tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51179770895888734962024-03-05T01:24:54.880-08:00Elder Christopher Osborn's Mission BlogMadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-72346931262424747932015-08-18T10:40:00.000-07:002015-12-10T10:40:40.944-08:0008/18/2015<div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #666666;">This is it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Over two years later, dozens of bus rides, a coup, days of inviting, multiple bombings, riots, lots of sweat, rainy season, hot season, cold -- less hot -- season, floods, growth, change, thousands of baptisms, and uncounted miracles, it's time to go home now.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those that love Him".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Never has this verse been more true than what I have witnessed these last two years. Not just me, but all of us. The whole mission has seen and done so so much. Not just for the Thai people, but for me too. I've seen so much change in other people's lives, but I feel like most of the change has been in me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Yes, it is time to go home, but I am not going back. It would be a shame to go back on all of this, to waste the change, progress, and improvement that I've seen.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I prepared diligently that I would hit the pavement/dirt here in Thailand running. That was my vision, the goal since I've been a kid. Now I have a new vision, I know where I'm going and how I need to get there. I'm going to hit the ground running. There is no time for low-living, missed opportunities, and low expectations. I am not moving on, I'm moving forward.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">My mission has been life-changing, and I'm determined to make it change my life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I've come to a true understanding of who God and Jesus Christ really are, what They really teach, and Their high expectations for us. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I've learned the power and importance of the first commandments;</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">See you soon,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Christopher Osborn</span></div>
Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-40116352977905365702015-08-09T10:39:00.000-07:002015-12-10T10:39:22.068-08:0008/09/2015<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Dear family,</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">We had to cancel our switch-off with the Elders in Myanmar. Really sad and unfortunate. But MLC was awesome, just perfect inspiration for our mission, focusing on exactly <i>how</i> to do LA work and RC work. And how we can use this work to increase baptisms too. It made me really sad I wouldn't be able to use it much. Really cool and neat stuff. I'm excited to see where the mission will go with all of this.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Because we weren't going to Myanmar, we went straight from Bangkok to Phitsanulok for our last switch-off. I went with Elder Wright and we had a blast! Those Elders are amazing!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We trained the zone in two days and got a day and a half to work in our area. We got some work done. There's going to be a handful of baptisms here just after we leave. I'm excited for each of them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Yesterday the branch presidents had Elder Davis and I share our testimonies in sacrament meeting.<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The members have all offered to give us little "farewell" dinners and lunches at their homes. This week is going to be busy...</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">This Friday we'll travel down to Bangkok for a special training with Elder Holland on Saturday. All of the dying missionaries will just stay in Bangkok until next Thursday which is transfers meeting.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">This Saturday and next Wednesday will both be P- days for us. But because of the craziness of those days I don't know if I'll email or not. (I'll try)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I'll at least send off a final email to ลาก่อน the mission.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Every day is flying by so fast... I really don't like it. I'm trying to suck up the last few days of this, but it's escaping from me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Bittersweet,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-46226733583796518782015-08-02T10:37:00.000-07:002015-12-10T10:38:11.219-08:0008/02/2015<br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">Dear everybody,</span><div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">So this last week we had planned three switch-offs. One six hours away in Kamphaengphet. One six hours away in Phitsanulok, and one with the assistants.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We had a great switchoff planned for Kamphaeng, but when we went to buy return bus tickets back to Chiang Mai, we found out that because the next day was a holiday, the only possible return option was that afternoon, so our switch-off got cut really short.... Bummer. We got back and the APs had already arrived. We went with Elder Wolfley, so there were three of us from our group in one companionship. That was fun. Got some serious work done and we had an Elders quorum activity. We basically cut down a jungle. The Elders quorum president's house is pretty nice and is way out there. It was a blast, we found wasps nests, red ant nests, and a massive scorpion. We even found an investigator!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Because of the holiday, and the changed days for switch-offs we had to cancel the switch-off with Phitsanulok.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">This week we'll be going to MLC and then just after that we'll fly out to Burma for a switch-off with the Elders there. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Maybe next week we'll be able to get down to Phitsanulok.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I feel like we got to teach the Plan of Salvation so much this week. I love it. It just rings true with everyone we teach it to. Maybe because it tells them who they are.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We got a referral from the relief society president, she is a Chinese woman here doing research for her thesis. Her name is Xiao Xiao. Somehow I always find myself teaching Chinese people. We got two new Chinese investigators too... Too bad I can't speak Chinese.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We realized that Chiang Mai is the hipster capital of the world, so last night we had a little photo shoot with all the little things we've picked up here.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">And some pictures from our cave adventure!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTn7pcigtK9VSAjYzQHIOz1xgKNkbJX9TP9fgCJI4Sspce_B_tOmr9HXZ4rdYig2EFbngTzxSW9QTgK2Si8VuQViOaY82aLerqieUDRIK3AJgognESPo6S9FQQqhrCSzfTDS3q5vSigA/s1600/IMG_7684.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTn7pcigtK9VSAjYzQHIOz1xgKNkbJX9TP9fgCJI4Sspce_B_tOmr9HXZ4rdYig2EFbngTzxSW9QTgK2Si8VuQViOaY82aLerqieUDRIK3AJgognESPo6S9FQQqhrCSzfTDS3q5vSigA/s640/IMG_7684.JPG" width="640" /></span></a>Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-18504463548540606552015-07-27T10:30:00.000-07:002015-12-10T10:31:10.196-08:0007/27/2015<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">We went on two switch-offs with other districts in our zone this week. In Chiang Rai and in Lampang.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">I got to go with Elder Powers and Elder Kawin. Two amazing missionaries. I could go on and on about how เก่ง they are at everything, but i'll hold back today. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 12.8px;">While in Chiang Rai we woke up early in the morning (for our exercise) to go on a bike ride to a cave! It was so fun and we explored it by phone light.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Then we were inspired, and the stars aligned, the sister who the Sisters just baptized yesterday; her mom is a cave guide in a massive cave in Chiang Dao. Which is about 1.5 hours away. So today we explored the cave!!!! It was huge!! Multiple kilometers and freaky creatures. And not only that, but the guide used lanterns instead of flashlights!! So cool!!! I took a ton of pictures for all of you but the card-reader is broken.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Okay, as for missionary work we are working with this investigator named Chok. He is wonderful, very similar to Brother Gaw, the recent convert who gave a talk yesterday and baptized someone! </span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 12.8px;">He has told us that he just feels like he has 50/50 faith. He wants to have 100 faith before he gets baptized. This encouraged a long study on faith and how much faith someone needs to be able to act on the faith they have.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We gave him Alma 32 for study and invited Brother Gaw to our next lesson. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 12.8px;">We opened it up and asked what he learned, "Faith and humility" was his answer. We taught about humility how it means</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><i style="color: #666666; font-size: 12.8px;">teachable</i><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 12.8px;"> and he said something like this, "Elders, don't get me wrong. Just because I have lots of doubts and questions doesn't mean I'm trying to attack your religion, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't humble and full of faith. I drive half an hour plus to each lesson with you. I'm questioning the things I've been taught my entire life. It's hard. I'm just trying to find out: What is the truth? I've been taught that after death I'll be born again and so on and on. But someone here said that we only have one life here. I want to know, what is the truth?"</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">So he does have faith!!! We explained how much we value that he asks questions and has doubts and that none of that offends us. We are just here to show him the pathway to exaltation. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 12.8px;">He came to church for the second time yesterday. His first week he learned about a sin of omission, of living according to your own wisdom. This bugged him, he started to ask, "so why do we come on this earth anyways, if living in our wisdom is a sin?". It was amazing, because during language study that morning I asked Elder Kawin to teach me the vocab to tell a story so I could share it if I ever needed to.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">"A battleship radar detected another vessel in it's course. The captain ordered the communications officer to send a message 'alter your course 30 degrees or we will shoot. This is a battleship.' The response was, 'we cannot alter our course'. The officer told the captain and the captain ordered him to send it again. 'We are a battleship, alter your course 30 degrees or we will sink you.' The response from the other vessel was simple, 'We cannot alter our course, this is a lighthouse.' "</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I told Brother Chok this story and explained: The shore is God and His holy Commandments. We are the battleship. The shore is never going to move, it stays the same, always. Those who live according to their own wisdom find themselves shipwrecked. But those who use their own wisdom to live in accordance of God's higher Wisdom, find themselves sailing anywhere they want in safety and happiness.