We have that answer!

To all who sent me Christmas letters:  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

I so enjoyed everyone of them!  I spent most of Christmas morning reading them.  Some of them really touched me, and I can't express how thankful I am to have friends and family like you!  Thank you for you're prayers and support.

To my family whom I love so much:  Thanks for all you do!  I love you!  Bye!

Singing on Christmas Eve.  Cool picture, huh?

J/K, I'll type more.  So this week has been good.  We have two people on date. Gabby, who is a blessing.  Elder Gates and Thomas taught her a couple months ago (before I got here) and she was ready to be baptized, when...I already told you this.  But yeah, she's getting baptized on the 8th.

Then Jose, oh man he's awesome.  He was a member referral.  He's an older Spanish guy with only one leg.  He's been reading the Book of Mormon and wanted to get baptized, so we heard.  So we went over and the member that was with us completely took over the lesson.  So in the next lesson we took another member.  A Spanish convert.  He, Roberto, and Jose clicked.  It was so cool to see.  Anything that Jose didn't understand, Roberto explained.  He came to church on Sunday and asked Sister Chen when he could get baptized.  Yeah, cool huh?  So his date is January 22.  Except the building is only available at 10 am.  I don't understand why people can't just let us have the primary room for one hour of the stinking day.  It's a baptism...a SAVING ORDINANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Let us come for just one hour!!!!  Yeah, that gets me when they make us reschedule because of a party, or something like that.  It's happened to other missionaries.

Then there's Bill.  We're meeting with him tonight.  Also his roommate Richard.  He wants to get baptized too.  We met both of them tracting.  Lexi wants to get baptized.  She's 13 and really smart.  She's like Jefferson, except more humble ;)  And she's not a sporty person.  She's the best drawer in her school though, and an honors student.  She understands EVERYTHING we teach her.  And she accepts it. Her step-mom is a member, but her dad isn't.  Her dad finally let her start going to church, and on the first lesson we asked her if she wanted to get baptized, and she said yes.  The problem is meeting with her. Her mom is really busy, but I think she's going to take some time off work so we can meet with her and Lexi.  We like it when her mom is there.  And she knows how important this is.

And Frank is doing good.  He came to church AGAIN, and he drove himself!  I really didn't think he'd come again, because he wasn't feeling good.  But he did!  He likes to come because of the friends he has at church.  So far he knows two people, the Kings, and Brother Burdickt. (sp?) Now we just need him to realize the importance of going to church.  He's funny though, and Sister Chen has really connected with him.  She has so much hope for him. Those are all in the Wheaton Ward.

Naper 6 ward is dead.  But we're tyring to get it up!  We tracted most of the day yesterday in Naper 6.  We have one return appointment  It was cool because he had just gotten out of his car and we explained a bit about the Book of Mormon, and he invited us back.  We handed him a pass-along card with the church address on it.  The first thing you read on that card is, "What is the purpose to this life?"  And he said, "'What is the purpose to this life?' I have asked myself that question so many times.  I've even asked my pastor, and he said, 'Once you figure it out come tell me.'"

"We have that answer!  It's in the Book of Mormon!"  We said.  So hopefully now that he knows the answer is just inches away he will be there when we go see him next!

Sister Chen is good.  Working with her has been hard, but I've learned a lot.  By this next transfer this will be her 7th month in Wheaton/Naper 6, so I think she's moving.  But that's 5 weeks away.  That means I only have 5 more weeks of learning with her!  That's crazy!  We do have our hard times like every companionship, but we get through them and are stronger because of it.  This morning after comp study we cleaned the apartment.  And I mean cleaned it.  We took down the tree, vacuumed, organized, threw stuff away.  It looks much better.  and when I get back I'm organizing the boxes that were in the car.  We always keep 10000000 pass along cards, pamphlets, etc. in the car, and we haven't really organized them since I've been here, so they're kind of in 10 different boxes . . . okay, make that 4.  But still it's not very organized.  So that's what I'm doing while Sister Chen will attempt to make cheesy broccoli soup.  We got this cookbook from Wheaton ward and Sister Chen said she wants to make me something since I always cook for her.  And I could decide what.  I decided on this one because she LOVES this kind of soup.  She gets it all the time at Panera.  She thinks she's doing me a favor, but really I want her to do this so she will know how to make it when she gets home.  Cuz I doubt they have a Panera in Taiwan.  But who knows!

cuz I put it on at 10 in the morning and I literally don't take it off til 8:30 at night) and I'm always moving around in it.  So yeah, I was thinking of sending it home and buying another one here that's a little more durable.  I have a gift certificate to sears.  I know that the gift certificate won't cover the whole cost, but it'll cover some.  What do you think?

