Real Labor. Real Fruit.

Hey! buen dia, doing great.

We just came to print out emails, and now we are going to play futbol!!!!  And there are some real good Elders, so it will be a blast. Until this afternoon!!

Elder Ostler

me alegra tanto escuchar del bautismo de la familia Roberts!  I knew me and her were baptizing that same day, and it was sweet!  

I had the most amazing birthday of my life.  R** R** got baptized, and it was the sweetest moment ever.  We had our lider misional baptize her.  

The baptism And confirmation of R** were so special.  There were over 25 people at the baptism, her grand kids are real musical, so we put together a piano, violin, and cello and choir spectacular of Mas Cerca Dios de Ti.  It was so special.  Also, F** attended, and she should be in the water quite soon too!  

On Sunday I confirmed her.  The look on here face after the confirmation . . . it was a special, emotional moment.  Priceless.  And I wouldn’t change it for the world.  

Then the bishop called her up next to him.  He had the RS president stand and welcomed her into the ward.  It was a moment of pure love. As she bajared the stairs she stopped at the piano and whispered to her daughterinlaw Estoy muy contenta!  When she arrived to me on the second row I saw the tears of peace in her eyes and she whispered again Estoy muy contenta.  When she sat by her granddaughter she uttered the same frase.  How precious the moment. For the next 5 minutes she was overwhelmed by he spirit and it showed.

It was the best birthday present ever.

It doesn’t get better than picture number

After a companionship prayer I realized that we had a significant part in helping the Holy Spirit convert 5 people.

This week we attended 3 baptismal services.  5 people in white.  And Elder Frost and I helped all of them. 

Friday night the Sisters in Bario Centro baptized old investigatores nuestros. Last month they were our investigators, but all their friends are in barrio centro.  Some stuff happened, they legally moved inside the limits del barrio centro, and were baptized by Elder Frost this week.  

The other person baptized this week was . . . Y**!  Remember her?  22 years old, a couple of 8 year olds shared the Gospel with her on the school bus?  

Well, she accepted the Gospel, is very strong and converted, and it was a wonderful service.

Remember that Y** lives 5 steps outside my area.  Elder Frost and I visited her the first time.  We did how to begin teaching and mentioned Baptism, and committed her to be baptized.  We talked with her on the fone the day before her baptism and congradulated her.   She told us, the first time you visited me you taught me about baptism and I thought you were crazy.  And now, a month later, I'm getting baptized.

 Y** with the 3 primary kids that shared the Book of Mormon with her

What a lot of miracles!!  5 more people converted to the Gospel.  R**, Y**, A**, P** y M**.  It was so nice to take part in these baptismal services and see fruit of our labor.  Real Labor, Real Fruit.  

And the fruit is Good!  

On the 24th the family we ate lunch with took us out for ice-cream afterwards.  It was great!  He told us all about his mission to paraguay 4 years ago . . and oooo it always pumps me up with a desire to be better when I talk with awesome ex-missionaries.  

The night of R**'s Baptism all the youth found out it was my birthday (there were 4 activities all going on at the same time that day) so there was lots of singing.  Then after the baptism, walking home, a big family driving home crossed our path and they stopped to buy something and all sang Happy birthday again, really loud.  

THEN, after church we were invited to an asado with a family, it was incredible, and then a single mother Hermana Q** wanted me to come over so she and her priest-age son could give me a present.  They gave me about the closest Argentine rendition of a DQ cake.  It was awesome! After the fun and talking, I had an amazing teaching moment.

And for the baptism I made brownies.

And in the pench that night Elder Frost make me fruit smoothies with cream.  It was awesome!

The traveling assistants came to SJ this week and helped us a lot. They lived in our pench and helped make it really dirty.  (but don’t worry, we cleaned it this morning) So it was fun having them every night.   This week the zone baptized 5 people, bringing us so close to our goal of 12.  We will end Marzo with 10 confirmations.  3 of them didn’t quite happen this week.  

I forgot to tell you, R** is 77 years old.

Some quick stuff:

Crazy about Amanda yeah?  Home on Wednesday.  Dang, I won’t dwell on that too much.  

