Every word was acknowledged - Week 61 (Transfer 10, Week 5) - 27 June, 2016

Zone Conference with Sister and President Clayton (6/23/16)

Hey everyone. :)

Just wanted to let you all know that I love you. This week was a whole new ground of territory that I haven't experienced yet on my mission. After you've been out for a while, you kinda figure out who you are as a missionary and so even though there are lots of challenges, you know how to face them. But I feel like this transfer has been super weird because....I don't really know how to explain it! It's just weird to be out on a mission for 13 months and suddenly feel like you don't know how to missionary anymore. hahaha that's the only way I can explain it. But it was a good week though. Lots of miracles. Lots of learning. A mission is a consistent reminder that I have no idea what I'm doing so I just have to pray a lot and trust that God does. Hahaha

We went on a whopping 3 exchanges this week, which means that about 5 of the 7 days I was not in my own area here in Barrie. I was with other sisters in their area. I went to Aurora, Cookstown, and Bracebridge this week. I love these sisters. :) I worry about them seriously every day all day. I always wanna call them and see how they're doing and if everything is okay. I feel so much responsibility to help them be successful and happy. But there's not much I can do! They are all doing really well though. I'm just protective of my peeps. 🙃

Fun story: Went on exchanges with my MTC  and In-Field companion Sister Anthony! It was a great exchange. Sooooooooo coooooooooooool to see how much we have both changed and grown. The whole day felt like such a breeze. It felt  good to be with someone that I already know. Almost like going on exchanges with Tashina back home. It was a really grounding experience. It felt good to have familiarity. A little bit like home. :) But in a different way.

Miracles: Lots this week but two I'll share.

1. Got a blessing from the elders. Can I just say how cool it is to have the opportunity to get a blessing from worthy priesthood holders? Nothing cooler in my mind. I felt the spirit really strong. That blessing was pretty much a direct conversation with Heavenly Father. I'd asked Him so many things in prayer earlier that day and throughout the transfer and even during the blessing. Every question was directly answered. Every word was acknowledged. It was such a humbling and comforting experience. I was in tears by the end. For all you men out there, be worthy of the priesthood. You have no idea how much we appreciate it. :)

2. On Sunday I was praying pretty hard to find someone the Lord had prepared to hear the gospel. We went to a lesson with one of our less actives to teach him. We had been working with him to invite his friends and when we sat down, he texted his friend who came over and was SUPER interested. We taught him right then and there and he is very excited to learn about the gospel. :) His name is K* and he's from India. I loveeee Canada because we literally get to teach all nations.

Anyway, love you all.

Sister Osman

Oh Canada!

Exchanges with Sister Cliften in Cookstown!

Exchanges with the brace bridge sisters!!!!! - Sister Anthony & Sister Osman

Exchanges with the brace bridge sisters!!!!! - Sister Vance & Sister Osman

Reading my momma's letter!

Yeah Sister Turley be in hospital all day cuz she got a bug bite with a disease and it made her lymph nodes swell up. hahahahahaha We were hoping it was Zika virus or whatever it's called because that would be a cool story. 

O my Father (Happy Father's Day) - Week 60 (Transfer 10, Week 4) - 20 June, 2016

Sister Turley is Da Best!

This week was life changing on so many levels. Some days felt like nothing but sweat and exhaustion (haha walking in 90 degree heat everywhere) but some days were a calming relief. We were asked to do a musical number in sacrament meeting for Father's Day. My companion and I chose the song "O My Father" for a couple of reasons.
1. I remember singing it in church with my own father growing up. That song always meant so much to me because I knew it meant so much to him.
2. It's the song that answered a lot of my dad's questions when he first joined the church. We felt it would do the same for the people we are working with here.
3. It's absolutely beautiful. We picked a lovely arrangement of it and Sister Turley plays the piano beautifully.

So we spent the week practicing the song in spare moments after district meeting or when we had 10 minutes at the end of the night.

Sunday came along; I woke up on Fathers day to say my morning prayers and immediately thought of dad and of our Heavenly Father. (Wishing them both a happy fathers day!) At the end of the 3 hour block of church when we have sacrament meeting, not enough of the young men were there to bless and pass the sacrament so Elder Taylor and Elder McKinnon got up to bless the sacrament. They are the two elders that are serving in our ward with us. Elder McKinnon blessed the bread and Elder Taylor blessed the water. Never before have I heard anyone with such sincerity and such an understanding of the prayer they were giving bless the sacrament. The Spirit came with such force that I felt as though I were truly taking the sacrament for the first time in my entire life. I could hardly lift the cup to my lips. It was such a moving experience for me. I truly felt my Heavenly Father there with me, on His Day and Fathers Day.

