He put us in her path.

Hi, just me sitting here.  Another pday.  Another normal Argentine day.

The phone call was good.  But very weird.  Dad was right when he said it was so normal, like I was in the house next door.  There was no rush or fireworks or anything.  It wasn't a big deal at all.  (Very opposite of what I expected.)  It was good having us all on the phone.  Go Family Ostler.

Wow, the boys are probably just getting up to go skiing.  LUCKY. That's awesome and I am happy for you.  The remainder of my day includes writing some letters and Futbol with the zone.  I'm excited. Pretty much everyday you can expect that I will be playing with the pelota.  That's how it is said here.  Quiere jugar con la pelota?¿ 

Merry Christmas family.  It really did not feel like Christmas at all here in Mendoza.  Thank you again for the package.  WHAT?? ¿THERE IS A TAPE RECORDER IN THERE?  I have not really in depth searched it yet.  All the ritz are gone (as well as the chocolate and Reese's and kitkat from the Crawdads.  Thanks!)  I'm so excited to go home and discover a great discovery.  Yeah.  I love late Christmas gifts.  Thanks for the legitimate mini pmg.  Everyone is jealous of them.  I'll probably wait until I train and give the other one to my son.  And the english ensign.  WOW! Amazing.  And real syrup! And the calendar and picture.  I loved all of it so much :) smiley face!

The mission makes you forget things.  Movies (not that I have that problem.  I don't like movies) but music, places, names, just normal things from home.  A great song that reminds me of Jonny Vance just came on and I can't remember what it is.  It's frustrating sometimes.  Especially stuff that when you were home you knew so well.  And now, the mind just goes blank.  It's kinda sweet.

And may I ask?  Can you send me a sd picture card?  I'm kinda running out of room.  Thanks.  I know you probably already sent it.  Thank you.

The 49 letters were great, most of them.  People told me of the most crazy random experiences.  I was laughing alot during them.  And I didn't open any before Christmas; however, the other Elders in the pench did open one, just because I told them that the author of a certain letter was pretty and they suspected there were pictures sent.  It was pretty funny.

A week ago I tried to take out money from an ATM.  It was Sunday night and I surely learned my lesson.  I forgot my pin number and so after the fourth try, the big bad Argentine machine ate my card!  My mission card with all my money on it.  I was so angry, it was disappointing.  I learned my lesson about trying to take money out on a Sunday.  Even though it was night and pday was only hours away.  The Lord moves in mysterious ways.  This morning we went to the bank and waited in a line and I was about to retrieve my card.  So life's good.

I also got an amazing letter from Mr. Jeffrey Young.  I love so much reading letters sent home from Braden and Casey.  They inspire me.  Mom, you said my English is going down.  I'm trying to improve it.

Encontramos tres personas fantasticos esta semana! Pusimos fechas con dos de ellos. uno con Gimena (hable un ratito a cerca de ella por telephone con ustedes) y el otro encontramos ayer, despues de la iglesea. Nosotros fuimos a una casa de un meimbro y uno de los chicos estaba jugando con un amigo. despues un tiempito, apredimos que la abuela de el amigo se fallecio hace tres dias atras. por casi una hora nosotros ensenamos el plan de salvacion. La leccion fue Incredible! Me gusto mucho y el miembro y el y animado. los dos chicos nos preguntaron muchas preguntas sobre leccion dos. ambos, el miembro y el amigo, estan tan interestado sobre la vida que viene y el reino celstial. uno de los preguntas was tan funny. something like, and these kids both 15 were sincere.  Carlito asked, if someone sells their soul to the devil, can they change and still be saved by Christ?  la pregunta era algo como asi. es dificil para mi para escirbir en castallano. pero me gusta. bueno.

