Winter Quarters YSA #23

Hey guys! I never know what to say in this part so here we go.

This week Elder Smith flew out to Chile. He is a missionary that lives right by us, and instead of assigning his companion Elder Reep another companion, they decided it would be fun to just put Elder Reep with Elder Fails and I for the last week and a half of the transfer! So it has been kind of wild. We are working both the Winter Quarters YSA ward as well as the Rockbrook ward, and trying to keep things going in both the areas with half the time! It's been a whole lot of fun, while at the same time it's been completely crazy.

Anyways we also had zone conference! It was honestly probably my best zone conference of the mission. I felt like it got me back into the right missionary mentality for missionary life and so that was super good. President Bailey gave one of the best talks I've ever heard. Here's a little of his wisdom. "If you don't think God is in control, just look around you. This is His earth. He made it. And he didn't make us just so we could go around moping and groaning all the time! He wants us to enjoy our lives and to wear ourselves out doing the very best we can to become like Him." Not exact words, but it was so good. And the best part was that one of my companions accidentally recorded the whole thing on his phone! He didn't mean to, but now we can go back and listen to it!

Anyways, our people are doing well. We have had a problem the last few weeks with people cancelling all the time, but we're really hopeful this week will be better. Also the college is starting again this week so we will be able to go back over there and start talking to people! It should be really good.

We met this guy named Denton this week! He has been taught in his home town in Colorado for a while now, and he wants to get baptized, he just isn't sure if he can make the lifestyle changes necessary for that to happen. He is super cool though and wants to come to church and be involved! Hopefully we will be able to get him to start meeting the members. Caleb is also doing well. We had a tour with him at the Mormon Trail Center and he seemed to enjoy it even though the guy went an extra half hour long giving the tour. 

Oh and we were really kind of getting sad Sunday night because it was like 7:30 at the end of the week and we hadn't found anyone. For those of you who don't know, in order to "find" someone, you need to teach them a full lesson, commit them to do something to grow their faith (usually read the Book of Mormon or come to church), and set up a time to meet up again. We try to find at least one person every week and so far we have been able to do that every week for a long time. I had been praying and pleading with God to help us find somebody. And sure enough at around 7:30, we got a call from someone who has talked to missionaries in the past. She has claimed that she doesn't believe in God, but recent circumstances have really humbled her and she realized that she does believe, and that she does need him. We prayed with her for the challenges she's going through, and then we taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel! It was such a miracle and God is good.

And that leads me to my spiritual thought. I read Mormon this week, and Mormon 9:21 says, " I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth." 

I decided to put this scripture to the test this week. So one of my eyes has been really weird and has been hurting on certain days, to the point where it's hard to focus. It was that way on zone conference day, and I had tried a lot to get it better over the previous weeks and nothing had really worked. Anyways as zone conference was starting, this scripture popped into my head and I said a prayer that God would give me relief from the irritation for long enough that I could have a wonderful experience for zone conference. Anyways I forgot that I even said that prayer until right before bed that night, and I realized that within minutes of my prayer, God had stopped the irritation for the rest of the day and i had a great experience! It would have been so easy to overlook, but I know it was a gift from God. God is in the details!

Have a great week everyone!

-Elder Olsen

Winter Quarters YSA #22

Hello everyone! So it's kind of been a crazy week with covid and everything going on. We ended up having a few days with all of our lessons falling through, but that gave us a lot of time to get some things done that we needed to. Some of the highlights were:

We met a guy named Caleb this week! He sells cars and two of his coworkers are a couple who are members of the church. They are good friends and about a month ago they started having gospel conversations. Anyways we went over and met with them and taught the whole restoration, and then he had tons of questions. So we ended up talking about the Godhead and the temples and all sorts, but he was really excited about it and we are going to go on a tour of the Mormon Trail Center with him this week, which is right across from the temple so that will be really good! He'll also be coming to our ward next week!