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We're expecting Brother Chok to get baptized before we go home.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I got food poisoning this week and was up all one night puking and such. First time in Thailand! I thought I might get away without ever puking here. Elder Davis has been sick too, might be the cold/flu. Not sure.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We visited the less active man who is struggling with health. It's getting pretty bad now. He told us that maybe God will just let him rest soon. Being with him made me feel a little ungrateful for the gift of health.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We'll be going on two more switchoffs this week and next week is MLC. It's gonna be a tiring one. We'll try to get some work done in this area.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Love you,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-4908874251308258212015-07-19T10:29:00.000-07:002015-12-10T10:29:38.001-08:0007/19/2015<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">This last week we had mission leadership council.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">Because we are the farthest from Bangkok we took a 14 hour train ride down. And it is a sleeper train! The only problem is that our air-conditioned car was more like a freezer so I didn't sleep too well. But we woke up and went to MLC, which was very different. It was President Johnson's first one and he's focusing on letting MLC be more of a council instead of a training. We had lots of long and very important discussions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Two major points:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Being full purpose missionaries and preparing to learn with an Apostle.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Then we got on a bus and went to Phitsanulok to train two of the districts in our zone.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We slept over at the Elders' house there, gave the training, and got on another bus back up to Chiang Mai. We then gave the training to the rest of our zone and just got to work in our area, because we had been gone for 2.5 days.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We got to go visit two less-active members and share the First Presidency message on "All is well".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Our first visit was to a member who runs a beauty parlor. She was about to do someone's hair but asked the customers permission if we could share our thought before she started. She agreed and said she was Protestant. This woman didn't seem super interested in learning with us but it was cool to share doctrines specific to our church with her. We could tell it was new to her and the Holy Ghost got that chance to start working with her. She'll be a member of the church one day. :)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">The second was a wonderful man who has really bad health problems and feels like he has to work on Sunday to pay for his medication to stay alive. It's hard for him but the message about optimism even in our trials lightened his day.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">This week I interviewed with President Johnson to renew my temple recommend. I took the opportunity to ask some questions. Here's a summary of the question I had: <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">It is natural for people to be jealous and envious. When others are successful, something deep in our flesh either wants to be better than them or to tear them down. And when others don't find success something in us wants them to stay that way. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is the natural man. Always exalting himself. Abasing others.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">To some extent each of us have this natural, prideful man inside of us, some more than others. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I have been recognizing pride and envy slip into my thoughts recently. Of course I know I shouldn't think that way but it seems to be my natural response, my first response. I've been trying for so long to change that trait in myself, but I can't seem to "root this evil spirit out of my breast" as Lamoni's father would say it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I asked President Johnson, "I know the trait that I struggle with, and it seems that as I try to overcome it, my traits aren't changing in the way I want them to. How do I become the person who is always trying to lift others above himself?"</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">His answer was simple, "You need to pray for the complementary trait. If you struggle with envy, pray for Charity, which envieth not. If you're prideful, pray for humility."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">This morning I broke apart how a humble and charitable person acts. What they do and what they don't do.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I studied three talks, "On being genuine", "Truly good and without guile", and "Meek and lowly".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Maxwell had an insight that rang very well to me:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">"The commandment “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29) carries an accompanying and compensating promise from Jesus—“and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” This is a very special form of rest. It surely includes the rest resulting from the shedding of certain needless burdens: fatiguing insincerity, exhausting hypocrisy, and the strength-sapping quest for recognition, praise, and power. Those of us who fall short, in one way or another, often do so because we carry such unnecessary and heavy baggage."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">He said that when Christ invites us to take His yoke upon us for He is meek and lowly of heart, he promises rest unto our souls. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">That rest is not just a rest from work, it is a rest of the mind and soul. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">This is the rest we're all looking for, and the rest I've been looking for. If </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">we can always remember that He is the Master and we are the disciples, we can't carry a particle of pride.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">That's what I'll be working on.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-38839312640490371562015-07-13T10:26:00.000-07:002015-12-10T10:26:57.429-08:0007/13/2015<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Dear friends and family,</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">It's official, I'm in my final transfer. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">There were no moves.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Only two missionaries in our whole zone moved. So Elder Davis and I will die together here in Chiang Mai.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">During transfer meeting President Johnson announced that Elder Holland will be coming to Thailand on August 15th! Can you believe that?! He's going to give us a training/lesson and all the missionaries in Thailand will go down for it. We get to learn at the feet of an Apostle of the Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">The thing is that the meeting is the Saturday before we go home, and since Chiang Mai is a 13 hour train ride from Bangkok, it wouldn't make sense for us to go down, come back up, pack in a day, then go back to Bangkok. So we will most likely just be heading down to Bangkok and staying there until we finish, doing interviews and running last minute errands -- and hopefully visiting some previous areas.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">This morning while getting haircuts we started talking to one of the customers. The hair-cutter is a member. When we finished we sat him down and taught him a first lesson. Yes, he took a soft baptismal date.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">#doingmissionaryworkonpdays</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">One of the things I'm most grateful for right now is answers to prayers. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">From a very sincere prayer last night and a very distinct answer this morning, I can tell you all again that God answers prayers. He does. He tells us everything that we should do.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">The second thing I'm grateful for is the Prophet Joseph Smith. I wish I could tell you the feelings of love and respect for the man who has done more for the salvation of man than any other, besides Jesus Christ himself.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Third, my parents and upbringing. What a blessing it is that I got Warren and Tricia to be my mother and father! That they raised me in the gospel of Jesus Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I'd like to thank God, Prophets, and parents for making everything possible.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-51814907319738208332015-07-05T10:25:00.000-07:002015-12-10T10:25:47.500-08:0007/05/2015<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Hello,</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">Yesterday was one of those days where there is absolutely nothing you'd rather do than be a missionary. (Let's be honest, every day is like that!)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Brother Gaw and Brother Sai were both baptized. Brother Gaw learned for much longer and had many concerns to overcome, but Brother Sai had almost zero concerns. He was one of those "just add water" investigators. We met him last Thursday in front of a 7-Eleven that we had never invited at. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We decided we'd just bike down some street and we were asking around trying to find a market in the area, when we had the idea, "Let's invite at some 7s! We'll keep biking until we find a busy one." We biked and passed a couple but then stopped and decided to go back to one of the branches we had already passed. We went back and in 20 minutes of inviting found around 15 people who were interested in being baptized and going to church. One of which stated very simply, "Yes, I want to be baptized." He then gave us both of his phone numbers in case one didn't work. This was Brother Sai.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">If you want to know Brother Gaw's story, please read last week's email.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We recorded both of their testimonies because they were amazing! We're trying to figure out a way to upload it and let you listen to their testimonies (with translation).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We got a new mission president, President Johnson. He's so great. They came up to Chiang Mai for a meet and greet with the missionaries and we got to teach a lesson with him and have a lunch together.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">It's really weird to think that this is my last transfer now. Some of the death/trunky/going home jokes have started up in the zone... Eh whatever. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Right now I feel like a finely tuned instrument of the Lord. Elder Davis and I have a strong grasp on every aspect of missionary work, and so we can do a lot of it if we choose to. There's three types of people: those who can't do it, those who can but don't, and those who do. We're going to be sure that we don't fall into the "can but don't" category. