Hearing people pray for the first time! - Week 70 (Transfer 11, Week 2) - 29 August, 2016

Cupcake delivery from mom & dad!

Hey everyone. :)

This week was great. I'm pretty sure I start every single one of these emails the same way. Because every week of my mission so far, has been great. Or better.

Hmmmm what's a good story from this week?

It all started last week. We had brought one of our members named Sister R* teaching with us. She has this whispy white hair and frames her head. She like a hippie angel. She used to get deported from the US for hitchiking with a stolen ID and smuggling her friends accross the border. But then when she was 40 she decided to straighten out and joined the church. She's nuts. I love her. Anyway, so we were dropping her off at her home and there was this littler family sitting on the bench playing outside of her apartment building. So we got out of the car and talked to them. Her name was J*. The kids were playing on the grass with a pool noodle like a sword. And J*'s mom H* was sitting next to her. The weather was perfect. Beautiful! Anyway, we shared about how faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost can help us follow Jesus Christ or something...I don't know, it just came out. Something different every time I swear. I never know what I'm going to say, I just talk. Well she told us how she is going through a hard divorce and wants her kids to have the gospel. So we set an appointment for the next week to come teach her and her kids.

Wednesday night the next week:

They were all there. J* opened the door to their apartment. It was so clean! I loved it! A perfect place to feel the Spirit. We sat down on the couch with the kids. I wasn't sure how J* would take the whole Restoration and Joseph Smith thing...You never know what moms do and don't want their kids to hear. But we really focused on teaching simply for the kids and just testifying of eternal families. AND THEY LOVED IT!!!!! The whole family. We game them copies of the book of Mormon and a passage to read. And then at the end asked J* to say the closing prayer. The Spirit was so strong. J* was so humble and so sincere. It was her first prayer ever. Her kids went to Catholic school, so they prayed a little. But J* just opened up her heart. The whole room filled with a familiar feeling. So thick with emotion. You could just feel how God felt: so happy to finally hear J* reaching out to him. He was so concerned about there. He was listening.
J* wasn't sure how to finish the prayer. Her two kids jumped on her lap and helped her finish the last couple sentences..."Thank you for my family, thank you for the missionaries, please bless them...."

I love hearing people pray for the first time. Those experiences are some of the most treasured ones of my whole mission.

I love you all. Have a great week. :)

Love,
Sister Osman

Lots of love, investigators, & Elder Ballard. BEST WEEK EVER. SIIICCCCCKKK - Week 69 (Transfer 11, Week 1) - 22 August, 2016

Da Sistas!

Hey everyone!!!!

This week was easily one of the highlights of my mission. I've never felt so....full! I just feel so happy! My new companion Sister Wilson is amazing. I love her! Heavenly Father SHOWERED blessings on us this week.

To start off the week, we had already taught 12 lessons by Tuesday night. By Wednesday we were already at 20. Sunday night came around and we had taught 46 lessons! That's insane. That's a lot of lessons. On top of that, 5 of our investigators have baptismal dates, and 2 of them will be baptized very soon! 6 of our investigators came to church, and so many members wanted to come teaching with us that we had 16 investigator lessons with members there and 6 returning members! The members just kept asking about all of our investigators and doing nice things for them. Everyone kept making banana bread and muffins for B* and giving her baby stuff for her soon to be born baby boy. And everyone kept asking how R* was doing and calling her to see how she is doing and if she has any questions, and reaching out to our investigator L* who is getting baptized in 2 weeks. I just love them all so much. And then one of our investigators named S*, who is such a miracle on her own, brought her boyfriend to church.

And guess who else came to church?!?!? Elder BALLARD! R* and B* and K* and S* and T* and L* were so excited to see an apostle! And Elder Bennett came (He's a 70) and our mission President. IT WAS SO COOL! The Spirit was so strong. And one of the less active members we have been working with came to church for the first time in SO LONG and stayed the whole time. He has changed so much. Then everyone this week just wanted to learn about the gospel. We found 10 new investigators! It was incredible. B*'s boss also happens to be a member of the church and now wants to come to our lesson on Wednesday to see B*. She fits into the ward so well. I just love this ward. I mean, the numbers are cool, but what really amazed me this week is how on Sunday, at church, I felt like I was at home. I felt so much love and friendship for all of the people we teach and all of the members. I felt that I was a part of their life and they are a part of mine. I love these people so much.

It's so cool to have two homes: one in Utah and one in Ontario Canada. I love everyone here. :) BEST WEEK EVER. Plus it was super cool to meet Elder Ballard. I got to conduct the music at the meeting and everything! SIIICCCCCKKK.

God is good. That is my testimony. He answers prayers. He is real. I love Him! The church is true. :)

Love,

Mikkia

We won Jello for winning the "Barrie Bash".
A contest between the districts in the Barrie Zone.

B*and I :) She is due to have her baby on Oct 1st!

L*, Sister Osman, Sister Wilson. L* is getting baptized on Sept 9th

Sister Wilson and Sister Osman

Second to last Transfer. Woot, woot! - Week 68 (Transfer 11, Week 6) - 15 August, 2016

Transfer news:

Sister Osman is starting her second to last transfer. She will be home in 3 months.

Her companion Sister Allred got transferred and Sister Osman is staying put. She will be companions with Sister Bailey Wilson, who is from Alpine and who went to high school with Mikkia and graduated with her: old friends, come missionary companions. What a wonderful small world!

Her "letter":

Hey everyone!!!!!

One miracle from this week: R* and B* accepted to live the Word of Wisdom! Hurrah.