We helped activate a woman.  S**.  She’s easily 77 as well, and it’s a long story, but we visit her and my comp gave her a blessing, and now she walks over 40 minutes to church and came yesterday for the second time in a row.  She’s awesome!  On a day we did exchanges this week (I went with Elder Kelley this week, his dad also is 1/2 Japanese!)  and as we entered her little house I felt out of nowhere to teach the palabra de Sabiduria.  It was not pre-thought or planned or anything.

We went through the 5 things and she says, NO I don’t have a problem with any of them . . except el cafe.  Coffee.  But I rarely drink it.

But as a matter of fact right now I am heating up water to make coffee with these 2 little coffee packets I bought this morning.  She willingly gave us the coffee packets and it was super cool!

Hey how’s Parker Jones!  I was thinking about him this week.  

Dad mentioned conference.  Yes, I am so excited.  And even better, President Avila is coming to San Juan for interviews the day before! yipee!!

Please every member of this family, invite someone to conference. Whether it’s through facebook or a face to face invitation.  Tell them you will pick them up Sunday or Saturday morning.  Will each of you do that?  It is a great opportunity to be member missionaries and feel the joy of this work.  

How was the personal and companionship studies last week  mom and dad and Harrison and Jefferson?  Hope they were good.

Personal Study is Sacred to me.  I love that hour.

And I'm following Amanda's example and each pday I study Charity. This morning was amazing to say the least.  And then I am able to put it into practice throughout the day and it is wonderful.

Just because you’d love to know.  Lunches this week with the members were amazing!

We had Asado, twice (so juicy, so tasty)

One day we had raviolis and pollo asado (so I guess 3 times)

Thursday we had Pastel de Papa con canela and azucar!  It is my favorite ever!  It’s built like shepherds pie but has meat, onions, hard boiled eggs, acetuna, and cinnamon and sugar.  They don’t put a salt shaker on the table, they but a bowl of sugar!  O how I love that meal. And the familia was just great. I was having incredible amounts of fun that lunch.  And then one time we had milanesas.  Way good too.

Today we played futbol.  It was amazing.

For Ben, I guess you to to the La Republica Domincana!  We were down 2-7 and I had a run of 4 quick goals and my team got behind me and we won 10-8.  Amazing.

Then I went to lunch with Elder Bennet.  Wow what an Elder.  So focused.  He understands.  I love him and Tell his mother she raised a wonderful son!

Tonight con Elder Frost we are traveling to Mendoza for Consejo. Which will leave us with Wednesday, Thursday, half of Friday, to work in our area.  And a couple more hours here and there.  A good amazing week coming up.

F** came to church again.  We continue meeting with her in the church, and teaching her with members, she’s just awesome.

Hey dad, sign me up for some good business classes yeah?

I love looking for opportunities to serve and teach the Elders.  Today, there have been numerous because a group of us was together jugando a la pelota.  

Well thats pretty much it.  I’m waiting for this last picture to load . . but let me answer some questions.

I’m doing good with my comp.  I passed through some hellish days and moments this week, but now everything is great!  We talk,we laugh, we play uno.  He’s a great Elder.  He is an excellent pianist. Wow.  I want to learn all of me so bad!

I’ll get my 2 birthday packages tomorrow.  Thanks for all the support there!

I love you Grandpa Skinner!  I think of you A LOT.  You’d be surprised.  Don’t worry.  I got a week planned on the farm when I get back!  We are going to have some amazing comp studies!

I really loved your emails this week. So inspiring.  I haven’t cried while reading one in a long time.  But mom, your words just touched me. Thank you.  You are the best mother and father and brothers and sisters EVER.

My love for you grows for you every day.

Love your son and brother

Elder Ostler

Pray for a temple in Mendoza

Your right dad, I just had a much better week.  I honestly felt the help you sent me.  I usually don’t think about you all praying for me.  But this week I did, many times.  I thank God for a family like you.  Mom, and Dad, Amanda (what a champ) Saydi (please don’t move to India!) Harrison, Jefferson (the parents always tell me about you getting clocked in basketball or lax (bytheway Wilson, in many letters you put lax and I had no idea what it ever meant, but I finally figures it out) Benson, and Wilson.