The clothes fit fine.  Thanks for everything you gave me!  Although I lost one of the earrings down the drain, and when I took the drain apart, I couldn't find it.  There was too much crud in there.  We need to get Drano big time!!!  Next week, since I'm outta money this week!  And Sister Chen loves her presents too!  It was her first Christmas, and she loves them!

Some Pictures:

Making Mama Rolls at Lasjana's house!  She needed a roll recipe
and help, so I helped her!  Fun day!  This was on Christmas eve.

  

Most of the Zone at the Mission Home on Christmas

Love you all!

Love Sister Ostler

3 days, but who's counting? *cough* Mom!

Hey Family,

Yeah, 12 will work.  So I'll call 12 Chicago time.  So that's what, 10 your time right?  That might be wrong, cuz remember, I'm not a math person. And what I was going to say just flew out of my head.

So yeah, this weekend was hard.  That's prolly why Mom was thinking about me.  We were driving down Butterfield, and that morning had just been awesome, and we were off to a lunch appointment when we heard a scraping noise.  Butterfield is a busy road, especially around Christmas time.  But we pulled off to the side of the road and looked around our car.  A guy a little older than me pulled off and asked if he could help.  Guess who he was?  Ryan.  The guy I told that if the Book of Mormon was false than I was going to Hell.  But he was happy to see us.  And what happened was that the front fender or whatever had broken, so a piece of plastic was dragging.  The covering under the car.  I had no idea how that happened, cuz we didn't run over anything.  But now that I think on it more, I think it might have happened when we parked a couple times cuz sometimes there would be a big ice thing that looked like snow that the car would bump into on the side of the road.  I hate snow.  But I tucked the plastic under the car, but it kept falling back out and Butterfield is not a road you want to stop on unless it's a real emergency.

So we drove to the Hammers, a family close by, and Brother Hammer bungee corded the thing up.  Of course the whole time we were driving I was freaking out cuz I felt it was my responsibility to make sure the car was in good shape.  Sister Chen was saying pull over, but she didn't understand how dangerous it was to do that on Butterfield.  Butterfield is a curvy two lane 55 mph road, where cars usually go about 60ish.  And that day it was sooooo busy!  So yeah, I was just stressed, and later that day when we were supposed to be tracting I just sat in the car and cried and poured my heart out to sister Chen.  She helped me see that I need to Endure to the End.  I can't give up.  I have to keep going even when times are hard.  There are so many times when I feel I can't be a good missionary, but Sister Chen says, "No, you have to keep going.  Why are you out here Sister Ostler?"  Then I answer, to serve the Lord, and she helps me see that I can do this.

And actually before that I was hoping to get a new companion, but after that I realized there was so much I still needed to learn from her, and plus we have so many people who are potentials for getting baptized, like Bill, Gabby, Lexi, Frank, Lulu (hopefully), and Monica.  And I want to be with her when they do get baptized.  So I was happy when we didn't get a call yesterday morning.  So we're stuck together until February!  Oh well!  I'm sure though that he'll transfer us next time.  But oh man the ZLs are going to DIE!!!!  They called us at 9ish yesterday morning and said, "Have they told you about transfers yet?"

"No," I said.  Since when do ZLs give info on transfers?

"Oh well they're white washing your area."  You should have seen Sister Chen.  She pounded the table with her fist, and I'm sure if they were there she would have punched them.  I would have.  White wash our area, when it's doing so well?  When we have investigators lined up for baptism?  What?  And of course they were joking.  Elders! Oh, and the ZLs have our packages.  I don't know why, but they do.  But they're planning on coming over tomorrow to give them to us.

Oh, and Sister Ika is leaving us.  I'm so sad.  She's my step-mom, and a legend in the mission.  The APs are forever asking her questions of how to do this or teach that.  And she's leaving.  I feel so privileged that I've gotten to work with her though.  And her companion, Sister Leahman is now a trainer!  She's so nervous.  She's as old as Jackson, 4 transfers.  She's a transfer older than me.

