Dear Ai Yu En,
I miss you so much! Thank you for serving the Lord in the Philippines. The people over there are so lucky to have you in their lives. You are such an amazing person and I know you are an even better missionary. Did you know that the Philippines were not open until 1961. President Hinckley met with a small group of members in the suburbs of Manila. He offered a prayer invoking the blessing of the Lord on the missionary work in the Philippines. "What we begin here will affect the lives of thousands upon thousands of people in this island republic, and its effects will go from generation to generation for great and everlasting good"
"We invoke Thy blessing, Father dear, upon the missionaries who shall come here, that Thy Spirit may touch their hearts, that their lives may be clean and virtuous, that their examples may be marvelous before the people, that they may be blessed, as it were, with the ‘gift of tongues,’ that they shall speak the language of the people, that they shall work with singleness of purpose to Thy name’s honor and glory, that they shall go forth without fear, that none shall stay them, and that they shall declare with teaching and testimony, the restoration of Thy holy work for the blessing of Thy children. Father, give them joy and courage and faith and satisfaction in their labors, and make them fruitful.
“We invoke Thy blessings upon the people of this land, that they shall be friendly and hospitable and kind and gracious to those who shall come here, and that many, yea Lord, we pray that there shall be many thousands who shall receive this message and be blessed thereby. Wilt Thou bless them with receptive minds and understanding hearts, and with faith to receive, and with courage to live the principles of the gospel, and with a desire to share with others the blessings which they shall receive. We pray that there shall be many men—faithful, good, virtuous, true men—who shall join the Church and who shall receive the blessings of the priesthood, and who shall accept and grow in leadership, that Thy work here shall be handled largely by local brethren, under the direction of those who hold the keys in this day and time, according to the law and order of Thy church.” (Gordon B. Hinkley, “Commencement of Missionary Work in the Philippines.”)
You are apart of that! I am so proud of you!
I wanted to write you a thank you letter for all the things you have done for me. I started writing letter's this year in a blog...365 Thank Yous in 2011. I am about 20 behind but, I think the letters are helping. They help me realize the amazing people around me and help me see things that I am grateful for. Today, I am grateful for you!
I remember getting to know you in the Los Angeles airport. We both got hungry at the same time so we went on an adventure to find over priced deli sandwiches. You were so funny. You had your money belt down inside your pants and you had to reach down them to get your money to pay for your sandwich. You were super embarrassed. You, Tammi and I were inseparable in china. Joy Mart trips, late night reenactments of Wicked, clubbing...china style :) Man, we had a ton of fun.
It was hilarious to watch yours and Tammi's face as we followed a china man down a dark alley to shop for fake Prada bags. I don't know if I am too trusting or had the "been there done that" syndrome but, you guys were so funny! Thanks for being such a good friend. You always had the right things so say. I think my favorite time was when we were on a blanket in the middle of the soccer field in China planning lessons and we decided to move to Provo together and go to UVU. Best decision I have ever made!
You were an awesome roommate. (note the picture...that was taken after we were all in the family room of the apartment and we heard a huge crash. All the drawers from our dresser where strewn about the room. We declared it was a ghost.) You never really moved all the way in. You had half your stuff at home and half at the apartment which left tons of room for me. Thank you. Thank you for keeping me grounded. I treasure each late night conversation. I can only hope that I was half as helpful to you as you were to me.
Thank you for turning the car around even though we were almost to the freeway on February 10th. I forgot my temple recommend and we were headed to Timpanogos Temple. I insisted that I could just wait in the waiting room while you and Katie did baptisms but, you would not accept that. I remember we were already running late because we had a fireside to go to right after the temple. That was the same night i prayed and got an answer about preparing for a mission. That made the biggest difference. It is cool to look back and see how different decisions influence your future. Because I moved to salt lake in 2007 I met Carlie who told me about China where I met you and decided to move to Provo. There I received personal revelation to prepare for a mission which kicked Calin's butt into gear and made him ask me out and now I am married to the love of my life. You had a huge impact on my life's course. Thank you. Thank you for being so sweet to everyone. You are the best example. I dont know anyone else with as much love and patience for others than you do. I love you so much and I know you are in the Philippines for a reason. The Lord needs you and so do the people over there. Even though it is more than a year from now, I am so excited to see you again! I love you Ms. Erin Paige Osborn!!!
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