We have a rock solid family.  Everybody keep it up.  We are a team.  I have seen so many destroyed families in Argentina.  Many strong members that say -- I talk to my friends in the church more than my family.

I never want that to happen to us.  We are the Ostlers.  The coolest family on the planet, and I love being a part.

Today we were invited to lunch with the Family Quiroga.  They took us out to eat, it was great!  Cristian Funes and them are all very agradecido for the help.  I thank you too.

Thank you for fasting for me dad.  I truly felt it.  Thank you for praying for me mother, and the rest of you little kids.  Wow, this week was so much better.  I’ll say, the last 6 weeks were hard!  

But this week was so much better!!!!!!!  Yesterday I did a fast of Agradecimiento.

A factor to the hard transfer was me expectations.  I am experienced, I speak Spanish, I’m in SJ, and I expected to bautizar!  In fact I put the goal to baptize 20 by the end of my mission.  But that hasn’t happened.  I finally realized, as dad knows, that I can do nothing of myself to earn or merit a baptism. 

I have tried so hard me whole mission to baptize people, but in great part, it hasn’t happened like I thought it would.  This week it sunk in deep that Baptism is a miracle from God.  

God converts the person.  Because many times I thought, and I think, MAN!ª I’m doing all I can, all I know how, why am I not baptizing!?  Why aren’t my people progressing?

But I’m changing that attitude.  I will do all I can, and then hope.  

And in the past months, and especially in the offices praying for my new area, I pray and have prayed and prayed and prayed for God to prepare people for me to find, teach and baptize.  

Well, it has happened.  We are baptizing this week.  Her name is R** R**, and she is Awesome!  She treats us like her grand kids.  I love her so much.

Not even I understand the profundity of this miracle.  For example when we tell members that she is getting baptized, it startles them.  Because apparently, she has been very very against the church.  Some of her kids are members.  Her grand kids are members, and one family of them are in our ward.  They live next door to R**.  They are helping us a lot, are awesome, and we ate real oily food with them yesterday, really good.  

But God has worked a miracle in her life.  Her grandson left from our barrio to the mission 2 months ago.  I attribute a great part of the conversion of Rosa to her grandson, serving in Columbia.  

I am just so thankful to God that we have found her, (through a reference off the street from a no member!!!!) are teaching her, and on the 24th, are baptizing her.  Wow, so awesome.  I have been asking and praying for a baptism so much, that now that I have it, I must not forget to thank.

So, yeah, she is awesome.  She always winks when she makes a little joke, it is so precious.  A fun part is that she lives at least 35 minutes away from our pench, walking, so its a great trek every time we go teach her.  One of the hardest parts of the area is the geografical part.  Before, there were 4 elders in this area.  The pench is equipped for 4.

I thank you, especially you parents, for your extra strength and love this week.  Thank you.

Mother, the comments you receive!!  I show practically everyone your pictures, some times on the street opening the mouth.  And mom, the Argentines gawk at you.  I have heard some wonderful comment about you every week of my mission.  I wrote down just 2 this week.

"parece una chica de 20 años!"

And this one was last night.  "¡¡Que Linda que es ella!!"

viste mom.. you are wonderful, beautiful.  I love that you are My Mom.  

And dad, people think you are wonderful and beautiful too.  They just tend to not say it as often.

Hey, I got an extra assignment for you 2.  Companionship study one day this week.  Read Elder Perry’s talk El perfecto amor echa fuera el temor.  It’s great.

And Hey, Harrison and Jefferson, I got an assignment for you also, but this one is mandatory.  Personal study:  read Mcmullins talk el poder del sacerdocio aaronico.

And then Comp Study:  after reading it, pondering it, and maybe even writing some comments down, talk about it.  As awesome brothers that you are, talk about what it means to hold the priesthood of God.  A priesthood that has the power of the ministering of angels.  And you daily walk the halls of Richland High with that priesthood.  Cool huh!

And how are we on piano?  I sat down yesterday and played a song for like 2 minutes and it was so relaxing!  Practice your piano.  You will never regret 1 minute practicing that amazing piano.  Your never thankful for the water until the well goes dry.  

