Week 63

Kia Ora Whanau 

Mere Kirihimete! 

So this week was miraculous. On Christmas day I received the best gift I've ever gotten... it was a Christmas miracle. But before that I'll tell you about Monday and Tuesday. 

On Monday we went to Oamaru (one of my old areas) for pday and then we were invited to participate in a Family Home Evening with a member there. While we were in Oamaru we were able to visit some people that both Sister Alves and I taughtwhile serving there. We visited a lady who I met a couple of times but who Sister Alves worked alot with and the crazy thing is that she remembered me. I was very touched and it really just showed me that on your mission you never know whose life you touch and how big of an impact you have on people. That's why it's important to always serve with all your might because you have no idea how much you can help someone.

Tuesday we spent in Dunedin. We had a combined district council which is just a crazy thing to have in this zone because everyone is so spread out and so the whole day gets taken up by one meeting. We had to sleep in Dunedin the night before so that we would make it to the meeting on time. It was good though because I was feeling well and so I was able to get a blessing while I was there which wouldn't have happened if I was still in Queenstown because there are so few people. Tuesday night we watched the Christ Child movie with some less active members and it really put me in the christmas spirit. As I watch the wise men I just thought about how I'm going to feel when I one day kneel before Christ. I don't even think I can imagine it to be honest.

Okay so now for the Christmas miracle! We had Christmas lunch with some brazillian members and they had some friends not from church also come over for lunch and one of them told us he wants to join our church! So we set up an appointment to teach him and it was insane! He's so prepared! It was incredible because this has never happened on my mission and it never happens in Queenstown. It was so amazing. I was so grateful to Heavenly Father. So ya now we are going to teach him. His name is Bernardo and he is so sincere and prepared and it is the best Christmas gift I've ever received. We taught him twice this week, both the restoration and plan of salvation and he gets so happy when we teach him and just accepts it. Every question he asks is so inspired and they lead into the next principle we were going to teach so perfectly. For example when we taught him about the restoration he said "this all makes sense but my only question is how do you know this is not a lie, where's the evidence?" We were like "well let us tell you about the Book of Mormon and how it is physical evidence that Joseph Smith was a prophet!" It was so cool because after we shared the Book of Mormon with him he was so touched by its power and was so excited to read it and pray about it. He couldn't come to church on Sunday because he works night shifts so he was too tired but he told us that he's already looking into switching his day off so that he can come to church! I'm telling you, so prepared! 

We have 2 branches that we take care of and so we have 2 sacrament meetings to go to. The first one is in Queenstown and there are always heaps of people because there's always so many visitors. The second is and hour away in a little town called Alexandra and only 5 people come to that one, it's crazy but also so spiritual. I love it because the members in Alexandra are so dedicated to the gospel and it puts everything into perspective, that going to church isn't about the people or the music, it's about Christ and renewing your covenants with Him.

This week my spiritual thought comes from Doctrine and Covenants 18:15-16 which says "15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me." I wanted to share this because I want to explain why I am so excited that Bernardo wants so join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Some people may think that it's because I'm a missionary and so I'm number hungry or beacause I'm a missionary that's all I care about, is if people get baptized. Other may even think that I am excited because if Bernardo gets baptized it somehow makes me a better missionary. These things are not true. I am excited and receive joy from teaching Bernardo because he receives joy each time we teach him and I get so excited seeing the happiness that the gospel brings other people. I am excited about Bernardo wanting to learn more because he is a child of Heavenly Father who loves him and wants to live with him again and so to be able to help Bernardo take those first steps to come back to Heavenly Father gives me such great joy, just as the scripture says it will. My joy has nothing to do with me and everything so do with Bernardo is coming closer to God. It is the most special experience and why I love being a missionary, because everyday you get to feel joy just because other people are growing their relationship with Heavenly Father. 

Ofa Atu 

Sister Olson 

Pictures: 

- I damaged all my fingers on tuesday... i looked like the kid from spy kids with all the band aids covering his finger warts lolol

-lots of selfies 

- the view from our flat....I'm serving in Banff Canada