The righteous ones got left behind

Maui!!!!! wait a second!  Why haven´t I gotten my ticket yet!  Wait up for me!!!

I was actually talking with Elder Brown this week about Hawaii and how awesome it is.  Wow... I hope you guys have fun... probably one of my favorite places on earth... besides the amazon rainforest kkkakak  I can´t believe the Jefferson decided to stay back!  Tell him I sent him an email.

So yeah... two weeks.  The thing is I don´t have much time this week because we went to the hospital this morning to get my ingrown toe out só que they couldn´t do it.... they said I had to show up earlier to mark an appointment..  Brasilian healthcare makes zero sense... this is what they told me.... I went last Wednesday just to take it out really quick like last time... but this time they told me I had to come back on Monday (today) to mark an appointment,.  So I went this morning but after I waited in line from 8 to 11am they told me all the slots were filled for the day... so I guess I have to get there even earlier in order to mark an appt for the same day.....grrr.  It was frustrating but I didn´t get mad.  I just thought it was hilarious how complicated you can make a hospital...... so we lost a good chunk of our day...

The conference with Elder Aidukaitis was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On Monday like I said he taught us how to do weekly planning.  He said that when you are done with weekly planning your whole week should be filled!  Every single hour of the day should have a real plan and a back up plannnnn. We do it on Thursday so you have to have a full planner until the next Sunday... 11 days!!!  It was killer.  Elder A has a way of burning you with out being rude about it.  He speaks the truth.  He is now one of my favorite GAs.  Our planning usually takes about 3 hours.... this week... it took us 3 sessions of 3 hours each..... NINE HOURS OF PLANNING!!! But our week is full this week.  The way he explained it makes so much sense.  Amanda Jackson and Saydi... did you guys plan like that?  We used to just plan for our investigators but not actually mark when we were going to go see them.  On Tuesday with all the missionaries he talked alot about obedience.  It was so good!  He used so many examples from the scriptures to teach us it.  I will now be more obedient.

So everyone is going to be in Hawaii except me and Jefferson?.... Looks like the righteous ones got left behind;) kakakak but seriously

We had 2 amazing milagres acontecer essa semana!  It was on Thursday after our first session of planning....... we went to Ro*´s House.  He is 19 and has been investigating the church for 3 years... his girls friend is less active.  All the members know him. All the missionaries they come through here just try to baptize him. Mark a date for one week out.  We went there two week ago and marked a date for last Saturday (3 days ago).  We went there on Thursday and asked him what he thought about the baptism. (He knows it is all true and knows that baptism is essential... just scared).  He said that he had talked to his girlfriend and had decided that he wanted to be baptized this Saturday the 29th!!! Our jaws dropped! During our planning session we had planned by the spirit to remark his date for the 29... turns out the spirit was talking to him as well!!! It was amazing.

After that lesson we went over to our girl investigators, A* & K.  Their dad has been out of town for 3 weeks and isn´t supposed to be back for a couple more weeks.  The girls have 11 and 14 years, they love us and they are so cool... I think I sent a pic of them já.  So we go to their house and guess who is there........ Their Dad!!!!!   He came back early and was so excited to see us!  We just talked with him and he told us alot about his problems but how he wants to change 100 porcento now... and he means it.  And he went to church!! Irmão S (baller member) is his friend and Irmão S knows exactly what to do with him at church. Shows him around.. introduces him to everyone.. has him stand up on class..  It was the first time he went to church and it was blessed!!!

We marked his date for 6 of december....... could someone ask for a better Christmas present... NO!!!!  Please pray that he will have the desire to be baptized on this day and that he will be ready. He needs this more than anything right now in his life... the gospel.. but doesn´t everybody.  

So those were our two super miracle of the week this week.. very cool.  Seeing the Lord’s hand in the work.  

We also started an english class this week! We had like 10 people there but it will grow.  We taught greetings and numbers... it was great.  We don´t really know what we are doing but we are doing it.  We figured it would help us meet nonmembers and unite the ward somehow.   Hope it works.   We cleaned the house out good today.  We cleaned the fridge out and Elder Brown de-iced it with a machete.... we can do that because we are in the amozom.... only here though.... kkkakakak

So on Tuesday during our conference with Elder A guess who showed up!!!!!?!?!?!?! Elder Klumker!!!!!! What!!!  He served in NY for 14 months and now he is finally here!  I almost died of joy when I saw him.. he is still just as funny as ever.  The pick is of me elder klumker, elder malcolm and elder mount... REUNITED AGAIN!!!!  elder defranco and elder dominguez are already here but not at the conference. I just love that picture.

