Me and Elder G were giving it all we had!

Família!

Wow I loved that email, it sounds like you guys had a great week. Jefferson emailed me and told me all about the camp too.

So you watched the Manaus game!  Sweet!  I´m about a long way away from the stadium.  By bus a little less than an hour, car... 20 to 30 mins.  And if they showed an above shot of the stadium, then you definitely saw the mission office.  It is 2 blocks away.

So this week was good.  In order to understand this next part I need to explain something.  In my district it is me and Elder Galvan with one other companionship.  On Monday the ZLs called me and said that the other companionship (or ward) would be receiving two new elders.  One ward with 4 elders, 2 companionships.  They arrived on Tuesday morning.  It was weird because transfers are in a week.  But you will never guess who one of the missionaries is?!? Elder O! The one I was with in Candeias!  I don´t know if I told you but he went home after the surgery and was home for 3 months and now he just came back!  I was so happy to see him and he was happy to see me.  He is telling everybody how good my brownies and pancakes are.  I think I will make a big batch of brownies today and take them to zone training amanhã.   This picture is of our zone on Tuesday at the temple:)  I love that place:)  So now my district has 6 elders and it is great!

On Wednesday the power went out at 3 in the afternoon.  As we were walking home that night on a busy street we saw three guys pushing a car in the middle of the street.  So we ran out to help them.  One of them was drunk...shocker.  We helped them push.  It was out of gas and the station near their house was out of energy so they had to go to a different one.  We got to a hill.  We jumped in the bed (it was like a car and a truck mixed because it had a bed) and rode down the hill... we were booking!!  When we got to the bottom we got out and pushed again... this time, up hill.  There were 5 of us, one of them was drunk and the other two were doing very little.  Me and Elder G were giving it all we had!!  I was dripping in sweat.  But it was super fun.  We hit another downhill and coasted to the gas station.  Then they drove us home.. it was pretty fun.  We gave them our number and a restoration pamphlet.  The power was still out when we got home.  In the closing prayer of our planning session the lights flickered on.  Everybody in the streets started cheering:)   If the power wouldn´t have come back on that would have been one miserable night.  No AC and no fans.. hot hot humid and hot.

Thursday we watched Brasil and Croatia.  The other 4 elders came to our area and watched with us in the house of the Elders Q Pres. He is crazy!  and funny.  I will admit that that yellow card was trash but even with out the penalty kick Brasil still would have won 2-1.   They play Mexico tomorrow so we get to watch again!  woohoo!

This is what all of the streets here look like!!! Go BRASIL!!!!!
Oh I forgot to tell you!! We got liberaed to watch the jogos de Brasil!!!!!  I´m so excited!

Halftime of the Brasil game

Last week on Monday night we did a FHE with a family that is returning to activity and invited Is*, the one we baptized last week. It was good, we taught the lesson on agency and standing firm in these last days.  Brasilans love to talk and talk and talk so we lost control at some points but in the end it was good.  We are trying to work with Is* more.  We are also teaching his brother, he has two younger brothers.  But his dad, everytime we go there just ignores us.  He is from another church.

Yesterday we woke up and left at 7 to go get people for church.  We passed by 7 houses and got one person.  It was a little disappointing but we got one:)  

One thing that I´ve been having a hard time with this week is numbers.  Here we are expected to get high numbers.  On Wednesday when we passed that numbers to the ZLs they told us we needed to invite more people to be baptized and mark dates and find news.. sometimes stuff like that just gets me down.. it is partly because I´m still prideful and I think that I´m doing fine and then when somebody tells me I´m not.  I'm just trying to be more humble and not worry about our numbers too much.

Another thing I´m trying to do is make my WILL God´s will.  Sometimes as a missionary I have an internal battle between the mission and home. Let me explain.  I know that it is God´s will for me to be here and it is my will too but sometimes I still want to be home with you guys, but that is not God´s will.  It is this struggle between wanting to be home and wanting to be on the mission. I´m not saying I´m homesick or anything, (unlike you mom, hours go by with out me thinking about you guys:) sometimes a day:) but I always remember you guys in my prayers at night)  So I´m trying to make my will Gods will.  A perfect example of this is Mateus 26:39, one of my favorite Scriptures.  It´s when Jesus Prays to the Father and says that he doesn´t want to do the Atonement but that he WILL because he wanted to do the will of the Father and not his own will.

So last week I told you about getting my camera fixed... well it didn´t happen, the place didn´t have the right piece. So now I will just wait for that battery:)  Ilovebrasilmail...  and MY PICTURES ARE HERE!!! What happened is that the lady transferred the pictures to the computer but not the flash drive!!! When we went back she found them on the comp and put them on the flash drive and the memory card.  So now.... I have 2 copies of them.

