Cambodia

Cambodia

Will-it-blend?

I got a blender.  Buy super cheap fruit at the market, add tons of sugar, blend, profit.



We had a beautiful Thanksgiving lunch made by our awesome senior couple here in Battambang: 


This is Yiay Nak. She has one eye and no teeth and she is the cutest old lady in the whole world.

We got 50 contacts in one day so we celebrated: 


We crashed a wedding: 


We met some new friends who like to fish and drink: 

Chill:
 

Lee and Alex went to Thailand this Sunday. Boooooo. But we taught them about the Sabbath anyway so we are hoping they start to put the Lord first on His holy day. This is Alex:
 

I'm super excited for Christmas this year. I have learned so much about the Savior in the last year. This Christmas will be different. I know that Heavenly Father sent His Son to save us. Without Him we could not make it back to Heaven again. I am so thankful for the sacrifice of both the Father and the Son.
christmas.mormon.org
President called me last night and told me my new companion is Elder Asay and we will be Zone Leaders together for Battambang and Siem Reap. I'm super stoked for this new adventure/challenge!

I Love Battambang

This is literally the coolest town in the whole world. It's a super swanky little place with a huge riverside park area and little coffee shops. Most of the city is in my area and then we also go out into the rice fields all the way to Thailand. Probably the coolest area in any mission ever.
I took a ton of pictures. A ton. Because it's such a cool area. And because I found a selfie stick in my new house. Sorry.

  Wat?
   

Our church (view from the other elders' house)  


Our house:


Ridin':


English:                                                


New Burger:


Swaggy old guy we teach. He has a real potty mouth: 


Love bridge at a random amusement park with a random guy 


We contact every biker we see: 


Peace:


We have a couple of cool investigators. Lee and Alex. Lee is a business woman who speaks English and Khmae and drives a Prius on most days and a Lexus on others. Alex is her 15 year old cousin who grew up in Dallas, TX. He doesn't speak any Khmae. They come to all the activities at the church and they are scheduled to get baptized on the 12th of Dec. We reviewed the baptismal interview questions with them this week and they are super prepared and ready to go! I'm super stoked for them. I'll get a pic next week.

Doctrine and Covenants 121:7-8:
"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes."
As eternal beings living in a mortal and time restricted world, we sometimes lose hope as trials seem to bombard us unceasingly. Whether it be a long transfer in a slow area or a chronic illness or a cold winter in Liberty Jail. All trials will be only a small moment in the perspective of eternity. We can take comfort in this and the fact that we can turn to the Lord in our afflictions and receive peace.

"My son, peace be unto thy soul."
My little brother Joe asked me what is the biggest thing I have learned on my mission so far. I told him I learned that it is impossible. Being on this mission and doing the Lord's work is impossible without the Lord's help. I learned that I cannot do it without Him. I would have quit a hundred times by now if I hadn't prayed and received comfort, guidance, and even miracles from the Lord. A mission isn't easy, our trials aren't easy. They are hard, sometimes impossible. But I know that through Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ we can receive peace and strength to make it through.
Our afflictions will be but a small moment. If we endure them well with the help of the Lord we will be exalted on high.
I love Cambodia and my mission and Battambang and everything.


BOUNCE



President called me on Saturday and told me I was getting transferred to Battambang! It's Monday and I'm emailing from the mission home because my bus leaves at noon.


Last P-day we took a trip to the only pine forest in Cambodia. It was weird.




So Asian: 



Pan-o-sam-a: 





Elder Olson and I had a lovely reunion lunch:




Dog for dinner. Its a little overcooked but it'll do:



My crew: 



I already miss Elder Khiev: 



Cambodian drum-line: 



This is an intersection next to the independence monument. Every week we print out two hundred flyers for English class and then I walk out in the middle of that chaos and spin around basically throwing out flyers. I haven't died yet. 



Dominoes pizza in Cambodia:


It's hard to describe a mission. I can't explain it. It's just so different from anything else in this world. I learn new things everyday. I learn how to deal with problems, how to love different kinds of people, how to do things when I don't want to, how to like doing new things. It's all just part of the mission. I'm so grateful to be out here. I'm grateful to get a new area and try out even more new things. I know the mission is true.

love,
elder osborne

What if it's true?

I've been thinking about just how amazing the gospel really is. It brings so much knowledge and so many wonderful blessings into my life. It makes my heart ache a little bit whenever the people I talk to on the street have no interest or are too busy to learn. Sometimes I want to just grab them and tell them why the gospel means so much to them. When they say they are too poor or too old or too busy I want to just yell "But what if the gospel is true?!" 

