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