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">There is a possibility of a change with this transfer, but we are not expecting one.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Again, my mission means <i>everything</i> to me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Love, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYd8__HpmSXlQvbbgG39yWVtYUsD332YOXrEbjWg8lcOdVo3xt1abzgnF-VzqvvmNnaYh0w1YyzquK4TMqkwI6M4Mt8ogeGrAu1bi3klqZ7U74gdMsnl2MdQI-wUc_Uxp241bbVAphig/s1600/IMG_7638.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYd8__HpmSXlQvbbgG39yWVtYUsD332YOXrEbjWg8lcOdVo3xt1abzgnF-VzqvvmNnaYh0w1YyzquK4TMqkwI6M4Mt8ogeGrAu1bi3klqZ7U74gdMsnl2MdQI-wUc_Uxp241bbVAphig/s640/IMG_7638.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Happy 4th of July!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcSR6ABghACWvPUG2F8Hxp7u9CEaAC6fin8KUWKBBFzytrF6ks7qHbocIEx8gt6QbmuL-OhdreD1XTWofFm1BTW2dI9Q937IUGfl1yWEijwYeYRniZlIea8iULjvEgiZVbNYmhiUWVg/s1600/IMG_7630.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcSR6ABghACWvPUG2F8Hxp7u9CEaAC6fin8KUWKBBFzytrF6ks7qHbocIEx8gt6QbmuL-OhdreD1XTWofFm1BTW2dI9Q937IUGfl1yWEijwYeYRniZlIea8iULjvEgiZVbNYmhiUWVg/s640/IMG_7630.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Switch-offs with some of my favorite missionaries! Elder Bundy is one of the best missionaries I have ever met, and he is still being trained...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7T5EcsLo_nR43nMSQxtKkZF3UVg93pJ-zEYiYHzNVHgYzs7vlXcYEHO4TD79FGjjiRjYt5-pSdgJm2ebW-q3fnWY2cV6Cixn_8R4zq6sP-5e-dPdXQ_1Egbv0gyMabVclnmemNzL9w/s1600/IMG_7641.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7T5EcsLo_nR43nMSQxtKkZF3UVg93pJ-zEYiYHzNVHgYzs7vlXcYEHO4TD79FGjjiRjYt5-pSdgJm2ebW-q3fnWY2cV6Cixn_8R4zq6sP-5e-dPdXQ_1Egbv0gyMabVclnmemNzL9w/s640/IMG_7641.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Brother Gaw and Brother Sai, (In the middle in that order)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5LH8rF506R-cMijs3hoSAl5Dl-OALCiIeNim8TKGn2zqS7m27wKOMbAyRmBsqA-m6fHqeJWd5GwJuPx9AJZCBzmsxg0dTB_6qb6eGhJjs3cbb37aWtTlQKA-kpf3dGWZ99ln_l-8uw/s1600/IMG_7610.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5LH8rF506R-cMijs3hoSAl5Dl-OALCiIeNim8TKGn2zqS7m27wKOMbAyRmBsqA-m6fHqeJWd5GwJuPx9AJZCBzmsxg0dTB_6qb6eGhJjs3cbb37aWtTlQKA-kpf3dGWZ99ln_l-8uw/s640/IMG_7610.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">And English class!</span></div>
Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-61771882733797964272015-06-28T10:22:00.000-07:002015-12-10T10:22:18.678-08:006/28/2015<div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="color: #666666;">In the words of my beloved companion, "I'm not going to lie, but I'm growing weary of writing emails." </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">But I do have one story to tell.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We set up an appointment with Brother Gaw (ก้อ) this Thursday. We invited the Elders Quorum President to go as well. We said an opening prayer and Brother Gaw just started talking, explaining his story and situation to President Somchai. Some of the story we already knew, but some of it was new.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I'll just tell the whole thing for convenience's sake.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">About 2 months ago Brother Gaw had a customer come to his restaurant and introduce him to the church and the Book of Mormon. This customer was not a member, but had learned with the missionaries before. He came to the church the first chance he got. The Elders taught him a little and gave him the book. He said that he had no contact with the Elders until we met with him. We called him our first day in the area and invited him to the branch family home evening (Branch party) at a member's home. He came with us and we found out that he had read until 2 Nephi 16.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">He had also started keeping the Word of Wisdom but not 100% because he sells drinks at the restaurant and has to taste the coffee each time. He had quit smoking only 2 years ago. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We taught him fasting during our second lesson and he said he'd fast with us on Sunday so he could get off work on Sunday to come to church. The fast was also his first day of keeping the word of wisdom. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We taught him a couple more times, having powerful lessons every time. His prayers were some of the best prayers I've ever heard from an investigator and were always along these lines, "Lord, I have faith in Thee, please help me to follow Thee."</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">When we had an evening baptismal service, we invited him and he loved it! After the baptism we sat down and talked about true prayer, sharing the Lord's advice in D&C 9:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">Brother Gaw told President Somchai that he had been just praying to get work off on Sunday to come to church. Then the Lord shared that scripture with him through the missionaries and in essence, "slapped my face" as Gaw put it. He hadn't done anything but pray with all his heart. We invited him to make a plan to come to church and write it down. After planning and praying for confirmation, Gaw found no burning in his bosom and started to think, "Can't I just be a good member of the church and <i>not </i>go to church every Sunday?". Then he met these verses in 2 Nephi 28 in his personal study:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><br />Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">Gaw said "And the Lord slapped me in the face again." He knew he had to go to church.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">At his home, they offer their goods to the spirit house every day and ask a blessing to sell well. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Over the past couple weeks because Brother Gaw had started to keep the 10 commandments, he has stopped offering his offering -- his turn is every Wednesday -- and every time he didn't, they didn't sell well. So his mom wasn't super happy that he was learning with the Elders, because not only was she losing her son to another religion, but their business was also taking a hit. "MOM, it has nothing to do with that! It's just that we aren't selling well...", he told us in his frustration.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">His prayers turned into "Please help us sell well so my mom will see that the Lord is powerful."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Then while eating one day, he ran into a third scripture, this one in Jacob 2:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">"The Lord slapped me in the face again, a third time!", Brother Gaw told us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">The next day when it was his mother's turn to make the offering, they didn't sell well again. Brother Gaw took his opportunity and asked his mom again if he could get work off and go to church. She said, "You know I don't agree with it, but you can go." </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">'ขอบคุณครับ' "Thank you."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">He told us that since then his prayer have been, "Lord, I'm ready to be baptized, just help me to make it there."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Yesterday just before Sacrament meeting started, we went to go find Brother Gaw, for we hadn't seen him yet.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We found him leaning against the wall near the bathroom with a fresh haircut and a brand new button shirt, applying crazy glue to his shoes. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">He told us with a laugh, "This morning I woke up and my motorcycle tire was flat, and then the soles came off of my shoes. Satan did not want me to come to church today! I can't imagine what I'll meet next week before my baptism!" </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We took a couple minutes giving him a new tie and teaching him how to tie it, then hurried into the Chapel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">After seeing this man's determination to follow the Lord, Whom he knows so little about, I have begun to ponder my discipleship and my faithfulness to Him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">What signal does my Sabbath worship send to the Lord?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-40356688332148721042015-06-22T10:18:00.000-07:002015-12-10T10:20:44.184-08:006/22/2015<br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">This week I had my last zone conference.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">The theme was hope. It got us all thinking, what do we hope for? Beyond "a better world" what is it that we hope for in our lives? <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">President Senior compared hopes with our visions. In our mission, we have a vision, which feeds our goals, then we build a process to achieve the goals. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Almost my whole mission our vision, or our hope, was to have a temple in Thailand. And all of our goals, and all of our work builds up to our vision. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">When the Temple was announced, our vision/hope simply changed. Now our vision is more stakes, and a nation ready for a temple when it gets here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Zone conference made me think, what are my hopes? What do I really want to accomplish before I go home? What will I do when I get home, and what vision will be the drive behind everything I do? <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">While interviewing with President and asking for advice, I was able to decide a couple of my goals. But the goals aren't the final product.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">When I get home my vision can't be to have a temple in Provo. While giving my "dying" testimony, it was hard to say and understand that my mission is coming to an end. The tag comes off one day.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">So what do I love most in the world right now? Missionary work. I can't think of a better "hope" in my life.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Serve another mission</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Of course, the vision will change when it happens, but for now that is my vision, my hope, my dream. Everything I do will be based on that vision. My occupation, family, service, education, skills and talents, all leading up to something, serving again.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">This week Brother Pawn พร got baptized! He's so great! On Saturday he went to give some service with us cleaning up a rest home for a couple hours. I've never had an investigator go serve with us before!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Yesterday before an evening baptismal service, the baptismal font overflowed and we and a bunch of members spent about an hour trying to mop a bunch of water out of the carpet. It was pretty fun.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Brother Gaw ก้อ came to the baptismal service in the evening and loved it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-51067705515556662182015-06-14T10:16:00.000-07:002015-12-10T10:16:51.852-08:006/14/2015<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I spent 6 months serving in Bangkok, in the office and in Bangkhae. It was a period of great growth and improvement. