Dear Family and Friends,
This week finally has been a little more relaxed, but still very busy. Yesterday, was the highlight though! I got to go to the Festival of Colors with some pretty amazing people. And in the evening I was able to go to the Women's Conference.
This is what I want to talk about this week. The Women's Conference was amazing, and definitely what I needed. The majority of the talks focused on families. I've never wanted anything more than to be a righteous mother and to be sealed eternally to a man who is prepared to be a righteous husband and father. But last night, that desire became so much stronger. Rather than seeing it as what I want most in life, I now see it as something I am entitled too, and I see it as God's plan for me. Essentially, being a righteous mother, marrying a righteous priesthood holder, and raising a righteous family is not merely something I want, it is my destiny. That was a really cool realization.
President Henry B. Eyring was the concluding speaker and he spoke about comfort. This was a direct answer to my prayers. I have been seeking guidance about how to better comfort a friend and it was so wonderful to hear a talk specifically on that subject. He specifically said that we can play a role in giving comfort. We may not know who is in need or how we can help, but God does and He will guide us! I LOVE that! I was grateful for the chance to hear a talk so directed to what I needed to hear!
I hope everyone has a great week!
Con amor,
S. Olsen
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Stake Conference
Hello family and friends,
This week has been the busiest of my semester so far. I had to write a huge paper for my Shakespeare midterm. But with such a crazy school week, God has really blessed me with a fulfilling spiritual weekend. I'm ready for next week (which might be just as crazy, if not crazier!). Bring it!
This week at Stake Conference, I noticed some definite themes, and a lot of what I simply needed to hear. There was a lot about the temple and since this is a singles ward in Provo, there were a fair share of talks about dating, marriage, and family. However, one of my favorite talks was about resolutions. The speaker spoke about the importance of persevering in our resolutions. If we start to slack or stop, we don't need to quit. We just need to start back up again! There were also some really good talks about being a disciple of Christ and the power of the Atonement. I've been learning so much about the Atonement lately. It's not something that always takes place immediately. The biggest lesson I have learned this week is that we cannot sin and try to repent on our timeline. We cannot say, "It's been X days or weeks, I don't feel better, I'm still struggling, it must be impossible for me to repent." I have heard countless stories this week of people who persevered for years. I have learned that the Atonement will make anything and everything better. We just have to accept God's timing for it. He will never deny us our happy ending, but He has the right to know we really want it. And He is there for us every step of the way.
One speaker asked a powerful question, with which I would like to share with all of you, "Do you see yourself as who you are now, or who you have the potential to become?" I LOVE this! It's really got me thinking! For me, I think I see myself as who I am now and long for who I can become. But how am I ever going to become that person, if I can't see it in me?
I know this church is true, and I know we can see ourselves as who we are capable of becoming!
Con amor,
S. Olsen
This week has been the busiest of my semester so far. I had to write a huge paper for my Shakespeare midterm. But with such a crazy school week, God has really blessed me with a fulfilling spiritual weekend. I'm ready for next week (which might be just as crazy, if not crazier!). Bring it!
This week at Stake Conference, I noticed some definite themes, and a lot of what I simply needed to hear. There was a lot about the temple and since this is a singles ward in Provo, there were a fair share of talks about dating, marriage, and family. However, one of my favorite talks was about resolutions. The speaker spoke about the importance of persevering in our resolutions. If we start to slack or stop, we don't need to quit. We just need to start back up again! There were also some really good talks about being a disciple of Christ and the power of the Atonement. I've been learning so much about the Atonement lately. It's not something that always takes place immediately. The biggest lesson I have learned this week is that we cannot sin and try to repent on our timeline. We cannot say, "It's been X days or weeks, I don't feel better, I'm still struggling, it must be impossible for me to repent." I have heard countless stories this week of people who persevered for years. I have learned that the Atonement will make anything and everything better. We just have to accept God's timing for it. He will never deny us our happy ending, but He has the right to know we really want it. And He is there for us every step of the way.
One speaker asked a powerful question, with which I would like to share with all of you, "Do you see yourself as who you are now, or who you have the potential to become?" I LOVE this! It's really got me thinking! For me, I think I see myself as who I am now and long for who I can become. But how am I ever going to become that person, if I can't see it in me?
I know this church is true, and I know we can see ourselves as who we are capable of becoming!
Con amor,
S. Olsen
Sunday, March 8, 2015
The Temple is the House of God
Dear Family and Friends,
It's been a crazy and busy couple of weeks. And it's all a blur now. School has gotten super busy. We are over half way through the semester. We have just about a month and a half left! So little time and so much to do! It's exciting but rather stressful.
I have been trying to put God first in my life and that started with me reading my scriptures first thing every morning rather than at the end of the day. Making such a small change to my schedule has made all the difference in my weeks. Somehow, I have more time. I'm always able to get things done and I'm not getting bad grades. They aren't always as good as I'm used to, but with how busy I am and with where my priorities are, I feel very blessed with every aspect in my life. And I realized that I was being blessed for putting God first and making my scripture study a priority. This led me to want to increase my temple attendance. I have started striving to go once a week. My previous goal was once a month. I've been very successful, and have felt the blessing it is in my life. The temple is the house of God. I know it is. It's as close as we can get to Heaven. It's a wonderful place to seek extra revelation and support from our loving Father. I'm so grateful that I have the chance to go to the temple almost every week. The spirit there is so strong, and I need it to get through my busy and hectic life!
Con amor,
S. Olsen
It's been a crazy and busy couple of weeks. And it's all a blur now. School has gotten super busy. We are over half way through the semester. We have just about a month and a half left! So little time and so much to do! It's exciting but rather stressful.
I have been trying to put God first in my life and that started with me reading my scriptures first thing every morning rather than at the end of the day. Making such a small change to my schedule has made all the difference in my weeks. Somehow, I have more time. I'm always able to get things done and I'm not getting bad grades. They aren't always as good as I'm used to, but with how busy I am and with where my priorities are, I feel very blessed with every aspect in my life. And I realized that I was being blessed for putting God first and making my scripture study a priority. This led me to want to increase my temple attendance. I have started striving to go once a week. My previous goal was once a month. I've been very successful, and have felt the blessing it is in my life. The temple is the house of God. I know it is. It's as close as we can get to Heaven. It's a wonderful place to seek extra revelation and support from our loving Father. I'm so grateful that I have the chance to go to the temple almost every week. The spirit there is so strong, and I need it to get through my busy and hectic life!
Con amor,
S. Olsen
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