Another Amazing Week Filled with Baptisms!

Gina's Baptism

Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010

President and Sister Miller,

What an amazing couple of weeks we have had. The Lord really has been

pouring out His blessings with all of the hard work that we have been

putting into the area. This last week we were able to see another wonderful

daughter of God, Virginia Gutierrez, enter into the covenant of baptism. She

had been progressing slowly and we have had to move her date back several

times. We have been teaching her for a few months now and finally a week ago

sister haws and I went over to her home and had such a spiritual lesson with

her. I couldn’t be constrained in inviting her to get her baptismal

interview the next morning in order to be baptized in a week. She accepted

and worked so hard to be clean of all her addictions and to be truly

penitent. She received a blessing and that helped her so much to quit

smoking. I am so grateful for the priesthood and time and time again it has

blessed my own life and wrought so many changes in others lives. It is so

wonderful to see. Sunday Virginia was ready and was baptized. I can hardly

describe the feelings that I had on Sunday… I am so grateful that the spirit

prompted me to be bold, that it told me she was ready to be baptized, and

that she just needed a little encouragement. It was such an emotional

experience sitting with her in the dressing room, waiting for it to be time

for the baptism, her sitting in white. Sister Haws and I shared a scripture

and then told Virginia how the atonement of Jesus Christ is the thing that

makes her baptism possible. It is what makes it possible for her to be

completely clean, without spot.

It has been so wonderful to see the many baptisms in the San Benito North

area. I love 20-20-2… I know it works, that it was revealed as a way for us

to focus our efforts and to gain a testimony that God speaks to those He

calls. I have practiced 20-20-2 and have seen so much joy and success coming

from it. The Lord was right when he promised us that the field is white

already to harvest, and as we have been thrusting in our sickles with ALL

our might, we have found those that the Lord has prepared. Sister Haws and I

were talking about our area and she said, referring to studies, “the Lord

gives prepared people to prepared missionaries.” This is so true. I want to

become even more prepared and to be even more diligent so that we can find

more wonderful families and share these blessings with them.

I am so grateful to be a missionary. I am grateful for the trials and

hardships that I have had, because they have made me grow so much and are

helping me to become more like my Savior. I love this gospel and I know that

it is true and is the only way that we can have true and lasting happiness.

Sister Osborne

Contacts – 142

New Investigators - 10

Hello family!

how is everyone doing? i was so excited to see that i got so much love from

everyone this week! thanks! i was looking forward to it all weekend! so i am

just amazed more and more each day by all the wonderful things that the Lord

does for us. One morning in my studies i went back an read my journal

entries from the start of my mission. it was so fun to remember what was

happening then at that time and then to see all the growth within myself

now. I know that the trials and hardships were the things that allowed me to

grow so much. my mission hasn't been easy at all... but it has been soooooo

wonderful and so much fun along the way. it is so important to have joy in

the journey. to laugh and love and to give all you have. i really believe in

working hard and in playing hard. it just has to be that way or else your

crash!

so last monday we had dinner with Diana Muzquiz and her family! it was so

wonderful to sit down with them for dinner and to learn more from each one

of the girls, things they liked and are interested in. it is just such a

sweet experience to grow so close to these families that you love, and even

sweeter when they accept the gospel and are baptized. i feel so blessed to

be where i am and doing what i am doing. all the hardship has prepared me

for this successful time and now that most of our families are all baptized,

i am excited to start looking for more new ones who are prepared. i love

this work. it is interesting because when Antonio was baptized, i had so

much joy out of that that i thought my mission could be done. i had no idea

that he was a means to get the rest of his family baptized... i had no idea

that the lord had other families in store for me to teach and to testify to.

Nothing is done until the lord says it is. I am grateful that He has sent me

here, and that i could testify of Him to these wonderful families.

I am attaching pictures of Gina’s baptism that we had yesterday! It was so

wonderful... she is so excited and has made such great changes in her life

to be able to be baptized!!!! It is amazing how wonderful this work is and

how much it has progressed.. I can’t believe that in the past month we have

had 8 baptisms! It is wonderful to see!!!

Another neat thing about Gina's baptism is barbara lopez (antonio's

granddaughter who was baptized a few weeks ago...picture attached) gave a talk on baptism and bore her testimony how it has changed her life. The lopez kids are such great kids and the ward is really helping them out and making sure that they are involved. it is so wonderful to witness. I am also sending you a picture of diana, sapphire, suzan, and sharon who were baptized last sunday. i love this work so much and am forever grateful for the opportunity that i have to be a part of it!!!

mom and dad... i can't wait for you to come and meet all these wonderful

people... you will love them...as I do!

i love you all! have a great week!!!

Hermana Osborne