We have been doing a lot of facebook finding recently. Basically we will friend people and then when they accept our friend requests, we send them short videos introducing ourselves and asking if we can share a quick 2 minute video with them, and from there we try to progress to a video call or a Book of Mormon drop off and so on. And it's always interesting to see the kind of people that respond to those. The people who we get video calls with are usually either super ready for the gospel and excited to learn, or they are not and they kind of just wanted to do a video call to argue with us. Anyways we got this crazy guy this week that was going off about everything from reincarnation to child prodigies to the Hebrew versions of the bible names, and it was kind of crazy. We shared the restoration with him as quickly as possible and then got out of there because he clearly wasn't ready for it. 

Something I've been thinking about is how we can offer Christlike love to people. I think so often we are really good at offering Christlike love to people that we know, or that we are friends with, or that are like us. But how can we show love to those that are different than us? What about those who don't seem to even be trying to live a good life? I think that if we ever struggle to know how to offer Christlike love, we just need to look at Christ himself and see how he did that. He never got upset or angry. He always sought to understand people, while still showing them what he expected of them, because he knew that they would be blessed by turning to Him. I know it's a little bit cheesy, but when we are struggling to love someone, if we ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?" then we will be given a lot of guidance and clarity and we will be able to make the world a better place. Anyways I hope that made sense, and I hope you all have a fantastic week!

-Elder Olsen 

Winter Quarters YSA #21

Hey guys! So this week was a crazy one to be sure, but it was so Good!

Holly and Devyn both got baptized this week! Holly has been taught for about a year and a half and we were just lucky enough to be here when she decided that she was finally ready. There was a bunch of drama this last week that I won't go into that made it seem like it might not happen, but it happened and it was perfect! We started filling up the font 2 hours before and it still was just over knee high and only kind of warm, but she got baptized!  

Devyn was found about a month and a half ago by some other missionaries. A few months before then, he'd had a spiritual experience where he felt the Holy Ghost really strongly and it turned him from an Atheist into a Christian. He had been living in a life of sin, but turned it all around because of that. I mentioned last week about how he came to know that the Book of Mormon is true. When we taught him the Word of Wisdom he was super disappointed, but committed right then and there to live it. We had to push back his baptism because of the snowstorm last week, but it gave us a little time to make sure everything was right and he was baptized about an hour and a half after Holly! 

Ethan also came to church! He has been meaning to for a long time, but finally was able to make it. He seemed to like it. I also was one of the speakers so I was able to hopefully say some things that helped him. And our recent convert Brian came for the first time in 2 months which was awesome. 

We also had a few meetings this week as well as exchanges. I got to go with Elder Soto from Smithfield Utah! We looked it up and his house is 7 minutes away from mine so that was a good time. We were able to invite our friend Dan to pray about baptism which was awesome!

So in my talk I talked about how we are all on our journey back towards heaven, and we need landmarks to guide our way. I talked about the importance of the sacrament and how if we worthily partake of it, it has the potential to change our lives. I invite you all to prepare to take the sacrament not just on Sunday Morning, but all week and see what the difference is. I know that it will be an amazing experience. Anyways have a great one everyone!

-Elder Olsen

Winter Quarters YSA #20

Hey everyone! So the highlight of the week was probably that we got to drive the Mini van for the last few days. The mini vans are easily the most coveted cars in the mission and there used to be 2 of them and then they went down to 1. Basically our car died because it was so cold and we couldn't jump start it so we got the other minivan for the last few days haha. 

Anyways the rest of the week was pretty good. Devyn is all set for his baptism this Saturday! It was supposed to be last Saturday but because of a storm rolling through we had to move the date back a week. And Holly also is getting baptized this week! It might be a stressful week trying to get everything ready but it should be good! Devyn actually has a cool story. He started off seeming to be not interested at all and like he just wanted to argue, but then he watched all of the Book of Mormon videos and came to know that it is true and since then has been all in. He has now listened up to Alma in the Book of Mormon.

