USE YOUR STRENNNNNTH

Wowzers. That was a week! Wilson, I miss you too bud. When I read that you were missing me last night I just started crying. I don’t know why but I just did. Benson and Wilson you guys are awesome. I look up to you two a lot. The world needs strong young men and that is your duty. Be an example everyday to everyone and smile. I worked on that this week. Smiling. Everyday there is something that my comp does or says or doesn't say that causes me to make a decision to how I will react. Those decisions of reaction are internal and so real. I can let frustration and anger take over, or humble myself. I am still here with good old Elder P.

Every week I look back and see how much I have learned and become. Last weeks email was a bit loco because I was frustrated that day and the previous week was way hard, well every week is way hard. The first weeks. . . . .

So I did talk to the Zls and the president. He called me but I’ll get to that later. The zls talked to my comp . . . .it did make it better because at the beginning of the week he started to tell me what was gonna happen and stuff like if there were changes in the agenda he would tell me, but as the week went on. . . . . But it is all good!

Washing clothes this morning

So Monday. After I wrote the email and I was super frustrated, I felt a heavy burden on my back. Heaped up stress and feelings of why am I here, what am I doing, why do I have to be with Elder P? Just burdened with everything. We were at our house and getting ready to go out again but I needed to bañarme so I was walking outside to the bathroom and stopped to look up at the sky. The sun was setting to the right of me behind a mountain, but I couldn't see it. It made the clouds pink and purple and blue and I could see a couple stars and the moon. I rarely see the moon. But it was there and I just prayed while I stood there. I had tried to read the scriptures and pray before but I had felt no relief.

Right there I poured out my heart to my Father in Heaven and imagined Him somewhere out there watching over me. I imagined him as if he was nearby too. I felt that he exists really. That assurance of the spirit was almost palpable. I felt comfort and peace and joy and through the perfect harmonizing and tranquilizing atonement of Christ, I was able to feel peace once more. Our Father in Heaven exists. He is a real being. It was a cool experience. Read Alma 58 10-11. Like Right now jajaj....read it? Good.

I added that in my email last week but that scripture is so evident in my life. The context is that Heleman and his army are suffering super great afflictions and are waiting for assistance patiently with faith in hope in Christ for something better, and in affliction Christ will never leave us alone but like the scripture says, visit us with assurances. We are never alone. There is no way I would be here if not for Christ atoning great. The word atone means to reconcile to peace, or to bring back to harmony. Everyday my soul and mind and heart need bringing back to harmony. That is something I learned in my study this week. Pretty cool.

Anyways that night we had a sweet fhe at the church where we sent a missionary from the ward to the ccm. Super awesome kid. A convert with no family support. I gave him a tie. It was cool to see his example.

Tuesday were transfer calls and so I did not get changed. I wasn't expecting a change so that is all good. It was hard though because there was that little fire of hope. But here I am!

On Wednesday we were doing contacts and got a referral to a lady and her daughter from their neighbor who we just contacted. They brought out chairs and we sat down with them right outside their house. It was muddy and slightly raining. But we talked and got to know them and it was her birthday. I told her happy birthday and when someone tells you happy birthday you have to go give them a hug, but I can’t hug so I just put out my hand to shake and it was kind of awkward because she was like whooo, but that is all good. It was funny.

As we were teaching a little message, or my companion was teaching there was a church across the street that just started jamming to some praise the Lord music with a piano guitar and drums. Suuuppper looud. We were gonna close with a prayer and I started to pray and the music started up again really loud so I could barely hear myself pray. That is just how it is.

There are churches everywhere. Always a keyboard and shouting music and when these people pray it is crazy. I can’t explain it you would have to see it yourself! There are catholics, evangelicals and jws and mormons. Lots of catholics. Lots of catholics. Tons of catholics. Every city has a cathedral. Pretty cool.

On Thursday we had district meeting at the capilla here in castañoi and after we wanted pupusas so we went to pupusas but Elder Andrade, who is still with Elder Hallman, went to a different place that I have never been to before. This lady was old and she seemed kind of out of it. When we got the pupusas we started eating. My first one was okay not really good but it was whatever so I just kept eating the next one. But that was a mistake. That was the grossest thing I have tasted. I don’t know how to describe it. I got another pupusas, because I got 8, and tried another one but that one was also disgusting. It is like when you gag and can’t swallow because it tastes so bad. But I look at this pupusas and there is dog hair. I promise you it was dog hair inside of the beans. It was not a normal frijoles con queso pupusa.

I wrapped the other 6 up and took them home and threw them away. Shortly after my stomach wasn’t doing to hot. The lady first said that the pupusas were 25 cents each and when we paid at the end she told us they were actually 50 cents. She was trying to rake us. Totally. People will do that. We were nice dressed people and this lady clearly wasn’t 100 percent sane. I payed a dollar and 50 cents extra almost twice the price because she wasn’t backing down. Pretty crazy huhh? But whatever! jaja.

Friday night president called me! I wrote him the email and so he called me back! He talked to me how buy beat cinci 38 to 24! hah It was awesome. I talked to him about my comp and he gave me more advice and told me that I won’t be here for long or that I won’t be with him for long. I don’t remember. Now I understand and see that alot of the way my comp treats me and acts is just who he is. He sees his behavior as normal to him but to me it is the opposite of normal.

We had to wait out a huge rain storm. Read that paper..haha

Tons of rain this week. I do use a mosquito net. My bed is a twin. I have yet to fit on a bed and also under a shower. I wash my clothes every week by hand and my chair that I sit on has been broken like that forever. See pic. K fam I gotta go. I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Elder Ostler