Jay’s Summary of his experience in Nashville – March 1-3, 2009

It all started with an idea. Jason, (excuse me), Elder Osmond had done a couple of musical Firesides with some church members around the area of Nashville. It was a great experience for him. He was in his element, and of course, was eager to talk to investigators who attended these uplifting events.

Then came an e-mail to me on a Monday morning.  Elder Osmond writes a brief e-mail to me and the family every Monday in response to our weekly family e-mail we write to him on Sundays.

His message to me, is asking what the possibility might be of me putting on a Fireside. My first reaction was one of doubt, because I had never as yet, done a Fireside without my brothers.

Then, a phone call from the Mission President came a few days later. I thanked him for his confidence, and politely said, "I will think about it, if I can talk my brothers into it."

Another month goes by, and the schedule didn't seem to open up to anything close around the Nashville area.  I then got another call from the Mission President. This time the thought came to mind…what about David?  I suggested that idea to the President, and he loved it. I realized that maybe I could do a Fireside without my brothers. 

I asked David, and he kindly responded yes to the idea. We set a time that would be good for both David and me, and it finally all came together.  We arrived in Nashville Sunday, March 1^st, and I brought Kandilyn along as a surprise.  Just before the Fireside, we were invited to dinner at the Mission President's home.  When we arrived, Elder Osmond jumped out from the front door and threw those wonderful, big arms around his Mom. He finally let go, and ran over to me. I didn't want to let go either. David arrived, and we had a very nice dinner as we talked about what was to come. What a wonderful spirit there was in the President’s home!

Then it was time! I could feel the anxiety pouring out in my mind, but then I felt a sudden calmness as the Spirit comforted me, and helped me cope through a difficult uncertainty. 

We arrived at the Stake Center, and said hello to all the Elders and Sisters who were waiting.

Then it happened. The evening’s first speaker was David. He was fantastic and carried a sincere message of hope.  He interjected great visuals with his talk, and sang some amazing songs.  Elder Jason Osmond followed, and I was stunned to hear such a wonderful testimony of the Savior. It was amazing! I then surprised my wife by calling on her to say a few words. What an angel! I followed Kandilyn, and began to feel comfortable and empowered after a few jokes. Next, David and I sang the musical number, "Friends," while old Osmond family video footage was shown on the screen behind us.  We closed with a short, but wonderful, Question & Answer session with the attendees.

This Fireside will forever be etched in my mind and heart. We met some wonderful people there. Many of these people were investigating the Church, and some precious moments were shared with those who had come into the Church as we listened to their stories.

Then next day, we were blessed to be given the chance to enjoy what is called a P. Day (Preparation Day). Once a week, a missionary has a day to take care of their necessities, such as shopping, doing laundry, etc. A fun activity is also included, like bowing, or even fishing.

Kandilyn and I spent the day with Elder Osmond and Elder Swenson, with shopping one of the things on the list. Kandilyn made sure they did a thorough P. Day. HA We had lunch, and then more shopping!  After, we showed Elder Jason and Elder Swenson some fun home movies (Elder Swenson was a good sport). At the end of the day, we all went to dinner with a great person and new convert Michael Jones, and my wonderful friends, Billy Mason and his sweet wife.

Then next day, Kandilyn said goodbye to our son. It was tough for both of them for a brief moment, but then I took those two great Elders, and drove to Gallatin. I was blessed with a once in a lifetime experience of tracting with my son and Elder Swenson.

We had a variety of responses…some good, some not so good. Then, we had a wonderful visit with a woman named Mary. There was a great spirit in her home, and she was very receptive to our message.  Next, we said hello to some new members of the church, then spent some time with a sweet lady who had been a member for quite awhile. We later had dinner at the Bishop’s home. He and his wife reminded me of my parents. They were terrific people.

After dinner, we were off to a teaching lesson at the Ward. Elders Osmond and Swenson boldly taught the second discussion. I was in awe! I also had to play babysitter, since the couple they were teaching had two little kids, but it was fun. 

