Hola Familia:
WOW so much zooming through my little brain.
AMANDA TRAINING! wowowowowow. That is SO SO cool, I can´t wait to read her email.
About leaving you hanging, it’s only a vague memory now, so in 13 months we will have to talk about it, because I wrote in my journal real good that inte. Nite.
YOU GOT MY LETTER, O yeah. You got to say the ‘O yeah' with the Hinojosa accent though. O yeah. My faith in the Argentine mail sistema has been slightly restored. That makes me SO HAPPY. :) I guess I can still write some more letters.
Harrison, that is so cool you went on a sweet date with Kelci this week. Keep it up kid. Just enjoy life man, you got A LOT on your plate now. . . . . SO EAT FAST! And pretty much none of the food you’re eating is ascero. It’s all good. Please enjoy your amazing life, and WRITE IN A JOURNAL!!! Please o please do that.
And Jefferson. So the middle school years come to an end. At least I think your still in 8th grade? I thought of you a lot these last 2 days and your absolute willingness and love to serve. To serve us, your family. To just do all the little jobs you so willingly do. Me and Harrison might have taken advantage of you a time or 2 . . . laughing, right Harrison?, but really Jefferson, I love you. And I learned from your example these last 2 days as I was the one doing the little jobs of service, you could say. GO JEFFERSON. Read in the Book of Mormon. It should be your best friend. Set goals for reading in it and cumplir! And then Celebrar!
Saydi! How’s the life of a semi-retired college student! Mom’s cooking again, Mom’s laundry, O just the LIFE! Live it up Saydi, branch out and do different things. Make some new friends. And have some fun!
Benson, b b b Benny and the jets. Grow up good unto the Lord, make sure you read some books. Have Dad give your smart little 10-year-old? mind a good learning book to read.
Wilma, what is up my little hermanita . . I mean my big growing up fast brother! Hey, are you behaving yourself? Did you practice your piano today? If you didn´t, go do it, right now! That way when your serving in Justo Daract a few years down the road and are asked to play ‘Carry On’ for a closing himno, you can do it! Yeah, I almost failed on that, and only was rocking the right hand. I hate falling apart at the piano. Practice makes perfect baby!
Mom and Dad, I love reading your inspired words each week. What time do you all go to church these days, because I want you to be able to go to all of church this week and then drive home, (or walk as we do here) for the sacred mothers day call. Hey, I’m pretty sure the mission is going to send us a mothers day email, tomorrow, and that we will all receive permiso to hop into a ciber to verify the phone call. Because the mission forgot it was mothers day the 8th. I guess Sister Lindahl thought it was the 15th! But just in case, here’s the number 265. . . . . . . .
Can you repeat that back to me?
Sure - 265. . . . . . and. .
Ok so for sure we will hop into a ciber like Thursday or something to solidify the times. Nice word! Solidify. But we are thinking that between 3:30 and 7 we will be on the phones with the family, Wetzel and I. Something like that. And if mine and Amanda’s times don´t overlap, it is ok I guess. I don´t really know what you all want. What I don´t want is to be on there during her whole time. She at least needs 30 minutes alone with the fam... but maybe I’m just crazy. And those are Mendoza times. Whatever happens I am so fine with. I’m excited, but haven't thought demasiado about the call.
Alright, the week.
We got a ton of rain! A cold and muddy week! Three solid days without the sun, it was a bummer. Muddy streets, muddy shoes, muddy pants. And working mas o menos.
To tell you the truth, I didn´t work like I should have this week. I’m not trying to rip myself apart, but really that’s the truth. Pretty much, Wetzel will follow me wherever I go, so this week I just need to set the example and lead out, not relying on him to help me leave the pench on time. I don´t know what happened this week. It’s not like I was sleeping in or anything, it is more that I didn´t knock on all the open doors, and talk to a ton of people on the streets. And things of that nature. And so the work was way slow this week.
We did have one great lesson, kind of, with Gorge Avila and he committed to come to church. But nope. Pretty much everyone we tried to commit put on the disclaimer, ‘but if its still raining, I prolly won’t come.’ And that’s just life here. They got to walk to church, or get there on there bici, and many don´t have the faith to do it on a sunny day, so imagine how much harder it is on a rainy cold day. But a lot of members came! And by that I mean we had 12 people total. No one out of the ordinary came. But those members are like you guys, Rock Solid. They are more and more becoming family! And I could send you a foto or something, but this computer just doesn´t like America and won’t let me. UH.. maybe I can hotwire you one when we visit the ciber again.
Hey, but I’m in way good spirits right now. A change of plans was had and zone conference was moved to Monday, or yesterday. SO, that is why I didn´t email and that is why amazing p day is today. Monday morning at 4:30 we boarded a nice semi cama bus for 5 hours to Mendoza. For some reason it was so cold and I didn´t sleep fantastic, but I did have a great seat with all the leg room, because I was on the top deck in the very front row. What was in front of me was just a huge glass window! So that was sweet, but would have been way sweeter if the Argentines could figure out how not to let all the wind through. Anyway, we showed up and the oficinas and zone conference commenced.
