It's Official-- I've Been Home For a Year!

Dear family and friends,

This Friday marked one year since I ended my mission.  I posted this on Facebook and would like to share it on my blog.  It's in Spanish and Enlgish.

Ha pasado un año desde yo terminé la misión. No he olvidado las experiencias que tuve. No he olvidado las personas a quienes conocí. Personas que ahora son mis amigos—mi familia. No he olvidado el cambio de corazón que sentí como misionera. Aprendí tanto del amor de Dios y el poder de la Expiación durante mi misión. Ne he olvidado los milagros que vi cada día. Siempre voy a recordar las experiencias y los sentimientos que me pasaban. Siempre voy a recordar las dificultades, pero aun más, voy a recordar el gozo que sentí. Me encantaba la misión. Nunca voy a olvidarla, y siempre voy a recordar los que conocí. ¡Les quiero mucho!

It's been a year since I finished my mission. I have not forgotten the experiences I had. I have not forgotten the people that I met. People that are now my friends--my family. I have not forgotten the change of heart that I felt as a missionary. I learned so much about the love of God and the power of the Atonement during my mission. I have not forgotten the miracles that i saw every day. I will always remember the experiences and the feelings that I had. I am always going to remember the difficulties, but even more, I am going to remember the joy I felt. I loved my mission. I'm never going to forget it, and I'm always going to remember those that I met. I love you all lots!

I am truly grateful for my mission.  I have such a strong testimony of the gospel.  I know my Savior lives.  He suffered and died for me and for all of us.  When we do wrong we can repent.  And he can help us through that painful process.  Not only did he provide a way for us to repent, but he doesn't ask us to do it alone! God is merciful.  He loves us so much he wants us to come home to Him.  If I know anything, I know the Atonement is real.  I saw its power working in my life.  I saw it in the lives of those I taught.  And I see it in the lives of those around me.  We all need its power.  Every one of us.  We are or were all broken.  But when we apply the atonement to our lives and repent.  We are made whole and as it says in D&C 58: 42, "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more."  I love that.  God remembers our sins no more.  It's like it never happened.  If He forgives and forgets, shouldn't we do the same?  It's hard.  I'm not good at it.  I have the hardest time forgiving myself, but I can work on it.

Con amor,

S. Olsen