Shortly after receiving my mission call I received a letter in the mail from my Mission President, President McReynolds, requesting I email my testimony so they could get to know me a tiny bit better.
When the time comes for me to return home from serving in July 2020 I will share my testimony on here again. I think it will be fun and interesting to see how my testimony has grown and to see how I have grown.
Well, here is what I sent!
Hello!
My name is Olivia Sellick and as you might have guessed by now I've been called to serve in The England Manchester Mission, (Which hopefully you do know since I did receive your welcome letter and you are the Mission President of this area. Haha, this would be an unfortunately awkward situation if not.)
As per your request here is my ever-growing testimony.
I know and love our living Savior, Jesus Christ. I don't think I would be where I am or as happy without the knowledge of Him and His Atonement in my life. It's not even just knowing He lived and atoned for all my sorrows, infirmities, sins and so on that makes me happy. It's that I have actually first hand realized and used and needed this great gift in my life. I look at the many people in the scriptures and see how happy and grateful they were to have a merciful God and Savior in their lives. I am too! Oh how grateful I am to know I have such a merciful and loving God watching over me. He provided a plan for me and all of us to come back home to him. He even provided us with a Savior who loves us so much too that he gave his life for us and atoned for our lives. When I am with my family I am filled with an overwhelming love for them and I want to be with them for eternity. I think to myself how our Heavenly Father and Christ are filled with even more love for us and an even stronger desire to have us with them. We can't even comprehend it. Everyone is deserving of that love. Everyone needs to know of this grand love. Everyone needs to know of this great plan of happiness. Choosing to serve a mission was pushed by these reasons. I have such a strong desire to bring this happiness into other people's lives that I can hardly wait another day to get out to the people of Manchester!
When my Great Granny Myril passed away a few weeks ago, oh what a comfort it was to know waiting on the other side of the veil for her was my Grandpa Hobby, Aunt Lenna, Uncle Mark Brant and many others. I know there is life after death and many of my ancestors are all waiting to greet us with open arms. This is another thing everyone needs to know. They deserve to know there is more to our lives after death and we have the opportunity to live with our families and loved ones for all of time and eternity. Yes I am leaving my family for a quick second and it'll be a little rough, but it is so others can be with their family for eternity. How grand is that? We don't have to live in fear of not knowing what comes next and we won't be alone. Our families will be with us. Life goes on. We get to continue to progress and learn. Like Brother Brad Wilcox said, "We are not earning heaven. We are learning heaven."
I know this is all possible through the saving ordinances we participate in when we are baptized and when we are worthy enough to enter into our Lord's holy temples. I am fortunately blessed to enter into that sacred building and make covenants with my Father in Heaven this upcoming Saturday, surrounded by my family and dear friends. In my interview with my Stake President before we jumped into all the questions, we discussed why I am going to temple. I explained it's not just because I'm going on a mission in 90 days. I'm going because I have the desire to make covenants with Heavenly Father. I'm going because I desperately want to become closer to him and his Son Jesus Christ. I'm going because I need it. With the adversary constantly attacking me, I need somewhere I can find peace and solitude, somewhere the adversary cannot be.
It's amazing how this to me is all so simple and has always made sense.
I am so excited to be able to come serve all the other daughters and sons of our Heavenly Father. I know I can bring some goodness into their lives, because after all, I've been called to serve the people, not the land they live in.
Thank you for taking the time to read what I know to be true. Sometimes I feel as if I am not the most well spoken/written person and I can find it hard to express everything I want to say adequately, but a testimony is a testimony and mine is still growing and progressing as I continue to learn. I cannot wait to come meet both you and your wife and I'm eager to be a full time missionary sharing His good word.
I'd just like to close this email once again by saying I love my Savior and Father in Heaven. I know they love me. I cannot imagine a life without everything they've provided for me.
I say all these things in the name of our Beloved Savior, Jesus Christ,
Amen.
-Sister Olivia Sellick
I look forward to finally being able to serve & to finally teach those who yearn to be taught :)
-Sister Sellick