Last night we were walking down this street after a lesson with Rosa Sosa. She is so amazing and we are working on having the Spirit convert her kids.  We were walking and we heard some sweet gospel music so we turned down the street and hung outside the church for a minute to listen.  fue tan cool.  Then we turned down another street as to arrive at our desired destination.  We were in the process of opening the mouth.  My companion walked by this middle aged lady sitting outside on her porch thing.  Her brick wall.  I was a step or so behind my companion and I struck up a conversation with her.  She was hesitant at first, and what started off as a 'merry Christmas, un pocito tardeesta in la busquedad. She is so sincere and has a hard time forgiving herself.  She has many problems and just wants respuestas y paz.  Obviously I testified to her and taught her right there.  Also we wrote down all her information and phone number (that's key).  We discovered that she lives in San Luis.  It was an amazing experience.  I'm happy our curiosity of the music turned us down that street!  The Lord knows everything.   He put us in her path.  Patricia se llama.

I hope you're having fun with the Spanish I'm putting in here mom . . . . Harrison can figure it out.  After the open the mouth, my companion said, that sucks!  She lives in San Luis.  Sure, it would be awesome to teach Patricia, etc. but I really didn't care where she lived.  I was truly happy just because we found her.  And I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ will bless the crap out of her life. I'm excited to pass this amazing reference along to our fellow missionaries in San Luis.  (She might even be in Elder Huntington's area).

The Christmas party we had on Wednesday was great.  Not over the top super, but still good.  I love Elder Quebemann so much, he's the one in the santa hat.  After the party, everyone was preparing to leave.  I was just standing in a crowd of maybe 20 missionaries when President walks by.  He looked at me.  I was starring up into the deep blue Argentine sky.  I knew he was looking at me, but I kept my gaze upwards.  At last (we're talking maybe 4 seconds) I looked at him.  I was transparent.  I knew he was looking into my soul.  We held eye contact for a second and in the sincerest way he said "I love you."  It was so special and I really felt amazing.

I received an amazing Ben Ostler dearelder.  Tell him to send you the robbery crime fighting story.  And have him submit that!  To something, some organization or the new era or something!  It was fascinating, his writing.  I read it outloud to the pench and they were amazed.  Elder Owens kept saying, "jesh, Stephen King. I guess he's a good writer or something."¿  But yeah, do something with that story.  I love you Ben Ostler.  I'm going to go own some latinos in futbol this afternoon for you.

It's hot!!  The worst is waking up in the middle of the night all sweaty.  Everyday I am a very sweaty missionary.

I played piano in church!!!!!!!  I played for Priesthood, Testimony. And for sacrament meeting I played Away in a Manger, There is a Green Hill Far Away, and then to close, number 50 mas cerca Dios a ti.  It was amazing!  On each song I was able to play at least half of it with both hands.  Sure, each song had a nice blunder (I'm trying to say mess up) but all in all, I was way happy and it went really well.  Thanks for pushing me to play piano in church mom, and I will do it every week.

Mom, you are making new friends.  Like with Elder Owens mom and Elder Crowthers mom and many many more.  Are you friends with Elder Reynolds on facebook?  It's fun talking with other missionaries about our crazyslashamazing moms.  another smiley face :)

Dad, I loved Christmas morning because I had a jam packed hour of Mosiah 3.  I read it through once and was falling asleep!  I thought, this cannot be.  So I got down on my knees a second time and prayed.  When I sat back down I slowly picked about Mosiah 3 and some extra references.  IT WAS AMAZING.  Thanks for the suggestion.  I always love things like that.

I hope your calling is going good.  I love being on a mission.  Just to recap, we ate an asado Christmas Eve.  They had everything, including blood sausage and intestine.  Yum Yum Yum.  I can just see little Miss Saydi biting into a nice fully fatty intestine in the future.  I'll bring some back for you girl.  The intestines are the white things, I think.

Sorry, I could send alot of pictures but I just barley started loading them and it's taking forever.  So I will just send one.  If it ever loads.

I miss the temple, I wish I could go.  I am glad that while at BYU, I took advantage of all those temples and went so often, both before and after being endowed.  When we received our endowments, Elder Chavez and I just rocked it, going to a different temple every week for awhile!  So many good memories with that man.

