WEEK ONE!!!! HOLY FLIPPIN' COW!!!

WHAT'S GOING ON?!?!?!

This is so weird! I feel like I've been here forever, but I also feel like I just barely got here! I don't even know where to start! 

So after I got dropped off this really nice sister missionary took me to get everything I needed. I dropped my bag off and went straight to class. The first day was pretty awkward and kind of a blur...... I met my teachers and district so I guess I will tell you about them. My companion is AWESOME. Her name is Sister Stalder and I think I love her so much because she reminds me a lot of Courtney Arbuckle. They look similar, have pretty much the same personality and they both dance soooo that's weird. She's from Roy, Utah and she goes to SUU. Oh and I'm only like 20 days older than her! Anyway, it's just been a huge blessing because I feel like I have had my best friend with me.

My teachers are Brother Gordon and Sister Kafu. I LOVE SISTER KAFU! She is super nice and she is soooo good at inviting the spirit. On Thursday, we had class with her for the first time and she just asked us all to go around the room and talk about why we were serving missions. She is soooo good at inviting the spirit and keeping it there. And she is just super chill.

The other sisters in our district are Carlisle and Newcomb. They are both from different parts of Ohio which is funny. Sister Carlisle looks a lot like Sally Holbert so that's weird. Sister Newcomb has only been a member of her church for a little over a year! Her faith just boggles me everyday. 

The Elders are Olson (lol), Ross, Teichert (pronounced TIGER-T), Poulter, and Sanbourne. Love them all. They all graduated from high school this year and they annoy the crap out of me hahaha. But a couple of them remind me a lot of Taylor so I like them a lot. They are all super immature, yet hilarious. We are with each other all the time and it's a ball!

So after I got here they threw us into class so we could meet our district, then all the new missionaries did a group teaching of some investigators. If you read Anney's letter than you'll know that she missed her connection so she got here late. The night before I went to the MTC I prayed and prayed that I would run into Anney because I was sooooooo nervous and I knew seeing her would comfort me. So pretty much right after she got here she got thrown into the same discussion as me. It turns out she needed more comfort than I did since she was late and kind of freaking out. How cool is that though??? Heavenly Father really does answer our prayers. I was able to be with her for a while and help her figure out where she needed to go.

So our teachers have been pretending to be investigators and we have to teach them and it's really hard. The MTC is super weird because I love it and hate it at the same time. I love being with my district and going to devotionals and participating in class discussions, but teaching IS SO HARD. I'm so glad I'm not learning a new language because I feel learning how to teach by the spirit is a new language all together. Me and my companion are having a really hard time teaching. The MTC is  just like anything else is life. There's ups and there's downs.

On either Thursday or Friday (don't remember..) we taught a volunteer. I guess a lot of people that are members that live in Provo come to the MTC to let missionaries practice teaching them. So we didn't really know what we were doing and then some guy just threw us in a room with this girl and we had nothing prepared. At first we just babbled about nothing... but then I was finally just like okay we don't know what we are doing so why don't you just tell us about yourself and any questions or things you want to talk to us about. Turns out her name is Brin. She's a twin that goes to BYU and was discouraged because her sister is going on a mission but she feels like that's not what Heavenly Father wants for her. So then after that we did A LOT better! Me and my comp were able to give her some great advice about listening and following the direction of the Holy Ghost and it was awesome!

Saturday night was pretty much the worst night of my life. My comp and I had to teach Bro. Gordon. Soooooo we walked in the room and I pretty much just bawled my eyes out. I think I was just holding everything in all week and finally the stress just became too much and I totally lost it. But it was sooooo awkward because he had to keep pretending he was this investigator and yeah. I was crying... Sister Stalder was crying... not good. 

That night I prayed sooooooooo hard. I didn't even know what I was praying for, but I just kept asking Heavenly Father for help because I didn't know what to to.

Then Sunday was the best day of my whole life.

Our branch presidency gave us a lesson on Christ-like attributes. Hmm coincidence that that's what my farewell talk was on? Probably not. Sacrament meeting was awesome. I'm the ward chorister so that's fun. And we walked to the Provo Temple with our zone and I can't express how much happiness I felt in that moment. Anyway, the whole day I feel like just kept going back to service and the importance of being kind and striving everyday to be like Christ. Then we watched a talk given by President Bednar to the MTC on Christmas Day a few years ago. It changed my life. It's called the Character of Christ and if you can find it watch it! His whole talk was about putting off the natural man and turning outward. He talked about the difference between testimony and conversion. You can have a testimony, but are you truly converted? Conversion means ACTING on what you believe- developing Christ-like attributes and trying everyday to be more like Him. When we want to turn inward and be like the natural man, Christ would turn OUTWARD. We need to turn outward! And you don't do it because you want the blessings. You do it because you want to follow Him. I have seriously never wanted to follow Christ and be more like Him ever in my whole life. I'm not here for me. I am here for other people. I think now that I have figured out teaching will come a lot easier. I truly just want to do everything in my power to help others.

Okay I'm almost out of time! Sorry! I need to learn how to use this hour better!!!!! I'm not sure how to use pictures so I'm trying to figure that out! Also I got sick this week.. Don't be alarmed I'm getting better! But I look pretty awful in these pictures and I'm super embarrassed... Just know that I'm not feeling well in them haha.

Love you mom and dad and tay tay and tara and dannon! LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

LOVE, ASHLEE err umm... sister olsen... what?

Sister Olsen with her companion Sister Stalder and some of the Elders from her district.

Sister Olsen with her district at the Provo Temple.