Sister Ostler gets her visa!!

I GOT MY VISA!! I am flying to Brazil Monday morning! I am so excited but it is bitter sweet. I have really come to love California.

This week was a week of miracles, trials, disappointment, and odd stories. It was a crazy week

MIRACLE: We got 5 new investigators to agree to baptism this week!!! It was so exciting. 

DISAPPOINTMENT: None of them came to church and none are answering our phone calls. Kinda sucks that this is typical for a mission.

FUNNY STORY: One of our new investigators went toastake conference. I plead innocent because we got her from some elders and had only taught her once. Well at this conference there was an area 70. She got called on to say the prayer. She goes up and in broken broken english (this is an english ward and she speaks spanish. Lots of miscommunications) She says the prayer. then gets nervous and starts SINGING IN SPANISH DURING THE PRAYER. This was a meeting full of NEW CONVERTS TO THE CHURCH. We were not there but we got a call from our mission president that night. We have to re teach how to pray....

FUNNY STORY: We were knocking on doors and some lady opens the door and was really excited that we were missionaries. She had a question for us. She said she had the "gift of tongues" given to her when she was 13 and now randomly her, and I quote, "tongue will roll up like a taco and she will speak in a weird undiscovered language" THEN SHE GAVE US A DEMONSTRATION.  I have never seen something so terrifying yet equally so funny before!!!! hahaha we left her doorstep quickly there after.

Well thats all I got for ya this week! Next time I will be emailing in Brazil. I am so grateful for the people I have met here the things I have learned in California but I am so excited to go to Brazil. Just remember that "he lives to calm our troubled hearts" Look to him in every thought and action and he will direct thy paths. God speed my friends!! Eu amo voces muito! 

Hermana Ostler (for one more week)

.Sister Ostler

Sister Ostler has an interesting encounter with a squirell...

I hope you are all doing well. This week flew by!

Still no visa :(

I LITERALLY GOT ATTACKED BY A SQUIRREL. We were knocking doors and it just started running after us. I was so terrified. My comp wacked it with a BOM. it chased us 3 houses! I am now scared of squirrels

I also interrupted a drug deal to give them a pass along card. I didn't realize until I was right in the middle so I just kept going and gave them all a card. That was slightly terrifying

JK about emailing tuesday this week. Thats next week!!!

An investigator asked for my number on Friday. That was awkward. I don't think he quite understands what a missionary is haha

Miracle:

We found an investigator named Cuco who is soooooo ready and open!!! I am so excited to teach him more. 

I love you all!! Have a good week and God speed!

-- 

Sister Ostler

Sister Ostler has her two month mark in the field!

Long week!

 

I got a baptismal date!! Yay!! Elizabeth on March 11th. She is amazing and I love her so much. 

Still no visa. Bummer

Next week I will be emailing on tuesday! Thats when our P-day is so look out for the email!

I had my 2 month mark yesterday!!! we celebrated by taking shots of Gatorade and eating lime Popsicles. 

I was super sick this week. I couldn't hold food down and couldnt sleep. My DL came and gave me a blessing which helped a ton. But FUNNY STORY. When they anointed the oil the Elder poured the WHOLE THING ON MY HEAD ON ACCIDENT! everyone couldnt stop laughing. haha

I got a curse put on me by some crazy Armenian woman so that was fun.

Knocked into two naked people and an old man that wanted to do very inappropriate things to us and he yelled them as we ran away. super fun.

Also while knocking yesterday there was a band that was just curse words over and over again in one of the back yards so we got to listen to that for two hours! lol the joys of a mission. 

TENDER MERCY:

I taught a lesson in Portuguese!! We found a Brazilian and I got to practice! I have missed Portuguese. It was a blessing. 

Well until next tuesday!! Tchau!

Sister Ostler

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Sister Ostler

Hermana Ostlers First Week In the Field!

Ola! Or I guess I should say Hola.... because I am spanish speaking now.

This week has been a whirlwind. It has been one of the hardest weeks of my mission. I am in California now. My companions are great!