On Monday we had a testimony meeting in district meeting and Sister Leahman was bawling, and even Elder French, the AP, got choked up.

Oh so after that meeting we went out to lunch at Buona Beef and I was sitting right across from Elder Gates.  Near the end I asked if they (the APs) know who's getting transferred.  Elder Gates looked right at me and said, "Yes."  And I could see it in his eyes that we were getting transferred.  So in 6 weeks I'll ask again and know the answer.  Us sisters laughed about it afterwards. Elder Gates had no idea that I read him though.  It's kinda funny.

prolly miss that the most, or Dad's Waffles.  Those are good too.  Or Wilson's presents.  Those are always so much fun!  But I had to tell Sister Chen like three times that on Christmas morning we can relax, and we don't have to go do everything at once, and we don't need a schedule of when we're going to do what.  She finally got the picture.  But what we want to do is that night after the mission home go out with Sister Leahman and her greenie (I'm not the youngest anymore!) and go caroling.  It might be surprising but me and Sister Chen have a really good harmony.  She doesn't pronounce all the words correctly, but she has a good soprano, and I just follow her.  Except my voice is more altoish.  But yeah, we sang to one of our investigators over the phone yesterday cuz his Spirit wasn't feeling too good, and after that he felt better.  So see, I can sing!

So I don't really know what else to say.  Other than today Sister Chen wants to go window shopping.  So that's what we're going to go do. Oh joy!

And Dad, thanks for the quote, and your insight.  But I'm still so confused over it.  So when it says God, does it mean Heavenly Father or Jesus Christ?  I thought it meant Heavenly Father, and that He was once a man like us, but grew and endured to the end and gained exaltation and became our God, and then we can become God's and Goddesses too, and always continue to grow and mature.  Although He will always be above us.  But we can create things and have kingdoms of our own.  Isn't that what Moses and Abraham are doing?

Oh yeah, PLEASE send me pics of the Eppichs wedding!  Yeah, I can't believe she's married!  I remember having tea parties with her!  And I remember one weekend that I spent over there we played Canasta the whole weekend with her family.  And the cabin!  Oh man tubing, snowmobiling, sledding, snorkeling, talking, monopoly, hot chocolate, four wheeling, getting muddy, man.  Those were fun fun times!  And that's awesome if Kaitlin goes on a mission.  That would be so good for her.  I've just seen myself grow so much since I've been here.  I'm still a baby and still have so much to learn.  But I'm getting better and not taking no for an answer.  One PI cancelled on us because she couldn't handle Joseph Smith.  But we're still going over there to teach her about him, because she just read about him.  She's not getting away that easily!

And one investigator, Bill.  Oh man the change I see in him after every visit!  Light is just in his eyes when we leave.  And I can tell that when we come back that light is gone, until we're there with the Spirit and teaching him the truth.  Yesterday he got a blessing cuz he was sick, he has a hernia and no one will admit him, and the Spirit was so strong.  I asked him if he felt anything during the blessing, and he said he felt a rushing feeling through his whole body.  I explained that was the Spirit telling him what we were telling was true, and then I asked him if the felt the Book of Mormon was true, and if Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and he said yes!  Then Sister Chen asked him and his roommate to be baptized, and they said YES!!!  Lexi, a 13 girl who's step-mom is a member is also getting baptized.  And a 10 yr old girl who's dad is a member whom we still haven't met with will get baptized. Elder Thomas and Gates were teaching her in the Naper 2nd ward, but that area got taken away from them and then the other elders never followed up.  Then they moved to our area, and we spent about a day trying to figure out who she was and what she had been taught.  Elder Thomas was so funny.  He was like, "Yeah, go baptize her this weekend!  She's been taught everything!"  So that's easy for us!  We're meeting with their family tomorrow.

And Jose is a member referral.  We went back with another member that speaks Spanish (Jose speaks it) and had a powerful first lesson.  He felt the spirit and wants to learn more!  Yeah for members who know how to teach!  Honestly, just read PMG before you go and teach with the missionaries, and recognize that the missionaries have the power and authority to teach!  Share your testimony of course, teach when you feel prompted by the spirit, not when you think something is being left out of the lesson.  Let the missionaries do their part, really.

Okay, well time's up! 

And yes, I have over 20 of those envelopes.  I can't wait to open all of them!  You should see Grammies.  It's so heavy!  I really had to tape that one on.  Although when I got Grandpa Ostlers for a split second I was expecting that Grandma would write too.