Well, times up but it's only half way loaded, uhhhh.  Bytheway, have you sent some pictures to that missionary, Elder Chavez    Could you do that, thank you.

Wow, you are all just skiing right now.  That's sweet, but I'm excited this afternoon to go whoop some hinojosa, playing with the pelota.  The picture is done.  I love you family.  I love you Miss Amanda!!

nos vemos en una semana. quiza la semana que viene escribire todo en castallano.

Later, Elder Ostler

Greetings from the snowy wonderland of Rivadavia

Hi Family!

Alrighty.  Wow, I loved that picture!!!!!!!   That is awesome.  I zoomed in on all those little cute faces.  I just wanted to pinch all your little cheeks!  Even the big bad Harrison.  Wow you are dating.  Sweet sweet.  That's awesome!

(This is the picture Jackson is talking about, I sent it to him in his email.)

Yay, the phone call.  Shout hooray.  I am excited.  I am really not sure what is going to happen. . . I can talk for 1 hour.  I might call Christmas Eve, late, like 12 Argentina time (we have permission to be out that late) so just be home at that time.  But the organization and relay of information in this mission is not good.  So we have no idea what we are doing Christmas day.  We will see!  And I am excited.  If you don't hear from me before Saturday, call me at 3pm my time.  You can talk to Amanda alone for awhile if you all want, (that's my Elder Owens Texan accent coming out) but yeah, just call whenever.  I got an hour!

A nice picture of a great lunch I made myself one day.  Just full of flavor!!

I do have a package for 77 pesos waiting for me.  I will get it Wednesday!  We are having a mission Christmas party, split into 2 parts.  And I am going Wednesday and both Elder Allen and Huntington are going the other day.  NO!!!!!!!  That makes me a bit sad. But it's OK.

That snowman was fantastic bytheway!!!!!  I loved that picture so much.  I'm excited to receive a cd with Jonny Vance!!!!  Thank you for all you do for me and all the prayers and everything.

The toe picture is for mom. Just so you can worry about me some more.  In truth, I didn't feel anything, it was just some dead skin that I had to take off at the end of a good day.  Working Hard!

Ok, I'll tell of my week and some experiences I've had.  But first, Saydi's home.  Fantastic. I'm excited for the family to finally be reunited at 3pm this Saturday.  It just brings tears to my eyes.  I hope you don't feel bad because I just made fun of you mom :)

The phone call with the Fernandez family was incredible.  It helped pull me out of a really crappy Thursday morning I was having.  It was just a low moment of the week.  But the 15 minute phone call was the highlight of the week.  And the baptism.  It was such a sweet sweet taste of home (sweeter than the watery syrup Elder Hyer made and shared this morning).  It was so cool to talk with the Grandma of all the Fernandez kids, in Spanish.  It is. . . . . like I can't describe it.  I was just so happy talking to all of them.  I talked to the man who speaks English, the Mother of Emmanuel Fernandez and some other lady, his sister maybe.  Way cool.

Baptismo!! Elvis, he is a child of Rosa, decided to get baptized this week.

This morning we were all sick of the disgusting pench, so we deep cleaned some parts of it.  I was the water boiler, dish washer.  I don't know why I still boil water because we have hot water now.  Anyway, the pench is doing way better.  The rest of the pday plan is to head to San Martin and do a futbol pday with the zone, get some food, and then have the district meeting.

The kitchen, freshly cleaned with all the dishes drying.

Elder Hyre is good.  I like him and he is a good elder.  Elder Owens is doing good!  He, the way he talks and words he uses, reminds me 100% of the Eppich twins!  It's not like he is girly or anything, I think it is so funny.  He is so much better than me as a newbie!  We, for some reason, have a special little bond.  He is a music guy, kinda has the same style as Jeffrey and is so fun.  We went running this morning.  Then there is my companion.  We are doing good, don't have any major problems at all.  Yesterday, he greatly enjoyed the tale of the Huntington, Ostler, Allen airport escapade.