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Almost three weeks ago I moved up to the city of Chiang Mai, which is in the far north of Thailand in the mountains. We rode a 13ish hour train to get up here and I already am in love with it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">My companion is Elder Davis, who was in my district in the MTC! Having a companion in the same group as you is pretty unusual, and we are so lucky to be up here. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We both have 2 transfers left (due to a change in the length of transfers we get a bonus transfer!) and we are the oldest missionaries in the mission. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We're expecting to finish our missions up here. Which means we have a lot of work to do.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We're up her as zone leaders in a <i>massive </i>zone. There are only 12 companionships, but there are 5 districts and the areas are spread out. Also Burma/Myanmar is in our zone too. (Maybe we'll get to do switch-offs there!!!) The average distance between us and our districts is about a 4 or 5 hour bus ride.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Chiang Mai is an ancient city, which means it is also a tourist city. So we run into tons of tourists!!! Tons, from China and basically everywhere else. I'll have to get used to being around Caucasians again. With the increase of foreigners, there is a dramatic increase in persecution too! Which we love. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The nice part about being here is that because we're not in Bangkok, people listen to us. We meet so many people! The malls (we have started comparing them to synagogues) are massive and busy. The sad part is that we're starting to get kicked out of every place. We normally just invite in the parking lots and on the street but now they're telling us that no religion is allowed to teach in the parking lots either. So it looks like we're going to have to bike a little bit farther to find people. But I trust that it'll work, maybe even better than the malls.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We moved in with one dater in the area, Sister Pat, she got baptized on the 7th. When we first met her we thought that she was already a member.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We're working with two other awesome investigators, Brother Pawn and Brother Gaw.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Brother Pawn is so nice. I love to teach him. He really understands the gospel. Recently he's been struggling to apply the principles, but we had an amazing lesson with a member of the district presidency. I wanted to cry it was so good! Brother James basically taught everything. He taught the plan of salvation in a very powerful way. He taught some deep doctrine, but used it to apply the Plan to Brother Pawn. Since then Brother Pawn has accepted a baptismal date for this next Sunday and is progressing really well.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Brother Gaw is amazing! <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Our first day in the area we called one of the names in the contact book and invited him to a FHE activity that Monday. He told us that first day that a customer came to his mom's coffee shop and talked with him about the gospel for a while, instilling a desire to read the Book of Mormon. So about a month before we got there he went to the church to get a book of Mormon. The Elders taught him about it and taught a couple commandments. He said that they didn't contact him again until we called. He said he was already planning on going to the church that day anyways. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">During that month he had read up until 2 Nephi 16 and had started keeping the commandments. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">We've had some powerful lessons with this man, and he has so much faith now. He's more than a golden investigator. After our most recent lesson he told us that the room was full of the spirit and that every time one of the members spoke, they spoke with the power of the Spirit. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">He just gets it. I feel like we're not teaching him, we're just reminding him of what he already knows and telling him how to apply it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I love missionary work.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Sister Pat's baptism!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">A really pretty temple at the highest point of Thailand. Temple run anybody?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Two temples on another part of the mountain. If any of you watch Avatar the last airbender this is definitely the inspiration of the dragon dance thing! So we did some Karate over there.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Another advantage of serving in Chiang Mai is all of the foreign food! It's so good!!!!</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-47675765475585113242015-06-07T09:37:00.000-07:002015-08-21T09:37:42.065-07:0006/07/2015<blockquote style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;" type="cite">
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<span style="color: #444444;">Hey Mom, myldsmail isn't working, but I figured out a little way I could send you something today! I don't know if it'll actually work or not though. I got moved to Chiang Mai with Elder Davis! He's in my group! We're already having a blast. I'll try to send you pictures and a better email next week. This week we did a lot of Elder Weaver's final activities, interviews, dinners, shopping... It was really hard to leave Bangkhae. I really loved serving there. I'm really going to miss that area... I'm almost out of time. But Chiang Mai is amazing!!!!!!!! There were two baptisms yesterday and their testimonies were so powerful. I wish I could read everyone's emails but I can't. I guess I'll write you next week? </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Love, Elder Osborn PS Enjoy this Knee Mail</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Mormonad Send a Knee Mail - New Era Mar. 2009</span></h3>
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<a href="http://www.lds.org/new-era/2009/03/mormonad-send-a-knee-mail?lang=eng" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.lds.org/new-era/<wbr></wbr>2009/03/mormonad-send-a-knee-<wbr></wbr>mail?lang=eng</a></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-17101632648284259742015-05-25T12:26:00.000-07:002015-06-05T12:27:02.378-07:0005/25/2015<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="color: #444444;">My time here in Bangkhae so far has rushed by so quickly; except this last week. It went by really slow. But we were able to do a lot of work.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">On Monday we went with Brother Charlie to a seaside restaurant. อร่อยมากๆ</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">He then took us to a field where he showed us his remote control planes. He's so good at it!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We went to teach him during the week and he pulled out two remote control airplanes and said that they were for us! He's giving them as a gift.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">"You have been working hard for the Lord for two years and I like the Lord. He whispered in my ear to do this for you. You deserve some kind of prize."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So I'll be coming home with a model airplane! He is too nice!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We went to visit the 9-year-old girl who hasn't been baptized. We taught her and set up an interview. Elder Weaver said we should make sure that she is 9 and not 8. So we called and found out that she is still only 8. Thai people occasionally will round up their age. So when we would say "I am 20" they would say "I am 21". They don't do it all the time so we have to ask for clarification.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So we didn't get to keep teaching her, but she did get baptized yesterday.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Another couple who we were teaching had a date for Sunday but they fell through as well, needing a little more time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Our other investigator who had a date for this Sunday was forbidden by her father to get baptized. Her mom supports it - and wants to get baptized too - but they both are going to try to figure things out first.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We were sad that we lost all of them so quickly, but one miracle made it all worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">One of our investigators, Sister Buu and her son were still on the "I want to study this out more" boat. They came to church with a less-active family that we had been working with. We called her after district meeting and Elder Weaver talked to them. This is the conversation I heard:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">"Hi Sister Buu, how are you?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Do you feel like you have faith in Jesus Christ?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Really? Wow that's great.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So is there anything stopping you from getting baptized?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Great! Can we come visit you tomorrow night and prepare you to get baptized this Sunday?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Brother Almond wants to get baptized too?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Great. We'll see you tomorrow."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Sister Buu and her son Almond got baptized yesterday. He is 11 and wants to go serve a mission. She wants him to serve too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Yesterday there were five baptisms here in Bangkhae. Such a miracle!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Yesterday was district conference, so three branches came together and there were about 300 people there. 3 branches. Elder Weaver and I translated for it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">After the general session Elder Gong held a question and answer about dating and marriage for the single adults. It was really weird translating for that one, because the discussion applied to everyone in the room except me because Elder Weaver is going home this week.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Moves calls should be coming today, so I'll know if I'm moving or staying. After this transfer I'll be the oldest group of missionaries in the mission. That's pretty freaky.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Transfers will be on Thursday so I'll let you all know what happened next week.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Love you all,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-6712748145447195542015-05-17T11:31:00.000-07:002015-06-05T12:27:17.236-07:0005/17/2015<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Three more baptisms in our district yesterday! </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The church attendance jumped up to 120.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">I don't know what's happening exactly, but we're not doing it. God is.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">As for the things we're learning, I really feel that I'm learning charity. I used to look at the gospel as a whole bunch of different points, faith; hope; repentance; temples; prophets; scriptures; sabbath; commandments, etc. But now I'm beginning to see that it is only one word -- <i>love.