Dear Family:
Elder Ostler reporting from Villa Mercedes Argentina. And this keyboard I am typing on is like cutting butter. IT IS SO NICE! Brand new. Right off the assembly line. Haven’t had this in forever. Usually the keyboards are like 2 pieces of cardboard that somehow communicate the thoughts from my hands and heart to your little screen. But this one is money!
I had a wonderful week. It was great. Sure with its hardships and hours of despair. But all in all - YEAH: exito and felicidad. That’s uhh success and happiness. For the p day today, first, Elder Wetzel and I (and bytheway, John he’s from ID falls. And I’ll pass the info you need la semana que viene. I’ll send some good stuff home.) correred the city looking for recuerdo shops. We finally found a sweet one. And it was so fun, just in there with the store owner Cristina, buying recuerdos for almost an hour. I couldn´t pass up this campera, sweater gaucho style. SO SWEET. That’s the 340 peso withdrawal today. And I took out 300 pesos in cash Saturday, just to have - fyi. I got the notica about the numero. Thanks, but so far no problems. Then we bought meat, I bought some great cuts, and we had an asado! It was fantastic. I’m aways so hungry p day because it’s not like my food source is in Mercedes, it’s in Justo, and at the end of the week you're out anyway. So it was good to have that salty carne in my mouth.
Then we played an intense partido of fútbol. Intense. My team lost but we had a good rally led by me at the end. We split latins and gringos. And we played at a local field, fenced in, in some random neighborhood. And it was really cool because all the locals came and watched us. So Fun! But we played with a full belly of meat. Wow, that killed us. But that’s where the real men rise to the top. With a belly full of meat and coca!
Hey family I love you all so much.
And then after that we had district meeting. And I gave it. Alright, lets go to the notecard . . .
CARLOS CAME TO CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You just have no idea. The alegría (joy) and complete felicidad (happiness) I felt as he walked through those chapel doors as the sacrament was being passed. WOW. We had one lesson with him, after helping him burn weeds for a solid 45 minutes, just like dad always did, and then we taught him. I love teaching him. And he solidly committed to coming to church. And he came. As I sat there at the piano and watched him walk in, a feeling I have almost never felt before came over me. I have been waiting over 2 months for someone to come to church here in Justo, and yesterday, it happened. Carlos came to church. And loved it. He is the Cappo!
I love Carlos so much. And just hope and pray he can keep progress in this gospel!
Lets Go Carlos!
Yesterday I decided to read my patriarchal blessing. And it lifted me. Even though I was on cloud nine because Hermano Carlos came to church, there still are challenges and many trails in my life. And President eluded to me when he actually personally wrote to me this week. . . . he’s a great man, and said I may get a LATIN! The will of God will be done. But as I read, I was lifted up, above all the problems and trials, and given an eternal perspective. It helped me see above the trail of Justo and just realize all I’m doing. All I am. All I am designed to become. It was a great moment.
The work with inactives continues. We had 4 very distinct lessons or different lessons with inactives this week. I will mention 2. One humbled me so much. It was Hermano Nereo. I had talked with him before. . . but in this lesson we just messed up. We went in there, lost the spirit fast, and just made him repel any good feeling he was having. After that lesson I truly desired that all the rocks of the rocky mountains be piled on top of me. We just asked him every question in the book about why he was not coming to church. We, as misioneros, just think sometimes that we have the spirit and can speak whatever we want. But no. We too have limits. The inactives are under the direction of the branch president, and what we did was wrong. It was to the point that he just felt so bad and repelled the spirit... I have repented.
The other one was also very interesting, but we learned from the above example, and improved. But this second guy, the before mentioned Hermano Vega, we could get him excommunicated. A pesar de trying to teach pure doctrine and invite him back to church, we found that he drinks wine, smokes, AND blesses the sacrament every Sunday in his house. And for this reason sees no reason to go to church. O boy, the crazy mission experiences. Wish I could expound. We were in shock. You just can’t do that. Playing with sacred things is not allowed.
