Week 2

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 spirit while teaching. It's incredible how the spirit directs everything and how well lessons go when you are paying attention to it. It really just highlights to me that this is not me doing the work but the Lord doing His work through me. 

The highlight of this week was on Wednesday. Because the New Zealand MTC is so small, they are able to coordinate with the Aukland mission to do exchanges with the MTC missionaries! So on Wednesday I got to go do real missionary work! IT WAS SO GREAT!! My companion for the day was Sister Ellis, she's been out for 16 months and is super awesome. I had set a goal for that day to give away 3 Book of Mormons. We went street contacting in the morning and literally talked to everyone that crossed our path. Some people would see us and cross the street so we couldn't talk to them which was funny. The second person we talked to was named Michelle, and when we introduced ourselves she told us her daughter and son in law were members of the church and that she had read some of the Book of Mormon but doesn't really participate in anything that has to do with the church. Sister Ellis asked if she had her own copy of the Book of Mormon and she told us she didn't. Then Sister Ellis kinda started to wrap up the conversation and the spirit said to me "hold on you can't leave it like that, do something!" so I spoke up and I asked her if she wanted her own copy of the Book of Mormon. She got so excited and said yes! So I gave it to her and promised her that if she reads it she will be blessed with joy, peace, and direction in her life. She then voluntarily offered up her address and told us to come visit her. She then turned to me and said "You never know, you might have just done something big for me." I was so pumped! I was on such a high! The rest of the day was filled with more tracting and a lot of rejection. I wasn't able to meet my goal of giving away 3 Book of Mormons, Michelle was the only person I was able to give one too but I wasn't even upset about it because I literally talked to everyone and we succeed when we open our mouths so I was feeling pretty successful. 

Getting to go on exchanges was great because I felt so much love for everyone I talked to. It was so cool to get to feel just a portion of the love that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for each of us. I also learned a lot. I learned that I want to always be hard working and always go that extra mile to talk to one more person or knock on one more door because you never know if the next person will accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I also learned that I want to always invite people because when you invite then people can come unto Christ. I learned that I need to always be bold. Finally I learned I want to endure to the end. Sister Ellis is going home soon and she seemed like she was fading and not quite enduring to the end and I want to avoid that when I get to where she is. 

The members here in NZ are the best. When we were walking around we were always getting honked at because the members were getting our attention so they could wave hello to us. It was so awesome and so encouraging. 

My spiritual thought for the week is from Mosiah 4:27. In this verse it says "For it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength [...] it is expedient that he should be dilligent." I love this becuase the Lord doesn't expect us to do more than we are capable of, but He does expect us to work hard. 

That's all I have for this week! Go on a mission if you can, it's hard but it's also the best.

Love Sister Olson