First, a message to Christian . . . PERU IS AMAZING!! My comp is from Peru and I am so excited for you!! You are going to be eating the best food in the world. Its super spicy, but amazing! My favorite so far is Pollado!! Oh it´s so so so good!! Also, Corazon is really good, but I haven't tired cuy (guinea pig) but my comp says its super good! Also, a member in the ward who we eat with who is from Peru says she is going to make me cow stomach. She says its super good, but my comp hates it!! We´ll see.
Second! I didn't get a package this week, but thank you so so so so much for sending me so much stuff!! Basically you are the best ever! The food here doesn't make me sick. The last package I got had skittles and tights, and dove chocolate. Sometimes the office elders don't get the mail sorted on time so it just sits in the office for a few weeks. But I will let you know when I get everything. Oh, have I told you that you are an amazing mother!!
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| This is my peruvian Aunt. I love love love her so much!! |
Now for my week. I´m going to start with a story. So on Tuesday, we started out the day with the determination to find new investigators. We were still a little disanimated from the week before, and everything that happened with P**, and just knocking so many doors. We decided to change the ways that we were doing contacts. Instead of saying something like "Hi, we´re missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ, and we share a message that the Church of Jesus Christ is nueva aqui in la earth, when can we share this message with you?" We started saying "Hi, we are servants of the Lord (or representatives of Jesus Christ) and he sent us here to talk to you (or, the message we are going to share will change your life). Do you believe in God? What importance does God have in your life? Can we enter your home and offer a prayer for your family?"
The first door we knocked on Tuesday, I said something like that, and we got a reference form that contact, then the second door we knocked, Hermana Leyve did the same thing and the mujer let us enter her house. Her name is M**, which means miracles, and she was a miracle for us. Turns out she is an old investigator that now wants to start being taught again because she has noticed a difference in her life, a lack of peace, and tranquilidad now that the missionaries aren't stopping my anymore. We put her with a fetcha in the first visit.
That visit set the mood for the rest of our week. Doors opened, and we enter houses. We taught the restored gospel. Seek and you shall find, Knock and it shall be opened. WE TORE IT UP THIS WEEK!! Miracles behind every door, on every street. It was just amazing!!
As for P** . . . well .. .. we passed by her house on Tuesday, prepared to reteach her the law of chastity, and basically be super frank and say that she was sinning. She was committing one of the most terrible sins in the sight of God and that someday she would have to report before him, and tell him that she knowing lived in sin. But, we got there, and started out the lesson with Mosiah 18: 10 and I asked her what impeded her from being baptized, we were prepared for her to say the law of chastity and that she still didn't want to get married. But she answered in these words "Nada Hermana. Ustedes saben que yo quiero bautizarme."
We paused. Not really sure how to continue. Then she went in and told us that she talked to the man she is living with, and that he said he has always wanted to marry her, and that she feels like marriage is the right thing!!! I have never felt so much joy in my life!!!! So she is still as gold as they come! Now, we just have to convince her to put aside the part for now and just get the marriage document so she can be baptized with her son on the 16th and right before transfers.
Thank you so so so much for praying for her and for fasting for her. I know that it helped. Her son is starting to have doubts and fears about his baptism, but this week in church, after he listened to all the testimonies of the youth, and how all the young men are planning on serving missions, he asked me if he could serve a mission!! Satan is working so so so hard on them right now, because they are amazing, and he does not want them on the Lords side. But, we have seen so many miracles in this work, and I know without a doubt that they will enter the waters of baptism, and I am praying so so so hard that it will be on June 16th with both Hermana Leyva and I.
The first door we knocked on Tuesday, I said something like that, and we got a reference form that contact, then the second door we knocked, Hermana Leyve did the same thing and the mujer let us enter her house. Her name is M**, which means miracles, and she was a miracle for us. Turns out she is an old investigator that now wants to start being taught again because she has noticed a difference in her life, a lack of peace, and tranquilidad now that the missionaries aren't stopping my anymore. We put her with a fetcha in the first visit.
That visit set the mood for the rest of our week. Doors opened, and we enter houses. We taught the restored gospel. Seek and you shall find, Knock and it shall be opened. WE TORE IT UP THIS WEEK!! Miracles behind every door, on every street. It was just amazing!!
As for P** . . . well .. .. we passed by her house on Tuesday, prepared to reteach her the law of chastity, and basically be super frank and say that she was sinning. She was committing one of the most terrible sins in the sight of God and that someday she would have to report before him, and tell him that she knowing lived in sin. But, we got there, and started out the lesson with Mosiah 18: 10 and I asked her what impeded her from being baptized, we were prepared for her to say the law of chastity and that she still didn't want to get married. But she answered in these words "Nada Hermana. Ustedes saben que yo quiero bautizarme."
We paused. Not really sure how to continue. Then she went in and told us that she talked to the man she is living with, and that he said he has always wanted to marry her, and that she feels like marriage is the right thing!!! I have never felt so much joy in my life!!!! So she is still as gold as they come! Now, we just have to convince her to put aside the part for now and just get the marriage document so she can be baptized with her son on the 16th and right before transfers.
Thank you so so so much for praying for her and for fasting for her. I know that it helped. Her son is starting to have doubts and fears about his baptism, but this week in church, after he listened to all the testimonies of the youth, and how all the young men are planning on serving missions, he asked me if he could serve a mission!! Satan is working so so so hard on them right now, because they are amazing, and he does not want them on the Lords side. But, we have seen so many miracles in this work, and I know without a doubt that they will enter the waters of baptism, and I am praying so so so hard that it will be on June 16th with both Hermana Leyva and I.