And it was AMAZING! The best ever, ever ever. I was fed and filled from the mouth of Gods chosen and inspired servants here in Mendoza! And we watched the sweetest farming video clip with the sickest beat! All I can say is WOW, so much learned. Presidente Lindahl is an Incredible Man of God. And I am so blessed to be under his inspiration. I got to talk alone with him for about 3 minutes and o boy, you all just have no clue. Not the slightest. The whole thing was a spectacular event and I left spiritually strengthened.
The bus ride home I rigged a seat next to HINOJOSA. And o my gosh. He goes home in 20 days. And o my gosh, we ignored as best we could the movie playing and talked. He told me things that he has never told another soul. We talked all of his mission, all of his experiences, we opened the Book of Mormon and read together. And he is just hammered. And I don´t use that word to la palabra de sabiduria, I’m talking about he is just tired. He is physically spent. His body cannot keep up with his spirit. He has worked himself to the very bone. He gave it all he had. He cumpliried with the Lord. And it was an amazing 2 hours and 50 minutes we spent together. WOW. A thing indescribable.
He got off the bus at San Luis, and we chugged on another 80 kilometers to Villa Mercedes where we got off and had a cold walk home, LOADED with packages!! Or at least I was. No one gets a thing compared to what I get. And pretty much, no one gets a thing.
Then what happened was Wetzel and I were in a cookie because we didn´t plan on a p day here in Villa Mercedes today. So we had no p day necessities. So we decided to hop on the earliest bus to Justo, gather our things, and come back to continue p day. We slept in the zls pench for almost 2 hours last night, and then walked frozen 15ish minutes to the terminal, just in time for our bus. But what we didn´t remember was that today is a feriado! A holiday! When everything runs on a different schedule! So we had to sit in the terminal, freezing, for 2 hours, waiting for the earliest bus to Justo. We originally planned on the 5:15 bus. It was weird to get in my bed at 8 am. And we slept an hour and a half b4 heading back here for a great p day.
Even though I’m way sleep deprived, my body just completely denies it. It’s great. And this morning we had a revenge match, latinos vs greengos, in fútbol. And guess what . . . they got HOSED! We wasted them again. It was so great. But at the end we felt bad for them because they weren’t happy. I mean obviously, a bunch of greengos roasted them at their own sport. Then we did compras (shopping) and then came to the pench and cooked a huge pot of spaghetti. It was great, and we used some great spaghetti powder I received in those packages. It was fun cooking, us 4 greengos.
Now we are going to go back to the pench and play some settlers. It’s a real fun game with them. And I did some great compras, got some great stuff to eat this week. It’s fun cooking with Wetzel in the pench. He’s just great. A couple days ago we made some sugar cookies, and that’s the only time we messed up. They were just like pancakes! With a ton of sugar. They weren´t so hot, but for algún razon, (some reason) I loved the batter. And just downed it.
I’m excited for this week in Justo. I’m in charge and I am going to work like I know how to. Work whether I like it or not. Work whether it’s raining or not. And somebody will come to church. I know the Lord can bring someone to church. It is Him that gives the increase.
No you don´t need to print Amanda’s emails. I print them here and boom. Done. Wow, Italy. What a miracle. She is going to explode Rensselaer! I tell everyone about her. Just our little Amanda in Chicago... color my world.
Life in the mission is just so unique. You really never know what is going to happen - ever. Like last night in the Mendoza terminal as I was opening the mouth, . . first of all the night life in that terminal rocks. I love it. Just so much movement, which is so good to live in compared to the slow tranquilo in Justo . . . anyway, I was loving sharing the gospel with those Mendocinos and actually a few people were stopping to listen to me, even 2 guys that completely waved me off at fist, listened to me. Anyway, at one point my comp was in line to pull out money, and I was about 20 feet away just talking to people. And at this one point I was right next to a group of 4 hermanas that were going to San Luis on the same bus as us. I just finished an open the mouth and looked over at the hermanas as a crazy old Argentine walks up to one of them. He gets right in this hermanas face and just starts going crazy, raising his voice and just saying cual quier cosa. Within 2 seconds I step right in between the hermana and the crazy guy and she slipped away. The old guy didn´t talk to me for long and just went stamping off.
It’s not like I’m a hero or anything please, but I’m just trying to show you that life is always so fresh. And you never now who will let you in their home, or what kind of phone call will be coming from president (or from the United States)!
So yes, I got a ton of letters, haven’t read a singel one, and a package from Sweet Saydi, 2 from Mom, and 1 real birthday package. I’ve looked through most of the stuff and O YEAH! Fast break!
Ok, I love you all
Elder Ostler
