Stop Smoking...take 2‏

Hi Family,

The computer just randomly restarted as I was finishing my e-mail, so here's trial #2.This past week was great! We didn't get to spend a whole lot of time in our area, but the time we did spend was very successful.We went on two exchanges; one in Stillwater and one in Enid and both are pretty fun places to go work. In Stillwater I spent the day with Elder Evans and spent a lot of time biking place to place without accomplishing much. Appointments cancelled and people were gone. I don't think it helps too much that it was spring break, but it was still fun to be there. We did manage to see one investigator, but it was our very last stop of the day. After all you can do God will give you a blessing.The other exchange was with Elder Whitaker in Enid. Enid is a very different place compared to the rest of Oklahoma. Just being in Enid has a very different feeling, but its a good place. People reject our message just as often as anywhere else, but people will still sit and talk. One person wouldn't stop talking and we had to go somewhere else because it wasn't going anywhere, but the conversation just went on and on and on. Elder Whitaker is a good missionary. Right now he's with the former Assistant, Elder Carlson, who is training him to be a leader in the mission. It was a good exchange.In Guthrie we just started the stop smoking workshop with Jim. He's a great investigator and wants to do what it takes to get baptized. He has a really strong desire to do what it takes and this workshop that we reviewed with him guarentees you to be smoke free in seven days. Basically you swap out the bad things, smoking, drinking alcohol, coffee, and tea and replace them with good healthy habbits that turn off the nicotine bell that tells your body its time for another cigarette. He was really excited to begin, so we should continue to see him progress to his baptism next month. He's really been loving church! Last Sunday he started walking up to people and introducing himself to people and telling them that he is learning about the church and just started coming. The ward has been very welcoming to him too. We also taught a black guy. Amazingly, all my time in Oklahoma, I haven't taught many black people and I've only seen one come to church and he was visiting from Florida.Brian is the guy we taught and he was pretty excited to hear what we had to share. He said other missionaries have talked to him before, but none had presented it the way we did and it struck his interest. He's a teacher for a Baptist church and wanted to share the Book of Mormon with his class...that's cool! He's also pretty excited to hear the prophet speak in a couple weeks. Things are really good. There is a lot to do and sometimes its hard to accomplish everything, but hard work and letting the Lord stretch you brings a lot of happiness.Love you all! -Elder Osness

Blessing to a Baptism‏

Dear Family, This past week was great! On Sunday my companion and I were asked to give a blessing to a woman that lives in our area. There was a sister from Texas visiting a friend who has been strugling with an eye infection and loosing her sight, so when she saw us at church she asked if we would come over after church and give her friend a blessing, so we changed our plans a little to give, Susan Grace, a blessing. She was kind and seemed to be very distressed with her eye, but felt calm and greatful after the blessing. We asked her if we could come by later in the week to see how she was doing and she was happy to let us come by again.On that Tuesday, we had a stake activity for missionary work in our area and Edmond 3rd area with the Stake Presidency, Bishopbrick, the quarum presidents, our Mission President, the assistants to the president (AP), and the area missionaries. The purpose was to contact Part-Member families, Inactive members, and to have a couple investigators lined up to see and hopefully get us, the local area missionaries, new investigators. All the different leaders had appointments lined up for everyone to go see, so we split up for a couple hours to teach and fellowship. I went with a brother in the Guthrie Ward, Brother Walser, and a brother in the Stillwater 2nd Ward, Brother Heep, and we went to see how Susan was doing.Susan had visited the doctor on Monday and said that her eye was improving and she'll be able to see again and was pleased to have us in her home to teach her about the church. Her brother, Jim, was also there and eager to learn. As we taught they listened intently and participated and committed to find out if what we shared was true and we got a follow-up appointment for Friday.On Friday I was on an exchange with Elder Poh, one of the AP's, and we talked for a while about the reading assignment and Jim had read it about four times and related the experiences in 3 Nephi 11 to himself and understood it perfectly. Its great when an investigator keeps their commitment and then to have read it four times and relate the scripture to his life...that's amazing! We talked a little about what they understood about Joseph Smith and watched the Restoration video.After the video, all Jim could think about is how he could become a member of the church and what he would have to do. He said, "I want to be obedient to God. I want to obey." So, we told him what he would need to do, one of which is to quite smoking, and agreed with excitement, so we set a date for the 11th of April. His sister Susan felt very good with everything as well, but wasn't sure she was ready to commit to be baptized. She wants to feel the fire that Jim feels before making that commitment, so Jim is going to read to her and help her along the way. Its all very exciting. They came to church on Sunday and both enjoyed the talks and Gospel Principles class, but didn't stay for the thrid hour...still keeping commitments!...and it all came because of a good example of a friend who simply asked to bring the church into their life.By small means, great things come to pass. Frankie, in my last area, was baptized because of a friend inviting another friend to hear her speak in church...now he's teaching the young men in the church.I've been blessed to be apart of a lot of peoples lives on my mission!Another cool thing...President Gee, our Mission President had interviews with my companion and I and he said he's been taking into consideration about letting me train the rest of my mission, so hopefully I'll get my wish there.Well, I've got to go! I love you all!

