This has officially changed my life

Hello and Buen Dia Familia!!!

Beginning with some fotos!!! It’s been a while I know.

Taken just after arriving to the pench for the first time

 Intercambios esta semana con Elder Ashby in Pocito

Uspallata, eating kinda Mexican food with Elder Cisneros

Uspallata, knocking doors

With the Elderes Caro y Myers in Malargue

First I’m doing great, and even better after reading the goodness you sent me, Bensons first talk, and my favorite part were these 3 words, Wilson Sings Soprano.  That killed me dad!! Good on ya Wilson!  

Also, good noticias from Sayd the Layd.  

Hey boys, I bet I can still beat you at ping pong when I come home! Also good to hear about the missionaries living at home.  And sweet about Hermano Garland.  I’m psyched.  

Zone Leader **  Its a lot of responsibility, but it is good for me. Always with many things to do, and many small problems to solve and sort through.

This week Elder Lounsberry asked us for our retention report.  It was a probably a 4 hour process in total.  When you have 273 names to verify, it’s a lot of work.

We also did intercambios this week with the Elders in Pocito.  It’s 40 minutes away on a bus, and I went out there with Elder Ashby.  As secretary, I received him as a new missionary - it was a cool 48 hour exchange, good was done, and progress was made.  The branch in pocito is really small.   Without the missionaries the church would die. There is just very little priesthood.  While there we did a noche de hogar with a family, and with Elder Ashby we made them tacos!  It was a real fun and special experience.  I used taco seasoning you sent, thanks!  It is a beautiful area, and was a great time to talk about life and exchange ideas on many subjects with Elder Ashby, more of a quite reserved guy.

Something that has been weighing on my mind a lot lately is having a fruitful area.  I have been going to sleep pretty fast at night because we are working hard, and doing many things write.  But even after a full week of work, we don’t have many good investigators/families.  I want so bad to have success in my area, and right now I am exercising the virtue of patience, as I diligently work for that.  I am still finding my place in the ward, and still finding friends.  It is a very different missionary experience.

I am not the backbone of the church/ward, like I am used to being.  So that is a change.  It is a good barrio, the bishop has very high expectations of us.  OO family I don’t know how to express all of these things to you in so short of time.  There is one member who is an RM hace 2 anos atras, who is just incredible.  We met with him last night, and what an incredible example of living up to your priesthood potential.  He is on top of it, and magnifies his calling.  

We are focusing a lot on working with Recent Converts to reactivate them AND to use them as the source for finding quality people to baptize.


We have excellent plans for this week, things will change.

Elder Frost got the cell fone stollen from (left it at a ciber) so that was a fun opportunity to exersize patience and just smile.  At expense of other elders not even in our zone, we have a fone.  I think it was made in the 70s, seriously.  You would laugh.

With Elder Frost it is good, we are learning to work well with each other.  I push him a little bit, but he has good desires and works good. He is also a BYU alum and is a great singer.  More barbershop style tenor, I love it.  Last night as we tired to sleep we sang songs and talked about BYU, super fun.

We live in a small apartment complex and we have  a new neighbor. She is 28, and is a bilingual secretary for a mining company.  She is super energetic and loves talking to us.  The thing is usually at 9:30 after a long hard day we don’t want to say more than whats up, especially knowing that we need to verify with our 3 districts, pray, plan, put something edible down, and write in journal (which I’m sill doing good at DAD!).  But one night we taught her the Restoration, just standing outside, it was sweet.

Spanish tip:  Asistir does not mean to assist and atender does not mean to attend.  And this week, after over a year and a half in ARG I realized that the word face and expensive is the exact same word in spanish!  que locura. 

I had the BEST morning today.  Cleaning a lot, studying, and doing language study, it was GREAT:  but right now I’m just not feeling it.

I love a script in D&C 58:27

Explore the Gospel, it is so amplio!  We can all do simple things to enhance our lives, like listen to general conference talks when our ears are not occupied (Elder Frost and I have been doing that and it is great!)

Also, I’ve been thinking a lot about happiness, finding joy everyday. There is a wonderful analogy by Uchtodorf in a conference session just for girls about Willy Wonka - the Golden Ticket.  Sometimes we are so focused on finding the Golden Ticket that we forget why we bought the candy in the first place, because the chocolate is so delicious.   Love it.

I look for happiness.  In this transitional state, like I said, I’m still trying to find my place (especially in the ward).  Sometimes I am down or sad but I learned this morning that long suffering is a manifestation of the spirit (gal 5 22) so cool.

So I keep my head up, and keep walking forward.  Keep my focus, and not think overly about home.  Just keep being constant, I know I am learning SO MUCH.  This has officially changed my life.  Now, I just need to finish.  The constant diligent effort of working, even when I’m tired.

I do this for the Atonement of Christ.  I do this for these people, and for that family, for those who are waiting for the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. those who have not the truth, only because they know not where to find it.  

Family, we have the Truth.  While teaching our neighbor the restoration,  . . .  I was surely convinced . . OOO there is just no way this is false.  It is so true.  It all makes sense.  And more importantly, the spirit makes me know every single day that this is the only true and living church, La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días.  

I love representing it

I love representing HIM.

Love Always, Elder Ostler

Harp the boys on piano.  Have dad play it too, he’s so good at it, I admire that man SO MUCH.  Not many days go by out here that I don’t think about him.  Such a capo.  I listen to firm handed talks form GC Priesthood sesh and think of him.  You married a pretty sweet dude mom.  I love you dad! 

Remember to always Abrir tu Boca!  and share this wonderful message of families and joy with others.  I mean why not?  I’m going to keep dong it when I get home.  It’s the only logical thing to do.  See ya