The language is soooo hard. I don't know what to do about it. In my language study every day I study Portuguese for an hour, because I don't know when I will be shipped off to Brazil. No news on the visa yet BTW. I don't understand one bit of Spanish. You would think that learning Portuguese would have helped me in my efforts with spanish but it just made it harder. I still, after a week, cant even put one sentence together in Spanish. I just sit quietly during lessons because I don't understand, and If I did, I wouldn't even know what to say back. God is definitley trying me right now, but I am trying to look for the reasons I am supposed to be here.

We knock doors for 2 hours a day. its about %50 English and Spanish so I can contribute a little bit there. We found an awesome investigator through knocking and it was great but we then had to give her to the English missionaries and that sucks. But I enjoy being able to teach the gospel those 2 hours. 

FUNNY STORY

We knocked doors and st up an appointment with an investigator  named Amber. She was kinda weird, but we went back the next day and taught her a lesson. SHES A NUDIST.  She was naked. So was her family. We got out of there real quick.

I had my first baptisms on Saturday. Even though I didn't understand what was going on the spirit was wonderful and I was happy that Ana and Jose were happy

My favorite time of the day is study time. It is great. I get to work on my Portuguese (I never realized how much I would miss it) and Just spend time growing closer to God.

I have another scheduled baptism on the 14th and I am very excited. We are also planning a wedding!!

I am always tired and always hungry somehow. The mission is not what I expected but I am learning to roll with the punches and "come what may and love it." That is my goal this week! To find the positive in every situation. 

I love and miss you all and can't wait to eventually get to Brasil!! Tchou

-- 

Sister Ostler

Hermana Ostler made it to California!!

I know I emailed yesterday!! But in California today is pday, but just this week. My normal pday will be mondays. I am in a trio!!! Again!!! haha but my trainers are super nice.

GUESS WHAT

I am now Hermana Ostler. I AM SPEAKING SPANISH. Without knowing any. This will be an adventure. Anyways I don't have a ton to say, Today has been really long and I am very tired. It was good talking to my parents at the airport. It is warm here and I have a car which is awesome. I miss you all! Tchau! I have got to go start learning some spanish!!

I will send pictures next week if I can!

Eu te amo!!!

-- 

Sister Ostler

Week Six! Sister Ostler is getting excited for California!

Ola! 

This week has been a long one. Elder Neil L Anderson came and spoke to us on Tuesday and that was way cool. We have heard from 3 members of the 12 Apostles, and that is way cool! Combined with David Archuletta, The Piano Guys, and BYU Mens chorus, it has been a lucky 6 weeks. 

My district all flew out to Brazil this morning, other than the few who didn't get visas. My companions left this morning. It was hard saying goodbye to my district last night. I have gotten super close to all of them.

Thats pretty much it for this week! Next time I email I will be in California! wish me luck!

 

Week Five! Sister Ostler gets a new call!

Wow. This week has been a crazy week!

On Sunday I broke my tooth. I have no idea how because I didn't eat anything hard but it happened. My back molar broke, like almost 1/4th of it. So I got a dentist appointment on Tuesday. WHICH WAS ACTUALLY WAY FUN! Just because I got to leave the MTC with my Companions. It was like a field trip. Everyone was super jealous. It was way weird seeing the outside world. Ill send pictures a little later today. After the dentist Dr Cook finished I went to the front desk and OH MY GOODNESS TENDER MERCY the dentist likes to help the missionaries and he fixed my tooth for FREE. I was so worried because it would have been super expensive for my parents but it was such a blessing, and I am sure my parents are grateful too!!

Everyone in my district has been sick, so that is no fun. Its kind of hilarious because they all come to me with medical question like how much medicine they can take... etc. Its funny to me and thankfully I haven't gotten sick again. 

My Mission presidents wife came yesterday! She is from Highland and her daughter is getting married so she came and visited!! It was so amazing to get to meet her and makes me so much more excited to got out in the field......

Which brings me to my next point...

I HAVE BEEN REASSIGNED TO SERVE IN THE CALIFORNIA SAN FERNANDO MISSION!!

It is just until my visa comes but I don't know how long that could be! Almost all of my district got their visas last Friday. It was really hard for me because everyone was so happy and I was being selfish and struggling with why I cant go to Brazil. I have had a couple days to think about it and I am still struggling but I need to put my trust in the Lord and everything will work itself out.

I am doing great and I hope you all are doing well too!!

Eu te amo!!

-- 

Sister Ostler