Sister Nichols, Sister Moss and Me street contacting downtown!! It hailed on us the WHOLE time. We were soaked and wet by the time we were done but it was a good day.

Thank you to the singles branch for the candy and letters!! I loved it. Very thoughtful of everyone. And thank you for the card Aunt Kathy and Uncle Gary, today is the 6th! Merry Christmas! :)

So this past week, Sister Simpson, our mission president's wife, decided that she wanted to get the experience of street contacting and knocking with us before Sister Moss goes home! It was so much fun! We split up into two and two. I got to street contact with her. She's so sweet. She was nervous to go out, but wanted to do it, and I so gave her props! She did amazing! We even gave away a BOM to the first person we talked to. When we'd talk to people, and a few would just walk away, I would holler, "Have a Happy New Year, " or something after them and she kept saying, "You're so cute! How can people not talk to you?........" haha I just laughed and we kept walking. Anyway, I so respect President and his wife despite their busyness in wanting to get out there and do the work!

On New Years Eve, we had to come in at 6.....and so we went out to eat at a cute little seafood place.....and then we went and played basketball at the church with the Elders. It was fun! Really we just played our own games and then played around after they were done. We still came in on time and slept through the New Year, but whatever. haha. It made me think of all my past New Year's and I miss my friends! Anyway, I can't believe it's a new year!! It kind of made me nervous for a day or so thinking about how my WHOLE entire year will be spent on the mission. But then that fear passed haha.Anyhoo, I hope you're all doing well! I'm patiently waiting to hear from Brigham and Sheggy.......haha. Hint hint, wink wink, if it's not already in the mail.Much love, Sister Jen Olsen

My thought for the week: This first part comes from Elder Neil L. Andersen's talk "Repent...That I May Heal You" ...The scriptures speak of His arms being open, extended, stretched out, and encircling. They are described as mighty and holy, arms of mercy, arms of safety, arms of love, "lengthened out all the day long".....The Lord's desire that we come unto Him and be wrapped in His arms is often an invitation to repent......."Repent and I will receive you".....The Invitation to repent is rarely a voice of chastisement but rather...the beckoning of a loving Father and His Only Begotten Son to be more than we are, to reach up to a higher way of life, to change, and to feel the happiness of keeping the commandments....I am amazed at the Savior's encircling arms of mercy and love for the repentant, no matter how selfish the forsaken sin. I testify that the Savior is able and eager to forgive our sins......Divine forgiveness is one of the sweetest fruits of the gospel, removing guilt and pain from our hearts and replacing them with joy and peace of conscience. Jesus declares, "Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?"......Will we repent, or will we pull the shades down over our open window into heaven?.....At this very moment, someone is saying, "Brother Andersen, you don't understand. You can't feel what I have felt. It is too difficult to change." You are correct; I don't fully understand. But there is One who does. He knows. He has felt your pain. He has declared, "I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands." The Savior is there, reaching out to each of us, bidding us: "Come unto me." We can repent. We can!

"You must know that you can return. You can change. If I were going the wrong way in the middle of a marathon, and I realized my mistake, would I keep going? I would immediately turn around! Why? Because I would have lost valuable time and precious energy and strength, and it would be much harder for me to finish the marathon because of this extra distance and added time. I wouldn't stay on the wrong course because no matter how long I ran there, I would never reach the finish line. And yet for many who have made a mistake, a little voice keeps saying: 'You blew it. You can't change. No one will ever know anyway.' To you I would say, don't believe it. Satan wants you to think that you cannot repent, but that is absolutley not true. A return is always possible because of the Savior's Atonement." (Elaine S. Dalton)

"...There is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgressions, no offense exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness...Restoring what you cannot restore, healing the wound you cannot heal, fixing that which you broke and you cannot fix is the very purpose of the Atonement of Christ." (Boyd K. Packer)