Grand Island #16

Hello there! 

This week I learned a lot from Zone conference, exchanges with the Zone leaders, and a lot of other cool experiences! Our zone conference was really good! We learned about repentance and also about how important it is to seek to truly understand people.

I had a cool experience this week where I was just kind of walking and all of a sudden a connection formed in my mind about the parable of the talents and how it relates to missionary work. It was super cool, but I was dumb and didn't write it down and just kind of forgot about it. The next day I tried to remember it and just couldn't. I couldn't even remember a little bit of it. I decided to pray to remember, and I hadn't even finished my prayer before it all rushed back into my mind all at once. Some people would say that it was a coincidence and that I would've remembered it either way, but I know it was an answer to prayers and i learned my lesson: when revelation comes don't just let yourself forget about it. Write it down!

We also had a really cool miracle from an English class. We taught a first class with about 4 people and at the end asked if we could share a scripture like usual, but after we shared about Christ and how he is the light, this lady stayed after and started talking to us about how she hasn't been feeling peace or joy in her life recently and has been looking for God. She also said that she doesn't think it was coincidence that she came to our class. So we told her that we can help her and gave her a Book of Mormon!!

The Lopez family is doing really well! We had two lessons with them this week and they have been reading all of the things we have been giving them. They will be coming to conference on Sunday and we were able to teach the plan of salvation! God truly prepares people to hear his word.

This Sunday we have easter coming up! I'm so excited to hear the prophets speak on easter and hear the words of God! I have really been thinking a lot about what easter really means. On easter we celebrate a great victory. The victory of Christ over death and sin. It's a victory for all of us as well because without Christ's atonement, we would die as sinners- never to rise from the dead and never to be able to change from our fallen state. 2 Nephi says that we would all eventually become like the devil. But because of Christ we don't have to face that terrible future! We can have hope and joy and peace in the fact that Christ descended below all things so that we can conquer all things. So I invite you all this week to really think about the true meaning of easter and what Christ really means to you. 

Have a great week everyone!

-Elder Olsen

Grand Island #15

Hello! We got surprised today and found out that Elder Daniels will be leaving grand island and it will just be me and Elder Baumann. I'm super sad to see him go, but the Lord's work will move on! 

Tuesday we had exchanges with Hastings and had tons of English classes. It was really cool to see people's gratitude for us and their humility. I also was pretty sick with a cold (not covid) and it was an exhausting day, but it made me grateful for everything I do have!

Wednesday wasn't super eventful but we taught an english class and helped with a food drive

Thursday we helped with covid vaccinations went to cairo Nebraska, and waited at the church for a lady for half an hour just for her to come and say that shes busy and to try again in a few weeks

Friday we went to hastings for a baptismal interview and watched a really good devotional about church history and how Brigham young became the Prophet

Saturday we helped someone move, showed someone the articles of faith and met with some members who just kept talking and we finally got out of there after almost 2 hours 

And Sunday we went to saint paul Nebraska to find some members and it is so beautiful! There were beautiful hills and fields and it was really fun! (Hills were a strange thing for me to see in nebraska)

I have been thinking this week a lot about just how big the world is and how blessed we really are. When you look at the history of the world there has never been a time like now and we are so blessed to live in the last days. Out of all those living in the earth right now a large portion of them are in poverty, and a large portion aren't free to worship how they want. But we are blessed to live in the USA where we enjoy so many blessings. And most importantly, we have been so blessed to come to the earth and have an opportunity to learn the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are a very small minority of people as blessed as us. And we should give gratitude for that because we don't deserve it, it is truly just a gift from God. I don't know how much of that made sense but I invite you to give gratitude to God that you are in the .2% of people who have the gospel on the earth right now! Sorry for the boring email this week but have a great one everyone!

-Elder Olsen

Grand Island #14

Hello it's me again! 

This week we had a cool experience on exchanges. I took elder Baumann and a new missionary, but that meant that I was the most experienced spanish speaker and we had tons of spanish lessons planned. I was super nervous but just felt like I needed to trust in God and it would all work out. So I tried to do just that and the day actually went really really well. We had a new person for an English class which was awesome, only to find out that he has the thickest Cuban accent I have ever heard and that I could not understand him at all. But God definitely helped out in that lesson and we left as friends despite the language barrier.

We had an amazing lesson with a member who was baptized as a child but doesn't really know anything about the church. It was so cool because we brought two members to be her friends and before we even said anything about the church she said that she wants to start going! Before she had been nice to us and I think mildly interested,  but those two ladies really changed things for her. The power of friendship is real.

We also had a lesson with the Lopez family (the same one's from last week). This time the Mom and daughter were there and the mom talked about how she has been to so many churches but has always felt like something has been missing. But when she talks to her friend from the church she feels so at peace. So we promised that if she would pray about the Book of Mormon she would know that shes found the missing piece and she was really excited about it! I felt the spirit giving me new ideas about how to teach the same thing I've taught dozens of times before and it was really cool.

