Sup? So, to answer your questions . . . actually I will just answer them in the course of the email.
But, the first item of business is that you need to get into my facebook and accept L* as my friend!! Everyday we go over to her house she says "Hermana, su familia todavia no me aceptaron en facebook!" And, Harrison also needs to enter his facebook and accept her as a friend and then send her a message because she is set on marrying him! jajaja, its really a funny situation. Note: She doesn't speak English, so brush up your Spanish skills, Harrison.
So this week was just weird. Yes, we were super busy, but with weird stuff. It all started on Monday night. We finished up our study, and had our backpacks on getting ready to leave for the night to work when a knock sounds on the door. Odd. I looked through the peep hole, and saw a white shirt and black name tag. Hmmm . . . what is an Elder doing at our apartment?
Well, I opened the door and it was Elder Waldren and Elder Chase, two of the couple missionaries assigned to work in housing. They had with them bed frames and mattresses. I was super confused. But they started asking us how many beds we needed and if we had enough blankets for the new sisters. New sisters? We told them we had no idea what they were talking about. Well, apparently 5 new sisters had arrived in the mission and there was some emergency changes happening and two sisters were coming to live in our apartment for the rest of the change. So, we spent the rest of the night reorganizing our apartment to accommodated for the two new sisters. They arrived Tuesday morning, two sisters from our district, and it was been weird having them in our apartment. But, the emergency changes just reminded Hermana Leyva and I that nothing is secure in the mission, and that real changes are just around the corner.
So that was the first weird thing. The second is that on Tuesday we had to go to the East mission to go to a clinic, because Hermana Leyva had a doctors appointment for her knees. Well, we took a bus, and we basically passed through most of Santiago. Wow, Santiago is huge!!! It took about an hour to get there, and the clinic is like straight out of the USA. It was super weird to be out of our sector and in the "real world". The East mission is super different than here. The people are richer and are all on their IPhone, in their nice cars, with there brand name clothes. While we waited to be seen by the doctor, Hermana Leyva and I talked about how we forgot what if felt like to have a real life, and to actually worry about yourself instead of who you are going to visit, or how you are going to get your investigator to read the book of Mormon. It was like, for a few hours we stepped out of the mission and saw how much our focus had changed.
After the appointment, we had to eat, obviously, so we walked around looking for a place to eat. Guess what we found? AppleBees!!
We couldn't resist, so we got AppleBees to go, then got back on the bus and back to our sheltered, focused life. Back to where we knew what to do, where to go. Back where we had a purpose. If I am this accustomed to the mission in only 4 months, I am going to be a freak show when I get home. Sorry, I apologize in advance.
The bus ride home took extra long because of the traffic, and when we finally got home it was too late to drop our stuff off at the apartment then go back to our sector to work, so we took our AppleBees into our room and ate delicious American food on our beds as we talked about boys . . . jajaja.
Also, on the bus ride home, Hermana Leyva almost convinced me to finish my mission a transfer early with her and go to BYU Provo. We made a plan to ask president to put us back together for our last transfer on one of the islands, then we will leave the mission together and first go to Peru, then I would go back to USA, find an apartment at BYU where she will join me after a month and the national language of our apartment would be Spanish. Also, we will catch up on all the Spanish soap operas that we see bits and pieces of, and watch Thor once a month . . . at least. Good plan, but I don't know if I can give up BYU Hawaii, but she hasn't given up trying to convince me.
Oh, and on Wednesday I got PackageSSSS . . . like four!! We could barely bring them all back to the apartment. The shoes are great! They help so so much! Plus, all the baking stuff just made me so so happy . . like brown sugar and baking soda! Yeah! Also I got the pills and all the face stuff. Plus a package from Grammie filled with goodies!! Thanks so much! Basically, you are the best family ever!!
So, the week was difficult for the work, we didn't teach that much, and all the people we found last week were not to be found again. M** didn't come to church, neither P** or her son. He really doesn't have a testimony and we just can't convince him that this is true. He has got to want it. P** still wants to get baptized, but her wedding is going to take time. So its just disappointing that she won't get baptized with Hermana Leyva and I.
I thought a lot this week about being happy, and why it seems that I have one amazing week, and then the next week is mas o menos. How can one have an ongoing happiness even when things are hard? How can you fill your life with joy even when you have so many things to do, so many things to worry about? I started thinking about the happiest people in the world, and they aren't the people that have no responsibilities. They aren't the people that are sitting back in their feather stuffed chairs sipping lemonade.
One person that I thought about was President Monson. I'm sure his life is anything but responsibility free, but he is forever happy, always smiling. How? I realized that happiness comes when you let go of the things you can't control, when you live a simple life and only do what you can.
For example, lets say that you have to set the table for 9 people. This means that you need nine cups. So you go to the cupboard which containers 9 glass cups. You look at the cups, then you look at your hands. You know that you can carry 4 cups, maybe 5, without dropping them, but you need 9, and you don't want to have to come back. So what, as humans, do we usually do? We try to carry all the cups. But then the inevitable happens. You drop the cups, now you have a bigger problem than you started with, and no cups.
We can't do everything. There are some things that are just out of our control, and I think the people who accept that, and live each day, only doing what they can, are the people who find the most happiness. So what if you have to take two trips to bring the cups? Does it take more time? Yes, but it is more effective, and less stressful.
Life gives us responsibility, and sometimes we think that we have to complete the responsibility perfectly or we are failures. But we forget to be patient with ourselves, and we forget that most of the things we worry about do not have eternal consequences, and the things that do, God will help us. If it was of eternal consequence to put 9 cups on the table, and bring them all in one trip, than God would provide a way. He would send an extra set of hands to help us. I think that stress is a lack of trust that God will help you complete what you have been called to do.
There, I hope that made sense. Snap, I'm really losing the ability to speak English and express myself.
So, this is my last week with Hermana Leyva. Our district leader said he is pretty sure we are getting separated;( Worst day ever!! I just love Hermana Leyva so so so much! Has it been perfect? NO! We've had our differences, and our frustrations, but we work through them, and we just love each other more. I'm just happy that changes don't exist in marriage. Okay, 6 weeks is up, time to find a new husband . . . FOME! But, we've had a good run together.
Okay, now to respond to all unanswered questions;
1. I am not sure about the Salt Lake broadcast. I hope we get to watch it.
2. And I found that picture in an old ensign, but it's okay, I can live without it;(
3. I don't know any missionaries going home this next week, but I will probably be in the office this week for changes, so I will ask.
Basically you are all amazing. Sorry this email is kinda fome, I just don't really have much to say. It was a weird weird week. Also, I can't believe that Braden is engaged! But, don't worry about Brazil. They are about to receive the greatest missionary ever!! And Brennen comes home in less than a month!!! What? Didn't he just leave? Wow, I really can't believe that. I bet Jackie is so excited!
Okay, well, have an amazing summer. I am going to send pictures to make up for the lame email. If you want to say anything or ask anything, I will be here, loading pictures ;)
Love from Chile,
Hermana Ostler
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