9-29-2014

We weren't able to get a lot done this week. One day we got a staple in the tire on the car, so we thought we would just go find some plugs to fix it because it was a slow leek as long as we left it in there. We took most of the rest of the day looking for a place that actually had some plugs. We finally found them at Lowes. So it was good that we got those before it got too low.

We have been working with a less-active family, and we go over and help them out with fhe each week. It is pretty fun. The kids are 5, 11, and 13. They all get distracted really easily and we found out while we have been there that we must be pretty boring, I guess we need to work on our story telling or something. So this last week we were doing Samuel the Lamanite. We actually had them interested somewhat this time, though the 5 year old wasn't in the room, so that probably helped. Quick note, when we first started doing the fhe's with them it was a lot more like a lesson, because that is most of what we do. We have been trying to get more of an fhe feel so they will enjoy it more. So part way through the lesson I had an idea. They had been making some paper airplanes before we got there and still had the paper out. So, for the activity I taught them how to make some good paper airplanes (because don't tell them but their airplanes weren't very good). We had one person be Samuel and then the rest of us tried to hit him with the paper airplanes. It was a good time, and before long we were all just throwing paper air planes at each other. The 5 year old heard how much fun we were having and came in, then his brother asked him sounding very shocked "Are you naked!?" Haha He had come out with only a shirt on. He left shortly. Haha But I don't think he was to embarrassed. So I guess not to much damage was done? Hope so.

Miracle for the week. Ever since I got here we have been trying to see this referral that Elder Smith got when he first got to this area. Elder Smith had made contact with him, but I've never seen or heard from him. We continue to drop past his house a few times a week, and he was finally there! So great!

Well, that's all for this week!

 

Love you all,

Elder Dane Olsen

9/22/2014

Let me just say that I am fantastic! This week has been good. It is pretty neat to see the different miracles that happen in our lives each day. We are constantly trying to get a hold of people, and it is surprising how hard it can be. There were to contacts that my companion made with his last companion that we have been trying to get a hold of. He contacted them over two months ago, two people in the same gated community. We decided we were going to try and contact them again and made the long walk into the community because the gate to drive the car through was closed. We got to the first house (where we have knocked several times but never seen anyone). We actually talked to her! She answered the door. She said she would still like to know more but didn't have time right then so we got her phone number. Oh yeah! So that was pretty much a miracle in and of it's self. Then we went to the other persons house. No one was answering the door. Then she pulls into the drive way! Which was great. We talked to her too and had about the same story, we were able to get her number and we should be able to head back over there sometime! I am still blown away that we were able to get both of them in the same trip. So awesome!

Then the other day we had planned to meet with these members, but we hadn't been able to get a hold of them and decided that we would just have to drop past. Which is difficult because they are also in a gated community. Basically all we can do a lot of the time is plan who we want to see and when we want to see them and then pray that we will be able to get in through the gate. Sounds crazy, but it works. The Lord blesses those that pray in faith. So we went to one of the gates to get into the community and there was nothing. We couldn't get in. So we were disappointed, but there wasn't much more we could do. So we started heading home, when Elder Smith just decided to turn away from home. He said he didn't know why but he felt like we should go that way. So I pulled out the i-pad and started going through the members that lived in the direction we were headed trying to think of someone that we could meet with. I glanced up from the i-pad and I saw a gate to a gated community was just sitting open. (That doesn't just happen.) I asked Elder Smith if that gate got us into the neighborhood that we were trying to get into before. It did. So we flipped a u-y and went in, the members were at their house and we had a great visit with them. It's times like those when I know God is just up there looking out for me. He is saying something like this "Go over here, you see that gate. Yup you can't get in there. But trust me. Hey, Elder Smith, you don't know why but take a turn here. Hey, Elder Olsen, stop looking at the i-pad and look over there. Also Elder Olsen, you don't know this but that gate gets you to where you want to go. So ask Elder Smith if it does. You see, I am watching out for you. Keep up the good work! And keep listening."

So cool I am still always striving to rely on The Lord. It can be hard for me to remember to always rely on Him. But I am working on it, and I am improving.

