Meet My New Companion

My new companion Elder Merrill from

American Fork, Utah

Transfer day came and I got to see some of my favorite people!

 I got to see more than half of my past companions there! 

I love all the friends I've made on my mission and all of the things that they have

done for me. They definitely make me feel welcome and loved:) 

You're the bomb Elders!:) 

So Elder Anderson got transferred and my new companion is Elder Merrill!! 

He is from American Fork Utah. He served in the same district as me in Olathe about 5-6 months ago! He is an awesome elder and we are gonna have a great time here in NKC! 

He has been out for about 9 months now and he could be my last companion if things work out how I think they will! He's definitely an awesome

person to finish my mission with:). But we will see if I get to stay with him for that long!

Saying goodbye to Elder Anderson
We had a great time together...You will be missed

On Tuesday we had a sweet lesson with a guy named Donnie. He is in his 20s and lives in a house with a bunch of his friends. His house is like a guys dream! 

He is very religious and was raised a Christian and is really searching for truth. 

He has so many awesome questions and we are excited to continue teaching him! 

Hopefully we can take him to visit the Liberty Jail soon.

We had a sweet time with Angela as we helped her plant a bunch of plants
for her garden. Angela is such an awesome person and we had fun there!
And her little daughter, Lilli, tried to draw pictures of us with chalk while we planted. 

She is like the cutest little girl ever haha.
At one point she grabbed a dandelion and was dancing around saying,
"I've got a flower for the missionaries!" 

She's such a funny little girl. 

After planting we went and visited a few members since Elder Anderson will be transferred the next day. We also went and raided the Shoal Creek Elders apartment because their area was being closed, so all their food needed to be taken out of their apartment. So now we
have so much food in our apartment haha, but that's a blessing:).
Missionaries are always hungry and can use more food:). 

But the day was sweet and it was a good last day with Elder Anderson! This
transfer went by so fast it's crazy, but time keeps on moving and I'll
keep enjoying what comes my way!

We went to Taco Bell to get some dinner and there we met this cool 19 year old guy. 

He was so nice and he even paid for our dinner. It was super nice of him!

And after we ate we met this guy named A.a.ron. 

We talked to him for a solid 30+ minutes and he is very
curious and desires to learn more. Hopefully we will be able to
continue meeting with him and help him maybe go to a YSA (singles) ward up here.
There are so many cool and nice people we meet out here! .....with pretty
interesting names haha.

Sunday was sweet! There was a really cool lesson this Sunday on "The Love of the Savior" 

and I feel like it was something I really needed to hear again. 

Church is always such a great place to feel the spirit and learn something new. 

Next week is General Conference and I'm super excited for that! 

Be sure to bring questions that you have to General Conference!  :-)

This next week is going to be great! Elder Merrill is a killer
missionary and he is super fun to be around. 

It's gonna be an awesome transfer!

Talk to you all later!

with Love - Elder Odland

I Love Being a Missionary and Serving The Lord

I LOVE Being a Missionary 

and 

Serving The LORD

Never Forget the Enabler...The One and Only Perfect Man to Walk the Earth, Jesus Christ.

 P-day FUN!

Elder Anderson and I were having a conversation this week about deep doctrine. 

The topic isn't my favorite and I've seen it confuse so many people. 

The gospel is so simple and it needs to be understood in its simplicity before 

we go any deeper into the gospel. 

And IDK about you, but I'm still growing to understand some of the simple truths

 of the gospel/doctrine of Christ. 

The Doctrine of Christ is what will get us back to our Heavenly Father 

and not random deep facts/thoughts about unimportant topics within scripture. 

The Lord will enlighten us when it's time.

A scripture I read the other day that I enjoyed, 

"I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, 

for he hath redeemed my soul from hell" (2 Nephi 33:6). 

Never forget the enabler, the one and only perfect man to walk on this earth, Jesus Christ.

 

This week we met this guy that has had such a crazy past ranging from drug addiction, killing someone in self-defense, and basically every bad thing you can think of. 

We met him while walking down his street and he was checking his mail. 

He told us his story and how he came back to Christianity. He even read the Book of Mormon in prison. He has a sincere desire to continue changing for the better and 

growing closer to our Heavenly Father. 

Sometimes it's hard for us not to judge someone because of their past. 

But every person is entitled to an opportunity to accept and act upon the restored gospel. 

That is what our Heavenly Father desires, therefore we must do everything we can to align our will with His.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! 

Keep loving life and letting the gospel sink deep within you!:)

With Love ⁃ Elder Odland

Our Humbling Spiritual Experience at Liberty Jail

Met with Murphey....what an awesome guy

Zone training was super sweet this week and the missionaries really enjoyed the letter activity.

One of the missionaries came up to me afterwards and said, 

"That was the coolest experience of my mission."

Here are the details of that activity.....We held Zone Training at the 

Liberty Jail. 

I introduced that, as Zone Leaders, we wanted to do something to show our appreciation for all the missionaries in our zone. 

I then handed them each their sealed letters that 

I had requested from their parents. 

We then all walked into the part of the Liberty Jail where 

the Prophet Joseph Smith went through many anguishing trials 

while innocently jailed 

during the winter months from 1 Dec 1838 - 6 Apr 1839 

in this dark, cold, dungeon of a room where we were standing.

I related it to trials we face as missionaries while encouraging them that 

there are so many people supporting them. 

I then invited them to read their letters and then say a 

silent, personal prayer of gratitude afterwards. 

It was definitely a sweet and spiritual experience and there was a lot of emotion in the room. 

You could tell that Heavenly Father loves each and everyone 

in that room so very much. 

He has blessed us all with families and friends that love and support us. Missionary work isn't always the easiest thing, 

but it's probably the most rewarding.

The joy that comes from sharing the Gospel is so amazing 

and it's hard to know what it feels like until you experience it.  

I love being able to do these kinds of activities and to do all of the Zone trainings. It's the coolest thing ever when you find out afterward that it really helped someone or someone was able to receive an answer they needed. 

I definitely feel blessed with the areas I have served in and the responsibilities that I have had on my mission. 

They are such awesome learning experiences and 

they bring joy in so many different ways:).

I invite you to keep searching for opportunities to share the love of God with someone. It will bless their life more than you know!

With Love, Elder Odland