So that was my week. Oh one more thing.  So Elder Galván mixes in a little spanish with his português like he says "voy" instead of "vou" and just little stuff like that.  It still gives to understand him but it is just that now I´m starting to do that!!  kakakakaka.  Every once in a while I will say a whole phrase in spanish.. I´m pretty good like that.  trilingual.  Well have a great week mowing lawns and riding 4 wheelers:)  Amo vocês

Elder Ostler

Brasil Campeão!!

Rumo ao Hexa!!!

We have a Heavenly Father

família!

What the Car!!!!  So did you get rid of the yukon?  How many seats does that thing have? Well I thought that school got out on Friday not on Tuesday, but I guess it got out on Friday for Jefferson.  That is so cool that he is doing a BYU ball camp. Who is mowing the lawns this week?

So I didn´t have time to go back to that place and look to see if the pictures are still there, just doing to much stuff:)  That is the life as a missionary:)  But I´ve realized that even if they aren´t there it is not that big of a deal, I sent home all of my favorite pictures already.

So lets start off with this week.   The highlight was Is*.  He is a 20 year old that is really cool.   Elder Galvan was already teaching him when I got here. This week we went back to teach him.  He knows the bible really well.. like really well, but his ideas are all from another church.   He believes in the arrebatamento (I have no idea how to say that in english) which is where all of the righteous people just disappear and go to heaven, that is their idea of the second coming.  Crazy stuff like that.

But we taught him every day this week.  The best lesson was Thursday night in the church.  We read 2nefi31 with him.  He loved it.  He especially love verse 14.  It really caught his attention.  After wards he was really feeling the spirit and said that he knew he needed to change his life and be baptized. It was a great lesson.

Every single lesson we had with him this week (everyday) he told us how he wanted to change his life.  In his old life he drank himself into a stupor every weekend.  He wants to change... and he did.   He was baptized on Saturday night and Elder Galván baptized him:)  It was his first baptism:)   They were both nervous as they walked down into the water.

After the baptism

The service was great.  Our newly called ward mission leader (my first one since January!!) had the idea to have a testimony meeting.  The spirit was really strong. We had 2 investigators there.  After the spirit was there, the WML asked them if they would continue to learn so that one day they could be baptized too.  They accepted.   At the baptismo was the 1 and 2 counselors in the stake presidency!!!! Talk about leader ship!!  They had just finished a meeting so they just hung around for the baptism. On Sunday Is* received the Holy Ghost and then after church we got a white shirt and pants from a sister in the ward and took it to his house.  I give him a tie, one that you sent me (THANK YOU)!

So B & A. Last week, somebody from another stake brought them to our ward.  They are in our boundaries so the person from the other stake brought them to our ward! Talk about member missionaries.  I´m not really sure how that all went down but he is an investigator now, and a great one.  They always have a ton a questions.  He says he just wants to get everything straight before he baptizes.  Like the lesson after we taught them the restoration he read joão 1:  I think verse 18 which says that nobody can see God.  We then had to explain how the bible or parts of the bible are wrong and that Joseph Smith translated those wrong parts.  It is going well.

So... the piano.   Before I start the story let me just say this..... JEFFERSON BENSON AND WILSON!!!!!! ATTENTION!!!!! PRACTICE YOUR PIANO!!!!!!

So I found out that our ward has a pianist, she just wasn´t playing because she has a wrist problem, but I talked to her this week and she said she would play this Sunday. Before this happened I played at the church and practice a little. I wrote down all of the songs I know and I came up with about 14 out of 201 hymns...... that is nothing. Anyways, after I talked with the pianist I just stopped worrying about it because she said she would play. Well on Saturday night the 1 counselor in the bispado me ligou and said that the pianist couldn´t play because she got her wisdom teeth out........ so I would now be playing.  He asked me which songs I knew. I told him.  Then he asked me about sacrament hymns... I know none..... so he just kept the one he already had.

I was to play 4 hymns, how firm a foundation (already know), a sacrament hymn that I don´t know the name to in english (never played in my life) I know that my redeemer lives (played a little bit before, hardly know) and God be with you till we meet again (already knew).  As you can see.... I needed to practice... but it was 9:30 Saturday night and church started the next day at 8:30!  So we woke up at 5:20 and went to the church so I could practice.  I practice the 2 I didn’t know alot.  I had the sacrament hymn down with the right hand and occasionally I would play the left.  On the I know that my redeemer lives, I had it down pretty good... kinda.. not really. (side note:  "I know that my redeemer lives" was the number the choir would be singing with me accompanying.......)  We left to go get our investigators then came back...