This week has marked a year since the covid shutdowns. So I've been reflecting a lot about the last year. This year has easily been the craziest/hardest/most spirit filled/ most lessons learned/coldest/hottest/wettest/best/worst year of my life. It has been such an up and down roller coaster with covid hitting, being separated from all my amazing friends and family, sports, school, and graduation being cancelled, getting reassigned to Nebraska, and then hardest of all the loss of my sweet little 4 month old nephew. This year has been hard and challenge filled. I have felt like Nephi did in the very first verse in the Book of Mormon. "Having seen many afflictions in the course of my days." I think we have all felt like this at times. But then he added this. "Nevertheless [I have] been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; Yea, [I have] had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God." This is the part that is surprising to so many. When I look back on the last year since covid hit, I can see so many blessings that come despite challenges, and even because of challenges. All of my siblings moved back into my parents house and we had some beautiful months together despite the shutdowns. I've learned what it's like to put my trust in God when it seems like there's no hope and then watch him show me the way. I got the chance to be at my brother's wedding and I still have the chance to serve a mission in a place that I love! I've also learned so much. I've learned to never take any moment for granted because you never know when it might be gone. I've learned that there is nobody better to trust in than God and your family. I've learned that life isn't always what you expect or want, but life is always sweet and God has something unimaginable in store for us. So I can honestly say that although the last year has been the hardest of my life, it has easily been the best year. I invite you all to look back and instead of focusing on what you can't do, focus on the blessings that God has given you during these challenges and thank Him! Elder Gong said, "Truly, for those with faithful hearts and eyes to see, the Lord's tender mercies are manifest amidst life's challenges." And I promise that is true. 

Love you all! 

-Elder Olsen

Pics: Nebraska is beautiful! ( and a little wet right now)

Grand Island #13

Hello hello! MIRACLES have taken place this week so I'll get right to it!

Tuesday we got a phone call from a member in Utah. He owns a company in Grand island and has kind of talked to one of his managers about the gospel on and off for about 3 years. And they weren't super interested until a 9 year old girl from the ward invited their daughter to church and the daughter started really liking it! 

So we went over and planned on getting to know them and sharing a little verse about Christ and his suffering and how much that means to us. But that's when things started getting crazy! The husband left because he said that his mom wanted to come talk with us too! So we talked a little bit more about the verse and about how we can repent and change all thanks to Christ. And then they started talking about faith and how important it was and we shared from the Book of Mormon about how faith is like a seed and it will grow within us. They started talking about that too and then somehow they started talking about baptism. The grandma said that the dad needed to be baptized and that even though she'd been baptized in other churches she wanted to get baptized into ours! So we said that we can help them with that! We couldn't quite set a specific date for baptism because they got distracted again but we ended up teaching the whole gospel of Jesus Christ with them!

And we got back into contact with a less active member who is so cool! He was talking about how he'd watched a church movie and had been feeling weird ever since. But it wasn't bad, it was a good kind of weird. So we explained about how that is the Holy ghost and he was so excited! We re taught him how to pray and he said the most beautiful prayer. He is so cool!

So I guess the spiritual thought for the week is that the crazy miracle we had would not have ever been possible without faithful members doing missionary work. Miracles do still happen but God likes to work through us to do his miracles. And you all can be the start of a miracle! It doesn't have to be something big at the start. You can start by praying for missionary opportunities and then keeping your eyes open. It may be something small but never underestimate it! If not for that 9 year old inviting.her friend to an activity we never would've had the opportunity to witness God's hand in our friends. So that's my invitation for you and I hope you all have a splendid week.

me and Elder brown before he heads to Mexico 

running with the Sisters and gi2

Grand Island #12

Hey everyone!  First off its transfer week and my comps and I are all staying in Grand Island and I'm so excited! It's been a really good week and I've definitely seen the power of following promptings and the guidance of leaders! 

One of those things that we've been really working on recently is building relationships with members. It is the best way to find people yet for some reason it's really a hard thing for missionaries to do. It takes a lot of time and it's something that we've been working on since before I got here. And it's finally starting to pay off! Something that we've been doing a lot of is visiting with inactive members which is definitely not my favorite thing to do. It's long and we get turned away a lot, but it has turned into us meeting people with solid faith but who haven't been to church in years. We even met two people who are wanting to start coming back to church! And they have nonmember family members as well.

We also had the chance to go to a concert for missionary work! The big thing here in nebraska is show choir, and we have built a good relationship with most of the guys in the show choir because of some kids in the church who love doing missionary work. So we went to their concert and it was actually so cool! But more importantly we have kept building those relationships and even spiked the interest of a nonmember whose mom is a member!

Other Highlights include making the news, going on exchanges, eating a crazy hot pepper that made me cry, getting called up to speak in church last minute and going to elders quorum for the first time in my life.

Something I've been thinking a lot about lately is God's perfect plan for all of us. He has provided a way for all of us to return and live with him again and has made it so that we can experience Joy on the earth! We can do this through repentance and it is honestly so cool that we have all that we do. Through the good and the bad we learn and grow and become more and more like God. I invite you all to think about how your lives would be different without your knowledge of the plan of salvation and then thank God for it! I hope you all have the best week ever!

-Elder Olsen

I made the news

Taking a picture with a spatula

Me and Elder Yost before he goes to Chile

Service!

Us at the concert

My drawing of elder Baumann