I struggled when it came time to say goodbye to my son. I threw my arms around him, and tightly held him in my arms. I started shaking, and remembered that same feeling I had with my father when he once said, "Never forget this hug." As I said this same thing to my Elder Jason, tears came to both of us. I then hugged Elder Swenson, (who I thought was a great, and together young man).  I turned around one more time as I entered that hotel door and saw my son. We both said, "I love you man!"

I will never forget as long as I live, this amazing experience in Nashville!  This is what it is all about! 

As I was on the airplane heading home, I remembered the many times I talked to my son about his future mission, and thought about the several times he saw me going out on missionary calls with the Elders in our area.  Now that he is finally on a mission himself, and serving others, I realize he really understands what it is like to be in the service of the Lord. Which reminds me of this quote that I love so much:
I hear and I forget,
I see and I remember,
I do and understand.

He understands!

Taken from the program distributed the evening of this Fireside...

An Evening With The Osmonds ~

David...
I love music, music is my life.  Music is powerful, it speaks to the soul.  It is the universal language.  I challenge you, next time you’re in church, as you’re singing, really read the lyrics of the music you are singing, there are some powerful messages…powerful lyrics.

David sang "How Great Thou Art"

If you remember one thing today that I’m sharing with you, I hope it is this…pain in life is inevitable, it is going to happen to all of us.  We all have our own stories, don’t we?  We go through hard times.  It can be physical, mental, spiritual, financial, addiction.  We all have pain in our lives.  It is kind of like we’re all on the same life boat together.  Life.  But I promise you, suffering is optional.  I’ve learned that through so many great examples in my life.  I’m a young guy, and in my short life, I've gone through a lot, and I have seen some very close people in my life go through so much too.  Maybe somebody in this congregation right now is going through the hardest time in their life - maybe it is the person sitting next to you, and you don’t even know it.  Maybe it is you.  I hope that tonight I can share a message of...hope that there is something bigger, that we all go through our own stories, we all have our own challenges.

Did you see that little show, I think it is called American Idol?  It was a fun experience, I had a great time.  It was short lived – it’s a painful subject - no, no I had an awesome time, I’m totally at peace with everything.  The American Idol auditions came to Salt Lake City, and my wife said, “Just try it!”  I felt good about it.  I waited in line all day and got a gold ticket to Hollywood.  There was a lot that happened, which they didn’t show on television.  I went through the first audition, they didn’t show much there, but t was actually a positive experience.  Simon said, “Are you one of the Osmonds?”  (He’s from England, he kind of knows some of the craziness that went on over there with my family.)  He said, "I have to tell you David, you’ve got an incredible surname."  I said I was really proud of it, and he said, "You should be, you really should be."  I said, "Thank you – that means a lot."  I then got four yes’ and went on to Hollywood.  It was an awesome experience.  I got a chance to sing on the Kodak Theater stage!  To make a long story short, after singing several times, we then had to sing in groups.  Our group “dialed it in” and we were really prepared.  We drew a number, and we were going next to last, so we knew we weren’t going to sing until about 10:00 that night.  At 6:30 in the morning, we rehearsed and we felt good about it.  About lunch time, something happened that never happened to me before, I was losing my voice.  By dinner, I couldn’t get a tone out.  The number one show in the world, I was going on stage before 30 million people, and I was going to sound like Scooby Do with laryngitis.  They knew I had laryngitis, but I put my “game face” on, remembered my words, knew my moves, but it was disastrous.  Randy asked, “What’s going on man!?”  I said, “I’m fighting full-blown laryngitis, I hope you give me a chance to come back tomorrow, it’s the last day, let me sing for you the way I’d like to, the way I know I can.”  We went off stage while they deliberated for about half an hour.  The words of all people, Barry Manilow, came to mind (he talked to us the first day).  He really gave some advice that stuck with me.  First, he said, don’t get sick.  Opps!  The second thing he said was really pointed, he said,  “In life and success, the definition of success is preparation meets opportunity…you guys, this is your big opportunity, are you prepared for it?”  I kept thinking how I've so hard since I was a kid to get a chance like this where I could shine and share, and in one moment within about 8 hours, it was just gone.  I couldn’t understand it, but I felt at peace, and I’ll tell you why…a scripture came to my mind…even from the words of Barry Manilow!  There is a scripture that says, this life, now is the time for men to prepare to meet God.  I kept thinking, am I prepared for it?  All of the sudden, I had this clarity of peace - there is something so much bigger, and there is someone in control.  I believe that everything happens for a reason.  Even losing my voice – go figure!  I knew there was something so much more powerful...am I prepared for that, am I prepared to go onto that stage?  I went back out, and they said, “David, it is the end of the road for you.”  I knew it was the inevitable.  Again, I felt this peace, knowing and appreciating the bigger picture, that this life happens in the blink of an eye, it comes and goes so quickly.  I thought about my family during that half hour of waiting, my brothers and all we’ve gone through, my beautiful wife, and my dad – and all that he has taught me.  That is what means the world to me.  I have a beautiful wife, seven brothers, and my wife and I have two girls (showed a picture of their dog), this is our first girl, her name is Trinity, she has three legs, and this is our other girl (showed a picture of their baby’s sonogram), she’s going to be born in just over a month and a half.  THAT means the world to me, that is a miracle!

