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| Elders with Bryce! |
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| Bryce's Baptism Day! |
Hello everyone and happy Monday!! I hope you all had an amazing week. We definitely did - luckily we stayed busy so that made the week seem a lot faster! We actually had a ton more lessons this week than the previous weeks, so that was great! And we definitely saw some amazing miracles come out of it!!
Monday Night was pretty awesome. We stopped by to visit De-Jaun (from a part member family) and set a baptismal date with him. It's actually going to be this Wednesday the 20th!!! So that's another blessing before I leave! Other than that it was a normal Monday. It's funny though - I look forward to Mondays, but I also don't this week because I love the missionaries in the zone and I really don't wanna say goodbye..
On Wednesday we met with our investigator Jackie and set a baptismal date with her for August 14th!!! She is SUPER excited for it too. And we had our baptismal interview for Marie and she passed! She wanted us to be there in attendance so we are holding the baptism the 24th HAHA! It is awesome though! Jackie and Marie are so prepared for the gospel it's crazy! They are super solid. Marie even said (when we taught the Plan of Salvation) "my grandma always raised me saying there was more to life than just being here, dying, and being placed in Heaven or Hell. God loves us WAY more than that!" It's been amazing being able to be part of their teaching process and to see the progress they have made as well!
The rest of the week was just a lot more teaching and finding. We did do a temple tour with Bryce, and Elder Creer was there doing baptisms with a few of my recent converts in Lake Placid! I wasn't able to see them sadly.. But it's all alright!:) Bryce loved the Temple and it was perfect timing because yesterday HE GOT BAPTIZED!!! WOO! It was a GREAT turnout from the ward, with tons of support! President Clark even told me (because I had a temple recommend interview) that this area is on fire and he is very proud of our diligence in the work! But to explain a little more, I had to get a new recommend because Aynn from Sumterville called me and said she is going through the temple on Thursday! So I got permission to go through with her. YAY! It'll be great to see one of my converts go through the temple and to actually be there with them!
Well.... Phew... That was the week...lots and lots of excitement! I'm trying to keep this fairly short and all, since well.. I will see you guys in 7 days! But I wanted to share one thing real quick. I have been thinking about and wanting to share this. This has been something that has changed the course of my mission among a lot of other things. Of course the Atonement and learning what Faith truly is has played a huge role, but so has Service. One of my new found favorite quotes is - "The key to our success and happiness was to love them while we served them." For the entire duration of my mission I have been like the scripture states in Mosiah 2:17 "...when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." I have served my Heavenly Father by serving His children. That has been such a heart changer in my mission. I have come into contact with those strangers and immediately have a desire to help them, to serve them, and to bring them the happiness of the gospel. It's remarkable to see the transformation service can have on a soul.. Theirs and mine!
President Henry B. Eyring has an amazing quote that goes along with that! "By helping others come unto Him, you will find you have come unto Him yourself." There is so much about this topic I could say. It has transformed and changed my mission, my love for the gospel, and my life. Ultimately, service is the best thing you could give anyone, whether that be service temporally or spiritually.. This is my favorite quote, I've been waiting months for the right time
I felt to share it.
PRESIDENT UCHTDORF: "Brothers and sisters, we each have a covenant responsibility to be sensitive to the needs of others and serve as the Savior did--to reach out, bless, and uplift those around us. Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us. Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits, remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own." (Waiting on the Road to Damascus). I know that as we serve those we do find those answers and we draw ever closer to our Father in Heaven. I can promise we find TRUE happiness when we serve others, and ultimately serve our God. I can promise you can see and witness those same things too - because I've seen it in my life. I've had the privilege to partake of small things that can have a large impact.
https://www.lds.org/
I am so grateful for you all, and the constant love and support you have been for me while I've been here in the Promised Land of Florida. I love and appreciate it so very much. There are no words to even describe the feelings of love I've received on this journey. You guys are amazing! I also would like to thank my companions for their support, and all I've learned from them. I'm humbled to have had the privilege of being companions with you guys! I Love y'all. And of course I'm so lucky to have served in the areas I have, to help serve the people I have and to meet all the wonderful folks that have changed my life! Again, thank you ALL for everything. This has been such a defining moment in my life and I will forever be changed because of it. I'm thankful to my Heavenly Father for the blessings, and experiences I've had, and for the love He has extended. I am Also grateful for my Savior and the opportunity I have had to teach about His ministry, life, death, resurrection, and redemption that we receive of. I'm grateful for His sacrifice and the opportunity we have in this life to learn of and look to Him to find that everlasting life coupled with eternal bliss.
Companions
* Elder Cheung (MTC)
* Elder Cooper (trainer - 2 Transfers)>DeLand
* Elder Cotton (1 transfer)>DeLand
* Elder Davis (1 transfer)>Ocoee
* Elder Walker (3 transfers)>Ocoee
* Elder Uber (3 transfers)>Sumterville
* Elder Thompson (trainee - 2 transfers)>Sumterville
* Elder Anderson (1 transfer)>Melbourne
* Elder Bravo (1 Week)>Melbourne
* Elder Davis~Again (2 transfers)>Sebring
* Elder Rowley (1 transfer)>Lake Placid
* Elder Creer (1 transfer)>Lake Placid
* Elder Ashworth (1 transfer)>Ocoee
* Elder Hernandez (1 transfer)>Ocoee
Areas Served In
- DeLand (4 months)
- Ocoee (7 months)
- Sumterville (6 months)
- Melbourne (1 month)
- Sebring (3 months)
- Lake Placid (3 months)
I love you all!
-Elder A. Olson
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