Crying is a spiritual gift

My dearest Family, and Best buds

WE had a mini-missionary again this week sister Ward. and before she came she prayed for a hard week, she wanted to see ALL aspects of the work and by golly she got it! be careful what you pray/wish for especially when it involves others. This week we pretty much cried all week. it was so hard, but hey we grew. so that is good! i think this weeks biggest theme was service. we talked to a lot of people invited them to church and told them that the restored gospel is on the earth, and the crazy thing about the south, is that they ALL love our Savior Jesus Christ, so they don't see anything different about us then the Jehovah's wittnesses (and there a lot here) anyways this is all besides the point the main fact that i wanted to focus in on is service.. Me.. Sister Erica Ann Olesen, mostly just Sister Olesen Drove/ steered a Catelac this week!!! there was this man, and his car broke down in the middle of the road, and there was 3 of us sisters so we were like "hey we can help" because nobody else was willing to so they all pushed, and i of course offered to drive because it was a catelac, i wish i got a picture, but just imagine, it was fantastic. p.s. that was the same day that we had interviews with President Baker, so that wasn't the most obedient thing we could have done, but desperate calls call for desperate measures! 

We set two people with a baptisimal date!! it was great one girls name is Jadaria Dickens she came to church this sunday and found out in Sunday School that Joseph smith was dead, and cried, aparently we had missed explaining that well enough.. ? whoops, we'll clear that up next time..;D

and a girl named Shaquitta Suggs is set for August 29th. so we are really excited for them! they are and have grown so much in the past two weeks! i love this work, the Lord's work you are able to see first hand the growth of our brothers and sisters because of the Atonement!! 

the reason this week has been so crazy is because its been so stressful. we went to havelock for exchanges, and then back to greenville in one day with a mini-missionary, oh man i know it seems not that crazy to ya'll but it is!! lol

well i gotta go, but i love  you all so much stay golden and read (stay by the tree) in the latest ensign. 

picture 1: Brother Smith and I all the way From Spanish Fork Utah

Picture 2: my HUGE fish!! from fishing at the Brews!!

Highlights:

mon: had a play for a member lesson!!

tues: a beautiful thunder storm that happened and it looked like a strobe light, there wasn't any rain, it was pure lightning

wed:Sister Glaser's 18 month mark

thurs:i drove a catelac, and interviews with President Baker, oh and i found brother Smith in NOrht Carolina... (he was my seminary teacher)

fri ate at Zaxby's... in memoir of my good 'ole Pops

sat had a lesson with a 95 yr old, barbara 

sun: Sister gLaser had her farewell talk in greenville!!

mon:I went fishing today!!!

como estas?‏

i don't even know what to say about this week. it feels like the longest week but also it flew by! i feel like just yesterday was Monday, but i feel like it was a lifetime that i last emailed ya'll. 

But i think the biggest thing that happened this week that was pretty random is that i now have a sweet peacock feather in my room now! right over my picture of Jesus Christ. it is beautiful! we went to a dinner appointment to the Worthington's and you know he reminds me a lot of my Uncle Jim. Very knowledgeable and a veteran in the Vietnam war. I loved talking to him, it felt just like home, its funny because i may be on the other side of the country, but i feel like i am right at home, #HomeIsWhereYourHeartIs. ;D anyways they raise peacocks and their house is about a quarter of a mile off of the main road. they literally have a zoo in their yard. peacocks, horses, dogs, cats, bugs. etc. but so that is the story of my peacock feather. 

Something that was bitter sweet this week is that Robin who was baptized last week by the elders is heading off to Ohio bordering Kentucky. things weren't working out here in North Carolina so he moved back with his mom to Ohio. but luckily we got to see him randomly at the church the night before he left to take a picture and to say goodbye. i sure am going to miss that guy! i am grateful for perfect timing and the hand of God to place in each others path one last time!

The thing that i have learned most this week is that i really am not perfect. I ... well every one knows this about me, but i am really hard on myself. so i have really high expectations that everything i do should be 100% perfect... even if i have only been out for almost 3 months. so i was getting pretty discouraged ya know and i wasn't able to feel the spirit (because discouragement weakens the spirits ability to testify through you) so that was discouraging me even more. urgh but the good news is that through the scriptures and prayer, and a few tears all is well! Heavenly Father truly will provide no matter what circumstance you are in, as long as  you turn toward him for guidance. 

WE also had dinner with the Jennings family and took pictures of course and little Colton had his peanut butter. (he was not letting that go, that is his love!!) but i am glad we got pictures! they even came to church this sunday! 

Ann, who is getting baptized in September was flipping through the Gospel Principles Book and flipped open to a baptism picture and turned toward us and grinned!! haha it was great! 

I know that all of these stories may not seem very significant to all ya'll but just know that this is the Lords work, We are his children and no matter what challenge we are faced with he will provide a way to get out of it.. even if it is a simple as having a craving for icecream. if it is important to you, it is important to him!!

-sister Olesen

H I G H L I G H T S :

mon; dinner with the O'dells the husband reminds me a TON of my Brother Gregory

Tues: took pictures in the shack that we had to change in after having lessons with Margaret. 

Wed: Ann Pointing at baptism picture with a huge grin!!

thurs: Gregs birthday (my brother)  learned a little bit more in depth about keeping the sabbath day holy, sacrament is the only ordinance we can repeat for ourselves.. think about that!! and we said goodbye to Robin

Fri: found People in the park and taught them the restoration! they thought we were crazy at the beginning, but by the end, they were very glad we stopped by, and you could really tell that they knew heavenly father loved them!!

