Drew got transferred this
last week to Bridgeport, Connecticut. He
has been in Lowell, Ma, since August, so he was excited for the change. We have not received an email from him since
his transfer, but he wrote last week and said, “I’m stoked to serve in Bridgeport with a
Brazilian that is learning English and I hear that Bridgeport is more
"ghetto" than Lowell. So I'm pretty excited. It will be a 4 elder apartment so that will
be fun. We will be with the Spanish
elders and the Branch or church on Sunday is all in Spanish. So I will have to study my Spanish a lot more
seriously. It will be hard to
leave and it has been really hard to say goodbye to people, but I am ready for
a little change and I know the Lord needs me elsewhere.”
The missionary work was slow
in Lowell, but Drew was a district leader there and a trainer. Even though they did not have many to teach,
we know that he had a purpose there in training his companion that came
straight out of the MTC. Early in December
he wrote about the struggles of this new Elder….
“So we went to church and
President Evans came to our ward to interview my companion. He has been struggling a lot with wanting to
go home,
and he is very close to doing it. I have
spent a lot of time telling him all about Brazil and when I came home and how hard it was and how much a mission would
bless his life, but he just doesn't seem to care. So he doesn't have the
strongest desire to work and he told President to get him a ticket home,
so he wanted to come and talk to him. I
have tried and I continue to testify that this is the best place for him now. President was in an interview with him for an
hour or so and then he talked to me. He
just said, ‘Elder Olson, he is with you for a reason and I know of no better
person for him to be with then you.’ He
said to just keep him busy like I have been doing and he will do what he will.
So we had a good long talk and I love President Evans. He is the sweetest man. I am so grateful he's
my mission President. So he gave me a
lot of advice and told me not to beat myself up or feel like a failure if he
does decide to go home.
President just said he's selfish and
immature and we just need to love him and hope he makes the right choice. So it was great to spend a short time with
President and get some advice from him. After the interview I told him that he is NOT going home as long as I am with him or even as long as he is
in the field. The work of the Lord is huge! I just hope he realizes it and works hard. I love this Elder, he's a great kid, but he
just needs to get to work. This is the best thing for him and I'm so so so
grateful for my mission. I know this is
where I need to be. So I will keep
encouraging him to work hard and share my testimony of a mission with him.”
One month latter Drew
reported to the President about this Elder’s progress….
“We did have interviews with
President Evans this past week at Zone meeting.
He asked how my companion was doing. I said he's happy and good. I enjoy the short time I have with President
Evans. He is a man called of God and he
is very close to the spirit.”
And just this last week he spoke of his companion again….
“I will miss
Lowell, and the people here. I will also miss serving with "my son" (his companion.) We've had a lot of fun together.” (We are
glad that Drew’s past experiences were able to help this young Elder.)
Drew shares some experiences that he had in December…………
12/7/11 “Today was an excellent day. We left early
for our Annual Christmas Mission Temple trip. It was a lot of fun and an excellent
experience. We were there early and we did an endowment session. It was an excellent experience for me, because
I was able to sit in the Celestial room for about 25 min or so and I was able
to communicate with the Lord through prayer and he was speaking directly back
to me through the scriptures. It was a
very neat experience to me. I had a lot
of questions answered and personal revelation come to me. I know the Lord is aware of us and wants to
have a conversation with us and help us. It was great. Then we went to the Baptistery. We did confirmations and then we had the
opportunity to be baptized for 20 or so names.
Being baptized is a very cool experience that I often forget the feeling
of going in the water and coming back up being washed clean. It was amazing. Then the temple had a nice
lunch for the Zone in the cafeteria with President and Sister Evans. That was
excellent. It was just like Costa Vida. Following that, we all met at the Belmont
chapel and had a testimony meeting. It
went really well. Then I spoke with the AP's for a good amount of time about the
Portuguese program and what they wanted to know what I thought should happen.
Then we left for home with the other elders.
We got home about 6 or so, had dinner, then went to work. It was a spiritual feast.”
“The Christmas devotional
was excellent. I wish I had the testifying
power of the Prophet. He has simplicity but much power. I'm so grateful to have a Prophet on the earth
today. I see things daily in Lowell and
in my mission that I would never want for my family or to happen to my friends.
The world is dark. The world is wicked.
Satan is trying harder than ever on us as missionaries, the people we teach,
and the members of the church. I'm so
grateful that darkness and light can't be in the same place at the same time.
There is no grey area to God and his commandments and what the Prophets tell
us. But like you said dad, from Elder
Holland, which team are we suited up for? The light will always over power darkness,
what are we doing everyday to prepare to burn our lights each day brighter? I'm so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus
Christ! This is his kingdom once again
established on the earth and we will reign with him if we do our part as in the
S.U.D. That is what will solidify our
foundation of Jesus Christ and our testimonies there in. I love this church, I love my mission, His
mission, and I love my family.”