Immediately after the sacrament I got up to sing the song we had prepared, O My Father. I got up, looking around at all of the people in our ward and was moved with such love for them and such a feeling of the spirit. I explained to them why this song was so important to me, and with the thoughts of my family and my dad back home, I pretty much just started to weep out of joy and love and bittersweet sadness all at once. Sister Turley started playing the piano and for the first couple lines of the song I managed to sing until I could only muster a whisper. I felt like everything was still, the whole room was just so full of the Spirit. And all of a sudden I could sing again! Louder than I ever had before. By the end of the song, everyone was literally weeping. It was like at that moment, everyone in the room understood and felt the exact same thing. So, this Fathers Day was very special for me. It really changed me. :) I don't think I could ever sing that song like that again. I swear, it wasn't even me singing.

Well, I love you all. Watch this video. It makes me cry. https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-06-001-always-remember-him?cid=HP_WE_8-6-2016_dPFD_fMLIB_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

Haha Happy Fathers Day dad. I love you!!!! Also, mom, I love you. And also, Caelan I love you. And also, Tashina, I love you.

Not sure if I need glasses....my eyes are doing weird things. Am I just super tired?? Don't know.

Exchanges with Sister Wheldon

This is B*, he just got baptized!

Charity never Faileth & "never underestimate the value of every second of life" - Week 59 (Transfer 10, Week 3) - 13 June, 2016

Well Hello Everyone!

This week was so amazing. I feel like this enormous sponge, just learning so much. I'm grateful for that.

I don't honestly have much to say this week. We walked a lot. We talked to people a lot. We taught a lot. We went on a lot of exchanges. We felt the Spirit a lot. We laughed a lot. I feel so blessed to be here.

I love the missionaries here. They are such good missionaries. I really look up to them all.

This week I studied Luke 10:33 to the end, a lot. It's about the Good Samaritan. Check it out. :) I love the people here. It's weird...it feels like there is this mass exodus happening in the mission where my mission president is leaving soon, my companion is leaving soon, all of my friends on missions elsewhere are leaving soon, all of the missionaries I know very well in the mission and most of my companions have either left or are leaving soon....It's so sad! I feel this great sense of urgency to just do everything possible RIGHT NOW because I know it will be over soon....

I love you all! Never underestimate the value of every second of life. :)

One thing I learned this week: Charity never faileth.

Sister Osman

Do something that will make you cry today. In a good way. - Week 58 (Transfer 10, Week 2) - 6 June, 2016

Hey Heather Karou, this is for you so that my blog will be updated.
Also, hey everyone else

Hey Everyone!!!

Heather is an awesome member of our ward. She's been reading these emails and comes up to me this Sunday and goes, "Sister Osman why hasn't your blog been updated?!?" And I was like, "Because I didn't write anything last week....too much effort." And she was like, "Well write something because I wanna hear about all the crazy people in Barrie!!!" And I was like, "Okay."

So here we are!

Barrie is tiny compared to Etobicoke. I feel like...it's just tiny. And everyone is old. It's hilarious. But I love it. There is this adorable lady named Sister Reeve who took us to the Mandarin for lunch this week (this massive buffet restaurant that they should have in every town all over the world. It's canadian though.) and we taught her friend C*. It was a pretty good lesson! I love teaching with Sister Turley because it's so easy! She is a great teacher. This is her last transfer here on her mission, and I've been out for 13 months now, so we are both pretty old in the mission. I've never been companions with an experienced missionary before WHILE being an experienced missionary. So it's super fun!

Last night we went over to a members home named Shanna. She is YSA aged but the YSA ward is almost 2 hours away so she stays here at her home ward. Anyway, we've been teaching her friend named T*. He is awesome! He has the best questions in the world. At last night we committed him to be baptized. So stoked!!!

Okay, anyway, that's all for this week. Sister Turley rules. Also, Heather made us the yummiest peanut butter bars and our new convert B* is crazy. so funny. Also, we went on exchanges this week. We are over 5 sets of sisters and have to go on 2 exchanges with each every transfer, so that's ten exchanges which is 2 every week. Then plus one with the 3 other STL's. So yeah...lots of exchanges. It's so fun switching companions and areas twice a week but also really interesting. Sister Turley and I always have to be on the same page otherwise it just doesn't work out. Learning lots.

I LOVE YOU ALL! Do something that will make you cry today. In a good way.

Zone Conference in Barrie. President and Sister Clayton made a surprise appearance on Thursday, June 2, 2016

I am obsessed with Dandelions. I like to make wishes. And this one was growing the middle of the woods. And the stem was FOREVER LONG. So I plucked it up.

Exchanges with the Sisters!

Sister Turley found a massive worm yesterday. It was sweet. It's like a snake.

Exchanges with the other STLs! Sister Gousse is an STL now too! So proud. I love her. :)
And the one with the pink shirt is my companion Sister Turley. What a babe. 

Sister Turley, Sister Gousse, Sister Osman

- Week 57 (Transfer 10, Week 1) - 30 May, 2016