The rama we are in rocks!  I could go on and on about the branch presidency and the newly called mission leader RM awesome guy Lucas.

A sweet experience.  We were walking down this street opening the mouth for a little bit before the dinner with Rosa.  This lady, cleaning outside with her kid, looked up and exclaimed, ELDER!  They invited us in, told us of how they were baptized 3 years ago by sisters but had since fallen away.  They were fantastic.  They told us their 25-year-old son was not a member.  They called him in and we had an awesome baptism lesson with him.  After I opened the little lesson with a testimony (in Spanish of course) he stopped me and said, "Find me a scripture of no more than 3 lines that will acercar we with Dios. Basically, you got to find me a short scripture that will help me believe in God.  Wow!  I took 10 seconds and opened to 2 Nephi 31: 10, 11, I think.  About baptism.  It was so so cool.  He read the 10 lines, then kept reading.  It was neat.  His name is Emilliano.  I have hopes for that kid.

At another lesson with Rosa, she pulled out her LDM and opened up to 2 Nephi and started asking us Isaiah questions, ones I probably couldn't answer in English!  But Friday we did have a great cena

One day eating lunch in the pench, a swarm of fly's came in the pench.  It was incredible how many flys came in the pench.  I'm sure you will get the picture and video, but we went to some pretty drastic measures to combat the flys.  The missionaries won!!!

I feel like this is not to great of an email . . . . . how do I feel like now.  I feel hungry, excited for the phone call, and I don't know, just like I don't have much to say.  And looking at my watch, it's been an hour and three minutes, so have a great day, in all that cold.  Because weather here is perfect.  Bytheway, I washed all of my clothes in our sweet washing machine this morning.  It was a chore!

The washing machine

The dryer

The Christmas tree!!

Later, till Saturday,

Elder Ostler

sending

There is a keyboard in the pench!

Well, I'm in Rivadavia.  I really like it here, just a small place, a little bit it reminds me of my first area.  But this place is so rich.  Just rico. Money money money and clean.  So CLEAN.  Obviously there are less rich parts etc, but for the most part wow.  And the first house Elder Mcclain and I got into Thursday there was a carpet rug and we sat on couches!  Just insane.

I am literally cutting the cheese. That, maybe 10 lbs or more of cheese, was gifted to us by an extremely rich member. Just a gorgeous house with all the little details. I have never seen anything here like it.
The Largayoil family. They fed us an awesome lunch of noquis.
I do love noquis but too many noquis me hace mal! It is just painful.

Saying goodbye on Tuesday.  It was sad to leave Sarmiento, Elder George, Elder Crossa and Elder Gonzalez.  That pench was amazing. Kind of indescribable, we were so close and tight.  That day we packed (Elder Gonzalez, got transferred to San Rafael, to be with an Elder that only had 6 weeks in the mission, just 2 young kids, younger than my companion and me!!)  it was also a picture day, we passed by four members, they all wrote in my little book and it was good.  It was a really good Tuesday.

We went by Hermana Carmen, the bishop, the family Ulloa (they washed our clothes and fed us all the time), Hermano Vargus (wait til you get the card and see the video I took in that backyard) then of course the family Avila.  They are strong and doing good.

With Hermana Carmen. She is probably my favorite Argentine.
She cried when I said goodbye.
She is so so so solid, read the Book of Mormon in 3 months and is halfway through it again.

There I am with the Avilias. They gave us a ton of fruit and stuff that night.
We are next to the train tracks with some sweet mountains in the back.

Then Wednesday we woke up and Elder George and I just sat on those couch things in the pench for an hour and talked.  We took a taxi to the terminal, and there I met Elder Mcclain (from Ocean City NJ) and said goodbye to Elder George.  I miss that elder.  I realize that he was SO MUCH FUN.  What a personality he has, and I miss that.  We were only in the terminal for 30 minutes, then we caught a 10 peso bus to Rivadavia.  It´s always interesting the first couple days with a new companion.