It was ward conference so all the the stake leadership was there....... like all.  Stake presidency and the 12 high council men.  And to top it off... the power was out!  No AC.  We opened all the windows, it was bearable but hot hot hot.  (when I was practicing in the morning I was dripping in sweat!!! I would flip my head to the side occasionally and sweat would go flying) 

Sacrament meeting was the last meeting.  The opening song was good (foundation). Then I did the sacrament hymn.  mais ou menos.  I messed up a ton but we still got though it.  Then came the choir............... OUCH!!!!!!! Not the choir, ME!!! I was so nervous.  We had never rehearsed together and that was the first time I´ve ever played I know my redeemer lives for people to sing!!!  I was shaking.  I just locked up.  I did really bad!  Boys, let this be a lesson to you.... PRACTICE THE PIANO so that you don´t have to go to the church at 6:30 in the morning to practice and then mess up in sacrament meeting.   I wish so bad that I could just open up the hymn book to any page and just let my fingers fly and play it perfectly.  But..... I didn’t practice enough when I was your age so now I can´t.  So that was the piano this week:)  fun stuff:)

So to answer some of your questions.... I get letters from you guys Amy and Grammy and Grandpa. Occasionally some one else like this week I got one from Wrendie.  Thanks Wrendie!!  And I email you guys, Jackson Amanda Saydi, Christian, James and the other bros.  Favorite food... that is a tough question.. seriously tough question.  I would say farofa.... it is amazing! I also love the lasanha here.  Here for the meat they use, ground beef, chicken, and or ham.  This week the best thing I ate was lasanha.  This lasanha was so good.  It was made with chicken and ham. Instead of noodles, there were pancakes!!!!! Not like sweet pancakes just pancakes!!! So amazingly good.  And they usually put ketchup in it too:)  kakak Ketchup, that stuff is good.

Something that I wouldn´t be able to get in the US... Açaí.. duh!  I think most everything else you can get in the US .... oh besides Guaraná (pop) and farinha.  And I don´t know what food I miss. I kind of forgot what we eat there.  I guess I miss peanut butter but I always get some from you guys which I love.  I miss.....  your breakfast sandwiches mom!!! Those are heavenly!

One thing that I love teaching people here is about Deus.  Everybody here thinks that the three are one and that he is everywhere and nowhere.  I love teaching them that we have a Heavenly Father who has a body just like us and that he loves us so much and that he has a son who is a totally different person who came to the earth to die for us.  Point number one, primeiro liçaõ.

I love you all so very much and I hope you make the best of your summer!!!  I was thinking this week that I have been living in summer for a year now.  kakak  one year of heat!!!!   Love you all and know that I´m doing well! Thanks for all you do for me!  The emails, letters, packages and prayers. I love you guys have a great week.

Elder Ostler

I'm the ward pianist

Família!

It sounds like a lot is happening with you guys.  That is so great!   I love you guys so much,,, I cannot believe that school ends in a week.   I remember back in Adrianopolis laying in bed on Friday nights and thinking about you guys and the Richland football games and now school is almost out! Seriously just so fast.  I got a book from Jefferson this week. 2 AWESOME letters. I love hearing bout your lifes. Jefferson you are a rockstar!  With mowing, to your dedication to bball and the electric uke.. I am so proud to call you my brother.  Brother you are rocking!!!  Keep it up.  Go listen to the song "best days of our lifes" it is a good one:) 

The highlight of this week was sexta-feira, we had a zone conference with all of the zones in manaus!  It was awesome.  President Kleins last conference.  They are SO SAD to be leaving.  I love them both, President Klein and Sister Klein.  It was definitely the best zone conf I’ve been too.  One of the best part is when Pres Klein asked us to say all of his lines.  You remember President Greer and how he had all of those lines.  Well I think every pres has their own lines because Pres Klein has some good ones:)  "Vai Elder!"  "Parabéns pelo batismo" kakaka it isn’t funny to you guys because you don´t know him but it is funny to me:)  It was so awesome.  At the end they did with us what they do with the missionaries that are going home.  We wrote down our goals for 1 year after the mission and Pres Klein will send them to us.  Sister Klein also gave us a cookbook with her recipes!!!    I´ll be whipping some of those up.  It was just a great day:) 

And Saturday marked one year from my graduation day:)  I cannot believe that I graduated a year ago.  That was like last month.  Also on Saturday we painted a muro which are the big walls that surround your house.  It was fun:)

Today we did a churrasco with the other elders in our district which was fun.  But it took us like an hour to get the stinking thing lit.  Just leave it to a brasilian, an argentine and two americans...…

Now there is some MEAT!! Our churrasco today

We FINALLY got a ward mission leader.  My whole time with Elder Walbrecht we didn´t have one. This ward just got one called.  His name is RD and is is in a wheelchair.  He served a mission.  He is already planning some big missionary activities, his goal is to split the ward.