Dad on the street this week I heard the song for the very first time.  Or at least that's what it might be called.  I made a note in my planner, and i just wanted to make a guess.  Is that by meatloaf? It sounded super 70s, almost 60s and I loved it!

Alright I’m loving this email sesh, I’ll send you another email en un cachito.

O wait, first the questions.  

No you don’t have to do anything with the flights.  

Last week we had lunch with the president de estaca and family.  Pte Noriega.  He’s a young guy, not yet 40.

He is a visionary man.  Incredible.  Being in his presence and talking with him awes me.  He believes.  I have never seen a man who wants a temple in cuyo more than him.  He is contagious and I have caught the vision too.  He really believes that it is possible that Profet Monson announces a temple in Mendoza in 2 weeks.  I cannot say enough about this man.  I want to be like him.  His vision would be like this.  SO the tri cities.  Why don’t we work so we qualify for 2 temples in the tri cities!  He thinks like that.

That thought has never before crossed my mind.  He really understands the Gospel.  

This week he invited us to a meeting at the church (stake center, that's our church) and obviously we were psyched to go!  But we didn’t know we got invited to stake counsel!!!!!  (I didn’t even know that stake counsel existed!!!!!)

This stake, San Juan, is Amazing.  It was a meeting of an hour and a half maybe (we didn’t get back to pench till 11:30ish) and I don’t know what to say.  Incredible.  There were 25 members there, most with stake callings.  For me it was a miracle.  I had the though, if only Joseph Smith could have seen this in 1830, the day he organized the church.  President Arnold asked that it was filmed, so that was cool too.  O there are just so many ideas, and new (and old) things we can do.  I did not explain this part very well, but I could go on and on.  Pray for a temple in Mendoza.  dyc64:33 we are putting the cimientos.  But this place is about to explode.  

I really want to be a better leader.  Today the Lord gave me a cool experience as we were resting from playing soccer and an elder new to the zone really opened up to me and I was able to help him. It really didn’t seem like much to me, but he thanked me and I gave him a big hug.  In leadership I just realize how inexperienced I am.  

Remember that investigator O**?  Well we went by this week and we found a mean spirited note magnetted to the fence telling us not to come back.  Bummer.

Also, I had the cool experience of going to the hospital this week. We met some missionaries in the terminal one siesta, and an in active member found us and asked us for help. So we accompanied her to the NEO terapia intensiva part of the hospital and I got special permission to enter.  There were many babies in the incubators.  Well, couldn’t anoint the child with oil, but I did offer blessing of health and prayed with the worried and depressed mother.  The baby was 1.75 kilos and 4 days old.  It was a cool, real world experience.  A better version of the story is in my journal. 

We deep cleaned the pench this week, so that's great. 

Since I have been in Argentina my mind has been opened in so many ways. This morning as I was studying I realized something so profound to me.  It won’t seem like much though, and menos in writing.  

The promises of the word of wisdom have been fulfilled to me in every sense.  I know that because I have obeyed the WoW all my life that the Lord has opened my mind.  I’m telling you, it’s just amazing.  The blessings are very real.

I feel like I’m starting to understand what vs 19 is.  hallaran sabiduria y grandes tesoros de conocimiento, si tesoros escondidos.  That's happening to me!  

And I can still run!  I run in the mornings.

Also vs 18.  The Lord has blessed me with health, which is a miracle, when I think back on some water I’ve draken, and things I’ve eaten. . . . O last week I at tuna fish, just like nothing.  And vs 21 is sweet too.

One thing I love So Much is receiving revelation while I’m teaching.  That happened last week as I taught a recent convert the word or Wisdom, I taught her on such a simple level, and promised her simple blessings because it’s something she struggling with.  But in my mind in some way the Lord revealed great treasures of knowledge.  

We found a sweet waffle place too!  No there’s no syrup.  They are lunch, sandwich waffles, and then for desert they put dulce de leche on.  It’s like carmel.  In fact I put some on my pancakes this morning.  I also put oatmeal and juice in my pancakes.  

