) and then I decided to watch a movie. It was 11, but I wasn't tired. I watched A Little Princess, one of my favorite movies! The day worked out perfectly. I was able to do all the fun things I wanted to do, and I was able to do my homework. I KNOW that I was blessed for going to the temple. President Hinckley's promise--"you will be blessed; life will be better for you"--was fulfilled.
Con amor,
S. Olsen
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Feeling the Spirit
Dear family and friends,
Wow, what a great week! I hope I can remember everything that happened. It was still a pretty busy week with school, but things are starting to die down again. Thank goodness! It has been three weeks of sleep deprivation. I'm wiped out!
This week, I had some really strong experiences in feeling the Spirit. The first was when I had the opportunity to pay my tithing. For those who do not know, tithing is a donation to the church of 10% of all the money one earns. The church uses this money to build churches, publish scriptures, etc. As a missionary, I did not pay tithing because I was not making any money. So, in all honesty, it has been a challenge for me to remember to pay my tithing. This week, I finally payed my tithing, because I had forgotten to do so for the past several months. I will not go into the particulars, but it was significantly more money that I have ever paid. Enough so, that it was actually a challenge to pay it. For the first time in my life, part of me did not want to pay my tithing. I pay my tithing online and as I submitted the payment, I felt the Spirit wash over me stronger than I have ever felt when paying tithing. Although it was hard, I know I did the right thing.
Also, last Sunday, when taking the Sacrament I felt the Spirit so strongly. I always enjoy taking the Sacrament, and often feel peaceful or use it as time to reflect on Jesus Christ or to set goals for the week. But never, had I felt so peaceful and happy. I had the tingles all over, and that is not a common way for me to feel the Spirit. It was a special experience and now I am striving to feel it every Sunday when I take the Sacrament. I know the Sacrament cleanses us and helps us repent. The Sacrament renews all the covenants we have made with God, and gives us a fresh start. It is the most important part of my week, and I am so glad I can make it a part of my week.
Let me leave you all with a funny story. To provide background, me and my roommate are both Returned Missionaries from Spanish speaking missions. Whenever we mess up our English or cannot think of exactly the right word, we look at each other and say, "English is HARD!" Now, I work in the English Second Language Writing Center. Anyone who does not speak English as their first language, can come in and get help with papers they are writing. One day, I was helping a student with her paper. I corrected something in one of her sentences (I don't remember what). She did not understand my correction and explained why she thought it was right the way she had written it. I looked at it again, and realized that I was wrong. She was absolutely right! Without thinking, I just looked at her and said, "English is HARD!" The look on her face was priceless. As if she were saying, "I KNOW it is hard, but you shouldn't think it is hard. You should understand it." It probably wasn't the best thing to say while tutoring, but it was super funny.
I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. I love this Gospel. I love the Sacrament and the Atonement. I know, more than I know anything else, that God loves me and He loves each and every one of you. We are His children. He knows us and He remembers us. He will never forget us. He is always there for us, leading us along the path that He has designed to bring us to our full potential. This life is not easy, but with the Gospel of Christ, it is not only possible, it is worth it.
Con amor,
S. Olsen
Wow, what a great week! I hope I can remember everything that happened. It was still a pretty busy week with school, but things are starting to die down again. Thank goodness! It has been three weeks of sleep deprivation. I'm wiped out!
This week, I had some really strong experiences in feeling the Spirit. The first was when I had the opportunity to pay my tithing. For those who do not know, tithing is a donation to the church of 10% of all the money one earns. The church uses this money to build churches, publish scriptures, etc. As a missionary, I did not pay tithing because I was not making any money. So, in all honesty, it has been a challenge for me to remember to pay my tithing. This week, I finally payed my tithing, because I had forgotten to do so for the past several months. I will not go into the particulars, but it was significantly more money that I have ever paid. Enough so, that it was actually a challenge to pay it. For the first time in my life, part of me did not want to pay my tithing. I pay my tithing online and as I submitted the payment, I felt the Spirit wash over me stronger than I have ever felt when paying tithing. Although it was hard, I know I did the right thing.
Also, last Sunday, when taking the Sacrament I felt the Spirit so strongly. I always enjoy taking the Sacrament, and often feel peaceful or use it as time to reflect on Jesus Christ or to set goals for the week. But never, had I felt so peaceful and happy. I had the tingles all over, and that is not a common way for me to feel the Spirit. It was a special experience and now I am striving to feel it every Sunday when I take the Sacrament. I know the Sacrament cleanses us and helps us repent. The Sacrament renews all the covenants we have made with God, and gives us a fresh start. It is the most important part of my week, and I am so glad I can make it a part of my week.