We don´t have a pianist in this ward so last Sunday (one week ago) I knew one of the hymns that was to be played so I just went up in the middle of sacrament meeting and played it.   So yesterday when I walked into sacrament meeting the bishop and his counselors were motioning me to come up to the front to play the piano.  I guess people just assume if you can play one hymn you can play them all.  I played all the hymns.  But I only knew one.  The other two I just played the top hand and it wasn´t half bad..... BOYS< PRACTICE YOUR PIANO!  I wish I could just open up the hymn book and just play any hymn.  That would be sweet! So now I´m the ward pianist and boy do I need to practice.

At lunch on Sunday the daughters were arguing about who had to do the dishes
so I just got up and did them:)  It was pretty funny:)

So I´m not going to lie.  I´m pretty down because of the whole picture thing, I just hope it all works out.  Sorry that this email is pretty lame, I was trying to get the pictures up so it took up some of my time.

I love you guys so much!  My family is the best ever!   I love you guys so much!!!

Elder Ostler

Conversation with Elder Ostler

Elder Ostler: You there?

Mom: As always! What’s up?

Elder Ostler: So.... I took my full sd card and my flash drive to a computer place to transfer all the pictures onto the flashdrive.  I didn´t want to do it myself because I didn´t want to mess it up.  I just wanted to put all of the pictures on the flashdrive but also leave them on the sd card.  Well... they are no longer on the sd card and I can´t find them on the flash drive.  So all of my pictures might be gone.  I know you are thousands of miles away and can´t do anything but any suggestions.    And my email won´t be as long this week.... I´m not happy.... I JUST WANT MY PICTURES!!!

Mom: Oh no. That doesn't sound good. I would go back to that place and have them pull the pictures up for you. That's your only option. Or send them home with an elder flying to the US. That could be a bummer. Just keep your SD cards. As they fill up I'll send you more. That's what Saydi did.

And don't worry, you have companions who have pictures. So it will all work out. And they're probably there. Just can't see them on the computer. But don't use that SD card anymore. Leave it alone.

Elder Ostler: I’m just so stressed out about this. I will take it back to that place and see what I can do. 

Mom: It's out of your hands. Don't be stressed. It's okay. Just go back to the place.

This will make you happy. Check out this picture.

Elder Ostler: CUDE MAN!!!!! is he there right now?

Mom: Right now!!!! He'll be here for an hour. Just talking away! He flys home tomorrow.

Other than the SD card, are you doing okay?

Elder Ostler: Yeah I´m doing fine.  I am missing you guys a lot though during this fun time of the year:)  But other than that I´m doing fine.

Mom: Your email was awesome and wow dude, that's a lot of meat. I'm glad you're the pianist. Preach to these boys every week about practicing.

Cude just walked to the fridge and said 'can I have some juice?'

Elder Ostler: Yes you can have some juice!!!!!

We are going to give a FHE lesson tonight which we still haven´t prepared because the guy just called us and said that we are giving the lesson.   Good thing we study every day.

Mom: My advice, even if the guy says he can't see the pictures, don't use that SD card. American technology is amazing and they might be able to retrieve them. If you are ever around an American who is going home, give him the SD card and I'll get it from him when he gets home.  Seriously, it will be fine.

Elder Ostler: Well I think that they are on the flash drive I just can´t see them and there is nothing on the sd card but I can still give it to an American.  Love you guys.

Mom: We love you too. So does Cude!

Everyone and anyone can know it is true

Família!

So I was reading your email about the family reunion. I just thought everyone was skipping school but then I remembered that it is memorial day weekend, that is pretty sweet that you guys are having so much fun!! And Jefferson.... YOU ARE MASSIVE!! You have really put on some muscles dang son.   And mom you look great in that picture! 

So I got the second package!!!! And I got a package from grammie too!! Wow I am loved.  Two packages in one week! We had zone training and I got them both at that.... I get more mail than any other missionary in the mission, hands down!!!! Thank you so much for the packages, I love them so much!! and yes I think it would be a good idea to send the battery.... but isn´t that breaking the law?