Alright here’s a real cool part.  F** came to church!  She’s 22 and from tierra del fuego. She is loving it. We had a lesson this week in the church with a 24 yr old RM Sister Missionary who is an Argentine Amanda Ostler.  It was a wonderful lesson.   This member just loved F** so much you could tell.  And it was the first time they had met.

Probably the coolest part of my week:  first I must explain.  Since my first transfer I have had the goal, but more of a longing aspiration, for an Abrir la boca to come to church.  I have only heard of it happening, my trainer told me it was super rare, so I wanted to achieve it.  It means that someone you meet on the street and invite to church (like I have done to thousands of Argentines who don’t want to hear my message) actually comes to church!!! They aren’t an investigator, have never had a lesson, but sill come to church.

This week that happened to me.  We were out with our lider misional, like always.  And I saw a man waiting at a stoplite on his bicycle.  I almost didn’t talk to him, figuring the light was about to turn. But I’m so glad I did!  He was super interested, and I couldn’t have talked to him for more than 60 seconds.  His name was H**, and he asked something like:  can you take the devil and evil out of someone and make them holy?  I smiled and said, Of course we can, we are Elders.  He really believed me and strongly committed to come to church. He said he needed that to happen to him. I was hopeful for like 3 minutes, but then forgot about him.

  

Well who walks in church, ushered by the stake president, yesterday?  H**!

Both me and the EQ president went to sit by him.  He loved it, stayed all 3 hours and participated in the classes and all.  I was next to him, introducing him to all the members and all, every stop of the way.  It gave me such a good feeling.  Awesome!!!!!  

So that's what’s up.  I'm doing real good.  By the way, what day does Amanda finish?  When do you see her?  And is the whole family going?

  

Cool, I love you All

Elder Ostler

Someone repenting because of what I am doing.

Dear Family:

Miracle Moments:

We taught O** twice this week (18, bald, really mellow, very receptive).  The first time we dropped the palabra de sabiduria on him. His younger brother smiled and laughed as we revealed each one. O 2 for 0.  3 for 0!  Ohh, 4 for 0.  And you can’t drink tea . . 5 for 0!!! I’m not sure if you understand that, but it was super funny.

The next day we returned and he (who smokes a cigarette every hour) llevaba 6 horas sin fumar! It was so wonderful to hear!  Someone repenting because of what I am doing.  He committed to go to church, and on Sunday we went to buscarlo, but he didn’t wake up.  And he is super hard to find and teach, it doesn't help that he doesn't have a cell fone.

That is a problem with many of our investigators, they are hard to contact and teach.

We received a reference from Chimbas.  We taught her in the church with our ward mission leader, Lucas, and she is wonderful and ready. She describes 123:12 perfectly.  She is honestly looking for the truth.

Me with Lucas Lara, our lider misional

R** R**!  I’m gong to have the best birthday present ever.  She is getting baptize on the 24th of March!  We put the fecha with her and her x daughterinlaw and granddaughter were there.  They both shared their testimonies, it was wonderful!  R** has always been against the church, but ever since her grandson left for the mission (the week I arrived to SJ) her heart started to change.  She has come to church 3 times now, and when I asked her yesterday if she knew the church was true, she said yes.  How Wonderful!!  Yesterday she was the only person to come to church.

Remember Y**?  She lives just outside of our area and is a reference from members.  Well, we passed her to the other elders this week,and yesterday she went to Chimbas stake conference, and Loved It! President Avila met her, and apparently it was wonderful.  

The Grueling and Greatness of yesterday.  

Church was hardly a spiritual experience for me.  Out of 4 solidly people committed to church, only R** came.  And then my comp and I were not on the same page. We arrived 5 minutes before it started, without O**.  I wanted to go in with the members and say hi and talk and sit by R** and thank members for this thing, or washing our clothes, or a lunch, or a reference they gave us etc.  Eventually I said something.  O boy.  It was grueling for me!  I did like the talks though.

But that night (o sea, ayer) we went to visit an active family (husband recently activated).

