12.29.14

This week has been fantastic! We spent a lot of time with members on

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day it was fantastic! In fact one of the

members that we were planning to see on Christmas had to cancel on us

:( but it turned out for the better because we ended barely having

time for the members we did get to. Oh and I almost forgot that Elder

Terry and I made some awesome French toast that morning and butter

syrup and had it with fresh strawberries and bananas. It was

delicious!

My Birthday was also great. There were a bunch of people that wished

me a happy birthday at church (which I wasn't expecting). That was

awesome! The member that had signed up to feed us that night came down

sick though so they had to cancel, we're hoping she gets better soon.

Then another member, sister Walus, said that she would find something

to bring us for dinner even though her husband was sick, if he wasn't

she would have had us over for dinner. It was so nice of her to do

that even though there was no good reason for her to. I am very

grateful for that. She even brought over ice cream and brownies! :)

It was so much fun to talk with everyone back home, I just loved it!

It has just been a great week! It was so good to hear everyone and to

hear that everyone is doing well.

So this week we were doing some tracting and we knocked on a door and

this lady answered. Her name is B and she proceeded to tell us that

she had fallen away from the church that she grew up in and that she

doesn't  really worship with her husband (he is an Orthodox Jew). She

has been looking for some religion in her life and has really been

thinking that she should take a look into Mormonism. She said that at

night when her son can't sleep that she will often get on the computer

and chat with a missionary on mormon.org (around 2 in the morning). It

was so incredible to find her! I love finding people who know who we

are and want to talk to us. We will start teaching her soon, though it

could be tricky because she isn't sure how publicly she wants to learn

more. We'll figure it out.

The gospel is true. The Lord is preparing people to hear his word.

Christ really was born of Mary. He is the Gift. Through him we can all

have a new start again. Happy New Years!

Elder Dane Olsen

12-22-2014

Christmas is here! I am pretty blown away by that. Time doesn't seem to pass the same when you take most of the familiar things out of life. I am so glad it is here though! Christmas is so much fun! Though it is a bit different without the cold. I am loving the weather though. It is just about perfect most of the time. 

Last Tuesdays was Transfers and I got a new companion, Elder Terry. He is a pretty cool guy, and we are going to tear it up this transfer. Totally pumped! He is from Toolle Utah. 

I got really sick Friday and Saturday and couldn't keep anything down. It really sucked and we couldn't go out and work. 

The work is going on! We are really hoping to get two of our investigators baptized in January, it will be a great new start for them in the new year! 

The Mission had a Christmas Devotional on Friday, it was fun to see so many missionaries, especially the ones I have come to know thus far through my mission. 

The great gift that God has given us through Christ and His Gospel is incredible. The gifts that mean the most are always given with love, the more the love the more the gift means. We can't even fully comprehend how great Gods love is for us. How incredible is that? Just think of all the greatest gifts there are out there and know that God wants to give us the Greatest of all the gifts of God. He, being all powerful, knows what the greatest gift is. All we have to do is obey him.

Merry Christmas!

Elder Dane Olsen

12-15-14

Sorry for not writing sooner and I only got a minute, so it will need to be short. Today Elder Smith and I replaced another timing belt. It made for a great last p-day with him. We're going to transfers tomorrow I am staying in the area and he is going. So I'll get you the address. Speaking of which, the package already came, and it is a good thing that everything inside is wrapped because I have already opened it. Thank you so much for sending the package and I can't wait to see what is actually inside! 

Cancun sounds awesome! I'm glad you and Dad had such a great time. And it is so awesome that Elise and John went to Present Yourself it is such a great class. If you do send another package I think I would like to get the workbook ing that comes from present yourself. I am pretty sure it is up in my trunk. 

Missionary work is great. We got 18 lessons which is a HUGE improvement for us. So awesome. 

Love you!

Elder Dane Olsen

12-8-14

Sorry this is kinda late p-day was packed. So it will have to be quick.
The Christmas Devotional was great! Wasn't it? I loved it. Though most
of my thoughts ended up somewhere else, with more or less the same
focus. This life is all about growth and Learning. So that we can one
day become as God, our Heavenly Father. To become as He who loves
unconditionally, He who is all powerful, and all mighty, He who is all
omnipotent, He can literally do all and everything that we can
imagine, and so much more. He who loves so deeply, so much so that we
cannot even come close to comprehend it. And what does He do? What
does He do with all that He is? He gives it all to us. All His time.
All His attention. All His power. All His might. All of His heart.
Everything that He is, He gives unto us. His imperfect children. His
children who treat him as naught. His children who take his name in
vain. His children who disrespect all His sacred things. We are
constantly consumed with ourselves. With our rights and our wrongs.
Our faults and our successes. How are we ever going to become like
him? We are at so much fault. How in the world can it be possible for
us to become like him? How? Simple, become like him. Through small and
simple things. Seek to emulate him. Give of ourselves freely. We
always grow the most when we are seeking to help others. All God does
is help others. Go figure eh?
It is pretty neat to see how God has created such a marvelous plan for
us to become like him. I wish I could expound more but I really gotta
go.

Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Dane Olsen

12/1/14

Thanksgiving was great! It is so much fun to be able to spend time
with some of the members for more then dinner and a quick lesson. We
went past a few different family's but we only had one dinner which
was alright by us.
Last Tuesday we had exchanges again. Exchanges are awesome, because
almost always there is some kind of miracle that comes out of it. This
time it was a new investigator! Which is so great! I love it when
someone actually wants to listen. It is so great! I just hope and pray
that all the people we are working with will continue in this path and
continue to earn the blessings they are receiving. It is so much fun
to feel of Gods love so strongly.
If you haven't seen the new video that the church has put out you need
to. 'He is the Gift' is awesome! It brings the spirit so strong every
chance that we get to share it. It is a simple powerful message. He is
the Gift. God gave His Son, to die for us. So that we can be washed
clean. So that we can succeed in this life and in eternity. I know
that I still can't comprehend all of the Atonement, and I probably
never will be able to understand it all, not in this life at least. It
is absolutely incredible that Heavenly Father and Christ do so much
for everyone, but at the same they have done it all for me as an
individual. It is so amazing.
Well sorry about the short letter but that's all for today.

Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Dane Olsen