Best day of my mission

Dear Familia.

Being a sister training leader is fun cause I get to do intercambios and meet lots of sisters.  This week I did an intercambio with Hermana Pereira from Brasil.  Her sector is Llay Llay 2, so I just went next door . . jajaja.  But is was so great to get to know her, and work in the other part of Llay Llay.  She reminds me so much of Hna Lima, and on top of that we taught a man who reminds me so much of Hno Luis!  I could have closed my eyes and been in Lampa.  Oh how I miss Lampa.

But Llay Llay is amazing!  It is the garden of Eden in the mission santiago norte.  A little pueblito hidden at the base of the Andes mountain range.  I love it!  Our sector is right on the side of the hill, and when we go up to the top we can see all of Llay Llay.  It never ceases to take my breath away.

We always find the weirdest signs.
This one says "Not a dog toilet"  As if dogs can read. 

About my companions.  Hna Arroyo is the other sister training leader, and Hna Carhuas is the third companion.  But she is not with us right now cause she had to go be the companion of a sister in a different sector while this sister waits for her real companion to get back from the island.  So it is just Hna Arroyo and I for a few more days.  But, I love them both.  They are both very different, and I know that we will have to work on having unity as we work in a trio.

Hna Arroyo's first name is Glenda . . . but when she says it, it sounds like she is saying Glinda . . like Glinda the Good from wicked.  Just imagine for three seconds that Glinda the Good is Peruvian . . . you have just imagined Hna Arroyo.  Now, to keep with the theme, imagine Elphaba as a Peruvian . . . you have just imagined Hna Carhuas.  So who does that make me?  Think about it . .. yep . . FIERO!!  Honestly, there is not a better comparison in the world that exists, cause these two girls fight over me like two jealous witches.  But, hey . .. I’m just dancing through life . . jaja.  No, but really, I love them both.

So Llay Llay is going to be a difficult sector to learn, cause the streets don’t have names and the houses don’t have numbers.  When we ask someone for their address, they usually say, over there on the next street, behind the store, the wooden house with a fence and a dog . .. yep . . . you just described about 38 different houses on that street, over their, behind the store.  So that's been fun.  But the people here are super amiable. Like when we do contacts on the streets, the people will actually stop and talk to you.  I only got yelled at one time this week, and only one door was slammed in my face!  Wow. RECORD!

On Wednesday night there was a branch activity that the missionaries organized.  What happened was that there was a missionary in this sector the last transfer who just finished her mission.  Her parents came to Chile to pick her up, but before she left, she organized this family home evening with the branch to say goodbye.  I was working as a translator for part of the night cause her mom doesn't speak english, and she was busy talking to all her friends.  But it was fun.  It was really cool to see all these people get together in honor of a missionary who had an impact in their lives, and it got me to thinking about all the people that I have met in my mission.  Its incredible.  We come on the mission to change lives, but in the process, our life is changed the most.  Also, seeing sister cottle with her parents got me so excited for when you two come down here and meet all my friends!  Woot woot!  It’s going to be a party.

Yesterday was like the best day of my mission.  We had two recent converts "Escort" us all day!  Ex* and Da* who were both baptized last month are already preparing for their missions, and yesterday they accompanied us all day!  It was so fun!  We couldn’t do divisions cause they are both boys, but we had a good time.  Ex* kept saying "don’t worry hermanas, we are here for back."  We taught a man named Enrique.  He came to church today. Both his kids are members, and his son is on a mission, but he has never been taught by missionaries.  But yesterday his daughter brought him to church, and then we visited him in the afternoon.  The best part of the lesson was when Da* explained the book of mormon and then bore his testimony about it.  It was so simple, but yet so powerful.  Da* is a sweet kid.  He changes his life for the gospel, and if he could, he would go on a mission tomorrow.  He wants to go so bad.  So, we are going to take him out with us every Sunday so that he doesn’t lose that missionary fire.

Ex* is a crack up!  Have you ever read Harry Potter?  Yeah, think about Ron Wesley. Now imagine Ron Wesley as a Chileno . . . you have just imagined Ex*.  Well, not exactly, cause he is more funny than Ron . . but its close.  Also Ex* wants to learn Japonese, when I told him that my dad speak Japonese, he freaked out!  So dad, you have got to brush up on your japonese so you can teach some to him.

So this sector is super different from vivaceta, but I love it!  I don’t know how long I will be here, but I would love love love to finish my mission here.  Wow, that’s so weird.  Finish my mission.  The only down side of the sector is that our pench isn’t so great.  I have spider bits all over my right foot, but I found and killed the spider.  Also this morning I killed another giant spider that was definitely thinking about eating us.  But hey, we are rarely in the pench, so I think I will be fine.

So there is the highlight of my week, cause if I tried to write you all the details, I would be here all day . . truth! I love you all!  Have a great day.

Con amor,

Hna Ostler

Ps.  English is really hard to speak.  No joke.  I am dying right now, I just can’t remember how to say stuff.