Walking On Sunlight

This is an ‘email chat’ between Sister Ostler and her mom.

Me:  Are you there?  I have info on the "phone call" if you're there, I'm here for the next hour.  It's 10:42 here.

Mom:  Yes

Me:  Okay, well....I hope you're sitting down.  WE GET TO USE SKYPE!!!!!  Sister Mondelli asked about that, and I said that you had told me missionaries throughout the world could use it.  We were with Sister Cameron at the time, and she said that if we could use it she would buy it.  So I called President Doll and asked if Sister Mondelli could use it.  He said yes since she was international and therefore no one would have to pay a phone bill.  I asked if I could use it, and he said "Yes, I guess so.  You get special privileges."  I got the impression that he trusted me to use it, and after his e-mail to me I think that he'll think it'll be good for me after last transfer and all.

So yeah...  Details on time:  we get out of church 12 our time.  We're going up to the Cameron’s after that and Sister Mondelli is going to use it first because of the time difference in Italy.  Then I'll use it.  So I prolly won't be able to use it 'til about 2ish my time.  Is that okay for you guys?

Mom:  Oh my gosh yes!!!!  I was sitting down, but when I read that I jumped up!!!  That time frame sounds fantastic.  She'll just need to add me and the way to do that is to add my email.  She shouldn't have to buy skype.  There is a free version.  We'll have skype on all day.

Me:  She knows how to get the free version, but she has to buy the camera.  Yeah, I also only have 40 minutes that day.

Mom:  40 minutes on skype will be priceless!  How is training?  I guess you'll probably tell us in your email.  And we won't have Jackson on at the same time.  Hope that's okay.  Anything we should tell him?

Me:  I don't know what to tell him.  Just to keep his head up and rely on the Lord.

My e-mail won't be long, sorry :(

Mom:  No problem - get typing - if you want to.  We mostly want to know about your comp and how K*** is doing

Me:  Okay so I haven't been feeling well.

Mom:  Fluid fluid fluid.  Drink water.  Airborne and vitamin C if you have it or OJ.  And rest, sleep, take care of yourself.  Being sick is not fun.  And we want you well and happy on Sunday!  This will be the best mothers day ever.

Love you love you love you love you, Mom

(End of email chat)

Walking on Sunlight

Okay,  So sweet, we got all that stuff about skype worked out.  To review.  We will be over at the Cameron's that day, and I will hopefully be calling at about 2ish my time...Rensselaer time.  If things change I'll let Sister Cameron know so she can contact you.  I can't wait to SEE you!  Oh, and I gained weight, so don't be expecting a skinny Sister Ostler.  I need to lose 9 lbs to get back to what I was before the mission.  That's really hard when members send you home with TONS of chocolate.  And you know me?  I love chocolate! But Sister Mondelli likes running!  So that's good!!!!

About Sister Mondelli.

SHES AWESOME!!!!!  She teaches and everything!  She's very timid though, and doesn't like interrupting people.  I don' t have a problem with that.  When they start telling me how I need to be saved I cut them off after 30 seconds and bare my testimony and leave.  She waits til they’re done then bares her testimony.  We'll work on that.  And there are other little things that she needs to work on.  But the cool thing is is that she's teachable!!!!  Like this morning we went over asking questions and she didn't say, "well that's not how I was taught," or "I don't want to do that."  But she was willing to learn and improve.  It's just awesome.  And she knows the gospel!  She's got an outstanding testimony, and it's so pure and simple.  And also when she says stuff it's never offensive to people.  Whereas I might say the same thing and it might offend people.

I learn from her too.  She uses the scriptures like no other missionary!  Our first appointment last Wednesday was with T***.  We went there and found out from this girl, T*** that he just went to jail.  Great!  I've never had that happen.  Well I decided to teach her to turn this into a teaching opportunity, so I contacted T*** and we had an awesome discussion about prophets and what not.  It was just me and her talking.  I wasn't expecting Sister Mondelli to say anything.  But then at the end she handed T*** the bible and asked her to read a verse about the Spirit and how she could know the truth.  I was walking on sunshine after that!  SHE KNOWS HER SCRIPTURES!  And she knows and uses scriptures that I don't.  I don't like to use scrips because I'm afraid I'm bible bashing, but she's teaching me that we NEED to use them.  It's just awesome!!!

We haven't been contacting a lot....I'm just sick of talking all the time.  But I think I've realized that we need to contact and that I can actually push Sister Mondelli.  I haven't been pushing her in contacting, but I have in lessons.  She's started several lessons with members.  Now I just need to have her start lessons with investigators.  My goal is to get her to be a good enough missionary so she can train in 12 weeks.  That's what President Doll said, not me.  I know she can do it!

