Preparing to submit to the Lord's will

Família,

Wow, what  a week.  Me and Elder Pothier are just so awesome.  I love that guy so much and will miss him.... so yes, I got transferred: I already miss him a ton. We just had the same vision on how we did things. It was great while it lasted but now I'm onto a new chapter of the mission.

So on Sunday I had my last supper with..... can you guess..... The Camargos!!  It was great.  I would send you a funny picture we took there but the computer won´t let me.  They have kids that live in Mesa..... where Elder Pothier lives.  They went there for Christmas and took some stuff from Elder P for his family.  His family also sent stuff with the Camargos when they returned.  Peanut butter, maple, candy, letters from all the cousins.  It was sweet!

So we were about to eat when the APs called.  They told me I would be going to Rondônia (state) to a little town called Candeias, it is right outside Porto Velho.  IT IS TINY!  I just came from Manaus which is huge and this place is not huge.  They told me I would be catching a plane that night!  So after lunch the Camargos drove us home  (Oh yeah... she made Potatoes and GRAVY!) and I packed all my stuff.  Then the Camargos came back and picked us up and took me to the Air Port.  Elder Pothier is staying in Adrianópolis and he took my spot as DL and he is TRAINING!!!!   He was so shocked when the APs told him.  He is freaking out right now I´m sure of it.  He is staying with the ZLs till the arrivals arrive tomorrow.

So I took an hour flight last night with 9ish other missionaries.  It was sweet looking over Manaus at night.  I even located my area!  and the Temple!  We landed and went to the ZLs house in Porto Velho.  There were 14 Elders there!!  We all stayed there last night.  Some caught a bus this morning at 2 to go to an interior.  Others caught flights back to Manaus this morning.  We were up late.  I was talking to a missionary from the US.  He just done with a hard two transfers with a super disobedient comp.  He just needed to talk and tell someone so I sat there and listened.  It was good.

Then this morning a member came and picked us up and we drove 30 mins to our area, Candeias.   My comp is Elder O......... don´t worry, it's a different one.   He was 4 months on the mission so I´m senior comp.  His last comp here was lazy.  He had one more transfer left and was just lazy.  Elder O said they worked for like 2 hours a day.... maybe.  All his comp wanted to do was stay at home and sleep.  So he is ready to work! And he is a rule keeper!  One thing that a sister missionary told me was that all of the rule breaking missionaries are going home.  They are all at the end of their missions and I´m glad.

So ALL LAST WEEK I was praying so hard to stay with Elder P in Adrianópolis.  All week.  We both wanted to stay so bad.  But I was preparing to submit to the Lord´s will if I was to be transferred, which I was.  When I found out I was being transferred, I wasn´t scared or sad.   I was excited!  Of course I would have loved to stay but I was so excited.  That was God answering my prayers.  He might not of answered them in the way that I wanted but He still answered them.

So all yesterday I wasn´t upset or anything that I was getting transferred.  Now it is a little different.  I just need to get used to the change.  This place is very different, very.  It is a branch.  Elder O told me that there are 5 members of the elders quorum... us, president of the ramo, president of the quorum, and the secratario do ramo.    So we have our work cut out for us.  There are so few members here that can give lunch that we just have the days scheduled with the members.  Like Tuesday is member A.  Wednesday is member B.  Thursday and Friday are member C, and so forth.  I´m excited but I would much rather have stayed in Adrianópolis with Elder Pothier.  We just rocked!  And mom you can say you miss me.  I miss you guys like a ton, more now that I´m in a strange land.  I don´t know many details about the area or really how big it is but I will be able to tell more next week. Elder O is from São Paulo so I´m back to 0 English.  I´m excited though because I think now will be the time that I really become fluent and am able to understand and talk.

So last week the sisters of Manaú baptized a family,,,, part member family.  The mom was a member and the dad and two son´s weren´t.  We walked to their area which takes 40 mins and then walked to there peoples house which took another 40 mins.  We had lunch and after wards I did the 3 interviews.  The dad is a rockstar and is so ready.  One son was good to go but the other doesn't believe in God.  I think that is a thing here with the youth.  They say they don´t believe in God.  I don´t know why, but they do.

I had no idea what to do when he said that.  I just followed the spirit.  I told him the story of king lamoni´s father.  He prayed and asked if God was real right there.  I told him to keep praying every day and ask God if he is real.  The next day the sisters took this family to the temple grounds.  They marked the date for the sealing in exactly one year.  So cool.  The baptisms were that night.  I interviewed the boy who doesn´t believe in God again and he said he was beginning to believe in God. He said he felt the spirit at the temple and wants to be baptized!  So all 3 of them were baptized that night!  So cool.

So I´ve been wearing that step thing this week.  My top is 21000 steps.  I´m usually around 14-18,000 which is ton!  When I wore my fit bit last winter I would get like 6000- 10000 a day and when I played in a bball game I would get like 16000.  We walk about 8-11 miles a day.

So that day that we walked to do the interviews of that family... we were fasting and we walked so far!  We broke our fast at their house eating lunch.  When elder p and I left and walked back to our area we were starving again.  We bought a pineapple, salgados, and pão doce.  It was super good.  I like the pineapple here way more than I do in the states but elder p likes it better in the states.  Pão doce is one of mine and Elder Potheir´s staples.  We buy it at least 4 times a week.  Sooooo goooood!   Usually for breakfast.

Thanks for sending that package to me:)  Seriously, thank you.  Thank you for all of your prays.  Thanks for being the best family in the world.  Thanks for the pictures Jackson.   That looks pretty fun.  I love all of you and I´m sure you are going to have a ton of questions for me next week..... well actually right when you read this:) kakakakakak.

Love you!  

Tudo Bem

Elder Ostler

PS Amanda.

How is that........... BABY doing?!?!

What baby?

The baby......panda at the zoo..... I hear they are trying to have one.......