Walking on Sunshine - Week 52

Dear family and friends,

Oh my goodness, I cannot describe just how wonderful this week has been and it only became better after talking with my family yesterday! That is the highlight of the week that will keep everything afloat until the next time in only 5 months; that is nothing! 5 months, that is probably going to only be 3 transfers based on the idea that most of my companions last about 12-15 weeks on average (lol, except for October, that was a hard month of 6 companions within 30 days). Even then, with Spring right around the corner, it is going to be amazing. Also, I officially hit my one year mark next week--crazy, crazy, crazy.

Having Christmas away from home for the first time has been such a unique experience and most of my joy also continued to come when I turned outward and tried to help those around me. I am very lucky in that this is not the first Christmas that I woke up without family surrounding me, but I knew that wasn't going to be the case for my companion. So I decided to surprise her and fill up a little Stocking with my family's traditional presents of necessities like lotions, chapstick, and make-up. It was great! I woke up in the middle of the night, made arrangements, and then  we had a good Christmas morning.

Hahahahah, we then tried to make a really delicious breakfast of pancakes and fruit, but I had this brilliant idea to make the jello in the skillet pan the night before, so come morning, there was nothing to cook the pancakes in. So, we decided to use a soup pot; it didn't work. Everything burned. Then we decide to use a cookie sheet (but really it is a drip pan) on two burners, but that didn't work and ended up burning our hands a couple times. Then, my companion thought about using a sauce pot (smaller than the first and has a handle so we would stop burning ourselves), and strike 3. Everything burned. Somehow, though, she was able to make scrambled pancakes--lol, but we decided that it was probably better to not eat those as pancakes should never be scrambled if they are fully cooked. So here we were with three pots with varying degrees of charred pancakes on it, but I did successfully make fruit syrup; we just have nothing to eat it with.

It is okay, though, because my body gave me the wonderful Christmas gift of food poisoning. I spent the entire morning and all throughout Church services making a mad-dash to the restroom. IT was probably for the best that I didn't have a Christmas breakfast. However, all was made up for with a FUN Christmas dinner with the sisters from my MTC district. It was so much fun to finally be all together again, all on our year mark (basically), and just living it up in Mongolian. Who would have thought that we would have all ended up like this, all training by this time. Sis. Guild somehow found a turkey and I had turkey for the first time this year, it was delicious.

My stomach made it through the night (it was such a blessing) and I ate and laughed with my wonderful friends and sisters, before giving up on me again at the end of the night. I think Heavenly Father knew that this dinner was what I needed.

I am very grateful for this Christmas. There was so much that was different that I often forgot that Christmas was approaching; then as such, I didn't miss home. Mongolia is just so different. The one thing that was constantly on my mind all week was that the 'es' (it sounds like you-ce) is approaching. How it was explained to me is that there are going to be 9-nine day periods where the temperature is just going to start to plummet. The first 3 will be more mild (in comparison), the next 3 periods are going to just be flat-out cold, then the final 3 will become more mild, but not warm yet. Once March hits, life will become normal cold again.

I can do anything, even survive the es in Mongolia. This has been such a great year in my life and I feel everyday like Spring is right around the corner. My companion is teaching me a lot and I feel like I am getting close to that point where I just shine here--I want to be able to just teach from my heart. Everything is coming together and I am so excited about this all.

I love my family. You mean the entire world to me and I cannot wait to talk again soon--it really does feel like it is just around the corner. Enjoy the rest of the year, make it a good one and make some hard resolutions. that is the only way that you will cause growth in your life--aim for something that is going to cause you to stretch everyday and put forth effort. It will be worth it. You will look back and be proud of every step that you took, I can promise you this.

With my full heart,

Sister Jessica Olsen

Hahahah, so here is the Christmas carnage, then at church (oh my heck, this is my Mongolian Morgan), and a night of fun--I will send a better pic in a minute

So I wanted to paint my nails before church, so I had to do it as the last thing before leaving. Life as a missionary and these are the obligatory Christmas morning pictures when everyone just looks like it is early

It was such a good night, there are more coming!

A little more!

It really was just a fun night. Hahahahahahahahahah, but don't tick Sis. Bottorff off (just kidding, you're great)

 

So after talking to the best people in the entire world, I went out for breakfast--then lunch. I ate a lot that day.

 

I love you all!