And she's so funny too!  The other night we saw a toad hopping across the road and I was like, "Oh man we got to save it!  So we stopped, hopped out and I went over to it and picked it up (we were right by our house where there is no traffic, don't worry.)  Sister Mondelii was like, "Oh, it's so cute!  Well, actually it's not very cute."  Then I gave it to her so she could hold it, and as we walked to put it down in the grass she was like, "If I kiss you will you turn into a handsome prince?"

"Do it!"  I dared.

"No, after my mission.  I'm a missionary now.  But after."

And this was all done in her cute, sweet Italian accent.  It was so funny!  And then she'll use sounds and hand motions when she doesn't know a word for something.  Like she was trying to say "cramp" when she was explaining that she had a cramp in her foot one time, and I can't describe what she did, but it was hilarious!  And she's good with the Elders too!  Like yesterday we went out to eat and Elder Dearinger was like, "Sorry, I'm a slow eater."  and Sister Mondelli said, "That's because you talk to much."

Oh it was AWEOME!!

Oh, so Elder Dearingers comp is Elder Nielson from Benton City.  He knows the Eppichs.  We're currently fighting over who will marry Kade.  So yeah, that's cool huh?  And also Sister Mondelli's MTC teacher served in Samoa.  His name is Elder Brandon Owens. He got back last year.  Does Paul know him?

As for K***, well he asked a really hard question on Sunday.  But he came to church for the first time!!!!  He thinks that he has the priesthood because he's a believer.  He's gettimg that info from what he thought was a mormon site, but it wasn't.  It taught false doctrine.  I've been pondering and praying about what to teach him, and it keeps coming that he needs to stop asking hard questions and gain a testimony for himself.  He reads, he ponders, but he doesn't ask God, I think.  So it's sightly frustrating at times.  And it wears me out to answer his questions.  So we're going to teach him about what it means to know if the BOM is true, and about the authority to baptize (Mosiah 21:33-34) and also how after Joseph Smith got the Holy ghost, he and Oliver Cowdry were able to understand scripture better.  And how that can happen for K*** to once he get's the Holy Ghost.  We're meeting with him tonight, so I'll tell you about it on Sunday!

I'm so excited!

Here is what I told President and want to tell you too, about T*** and K***, and what not.  I'd personalize it, but I'm out of time!

“We have two investigators who want to be baptized.  One of them, T***, well we were having problems with him.  In fact I was tempted to drop him because it didn't seem like he was progressing even though he came to church.  The branch too thought that we should drop him.  Last night before we went to go see him we prayed that Heavenly Father would let us know whether we should drop him, or keep teaching with him.  I don't remember what we had prepared to teach him, but when we got there it was as if the lesson had left my mind, and instead we treated it as a first lesson.  We asked questions like, "Do you know what our purpose is?" "What do you expect every time we come over here?"  It made T*** start to think about what our purpose is and why exactly he kept inviting us back.

After a little while we said a prayer, and immediately afterwards I felt very strongly that T*** could and would be baptized someday.  That impression was so strong.  I told him what I felt and we started to teach him about how he needs to prepare for baptism, and how it's up to him now.  I don't remember all that we said because the Spirit really took over.  But I do remember that very strong impression and what we needed to teach him in the future.  On our way home Sister Mondelli commented on what I told T*** about him being baptized, "I had that same impression too." she said.

It is amazing how God answers our prayers.  I have been wondering what to do with T***, and we prayed for an answer and we received a very powerful one that night.  This is truly God's work!

K*** is the other person who want's to be baptized, although he's still hesitant to set a date.  We're meeting with him tonight, and I know that Sister Mondelli will be perfect for him.  She'll get him into the waters of baptism.:)

Our work with RC/LA kinda slowed down.  Although there is one family who doesn't come to church all the time, but loves having us over, who I want to work on.  They have awesome potential!  And the kids love Sister Mondelli because she can speak Italian!

Something really cool happened during personal study this morning.  I had been reading out of 2 Nephi, when a scripture that was mentioned in Zone Conference when I was in Naperville popped into my head to use for K*** that night.  I turned to it and read it over, and it was perfect.  It was exactly what we needed for his lesson tonight.  The funny thing is, is that what I was reading had nothing to do with that scripture.  But my mind has been on K*** continually since Sunday.  I have been pondering of what scriptures to use and how to help him understand the Priesthood, and what do you know?  God answered my prayers!”

I love you all!  And I'll see you on Sunday!!!!!

Love, Sister Ostler