Here are some pictures from the week because I'm too lazy to write.  :)

It was P-day. :)

Exchanges with Sister Leishman. My fave. Life long friends from here on out. She was trained by Sister Anthony.

Tape, the new plastic surgery!

This is exchanges in STAYNER!!! With Sister Giles. We got to see N* and M*. N* got baptized a week after I left Stayner and now he is dating a member named M* who is coming pack to church!!!! Haha...Stayner is like The Office, but in real life.

This is Brother Giddy. Pretty much the most adorable old man in the whole of Barrie. We had dinner with them last night.

We had second dinner with D* and S* last night. S* is a recently re-activated member and D* is coming back! He went to church for the 2nd time this week and is working towards the temple! He gave us duck. :) And this melon that grows in the desert. Partay with the YSA.

This is R*. We taught her the Law of Chastity this morning. LOL. She'll be baptized in a couple weeks. Love her. 

 Me and Sister Allred this morning. Our last day together. :( BUT my new companion will be Sister Wilson!!! We went to highschool together!!!!! hahahaha

This week was magic - Week 65 (Transfer 11, Week 3) - 25 July, 2016

Sister Allred & Sister Osman
Love these girls!

Hey everyone!

Man, this week was magic. I love this week.

This week I started off feeling really frustrated. I felt like I wasn't getting any answers in my studies as to how to help the people we are working with. Which of course means I wasn't putting in enough effort or studying in the right way. God has promised, ask and ye shall receive.

So clearly, I wasn't doing my part to ask. So I sat down Tuesday morning with a determination to make my studies count in the morning so I could be super prepared. At first nothing was coming. I didn't know what to study. I was bored of everything. I've read the whole Book of Mormon, the Bible, the Doctrine and Covenant, Peal of Great Price, Jesus the Christ twice now, and Our Search for Happiness about 1 and a half times and a ton of the church Ensigns and other talks that we've been given to read. So pretty much my studies haven't been doing great because I'm dying for something new.

But ANYWAY, I sat down and I was reading Jesus the Christ when a thought came to me: all the doctrine in the world and scriptures and blah blah blah won't help anyone if they don't feel God's love. So then for the last 45 minutes of my studies, I spent the time making lists of things we could do to serve each of our new converts, returning members, and investigators. I was amazed at how well I know them and how the Spirit just kept bringing to mind so many little things I could do for them.

So, we did it. This week we served in every possible way we could think of. In every lesson we planned a way to serve. At every door we tried to compliment. We just tried to help people feel so loved. And it worked! The Lord blessed us so much!

By the end of the week we had found 9 new people who are interested in learning the gospel and had had sooooo many more opportunities to teach than the week before. People were so much more willing to meet with us. And then on Sunday, we come out of ward council to see our investigator B*. She is so cute. 7 months pregnant. And who did she bring? Her friend C*. About 5 minutes later our other investigator named N* came to the door. He reminds me so much of my dad. He is 18 now and has just been "moved" out of his group home. aka they kick you out when you are 18. When we met him earlier this week I told him about my dad's conversion story and how he went through similar things. It felt like we were best friends with N* already in that first meeting. Then, about 10 minutes after N* arived at church, A* shows up! We were stoked! And then about 10 minutes after that Am* showed up. :)

It was a great day. I felt like all of these people who I've come to love so much were exactly in the place that would make them happiest. It was great. It was so cool to see how all of our hard work and prayers that week had been answered by the Lord.

Anyway, got to go.

Love,

Mikkia

From another email:

About her foot:

Don't worry about my foot. Haha I swear that's all anyone ever asks me. It's first question at every door, from everyone in the hallway at church, everyone we pass on the sidewalk, every cashier, everyone. Hahahaha

My foot's actually doing a lot better. I can walk on it now with the boot. The bruising is almost completely gone except a little on the bottom of my foot and the sides of my toes, and the swelling is gone. It's only a little sore in the mornings when I wake up and I've never taken pain killers for it and I refuse to do so. You taught me well. ;) But it's honestly never been that painful. The first night after it happened was a little uncomfortable but since then I've been fine. Sleeping well. :) I honestly think I could probably go without the boot next week. I feel like my foot has healed monumentally fast. I know that is in large part to the blessings I've received. Thank the good heavens for the priesthood. But it's not that badly broken anyway. It just looked pretty bad. Haha. I think I popped one of the major blood vessels in my foot and that's why it filled up with blood like that.

Question of the week:

Tell me something encouraging that happened to you in the last week or the last little while. So in other words is there anything that gives wings to your feet, that gives you hope and that makes you feel like you want to press on?


Something encouraging? All I need is a companion who encourages me to do better and then supports me in doing my best. That gives my feet wings. I currently have a companion who does that for me. :) So I am full of hope. One thing I love that she always says, is whenever we are having a hard day or something goes wrong, she just smiles and says, "And yet, all is well." I love it. She helps me to have a fantastic attitude. She really understands the atonement.

Note from the editor: We love Sister Allred :)

Sister Osman in the News! - 21 July, 2016

Sister Osman in the news, well sort of :)

Check out picture#5. Caption is wrong, she broke her foot not sprained it, but I love that face. Haha. Too funny!

Thanks to the amazing medical staff in all the missions, to keep these awesome missionaries safe and well taken care of. We are so grateful to you!

http://www.mormonnewsroom.ca/article/nurses-care-for-those-who-serve

Elder Z’Thomas Cannon wraps Sister Mikkia Osman’s very painful sprained ankle.
Missionaries can quickly get the help they need from a mission nurse specialist so they can return to their work after an illness or injury.
Picture courtesy of Marsha Cannon.