It is so HOT here that many people take naps. We came for a teaching one hot afternoon and found Brenda and her siblings sound asleep.
My 1st Transfers
After only 4 weeks in Texas we are being transferred. During my 1st four weeks, we lived in an apartment with two companionships. Sister Amitoelau and Sister Behrmann served in the McAllen area and my companion, Sister Burt, and I served in the Edinburg area.
My new companion, Sister Behrmann. 
Wow! This week has been amazing! I know you are all dying for the details and I have been working on a tape and I will send a package soon.. yes.. with pictures!
But for now... no I was not transferred but my companion was. Sister burt was transferred to Beeville which is wayyy north and I got Sister Behrmann as my companion. She lived in the apartment so I already knew her and she was sister amitoelau's companion. I was a little worried at first, but I am so grateful for the change and even though we are different I have a lot to learn from her and we have already had such a wonderful week and have worked sooo hard! okay so some changes did happen! they gave us another area so now we have 2! it has been so crazy! it takes 30 minutes to drive from one area to the other and so we have to split up our weeks and everything to make sure that we are using time efficiently. we have taught and met so many wonderful people! wow. i feel so blessed!
okay lets see... some awesome missionary experiences! there are so many to choose from. The beginning of the week lots of people said no and just didn't want to listen. It was a little more difficult but we pushed through. The Lord has said the field is white all ready to harvest.. and I believe Him and know it is true!
Now that we have two areas we will probably be dropping some of the investigators that we have had in my 1st area. They just aren't progressing by coming to church. Which is really hard because a lot of them are so good and read the Book of Mormon everyday and pray... but they just don't come to church! so it is very difficult because they can't get baptized until they establish this pattern. There are a couple families that I am not ready to let go of yet, but i think this next sunday is going to be a make or break sunday. we just can't keep spending time with people who aren't keeping commitments because this time is precious and we could be using it to find those that are ready and willing.
It has been so wonderful though because we have been doing baptismal contacts. Pretty much what that is, is we meet people on the street and tell them about Jesus Christ and how He was our perfect example and wants us to come follow Him. He made a way for us to do that and that is through baptism. When Christ came, He didn't establish a whole bunch of different churches, He established one church. and that church has been restored to the earth again. it is the same church that Jesus Christ established. then we say... there are some things you can do in order to know that this is true for yourself. They are pray, read the Book of Mormon, and go to church. i know that when you do these three things together you will know for yourself that this is infact Christs church. so as you do these things and when you get that answer from God that this is the only true church, will you be baptized?
okay... scary.. i know.. on the street! but there are people who say.. no.. i am catholic and i will die catholic.. and they never want to change.... which makes it easier because then we move on and find those who are ready. we have had some amazing results. we have gotten 13 new investigators in the past 4 days. this way we are not spending hours a week teaching people and then when we ask them to get baptized two weeks later they say no. now we know up front and they know up front what our purpose as missionaries is, to invite people to come unto Christ, through faith, repentance, baptism.... etc.
well this work is amazing and wonderful and progressing and i am so so happy! i wish that you could experience these experiences that i am having. there are some days i wake up and I can't believe I am a missionary... but this is the best place for me to be. all the sweat and tears that go into this work.. its all worth it!
Alyssa, i am so excited for you and the journey that you will be making! this will change you more than you ever thought. I am so grateful that i will never be able to be the same.
Monica Miller! You got your mission call to Italy! I am soooo happy for you and i was soooo surprised! that is awesome! you are going to be tri-lingual! i am writing you a letter soon! I can't wait for these experiences that you will be having and the people you will meet and love!
Family...I need to get to work! keep being good and being happy! thank you all for your love and support and i hope you have a wonderful week!!!!
Love hermana Osborne
Subject: A week of Miracles
President and Sister Miller,
I am so excited for the changes that have happened this last transfer and the amazing blessings that I have already seen within my areas. I know that Heavenly Father is so aware of missionary work and so apart of it as well. The start of the week was very difficult and a little bit crazy since we knew that some big changes were coming up but we were not sure exactly what they would be. We spent a lot of time preparing to leave behind the area in the hands of other missionaries. I was so excited to hear that I would be able to stay and continue working with the wonderful people that I have been working with. I was also so excited to hear that we would be working in two areas at the same time. It is such a big responsibility and there are so many people to teach, but I have seen more growth in myself this past week than I have this past month. Since I knew the area and the people it forced me to speak up more and take charge and I have learned so much more spanish than I knew even a week ago. Not only have I grown so much, but the work continues to grow as well. It is amazing.
The beginning of the week all of our appointments fell through and all of our backups as well. We ended up knocking many streets but either no one was home or no one wanted to listen to the message. As soon as we had the transfer though, everything changed. We were able to teach 28 lessons in the past few days and we have met so many wonderful people. The lord has led the way.
As we have been getting used to the new area (McAllen) we were trying to contact a family but their address on the teaching record was wrong. However, this mistake led us to a wonderful small family who is from Cuba. The spirit was strong as we taught. We had to stand because there was no furniture in the apartment. I am so grateful for these experiences. I love the confirmation from the spirit that I am in the right place at the right time. Sister Behrmann and I have been working so hard each day and we often comment on how much fun we are having and how happy this work makes us. Our sole focus is on the work and on the people, and I have noticed what a wonderful difference this has made. Referrals are so wonderful as well. We had a member in the car and she just mentioned that we should go and visit some apartments by her house. I didn't even know that people lived there and that they were functioning apartments, but as we knocked the doors we found a young mother there who wanted to change her life and to learn more about the Savior and come unto Him. She even said that we looked so "clean" and "happy" and she wanted to know how she could have that in her life. I felt so much love for her as we testified of the truth, that the gospel brings joy in our lives, and the atonement cleanses us from sin. I love this work so much and I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and the people He has brought into our lives to teach. Promptings of the spirit are so small, sometime the tiniest impressions, but as we listen to them our footsteps are guided. As we open our mouths to testify, the spirit makes up for my own inability to speak the language.
Sister Osborne
Contacts 77
New Investigators 13
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