In the terminal.  Me and my trainer and his trainer, my grandpa, Elder Medina.
A 3 generation picture there. And the mission has lost alot of momentum.
Elder Reynolds went home!!!! NO!!! That awesome tie I'm wearing, he gave that to me.
It's his father son tie. He adopted me.

How do we cool down?  At my last pench, during the siesta I would hop in the shower or fill a bucket with water and dunk my head in it. The bucket head thing is really fun, but really, it's not that hot.  Just kinda.  And we have 2 fans in the pench.  Yes, the hockey jersey was given to the Bishops son.  Wow, skiing!!!!  I'll just be here in Argentina.  The phone call, not much more info.  Hopefully I'll have some for you next week ;) winky face.

We baptized this week!!!  Rosa is really amazing, kinda timid but knows it's true.

Baptism!!!! That is Rosa and under the stewardship of Elder Mcclain and I, she was baptized and confirmed a member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this week.  So sweet.

This next one is awesome.  The kids and I are running around outside the church after the baptism. This picture is priceless, taken at the precise moment that the tiny guy, Facundo, tripped and went down. I love it.

There's another one once they caught me!

So here's the situation.  There is a Rivadavia branch and there used to be a Junin branch.  The Junin branch no longer exists as of 8ish months ago.  Something bad happened, so the few faithful Junin members just commute every Sunday.  My companion was trained in Junin.  A small city with alot of surrounding campo.  Last week at interviews, President Lindahl called all four Elders into his office and told them the plan.  The goal is to make Rivadavia a ward.  So the President is focusing all efforts in Rivadavia now, leaving Junin vacant.  It is building the church from the inside out.  It is just so hard for people way in the heck out in Junin to come to church.

So Rivadavia was split in half.  The dividing line is San Isidro.  We have one half and the other Elders in the pench have the other half.  It is great.  But yesterday we asked and received a copy of the ward list and our vision now is to make Rivadavia a STAKE.  We received 27 pages of members!!  Branch attendance is 60, and it is the strongest ward (it's actually a branch) I've been in yet.  Seven days ago, the branch presidency changed.  All 3 positions.  And WOW.  This branch is being lit on fire.  I'll probably tell you more about them but let's just say, the bishop is an RM 3 years ago.  A Preach My Gospel Missionary.  He Rocks!!!  Just an awesome man.  He knows how to be a good missionary and he expects alot of us.  He is pushing retention which is something I love!  So that's awesome.

The Rivadavia branch, this year, has baptized. . . are you ready . . . 48 people.  Eight are still active.  Just some stud missionaries have come through here.  Elder Meldurm . . . and Elder REYNOLDS.  I love looking through the former investigators and seeing his name signed on the registro.  Just a cappo him.

So Rosa was baptized.  Before I got here (because of the division of area) Elder Mcclain had only taught her once.  And together we taught her twice.  The baptism was really cool.  The branch presidency showed up and the previous bishops wife hooked us up with alot of free pan from her panederia.  And we bought coke and cookies.  I practiced practiced, was nervous nervous and played the piano for the baptism.  How did I practice you ask??  THERE IS A KEYBOARD IN THE PENCH!  Wow, now I have to balance my siesta time between practicing (there is no one in the ward that plays the piano, we sing acapella) and Spanish study.

Elder Mcclain baptized her and all was good.  There was 2 hours of intense worry on Saturday when we came up empty handed with baptismal clothes for Rosa.  Eventually we found that tunica (2 towels sewed together, that's Argentina for ya!) and all was well.  The piano playing went pretty well.

Going to church

The pench is awesome!!  It is huge, and has a loft, and 2 toilets!!  It has alot of open space and just awesome.  Then we have this roof part, just great.  Every pench is such an experience, so different.  I think I will be in this pench for 6 months.