Sat: it RAINED!!!! i was soaked all day long

Sun: had my epiphany that i don't need to be perfect to do the Lord's work.

Salvation Angels

whoa.. there is soo much to write about this week it is insane! but i will just share with y'all the things that stuck out the most! 

we had a mini-missionary this week her name is Sister Jamie Martin. she is from New Burn North Carolina. she is 16 and applied to go on a mini-mission to see what we did, and how we do it.. it was incredible! she is such an inspiration. if i was like that at 16, man i don't know what i would be like now. she is going to be an amazing missionary. 

we got caught in a lot of rainstorms this week and so that was a ton of fun we played and worked hard! #workhardplayhard. we taught almost every lesson including the law of Chastity while sis. Martin was here and it wasn't even awkward. we even sang a song while we taught it. to a little tune i like to call, "head, shoulders, knees and toes" 

head-keep your thoughts pure, shoulders: keep your shoulders covered, knees: keep  your knees covered, or at least a good length, also watch your blouse as you bend, Toes: walk tall ,you're a daughter of God. 

it was a great/really funny lesson. we did a lot of less active work though this week and it was great! we got a hold of a family who we have been trying to get a hold of for a while. the Jennings. they have a son named Colton and he has autism. but he was able to say the prayer. now this is what i want to focus on; This boy cant do a whole lot, but he is able to pray, he can't communicate very well but with the help of others he can communicate with God. This really stuck out to me! no matter what happens in a mission, in a life, as long as we are trying our very best to communicate with God, all is well. This boy taught me a lot! he is 4 and he had so much to share. he might not have a lot to offer, but he has the world to offer to me. With all of this crazy happening in the world at this time we need to try our very best to hold on to our communication to God, colton taught me that.(thorugh the help of others) through scripture study, prayer, listening to the counsel of prophets, so forth. fully rely on God (D&C 17:1)

Also this week we built a fort, and got asked if we sold girl scout cookies, and man,,, when north carolina gets something in their head, it is hard to lose it! lol and i must say when it comes to north carolina bbq no body can mess with them. it is good! and people get grumpy when they are passing out the food, because it is such a delicasy it has to be take seriously... lol so that is my advice for the week. i know that this email is all over the place but just remember colton this 4 yr old boy! everyone has so much to offer, just listen to them!  it is so crazy because so many people slam the door in our face, but if we could just listen to eachother.. man the world could do some serious changing!

well. i wish you the best of luck this week! its a good one!!

-sis olesen

highlights

mon- PLAYED E.R.S for P-day

tues-Sister martin came and we Saw Niecy, who has such a knowledge for the scriptures

wed-coltons prayer

thurs-we had to bail our tub out because it wouldn't drain... sick nasty

fri-we got poured on, and sister maritn's skirt was see-through so we had to go hurry and buy a skirt before our dinner appointment which we only had like 15 min to do so

sat-Robins Baptisim, the elders former investigator now member! he is so huge!! like a gentle giant. he was baptised while kneeling and had to bed over he i so incredibley tall

sun-farewell to sister martin

Full of Miracles

well folks, it was the good 'ole fourth of july!! (my favorite)

Although it wasn't filled with bbq and fireworks it was full of miracles that is all i can say!! this whole week! #1 it was my mom's birthday so that was a huge miracle! #2 we have a new investigator. 

this week wasn't too hot so that is pretty great. not too many sweat droplets this week. ;D it was full of following the spirit. we had so many appointments fall through this week... it is summer people think they can go on vacation.. what is going on here?  no it is great that means that they are with their family which means that they are helping the plan of salvation move forward. the family is the most vital piece of heavenly father's plan for us! so i guess its okay that they go on vacation, but hopefully they come back soon. so we just had a lot of improvising to do this week... but besides all of that nonsense we met a man  on Friday named Montreal. We taught him the restoration in not only 15 minutes, but the spirit was undeniable. we were tracting a kind of sketchy area, and we looked up, were bold and spoke to him and asked if we could teach him right then and there as we was drinking his carona. but that is besides the point. the spirit was there, it testified unto him that this is good, he may not know it is true yet, but he knows the message is good, and it is of God. I love the restoration so much. no matter what or where we are the spirit is always there. and the moment you help them recognize the spirit that is when their whole face changes. they have that desire. I love this gospel. not a whole lot happened besides that this week. Marian isn't getting baptized July 18th anymore, she doesn't feel quite ready, and she isn't sure this is exactly where she wants to go in her life. so that was a huge heart break this week. and i was so sad and discouraged, but then in 2 nephi 18 there is a verse that blatently states, "this is my garden, i know whats going on" ( or something along those lines) but anyways it was powerful, it re-assured me taht this is the Lord's work he is aware of Marian's decsions and he is aware of all of us. he knows what is best for us .... so rely on him!! 

-sister olesen

Mon- 2 month mark

tues-changed in a shack to get rid of our bed bug clothes

wed-the elder's investigator, told them that he is looking for a wife, so he has been hanging out at McDonalds a lot. to seek them out.... (it is the hang out here)

thurs- Elder and Sister Steffler took us out for a steak dinner for my 'graduation' of my first 8 wks.

fri- cleaned a house for 3 hours/ found Montreal

sat- the family that we spent a little of 4th of july with,, their kids tried to guess my age,, and apparently i am 31 years old... so i am the new oldest in the family (sorry kristina)

sun-we saw Ann our investigator with M.S. and we rubbed her feet to help the swelling, it was the most humbling experience of my life. i love her honestly with my whole heart!! (sept. 12 is her date.)