I love the updates from home! It sounds like everyone is doing so great! I love it! Mom and Dad it sounds like Present yourself was awesome! I love hearing about it. And tell you what dad. I celebrated for you when I read that you decided to do the Launch and take mom along. I am so excited for you! You will both have to tell me when you get your recording done. Maybe I will be able to get permission to listen to them! Keep me updated on all of that! The Temple dedication sounds great! It is so awesome that Simeon and Debbie got to go! John, I am kinda jealous. That sounds so awesome! You will have to tell me how running the full 26.2 miles went! Isaac and Simeon, that is so awesome! You should write me and tell me about building the riding lawn mower. That sounds like so much fun, I wish I was there to help! Way to go Debbie on getting the solo with your dance class. You are such a good singer! Keep it up!

And on the health thing mom. I have actually been having green smoothies each morning. :) I've just been putting spinach, fruit, and orange juice concentrate, and most of the time an egg. Any things I should be trying there? 

So I have still been playing with tape. I have a few creations to help me out. I made the thing to hold the eraser and the markers for the white board in the first picture and the other two pictures are of the waterproofing that I made for the note book and pass along cards that I carry in my chest pocket. It's pretty awesome!

The Church is true, and God loves us. I see it every day!

Love,

Elder Olsen

9/15/14

This week has been a bit different. We have been working really hard to get more lessons, with investigators or members either way. We weren't able to get hardly any lessons in with investigators. But we got more member lessons then we have had any other week. Which was a huge blessing. We are trying so hard to get the member missionary work going, and it is hard. It finally started making a difference. We actually got a referral from a member yesterday! We are going to start working with them in the members home. I am super excited. I think I have said it before but I'll say it again. Our ward mission leader is awesome! He is from Scotland he has an accent (which is legit) and his whole family does too. He is so much fun. So last week he challenged the ward to simply give a pie to one of their neighbors. Simple. It's not to scary. Growing up he did missionary work all the time. His whole family would try and always be working with someone. But it was never "Lets go introduce ourselves and give them a Book of Mormon!" Which can go well, but most feel really uncomfortable doing it, so they will not. Member missionary work shouldn't look like that anyways. "Love thy neighbor as thy self." That is what missionary work looks like. It starts simple. Just go make a friend! Talk to people get to know them. Build a relationship. As long as you faithfully live the gospel it will come up naturally. Really it is just the power of being yourself. Pretty neat stuff.

It sounds like a party! Visiting, baby blessings new horses all kinds of great stuff! I am kinda jealous it sounds like a blast. Isaac, your gonna have to tell me about your horse and how that is going sometime, and how your business is going, and what your doing for school. I love hearing from home. It just makes me happy. I know that I am where I am supposed to be, but I know that life back home will carry on without me. Some of the other new missionaries find P-day to be really hard. Personally I love it. It is so great to hear what is happening, what everyone is doing, and what they are learning from it all. 

I am learning a lot every day. I am learning so much about the gospel. There are so many different aspects and levels. And it is so perfect. I am learning so much from the missionary stories in the scriptures. What are some of your favorite missionary stories from the scriptures? We learn so much from Ammon. Him and his brothers did so much. When Ammon first went out to preach the gospel, he didn't preach. His brothers did, but they got thrown in jail. Ammon started by first serving. That is all he did was serve, he built the relationship, and waited to show the power of God. 

I am praying for that same power, the power of the spirit.

Love you all,

Elder Dane Olsen

9/8/14

This week wasn't too exciting. It doesn't seem like we did a whole lot looking back over the week, but we have made some good plans for this next week and we are already seeing miracles. I decided that I love the ward I am in yesterday! They are all so great I love getting to know them all, but it is sure taking me a long time. I am hoping to find ways to make it faster so everyone feels like they know me too. We have an awesome ward mission leader! He is so great. He is from Scotland and he is a missionary power house. On his mission he mainly worked with members. So with his guidance and his connection with the ward and our hard work we will see many miracles. I am so excited about it all! One hard thing about this ward is that it is only two months old. It use to be three different wards. Basically hardly anyone feels like they actually know the ward. So as we all work together more and get to know each other more great things will happen.