So this week was a pretty regular week.. except last night.  Me and Elder G went to another area to do a baptismal interview for the missionaries there.  When we got there,,, the water wasn´t working... that happens alot where the water just turns off for x amount of time.  So we got some buckets and went out behind the church where there is this well.  There is a pump in the well that pumps the water out for the church.  For some reason, it wasn´t working,  so one of the YM got down in the well.

That is the YM down in the "well" getting water in the bucket.
Then I would pull it out and pour the water into another buck and the others
would hawl it over to the church window and dump it through to fill the font.

We tied a rope to a bucket and started haling up water.  Then we hauled it to the font to fill the font up.  I was in charge of pulling the bucket up. I got some gnarly blisters. It was pretty cool and fun:)  I hope I explained that well enough. Hopefully the pictures will help:)

I was the rope puller. We had a pretty good system.

So about the companion the argentino.  Brasil and argentina don´t like each other.  The members always joke around with him and stuff and he always says that argentina will win the world cup:) Like I said, he loves to joke around and it really makes life a lot funner when you are constantly laughing:)

I usually clean up after us but I don´t mind it, I´ve been doing it for most of the mission. When I first met him he told me that he has never had a bad day on the mission. He is always happy... except when he is tired.. then he just doesn´t talk.  But he is always happy.  One thing I love about him is that he has no fear to talk to people... no fear at all so we talk to a lot of people and it is helping me get rid of the fear I have to talk to people.

One thing that he doesn´t like to do is wake up.  But I usually am able to get him up at 7.  Well we woke up a few times last week at 6 to go running!  It was great! Hopefully we will do more of that this week:)

He is from northern argentina.  He has 2 older brothers (RMs) one is married, and one little brother.  4 boys.  All members.  He gets family support yes but I don´t think as much as me...... I don´t think anybody does...

The ward I´m in now is smaller than the branch I just came from......  there is about 120-100 people usually.  But again, about 400 members. I´m not really sure how many M priesthood holders there are.  There are about 20 youth.  In my other wards we would leave with the ym to go teach but here we leave more with the Young women to go teach... when we are going to teach women.  And some of the YW have crushes on Elder G... kakakaka

We have ward conference in 2 weeks and the bishop has a goal of 300 people at the conference.  We invite EVERYBODY! Our bishop has been bishop for 7 years so he should be getting released sometime soon.  He is also really old but a good bishop.  There are bishops here that hate baptism and don´t let the missionaries baptize while other bishops expect the missionaries to baptized every week.

In this ward we have a lunch calendar that we get at the beginning of the month that is already filled out.  We got Junes yesterday.  Then we just call the night before to confirm.  Everybody here asks us if we like fish.... I always say yes because I love the fish here.  There is this fish called tambaqui that is amazing! The fish here is a lot denser and super good:)  The members here are awesome and are always giving us food!  If we stop by anytime they will always feed us.  That is one of the reason I want to run is because we eat so much food!

Elder G has 2 main focuses when he teaches.  He loves to talk about family, like how the gospel blesses families and he loves to talk about prayer.  He ALWAYS invites EVERYONE to pray and ask God if what we teach is true, even if we just do like a 30 second street contact and give them a pamphlet.  It is great that he does that.  That is one thing that is so awesome about our message.. it is TRUE!! So if the people pray with real intent they WILL get an answer!  That is one amazing thing about the gospel, everyone and anyone can know it is true:)

So H*´s mom didn´t let her got baptized this week but we are going back to teach the family this week so hopefully we will get somewhere with them.  We are teaching a 20 year old boy named Is.  We haven´t taught him that much because he is never home when we pass and we don´t have credit on our phone so we can´t call him.  He has a date marked for this Saturday.

This week was good.  We are working really hard and having fun. I can´t believe that school is almost out and summer is just around the corner.  I hope you guys are always having fun and aproveitando cada segundo.  I love you all!  Have an awesome week!!!  And a fun family reunion!

Love

Elder Ostler

This is the first time I've seen hometeaching done in BrazilThis is m

Família!

That  is super sweet what you guys did last night with the water balloons, you guys are crazy...

So about the world cup.  There is lot of talk about it here too.  Don´t know if you heard but on... I think Friday there was a massive protest in São paulo in the streets.  The people don´t want the cup because the government is taking money from the hospitals and schools to do it. There are a bunch of stories of people dying in hospitals because there isn´t enough money/people to treat them.  And there is talk about the country not being ready.  The buses are not up to where they need to be.  They are still fixing up a bunch of platforms that aren't done.  So we will see what happens. This place is CRAZY for Futebol... I love it.. I just wish I could play it.