After sharing pictures and laughing with them, we studied one of the questions in the back of folleto numero 1, la restaracion.  We talked about spiritual things for a while and it was wonderful!  I started to ask and plant the idea to invite friends to General Conference and then the Sister O** spoke to me.  Through tears she told me how special I am.  I am so thankful God gave me that boost.  It was like getting a thumbs up from God.

Tacos with Elder Frost

Our ward mission leader as of 3 weeks ago is amazing.  He’s 19 and about to go on a mission.  He magnifies his calling and loves working with us.  We have done many divisions and me and him have a good bond. He’s Sampson.  Just this week he accompanied us 4 times!

An achievement that Elder Frost and I have:  Intercambios and Divisiones.  

Exchanges with Elder Sarasua

Exchanges with Elder Bennett
In foto he looks a lot like Elder Ward, but in real life he just looks like Elder Bennett

We did intercambios with every companionship in our zone.  We put that goal on day 1 together.  I have worked in many of the areas and know the elders really well.  We also have put lots of enfasis on going out with the youth in the ward.  I kept track of the times we went out with them.  Just so you have an idea, in 5 weeks (I didn’t get to SJ till Friday the first week) we went out with the youth 19 different times. And total exchanges: 25.   That’s either someone from the barrio acompañándonos, going out with 2 different jovenes and doing splits, or doing exchanges with the elders.  Pretty sweet huh?

Intercambios (and especially planning them out before hand!) is a focus President Avila has.  So we did good there. 

Also this morning I verified with the assistants.  After I gave them the numbers (this week I did what Amanda said. I focused on Charity and not on numbers) thy gave me transfers.

Elder Frost and I are staying together.  We both knew it. I’m fine with it, accept it, and will continue with an attitude of optimism.  

My personal growth.  I will continue to work with everything, and start smiling more! :)

There are 2 scriptures very similar.  D&C 64:33 and Alma 37:34.   no os canseies de hacer lo bueno.  That helped me a lot this week. Because many a time I feel like giving up.  But I won’t.

Thank your for everything family.  My love and appreciation for you is infinite!  

Love, Elder Ostler

It's getting hard to breathe!

Well here we are.  Another ciber session!!  It was great reading everything.

I was amazed at the number dad put up on the screen 1900 names into family search!  

Hey, I got my temple recommend renewed this week too!  I did it after consejo, 2 days before it expired.  So my life long goal is to always have my temple recommend vigente.  And I’m going to do it!  It was a super cool 8 minute interview with President Avila, and it will be my only temple recommend in Spanish.  O yay!

O dang, Laurel is about to become a full time misionera.  Good sister missionaries are exactly what missions need.  The 2 in our zone, Hermana Call and Hermana Thatcher are the gem of the zone.  They bring a level of maturity and understanding.

Embarassing moment of the transfer (from 2 weeks ago).  About 2 weeks before I got to SJ, the sisters had made the LZ a cake.  The tupper was still in the pench when I got here.  So I decided to make return them the tupper, full of brownies. One morning I woke up and my comp was sick, so for comp study I made brownies by myself.  It was tough, because the ovens aren’t so good here.  They were great and I gave some to our neighbors too.

That very day was a district meeting, and Elder Frost and I were going to be in District with the Hermanas.  So I just figures, Ahh, I’ll give them the tupper back then. Everything went good.

That day I did intercambios with Elder Dyer, the DL of the Hermanas.  That night, as we verified with them, they thanked me for the brownies etc and then Sister Thatcher asks, Elder Ostler, did you bake us brownies on valentines day on purpose??  I told her I didn’t even realize it was Valentines day!  (they don’t celebrate it here) I had totally forgotten.  On the other side of the fone they just waited.  I finally said, alright sisters, this is really awkward!  They just laughed and said, good!  That was the point!

They baptized a lady in a wheel chair this week - literally, they put the wheel chair in the font and under she went!

Please update me on Harrison's leg. I think about him a lot.  Today I read a letter from the family.  And Harrison is such dapper kid!  A superstar. Bytheway it was the TV smashing lettler.  I’m really excited to reunite with all my brothers again.

Wilson, it surprised me the way you acted last Sunday when it was your turn to rinse and load - again!  Just know this - they don’t have dishwashers in Argentina.  To wash dishes, you use your hands, and a sponge.  I have learned many skills on the mission, that is one.  