My friend, Dan Truman, played this song for me, and I knew I had to record it.  It never hit me until two and a half years ago when I sang this song at my wife’s mother’s funeral.  I was in a wheelchair.  I was bitten by a mosquito, and the West Nile Virus triggered Multiple Sclerosis, which is what I have today.  There is no cure for it today, but I’m on my feet!  That is a miracle.  If anyone tells you miracles don’t happen…you’re looking at one.  The doctors can’t explain it.  On paper, I’m not supposed to be walking, and I’ve been walking since our wedding day.  When I was singing this song at my wife’s mother’s funeral, I realized why I needed to sing it.  It had finally come out that I had MS.  My dad has been battling with MS for over 21 years, so I’m very familiar with the disease. I didn’t fully understand it, though, until all of the sudden my toes couldn’t move, my legs couldn’t move, I couldn’t see, my hands weren’t moving, and my voice was struggling because I couldn’t breathe very well.  It has always bothered me when people say, “I know how you feel.”  How can someone know exactly how I feel?  I don’t know exactly how anyone else feels or what they are going through.  But somehow, HE knows EXACTLY how you feel…He has felt it.  He has been there.  He has bled from every pore.  There are so many things that are bigger than us, it is hard to grasp, but I believe in them.  I know they’re real, and I know the message of this song is true, and I’d like to sing it for you.

David called up a musician friend, and dear friend Dan Truman and from Diamond Rio to accompany him on his next song…He Walked A Mile in My Shoes, from Joseph:  A Nashville Tribute to The Prophet (which can be heard on iTunes).

I know that my Savior lives, and I He knows exactly how I feel – I don’t know how, but I believe it.  I want to share with you one of my favorite quotes, from one of my favorite authors of all time, his name is Dr. Seuss.  He said, “I’ve heard there are troubles, of more than one kind.  Some come from ahead, and some come from behind.  But, I bought a big bat, and I’m ready you see, now my troubles are going to have troubles with me.”  He had a way with words!  So does my dad.  His spirit is incredible.  His motto is this (and I’ve adopted it myself), “I may have MS, but MS does not have me.”  Isn’t that amazing?  In every step I take, I feel my dad.  Every step reminds me of how fragile and precious life is.  I wouldn’t trade this for anything else.  This sounds crazy, but this is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me, because of this new perspective and appreciation for the smallest things.  If I’m having a bad day, I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore.  I feel like my cup is overflowing, because I’m still here, I’m still breathing.  I don’t know what tomorrow is going to hold.  It is very likely that I could go back to that wheelchair.  I don’t believe so – I’m an optimist, but I’m a realist at the same time.  I think of the words of my dad, he says, “Life is tough, but so are you.”  He spells tough a little differently, he spells it TUFF.  The “T” is for target, “U” understand, “F” focus, “F” fight.  I’m so appreciative for mentors like my dad, my Uncle Jay and my cousin Jason, and we come together in this church...what a beautiful thing.  It isn’t a retreat for the righteous, it is a hospital for the sinners.  It is a chance to come together and lift each other up.  To support each other.  That is why I’m so grateful for this church. 