Today this recent convert came over.  He is 25 and JACKED!  I´m teaching him english.  He isn´t from our ward but he likes us and leaves with us when he has time.  Today we played golf.... with cards.  It is a game my old DL taught me.  The crawfords know how to play. He beat me by one point...  but we don´t usually play games other than occasionally on p day.

So I got the package and thank you so much!!! It is so awesome!!! I love everything in it so much! It is awesome!!!! And the camera... well..... well...... então, the battery that I have is not the right size of battery for it.  Blah....  so now I have 3 cameras....:)   2 that don´t work.   But DON`T WORRY!!! I WILL FIGURE IT OUT!! There are a lot of stores here that sell random electronic stuff and they might have the battery for the camera so I will procurar that.  And next week I think that we are going to go to the centro and I will see if I can get my camera fixed there.  The one with the shattered screen.  So all is well.  I still have a working camera.

So lets talk.  First lets stat with my comp.  He is from Tucumum ARG.  He tells everybody that and they always laugh because here tucumá is a fruit.  To describe what he is like, I can use two words.......................................................... Christian Burrup! 

I´m not even kidding, sometimes I legitimately feel like my comp is Elder Burrup.  It is crazy. It is just like the stuff he does.  Like he makes a lot of noises with his mouth like whistling and he touches my face all the time.  Just little things like that that Christian would always do to me.  When ever I´m on the phone he tries to make me laugh.  He loves to brincar, which means play or joke.  Two things he always says "Nossa!" and "Estou Brincando." He just loves to have fun and he loves to talk.  He has no fear.

One night we were just walking to an appt and he stopped and said "lets knock on this door." So we just went and knocked that door.  I just love him so much.  He reminds me so much of Elder Burrup.   He speaks 0 english and his Portuguese is coming along.  I understand 95 por cento of what he says but the people here sometimes have a harder time.  Also I speak a tiny bit of Spanish with him.  Boy have I forgotten that language.... well I guess I could say that if I ever knew it in the first place.  He is just awesome.

So he is really awesome.  He also is a really good worker and our work isn´t really work,,, it is more like fun.  All of the members here love him!  He just loves to talk to people.  It is the youth that especially like him.

In this ward we are doing a lot bigger impact on retentions.  In my last area we had like 20 investigators, we didn´t have time to go see them all.  When I got here we had 4..... but 2 of them are a couple.  They are young and not married but we are going to marry them... as soon as she gets a desire to marry.

Like I said about the retentions.  Last night the elders quorum had a meeting and we were invited.  The pres said they were going to do home teaching.  He set up companionships and they listed out all of the inactive families in the ward and then assign duplas to each family.  This is the first time I’ve ever seen Home teaching done in brasil and it is sweet!!!

Yesterday at church we were talking to some youth and one said that another youth wasn't a member.  Her name is H*. My comp already knew here but just thought she was a member because she has been going to church.  One of her friends gave her a livro de mormon and she is reading it.

We went to her house after church and taught.  After the lesson we asked her to say a pray to ask if the things we taught are true and if she should be baptized.  I have never done that before where I just ask them to pray in the hour.  I did it because she is already reading the Bom and she said that all there is left to do is ask.   So we just knelt down and she said a very simple prayer just asking to know if the Book of Mormon is true and if she should baptize.  After the prayer we just sat there on the ground for about 5 mins.  She started to cry.  The spirit was strong.  After a  little while we ask her what she was feeling.  She said peace and tranquility.  It was great.  She said she knew it was the spirit telling her it was true.  She said she wanted to be baptized but she said she didn’t know if her mom would let her.  So we said another pray to bless her mom to say yes. We are going back tomorrow to talk with them both.  It is going to be great!

Jefferson sure has one packed schedule, holy crap. Is he going to EFY in Tacoma?  That is sweet you got the pool up and going too.  Oh swimming.....

The mission is going good.  I´m enjoying myself and working hard. I love you guys a ton and hope that everything is going well.  Boys summer is almost here!!!! Like 3 weeks of school or something like that.  Enjoy this summer, make it fun:)  Happy anniversary to those two love birds like in Utah, Jackson and Katie.  I love you all!!  Have a sweet week! Thanks for the package!

Elder Ostler

"The best part about life is having someone to share it with."

-Elder Ostler

I´m sure that has already been said by someone but I just thought of it while I was cleaning this morning and thinking about you guys, my family.

Eu amo vocês

This is my imitation of Jackson eating that monster burger!

They have testimonies

Família!

