Press Forward

First of all... I don't think any of you understand what your emails meant to me this morning! :) 

I just felt such LOVE! ah! Thank you. really. I don't know how other missionaries do it without supportive families. Dad, Mom, Zak, Wyatt, Bella- thank you so much for praying for me to have the strength to endure and endure well! Even though this last week was hard, I am learning so much so fast!! I've been praying like crazy.  I know the Lord hears and answers my prayers because I have had so much strength this week! Physical strength is not an issue anymore-how amazing is that! I have been drinking lots of water and we have been making so many green smoothies!!  Sister Thurner in our ward- out of the blue- bought us groceries. Spinach, bananas, frozen fruit, wheat bread, chia seeds, etc. It was an incredible blessing...and I didn't even realize it... until right now... as i am typing... that it was a DIRECT answer to prayer...to help my health! woah!!!! So blessed!! Only NOW it's my mental strength!! haha! Having confidence in the Lord and not yourself. Well, I've realized they contradict each other.  I need to remember that in the strength of the Lord we can do all things.  I have been doubting myself BIG TIME & the adversary knows if you start to doubt yourself-then you doubt your ability to help others!! My missionary scripture has never meant so much to me. 

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

(2 Nephi 31:20)

So...."press forward"...  I emailed Lily back just barely and told her the same advice I needed to hear myself. If you have a testimony- you can teach! They will not so much remember the things you said but how they felt. The teaching skills will come.

I know this needed to be my first area. I needed to just be thrown into a place where there was so much happening- I am gaining a ton of experience! You only learn by doing right?!

The zone leaders are in our ward now!! I'm telling you! Things in the Lake Michigan Ward are BOOMING!. We taught 5 lessons with a member present yesterday alone!! So this was the rundown of our Sunday: we had ward council at 7:30, then church (so many investigators were able to come! you have only the time in between class to get appointments set up and thank you notes passed out and everyone ushered to their next class! haha it's pretty insane!) then we had coordination meeting with the new missionaries (zone leaders) and Brother Cook and the Bishop joined us too.

Bishop and Brother cook were in tears.

Bishop miller said, "I have never felt this way about missionary work- not in 40 years." (he is a convert)

Brother Hirstbrunner- a ward missionary said, "We have the Best Missionaries, right here, right now. We need to do everything we can to invite others to come unto Christ!"

(definitely not US, but the role of "the missionaries"- because I sat there thinking... YEAH! that's true. there's so much to be done! Not even including myself in the equation.) Then Brother Cook said, "I just feel this overwhelming sense of urgency. It's evident that everyone else is feeling it too. I just wake up in the middle of the night thinking about missionary work and even if we were to have 100 lessons taught this next week- I would still say- ok this week shoot for 110!" 

Then he turned and said to the Zone Leaders-- "The way we do missionary work in this ward will make you better leaders & fathers & better in everything...This is the first Sunday of the rest of your lives!" haha! Brother Cook is so good at his dramatic, pump-up, go team! speeches. So grateful to have him as a ward mission leader  

All in All the work is progressing. Even with my weaknesses! huh- funny how that works out! :) The Lord is helping me to overcome those weaknesses and I have really felt of his love for me and for the people we taught this week.  

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE ADVICE, PACKAGES, LOVE, FUNNY STORIES, UPDATES- THE WHOLE SHABANG!

Steadfast & Immovable in Christ

Love,

Sister Osmond