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Charity/love is the essence, the center of the Gospel. Everything will always go back to it. <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">It's all about reaching out to others and forgetting yourself. God did it, Christ did it, and They ask us to do it. A humble person doesn't think less</span><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> </span><i style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">of </i><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">himself, he thinks less</span><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> </span><i style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">about </i><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">himself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I've been learning how to do that. To just completely forget myself. I've been good at doing good things or working hard, but I've always struggled to forget myself, put others first and above, and just lift others. I'm learning how to do that now. It's making me more patient, more faithful, more careful. All just because I'm trying to do everything for others' benefit instead of mine.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We're working with some great families. One is moving along. They have been learning for almost 4 weeks now, struggling slightly with various commandments, especially the sabbath day, but the daughter has a date for this Sunday. Her mom still hasn't accepted a date yet and we're trying to help her understand that if she just trusts in God she can do it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We've been working with a member who is having a hard time, all of her kids are members but they are pretty rebellious, one of the teenagers refusing to pray during FHE one evening with us. Her husband is okay with them being members but he doesn't want anything to do with it. She asked us to start working with one of her struggling friends. Yesterday this friend of hers came to church and brought her daughter who hasn't been baptized yet! We're going to get to finish a family! We have a family home evening planned with them for this evening.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Love you all,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Last P-day we went to a crocodile farm! The biggest one in the world (not sure if my family has ever been here before or not...)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Here's some great pictures</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-64182726515618533642015-05-10T16:40:00.000-07:002015-06-02T16:41:00.413-07:0005/10/2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well I just got off skyping with my wonderful family, and I don't know what else to say.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week we had mission leadership council, and Elder Gong came too! I learned so much about charity, and working cheerfully.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is basically the theme of our mission right now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But this <span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I say,</span> He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="14d410daa308852e_7" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #0091bc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </a><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 1px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">7 </span>Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, <span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">so let him give;</span> not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="14d410daa308852e_8" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #0091bc; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </a><span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px 1px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">8 </span>And God <span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">is</span> able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all <span style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">things,</span> may abound to every good work:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Corinthians 9:6-8</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week was a week of miracles. Yesterday there were 35 investigators at church here!!!!!! I've never seen anything like that before!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What was great was that our companionship had five families, so it was much easier to take care of everybody.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brother Charlie was baptized yesterday. He is the most wonderful man in the world! He does remote control airplanes as a hobby and his living and he is so cool! He was the referral that I spoke about last week. I'm pretty sure he's going to be the Branch President here in a few years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And he's going to take us RC plane flying next week!!! Yay!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're going to go visit a really neat zoo today, I'll send you pictures next week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love you all,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a crazy Thai fruit called durian. It smells really bad so that it is forbidden to take into almost any public place. If you eat too much of it you will puke. And if you eat it before bed time you can't sleep because it will increase your body temperature. We tried it out.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 25.2000007629395px;">I'm companions with Yoda!! Too bad I took this picture on the 6th of May.</span><div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 25.2000007629395px;">We found some guy with a homemade fishingpole/crossbow chilling next to the canal waiting for fish. He posed when we asked for a picture.</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-14702733494455287472015-05-03T16:30:00.000-07:002015-06-02T16:30:58.802-07:0005/03/2015<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">Yesterday Brother Buk got baptized!<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Story --<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Last week on Friday night we were biking back home. Elder Weaver and I would stop and talk with everyone. After getting one guy's number and setting up an appointment for the next day, we continued inviting. About half an hour later we got a phone call, it was the same guy, calling us to confirm the appointment for the next day.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">During one of our lessons he told us that when he went to church the first time he just felt it, "I have faith in these things." How wonderful that going to church can increase someone's faith so quickly!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">He made another comment that we thought was really interesting, "I'm starting to think that I have just always been Christian since I was born."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">I feel so privileged to have been able to work with such a prepared soul.<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Another miracle. Last week while writing that email about expectations one of our district leaders called, giving us a referral of a member in their branch's little brother. We met with him and he <i>loved </i>the Restoration. He would ask us, "So how do I know which religion is correct?" :)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">When we explained what baptism was he asked, "So when do I do it?" "You're going to get baptized on Sunday." "Tomorrow?" "No, next Sunday."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">He's basically amazing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We visited him and his wife at their home as well. We're really excited for him!<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">The mission is going crazy. Everyone is so excited and miracles like this are happening all over the country!<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Elder Osborn<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Pictures:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">We went and taught the policemen English!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Went to a Buddhist temple.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Brother Buk's baptism.</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-24592942687160220072015-04-26T16:25:00.000-07:002015-06-02T16:25:35.103-07:0004/26/2015<br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">You would never believe what is happening here in Thailand right now.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">For everyone to be able to see the entire picture, I'll give a background of my missionary work in Thailand.</span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">I came out on my mission with no expectations. I didn't know what to expect on my mission so I didn't have any expectations. I felt like I would be a great missionary if I helped 4 people get baptized my entire mission. I heard that Thailand was a difficult mission. So I purposefully didn't create any expectations so I wouldn't get disappointed. I got into country very comfortable with whatever would happen in my service. I remember looking at the stacks of different inviting cards and wondering which one I would take out that first day. I saw a stack of pictures of baptism and thought in my head, "Who would use that as a pass-along card? It's way to forward." I asked my trainer Elder Wilko and he named a few of the cards he liked to use while inviting and we went out.<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">After a week or so we had a switch-off with the Zone Leaders. I went out with Elder Gilley and he made me contact by myself. We didn't contact as a companionship. We just talked to people. And that's not all. We invited people to get baptized. He told us that the whole mission was going to get trained on this soon.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Then we were trained on it. The importance of baptism and how we should teach, invite, commit, everything, towards it. We called this Bovember. The month that every companionship in the entire mission would get a baptism. About 85 companionships. In Bovember we had over 100 baptisms and Bovember was immortalized for any TBM missionary.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">The mission raised it's expectations and went to work, matching our works to our faith and our desires. Bovember was just the beginning. The number of converts across the mission per month continued to increase for about six months. Baptisms over 200 per month at some points.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">Then the majority of the missionaries began to see the faults in the work we had been doing. Noticing short-comings and mistakes. Lots of missionaries got scared to baptize, feeling that we would fall into the same traps as before. Effectiveness dropped! I could see it in my own work. I didn't talk to as many people, waking up was harder, and I stopped seeing baptisms. I wasn't as happy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">President tried a few times to stir up the mission with new initiatives, which kind of helped, but the number of baptisms continued to fall. Month by month until this April hit.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">This month our mission baptized 72 people. The lowest since I've been a missionary. I haven't had a baptism in nearly four months. I've been happy, but just like I started my mission, I had no expectations. It was a protection mechanism. If my desires are to baptize, but I set my expectations low, I won't be disappointed when I don't see baptisms. And all turns out okay.