Wow skypíng yesterday was awesome!  It went way to fast.  When elder w and I were walking in the street afterwards it just seemed like a dream and that it didn´t actually happen.  It was just a weird feeling.   But I know it happened now because you talked about it:)

That is sooooo good to hear that prom was a massive hit.  It sounded so much fun.  And jefferson that is so sweet that you are buying a uke today that has electricity. That will be awesome!  Are you still practicing and learning new songs?  I tell all my comps how I play but then I say that you are way better than me.  And that is crazy about the 52 lawns!  Holy Reais!!! 

So mother...... I can say this only because I´m not home but you are wrong....  I´m the one that got transferred:( :)  I did not see it coming at all. I was convinced that either elder wal was going or we were staying but not that I was going.  I was super sad at first because of all of the people I had gotten to know and the friendships I made.  But I wasn't devastated.  Whenever Saydi talks about getting transferred it always sounds like she is super sad.  I was sad for a little then I just got excited.  I feel like I did a good job in cidade do leste strengthening the ramo and just doing the work of the Lord.  Now I just get to do it all again!

I´m really excited to be working here. I´m still in manaus.  Not really sure the bairro. I think it might be called Êxodo because that is the name of our ward.  But I´m very close to my old area, I think I’m just north of it in Cidade Nova.  And my companion is..... an Argentine!!  That is right Jackson, from the country of the smiling sun.  He lives in tucuman. He also said that he heard of you?  Not really sure but he said he heard of an elder ostler in Argentina.  He is way sweet and only has 5 weeks on the mission.  He is just a great guy. He is 7 days younger than me.  He is really relaxed.  Today we did a cleaning of the house.  Mission houses sometimes are just filthy.  But the first thing I always do is clean them.  We still aren´t done yet.  I just don´t see how elders can let the house get that dirty.  Hadn´t been swept in about a month.  Dirt just lining the walls on the ground.

So I  got transferred...  last night I called up A & J (the family that we baptized) and gave a bye.  They were sad that I was leaving so quick.  But I told them I´d be back to see them again.... hopefully for their selamento here in a year.  They are just so special to me.  We worked so hard to get them baptized.  And I know that they are going to stay because they have testimonies.

The biggest challenge was A e café.  She just couldn´t give it up.  She would always accept the invite to stop but then when the headache came she would fall.  So on Wednesday morning we went over and took her coffee!!

We went to her house and stole her coffee.
Well we actually did a trade.
We gave her cervada. It is just like coffee but is made from barley.

It was great.....but she bought more and drank it.  grrrrr satan.  Then on Thursday we went and saw them at night and she said she had drunken some that day.  The next morning Friday we went over and had breakfast with them.  She said that she wouldn´t drink it but she wouldn´t let us take it.  We knew that if it was in the house she would drink it.  She asked if she could take it to her aunts house just so that we didn´t have to throw it away.  We agreed and walked down the street with her to give it her aunt and then told her aunt not to let her drink it!  She didn´t drink any more and she was baptized on Saturday night with her family!!!! What a glorious day.

Like I said, it started to rain at about 5:30.  The baptism was to start at 6 but it got adiado até 7:30.  During that crazy storm we were calling people to go get our investigators in cars and I actually went with one of the men in the ward to go get J.    The picture is of all of us.  The 6 baptisms.

Bom de mais!  It was such a good baptism.  The best part was in the hallway right before they got baptized and we were showing them how it would be in the water.  They were just all so excited!  We were just all in the hallway all in white.  They were about to start a new life with a clean slate.  They were entering the waters of baptism. J & A looked so awesome in their macacões.  The baptism was just awesome!!!

After the baptism reunion we had a mothers day activity. We had a ton of investigators there!!!!! It was crazy.  We didn´t get home till like 10 that night..... And then we had to prepare our talks for Sunday..... we had them mostly done just putting the finishing touches on. I talked about the tree of life vision by lehi and how he tasted of the fruit and wanted to give it to his FAMILY!! I talked about how there are members of our families who don´t have the fruit and we are to give it to them.  It went pretty well. I prepared a 15 min talk and gave it in about 7 mins because of all of the confirmations.  But hey, I´m not complaining.

So I got the package today!!!!!!!! But still haven´t opened it.... first thing I´m doing when I get home.  And I also got the letter in the brownish envelope.  So I have just been thinking about things I would like.  One is pictures... like pictures are always good.... but I would like some of me before the mission.  Like playing lax or with my friends and the family.  So I can show my comps what I did before the mission.. and what lax is. And also some more handkerchiefs, sometimes they fall out of my pocket and I loose them.

You guys do so much for me you have no idea.  There are elders out here who NEVER get letters or packages.  And on pday the only person they email is their girlfriend.  So thank you so much for everything you guys do for me.  Especially your prayers.   Thank you so much.. always know that I love you guys and pray for you guys to. 