Green Valley 1st Ward Reunion‏

Dear Family,

Its the most stress free transfer I've had as a Zone Leader. We got there early and all ready just as the other missionaries were arriving...and guess who arrived. I got to see Elder Gabrielson. Mom is probably the only one who knows him because he's in my home ward. Elder Gabrielson and I are the only ones from the ward on missions and we just happen to be in the same mission, although we are on opposite sides of the mission, but we got to have a little chat which was nice. I got to see a lot of missionaries that I don't get to see very often and a couple of them are in my zone now. Two of the hardest working missionaries, Elders Roper and Carlson, both from Utah, are in the Stillwater zone.Things are going well, especially the weather. Its been great the last few days. Its suppose to get a little colder this week, but its starting to warm up...and so are my allergies. The past weekend I've sounded sick, which is annoying. Its a great impression to give people when sharing the gospel...hi, sniffle, I'm a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ...sniffle. I hate allergies, but its only a couple months of bad pollen and then I should be great!A couple Less-Active members are coming back to church now. We've been puting a lot more focus lately with less-actives in the ward and its begining to show some good. No investigators are coming to church...still. Soon though. The Anderson family is very promising. Very ready for the gospel.This week the Stake Presidency and our Mission President and some other missionaries are going to come to our area for an evening and we will all go on splits and visit inactives and investigators with the goal of getting us more people to teach. They did it last year with a different ward and through it and in time six baptisms came from it, so I'm excited. I wish there were as many missionaries as people we're going to have Tuesday night at a constant rate in every area. Missionary work would explode! Getting there...step by step.I hear some good news with a new baby soon! The family is going to be so different when I get home! I hope you feel well. Happy Birthday Natalie!

I love you all!
-Elder Osness

Transfer week‏

Dear Family,

It was a pretty good week. We went up to Blackwell on an exchange last weekend and I spent the day with Elder Stoddard. He's a goofy kid and loves bikes. I'm not really sure what else to say about him, but it was good time. Blackwell has a tiny branch and has been there longer than some wards...struggling, but surviving.The most exciting news, for me at least, is our zone is getting some great missionaries this next transfer; Elder Roper, who I served with in Norman and is the hardest working missionary I know and Elder Carlson, who will be a District Leader his last transfer in this Zone. He was just the Assistant and a very good leader. I'm excited to have these inspiring elders in the Stillwater Zone. They're replacing some less-diligent missionaries.Here's something funny. Elder Medina and I were visiting a recent convert and her dog kept on running over to my companion and sitting in his lap and all the sudden it threw up on his pants and into his shoe. I don't know how it got in his shoe, but he had a shoe full of gross...I guess the good knew is none of it got on the front portch...eek! Haha! It was pretty gross, but it cleaned up. Our Edmond success hit a standstill last week. We didn't have any success in Edmond this past week, in fact most of the doors weren't happy with us. One guy told us not to believe in the Book of Mormon and then said make sure you believe in Jesus Christ. We proceded to let him know the Book of Mormon is a Testiment of Jesus Christ and shared a testimony of who Jesus Christ is and he stopped talking and shut the door. Sometimes its pretty frustrating the ignorance people have. Once they realize they've been taught falsely about us they are either shocked and want to hear more or don't say anything and shut us out as though we hadn't said a thing. Someday everyone will know and they'll see. For now life is good and I enjoy all the trips of my life. How are things at home? Good I hope! Happy Birthday to Natalie soon!Time is going by so fast! Every transfer until I go home, I know someone that leaves...its scary. Its going by too fast! Its all in a wink of an eye.

Love ya!-Elder Osness