Well that is about it... I hope you guys have the funnest time ever in Hawaii... I want to get some pictures next week so be sure to take some!  Love all of you. And Saydi and Dad.... watch our for those turtles....They are deadly.kakakakak

Elder Ostler

I forgot to tell you this but when we got home from the hospital today after the failed attempt to get my ingrown toenail removed... we took things into our own hands..... Elder Brown used the dull pair of kindergarten scissors to ..... you know..... lets just say I only have 9 toes now..

Loving the mission

November 17, 2014

Hey so today is whacked up;  Elder Aduikatis is here today so we are having our zone leader conference today.  I´m doing great and loving the mission.  Elder Hammer came and stayed the night with us last night and will stay til Wednesday.  He is from outside of Manaus.  So now we got to high tail it over to the conference... might be able to email tonight might not, we´ll see....... but I love you guys still the same! And if I don´t get back to you.. Good luck this week Jefferson with tryouts!  Love you all!

Elder Ostler    

sweating my armpits off!

November 18, 2014

I´m back super quick just to print something out that I forgot yesterday..... read your email today.  Sounds like you guys are doing great and Jefferson and Wilson good luck tonight with your basketball tryouts and games.  Just pretend you are me.....Then you will rock everybody.  What you guys are going to Hawaii.  Sounds like a blast.  Jefferson.. that is a tough decision that you aren´t going.  but you will not regret that when you are the starting jumper for the RHS Varsity state winning, babe getting, basketball team. (I can´t type explanation points.) 

Our conference yesterday was baller and today we got another one. It was all about chapter 8 of PMG and it rocked.. I realized that my whole mission I´ve been planning wrong... well... everybody in the mission has.... 

I´m out of here but I love you all.. and thank you so much for the packages;;;;;;  You guys are the BEST.

Elder Ostler

On the Radio-UH-ouho

nosso distrito no templo................. Só Batiza!   

Família!

Lame email not!  Your emails are never lame... just hearing from you guys is awesome!  Just knowing how you guys are doing makes my day..  Jefferson, Benson, and Wilson, You 3 are straight up ballers!  Well literally wilson and jefferson.... benson is more of a drummer....

So happy mission eligible birthday Élder Ostler... I mean Jefferson?  Have you guys heard of any missionaries lately from the states getting called to Brasil?  It has been almost a year since any American has showed up here (besides the visa waiters) so I'm beginning to think that they just stopped calling Americans all together because of visa problems.  But it sounds like you had a great party chubbs....

So the high light of this week happened on Wednesday.  Last week we did a contact with a "pastor."  He wasn´t really a pastor he just told us about some visions that he had had when he has seen angles and what not.  He said he had a gospel radio station that he spoke on every night at 6 that covered a zona norte de manaus.  He invited us to give the word on it this week.  So on Wednesday we went to his "studio" which was just a house with some microphones in the back room.

He interviewed us a little bit on the radio, asked us about us where we are from if we like manaus?  How long we have been here?  Then he started asking about the church.  Who is the leader.  How it was founded.  If we had an links with the community and so on... it was really sweet!  WE WERE TALKING ON THE RADIO.   Then he gave us 10 mins to preach and guess what we preached? The restoration!  That is right!  It was really cool to be able to do that and make that experience.  I hope it at least touched one person that was listening.  We gave our phone number at the end if anyone wanted to come in contact with us. It was really sweet.  "On the radio -UH-ouho! On the radio-UH-ouho! On the radio-UH-ouho!"

Dad I really like what you said about how I can´t convert anybody but that it has to be the holy ghost!  I can create an environment for the HG to testify to them and for them to gain a testimony but it is between them and GOD as far as conversion comes.  We are still working with J* and her daughter and they came to church yesterday!! It was great!! they are really gaining testimonies of the truthfulness of the church! And the girls are doing well too.  I think I already mentioned them. A* & K* and their dad F*.  The two girls are praying to know if the LdM is true and if Joseph Smith was a prophet. I think they are slowly gaining a testimony.  F* is a little harder.  He has problems. . . . . 

Every time that I don´t want to work or slack off I think of you guys and how disappointed you would be if you know I wasn´t working hard. Thanks for being such an awesome family.  I love you all I hope you have a great week!

Love 

Elder Ostler

Chat with Elder Ostler: On Sunday the member we were eating lunch with didn´t want us to leave because it was pouring but we said we really had to go so she made us ponchos!!!