 

Well TALK to you soon!  Lots of love,

Sister Ostler

Usually dogs chase missionaries, not the other way around.

Hey Family:

So I just talked to Sister Chen, and I think her family is calling her early in the morning sometime, not sure though.  I'll tell you next week.  But you'll get to talk to me, don't worry.  I kinda wanted to call after 10, before 2.  But I don't know what we have planned for that day.  But I'll let you know.

And that's sad that Tracy left.  I liked her.  But yeah, Arkell will do an awesome job! And Eileen will do an AWESOME job!  She's just awesome all around.  So is Liz working chair three then?  Who's Chair 5?  Amy?  Yeah, I miss the office at times.  I think I'll be better when talking to people when I get back.  Although I might end up asking questions like, "How does religion play a roll in your life?"  "Have you ever thought about where you're going after you die?"  So that might not be a good thing.

Actually I was talking to Sister Ika when we were together for a few days, and she was like, "Sister Ostler, I don't want to date when I get home, I've never been on a date, and I don't know what to do."  So I compared the first date to a first lesson.  Get to know them.  We laughed at that, because on a first lesson you ask people, "How has religion played a roll in your life?"  "What's important to you in this life?" "What church do you belong to?"  "How often to you go to church?"  "Do you think something is missing in your life?"  Yeah, imagine asking those questions on a first date.  But for Sister Ika missionary work is her life.  I'm sad that she's leaving in a week.  But it has to happen :(  I'll see her when I get back though.  Maybe she'll go to BYUI and we'll be roommates!  That would be AWESOME!  We'll stay up and make fun of the elders we served with, or share mission stories.  She's a great story teller.

So it's been COLD!!!!  So cold!  Not colder than Rexburg, but it's the fact that I'm outside ALL DAY LONG!  Last night Sister Chen and I tracted for a good 1 1/2 hours, getting into no doors...well one (I'll tell in a second) and our toes and fingers hurt so bad!  Yeah, everyone was rejecting us, and I started to get really disappointed.  So I pulled out my hymn book and started singing Christmas hymns in between doors.  Sister Chen likes when I sing.  haha!  Oh, and at ZC the sisters in my zone sang.  Including me.  We sang Joy to the World.  It was fun.  And I also had to give a 5 minute talk.  I knew Elder Gates was gonna call on me to give that talk!

Anyways, so yeah, it's been cold.  And yesterday my nice coat got really dirty, so I took it to the cleaners today.  Plus I ripped the lining inside by the armpit while reaching into the back of the car.  I ripped it on both sides, so they're repairing it for me.  It won't be done til Saturday.  I'm gonna have to wear that really big coat that makes me look like a man.  Sister Chen says it makes me look fat, which it does. But hey, it keeps me warm.

So yesterday when we were tracting we stopped a PI (potential investigator) after we were done and she let us in.  We had had no success ALL DAY LONG!  And we started asking questions, getting to know her, and then Sister Chen started to teach the first lesson, so I followed.  We didn't get far cuz we had to go.  But she said, "If we're all Christian, shouldn't we all go to one church?"  And when asked if it made sense to have a prophet on the earth she said yes!  We're not meeting her again til after Christmas, but I think she's gonna be a good investigator.  Shes like your age mom, and REALLY skinny.  I don't think she's had any kids though, and she's single, as far as I know.  But she's nice.

And yesterday, oh man.  So in the middle of the day we were tracting Paddington in Naperville.  That's a long street, and we got to the end of it, and so far like 3 people have opened their door only to turn us away.  Well at the very last door a lady opens the door, and her dog runs out of the house.  And it's running away, and she's freaking out.  She's a grandma.  So I say, "Do you want me to go get it?"  She said yes.  So I hand my bag to Sister Chen and run after it. But it keeps running.  It'll stop and sniff, but then once it sees me walking or running toward it, it runs away.  I tried calling to her, I tried crouching down, but to no avail.  The lady goes after it in the car, but still can't get it.  We ask if there's anything we can do, and she says no.  We feel horrible, and decided that next time we'll bring her cookies or something.  Well we start walking back, when the dog comes up to us.  I stand still in hopes it'll come up to me and I can grab it.  But it goes to Sister Chen who's 5 feet behind me.  Sister Chen HATES dogs.  She's scared of them.  Well I say, "Grab her Sister Chen."  She kinda grabs the dog, and I go over and grab it's collar, and kneel with it on the ground.  I'm petting the thing while Sister Chen goes and gets the lady.  I decide to try to take the thing back to the house, cuz

Oh, and I got the tree, and the popcorn.  I got the dictionary, and everything else you said.  The package from zone conference is not opened yet. And thanks for the ensign.  And when I gave the Hillary weeks CD to Sister Chen she started crying.  In Taiwan no one really gives presents.  So she really liked it.  We listen to it a lot.  Oh, and I don't need a calling card.  We just use our cell phones.