Over the past few weeks we have ran into a few Bible bashers. I want so bad to prove the church right because I know it is. I can do it too. But that is the problem. The only way anyone will change is through the spirit. Not the logic. So I am working on not bashing (which is hard). I am really focusing on looking for and answering the questions they should have asked. Basically the goal is to take any problem or question that they come up with and relate it to the principles of the gospel, not the doctrine-nitty-gritty stuff. As they come to know the truth of the gospel and the principles of the gospel they will actually be open to the true answers. They will then truly learn and change. 

Now that I said all of that, I want to bring up the best point of why the gospel is right that I have. (Because it is still important to know the how.) But I won't be doing bashing with it. ;) I decided the counter proof is the best way to go. When some one brings up questions and contradictions they are implying that the gospel is not true because of these little points that they bring up. The gospel is quite simple though, because of the way it is built. Either the gospel is completely true in every single aspect, or it is completely wrong. There is no middle ground. True or false. No other options. So if someone has a problem with the gospel and they are using that problem to say the gospel is not true. Then they that The Gospel as a whole, is false. Okay. Lets assume that it is false. If it is false then all the doctrines are false. All of the organization. All of the inspiration. All of the Book of Mormon. All of them are false. So, where did the Book of Mormon come from? Well it would have to be made up. So Joseph Smith and those he was in contact with together must have made it up. Compiling their knowledge together to make sure that The Book of Mormon complies with the Bible in every way. It has to expound and help explain the Bible, but it has to be even simpler then the Bible. Not only all of that, but it all had to be written from start to finish in just over 60 days. And I could go on. But I feel that that is more then enough. It isn't anything that important, and it won't help me convert anyone. Which is to bad. 

Anyways, me and Elder Smith get along great. Today we are headed out to see if we can find some cool stuff at pawn shops. We were playing some mini hockey this morning and mostly we ended up just trying to hit each other with the little foam ball. It was a good time. :) I love the work, and I am contently working to do it better. There is so many things for me to work on, I don't think that I will run out of things to work on, ever. Haha It is good though. The Church is true. Heavenly Father loves us all individually.

Love you all,

Elder Olsen

9/1/14

So as of Saturday I have been on my mission for a month! It is pretty crazy, I am getting used to it. :) So last week sometime we stopped buy a gated comunity that we were trying to get into to see a few members and the like. It was locked though so we didn't go in that day. Then this week we were going past the road that goes to it and I asked Elder Smith if he thought we should stop, he said that he had been thinking about it too, so we tried for it. We pulled up, the gate was closed and so we were turning around to head on our way when a car pulled in as we were leaving so we turned around again and followed them through the gate. Score! We went to a members house there and she said she was about to leave in 10 minutes (quite the blessing) we talked with her a few minutes. We got an appointment set up with her to come back and have a member lesson with her. Then she just kept talking, she told us about her brother that is in our ward, he had been excommunicated and had just started coming back to church with his non-member family. (Also a blessing) Then she told us about her teacher age son who was hopping to work on his testimony some. All kinds of incredible blessings! It was neat to see how things always work out when we listen to the spirit. 

There are so many people that I want to hear our message but so many don't even care. I am still seeking ways to help each contact that we make realize that the Gospel is something that they need in their life. It will help them so much! 

So we usually email from a church building. So holidays shouldn't effect us. :) I got one of the mission's i-pads on Friday. It is pretty neat.We use it as our planner and also to access all kinds of church literature. We can get conference talks the whole gospel library all kinds of good stuff. (we just have to download it while we are at the church. We also use it to share Mormon Messages and such. We often will use one of them when meeting with members, we then discuss how that principle applies to our life. It is a great tool I am excited to find ways to use it more effectively. We also have Internet Proselyting each day for an hour where we are to make the best use of being on Facebook communicating with members and investigators. I don't have a Facebook yet though, I won't get one till I am done being trained.

I so wish I could have been there for the camping trip! It would have been so amazing! It was great to hear some about it. High fives to Isaac, Simeon, and Jack for sleeping in hammocks! That made me happy to hear. It sounds like everyone is doing great! I love to hear all about it!

Something I am working on is relying on the spirit, because I really don't do very well a lot of the time. If anyone has any ideas feel free to let me know!

Love always!

Elder Olsen