As far as transfers go, we are pretty sure that Hermana Leyva will be leaving:( Basically I am going to cry that day!! She is like my Peruvian sister. I feel like I have known her forever! And we are just such a great team. I´ve learned so so so much from her! Also, this week on Thursday we had interviews with President, and he told both of us that he is beyond impressed with the work we are doing, and that he has never had to missionaries as young in the field as us together. He said that usually missionaries slowly progress, but that Hermana Leyva and I have just shot up! He also asked a lot about how I would feel to lead a sector. I told him that my biggest obstacle was still Spanish, but that if I was called to do that, then I know the Lord would provide a way. He gave me some super advise that will help my Spanish.
This week I got two letters from AMY!! Basically you are the greatest ever and I loved the pictures!!
Here´s a funny experience for you. So this week, we visited N**, a Vajita who really doesn't remember anything. It was the first time we visited her, and she forgot that we had made an appointment with her the last week. But she invited us in and offered us tea and then coffee. We obviously denied both, but she was determined to feed us something. But the only thing she had was milk. So we accepted. But this wasn't regular milk, it was powdered milk. .. like the stuff you feed to your baby!! So we drank warm powdered milk with her, as she asked us the same questions over and over again because she could never remember the answers!! It was so so funny!
Now a spiritual experience. So Hermana Leyva´s old stake president was in Chile and he came to our ward yesterday with a suitcase full of stuff from Hermana Leyva´s mom. The member that we had lunch with yesterday invited him to have lunch with us too!
Afterwards we told him that we would walk him to the metro. On our way we passed the house of one of our investigators. An old lady that we visit because she is lonely, and we always sing a song with her and share a scripture. She is really a special woman. So sweet and so innocent. There is really a special spirit about her.
Well, we asked this member if he wanted to visit her with us. He said yes. So we passed by her house, and she invited us in. We shared a scripture about Gods love and how he will never forget her even if she feels lonely. Then she started telling us that her health right now isn't so good, and that she is always lonely. She told us she always leaves her door open so that anyone who passes by can enter and visit her if she wants. She told us that her door is always open for us, and she is so so so grateful for our visits.
We asked her if she wanted a blessing of health from the member, she accepted. We than explained a little about blessings and the authority of the church. After that, the member gave her a beautiful blessing, and she started to cry. Afterwards she said she had never heard anything so beautiful before. It was a super spiritual experience. I then testified of Gods love for her. I literally just opened my mouth and talked. I didn't have anything planned to say, and I talked I knew that I wasn't saying my words. Christ was talking through me to tell this beautiful old woman that he loves her, and that he will never ever ever forget her. Wow, I get goosebumps just remembering it.
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| This is the old stake president of Hermana Leyva and the family we ate with.
Hermano D* who is sitting next to his wife has terminal cancer and is amazing! The most amazing example of faith and trust in the Lord. I wish you could meet him. He never ever gets down even though he knows he is dying and is going to leave his beautiful family behind. He has a perfect hope for the future and a trust in the lord
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Well, we asked this member if he wanted to visit her with us. He said yes. So we passed by her house, and she invited us in. We shared a scripture about Gods love and how he will never forget her even if she feels lonely. Then she started telling us that her health right now isn't so good, and that she is always lonely. She told us she always leaves her door open so that anyone who passes by can enter and visit her if she wants. She told us that her door is always open for us, and she is so so so grateful for our visits.
We asked her if she wanted a blessing of health from the member, she accepted. We than explained a little about blessings and the authority of the church. After that, the member gave her a beautiful blessing, and she started to cry. Afterwards she said she had never heard anything so beautiful before. It was a super spiritual experience. I then testified of Gods love for her. I literally just opened my mouth and talked. I didn't have anything planned to say, and I talked I knew that I wasn't saying my words. Christ was talking through me to tell this beautiful old woman that he loves her, and that he will never ever ever forget her. Wow, I get goosebumps just remembering it.
Then, later that night we went over to visit Hermana M** who payed her tithing for the first time this week! She was so so so excited. One of her daughters asked if I would make brownies for them, and I started asking if they had certain ingredients and this is how she responded: "Hermana, we have an abundance in this house because I paid my tithing. Go into the kitchen and you will find everything you need." Wow, what faith!! It is so amazing to see her changing her life little by little, along with her daughters. They were inactive for about 6 years, and they just started coming back to church within the last year and now she and her husband are preparing to enter the temple!!
So I made the brownies and they were the best brownies I have ever made. Than we ate all of them!! It was just us girls, and it was so so so fun!! Of course we shared a scripture, and we taught them about patriarchal blessings, but it felt like a girls night!! Oh, and we planned the wedding of her daughter and Harrison. I told her she has two years to learn English. And she wants me to tell Harrison that she loves to cook, and clean, and that she will make delicious Peruvian food for him for the rest of his life, but that he is not aloud to get fat.
So, I´m not really sure why I was on your mind all week mom, cause really, I have been doing great!! Yeah, I still have hard times, and I pass through rough spots, but I´m great! On Thursday I was missing you a lot, cause I talked to Hermana Essig, and she is the closet thing I have to a mom out here. We talked about baking, and it was just so so so familiar to talk to someone in my language about something as simple as cutting back on the butter, or adding more flour so they cookies turn out right. But, we have to have the hard times or we never change.
This week I was thinking about how different I feel. I just feel stronger, closer to Christ, and happier, even when I'm passing through hard times. Everyone says that the mission changes you, and everyone comments about how different RMS are. They always say "Oh, the mission changed him." But I´m starting to realize the mission doesn't change you. You can serve a mission and come back the same person. Christ changes you.
Well, I love you all so so so much! Thanks for the prayers, and the letters and for being amazingly awesome!!
Con Amor,
Hermana Ostler
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