09/29/2014

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!! I haven't spoken much about what has been going on in our mission recently. So remember back in the day where I used to only talk about baptism? Yes. That is what our mission used to be like. Then a couple things happened and our mission got confused. Then it stopped baptizing everyone. We lost all of the focus and drive. Which focus and drive led to 100% obedience and diligence in contacting. Then we were told to focus on retention and taking care of recent converts AND bringing back less actives. 

All of this sounds like a great addition. And it is, but our mission wasn't ready for it. It was like a punch to the face. We didn't have a focus. Or really a vision. There was a restriction placed on contacting: Maximum 2 hours a day.( So we could start working with the members and being smarter in how we find people.) The machine stopped running.

Today we got a call from the zone leaders saying that President had sent out a video that we all had to watch before doing anything else today.------- It was amazing!

President Senior's address really changed everything. AGAIN! He lifted the restriction on contacting time and suspended facebook usage. Why? To take our mission back to the basics. 

He said as part of his message:

"History will reflect that the current generation of missionaries has done things far differently than has ever been done before in Thailand, building upon the great foundations laid by our predecessors. We are not getting what  we have always gotten. We have learned, we have changed and, as Elder Bednar has instructed, pressed forward with faith accomplishing “things which God has prepared” for those who love him. Elders and Sisters, the Lord teaches us line upon line, and precept upon precept. He cannot teach us upon the precepts we have previously received if we have discarded those precepts. If that be the case, the Lord must return to the previous precept, teach it again before He can then teach us more upon the foundation of that precept. Do we want to go back? The answer is we cannot! We can never go back because we have already put our hand to the plough. We must build upon the foundation we have already laid. You are a set apart missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You have been given all rights, privileges, powers and authorities as an authorized representative and emissary of the Savior Jesus Christ. We must not be afraid to find, to teach, and to baptize. It is our calling to do so."

I got chills as I watched this video, knowing that the Lord had tried to push us and make us better, but we weren't ready for it yet. So it crashed a little. So we're gonna do what we know how to do and then build from there again. 

All of what we do is driven by faith. It is all we do. Some people think that we are trying to create miracles with our hard work. NO. How do all miracles occur? As a response to faith. And how do we show God our faith? Through diligence and obedience. That is why our mission sees miracles. Because we obey and are diligent.

I am excited to work again in light of this new inflection point. Following the Savior's command:

29 And thou shalt declare glad tidings, yea, publish it upon the mountains, and upon every high place, and among every people that thou shalt be permitted to see.

 30 And thou shalt do it with all humility, trusting in me, reviling not against revilers.

 31 And of tenets thou shalt not talk, but thou shalt declare repentance and faith on the Savior, and remission of sins by baptism, and by fire, yea, even the Holy Ghost.

 32 Behold, this is a great and the last commandment which I shall give unto you concerning this matter; for this shall suffice for thy daily walk, even unto the end of thy life.

We declare repentance and faith on the Savior, and remission of sins by baptism, and by fire, yea, even the Holy Ghost.

This is what the Lord has commanded. And we shall obey.

As for what has been going on in our lives here in Sagonakon. Elder Evans and I have been finding! 11 new investigators in his first full week of missionary service. That's how we roll! I'm so proud of him. He's so good at missionary work! 

So in a 24 hour period between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon we faced a lot of opposition.

1. I ran over a nail on my bike. So we were โบสถ์- ridden (it's a pun, the word โบสถ์ means church and sounds like the work abode, just without the -a-. If you get it, it's pretty funny, if you don't, that's too bad.)

2. We ran out of water just as our sports day ended. So we were dehydrated.

3. Our power went out. This includes air conditioning. ughhhh

4. We lost our keys.

But, we all know that in the face of opposition comes God's greatest blessings.

Yesterday we got 4 new investigators that we didn't expect. And two of them, - a mother and a daughter - took a baptismal date. And boy are they super prepared.

Love ya, Elder Osborn