Mom: That's a sweet poncho. And no, we know of no one in the states being called to brazil. The missionary mom email group I'm on for your mission hasn't had any new moms for I'd say 8 months. Looks like you were one of the last Americans called to brazil.

A crazy roller coaster

Família!!!!

Wow that dance looked awesome and I’m 100% sure that it was awesome.  Loved it all... so cool.  Was there any uproar from the school this year or the school kids?  Mowing is done Finally which is pretty cool:)  stress levels all down..... well at least for the next 14 days kaakakakaka.  I got the box and thank you sooooo much!! I got it on Halloween day (I got my first box on the mission last year on Halloween day too:)  and I loved it.  No I don´t need shoes or socks I’m good on everything.  While Elder Brown was eating some friutsnacks he looked at me and said "send your mom a hug from me."  It was hilarious.... american sweets..... yum.   And the only time it ever feels cold is when it rains..... other than that.... never. 

The week...... was a roller coaster. We started off so well then just plummeted.  We did a division with 2 members of the ward on Tuesday.  It was great.  Right now we are teaching mainly 3 families.  F* and his 2 daughters, J* and her husband, they need to get married to be baptized.  And Al* & E* who are a young couple who need to get married.  The division was great and we made great progress with all of the families.... the thing is none have been to church yet except the daughters of F*.  So Elder Brown had the great idea to give church tours!!! He said he did it all the time in the states and it worked.  So our first one was with Al* & E*.  Irmaõ S (our baller member) and his wife were there.  We showed them the sacramental, talked about the priesthood, the bishop,  and ended up in the baptismal font room......  we talked about the necessity of baptism and then we started in on a marriage talk and how they needed to be married in order to be baptized.  They had argued the day before but S explained how that's normal in marriage.  (He is a BALLER member!)

The spirit became SO strong, a calmness filled the air.  We asked them what they were feeling.  Al* explained just that.  He said it was a peace that everything would be alright in the future, esperança.  We told him that was the HG testifying to him that this was Gods only true church on the earth.  It was an amazing lesson.  The spirit was thick in that room.  We "marked" their marriage for the first week in December as a goal (marriage papers take about 3 weeks to do here) they accepted!  Walking home that night me and Elder Brown were in awe at the spirit that was there.

We tried to take F* on a tour but he left town...:(he will get baptized.. I think it might take awhile though... still hasen´t gone to church.  Then we took J* and her daughter on a church tour.  The church tour was great.  The spirit was strong but not as strong as the other night with Al* & E* but he was still there.  Her husband will probably stay and get married instead of ditching.   The bummer of the church tours is that none of them went to CHURCH ON SUNDAY!!!  F* was out of town, J* was helping her mom and Al* & E*..........

So we passed by their house on Saturday night to confirm their visit in the church the next day.  He said that he would not be about to go..... we could tell he was hiding something.  Then he just said it... "ok I will be honest with you guys... I found another church.  I went to this other church yesterday and just felt so good.  I felt God there.  I even cried.  So I´m not going to be going to your church anymore.  I have another one."  

My heart sank....

I was so sad.  He had had a spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of the church.  He also said that he believed that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.  And then he went to another church and felt "good" and that is good enough for him to deny the witness that he received. I was so sad for him, he didn´t know what he just turned down.  People turn us down all the time but after an experience like that with the spirit.... that is hard to deny. 

I don´t know what is happening here in this area.  We get people so close to baptism or even going to church and then they just stop progressing.  I feel like God is trying to teach me something and I still haven´t learned it.  I´m also trying to be much more humble.  Pride is one of my big faults.

So that was the week.. a crazy roller coaster.  We are working hard.  Sure we mess up sometimes that is natural as humans as long as we get back up afterwards. We had a hard time getting up at 630 this week... it sucks when you don´t wake up at 630.. I just feel guilty and you waste so much time.  

But I´m doing fine.  I trust in God that all of my trials are for my good:) have a great week! Love you all

Elder Ostler

Chat with Elder Ostler:  You there?

Mom: As always!!! Did you ever get the package? Any birthday box requests?

Elder Ostler: Yeah I got the box! See big email.  And for the birthday box.....pictures of you guys.......the spring break video jefferson made.

I got Jefferson's letter too.  I´m so happy he is enjoying basketball and even more happy that he is taking AP lit with porter.... that was one of my regrets... he is the best teacher at RHS... hands down.   and AP physics as well....

k well I´m out of here.  You guys don´t know how much I love you... sooo much!! Seeing all of those pictures made me so happy to see you guys happy!  Eternal Families... there is nothing else like it:)