The older Elder in the pench, Elder Hyre, has 8 months in Argentina and is training!  So there's a pichon in the pench.  It's good, Elder Mcclain and I are helping him.  Elder Mcclain had a rough first 2 transfers.  Elder Mcclain is a surfer.  I'm learning alot about surfing. He went to BYUH for a year.  I guess he's a pretty intense surfer.  He loves it.  And we know that same person!  A girl named Elise Mcnaughton, they were in the same stake in NJ and she was in my ward at BYU.  We went to a couple hockey games together.  So that is just wild!

He is a very organized Elder.  Very organized.  He didn't like the sarten when he got here, so he just bought his own!  He also bought his own tupperware to mix things and to use as a bowl.  He's great. Very excited about the work.  And it's cool because I get to teach him things.  Like companion study and planning at night.  I guess his trainer wasn't a committed missionary, the first time Elder Mcclain did companion study was Thursday.  Same with a nightly planning session. But he just got by and planned on his own, etc.  I looked in the thin book (because our area is relatively new, the Elders before didn't really work in it) and it is all updated in his handwriting and color coordinated.  Pretty cool.

School's out for summer is playing.  It makes me think of Dad.  So it's good with him.  We have a really young pench.  I love the new Elder, Elder Owens.  His head is just spinning.  It's been fun watching him this first week.  Reminded me of me.  It's fun to translate for him at church etc.  His trainer, Elder Hyre, is sweet . . . mostly an interesting Elder.  Don't know how to describe him.  School's out forever.

I guess I'm excited about the phone call.  I haven´t really thought about it.  It will be unreal.  Like a dream.  We will probably be talking for an hour, maybe an hour and a half.  We may baptize that day, that could get tricky.   We will figure it out, I'm not worried.

I forgot to say, technically Junin is still in our area, so basically our area is HUGE!!!!  We will only work in Junin off of references, which we already have 3.  One really solid one.

Sunday we took a bus out there with a member to teach this lady, but she wasn't there.  Bummer.  The members here are AWESOME.  I love them.  So kind and giving.  We have had lunch every day this week minus Sunday.  It is pretty cool.  But it's hard because we have to share lunch with the other elders.

By the way, just to tempt you mom.  I think mine and Elder Mcclains phone number is 262??????? that is 262???????.  I don´t really know what else to say.  I'm excited to baptize.  Christmas is coming.  Not much Christmas music here .  . .

I guess one more picture.  That's me in front of a sweet wall in Sarmientos.  That marijuana eye is graffitied everywhere.  I love the train.

I feel like this will suffice as a good email.  It seems like Saydi had a good week.  She´s so excited to come home I think.

We have zone meeting in San Martin this week, so we get to take a bus there tonight.  And we still have to go shopping and I need to wash some clothes!!  But it has been a very relaxing p day.  Except I smell really bad right now.

Love Elder Ostler

Boys, remember, practice your piano, so you don´t have to do it on your mission!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's a lot of explanation marks, because I mean it!  Later and I love you all.

Hello.  Dad - please send pictures from your missino.  I want to see you as a little missionary!!!!!  Bye for real.

I'm getting transferred

Dear Family:

Freak, I'm not going to be home for Christmas. I'm just sitting here, smiling. I don´t live for cyber anymore, but I still love it. I always think about home during this hour, obviamente. It just breaks my heart about missionaries not getting mail. So so sad. Spend the money you would spend on me on them, please. Thanks for the $100.  That's a ton here. 400 pescitos. I am honestly the most blessed kid in this big mundo. Just I have no idea.

The mission is good. Even though every day is not fantastic all the time. It still just rocks. The only 2 years of my life I can wear Christs name over my heart and represent Him. Even with all the rejection and business down here, it is still awesome. Elder George helped my realize a portion of that yesterday. I loved hearing about the Duke Butler stuff. It´s weird that the world is still spinning and we as missionaries almost hear nothing about it.

Sorry about sounding so ungrateful about the mail last email. Wow. Sorry about sounding mad about getting so much mail.