I feel like many blessings I receive I don’t deserve, and that they are in fact prayed to me by you. I really feel that way and wish I could expound. But just the little things the Lord blesses me with, I don’t deserve. You pray them to me. So thank you. And keep it up! Keep firing those prayers my way! And I’ll do the same. I have been praying for you all more frequently. I know that the Lord is blessing us so much. Just un monton (alot).
I had a good pday study about being a leader, and really filling my position mejor. And it helped, because the district meeting I gave with the Spirit today, was way better than la semansa pasada. Ahh Leadership. I love all the leadership scrips in the scripts.
The work in Justo goes well. I feel like Casey did when he sent the email about his first area Rauch and how the people just are a little different. Most people just aren't all there. A few frayed cables as Casey said. And many screws missing in many cases. So you just can’t start from ‘God is our loving Heavenly Father’ and end with ‘Pray to know the Book Of Mormon is true.’ It is a lot more difícil. So that’s how Justo goes. A different brand of people. We did find 6 news this week.
Please pray for me on this one thing. I am in charge of a skit for a primary stake activity for the 28th. I was not to happy about the extra responsibility, but I’ve prayed about it, am looking at it as an opportunity and a blessing, and hopefully I can pull it off. Just like all those sweet dates we used to effortlessly do . . right?, Casey, and Braden and Jeffrey? Planing prom hours before it started. . . O the good days.
A crazy new this week was Ernesto. O where did my time go? Just a great guy, wants to stop smoking, he’s missing many a screw. A classic lesson on sillas (chairs) outside the casa with sheep and ducks grazing just feet away.
It’s all good with Elder Wetzel. He just follows me around everywhere, opens the mouth when I open the mouth etc. It’s good, but he’s so ready to board that plane! ONE week baby. And this week I will expect to be in the pench a tad more. Packing, carta de mayordomía he has to write, etc. Hey, a great time to study this language which I should know so much better by now!
Hot water has officially been restored to the pench, although the calefón (water heater) is melting, so they are limited hot water showers we are taking!
Amy, great letter, actually great letters you always always always send me. Thank you so much. One of the missionaries in my last pench, Elder Owens, said ‘I feel like I practically know your aunt, she writes you so often.' I love you Amy. Siga adelante, con fe, and the Lord will bless you so much. You are His Special Daughter. Keep Cody in line too!
There have been 2 things on my mind lately: tennis and Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches and wheat bread. I have pretended my funda is a tennis racquet many times this week. And can almost taste the pbj with moms casero jam. O BOY.
The face is improving, the feet are fine, the body is in good condition. Needing some more pushups and pull-ups, that’s all. Too bad my athletic trainer Benjamin Wallace Ostler isn´t here. Ahh bummer.
I read some of Braden’s letters this week... what a kid. What an elder. I just can´t believe the incredibleness that bleeds through his letters. So much faith. And such a hard worker. I love reading them, and they help me so much. Vive México! aye aye aye andele andele.
Well Family, I love you. Smile, you are a member of the only true and living church sobre la faz de la tierra. What a blessing. What a blessing we don´t even dar cuenta of. Working here you just see how WRONG, FALSE, and DRUCHO are the otras iglesias (other churches). We have the TRUTH, so we Must, we are under obligation with God to share it with All... With every creature. That’s something I focused on this week. compartir con todos.
Harrison, I loved the lacrosse that dad told me about. Some advice: MOW THOSE LAWNS.
Saydi, you ever thought of finding a boyfriend in the Tri-cities? Read chapter 9 in predicad mi evangelio for some ayuda! sike!
Amanda, just with all her international comps and frogs. O she is amazing. Love that country girl.. my comp loves Taylor Swift so once we had a couple minutes trying to remember the tswizzle songs. Mostly a failure.
Well, I best be off. I am doing divisions with Elder Yasan, a new elder from Peru, with SO MUCH ANIMO! He is so so great. And I’m psyched. I will get to work in hipolito yrigoyen. The area I was born in 10 months ago. I’m psyched! And I get to do 2 entravistas bautismaleds because we are baptizing 2 in the district/zone this week. We are one zone and one district. So I am basically the zone leader of Villa Mercedes, because I do all the work, expect verificar with the assistants, and get the cane dropped. We always joke about that. This zone is real great.
Alright, I really should say bye, even though I wish I could type and type all day.
Elder Ostler
