4 Aug 2010

wow this week was wonderful, we had alot of neat experiences. we are really working hard. i am loving being a missionary and serving here in Jd Amanda. Well, this week we offically opened up our new teaching group. we went to the new neighboorhood and had alot of sucess. we found over 35 new investagators in 5 days! It was really awesome. We found 4 new families, and we taught 10 first lessons. It was really cool. We were able to really work hard. It is a little bit of a far walk to get to the new place where we will be working, it is about 45 minutes when we walk.. but it is worth it. It is really awesome to go to a place that has never seen the church. So we worked really hard and it paid off. on sunday we had 4 cars full of investagators.. and we were able to have 9 investagators at church, the Lord really blessed us. All 9 of these people have baptisms marked for this month!! So we are really excited. The Lord is really blessing us. we are working hard, my companion got really fat of the mission (he had gained over 25 pounds..) well in 2 month he has lost 10 :) haha so i think it is having a good effect on him! We are going to work even harder and harder this week.
This week we also had interviews for the first time with our new Presidnet, P. Tanner. He is really awesome. I already really do love him. It was really fun to talk to him, he is like exactly the type of man i want to be haha. he went to law school at byu, was a lawyer in California, and was a stake president for 10 years!! He is really awesome. I am defenitly going to learn alot with him. We got along really well, we talked alot about life and the work of the Lord.
He interviewed our whole zone, and is really happy with the work we are doing. This past month our zone was richly blessed with 30 baptisms!! over 12 more than the next closest zone, so the Lord is really blessing us. We set the goal to baptize 60 people this month, everyone is really excited and ready to work!!
Then on monday we had a zone leader meeting at presidents house. and it was really awesome. I am sure learing alot about being a leader in the church because of the mission. I have learned so many things about how to lead people and help them accomplish their goals through the mission. It is weird... i feel like as a leader i am learning more than teaching.. but hey that is part of the trade.
We have an amazing group of missionaries in our zone, i love them all like brothers. I am not sure what is going to happen this next transfer.. i am a little nervous that i will be transfered.. i already have 6 months here in the area. In 2 weeks we have transfers.. on the 17th.. and i am nervous. but it will be in the Lords hands.
Sounds like everyone at home is doing great. I love being a missionary so much, this has been the greatest time in my entire life. Everyone i can feel your prayers and your support for me. It really is something special, to know that i have over 70+ olsens praying for me. and that all the friends and neighbors too it adds up to alot of prayers!!
i am going to need alot of prayers in the next few days, i really hope that everyone can please pray alot for me, so that i may be able to fufill all the Lords wants from me, and that i will be able to support whatever calling the Lord has in store for me.
I love you all. i love this work, the Lord is on our side! He loves us, and cares for us.

Elder Olsen!!!!