Boys break the wrist and walk away.  I´ve learned this with comps when you try to argue something it never works out.  Just stop and have the spirit of Christ!   It all works out:)

Well I love you guys a ton but I´m thinking about you less and less because I like to think about missionary work instead.... sorry but it is the truth:) kakakak  have a great week! And have fun in iceberg mom!

Tudo Bem

Elder Ostler

Missionary work is fun!

I`M ALIVE!!!!

haha I really liked the top ten reasons for me not emailing but they were all wrong....  I didn’t email last week because at the lan house there weren´t enough computers for us to use.  I wrote it to you in a letter that you will get in probably a year.  But yeah that is what happened.  So skyping this week is going to be so great.   I can do it in the afternoon here from like 3 to 5ish or even later but earlier would be better like 4 because next week are transfers and we might have to pack at night.  So like 3 would be best.  But I still got to see with my comp what time he is doing it.

So about these two weeks.. where to even start... I guess I will just start with our baptismo on saturday night!  We were supposed to baptized 2 men, O & M but M backed out at the last second.  It is a massive complicated story that would take way to long to type.  But he just had a lot of people talking to him telling him not to do it.  And every time we passed by last week he was never home.  But we are going back on Wednesday to save him. O is the fiance of our neighbors daughter.  Our neighbor is a less active member.  He told us his daughter was getting married to a boy who wasn´t baptized and that before they got married he needed to be baptized.  So we taught him and baptized him.  He really wanted to. It was a great baptism with a good amount of members.  The picture is of him and his fiance. It is really easy to teach him because he is our neighbor.  So that was a sweet baptism but this weeks baptisms are going to be THE BEST…..

So before I tell you about our baptisms this week I need to tell you a crazyish story...  on our way to the lan house this morning we were walking along the road and we say this…..

JACARÈ

. . . . which for you white people means alligator.  It is just a little baby but it was crazy!

So we are teach a family right now, J, A, e P*.  Like my second week here we were walking down the street and a guy leaned out his front door and said "hello my friends"  in english so we stopped and talked to him for a quick second. It was J.  Oh yeah! remember that week that we fasted and found a bunch of new investigators... well J & An were two of them! Anyways we have been teaching them for the past 2 months and it has been going well.  She is giving up coffee right now.  When we first taught the WOW like a month ago she said there was no way she was going to give up coffee but now she is really trying and wants to.  Last night when we went to see them she had a headache from not drinking coffee.  Today she has a goal of going until 8 tonight without coffee.

All of the members just love them. They love playing volleyball and soccer and are animals at sports.  We always teach them with members with us.  Tonight we are going to teach them the law of Dizimo and o dia do senhor.  They also said they would make us tapioca so I´m excited for that too:)  Yesterday in church I think their baptism was announced over 6 times, no joke.  Usually baptism here and just real quick fast things that not alot of people know about but this baptism is going to be a party!!  Yesterday we had ward council and after we were done talking about all of out investigators Presidente Freitas said, "alright, now let´s plan the baptism.."   kakaka it was sweet.  We are going to have two cakes there and it is going to be loaded with people!  And afterwards there is a dance!! (it has been planned for like a couple weeks and it just so happens it is on the same day as the baptism)  We also have 2 other dates marked for this Saturday, G* who is the guy we found sitting on the road thinking about his life that we taught the plan of salvation too and junior who is a ym we are teaching.  He is firm but j* is a little mole so we will see.  I´m just really our family getting baptized and G*:) We will be seeing the family and G* every single day this week:)  missionary work is so fun! 

So my relationship with my leaders is melhorando a lot which is good.  I did a division with elder sobarzo which is the ZL who chewed me out that one night on the phone.  It was a good division and I learned alot.  So I´m doing much better with my leaders now :)  You know some times I feel like mormon who can´t even write a hundredth of the things that happen.  It is just so true.  Missionary work is just so corrido that it is impossible to wright everything.

That is so cool that HOCHBOL was a massive hit this year and that Jefferson and Kenzie were the cutest couple there.  I mean just look at that picture.  I don’t even have to see the other people to know that they aren´t as good looking.  And I feel honored that our names were put on the stars:)  Thank you.  That makes us feel really good.  I cannot believe that school is out in a month!! Where is the time going? It felt like you guys just started school like last month when I was in Adrianópolis!  Has anybody gotten their mission calls yet?

Well that is all for this week family, sorry I didn’t write more.  I love you all more than words can tell.  Some days on the mission are just killer hard and I want nothing more than to just be home with you guys but I know that I´m here for a reason and I need to serve with a willing heart and a willing mind.  I love you all.

Elder Ostler