Patience is a virtue...

 I'm behind in my journal but I keep trying to catch up because I want to remember every day of my mission. I try to write a funny story or something unique that happened each day. I found an awesome scripture while studying the topic of Patience the other day. Alma 17:11. It's the Lord's advice to the sons of Mosiah right after he tells them to go to the Lamanites to teach them. Patience is definitely something I need to improve on.  

Alma 17:11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites,(the people of Oklahoma) thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be ^apatient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good ^bexamples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.

 

What a weird Christmas. It's hard not being home with family and friends. Instead I spent it with 3 guys that I didn't know 2 months ago. I showered, and called home. We ate dinner with the Leonard’s and visited the Rollins after dinner.

Day after Christmas was alright. It's hard to just jump right back into full swing missionary life so soon after Christmas. All the people we tried weren't home. But we felt that we should stop by Sister C's (a less active) house and visit with her room mate since Sister C. is still in Kentucky. Her roommate was nice as always and glad that we stopped by to check on her.

 

 

 

Friday, we got up early to play basketball with Dakoda. We had district meeting and got to meet the sisters in our new district. We came back to the apartment to do weekly planning then head to the library for mormon.org time. While we were at the library, we met a man on the computer by us named Tray. He started asking questions about what we do as missionaries... Perfect! At first he was saying stuff like, "I don't have to go to your church to learn about that do I?" Then by the end he said, "Where is your church? What time does it start? Could you guys meet with me and tell me more?" Haha! Absolutely we can!!:)

Saturday's plans fell thru, but we got to see Rodger in the rest home and meet his sister who is not a member. We shared 2 Nephi 31 with them and touched on the doctrine of Christ.

2 Nephi 31:20-21 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a ^asteadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of ^bhope, and a ^clove of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and ^dendure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have ^eeternal life.

 21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the ^away; and there is ^bnone other way nor ^cname given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the ^ddoctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the ^eFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is ^fone God, without end. Amen. 

 She loved it and liked us, but she lives in Edmond so we sent her name as a referral for the Elders down there.

Sunday was a good day at church. The previous bishop taught Gospel principles class so it was awesome that we didn't have to teach it. We ate some Colombian tamales for dinner. Definitely the most foreign food I’ve ate. It was corn meal and mushy rice with flavorless pork, a bone, and some kind of meaty hard boiled egg wrapped in a plantain leaf. The bone was cooked so much that I bit it and it crumbled in my mouth. It felt all powdery and tasted like blood. I looked at the tamale to see what I ate and I saw the bleeding bone marrow of the pork in the tamale... ha-ha. Definitely a cool experience but not one I’d want to repeat!

Love you!

Elder Olson