One of the many miracles of this church is a good and loving mission president.

Hola y buen dia!  I hope this one works, because yesterday we were at a ciber for an hour, I had just the best letter written an ready to go when the argentine internet cut.  I tried not to be angry.  So here we are again, round number 2!  Let’s see if I can replicate what I typed yesterday. . . .

Dear Amanda, I can’t believe you are home.  My whole mission I have served with you.  I have always said, si, y mi hermana es misionera. But now I have to say, mi hermana era misionera.  I said that last night as I showed B** pictures of the family and it was just strange.  It was interesting to hear that the transition for you ha sido dificil.  Don’t be too sad, don’t let the sadness of not being a missionary overtake you. Know that you became the 4th missionary, know that you were an example to ALL, especially this brother in Argentina who is trying to finish his mission with as much focus and diligence as you!!  I love you Amanda.  My heart goes out to you.  Maybe listen to Chicago, that will help.

I agree with you, mother, conference was incredible.  If I had to choose, I would definitely say that Saturday conference beat Sunday conference, by a long shot.  After every talk I put a 1, 2, or 3 next to my notes.  For example 3 meant amazing talk, and on Saturday the average after the first 2 sessions was 3.

When the Profet stoood up and opened conference, wow, what power.  The work will go forward.  And then he put both hands in the air.  For me, he gave a powerful opener and I KNEW and felt once again, That man is profet of God.  He is speaking for God.  It was burned within my testimony even deeper this time that T S Monson is the Lords profet on the earth today.

The first 2 talks were incredible!  I saw so much focus on the family, on parenting, on raising children, on praying with your children. Elder Packer and Sister Esplin rocked it.  Sister Esplin taught right out of PMG, teaching for understanding, but she applied it to teaching your children.  I had never thought of it that way.  Wow! so many things I am learning and experiencing here are will greatly benefit me as father and husband.

Hallstroms talk about the Gospel vs the Church was amazing.  He dropped some cane on us as Argentine Members when he said Activity is not the ultimate goal.  You can be active in the church and inactive in the Gospel.  I loved his teaching.

When Koelliker started his talk saying I love the full time missionaries!  A cheer went out in our little viewing room.  (we watched it, us 13 greengos, in a classroom, in english)  Loved his talk.

Oaks -I loved his glasses!  What a fashion statement, what a capo.  I loved his talk about the Atonement and sacrifice.  We are to offer a small imitation sacrifice of His Sacrifice.  Amazing things were said. 

Holland.  He dropped it on us.  When he ended that talk, there was an audible gasp in our room.  Don’t delay, it’s getting late.  He preaches the Doctrine of the Kingdom with such fluidity, such power, and such boldness, I fall in love with every one of his talks.  He talked about envy.  It was extremely applicable to real life (just like Uchdorfs that you liked mom.)  Then he called the Priesthood of the church out.  Step up! he said. 

Hales was another 3*. They crave the joy their service brings.  I relate with that so much as a missionary.  He talked about the sacrament and about the temple recommend. 

Baxters talk, aimed at single parents, and specifically mothers, was INcredible!  Although it didn’t super apply to me, there was one new member that it was perfect for.  A**.  It was her first general conference.  She was baptized 2 weeks ago in Cnetro.  She is a single mother.  After conference I talked with her and she said that she was crying during all of the talks!  But when Baxter started talking the flood gates were open and she said she the enseñanza le llegò.  So cool to hear that!  I heard members and missionaries alike, and my mom, say the same thing.  That talk, that sentence, was just for me.  GC is amazing.  Those men and women are inspired of God.

I loved Elder Cooks talk.  He also talked about refrain from judging others and he talked about the music of faith, and not being tone deaf.  It was him that said praying with your children may be the best thing you can do for them.  Then he spoke to me.  Do not become discouraged!

I went in with the argentines to listen to Elder Scotts talk.  He translates his own talks in spanish.  It was so tender to listen to it!   There is not a man alive who loves his wife more that Elder Scott.  Again, he spoke of Jenene.  Everybody in this church should know her name.  What a couple.  Not a conference has passed while I've been on the mission where he hasn't mentioned his wife Jenene. 

Then the missionary chiro was amazing!  When they closed the session with Praise to the Man, they sang to my heart.  I FELT the spirit of God. 

The Priesthood session.  I think after these last priesthood sessions we should all have dyc 121 half way memorized.

Bednar dropped some good cane on us.  We bear Gods priesthood, do we act like it?  Does our bishop and EQP has to beg us to do our home teaching.  I loved it.  Another solid 3.  O and did you not love his pinstripe suit! 

Richard Edgely changed my life, he said approach less actives when visiting them as actives!  I have tried that before, but after him explaining it and telling that story.. . .I understand so much better now.

Ochoa gave a great talk, and Uchtdorf and Eyring and the Profet too.  I don’t have to much time to keep commenting on all of them.  But I loved Eyrings on the Sealing power and his 3 suggestions/commandments.