<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">Then I was made zone leader of the Bangkok west zone. A zone which, by looking at patterns seems to always have average success. In april our zone had 14 baptisms. Our district had zero.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">On the monday after transfers President taught the zone leaders a little bit about expectations. This Tuesday our new district leader Elder Lodwick gave an inspiring lesson on desires and the importance to baptize. On Thursday we had a <i>mini mission leadership council. </i>The zone leaders and sister training leaders in the three zones in bangkok came together and the assistants trained us on our commission to invite everyone to be baptized. The importance of expectations, and matching our actions to our faith.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Why? Because the goal for May is four baptisms per companionship, or 340 total. That's a lot!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">We have been able to train half of our zone on this and we are already seeing the miracles.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">Last week at church there were 59 people in attendance. And about five investigators. <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Yesterday the church attendance hit 114 and 25 of those were investigators. Many of which were small families. Some members had to leave to get more chairs to set up because there were none to spare. There almost wasn't enough sacrament for everyone. It was perfect because today was Branch conference so all of the leadership were speakers, also, a sister gave her farewell talk.</span><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">I was sitting near the back between a bunch of investigators and Elder Lodwick was counting attendance. He tapped me on the shoulder and I leaned back, "One fourteen in sacrament". I couldn't help it and I started to cry looking around at the completely full chapel which is usually half empty.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><br />They had to move the room for the investigator class for sunday school to the chapel to fit everyone. <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Right now we're teaching several families and many others. It was miraculous to see so many people go to church!</span><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">These miracles are not only being seen in our branch. I am positive they are happening all over the country. God did not announce a temple and decide to prepare fewer souls for His gospel.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I am emotionally involved in my desire to baptize.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Yes, I am coming to the end of my mission, but Elder Weaver and I are the second most senior companionship in the mission. Why can't we find success?<br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I would love to talk about all of those who we are teaching, but I'm almost out of time, so that's that.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I love you all!<br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-82151052331478091842015-04-19T16:20:00.000-07:002015-06-02T16:21:06.844-07:0004/19/2015<div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">Hello!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br />The first half of the week was the actual water festival, which was insane!!! We had tons of fun and I got sunburned even though I put on plenty of sunscreen. Just imagine a street right next to a canal. There are pickup trucks filled with people and buckets of water lined up like it's the log ride at disney land, moving slowly, stopping every few seconds. Every 20 yards is a family who has hooked up a fire hose to the canal and is spraying nasty water at people. There's drunk people everywhere and sketchy people dancing. People run up to you and put wet clay on your face and yell "tank yu". Then we speak thai and they all freak out. They really liked us because foreigners never play at this place. So we just walked up and down the street with our water guns spraying people and getting sprayed and them putting clay on our faces and throwing baby powder everywhere. It's a massive mess but it's soooo fun! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">On the working days when we're wearing our normal missionary outfit, we still get attacked by everyone.</span><div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br />I'm sure many of you have seen our mission's transfer meeting videos, and know that they're pretty fun. This transfer, because it being right at the end of a massive holiday, (comparable to the day after Christmas, New Years day, and all of the other holidays put together) traveling is especially dangerous. To avoid any incidents, only those who moved were allowed to go to transfers meeting. But, because I served in the office and have a drivers license, I was asked to drive the new missionaries to the meeting. So Elder Weaver and I got to go!! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">And on Friday I woke up swimming! Or at least it felt like it. My ear was full of something.... A doctors visit later and almost passing out while they tried to remove something from my ear, the problem was not solved. But they gave me some drops and meds that should help. They did. I can hear again! It probably came from getting nasty canal water sprayed at my face at high pressure.... haha</span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Right now we're working with really only one investigator. He's retired and lives alone. He really loves to learn the gospel. He came to general conference with a notebook to take notes. Then he watched the remaining sessions at home by himself. He's watched all of the mormon messages and bible videos. Basically like the first investigator who has actually managed to use the church's websites.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">He's progressing slowly and has millions of concerns, but the branch is really reaching out to him, even discussing and planning for him because they see a really solid member in him. We see it too.<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Recently I feel like I've been learning about hope.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">What does one do when their work has no pay? What if you went to work but at the end of the day it was up to someone else if you got paid or not?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">That is missionary work for you. We work from <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_66645129" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: dashed; border-bottom-width: 1px; position: relative; top: -2px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ" style="position: relative; top: 2px; z-index: -1;">8:00 am to 9:30 pm</span></span> six days a week, and the seventh day is just a normal 6 hour work day. Our "free time" is eaten up by mundane tasks like shopping and haircuts. So we get about 3 hours a week of free time. The rest is work. And it is up to others to decide if our work has any effect. It isn't up to us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Sometimes it could be frustrating that we don't actually do the work, or we can't choose if this person gets baptized or not. But this feeling is actually quite relieving. We don't have to worry, or stress, or much. It's all in the Lord's hands. All we have to do is strive to know what He needs us to do. And it happens!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">It's not stress free, but it's worry free. <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This is where hope comes in. When we go out and invite, and work with members, and try to set up lessons, and nobody goes, or learns, or anything. We just have to hope. It is through hope that we endure hundreds of rejections just to get one "yes, I would like to go." It is through hope that we teach someone who doesn't seem like they'd progress, or has too many concerns.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Like I talked about in my last email. Satan is working <i>hard </i>right now in Thailand. And he doesn't sleep. Maybe that's why our schedule is like two full time jobs. Because God sees a lot in Thailand. He decided to build His House here! And maybe even though everyone seems to reject us, or is too busy, or won't even listen to us, God has something in mind. He's hoping for a better world, so we will too.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Love you all!!<br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="color: #444444;">All of these pictures were stolen from Elder weaver, he has a fantastic waterproof camera!!! lucky...</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-34452615086511142312015-04-12T16:05:00.000-07:002015-06-02T16:05:40.262-07:0004/12/2015<br />
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So as Thailand will be getting a temple, President Senior warned the mission leadership council that Satan would be trying his absolute hardest to stall the work here in every possible way. If we review the scriptures, before every important and necessary event, Satan reached out to try to thwart all of God's plans: In the premortal council, in the Garden of Eden, at Christ's birth, at the beginning of Christ's ministry, when Moses was called as a prophet of God, and when Joseph Smith began to say one of the most influential prayers in the history of mankind. In all of these examples, Satan was completely aware of the plan of the Father, because he never passed through the veil. Satan always tried to stop God's work. But God always knows and has never lost.<br /></div>
I'm glad I've been able to understand this principle during my mission, because when all the investigators stop progressing or disappear and nobody seems to be interested, it is just a testimony to me that something big and important is about to happen, and Satan is trying to get us down, or distract us, just to make it not happen. So I can just keep plowing my way forward knowing that we're getting close.</div>
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With the temple announcement, our most solid investigators who were supposed to get baptized yesterday. This was a family too. We lost them the day we found out about the temple announcement. Elder Weaver and I were pretty frustrated, but we decided we weren't going to mourn about it and we'd punch Satan in the face by going out and doing the Lord's work with renewed vigor.</div>
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On Saturday we got the phone call telling us who is moving. And we're staying! Then during General Conference we got the revelation on how we must continue in this area. We're going to bring the church attendance to 100 by bringing families. Less-active families and investigator families. We will do it by "[Going] forth with love to tell the world the joy of families— that we may be with those we love thru all eternity." Thailand will have a temple soon, and it will bring families together, sealed for time and eternity.<br /></div>
Today we'll be going out to play สงครานต์. I'm sorry if I don't send any pictures of this water fight, but I'll tell you about it next week!<br /></div>
I don't remember if anyone said this during conference or if it was just the spirit speaking to me, "The reason mediocrity is unacceptable to you is because you're familiar with excellence."</div>
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But I really like that. It explains my drive to work and get things done and always improve. I think it describes Latter-Day Saints as a whole.<br /><br /></div>
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Love you all!<br /></div>
