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