Let me leave you all with a funny story. To provide background, me and my roommate are both Returned Missionaries from Spanish speaking missions. Whenever we mess up our English or cannot think of exactly the right word, we look at each other and say, "English is HARD!" Now, I work in the English Second Language Writing Center. Anyone who does not speak English as their first language, can come in and get help with papers they are writing. One day, I was helping a student with her paper. I corrected something in one of her sentences (I don't remember what). She did not understand my correction and explained why she thought it was right the way she had written it. I looked at it again, and realized that I was wrong. She was absolutely right! Without thinking, I just looked at her and said, "English is HARD!" The look on her face was priceless. As if she were saying, "I KNOW it is hard, but you shouldn't think it is hard. You should understand it." It probably wasn't the best thing to say while tutoring, but it was super funny.
I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. I love this Gospel. I love the Sacrament and the Atonement. I know, more than I know anything else, that God loves me and He loves each and every one of you. We are His children. He knows us and He remembers us. He will never forget us. He is always there for us, leading us along the path that He has designed to bring us to our full potential. This life is not easy, but with the Gospel of Christ, it is not only possible, it is worth it.
Con amor,
S. Olsen
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Power of the Priesthood
Dear family and friends,
I apologize for not having written last week. It's been a crazy two weeks. I had 6 tests and 2 oral presentations. But things have once again settled down, and should be back to normal.
Other than going to school, studying, and taking tests (because it seems like that is all I have done since writing last) I have been able to spend some time with my parents, watch general conference, and learn about the power of the priesthood. Let me enlighten you.
My dad came in town to recruit at BYU (Brigham Young University) and my mom came with him because I am going to school here and her parents live in Provo. My dad was pretty busy recruiting, but I got to spend time with him in the evenings. And sometimes I would see him on campus. One night, we went to Sammie's and got their pie shakes. Yum. My mom, was able to help me with my homework, take me grocery shopping, make me dinner every night, and help me clean my room. She is the best mom a busy, stressed, college girl could ask for! On top of all that, we had fun hanging out and got to go to BYU's museum of art and see an exhibit that has costumes on display from movies such as Ever After, Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Neverland, The Phantom of the Opera, etc.
I also got to go to dinner with my mom and one of my MTC (Missionary Training Center) teachers. It was so fun to have her meet my teacher. I had told her a lot about him, but it always felt like I couldn't quite explain how amazing of a person and teacher he is. He had a good influence on me and definitely impacted the kind of missionary I was. My mission, so far, has been the most meaningful thing I have ever done. It means so much for me, and I want to share it with everyone. But it is impossible to convey the emotions of joy that I really felt. But when my mom met my teacher, I felt like I was able to share part of my mission with her in a more meaningful way than just trying to explain how influential my teacher was. It is hard to explain how I felt when they met, but it was really special.
My parents were in town over conference weekend so I was also able to watch General Conference with them. For those that don't know, General Conference is a time when the whole church gathers together via television, radio, etc. to hear the words of the prophets and apostles that we have in today's day. Just like Christ called 12 apostles we have 12 apostles today. Every 6 months, they and other church leaders speak to us. I always feel the Spirit and receive guidance during Conference, but this time it was different. For the past couple of years, I have began to take notes on questions that I have. I always find answers to my questions in the talks that are given. And sometimes I just have thoughts pop into my head that answer my questions but have nothing to do with what the speaker is saying. I don't know why, but this Conference I had more experiences like that than I ever have before. I received so much revelation. It confirmed to me that God loves me SO MUCH and wants to answer all of my questions.
However, of all that happened this week one thing sticks out clearer than anything else. This week I had a really cool experience that strengthened my testimony about the power of the priesthood. I mentioned that I'd been really busy with tests and presentations. For two weeks I averaged 6.5 hours of sleep (for me this is very very little). Well, I had one test that I was especially nervous about. The teacher is a very hard grader and anything we had learned was fair game--he doesn't believe in study guides. Sure I would not do well on this test, I had the thought that I should get a blessing. Not an hour later, a guy in my ward knocks on my door. He saw how tired and delirious I was and asked if there was anything he could do. Sometimes I am stubborn when I know I need to get a blessing, and so I said no. He asked if I was sure. I hesitated and said I was fine. He then gave me his number in case I needed something in the future. We talked for a few minutes and I began to feel like I needed a blessing. But I had told him twice that I didn't need anything. I was fighting with myself and I finally made up my mind to ask him for a blessing, when he asked me one more time if I needed anything.