I got the sheets, I love them!!!!!! and I will have to try out those handkerchiefs. And I did receive a present, the twisty tripod thing. I love it!! And the cliff bars are also a hit! Elder Gonzalez and I love them. Thank you mother, for everything that you do, for your life, for everything that you have become. Thank you so much my mother for all of your support, prayers, and help. Thank you mom, I love you. I just got so excited to talk to you soon. It's going to be so much fun. I forwarded you some confusing email that I didn´t understand.

And Dad, thank you dad for your email. I love reading your words every week. It is just so you. I want to be a dad just like you some day. I think about you in Japan sometimes. And those discouraging journal entries you would write occasionally (alot). You are just a tank. And speaking of which, I really want to show Elder Gonzalez that picture of you, just ripped, in the spandex holding the newspaper. Anyway, thank you dad for showing me the ropes as a youngster. Thank you for everything you have taught me. I love you Dad.

The rootbeer was great, and was sent to Elder Gonzalez in a package. Just 6 regular bottles of A&W rootbeer. I'm going to finish mine today and give some more to Elder Crossa because he just dies for it!  I'm good on peanut butter, still have maybe 6 jars. I love peanutbutter. But they have dulce de leche here which is incredible too. Because I am close to the offices, I received mail again this week. 3letters ish and 11 colored envelopes. Haven´t opened them yet. And I love the tree, Harrison you are freakin huge. When I get home (I'm not burning yet) I want a 10x10 ring on the green carpet. With a rope around the perimeter, and pillows. Then Jefferson will be the ref and we will go at it. Wrestling, just like the old days.

I hope you boys practice your piano every day. Every day. You will be happy later, I promise. I double double promise!

Yeah, I can't watch Jonny's deal.  Bummer. And yes, I lived with him for 8 months. Amazing, I understand. Wow, I would love to hear it though. Hopefully its not playing in the background during the Christmas call. Don´t have Boston playing either. Or Rush.

And I figured our how they made spirit of radio dad, you beatbox into a fan. Just a side note.

And um, my fourth transfer starts today - and I'm getting transferred.  But I'll get to that later.

The mission schedule has changed. The alarm clock now rings at 7:00am and we go to bed at 11. It was sweet the day they changed it because we got 30 min of extra sleep. They always do this in the summer time.

So this last week of the transfer was good. Elder Gonzalez and I went running five out of the six mornings. It was awesome. I have become such good friends with Elder Gonzalez. He is such an awesome guy. Actually our whole pench is so tight. We all love each other and mostly get along all the time really well. We have so much fun, Elder George being the main source of the laughter and I'm happy to hear that Harrison still laughs his usual way, like a girl.

On Tuesday Elder George and I rocked it. We taught a record of 5 lessons that day!! It was awesome. One lesson we taught was standing up with Maria in her vegetable stand. It was so sweet! It was our second lesson with her. So Tuesday was just full of teaching and testifying.

We have a really good Bishop here in Sarmiento. He is really a gem. Elder George says he's the best Bishop he's ever had. He's like an Argentine Robertson, and he has white hair. I love that man, Bishop Marino. His wife is a gem too. I'm sad to be leaving him.

One of our investigador we found in the area book is so awesome. Or was so awesome. We had our 3rd lesson with her this week and found out she is MEMBER.. Wow. She fooled the missionaries before us too, and some how as we were reading her teaching record in the area book we missed the part that said she was actually a member. So that was pretty funny. But she doesn´t want to come back to church really. Sonia is her name. She just has the best laugh though. I loved the lessons we had with her. She always gave us agua frescito.

We did ehhh, not so hot with receiving references this week. We were about to receive one and contact 2. But the 2 we contacted I think cold really blossom.