I want to leave you with my testimony of life, and the joy that I’ve found, the true joy.  I know that my Savior lives, I know that Jesus is the Christ, that He knows each and every one of us, and He knows exactly what we’re going through.  I don’t know how, but He does, and He loves us.  We have places to go to support each other, like this church.  When someone is going through a hard time, lift them up, be an example, because this life is a half an hour – it’s quick.  Are we prepared?  Now is the time.  I’m so appreciative for you allowing me to come here and share a little bit with you.  I’d love to leave you with a song…one of my favorites because of the message…again, the power of lyrics.  The song is called “Needle and Thread,” and it speaks a lot about this life, and all of us together, being cut from the same thread.  I leave you my testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Please remember, it is through our tests, that we get our testimonies.

David sang "Needle and Thread," then introduced Elder Osmond...

As a child of an Osmond, a family in one of the craziest, wildest industries this world knows, and sometimes one of the most horrible industries…the entertainment industry.  You see it all over the media, these horrible, horrible things – families breaking up, ripped apart.  It makes me think, how did my family make it through?  They’ve been in the industry for years – how have they stayed together?  It has to be this gospel, it has to be their testimony to Jesus Christ, and it has to be the love they have for one another because of this gospel that has kept them together.  I know it is this, and we are so blessed. If my family can get through tough challenges, so can yours.  I really want to stress something tonight…if you feel something, and you don’t really know what it is, but you know that you feel something – please write it down and tell someone, because I know that it is the Holy Ghost trying to talk to you.  He’s trying to tell you that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died for you.  I know that what we go out and teach is true.  We get doors slammed in our faces everyday, and a lot of times we don’t make a lot of friends.  I’m grateful to the many of you who have opened your doors.  If you do have these feelings, and are interested, please talk to the missionaries in your area.  They can teach you about the gospel and what we believe – please get in touch with them.  I’ve only got a year left – I’m so glad I came on my mission!  I’ve learned how to serve, and I’ve learned what kind of happiness service can bring.  We try to be like Christ and help you change your life.  That is what this church is about – the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  That’s what we’re all about – we’re all about Jesus Christ, and yes, we are Christians.  I do know that my Savior lives, and I love Him so much.  Sometimes when I’m doing missionary work, it feels like I just saw the best movie in my life, and I want to tell everyone about it.  I get really excited and can’t stop smiling, and it feels so good.  I want to close now with my testimony that there is a living Prophet with us today, I know that Jesus is the Christ, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Jay...
Well hello everyone, it is great to be here with you tonight.  I’m just stunned by my son’s wonderful testimony.  He’s changed so much.  He’s always had a testimony, but he’s really grown.  And, David, that was just beautiful…wonderful!  I hope you feel the Spirit here tonight.  What a wonderful time to get together, and I appreciate it.  I love to see all of your smiling faces out there!  I understand many of you have come a long way to be with us tonight.  We’re just coming off our 50^th Anniversary World Tour.  If fact, it was Alan’s – David’s dad’s – last tour, as you know, he has MS.  I was so proud of him to make it around the world with us.  When President Hutchings called me on the phone about the possibility of doing this Fireside, I was really excited.  I told my wife, and she squealed…she didn’t think it was for real!  Our son has a great attitude…just look at that smile!  He lights up the room.  His first week he wrote an e-mail to me and said, “Dad, I just got my first door slammed in my face…finally!”  Then he said something interesting, “That wasn’t the hardest part, the hardest part was trying to out-run my companion when they sicked the dog after us!”  He’s a character.  Then he wrote, “You know dad, it doesn’t bother me, because I’m here to find the elect.” 

I thought...what a wonderful attitude he has!  I e-mailed him back and said, “In Jeremiah 16:16, it says, ‘Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.’  It’s fulfillment of the prophecy.” 