President Monson said some amazing things too.  I left that session with the ganas to magnify my priesthood better.  Understand it better, understand the why of the priesthood. 

The Sunday morning session (for us it actually started in the afternoon) was great.  That fist talk by Uchtdorf was felt by all.  Stop it!  Yesterday we found 2 investigators in the vea shopping.  They watched this session and both commented on the first talk.  He told us that he uses that frase on his wife alot, and we all laughed. 

Nelson gave a great sermon too, wow. the human body. The profet gave a wonderful talk about the plan of salvation and I think it was the turning point in the conversion of F**. 

Now the Sunday afternoon session I didn’t take to many notes.  Let me tell you why.  We had many a people committed, attend this final session. 

F** came.  It was her 3rd session attended, and she came with her converso reciente boyfrined.  She loved it and I talked with them for a bit.  She is doing good, the Gospel is changing her life.  She is finding the truth.

M** came.  She is awesome, and has attended conference before. We have never had a formal lesson wither her before. But she is bien involucrada en el asunto.  I loved talking with her just before the start.

N** went too.  We eat an asado with their family domingo por medio.  He loves the missionaries and supports the family and the church.  His second son is on a mission, his oldest son is EQ president, is wife is RS president, and his daughter is married in the temple.  The only thing he faults is to accept it and get in the water!  He’s been to many conferences etc.  Many missionaries have worked with him.  I had a wonderful 1 minute conversation with him before conference started.  I told him to listen for the Holy Ghost. Please family, pray for him.  Pray that God will work a miracle in his heart, pray that he will accept the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

H** came!  He was my open the mouth 2 weeks ago.  He came to 2 sessions and loved it.  What a guy.

B**.  What a story he has, we taught him last week and he told us his story.  It’s unbelievable.  one of those stories of starting marijuana at 13 years old.  He’s 21 now.  I love him so much and last night we had an Awesome lesson with him.  After hearing Perry’s talk about the BOM he was so confused because he had no idea what it was.  So we taught him and his girlfriend about the BoM, so cool.  After that lesson last week with him, he pulled out his electric guitar and went to town.  He hooked it up to his amp and, dad you wouldhavelovedit.  He was so good!  He knew everything form eruption to sweet child of mine.  And many other old old classics that I didn’t know.

So B** shows up in front of the church with a cigarette in his hand. I was so excited to see him that I bound down the stairs and give him a hug.  I wait till he finishes the smoke, and then we enter.  He was scared the walls were going to fall in on top of him.  After some of the talks he needed a half time, so we went out in the hall and he got a drink of water.  He looked a little shaken up.  We talked a lot and it was amazing, don’t know how to better describe it.  We got in again.  It was just a miracle. B** and H** were on either side of me, listening to profets in these latte days.  It was a miracle to look out across all the true and faithful argentines.  I explained it so much better yesterday but it was amazing!

So 5 in church!  5 progressing investigators!  Awesome. 

Being with all the Elders and Hermanas of the zone during conference was great.  Becoming a leader.  I looked for the many opportunities to be a leader and to help and encourage and correct and lift and inspire.  just like Sister Esplin talked about.  I have won the trust of each missionary in my zone, I think, and it is wonderful to be a zone leader, have this opportunity to practice being a leader, and loving my missionaries.  I love them all, they are all amazing.  I am gaining their respect.

We are excited to go right now and give a distinct meeting.  We planned it this time!! and it is full of fun, laughter, inspiration, and American dulce!  Thanks for all the packages. They are being enjoyed!  McAlister a and Grandparents Skinners!  You better get better Grandpa, I’m praying for you!!

This week we went to Consejo and had interviews with President.  My interview totaled an hour and 15 minutes.  What feast I had this week. One of the many miracles of this church is a good and loving mission president.  Cook said it.  And it is so true. I continue to learn and be reminded of great things. 

While we were in the office pench I had amazing talks with Elder Moon, Elder Chistenson and Elder Allen.  And listened to EFY 2011.  O Yeah!

I got 2 april fools jokes pulled on me.  One of the assistance called giving me a golden reference 2 blocks form the pench, a family of 5, and then the sisters told me in conference that L** & B** watched the Saturday conference and wanted to get baptized.  I was so excited for both families!  Both turned out being april fools jokes. I got hosed.

I met John the baptist this week. The bible forgot to mention that he was a drunk. 

The day Amanda got home as much as I wanted to, it was impossible to keep that thought out of my mind.  I struggled with it for a couple days, but now it doesn’t bother me at all.  So that’s good.  

O family, all of the other cool and spiritual experiences I am having are recorded in my journal.

I’m doing good with My comp Elder Frost. We got along good.

ojo de la fe.  We are putting the foundations of a granobra.  dyc64.33.  Im focusing on happiness and being happy!

Yesterday we went o zonda and hiked and had a chorizada!  It’s like an asado with sausage.  So dad, I got out and saw more or Argentina and it was beautiful.  

I love you all, know that yesterdays power outage email was way better than this one! 

Elder Ostler

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