15 days left...I can't believe it!!!

Hello mi Familia y amigos!!!!

Well it is another wonderful week that has flown by faster than ever... i can hardly catch my breath. Yesterday i pulled out my calendar and counted the days until I am in texas... 15! i can hardly believe that I have been a missionary for 2 months.. it is the craziest feeling, never before in my life has time flown by so quickly! I want to thank everyone for their awesome letters! they are the highlight of my week and I am so happy that I am able to hear how everyone is and what everyone is going through... it is stupendous so keep up the glorious work!

Everyone keeps asking me how my spanish is coming along... well.... lets just say many times i struggle with writing or speaking in english... so i think that is a good sign. I feel like i have sooo much to learn, but i never get discouraged. It is so wonderful knowing that the Lord has not only called me to texas... but has called me to speak spanish... he knows i can do it.. and through him i know i can do it as well. I love the many times that my companion and i have sat down to teach someone the 1st or 2nd lesson in spanish.. we had felt unsure with our words, but we would pray and the lord has blessed us continually... he has put words in our mouth and his spirit has been ever present. I absolutley love this work, i feel like i cannot express it enough. I know that this is absolutley where i am supposed to be and i feel like i am blessed every day by the hand of the lord.

I just want to descirbe an experience that my comp and i had this week. It is difficult because i feel like words can't even describe the feelings that i had and the emotions i went through. My comp and i signed up for a tutor session with one of our old teachers. She has been back from the mission for a few years and is probably one of the most spiritual people i have ever met. So we were planning on talking about spanish, but when we went in the room we just started talking about the mission and the amazing things we will experience. she served her mission in the houston texas mission and so she shared many experiences and prepared us for things that we will probably go through as well. It seems quite simple, but the spirit was so strong, and we were so excited to go and share this gospel with the people that we were called to serve and teach.

Yesterday we had a fireside about listening to the promptings of the spirit... it was soooo good! it really answered a lot of the questions I have had concerning Phil. this last week when I talked to him, he committed to reading 3 Nephi 12-15 and so I will be calling him Tuesday and talking about what he read. It is so amazing because he will ask me a question, and I will be unsure how to answer it right away.. the way he needs to hear it... and then later the answer will come to me. I was online at mormon.org and there is a clip of elder Holland and he is talking about the book of Mormon and how it is essential to have along with the bible. This is exactly what I needed to hear because Phil kept asking why a book of Mormon... is it disproving the bible? He couldn't grasp the reality that they work hand in hand.. and then if they did work hand in hand... why would he need to read it.. why couldn't he just stay with the bible..

so at the fireside, a thought came in to my mind.. which is this... 

The exact same church that Christ organized on the earth in His day.. is again on the earth. The same miracles that were performed then, are, through faith, performed now. God's word is received in our day through His prophet.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church on the earth. It contains everything. It is the fullness of the gospel. It is the means of salvation. And so, the reason the Book of Mormon is so important is because it is the evidence to all of these truths. Phil does not have to believe me... but he can read the Book of Mormon. He can pray.. and He WILL receive his answers. I am inviting all who will listen and will DO... to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it is true. Because it is either true or not... But if it is true. than the Church of Jesus Christ is true.

I love the gospel... it is so simple and so profound. I am fasting for Phil today, that he will be able to recognize the spirit he is feeling and that he will be able to let his guard down and will allow the missionaries to come back and to teach him.. I know that since he is not allowing them to teach, he is not able to progress in a way that he could. He is acting, he is doing, but he needs to be doing more. He cannot have a half hearted effort. If you could all pray for him on Tuesday, that would be much appreciated...

Lets see... ohhh... another highlight for this upcoming week is that sister winn, a wife of a member in the presidency, is bringing us hermanas cafe rio on tuesday... :)  i am way stoaked! can i just say... numalicious... 

well i love you all and i am so grateful for your examples and your love. My prayers are continually with you.. I am so blessed to have each of you to support and uphold me. Have a wonderful week.. and don't even think about doing anything bad... just be good! 

love you all!

-hermana Osborne-