When Jason was little – excuse me – Elder Osmond – he was very curious.  He loved stories about my father, his Grandfather Osmond.  In fact, we named Jason after my father, Jason George Osmond.  My father was a very honorable and great example – a man who had such a wonderful mind.  I told Jason that my father was a Wyoming cowboy, and told him about the problems he experienced growing up – he was on his own at a very young age.  One time he went camping on his own, in the mountains of Wyoming, and he got lost for two days.  I told Jason the only way he could survive was to eat crickets and grasshoppers, and even ants.  I knew Jason was just enthralled with this story.  He went to school the next day, and I got a call from his school counselor.  She said, “We have a problem with your son Jason.”  I asked if he was ok, and she said he was ok, but he was teaching the other kids how to eat grasshoppers, crickets and ants!  I have to tell you one more story about him, then I promise I’ll stop.  I took him on a cruise with me one time, and I told him I wanted him to buy a present for his mom – to buy a necklace with a couple of charms.  He went to the gift shop, looked around, and bought this wonderful necklace with a little angel charm and also bought a little charm of a bear.  He asked, “Dad, can I take it to show and tell before I give it to mom?”  I told him he could, and I found out later from his teacher, when he showed the necklace, she asked, “What does the angel mean?”  He said, “This is my mom, she’s an angel, she’s the sweetest thing.”  Then the teacher asked, “What does the bear mean?”  He said, “Just don’t tick her off!”  His teacher and I had a good laugh over that one!  Speaking of my wife, she’s a wonderful person.  I love her!  We have different stories on how we met, but we’ve been married 22 years.  She knows when to build me up – when I need lifting, and she knows when to bring me down to reality.  She’s learned how to be honest and tactful at the same time.  She doesn’t know I’m going to do this, but I want to bring her up and let you feel her wonderful spirit.  This is a woman who has been through a lot – she’s a great woman and a great mom, and a terrific companion. 

