The Lord helped us find a family on a street I have now knocked 3 times

So I was using the new shoes you sent me, but they still aren't broken in and they were killing my feet.
So I took them off and walked home barefoot!  It was great!

Querido Familia,

It was a tough week here in Vivaceta.  Well, the problems with the ward are all cleared up. So thats good.  But Hna Peralta has been sick.

You see, on Tuesday I had intercambios con la Hermana leader, which happens to be Hermana Ibarra.  She was in the MTC with me, so it was great being with her again.  Also, being in her sector reminded me a little of Lampa, except the people are more receptive . . . jajaja. But while I was there we taught a family who is working on getting married so that they can be baptized.  I loved teaching them and seeing their desire to follow Christ and put aside the things of the world to be baptized and eventually become an eternal familia.  That experience fueled the fire in me to find a family in my own sector.  So I came back to vivaceta with cualquier ganas to work hard and to find the family in our sector hidden between all the grandmas . . jajaja.  But, when I got back, Hermana Peralta already wasn’t feeling well, and we spent Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the house.  Well, we left at like 7 to work.  Being in the house all day with nothing to do made me restless.  I just had hours to think, and sometimes I would get discourage, and when Hermana P was finally feeling better near the end of the day, I didn’t have ganas to work anymore.

Friday in the tarde when we left to work, we only had 55 contacts for the week, and the mission norm is 140 for the week.  We usually reach that norm, and I have always found that doing contacts improves my animo.  Well, we only had three days to do over half of our contacts, and I didn’t know how it was possible.  While we were walking down the street, I asked God to lead us to the street that we needed to knock doors to, not only do contacts, but to find people to teach.  While we were walking, Hna Peralta asked me where we were going, and I said "I don’t know."  We walked for about 10 minutes until we crossed a street that I have knocked before (Well, I’ve basically knocked every door in vivaceta already).  I stopped and looked down the street.  I looked at the houses and remembered that I had already talked to many of the people who lived in that street.  But I felt that this was were the Lord wanted us to work that day.  So I told Hermana Peralta that we were going to knock doors there.  Well, we didn’t find anyone to teach that day, but every single door we knocked, minus 2, opened up, and we were able to do quality contacts in one hour.  We also received many referrals from the people we contacted, and set appointments to go back and visit some of these contacts.

On Saturday, Hermana Peralta was still feeling bad, but she also hates staying in the house, so we went out to work.  We went back to that street to contact the referrals that we had received, and we contacted most of them.  Most of our appointments fell through that day, so we decided to knock the other side of that street, since we were already there.  Just as we had finished contacting a man who doesn’t believe in God, we moved on to the next house where a car had just pulled up.  In the past when I have talked to people who are just arriving home, they usually get upset, and say they are tired, and that they would rather not talk to us right then.  But, I felt that I should talk to this family.

First the dad got out of the car and I said "hola, como esta?"  The rest of the family followed him out of the car, and the mom asked us where we were from.  We quickly discovered that this family knew something about the mormons, just by the way they were treating us. Then the mom said that her oldest son of 20 years, was a mormon, and that they used to go to the mormon church.  Hna Peralta asked if we could share a message with them.  To my great surprise they said yes, and we went into their house.  Basically five years ago they assisted the mormon church, but they couldn't get baptized because they aren't married and they couldn't get married because they are both still married to other people.  So only their son, who at the time had 15 years, got baptized.  Their other son at the time only had 5 years, but now he has ten.  They stopped going to church basically because they moved and didn’t know anyone in the new ward.  We shared a short message with them about the family, and invited them to come to church the next day.  The dad couldn’t because he had another commitment, but the mom said she would . . . and she came!!!  That has never happened to me in my mission.  Find someone on Saturday and they come to church on Sunday.

When she was in church she said it brought back so many memories, and that she wanted her family to be in a place like that.  She said that she knows it is the key to their happiness. She is now divorced from her previous husband, but her husband is still married to his previous wife, but she told us that she is going to start working on finding a good abogado!

I don’t know if they will get baptized while I am in vivaceta, because divorce in Chile is a process, but I know they will be baptized.  This is the most special family I have met on my mission.  They look like members, and the dad has the face of a leader.

So, the Lord helped us find a family on a street that I have now knocked 3 times.  Wow . . . I still can’t wrap my mind around it.

So that was my week.  It seemed to drag on forever just because we spent so much time in the house.  When we are in the house so much I don’t feel the spirit.  The only way to feel the spirit in the mission is to work.  The more you work the more you have the spirit, and the more you have the spirit the happier you are.

Es* is doing great.  I love visiting her and her mom, they are so special.  She loves the story of the book of mormon.  This week we taught her and her mom the word of wisdom and stole their tea and coffee.  So now we have tea and coffee in our house, its kinda funny.

We taught Al* again, but he is pretty firm in his beliefs.  He said he would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it.  He really wants to follow God, I just hope that he is humble enough to listen when God is talking to him.

Ja* also came to church this week.  She has been slowly progressing, and this week passed through a few challenges in her life.  This week she told us that she feels ready to be baptized, her only fear is that she won’t be able to dejar a fumar.  But I know she can and she will if she truly has faith in Christ.

The bishop is finally back in town.  He was gone for 2 week on vacation with his family.  I love the bishop of this ward and their family.  Honestly, they are my favorite family in Chile.  I don’t know why . . but they are just amazing!

My district right now is mostly gringos . . thats a first for me.  Hermana Peralta and I are the only sisters, and I always bake something for the elders.  They love it . .jajaja. My district leader is from Canada, and he is way sweet.  He gave me a recipe for carrot cake because he wanted to eat it. jajaja.  So I made it and it turned out way good.  The Elders always plan a district activity and always invite us to come, then they remember that we can’t . .jajaja. The elders and sisters in this mission can’t do anything together.  It’s kinda lame.  But, Hermana Peralta and I are planning an activity with the other two sisters in our zone for next pday . . or maybe its the next.

I think we are going to go to the doctor tomorrow so that we can find out what is wrong with Hermana Peralta.  Also, my knees hurt a lot, and Hermana Essig looked at them and said that I have varisus in one knee.  That problem that old people get when their blood doesn't circulate so well.  So we are going to see what the doctor says about that, also.

Sorry this email was a little boring.  I'll try to come up with something better for next week. Oh, about the Peruvian family, they are doing okay, actually we have lunch with them on Saturday so we will be eating delicious Peruvian food!  YAY!

Bueno, I love you all, and I hope that you have a wonderful week, 

con amor,

Hermana Ostler

There was a special transfer in the mission.  Hermana Peralta and I are now in NEW YORK!!
We have special permision to go see Wicked tonight!  JAJAJA