Saturday was kind of a rough day. It was the day that we were supposed to have Devyn's baptism, but we had had to cancel it, and then the mission told us that we couldn't even leave the apartment that day because of the weather. So we were kind of going crazy, but after many calls and many minutes on facebook, we found Josiah on Facebook! He is so cool. We messaged him asking if we could do a video-call sometime and share a message and he asked if we could do it that day. So we figured out a time and had a call and he honestly connected with the restoration so well. He seems to be at a really low spot in his life right now and wants to find God. It made that day so much better and shows that God can lead us no matter what. So miracles come from sticking it out even when it's hard!

We also had a lesson with Ethan. I think I talked about Ethan before, but he never believed in God before meeting with the missionaries. Right now he says he doesn't think that there's not a God, but he isn't for sure that there is. We talked about how we can feel the spirit and the things that we should do to be able to feel it more, and he seemed to like it. He also really wants to come to church with us this next week! He honestly has a lot more faith than he gives himself credit for, so next time we are going to talk about that!

It's the new year so I think it would be wrong to not talk at least a little bit about goals for the new year. One of my new years goals is to not give up. I think that people's goals are great and they always do really good at following them for a while, but then they'll mess up once and give up on their goals. The person who sees real success isn't the one who never fails. It is the person who fails but never gives up. And thanks to the Atonement of Christ we have second and third millionth chances. It's honestly something super beautiful. So I invite you all to never give up on your dreams and goals. Anyways you all have a great week!

-Elder Olsen

Winter Quarters YSA #19

Hello Everyone! I hope that you all had a great Christmas last week and that you have a great New Year this week!

This week has been pretty good here in Nebraska. We met with our friend Devyn 3 times this week. We were a little nervous because he wants to get baptized, but he hadn't been taught any of the commandments. We weren't sure if he was actually committed or if he just wanted to get baptized because it sounds cool. So anyways on Thursday we went through almost all of them and he didn't have any problems with any of it. But Sunday we were planning on going over the word of wisdom and we knew that he drank coffee. But we taught what it is and why it's important and even though he was super disappointed, he committed to stop. So now he is all set for his baptism on Saturday and we are really excited about it! 

We also were able to meet with Holly a couple of times this week. We ran through all of the commandments super fast with her and she understood all of it. She has been taught for like the last year and a half and has finally made the decision to be baptized! She doesn't seem to have any problems, so we are all set for her baptism in about 2 weeks! 

We also had a zone conference this week where every district did a talent or a skit. Our district decided to play Silent Night on the Recorders and let me just tell you all it was absolutely beautiful. We also had a white elephant gift exchange and I got 4 hotwheels cars so it was a pretty good day. 

And then for our Christmas we got to eat dinner with President and Sister Bailey! They are our mission leaders and so we got to spend a couple hours with them and then a couple hours with one of our recent converts and it was a pretty solid day. Christmas as a missionary is very different from any other Christmas. It doesn't have as much of the lights or the fun or the gifts or any of that. But I don't really feel like I've missed out. And I think that the reason for that is that I'm celebrating Christmas in a different way. As missionaries, we Celebrate Christmas by teaching others about him, by doing what he taught by serving and helping and loving one another. But the best part is, you don't have to be a missionary to do that, and it doesn't have to be during Christmas time. So my invitation to you all is to commit this new year to go out of your way more to help one another and to serve one another. And I can promise that you will feel happier and closer to the Savior. 

Love you all! Have a fantastic week!

-Elder Olsen

Ps. The email heading comes because the girl who plays Tony Stark's daughter came all the way from New Orleans to Omaha so that she could get baptized here. Kind of cool haha

Winter Quarters YSA #18

Hey guys! So there has been so much stuff that's happened this last week so I'll try to tell you a little bit about all of it! 

#1: I got to go to the temple twice this week! Our mission President's wife surprised the whole mission and our Christmas present was that the whole mission gets to go through the temple today and tomorrow! We just got to go today and it is so phenomenal. The power and presence of God that you can feel there are honestly. unmatched. And then the other time was to do baptisms for the dead with two of our recent converts, Chris and Mollly! It was both of their first time and it was so good!