Okay times up!  Love you all!

Oh and about the envelopes.  I haven't opened them yet, but there are some great pictures of me wanting to!  I'll send one with this e-mail!

Love Sister Ostler

If one more person tells me I'm not a Christian . . . . .

Pics - lucky you!

Exchanges with Sister Ika. Dancing in the rain. Man, it downpoured on us!

Thanksgiving at the Newcomers

To answer your questions:

What do you know about the phone call at Christmas? 

I know nothing.  I will find out tomorrow, and let you know next week.

What was the last package you received from home?

I got a calendar today.  Which was flippin awesome!  I sat and looked and looked at it.  It was soooooooo cool!  Thanks so much!  But the last thing I got was the back roller thing.

How is Sister Chen? 

Sister Chen is better.  She's 100% now, and is getting used to the cold.  I find it interesting that you think she's a slave driver.  Her life is the mission though.  I hardly ever see her take a break.  It kind of pressures me into not taking breaks.  And I mean like breaks at home.  It used to be when we got home I would update the area book, then get ready for bed, then read, or do something to cool my mind down.  But now I update my planner, I make better plans for tomorrow, I get ready for lessons, etc.  I feel I have to keep up with her.  I know I don't, but I feel that way.

Also I know she's so frustrated with me.  A mission is VERY emotional. Like you have to be emotionally stable to come out here, because one appointment you're on top of the world because of the amazing lesson and the Spirit, then after 10 minutes of knocking you're down again because everyone is mean to you.  I'm pretty good at keeping my sad, frustrated, angry emotions in.  The emotions I don't like anyone else to see.  If I cry, I usually wait til I'm at home, at my desk.  Yesterday and today I got so frustrated, and it showed, oh it showed.  I broke down yesterday and then today I got mad.  Not at Sister Chen, but at the situation.  We couldn't get a hold of a member and it was so important that we did.  I don't like being bi-polar like I have been the last couple of days.  It's draining, and I know it's frustrating Sister Chen.

Oh dad, do you know any Houses?  There's a brother House in the Naper 6 ward, and he went to Richland.  He kind of remembers Lee.  Oh, and could I also have a copy of Dad's or Jackson's Priesthood line thingy?  Or is that illegal for me to have that?  And when in the world can I open those green envelopes?  It's killing me.  I got one from Whitney today, and I haven't heard from her since I got out here, and I want to know what's in them!  I also got one from the Neilsons.  So a little explanation would be nice.  Oh, and you're going to have to tell me which packages have to wait 'til Christmas, because I just open them unless they say, "Don't open til..."

So lately I've been so stressed out because we're over the miles.  Each month we get 1110 miles, which means this month we can only go 35 miles per day.  Well almost everyday we've been in the 40s.  I feel since I'm the driver and know the area much better than Sister Chen it's my responsibility to get the miles down.  Luckily tomorrow is Zone conference, and we only have to drive to the stake center, which isn't that far away.  Then tomorrow evening we only have to drive to Lombard.  So we'll probably get to 35 miles.  But yeah, I don't know what to do.

But last night the Spanish sisters called us and invited us to go ice-skating.  We said no because we didn't have the miles to go there.  Well they offered to come get us, so today we went ice skating!!  Most of the zone (minus three elder companionship's) were there.  It was so much fun.  I got pretty good at it too.  The first couple times around I was clinging to the edge.  Then I got good enough to actually FEEl like an ice-skater.  Sister Chen is really sore now.  We skated for 1.5 hours.  I'll probably be sore tomorrow, but it was worth it!

And I'll find out about the phone call.  Also didn't Joseph Smith once say "As God is, man will become, and as man is God once was."  Or something like that.  Where is that?  Cuz we got into a discussion about that this week with someone.  Oh man.  He kept saying we were wrong.  And we kept saying, "If you read the Book of Mormon and come to a knowledge that it is true then you will better understand this principle."  That is so true.  If you have a problem with the Mormon faith then read the BOM, and pray about it.  If it's right then that problem will vanish, if it's wrong then all Mormons everywhere are going to Hell.

