General Conference Week! Yay!!

Well hello there!

This week has been incredibly interesting. I did a couple of things I never thought I would do on my mission (see pictures below for details).

We came across a dirt road on Monday.... 

....and there was a midget pony, a donkey,

a zebra,

and a camel. Also we found Arnold Schwarzenegger's ex-wife's house. Never thought I would see that on my mission.

One more picture of our dirt road adventure. It's amazing what you find when you are trying to deliver a birthday card!

Monique and family- Monique is not progressing at all. But every time we go over there the spirit is so strong and we have these amazing lessons. We have developed a really close relationship with her. I seriously just love and adore her whole family. We went over there again on Thursday. I felt prompted to talk about when I was baptized. I told them how my dad pulled me out of the water and how I felt. And I told them that the first thing my mom said to me was "How does it feel to be perfect?" I honestly don't remember exactly what I said. That's the funny thing about going by the Spirit- sometimes you walk out of a lesson and think "what the heck did I just say." Anyway, Monique was crying and her 11 year-old son, David, just flat out interrupted me mid-testimony and said "okay I want to be baptized." When I asked him why he said something about how he wanted to feel clean and perfected. Then he looked at his mom. She wants it, but she is too afraid. We went over Sunday before church to go see if they were coming and they were getting ready and all excited...then they didn't show up. My heart is seriously breaking. I think about how we all have agency. I think about what Heavenly Father must think when I do something wrong or don't use my agency like I should. It's so devastating to see people you care about not make the right choices. I don't know- I bet Heavenly Father laughs at me a lot haha.

On Saturday we had a mission-wide conference. It was five hours long. Holy Cow. Elder Brent Nielson from the 70 came. I have President Van Cott's permission to tell you that he will be speaking in General Conference on Sunday. HOW COOL IS THAT.

Elder Nielson talked all about the difference between the redeeming power and the strengthening power of the Atonement. The Atonement helps us progress from good to better to best to Saint. He talked about Mosiah 3:19 and how a diamond in it's natural state is ugly and needs to be changed to look like what people put on rings. Also this is really good from my notes:

HOW TO APPROACH TRIALS:

1. the plan is for us to have trials

2. if you don't have trials the plan isn't working

3. the Lord STRETCHES us through trials- that's how we GROW- how we know who we are and who we need to BECOME.

When you have trials "Don't freak out." That's what he said. We are supposed to be experiencing trials. It's all apart of the perfect plan. Here's a quote he said that I loved: "The reason your mission will be the best 18 months of your life won't be because it will be a party; it will be the best 18 months because the Lord stretched you." This is easy to say, but trials are incredibly difficult. The way we make it through is by the power of the Atonement.

Mosiah 24:15-> When we submit CHEERFULLY the Lord will STRENGTHEN us.

So apply that generously as needed.

President Eyring's talk at the Women's Conference applies to this, too. Charity is the pure love of Christ. We need to have infinite compassion and help one another and support each other because we are all going through trials."We lighten the loads of others best when we use to Holy Ghost and the Lord's love to comfort them."

I am starting to notice that everything we learn in district meeting, zone meeting, zone conference, church, mission conference, and apparently general conference, go hand-in hand. It's like the Lord wants us to learn something. Or something.

Also church yesterday was pretty awesome because my spectacular companion gave a spectacular talk on agency and President Van Cott came for third hour to talk about member missionary work. Yay for the gospel!

Well I sure love all of you punks. I hope you get my letter I sent soon.

Love, 

Sister Olsen or Ashlee or Ashbug. 

Whatever.

We went to the Bench. Again. It's fine.

Look Mom! I painted a firetruck!

Service at a whole new level.

We ate pizza to celebrate Sister Magleby's halfway day. This is how much of her mission she has done vs. how much I have done in pizza form.

Here's a picture that Sister Mags took. I'm really cute. lol