What you said about how all of us kids are strong willed is really true. I have thought much about that in these last months.  I have realized who I am, and how driven I am. Even more now than when I started my mission.  Driven to improve, accomplish, and achieve.  I love that about me, but I must learn to control it better.  I thank you for your counsel Amanda and Mom.  I need it.  

The mission is like a mountain.  You climb it.  What I realized this week is that the closer I get to the top, the thinner the air gets.  Into thin air.  It’s getting hard to breathe! 

On Saturday I had a Gethsemane moment, or like Gethsemane 3 hours.  The Lord blessed us so much that night though, because we had 6 committed to church, and 4 came!!  And then a family of 3 went to another ward!  So we could say, we had 7 in church!

R** R** came, awesome. Her grandson is on a mission from our barrio.

And J** (who randomly showed up only after one invite last week) came again.  Then, a teacher brought a friend!  So don’t be scared to bring a friend to church boys.  Even if they come in jeans and a t shirt, and sit by a tall greengo missionary because you are passing the sacrament!

Another lady we taught this week, actually she’s 21, we introduced to the Gospel by a 7 year old kid, and his 11 year old friend.  She was their chaperone on their bus to summer school.  They had no fear in sharing the Gospel with her, and then the parents gave us the reference.  We took our ward mission leader and taught her the restoration this week.  It was awesome.  The difficult part is she lives 10 steps outside of our area.  Thus is the mission.  But at the same time we are constantly receiving names and references from other missionaries.

This week we went over to an apartment with the Sisters. My comp annointed, and then I gave L** a blessing.  It was my most sacred experience of the week.  Absolutely an incredible moment.

So thats 3 weeks and 3 blessings - about.  I have found myself on my knees more, praying that God will fulfill and honor blessings that I have given.  Just writing this reminds me that I need to do this again tonight.  

This week I did Exchanges with Elder Aguirre. It’s all in my journal, but I had some crazy experiences.  Like leaving the pench with Elder Frost at 10pm to go on an adventure, ending in Mendoza!  But don’t worry, I’m back in San Juan.  And it’s still hot.

For Pday we played basketball.  I played hard.  Then Me and Elder Baldwin (a super tall new missionary) went running.

Today, we played Basketball!!!!  It was awesome!

And one day an amazing sister gave us a vianda (a lunch you take to the pench, like drive thru) and it was the most delicious food of the month.  It still amazes me.  Just meat balls and potatoes and vegetables, and of course bread. 

Me and Elder Frost Eating the Albondigas

Mom, it was amazing with Elder Arrua and especially Elder Huntington in the pench last week.  He has changed so much.  Both him and Elder Allen are awesome.  I said goodbye to Elder Arrua, he goes home next week.

Consejo was also very very good.  The environment is incredible.  A mission President, Pte Avila and his wife, Hna Avila.  24 of the finest missionaries of the mission mendoza sharing a spiritual learning experience.  I love the notes I have from all my consejos.  

Last night we had a meeting with our 3 awesome district leaders.  The Stake President happened to be there with time on his hands, and so the first half hour we sat down and he taught us, telling us stories and teaching us about the priesthood. He’s a young guy, 35 maybe, and just a powerhouse.  He opened our minds!

I love when my mind gets opened.  

More about the area.  We have lunch 5 times a week, sometimes 6. The bishops wife washes the clothes, she is an angel.  Last night when we picked up the clothes we pulled out the him book and sang her I’ll go where you want me to go.  Very cool.

The hardest part is our area is huge.  One hour walking from top to bottom.  A city area, with rich and poor parts.  It is hard because we are teaching people in all the different parts.  A lot of walking.  And there are many busses that go through the area, just not one that goes from the top to the bottom.  It’s hard to explain, but its a difficult situation.  

Hardly any of the people baptized in the last 2 years are attending church.  It is super sad.  But I will focus on positive thoughts this week, be happy, and look to use my priesthood.  The SP really opened my mind.  I got to remember, I’m not going to be a full time missionary for ever, but sometimes it seems like it.

Well, have a good one.

Elder Ostler