Sister Carmen Olson

Kia Ora everyone! First things first, today is my Mom's BIRTHDAY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA I LOVE YOU!!! I have been here for 2 weeks and doing great. Not playing rugby in highschool has really put me at a disadvantage during outdoor physical activity because everyone plays it. On Saturday I decided to try it out and it was super fun but then right at the end I twitsed my ankle and it got pretty swollen lol. Sister Howes was super worried but I'm all good, it wasn't serious. This is my last email from the MTC! I leave for Wellingtion on Tuesday at 6:00 am. I'm sooo excited to get out to the field. The MTC is great but I am ready to leave. This week it was good, my lessons were all good but Sister Kipp complained about everything and it was so annoying and I let her attitude affect mine. I am trying hard to not let other people's attitude and work ethic affect mine but it's hard.  This week I learned how to recognize and follow the promptings of the spiri...

Ki Ora! (Hello in Maori) Hey everyone I'm here in New Zealand and loving it! It's been a super long week so this email is going to have a lot in it.  I flew out of Calgary on Tuesay October 9th and flew to San Fransisco. It was not a great flight because we were flying with United and the seats weren't comfy. It wasn't too bad though beacaue Elder Mulholland was sitting next to me so I had someone to talk to. Once we got to San Fransisco we met up with Bob and Patricia, some people that Elder Mulholland knows some how, and they bought us dinner. They are from Auburn California and know Cammie Fuller which is crazy. After lunch we went to our gate and met up with some more missionaries flying to New Zealand. One of them, Elder Rowley from Spokane Washington, gave a cute old man a Book of Mormon and he was so excited and promised to read it all and he gave us his address so once we get out of the MTC we can go teach him. We boarded our flight to NZ at 8:30 pm on T...

Kia Ora (thats hello in maori) Hey Mom and Dad! I'm in New Zealand and safe in prison (The MTC lol). Its so pretty and nice here! Its literally the garden of eden. The MTC is tiny and is basically a chapel and a couple other buildings. There are 58 of us missionaries total. 18 are ESL. There are so many Polynesian people here. Usually Americans are the minority but there is 18 new missionaries that entered today that are american (im lumping me and elder mulholland and two elders from Wales in there). The flight was good. The flight to SF was long and not comfortable cuz United is a crappy airline. It was nice travelling with Elder Mulholland cuz I had someone to talk to. Once we got to SF, some people that had connected with Elder Mulholland over instagram met us at the airport and bought us lunch. They are from Auburn california and know the Fullers (Elliotts grandparents). Then we got to the gate and met up with 6 sisters and elders. We gave a book of mormon away to this cut...

Mom: My advice to you was to be humble. The church website about humility says this: To be humble is to recognize gratefully our dependence on the Lord—to understand that we have constant need for His support. Humility is an acknowledgment that our talents and abilities are gifts from God. It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that we know where our true strength lies. We can be both humble and fearless. We can be both humble and courageous. My thought was to advise you to remember that you have something to learn from everyone you meet. Dad: Dad said to remember the big picture of why you are serving a mission. Programs and key indicators are not the mission. Of course we need organization and we need to keep rules, but the real purpose of serving a mission is to share the gospel. When times are tough, remind yourself of your purpose. Grandma: Grandma said that she is so proud of you. She said you are such an effervescent p...