I even told that to that man.  I said, "If the BOM is right, then what Joseph Smith said was true.  If it's wrong, then I'm going to Hell."  But whenever we bore our testimony he would skip onto a different subject.  Arguing doesn't work, bearing your testimony does.  They can't say you're wrong.

We've had a couple people tell us that we're not Christians this week.  Oh man, that makes me soooooo mad!  A Christian

Oh, and I'd love to hear what Wilson says during his prayers!  That would be awesome!  And yes, I did get the blessings.  Thanks so much.  I never realized how powerful Dad's was until I read it again.

Time to go, love you lots.  Thanks for your prayers and support!

And I got Marie's and Kortneigh's wedding invits!  Oh man, I wish I could be there!  Those two girls look so pretty, and so happy!  I'm so happy for them!

Love, Sister Ostler

The sky on Thanksgiving.  God loves us!!!!!

Exchanges with the professional missionary

These couple days have been amazing.  I'm on exchanges with Sister Ika, the professional missionary.  She goes home at the end of this month, which is sad.  I've learned so much being with her.  She's taught me how to get people talking.  Oh man, yesterday we knocked on a Catholic's door, and he wasn't interested.  Sister Ika started talking about families forever, and I could see that it wasn't going anywhere.  I thought it was a lost cause.  Then out of the blue she said, "Did you know that Christ came to the America's?"  He kinda stopped and just looked at us.  Then she started to explain about the Book of Mormon, and set up a return appointment.  It was awesome.

Afterwards she was like, "What did I say to him that made him want to listen to me?  I forgot!"  It was great!

My sweet gloves!  I'm getting ready for winter.

And my back is better.  I'm sometimes in pain.  But not all the time. 
So for thanksgiving.  Yeah, it's not my holiday, you're right.  Sister Chen didn't understand what it was, even though I tried to explain it to her often.  I had to explain to her like three times that it would be a bad idea to go tracting that day.  And she set up a lunch and dinner appointment too.  Oh man, I've never been fuller in my life!  I think she felt bad for doing that after she saw how much food there was.  And she likes eating.  She loves food and NEVER turns it down.  There has been nothing here that she doesn't like, and she can't waste food either.  Me?  I can turn food down soooooo easily!  But yeah, Thanksgiving was hard I think.

Also with this exchange, Sister Ika has taught me to balance out my time.  Sister Chen and I just go, go, go.  But with Sister Ika, we took a 10 minute break and sat in the car and talked about the POS.  Or we stopped back at home to use the bathroom, or we stayed in a members home for 15 minutes longer and had pizza with them.  Or we went and saw this AWESOME house after our last appointment.  It has thousands of lights on it, and it's somehow connected to a radio station that plays Christmas music and so the lights go along with the Christmas music.  Oh my gosh, it's so awesome!  We could have sat there all day and watched it.  But with Sister Ika it's about having fun.  She showed me that missionary work is fun, not all work all the time, every second of the day.  So I like that.  She kept saying I'm going to train soon.  I laughed at her.  She also kept saying that I"m gonna serve in the city.  I laughed at her again.

And Sister Chen is really sick.  And it's hard for me to get her to rest her body.  I think she would continue to work until she tracted herself into her grave.  No joke.  I talked to Sister Ika about it, and she said she was just like that.  No one could stop her from working, so the Lord humbled and stopped her by breaking her ankle.  She said that Sister Chen will slow down eventually.  But I don't see any improvement in her health, and I'm worried about her.

Oh, something that I would like are talks.  I love listening to talks.  Any talks by GA's.  I love them. I love them.  And Saydi is the only one that has sent me any pictures.  I LOVE PICTURES!  Oh, Amy sent me one, actually.

Oh and also can you mention to people like on the blog, that if they write me I might not write back, but I still so appreciate their letters.  Pdays are short here, and there's only so much I can get done.  And I want to start having fun on pdays, not worrying about who I need to write.  I hope that doesn't sound mean.  But I do appreciate everyone who has written me.  Letters mean so much out here!  I love reading them!

Okay, times up.  I love you all!  Have a wonderful week!  I will.
Love Sister Ostler