I told him I could use a blessing. And he gave me one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever received. Among many blessings, I was promised that I would do well on my tests. The next day I took the test I was most worried about, and it did not go well. I was quite certain I got a C+ or B- at best. At first, I was confused. My blessing said I would do well, and I did not feel like I had. With some reflection, I decided God was trying to tell me that considering how hard the class was and how strict the teacher graded, maybe a C+ was a good grade. I got A- on most everything else, and so I figured maybe God was trying to teach me that I had done my best effort and the grade I got would be a good one based on the circumstances. I got the test back a few days ago, and was shocked and amazed to learn that I had scraped and A-. The power of the priesthood is real. How grateful I am for priesthood blessings!
Con amor,
S. Olsen
I apologize for not having written last week. It's been a crazy two weeks. I had 6 tests and 2 oral presentations. But things have once again settled down, and should be back to normal.
Other than going to school, studying, and taking tests (because it seems like that is all I have done since writing last) I have been able to spend some time with my parents, watch general conference, and learn about the power of the priesthood. Let me enlighten you.
My dad came in town to recruit at BYU (Brigham Young University) and my mom came with him because I am going to school here and her parents live in Provo. My dad was pretty busy recruiting, but I got to spend time with him in the evenings. And sometimes I would see him on campus. One night, we went to Sammie's and got their pie shakes. Yum. My mom, was able to help me with my homework, take me grocery shopping, make me dinner every night, and help me clean my room. She is the best mom a busy, stressed, college girl could ask for! On top of all that, we had fun hanging out and got to go to BYU's museum of art and see an exhibit that has costumes on display from movies such as Ever After, Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Neverland, The Phantom of the Opera, etc.
I also got to go to dinner with my mom and one of my MTC (Missionary Training Center) teachers. It was so fun to have her meet my teacher. I had told her a lot about him, but it always felt like I couldn't quite explain how amazing of a person and teacher he is. He had a good influence on me and definitely impacted the kind of missionary I was. My mission, so far, has been the most meaningful thing I have ever done. It means so much for me, and I want to share it with everyone. But it is impossible to convey the emotions of joy that I really felt. But when my mom met my teacher, I felt like I was able to share part of my mission with her in a more meaningful way than just trying to explain how influential my teacher was. It is hard to explain how I felt when they met, but it was really special.
My parents were in town over conference weekend so I was also able to watch General Conference with them. For those that don't know, General Conference is a time when the whole church gathers together via television, radio, etc. to hear the words of the prophets and apostles that we have in today's day. Just like Christ called 12 apostles we have 12 apostles today. Every 6 months, they and other church leaders speak to us. I always feel the Spirit and receive guidance during Conference, but this time it was different. For the past couple of years, I have began to take notes on questions that I have. I always find answers to my questions in the talks that are given. And sometimes I just have thoughts pop into my head that answer my questions but have nothing to do with what the speaker is saying. I don't know why, but this Conference I had more experiences like that than I ever have before. I received so much revelation. It confirmed to me that God loves me SO MUCH and wants to answer all of my questions.
However, of all that happened this week one thing sticks out clearer than anything else. This week I had a really cool experience that strengthened my testimony about the power of the priesthood. I mentioned that I'd been really busy with tests and presentations. For two weeks I averaged 6.5 hours of sleep (for me this is very very little). Well, I had one test that I was especially nervous about. The teacher is a very hard grader and anything we had learned was fair game--he doesn't believe in study guides. Sure I would not do well on this test, I had the thought that I should get a blessing. Not an hour later, a guy in my ward knocks on my door. He saw how tired and delirious I was and asked if there was anything he could do. Sometimes I am stubborn when I know I need to get a blessing, and so I said no. He asked if I was sure. I hesitated and said I was fine. He then gave me his number in case I needed something in the future. We talked for a few minutes and I began to feel like I needed a blessing. But I had told him twice that I didn't need anything. I was fighting with myself and I finally made up my mind to ask him for a blessing, when he asked me one more time if I needed anything.
I told him I could use a blessing. And he gave me one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever received. Among many blessings, I was promised that I would do well on my tests. The next day I took the test I was most worried about, and it did not go well. I was quite certain I got a C+ or B- at best. At first, I was confused. My blessing said I would do well, and I did not feel like I had. With some reflection, I decided God was trying to tell me that considering how hard the class was and how strict the teacher graded, maybe a C+ was a good grade. I got A- on most everything else, and so I figured maybe God was trying to teach me that I had done my best effort and the grade I got would be a good one based on the circumstances. I got the test back a few days ago, and was shocked and amazed to learn that I had scraped and A-. The power of the priesthood is real. How grateful I am for priesthood blessings!
Con amor,
S. Olsen
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