6 months. Just crazy. One fourth done already. that night we were thinking how to celebrate, usually you burn a tie . . . but as we were walking home we saw these guys playing basketball right in this ¨court¨next to our pench. Elder George didn´t have the gumption to ask them. So I did, and they were thrilled with the idea. So we put our fundas on the ground and started playing. Shirt and tie and everything. We didn´t even unbutton the top button or anything, but after about 20 minutes we were so sweaty and our shirts were all untucked. But it was FANTASTIC!  Elder George is a baller.  Their main guy playing was about Brennen's size and not even as good as him, but this 15 year old (huge for his age) kid held his own and was so good, he was really good at driving. The other kids playing were just a bunch of little guys. The best play was Elder George was driving in and the good Argentina kid, David, planted his feet to block Elder George. Elder George saw his legs spread wide open and bounced the ball (and actual basketball) right through them to me and I was able to easily lay it in. It's so fun! And afterwards, we were so sweaty! Then we went home and had some sprite and factuas to celebrate. Yay 6 months.

The investigator situation in Sarmiento is alright. No one came to church, but that's ok I guess because we had nobody committed. Everyone told us before that they had another obligation. But Sara, Antonio and Lina are still hangin on. We had an intense lesson with Lina about the plan of salvation. She doesn't believe in a resurrection or eternal life or anything. It was an awesome, intense lesson. We rocked it, Elder George and I, testifying and teaching, "President Monson . .. if a man dies will he live again . .. I say that he will live again!!!"

And Antonio still has a baptisma fecha, reads the book of mormon every time and understand it so well. And Sara, she´s doing alright.

But yeah, no one in church. We actually had stake conference. It was pretty good. The best part was a legit Argentine choir. They were all color coordinated and actually sounded good! Real good and I haven't  heard music in a long time. 6 weeks. (Elder George has some Cd's, but really ehhh)

And at church talking with one of the awesome office elders, Elder Miller, was a lady that looked oddly familiar. I finally figured out who it was and went up to both of them and started talking to them. It was a lady that Elder Hinojosa and I opened the mouth with months ago in between sessions of General Conference. She actually came up to us crying and saying how much help she needed. We taught, talked, and testified to her for a good while, then handed her address over to the office elders. Well, she is now investigating the church. It was really cool to see her at church.

Saturday was a really cool day. We went exploring to a part of the area that I have never been to before. Its mas o menos campo. Not city. It was so so so cool. Felt like we were in Brazil or some type of wild jungle. And then we found this one lady and had a lesson with her. She said she had been wondering if there really was a God recently and 100% recognized us an answer to her prayer. Such a cool experience. The lesson was under a big tree, outside her less than humble house, on a bench. It was really cool how God used us to answer a cry for help from one of His daughters. A sweet experience that I wish I could spend more time on but what came next I need some time on . . .

Interviews with President were FANTASTIC! Just a holy man of God, President Lindahl is. I know that he loves and cares about me so much.  He asked me if I was ready to be senior companion.  I'm ready for whatever. He told me that, no promises, but that he wanted me in San Juan, (where your skin just boils) with a young Latin. I was so excited. And I still should not know my transfers yet, but because Elder George got a phone call last night that he is training!!! President also told him where I am going.

I am being transferred to San Martin and am going to be Senior Companion!!!!!!!! Wow! Senior comp! My companion is Elder McClain, from NJ. He has 1 transfer less than me in the mission. He is starting his 3rd transfer today, he has not had a Latin yet. O my gosh I am Nervous!

So I am the big dog now. I'm senior comp. I know more Spanish than my companion. Wow, I am ready to learn and grow. It will be so much fun. Rivadavia is where I am going. There are 4 elders in that ward and all of us are greengo. I am really going to have to step up my game. I know that I can do this. My language study has improved this week and I met my goal of reading out loud 50 pages from the book of mormon.

O, President Lindahl also told me that if Amanda gets permission, I can call her!!!!!!

Anyway, I'm comp mayor, just a little scared pichon sitting here, but I'm ready.

I'm excited, because Elder Hinojosa is going to be my new ZL!

Well it is about that time.

Love, Elder Ostler