This week!

 

MLC

 

Thought this was funny

 

 

 

 

This week was so great! We seemed to get a lot of work done, which is always great. So Tuesday it was just awesome. I for some reason seemed to have extra motivation and was sharing lots of scriptures and personal experiences. We also started a super cool new thing that we like to call #skaipa. Sister Aipa is an amazing mother with 4 younger kids living at home, their lives always seem to be crazy! So since we now have Internet in our apartment we decided to Skype the Aipa family every night for scripture reading and family prayer! It has been so great to be able to get all of those kids together to have that spiritual upliftment every day.

Wednesday was another awesome day, we were able to have some really awesome lessons with some less active members. First we were able to see Sister Minnick. She was having a really hard day and we went and gave her a lot of comfort, but more importantly we testified of our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ and their love for her. We told her that if she came to church this Sunday she would be able to feel that love even more in her life. Sunday morning we texted her to remind her about church and she was hesitant to come saying "I'll try". As missionaries we come to know that this means no, so we didn't give up. We continued to testify of that love, and she came to church!!! We were also able to have a lesson with Brother Meaney. Such a great man who seems to have just been a lost sheep, we had sister Herbert, the bishops wife, with us to the lesson, and he also came to church this week!!
Thursday we went on exchanges with the Lewisberry sisters! I stayed in Etown with Sister Taunima. She is probably to coolest person ever and we were able to have a lot of fun, while still working hard! One of the people that we talk to was Tom. Tom is not a member but his wife and five kids are, with two of them being on missions. I have felt for a while that I should ask Tom why he has not yet been baptized, so this was my day to do it, to be bold and just ask. We picked a great day, he came right outside and talked with us. He is even ponderizing! We asked him why he had not baptized and we were able to find the concerns that he has, so now we are able to work with that!
On Friday we had MLC. This time we had it in Harrisburng. We also have a guess, Elder Kunz, an area seventy. It was a great day full of learning in the spirit. Sister Landa and I were able to present the idea of changin ghow they do the calls for transfers to them telling us on Saturday where we are going.  We were super nervous before hand but had a lot of support from President Johnson and Elder Kunz, and President Johnson decided that that is how we will go froward with the transfers! So I will probably find out this Saturday where I am going (since I will most likely get transferred). The focus of the training was observing the Sabbath Day, So important!!! Elder Kunz did a role-play, he asked me to go up and be his "investigator". He first started out by inviting me to church in which I said yes. But then he re-practice focusing on the Savior and having that invitation come from him, the spirit was so strong. As I stood there, him looking me in the eyes with his tear filling eyes, he invited to go to church as a representative of Jesus Christ. I know that our Savior loves us and that he wants us to follow his commandments, one of which being keeping the Sabbath day holy. I know that this brings such a blessing! We were also able to watch the new Christmas initiative!! It is not even out yet, so we got an amazing opportunity to watch, I AM SO EXCITED FOR EVERYONE TO SEE IT!  It just invites all of us to discover WHY, so great! Don't forget to check it out the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Novmeber 29th! I'm sure I will remind you though, don't worry :)

Sunday when we went to church we went knowing a few people who would come, but weren't expecting the great outcome that we had. There were 15 less active/recent converts at church! It was so wonderful to see so many people that I love there, and to see the fruits of the labor! I am so grateful to be a missionary at this time, I know that this is where I am supposed to be, and I'm grateful for the many people that Our Heavenly father has placed in my life!

Halloween

So I got a flu shot this week...that was exciting...We also had interviews with President Johnson, our mission president, I seriously love the Johnsons so much! So basically I am 99.999% sure I am going to get transferred in 2 weeks. He was asking me how I was liking my area and if I was ready to leave, I said I had mixed emotions about it, then at the end I asked if that meant I was getting transferred and he said, "Sister Oliver, you are going to be transferred, when that is, we don't know, but you have been there for a while, all I'm going to say is don't get too comfortable." Yeah totally getting transferred. I really really really love being an STL though, and I love the people in this area. 