If its true then it doesn't matter if you're poor or old. Whatever you are busy with doesn't hold a candle to the importance of the gospel.

-If its true, you have a loving Heavenly Father watching over you. You are a child of the Almighty Creator.

-If its true, you have a savior who suffered and died for you. You can be cleansed from all of your past transgressions and regrets and pains. You don't have to worry about eternal death or being reincarnated as a fly. If its true, you can have eternal happiness in heaven.

-If its true, we are all brothers and sisters. There is no need to hate each other. God loves us all and has a plan for us. He wants us all to be happy.

-If its true, God has shown his love for us by calling a prophet to be his messenger. We all have the great opportunity of following the words of Christ's living apostles and prophet. You can follow their council and be protected from the evils of the world.

-If its true, you don't have to be separated from your family after you die. The familial bonds that you have built don't have to end with death. You can live in your family unit forever in heaven.

If its true, all these blessings and more are waiting for you.

I know its true, but the amazing part is that you don't have to take my word for it. God has given us a way to know if its all true; if He is really there and loves us, if Christ really is our savior, if he really has called apostles, if our families really can be together forever.

The way to know is this: Read the Book of Mormon. This book is claimed to be a book of scripture revealed by God to a prophet in the 19th century. What an absurd claim! But what if its true?! 

From the Introduction to the Book of Mormon we read:

      "We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost.

       "Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah."

Either its true, or its not.

I personally know that the Book of Mormon is true because I followed that invitation. I read, pondered, and prayed and received an answer. Because I know the Book of Mormon is true, I know that serving this mission is what Heavenly Father wants me to do. I didn't choose to serve because of what I don't know, I chose to serve because of what I definitely know is true.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lords organized church to facilitate His work on Earth. This has brought so much peace and direction into my life.

I know that any person who reads the Book of Mormon can receive an answer as well. Whether in Cambodia or California, Hong Kong or Huntington. This will then change his or her life for the better if they then act according to what they have learned.

So what if its true? What if the Book of Mormon is true? If its true wouldn't you want to know? If you had a Heavenly Father wouldn't you want to know? If you had a Savior, if there were living apostles, if your family can be forever wouldn't you want to know?

If it could be true wouldn't it be worth it to spend a few minutes a day reading the Book of Mormon, pondering, and praying to know if its true?

I personally challenge anyone reading this to find out if it is true. Out of my love and conviction for the gospel I ask that each of you find out or re-find out if its true. Its as easy as read, ponder, pray. I know that you will get an answer and the results will bring clarity into your life. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

BoM

I paid an old bike dude to weld my bike gear fixed. 
It lasted a total of 5 hours, skidding and living the glorious fixed gear life. #worth.


 


50 cents. Every. Single. Morning. 




We ran into a super cool riverside street soccer gang:





We went fishing at a stocked pond for $1: 




Elder Allred swiped one up with a sneaky fishing net maneuver: 




My gloomy river:



Weird question of the week: Would Heavenly Father yell at the referee like my earthly father as an expression of love? Hmmmm...

I've been reading the Book of Mormon a lot this week. I know that it is absolutely essential to gaining and keeping a testimony in the gospel. The Book of Mormon is the way to answer the question of whether Joseph Smith really was a prophet.


Elder Ballard tells a cool story about this:

One of his missionaries came to him and said that he didn't believe anymore and had too many questions. Elder Ballard asked him, “How long has it been since you read from the Book of Mormon?” 


The missionary's eyes dropped. He looked at the floor for a while. Then he looked at me. “It’s been a long time, President,” he confessed.

“All right,” I said.  "I want you to promise me that you will read in the Book of Mormon for at least one hour every day between now and our next appointment.”  He agreed that he would do that.

Ten days later he returned to my office, and I was ready. I pulled out my papers to start answering his questions, but he stopped me.

“President,” he said, “that isn’t going to be necessary.” Then he explained: “I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.”

“Well, that’s great,” I said. “But you’re going to get answers to your questions anyway. I worked a long time on this, so you just sit there and listen.”


I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that if you read it and ask God about its truthfulness you will know too. This will then open up a whole new world of blessings for you if you act and follow Heavenly Father's teachings.

https://www.mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon

Love,
Elder Osborne


note from Sam's mom:  the following link will take you to an article on the Mormon Newsroom site in Cambodia about the English classes Sam teaches. There is a set of pictures on the bottom half of the screen and you will see Sam and his great smile in four of them.  http://www.mormonnewsroom.org.kh/article/english-classes-are-taught






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