#2: I am officially a Nebraska Omaha Mission Missionary! President Bailey called us this Friday and told me that with the amount of time I have left, I won't make it down to Peru. Everybody has been asking if I'm okay with it, and the answer is absolutely! I love it here, I have lots of friends here in the mission, and the important part is that I have been able to be a missionary. It doesn't really matter where.

#3: Transfers happened! So Elder Gleim is back home in California and my new comp is Elder Fails. He is from Philadelphia and we get along great! It's going to be a fun transfer.

$4: The tornado. Actually that's kind of a lie, but Wednesday afternoon it got really stormy and windy and the tornado sirens started going off for probably an hour. It got really dark all of a sudden and super windy and the rain was pounding, but then it all just stopped. Honestly I was a little disappointed, but it was probably for the best.

#5: Elder Fails and I got assigned to be admins over a couple of the facebook pages this week. It was super unexpected and we've been super busy trying to balance that and everything else we are doing. 

#6 We had a ward activity where we were making blankets for those who don't have any, and our friend Brian showed up which is super good for him because he hasn't come to activities for a couple months.

#7: Saturday night we got a call from some other missionaries and they told us that they have a friend who is YSA that wants to get baptized before the end of the year! He came to the other missionaries' church and our church and met a bunch of ward members!

#8: I've been thinking this week about what we can offer to the Savior. Like the wise men gave gifts when he was a baby, we can also give gifts to him. It could be a more kind heart, more thoughtful prayers, small acts of service or whatever you want, but I invite you all to think of something, and then do it this week. Have a great week everyone!!

-Elder Olsen

Winter Quarters YSA #17

Hey guys! So it is transfer week again and because Elder Gleim finished up his mission, I will be staying in the YSA for another transfer and I'll be getting Elder Fails as a comp. He's a great guy so it'll be really fun!

But Elder Gleim and I had a good last week! We started off last Monday with meeting Todd. Todd has been taught for a little while now by some other elders and we are going to start teaching him now! He has a lot of questions and loves learning which is super cool. He also likes talking so that is fun trying to focus him, but it's all good. We had a super cool lesson with him about the Restoration and he seems to want to come to church! He wasn't able to this last week but hopefully soon. 

Tuesday we went to UNO (University of Nebraska Omaha) campus and street contacted and met two people named Nick and Connor that both seemed pretty cool! Connor seemed super excited to learn more about the gospel and it's been pretty cool preaching about Christ during the middle of Christmas time. And then Wednesday we went street contacting on Creighton university campus and we ended up meeting a couple of people who are also named Nick and Connor. They definitely are less interested than the two from the day before, especially cause Nick mostly just wanted to have a friendly debate, but we were able to get their phone numbers so we can talk more later.

Thursday we went on exchanges and I was with Elder Tucker. We had a good exchange except for the part when we were on campus and this guy started off super nice and was down to hear our message, and then when we got into it he started debating a lot of the things we were saying. The sad part was that every time we tried to share why we believe, and bear testimony, he would just follow it up with telling us that we were wrong. But that's just life as a missionary and the great thing is that every time you find someone that doesn't want to listen, you're one person closer to the person who does want to.

Okay the big news for the week! King (from my last area) got baptized!!!! We were teaching him pretty much the whole time that I was there, but when I left, I honestly thought he was kind of a lost cause. He hadn't been making the kind of choices that he needed to and we had been teaching him twice a week for a while. But somehow in the four months since I've left, he quit smoking, moved to a different part of Omaha, and figured out a couple of other things and now is a member of the church! He even spoke at this thing called why I believe and did a great job! God is good my friends.

Anyways I have been thinking a lot about who the Baby Jesus would grow up to be, and I would invite you all to think this Christmas season not just about the birth of Jesus Christ, but about his whole life and I promise that more understanding and appreciation for his Birth will come and that this Christmas can be one of the most meaningful ever. I love you all and hope you have a great week!