THIS IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON THE EARTH

Família

That is great to here that Cosmo is doing well and that Jefferson is owning it on the court, with a bloody nose.  What a shiner:)  That is good to hear that you are practicing your piano Jefferson... do it!   You two other boys get on it.

So I forgot my paper where I had written on it everything I wanted to tell you but I think I will be able to remember.  First of all we are not in Candeias today.  This morning we cleaned our house and left for Porto Velho to spend pday with our DL, Elder H and his comp Elder B.  We were going to play bball but we got here to late.  It takes 2hrs to travel 20km...  buses.

Anyways, we got here and had a churrasco...a brasilian bbq.  We went to the market and bought some meat then went back to the house and built a little grill out of some bricks and the grill from the oven.  We salted the meat and cooked and boy was it good:)  Elder O was the only brasilian so he took charge.  It was sweet seeing him in action.

Anyways about this week.   We didn´t work a ton due to my comps health problem.  He has been in contact with Sister Klein and the mission doctor.  On Wednesday night Sister Klein told us to take a break from work because he needed to stop walking and rest.  So we did nothing on Thursday. Well we actually passed the day at Irmã Deusa´s house and made cake.  It was good.   And on Friday we went to Porto Velho to see a doctor and that night, Sister Klein told us again not to work... but he should be getting better now.  The doc just prescribed some meds. So that was our week. Don´t really remember much else.

So on Saturday we fasted that we would have investigators in church the next day. We haven't had any of our investigators come to church since I´ve been here, despite us passing by their houses Sunday morning.  They all have some excuse; so this was our fast. Sunday morning we passed by the investigators houses and nothing.  No one came with us. :(  But walking to church, I wasn´t sad.  I still knew that God would answer.

We walk into church and there is a man sitting in the pulpit.  At first I didn´t recognize him but then I realized who it was.  It was one of the less actives of the branch! He was baptized about 20 years ago.  We went to his house my first week here and he didn´t seem like he was going to return to church.  But two weeks later he is, sitting in church.  It was so great.  God didn´t bless us with investigators in church, He blessed us with PEOPLE!  He also brought his brother who was also baptized 20 years ago.  It was great.

All of the testimonies were great.  I think in every testimony the people of the branch bore testimony of the truthfulness of the church and that it is the only true church on the earth!  I love to tell that to the people we teach but Elder O says I need to do it less because he says it scares people away.  Maybe I´m wrong but I think it is good to say it because it is TRUE!! We aren´t just one of those churches who preachers about Jesus and paying tithing.  THIS IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON THE EARTH!  So I´m going to tell people that. God answers prayers, not always in the way you expected though.

We did service at Presidente Mariano´s house again this week.  We helped put up a roof on the posts we put in the ground last week.  So because we helped him we had a churrasco at his house on Saturday!  That´s right.  2 CHURRASCOS, 1 SEMANA!  It was super great.

This is me and Presidente Mariano.  He is a one of kind Branch President.  Just amazing.  He is so happy and fun loving and ALWAYS SMILING!  He is awesome.  He is a convert of 6 years and converted so he could marry his wife who is a RM.

This Sunday I played the piano in sacrament meeting.  Well I played the opening hymn.  Our chorister isn´t the most musically knowledged person and she likes to take EVERY song at about a pace of 55 and bout an octave to low.  Pres Mariano said I could play the first hymn and he would see if I could play the rest because I guess the last time an elder played it was a train wreck. I played mais perto quero estar.  I was doing great until a little kid came up and pushed on the piano.  My hymnbook fell onto the keys and I was in a fluster.  I tried to put the hymn book back up (this is the middle of the second verse) but it wouldn´t stay up.  So the little kid grabbed it and held it for the rest of the song.  I thought is was pretty good... despite it being s  u  p  e  r     s  l  o  w.  But when the next hymn was about to start Pres looked at me and shook his head.  So I didn´t get to play the rest :(  I´ll talk to him this week.

So about the Família O.  We have tried marking with them but on the day of the commitment we call and they say they are in porto velho.  We stopped by this week and scheduled for Friday but then couldn´t go because of my comps health.  We passed by to pick them up for church but one of the boys was sick!  But we are going to pass by I think tomorrow.  We have it scheduled with them.  I hope it happens!!  So since that amazing lesson, we haven´t taught them.  So I´ll keep you posted.

Mom, it didn´t hit me till I left the lan house last week that you are a GRANDMA!!!! What!?!?!?!?!   UMA AVÔ.  I don´t know what the kiddos can call you but you got a little while to choose before Cosmo can talk kakaka   Nany, Grammie, Gandma, Nan, Grandmother, Grandmadre, Grandmoth, G-Ma, Grandmmmy, Grama..... pick.  I personally like G-Ma.  It goes with your style:)

Dad, who are your 5 priests... let´s see, Jeffro, Jacob, Tobin, that´s all I can remember.

So what I eat.  Rice and Feijão.....yeah that is the staple.  But the rice here is soooo good.  Elder H made rice today for the churrasco and I could have just eaten the rice it was that good.  In Rondônia they have tererê alot.  Every time we go to Irmã Deusa´s or Pres Mariano's house we have tererê.  It is so good.  Really good. The meat is either chicken of beef.  They use pressures cookers here a lot.  Like everyday.  Sometimes we help Irmã Deusa make lunch so I´m learning a lot and how to cook brasilian style.

So that was my week.  Jefferson, I hope you are OWNING it on the bball court.  I wish I could just watch one of your games to watch you dunk.... oh wait, that´s me.  I can´t believe you are going to play varsity!!!!  I love the picture of you and your lips.

How is Chris doing as a dad?  Just curious:}

All is well here in Brasil. I definitely have hard days where I feel like I do no good walking the streets of Candeias but it is always made up by a great day.  I hope you guys are all doing well!   Love you all!

Elder Ostler

PS mosquitoes like white people

PPS it is super HOT  (and humid)