Elise hasn't slowed down one bit since the day she entered the MTC. If anything, she's gained more energy and desire to share her growing testimony. Her last letter is full of excitement and pure joy!
"There is a movie here in the visitors center called God's Plan for Families and it makes me cry every time because i am SO GRATEFUL that i get to be [with my family] for forever. OH AND ALL THE SISTERS said that they saw you when you visited and one of them even gave me a picture of you with them on the temple steps. Thank you for coming, i hope the sisters uplifted you because that is our job, to invite all to come unto Christ and taste of the fruits of his doctrine. I love my Savior. I love Him, i love Him.
"BUT FIRST lets start with leaving the lovely little MTC. I woke up that morning so thrilled! I was having a dream about handing out Book of Mormons when the alarm started blaring so i was confused, but i stumbled out of bed and i wanted to shout at the top of my lungs (4:45am) I GET TO BE A MISSIONARY TODAY! and i will say that everyday of my mission. Today, I get to be a missionary. On the busride to Salt Lake, we got to watch the sunrise, and i just stared at the window, crying and laughing! What an honor, to be serving my Savior, to drive through these pioneer plains and i envisioned families getting married and sealed in the temple so that they could be together forever with the Father In Heaven. I was so moved, to be sitting there, literally being carried to a place where i would get to participate in this work. It was quite the feeling of anticipation, knowing that it was then, that a big part of my journey was being embarked. And i have embarked on quite the journey... give 'em heaven!
"SO, my trainer is the one and only Sister Pen from Cambodia in Asia. She is such a funny little scatter-brained chica, and i do love her. Her english has improved a lot, and she is still improving. I am much taller than her, like a head taller so we make up quite the companionship. I admire her smile, when i am low energy she just smiles and brightens my day. She makes me laugh. She is a good trainer. I love her and her Asian accent is rubbing off on me and i find myself thinking or praying in her accent sometimes. Hehe. she is so funny, she says, "Sista, yoo ahh soo pump-ed up!" (sister you are so pumped up). She says she has never seen anyone as excited as i am to work, because evertime we got on the escalator in the visitor center, i walk up or down, there are people we must find!! No time to just stand there! There are people everywhere, and we can talk to any of them. I LOVE my mission for that, we get rejected, we go and find someone who will listen, and during summer there are people EVERYWHERE. I got my hands on a spanish preach my gospel too, so i can brush up and get better, so if i get that passed off by my zone leaders i can teach in spanish (i already have taught some of them, the spanish speakers are ready for the gospel. They're amazing.) I may even be able to get and wear a Colombia flag, what do you think my papa?
"This is what we do everyday. Wake up at 6:20am, hop down from my cutsie bunk bed that i'm in love with and say, "TODAY I GET TO BE A MISSIONARY!" and then i go run around back and forth like a crazy in this little park next to the house, or i do yoga. Then we study, and i get antsy and THEN WE GET TO TALK TO PEOPLE YAY! i have found that whenever i get tired, i just need to talk to people. When I am talking to the visitors, I get energized. I feel the Spirit. From the visitors we invite them to come to Christ, and ask if there is anyone else we can share the gospel with. We eat lunch and dinner on the square, and then we get home, plan for the next day where on the square we should go to find those prepared for our message.
"One of my favorite experiences was with this young man. [His name is] Jake. Jake is 21 an has had some struggles and was struggling to know if he should go on a mission. I'll never forget his question. "You think I can go on a mission? Me? Me make a difference?" I was on splits with my zone leader Sister Iglezias from Brazil, and we were both able to share our heritage, how missionaries did indeed make a difference. The resources are amazing, we were able to show a youth clip about the priesthood, we testified, we cried, we invited him to come unto Christ. I love being a missionary. Is there a greater work? a greater thing to do than help those come unto Him? And MAN do i love testifying and promising with authority and power. I know that i am a representative of Jesus Christ, and some of the strongest times i have felt the Spirit is when i can look at members and nonmembers alike and tell them, "I am a representative of Jesus Christ. I do not hold that lightly. I promise you, as His representative that if you do _____, you will, YOU WILL receive ____." Those blessings are real, those promises are real, and i have never felt anything like it in my life. Jake is on his way, we are calling him and checking up with him, and one day i look forward to hearing where he will be going on his mission.
"Another special experience i had was when my dear best friend Tina Childs came onto the square and i was able to take her around and also invite her to come to the Savior too (as with everyone!) I LOVE HER SO MUCH. And she taught me that i need to love everyone who comes onto the square like that, because if i love our guests like that... they will feel the spirit, because i will want the best for them. Kinda make sense? Of course it did help that Tina loves me back! HA! but its true, when we TRULY love someone, and have true charity, then we will do everything we can to bring them to their Savior. And its wonderful, because the more we begin to know and understand our Savior, the more we will want to testify of Him, the more we will want to give and give. i cherish tina! how loved she is.
"Family, I realized in my prayers at the mtc something interesting. I was trying to "forget myself and go to work". Trying to forget myself and my past life was hard, in fact it was impossible, and i realized something, with King Lamoni and the other Lamanite king: they were willing to give away all their sins to know Thee [the Lord], they were willing to give away their kingdoms to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. So in one of my prayers i decided to not forget my life, I decided to not forget my life, i decided to give it to Him. I said, Heavenly Father, I put my family in your hands. So I didn't give you away, i never had too, i just gave you and all my concerns for you to Him, and since I'm really close to Him right now, i feel closer to you than ever before. And that, that, is the greatest gift i could ask for. Wow, do I miss you, but WOW do i love being a missionary. And I know, i know, that you are in good hands. I am so happy to give my life to the Savior. I love Him. and I love you.
"There are many amazing people in this world. And the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone, it is only through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism , receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end, that we can become the glorious beings and families we are capable of becoming.
Love, Sister Osorio
No comments:
Post a Comment