Week 5-6

March 16-27

Wednesday was a long day of travel but I finally made it to Minnesota! We made it to the airport and my mission president and his wife met us by our luggage and brought us over to all the other missionaries they had picked up. It was a smaller group than they usually have. There were about 8 other missionaries. We headed to the mission home and had dinner and our mission president talked to us and welcomed us to our mission! The first night we stayed at a hotel and the next morning got up and went right back to the church. Thursdays are transfer days but it had been snowing so bad that they canceled them! They said that has never happened before in this mission and so instead of meeting my trainer and going to my new area, I was put with English sisters and just went with them and followed their schedule. We had dinner with members in their ward and we just learned from them what a typical day looks like on our mission. It was totally different than I had expected. I stayed the night with them and the next morning we went back to the church to finally have exchanges and I finally met my trainer!! 

MY TRAINER IS AMAZING! Oh my goodness! Her name is Hermana Erickson and she lives in Utah! She has only been out on her mission for 3 months and shes already training me! She is so amazing and her spanish oh my goodness is so good! When I first met her I was so excited! She had the biggest smile on her face and she gave me the biggest hug. Everyone once they found out she was my trainer told me how lucky I am to have her and how much they loved her. I really got so blessed! We got to know eachother and we are so similar. We both play basketball, volleyball and pickleball and we were the same number in volleyball! Her personality is so fun and so happy and we just have been laughing and working so good together!! I’m definitely grateful I am learning everything from her!! Something that I love so much about her is that she wants me to feel confident and she pushes me to learn! She will have me take lead in lessons and I have such a hard time but it has helped me SO SO much! She is just so loving and makes me feel so confident in who I am. She is definitely the trainer I needed now and I am just so grateful! 

I am serving in North Minneapolis! I am so happy I’m near the city! There are tons of areas in my mission but the Spanish missionaries mostly serve around the city! I am so so happy about that! The Hermanas aren’t able to serve in the city for safety reasons, only the elders can but we are pretty close. The city I am in is called Maple Grove and we live in a really nice apartment. This area is one of the busiest areas in the mission and the first day we had like 6 lessons back-to-back! It was crazy but so exciting! We got to teach a lady that hasnt been taught in 6 months, in her home, and I shared my testimony about the Book of Mormon and it was the most special experience. I could tell it touched her heart even with my broken Spanish. I know that people can feel my spirit through my words even if I don’t speak perfectly.

Something I am so happy about is that I am in a Spanish ward! It’s crazy we have a whole ward! I have been able to get to know more and more people and they are seriously the most loving and kind people you will ever meet. They love seeing the effort I put into speaking. It was pretty hard the first sunday because I didn’t know the members so I wasn’t able to connect with them the way I knew how, especially speaking a new language i’m not as familiar with. It has gotten better every day though, the more I talk with the members and see them I gain more confidence! 

We get fed every single night. It’s kind of amazing. We get fed lots of rice and beans and pot roasts. We eat tons of chicken and enchiladas and there are always tortillas. They fill the plate so full! By the time we are finished we are completely stuffed! It’s so fun to go into member’s homes and just feel the spirit and love in their home. One of the members houses we ate at, he was a DJ, and he was playing all these spanish songs and everyone was just dancing and having fun! I LOVE the latino culture. They are so focused on love and just being happy and having fun! AND EATING! 

The first Sunday I was here, there was a baptism and it was so sweet to experience it! Especially my first Sunday! It was the other Hermanas friend and it was just so amazing to see the happiness he had after being baptized! I can’t wait to see him and his testimony grow! 

Adjusting to missionary life and so many changes has been really hard, especially these last two weeks. I haven’t felt as confident or as much of myself because I have been trying to figure out what works best for me. I have definitely had to rely on the Lord and prayer. I just want to say that the power of prayer is real and I know that with with a surety. I have received so many answers to my prayers this week and I am just so so grateful that I have a father in heaven that loves me and listens to my prayers. I know that even in my loneliest times when I feel hopeless or feel like giving up, my Heavenly Father is right there by my side giving me the strength I need. 

I have been practicing my spanish in so many ways. It’s definitely stressful but the more I have spoken and practiced and use it more in my daily life, it has gotten so much better. I have been trying to speak more in lessons and my trainer has helped me a lot with that. She is so amazing and she is always helping me learn and practice the things I need to know what to say and to teach. We have been really busy with lessons all week and just that helps me spanish by needing to teach and try to understand the people we are teaching. I try and pick up as many words as I can and use them so I don’t forget them! 

TWO FRIENDS WE ARE TEACHING GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!! Our friend Juana and her son Eytan got baptized this past Sunday and it was so so special, oh my goodness. They were so happy and I just felt the spirit so so strong. There were so many members of the ward and their friends that came to support them on this special day! It just was perfect and I am so happy that I was able to experience it! I am so happy for them and I am just filled with so much love for them!!

I have felt the spirit so so strong! Every lesson I am just filled with the spirit and filled with so much love for the people we are teaching. Our friends we are teaching are so amazing and they are just so eager to learn! They love to show us they have their Book of Mormons with them and that they are ready to read. I love teaching them the gospel and sharing the happiness and love that I have and that God has for them. 

I LOVE being a missionary! Of course it has its challenges but that’s what makes it so much better! I am able to learn and grow from these challenges and I have learned to love them! Something my trainer told me was learn to love being a beginner because it won’t be for long. I really have learned to love being a beginner and to love my challenges. I know that because of them I am becoming a better and stronger missionary and I am so grateful. I absolutely love this gospel with all my heart and I know that I am supposed to be here serving these people!

I love you all so much and as always I am praying for you!!

We use this app called area book and that is where we put our whole days schedule and lessons and calls and we always have to sync (my companion and I) so it shows the same schedule anytime we change anything. Anyways I am always asking “can we sync again” and it’s the worst habit.

Hermana Olsen ❤