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Elder Osborn</div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-56531715813211845372015-04-06T16:00:00.000-07:002015-06-02T16:00:54.675-07:0004/06/2014<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">I am completely speechless right now. There is so much happening in Thailand right now that I can't even say the least of my thoughts or feelings.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">This morning I woke up to 8 missed calls from the APs and a message, "THAILAND IS GETTING A TEMPLE!!!!!!!"<br />We had mission leadership council all morning. It was amazing to just talk about the effects of the temple announcement and what it will mean for us moving forward. I've never been super excited about the building of temples before, but since I've had to be away from one for so long and see the desire of the Thai saints to have a temple, the meaning has changed. I can already tell that this temple will mean a lot to me. I feel like my sweat and blood is already in the foundation and that the rest of my labors will help to build the House of the Lord, and to fill it with saints.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">With a temple in Bangkok Thailand, we can clearly see the stone rolling forth to every corner of the earth, even to Thailand, where one temple will serve over 1 billion of the inhabitants of the Earth. Sons and daughters of God. And not only just the living, but countless dead who are ready for the gospel. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Numbers-wise, Thailand isn't ready for a temple yet. But I firmly believe that something is happening on the other side of the veil. Many are receiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ and because it is so difficult for the Thai saints (and all of the surrounding countries) to travel to a temple to do the work for their dead, the Lord sees fit to bring the blessing of His House to Southeast Asia.<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">There's not much I can say, Transfers will be next week, also Sonkran is next week too. For all those unfamiliar, you can go look up this massive week long water fight online.<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Love you all,<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Elder Osborn<br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">PS: This is a picture of me and Elder Liaga -- who just got to thailand about a month ago -- visiting a less active former branch president on Saturday.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We had a switch-off and had an extremely powerful lesson on the Resurrection of Christ and Easter. At the end Elder Liaga bore one of the most powerful testimonies I have ever heard in new missionary Thai. He said that when we reach out, He is here, when we plead and cry, He is here for us. When we need help, He is always next to us.<br />Elder Liaga told him he's going to speak bluntly, then told him that sometimes Christ needs us to be there for Him, sometimes He needs us to serve Him and others, and that "right now He needs you."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><br /> By the time he finished in Christ's name, I had tears streaming down my face, this brother's eyes were watery, and the room was silent. <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">This brother sat there then said, "I'll see you tomorrow morning."</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Easter morning, I was sitting near the back and saw many heads turn and saw many smiles as he walked in and sat down for Sacrament meeting. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">This is a testimony that Thailand is preparing for a temple.</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-82189056646810013522015-03-30T15:55:00.000-07:002015-06-02T15:56:26.011-07:0003/30/2015<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">As many of you know now, the Church has released a new initiative based on Easter.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">This is pretty similar to the <i>Because of Him </i>or the <i>He is the Gift.</i> But they are having missionaries all around the world get involved!!! So we've been given a hundred cards -- not even close to enough -- to begin sharing the miracle of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Last week just after the initiative started every single appointment we had fell through. We were standing there contacting just thinking, "should we really just go inviting people for eight hours?" We decided to head back to the house and look up some less active members who we could go visit.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We found some old folders and began searching. Looking for people who lived nearby that we could go visit without too much planning. We made some phone calls to different leaders looking for potentials.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">After asking our Elders quorum president about a certain member we asked him if he knew anyone else that we could visit. He thought and said a name and told us he'd call us back. We finished up our work at the house and headed back out to go contacting and we got a phone call from him. He came, picked us up, and drove us to a members home. Brother Tdid was born with a few physical handicaps and he struggles to walk. We shared some verses about the resurrection from 3 Nephi and then we pulled out the Because He Lives video.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We watched it and tears came to my eyes. This brother reached out and put his hands on our knees -- this is a really neat gesture that they do here, it kind of shows affection and care-- and although struggling to speak he sat and testified of the resurrection and the blessings of the gospel.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We helped him find the video on his phone and gave him a card so he could share it. We had him look it up right there on his phone so he could do it by himself and he just watched the entire video again. Then he looked up and told us that he knew lots of people nearby who he could share it with.<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">I'm going to do my best to share the miracle of the resurrection by sharing my testimony that <i>he lives</i>. I know that we're going to see so many miracles here as we let the thai people know that Jesus Christ lives, and because He lives, we all will too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Elder Osborn<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">#becausehelives<br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Here's some random pictures!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"> <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I'm getting a new suit cut! What's cool about this suit is that I chose all of the fabric, and am getting it cut, and it is costing about $82.00</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">This is a really pretty place that we went contacting!</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-77274448905289734602015-03-23T15:50:00.000-07:002015-06-02T15:51:16.840-07:0003/23/2015<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">This week we did a little coordinating with the assistants in order to start something special here in Bangkhae.</span><div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Last time the mission changed a lot was right when I came into country. A couple missionaries figured out that they can actually <i>talk to everybody</i>. And not just talking. Inviting everybody to be baptized. They saw great success and there was a couple trainings and it spread to the rest of the mission. Then the mission baptized thousands. Now that we've got a jumpstart we're going to finish the families of all the people that came to the church.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"> The only problem is that the mission is confused now. We're working with families more and many missionaries are being less diligent and talking to less people and overall just forgetting the things that brought us here. No missionaries have "figured it out" yet. A simple step by step process to bring a family to Christ. All the way from the contact on the street to a new family in the church.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Considering that the Bangkhae area has every single type of missionary in one place. Zone leaders, a district leader, a sister training leader, and two training companionships, Bangkhae is the best place to do a little test. So we made some new inviting cards that are all about eternal families! And we're figuring out a "way" to make this style work. Just like what happened almost two years ago with baptism. It's starting to work. We're finding that the Thai people do not generally understand the work "eternity" or "forever". So our question for contacting is "Do you understand the word <i>eternal family</i>?" This question actually works pretty well. People don't just think that we're looking for a certain place called <i>families forever</i>. Which was the problem when we'd ask if they were familiar with eternal families. The plan is to get the work in this way to start moving fast. So that we can push it to the rest of the mission and watch the work explode again.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">So please pray that the Lord will prepare families for the Gospel here!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Tomorrow is Zone Conference! So we've also been doing a bunch of stuff recently preparing for that. Tonight we're having a special FHE for all of Bangkok. We'll be watching Meet the Mormons! Yeah! First movie in a really long time. hahaha</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Love you all! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Here's a picture of some cute kids that really liked our bikes (one is wearing my helmet). They asked Elder Weaver if his bike cost a million dollars.</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-77342088804319781742015-03-15T15:45:00.000-07:002015-06-02T15:46:01.478-07:003/15/2015<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Dear people,</span><div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I don't have a ton of time to write so I'm just going to spurt out things that are on my mind. Okay?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">This week I had my first mission leadership council. So I got to go back to my previous area and receive a fantastic training from the assistants and president. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">After, we did our first switch-off so I went with Elder Stone for a day, we also needed to move some furniture to our house so we took the office van back to Bangkhae!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We got lost so it took us 3+ hours.... But we had a fantastic conversation.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">I had a blast with Elder Stone, who is my replacement in the office.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">On Saturday the Bangkok West District had a Relief Society activity to celebrate the anniversary of the Relief Society. So the Elders in our district were asked to translate for the entire activity. It was way fun! I realized how bad my Thai is. haha</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Translating to English is a monster but translating into Thai from English was super easy.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">We got to train our zone last week too! It was really cool to go out and train all of the districts.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">In our Taxi rides we got to have some great conversations with the drivers. One of which made me super happy. One of my first invites on an eternal family that was received gladly and with excitement. We talked to this guy for 1.5 hours about families and he is so excited to go to church with his family now!