I take it back! THIS week was the best week! It was a week FULL of emotions but the absolute best memories!

I don’t even know where to begin. It was our last pday as a district so of course we played pickleball and we played for like 5 hours. Yeison, one of our members, had work off so he came and played pickleball with all of us and destroyed us. Like absolutely destroyed us. He was so freaking good. We got hecka burnt because we were outside for so long so we all decided to go to the church and just chill the rest of pday. When we got there we all waxed our noses because I had this nose waxing kit, almost everyone had never done it before so the reactions were the best. We ended the day with Noche de Hogar. Our friend came too which we were super excited about and we all just had a good time and we got to know her a lot better. It was a super good day! 

Tuesday I had exchanges with Hermana McDermott and it was so amazing! She is such an AMAZING missionary and I have been so excited to go on an exchange with her and see how she does missionary work. We stayed in my area, North Minne, and had quite a few lessons. Hermana McDermott really focuses on baptism in every lesson and just the way she teaches is so focused on the importance baptism. We had a lesson with one of our friends that we had never taught before but had been taught in the past, and we put him on date! We just focused on our purpose as missionaries to help others come unto Christ and how important bapstim is and he was so excited and wanted to be baptized! It was such a happy experience. It was my first person I have put on date! After the call ended we just started freaking out and screaming and were so excited! That set the mood for the day and it was such a good day. We had our last district council and we all shared our testimonies, and dang I am surrounded by some pretty strong missionaries. We had dinner at a family in our wards house, Elder and Patricia. They always are playing music and they set up tables in their front yard and we just all had dinner and listened to music and talked. We hadn’t been over to their house in a while so we were all so excited. I also ate SO MUCH watermelon! I have been obsessed with it oh and with tajin! (Idk how to spell that) 

Since it was Elder Funks last week, all these members wanted to take him out to breakfast or dinner, so being the North Hermanas we got to go with the Elders for all the meals. Our last North dinner was with the family Argueta. It was honestly so sad because it was Elder Funks last member meal and it just made me realize time is moving so fast! I never want to be in that seat! I seriously don’t ever want to leave my mission! 

We went to Buffalo Wild Wings one last time as a whole district and afterwards we said goodbye to Elder Funk. We went to Hermana Laras house again to help mount her TV with the South Elders and help her get settled into her apartment a little more. After that we had dinner with a family in our ward and they had called us earlier and asked if we were allergic to seafood so we were preparing ourselves for what it could be. When we got there they gave us these massive bowls full of shrimp and octopus and all these different kinds of fish all in like this red sauce. All of our eyes popped out of our heads. We were definitely not prepared for that. John Paul, the members house we were at, told us stories about his life and it was the best haha. He is such a funny guy. 

Afterwards we went to the church and got to see a ton of our members. They were there helping with English Connect or because of the youth activities and it was perfect because we got to take tons of pictures with them and talk with them since we were going to have transfers Saturday and weren’t sure if we were going to stay or go and be able to see them Sunday. Also we had a lesson with one of our friends that had been coming to church on his own and we put him on date too!! It was awesome!! 

Friday was just a sad day. Hermana Erickson and I both started packing since we weren’t sure what was going to happen with transfers. We didn’t even want to think about the idea of leaving each other. Waiting for transfer boards is the worst because you just have so much anticipation building up. My mission President and his wife leave in 3 weeks so this was their last transfer boards so none of us knew how it would go or even had an idea of what could happen. They always send them super late, last time they sent transfer boards the morning of transfers. Hermana Erickson and I just sat and waited. We went out on our porch and layed on the ground and just looked at pictures from the last two transfers. We can’t be on our phones past 10:30 and it was 10:29 and we still hadn’t got anything so we were like what the heck is happening. We thought he was gonna send them in the morning again and then 5 minutes later we got the notification that he sent them!! I wasn’t worrying too much because I was almost positive I was staying in North Minne and then we looked and I GOT TRANSFERED! I couldn’t even believe it. Also another thing is Minneapolis has always been a Spanish district. So everyone there is a Spanish missionary but they completely split all of the Spanish missionaries up and put us all in different districts. These transfer boards were crazy. But I got transfered to Lakeville! I was super excited because I have heard so many amazing things about Lakeville and it was Hermana Ericksons first area. Hermana Erickson stayed in Minne! Hermana Erickson thought for sure it was her getting transferred but it was ME! I was so so sad to leave Minne because I absolutely love it with all my heart but I was excited to go to a new area and experience something different. 

Saturday was a day of packing and tears haha. I was so so sad to leave Hermana Erickson. MY MOM! I was so sad to leave all our friends we were teaching and our ward and our district! It was just a lot of change but thats what happens. I am in a trio with Hermana Pister and Hermana Flores! They had been in Lakeville together the last transfer so they were already familiar with everything. Hermana Flores’s original assignment is in Temple Square but she has been here for 3 months experiencing a proselyte mission and will be leaving during this transfer. She is from Honduras too which is so so cool! 

With saying goodbye and leaving North Minne that meant I had to say goodbye to all my pickleball friends that we had been playing with every morning. It honestly was so sad leaving them haha but we got pictures and played one last time with everyone. But I’ll be back one day so I’m not too worried. 

Minne will always have my heart and I will never forget all the memories I have made and the people I have met. I am forever grateful but I’ll literally probably be back in a couple transfers so I’m chillin but I’m so excited for Lakeville! I know I got transfered here for a reason and I can’t wait! 

I hope you all have the best week ever and remember that you can’t grow without change! That’s what I have realized. Through change is where I have grown the most! I love you all! 

Hermana Olsen<3