We also had exchanges this week with the Ephrata sisters! I went there with Sister Wilson! I realized how much I miss doing service in nursing homes! We played bacci ball, and it was so fun to talk to the residents there! We also got to go to their trunk-or-treat which is where we met our comps, so Sister Landa and I got to be the judges for best car decor and best costume!

So last Pday we carved pumpkins and then we decided to use them in our car for trunk-or-treat, our trunk was so cute! Sadly they moved it inside, but we have the picture so it's alright!

So for Halloween we have to go in at 6, as well as on the day for trick or treating, apparently it is a thing here to have an assigned day and time for trick or treating so we stayed in on Friday for trick or treating day, we did weekly planning, but Saturday, Halloween, Sister Landa was sick so we ended up staying in all day. We basically only had a meeting over the phone to plan out ideas for our transfer committee, but I got to watch the Restoration, Our Heavenly Fathers Plan, Together Forever, Meet the Mormons.. Plus we had candy! :) So we picked up a new investigator this week, Richard, who seems so sincere about getting his life in order! He has been through SO much in his life, and just wants to do tings the right way now! His girlfriend Tara is a member, and they are both working together, ti's awesome!

Also, our ward was doing a 40 day fast which ended yesterday, I can testify of the power of fasting. I know that great power can come, as well as that unity in the ward, I just know that this area will and is being greatly blessed.

Exchanges with Ephrata! I was with Sister Wilson, Sister Landa was with Sister Wadsworth!

 

And a little more fall.

 Getting ready for the Trunk or Treat

Our cute little trunk

 

 

  

Parade

 

Our PDay. We went with a bunch of people from our zone, but I never got the pictures they took, here is sis Wadsworth, Me, and Landa

Ge

 

 

Cause you know.. Gotta have that gap between Elders and Sisters.

FALL!

 FALL!

 Amish

Carved pumpkins for Pday :)

 Hershey last week!

On the trolley

Chocolate World

I have also been reading Preach My Gospel, and I started the "How to Work With Ward And Stake Leaders" section. I felt like we needed to meet with the bishop, because for some reason I hadn't since coming to this area! At first it was bad. He got super defensive when we asked what his vision for the ward was, slowly but surely as we continued talking with him we were able to express that we were there to help accomplish that vision, and the whole spirit of the room changed. Yesterday while in PEC the whole focus was on the people who need extra attention at this time and who we could go see! He also later on invited us to their house for dinner as well!

We also went on exchanges this week with the Hershey sisters! Before exchanges we got to go to Chocolate World! That place is GREAT! The sisters have a neighbor who was the original manager and he got us free tickets to ride the trolley around the city! Such nice people! I stayed in E-town with Sister Noorlander. Sister Noorlander is such a great missionary! She has great insights, and she has a great testimony of this gospel. She has also only been out for 3 weeks! Though quiet for most of the lesson, when I turned to her to ask if she had anything to add she would happily share that testimony! I can tell that she truly is enjoying this chance to serve the Lord. 

We also had the opportunity to have a Logistics Committee meeting. President Johnson put together a committee to find ways to improve the whole transfer process. We were able to come up with some great ideas together as a group (it is us, The Assistants to the President, Harrisburg Zone Leaders, and Chambersburg Zone Leaders). So I am super excited to see the changes that are to come such as service, testimonies, locations, and the possibility to find out where we are going the Saturday before the transfer meeting! 

Something that I have realized this week is the happiness that can come from living the gospel. So I have realized the unhappiness that can come from Satan, and I know that by truly putting trust in Jesus Christ we can put that behind us. I was watching a Mormon Message this week and just seeing how happy they looked and wished that for myself. As I continued to ponder that, I realized that it was my own decision to continue to listen to the criticism that comes from Satan, and I also realized that I AM happy! I am happier than I have ever been before and that continues to grow! On Saturday we were having dinner at a members home, and her non-member son who has never shown an interest in the gospel asked me why I am always so happy, and I was truly able to testify that it was because of Jesus Christ.