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Today we're going on an excursion to go get suits cut! For super cheap. We're gonna have a party!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-19951323121620215832015-03-08T15:07:00.000-07:002015-03-13T15:07:46.681-07:0003/08/2015<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Dear everybody,</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">This last week has been quite interesting. It was transfers week which means that we spent a lot of time in the office doing all of the random stuff for the mission. I got to see the transfers board several times before it was completely finalized, so I was very excited when I first got to see where I was moving. In our mission we don't normally find out where you're going until the transfers meeting. But there are great perks of being in the office! It's like a spoiled Christmas!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">On Wednesday night after dinner with the new missionaries, President pulled me aside and said that he was going to change my assignment. I said of course. He explained where I was going and who I'd be with.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Then later that night (quite later, after in his room with the Assistants for a long time) President called me into his office.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">He had me sit down and asked, "Do you remember what I told you after dinner? I'm going to change your assignment again. Will you train in Chonburi?" ( for all those unfamiliar, Chonburi is an area that currently has no missionaries. It is a massive area as well. Nobody really knows exactly why there are no missionaries there. So when President asked me to train in Chonburi, it means not only would I be opening a brand new area, but also training in the process.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I was stunned but I answered, "Yes".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">President Senior said, "-- Or you can be zone leader in Bangkhae." To which I answered, "Yes". He said lets take the latter.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">As it turns out the entire thing about Chonburi was just a joke, but I was pleased that in that circumstance, when faced with an extremely difficult assignment, I was still able to say "yes".</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">During transfers the Bangkok west zone leaders in Thonburi white washed out and Elder Tanner moved to assistant, while president moved the zone leaders from Thonburi to Bangkhae. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Here we are now! Elder Weaver and I white-wash opening the zone leader area in Bangkhae! We don't know exactly why there are now eight missionaries in Bangkhae, but there are. The church building is beautiful and massive, so we're gonna fill it up with people.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Weaver is my พี่ or in the group just older than me. He has been zone leader before and is way solid! This is the first time in almost a year that I've been junior companion, and it's great! I learn Thai from him, I learn how to contact from him, etc. It's so nice!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We're also in the same house as two other companionships, both of which are training.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">It's really fun to white-wash again! Especially because we both are experienced missionaries, but we have no idea where anything is, so we just walk around and talk to EVERYBODY. We almost got balanced key indicators in three days. It's way fun to just work and work. I'm also out of the office which means we're out working all day now! We've seen lots of miracles and it's much hotter out in the streets than in the office.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Bangkhae is on the outskirts of Bangkok, so it's just as busy, just a tiny bit more spread out, so instead of walking 5 minutes to get places, we walk 15-30 minutes to get places. It's fine though, plenty of people to talk to.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Everyone in our area just feels an excitement in the air. We all just know that this is going to be a special transfer. We're going to do some serious work here for the next six weeks.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">A couple days ago we were teaching about family history when Elder Weaver shared a verse from D&C 138.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #666666;">I beheld that the faithful elders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the spirits of the dead.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">This was the first time that this verse meant anything to me. I was lost in thought and realized that my Grandpa Osborn is still preaching the gospel of repentance. I felt so much love and unity when I realized that we're doing this work together. That both sides of the veil -- Grandpa and Grandson -- are working together for the redemption of those who are in darkness and under the yoke of sin. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">When the testifying influence of the Holy Ghost faded enough for me to speak, I told these recent converts that one of the reasons that they have been brought to the church right now was because their ancestors may have accepted this Gospel of redemption and are ready for the ordinances to be done in their behalf.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I've been wondering, <i>Has Grandpa Osborn been teaching my investigators grandparents?</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">How wonderful!!! This work just goes on and on. After my mission I'll still be doing the same work, maybe just in a different way. And when I pass on, I'll just keep declaring the Gospel of repentance. I couldn't hope for anything better than that.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I love all of you,</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-12296906154697828742015-02-28T14:56:00.000-08:002015-03-13T14:57:03.896-07:0002/28/2015<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Dear Family!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">This week was pretty fun. We've been having a blast doing lots projects for transfers... </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">A few weeks ago I contacted a young woman. We gave her to the sisters after the first lesson because we felt like they would take better care of her. Last night I interviewed her! She passed!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">It was really cool to be able to invite someone, then not teach them, and in the end be the interviewer. I was able to see so much progression in what felt like no time at all. She'll be baptized tomorrow.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">This week I've been learning a lot about thinking. Thinking twice before everything, especially speaking. Doing this has been helping me to be sure that my conversation administers grace unto the hearers. It has also helped me to be more aware in general.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Brother Yut told us that his family felt really good when we went to visit him. They'll be coming to church tomorrow!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5117977089588873496.post-85306870977955263032015-02-21T14:55:00.000-08:002015-03-13T14:55:46.552-07:0002/21/2015<span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #666666;">Dear Family! And others...</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666;">This week we did work.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">We did a project called priority zero for two days. We visited members. We're pretty tired. When we're done emailing we're going to go nap at the house.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I got the chance to spend time with missionaries who have taken off their tags for good. I was able to glean a lot from these wise missionaries. I've learned the importance learning from others and of role models.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">On Monday I went with the same brother who is preparing to serve a mission to visit his family. It was the second time his mother had seen the missionaries, and the first time his father had seen us. Due to business I was on a switch-off with him. The only thing he wanted was for his parents to stop drinking. The entire way over to his home he asked me questions, and the entire way back he thanked me and asked me more questions. At his home we ate dinner and for dessert was a cake, which on it's face written on frosting was, "Thank you, Elder Osborn". </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I took the opportunity to teach a principle while we walked back to return me to my companions. I asked him if he'd read the Book of Mormon yet. He has.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">I began to talk about heroes. I asked him, "Why do you think Mormon named his son Moroni?" "Why did Helaman name his sons Nephi and Lehi?". I attempted to unfold the principles of heroes and leadership to him. Because as a new member, he hasn't grown up with his parents teaching him the words of eternal life. But the Lord is the perfect example for all of us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">How grateful I am that I've had powerful role models in my life. Especially my parents, my mission president and wife, the prophets, and the Lord. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Elder Osborn</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Here's a bunch of pictures!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4SY2WdSXAlM3d3U_LYhev171ba1wTurDz4-Xh59ZYCYDc09iCdiMlZeFqAUaX9yK6KyYZCLDflc1a2L29frQiNuTeWfsAKSGVZdLy25jXIF0y4sC1UjISgAobHrcWZ7OWXdYzeSpNQ/s1600/IMG_6740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4SY2WdSXAlM3d3U_LYhev171ba1wTurDz4-Xh59ZYCYDc09iCdiMlZeFqAUaX9yK6KyYZCLDflc1a2L29frQiNuTeWfsAKSGVZdLy25jXIF0y4sC1UjISgAobHrcWZ7OWXdYzeSpNQ/s1600/IMG_6740.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Yesterday we made thai food!!! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH830iOdnpdQEYyCAXmvoRnWerG39gCZ4rxknzDYFV19lEkKFo2ZQaHWeY9ATL3jdwhzEgDsnGh-AJ-OS20DSI0qpSoLa04EV0sSfAD2DV7jdlSlWd0lo9QFZipwK7_OwLo0BnH6in1w/s1600/IMG_6751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH830iOdnpdQEYyCAXmvoRnWerG39gCZ4rxknzDYFV19lEkKFo2ZQaHWeY9ATL3jdwhzEgDsnGh-AJ-OS20DSI0qpSoLa04EV0sSfAD2DV7jdlSlWd0lo9QFZipwK7_OwLo0BnH6in1w/s1600/IMG_6751.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Also, this member has the cutest dog in the world.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmARw4_XNzJosbvyZ0seDe9LQRfircAv2dEVx1gxLQbSQcneqMGnE8D4HaaWdC5A-IobYiSlgFZupvLOyTWlQO9-t-FQ_Kct7YMXjjM10HMb1mm60iKhD_pQYHeAQDSPThUYGJSkNXWg/s1600/IMG_6732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmARw4_XNzJosbvyZ0seDe9LQRfircAv2dEVx1gxLQbSQcneqMGnE8D4HaaWdC5A-IobYiSlgFZupvLOyTWlQO9-t-FQ_Kct7YMXjjM10HMb1mm60iKhD_pQYHeAQDSPThUYGJSkNXWg/s1600/IMG_6732.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWWQyfsOfXBsazn8egspVdXBUq-xpa140X_HKcpnpK32QLLFSeCMcOrFPcgEVz9dfngYlxtnPiWJ17rdghDuu0oycxgqtayrggBR6I9mKUIDiBkAZtuz9lzzP6-0YD5NyUNiBqgvCPg/s1600/IMG_6731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #666666;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWWQyfsOfXBsazn8egspVdXBUq-xpa140X_HKcpnpK32QLLFSeCMcOrFPcgEVz9dfngYlxtnPiWJ17rdghDuu0oycxgqtayrggBR6I9mKUIDiBkAZtuz9lzzP6-0YD5NyUNiBqgvCPg/s1600/IMG_6731.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Sister Sai got baptized on Sunday!</span></div>
Madshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252264080562956972noreply@blogger.com0