Week 21

Kia Ora Whanau!

What a week! Every week goes so fast but they're also so long because so much stuff happens.

Tuesday was transfer day so we drove to Wellington really early in the morning to drop Sister Mamea off at the bus station and then we went to the mission office for intake and I met my new companion Sister Crichton! She is from American Samoa (for those who have no idea what that is, it's an American territory, a little island just west of Samoa), she is 19 years old, she is part of the American army, her best friend was in the MTC with me, she says her English isn't very good but it's actually really impressive. She is so cute and enthusiastic and probably the most freely loving person I have ever met. She just radiates with charity. She's the only new missionary this transfer which is crazy because last transfer we got heaps of new missionaries. She is teaching me more Samoan so hopefully I'll be able to speak more by the time transfers come.

Sister Hutia didn't go far, she just got transfered to the other companionship that is in our ward. It's pretty funny because I get to serve with both of my daughters at the same time lol.

Every day this week we had to drive into Wellington in the morning because Sister Tauru had been asked to do a translation service at Victoria University and she can't drive so we shuttled her and Sister Hutia in every morning. When you are part of the Hutt Valley Zone, you are also part of the Wellington Zone lol.

On Wednesday, Sister Crichton and I worked hard. We walked so much and we got heaps of rejection but Sister Crichton was a total champ the entire time. We had dinner with the Wilsons and our lesson with Michael. The rest of the family wasn't very respectful during the lesson so we dropped the meal appointment and set up another time we could meet with Michael outside of the home so hopefully we are able to start helping him progress more and gain a testimony of Christ. Jason, Farrah, and Ashley-Kate also told us that they are getting baptized into the Arise Church in April and they invited us to come. It was pretty disappointing to be honest and Jason knew it was. He didnt even want to tell us and he kept making little justifications for him getting baptized into the other church. I wish them the best but it was not fun getting that news.

On Thursday we had MLC and it was a pretty hard core meeting. I think we all felt a little rebuked by the spirit. The cool thing about receiving heavenly correction is that it doesn't feel debilitating, it is quiet motivating to repent, return, and do better.

Friday was a full out day. We had zone conference in the morning which was really awesome. One thing that keeps hitting me over and over again is how central Christ is to everything. Literally without Christ, nothing is possible. President Soloai always says that you know you served a successful mission if st the end you leaving really knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. You don't leave just knowing a lot about him, but you leave really knowing him and having a relationship with him. President Nelson's emphasis on the proper name of the church also testifies of how everything is about and made possible because of Christ.

Friday evening we had back to back to back lessons. Our first lesson was with Daniel. He is slowly starting to progress and I attribute that 100% to the Book of Mormon. He has started to read it regularly and he is slowly starting to gain a testimony. I love getting to see people's faith in the restored gospel begin to grow! It's honestly so exciting! After Daniel, we had a lesson with some less active teenage girls. They are all really keen on coming to church, it's just a struggle because their dad never brings them and they also don't live in our ward. But teaching them is still the best. Our last lesson for the day cancelled on us about 30 minutes before it was supposed to happen and I just wasn't having that so we went anyways and when we showed up, they opened the door and let us in an we taught the lesson we had planned. Sometimes you have to be bold and persistent and not take no for an answer. Sister Crichton was a little surprised that we went even when they told us not to come, but I knew that we needed to go so we did and it turned out really well.

Satursay was probably the highlight of the week. We had a lesson with a new person we are teaching, Sheena, and it went so well. We taught the plan of salvation and really emphasized how the whole point of everything is to gain eternal joy. Sheena was just soaking it all in and you could see the pieces falling into place and we taught. At the end we invited her to pray and ask if what we shared is true and she said she wouldn't because she already believes it. It was so awesome to see someone who is so prepared to accept the gospel just know that the plan of salvation is God's perfect plan for us. Later on Saturday we had a lesson with Seiara and we taught her about family history and temples. We watched the video tour of the Rome Italy Temple with Elder Bednar and Elder Rasband and it was so powerful. Then we got her signed up for family search and we started to add her family to her tree. When we added her grandpa, her tree blew up. Someone has already added a bunch of her family onto the website so she was able to connect and see a ton of her ancestors information. She got so excited and was so pumped to go home and show her parents. Hopefully family history is what will soften her parents' hearts.

Saturday night there was a baptism for our Bishop's son and both Daniel and his less active wife and Seiara came. Funny story about them coming, so a couple of hours before the baptism Sister Crichton and I stopped by Daniel's house to make sure he was coming and he really wasnt sure about it but after a few minutes of talking to him he said "okay sure, yes I'll come, I'll bring my wife too." We were pumped. Then Seiara texted us saying she was sick and not able to come but she still wanted to do the lesson so we just had her come to the chapel like an hour before the baptism for the lesson so by the time the lesson ended the baptism was about to start so she just stayed anyways. After the baptism both Seiara and Daniel said they were glad they came.

Not a lot happened on Sunday. We had 3 people we are teaching come to church which was so awesome! A funny thing that happened at church is while we were in Relief Society, we saw Leila, a 14 year old girl we are teaching, walk out of the chapel. So we got up and followed her. When we got out of the chapel, we saw her booking it up the hill towards her house. I was like oh no! So I turned to Sister Crichton and I said "run Soa". Sister Crichton was so confused. I started to sprint up the hill and I finally caught her at the top. We asked her what was wrong and she said nothing she just wasn't loving Young Women's. We talked about it and made a plan that next Sunday we would go to Young Women's with her so that she had a more positive experience. It all turned out okay and by the end if it we were all cracking up over the fact that we chased her up the hill.

My spiritual thought this week is more of a question that I would like to invite you all to ponder. The question is: What is your testimony rooted in? Is is rooted in a certain principle or experience? Is it rooted in a church leader or policy? What ever the foundation of your testimony is, make sure that you gain a testimony of Jesus Christ and make him your foundation. Everything is centered around Jesus Christ. It is called the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for a reason. This church is full of imperfect people but its foundation and its core is Jesus Christ, a perfect individual. In Helaman 5:12 it says:

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Satan is going to send his shafts in the whirlwind to try and beat you down and hurt you and pull you away from the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is going to do this because he has lost the opportunity to gain eternal salvation and eternal joy, so he is going to do everything to make you feel like you can't have it either, or sometimes even make you feel like you don't want it. I testify to all of you that there is no greater gift and opportunity than to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and know that you are prepared to receive everlasting joy. We all have the capability and opportunity to receive it because we are all on this earth. So please, evaluate where your testimony is rooted, and make sure that it is rooted in Jesus Christ.

Ofa Atu

Sister Olson