Kandilyn...
It really is a privilege to be here, thank you for coming!  Boy, did I hit the jackpot with family, didn’t I?  The Harris’ I come from, and the Osmond family.  Not just because they are talented, sing so well, and they’re so nice, but they have genuine hearts of gold.  I feel honored to be in this family, and to have the great opportunities I’ve been given.  I’ve had a great experience just being here today.  I just flew in from Salt Lake and I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many of these wonderful young people, and even some people with a little more gray hair that have these tags on that either say Elder so-in-so or Sister so-in-so.  They are missionaries for our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Jason is our oldest, so this is the first time I’ve had the experience of being a mother of a missionary.  It is a real sacrifice to let them go.  Jason is such a bright spot – when he was in preschool, they called him “Happy Face Jason,” because he always had a big smile on his face.  I’m sorry, we’ve embarrassed him enough tonight!  We have two younger boys at home, and they’re wonderful too, but there is just a hole right now.  I feel like I’m cheating a little bit, because I got to come and see him a year before his mission is over.  I’m just amazed at these people who choose to serve a mission, especially at such an important stage of life – at 19 for the boys, or for the girls at 21.  There are so many choices out there, so many things they can do, so many directions and careers they could pursue – but, these young people have chosen to spend two years of their lives serving a mission because they love their Savior.  They want to express their testimony and serve others.  Jason has always been a great kid, but I’m absolutely floored with how much his heart is dedicated to service.  He is absolutely so full of love and has a desire to help people.  It is such a blessing for him, and our family, that he has chosen to do this.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a mother of a missionary.  I also wanted to comment that I appreciate my wonderful nephew David’s talk.  I’d like to echo that all of us have do have our tests and trials – difficult times in life.  It touched me when David said, somebody next to you could be going through the most difficult time in their life and you don’t even know it…because, I’m one of those people.  I have my battles, we all do, we all have different challenges.  Mine are anxiety, social phobia, and depression…and here I am, this feels like my “Kodak Theater.”  It is very frightening for me to get up and speak to people.  There are times when you feel very, very alone and isolated.  With the circumstances I’ve been going through, it is a very isolating situation.  I have to tell you that I have learned, in the last three years especially, that there is One who knows...our Savior Jesus Christ knows.  When I am feeling so alone, I can lean on Him, and I have that strength that He loves me so much, as He loves all of you.  I am so grateful to know of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to have it in my life. I am a very blessed woman, and I am so grateful to be here, and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Back in the 1970s, especially in Europe, it was really wild for us.  (Showed 1970s video footage from England.)  It was a fun time, but a crazy time…a whirlwind.  Our family really bonded together.  There was one time in Germany where we finished this concert, and the promoter said, “I’m going to take you out to this really famous German restaurant.  When we got there, we learned this place was very popular and known for its 101 different kinds of German beer.  All night long they were trying to get us to taste just a little bit.  My father said, “Apple juice will be just fine.”  There was someone there that night representing a newspaper.  We got on the plane the next day, and we saw a newspaper that said...,Osmonds, and something in German.  We asked the flight attendant to interpret it for us, and they said it read, “Osmonds prefer apple juice to German beer.”  You never know when people are watching you!  If you notice, Mormons are really being watched.  If a Mormon does something different or unusual, you’ll always hear it was a Mormon.  I want you to know that Mormons are not perfect, or another name for us is Latter-day Saints.  We believe, as David said, that the church is not a museum for the saints, it is a workshop for the sinners.  There are basically three kinds of Mormons…those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and then there are those that wonder what happened.  There is actually a fourth kind – the instant Mormon, all you need to do is add water!  You’ll notice that we love to stay connected, we love to meet.  We love our temples – they are very sacred to us.  We put on Firesides, we have activities during the week, we do our home and visiting teaching, have our Family Home Evenings, family counsels, family study, prayer and study, and then of course, there are our Sunday meetings.  My mother was a great teacher.  She instilled in me, my brothers and sister, a great love for the Bible and for the Book of Mormon, because they both testify of our Savior Jesus Christ.  Jason mentioned the excitement that feels like you've seen a great movie...that analogy came from my mother.  If you see a great movie, what is the first thing you want to do?  You want to share it, right?  She put forth the effort to study and pray about it, to teach it, and most importantly, to live it.  She gave a Book of Mormon to Elvis, and one to the Queen of England.  She believed, as I do, that the reason some people fall out of the church, is the same reason some people fall out of bed…they’re not in far enough!  And my father…if I can be half the man he was, it would be something.  I was thinking when David and Jason were up here speaking – there are 55 grandchildren in our family and 42 great-grandchildren, and we’re just getting started!  There are eight boys and one girl in our original family.  We have two older brothers who were not performers, they were born deaf.  They are the reason that our parents started the foundation, The Children’s Miracle Network, which has raised over three-billion dollars for children.  Then there is our brother Alan, David’s dad, and Donny and Marie.  Marie was on Dancing With The Stars…or Fainting With The Stars, I can’t remember which!  And our brother Jimmy is a wonderful man.  He’s in England performing in Grease right now.  My brothers and sister and I are all friends after all these years.  I’d like to sing a song with my nephew, David.  There’s something in this message that I hope we can all remember...we’re all friends.  My son Jason said, “Dad, we’re all on a mission, none of us are home yet!”  We’re all here to help each other.  Think about that when we sing this message.

David…
There’s an acronym that has become my family’s motto, and I wear it on my ring, it is ETTE – Endure ‘Til The End.  I personally take it a step further...Endure ‘Til The End Of The Day.  When life gets tough, that is something I can do…endure ‘til the end of the day, get through it and start again tomorrow.  If you can get that far, that is a goal you can achieve.  I truly believe we’re not just physical beings that have occasional spiritual experiences, we are the spiritual beings having a very physical experience in this life. 

Jay and David sang "Friends" together,
with old Osmond Family footage shown on the screen behind them.

Jay…
Thank you everyone for coming to be with us here.  I want to close with my testimony – that I know, without a shadow of doubt, that God lives.  He hears us, and He is there for us.  I know that the Heavens have been opened, and that we have a prophet today, and I know the fullness of the gospel has been restored.  There’s a great saying – I hear, and I forget.  I see, and I remember.  I do, and I understand.  I hope that you ask the missionaries over, and get answers to your questions.  Thank you again for being with us.  This has been a wonderful experience for me.  I’m going tracting with my son in a couple of days – what an experience for a father!  I trained him all his life to be a missionary, and now he’s going to be my trainer.  Remember, faith is a decision.  I hope you all prayerfully remember this meeting.  I say these things humbly in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

A brief Question & Answer Session completed the Fireside