Dear family:
Thanks Dad for the help on the food stuff. I usually take raisins and nuts with me or a gram cracker to eat when I feel my blood sugar drop. But it's hard to take time out of the day to eat...especially when we're in an appointment or tracting. "I know that Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet...excuse me while I eat an apple."
And the running for 30+ minutes! Yeah right! I’d love to do it. But try living the mission rules of being with someone 24/7 and doing what they want to do. Sister Mondelli will go running, but we also have to take time to do our studying and get ready. And there's no way that we can get up earlier. It's hard enough to get up at 6:30.
There's just not enough time to do everything that I need to do to keep my body really healthy like that. I hardly have time to write in my journal. In fact I started a new one on my bday and I've only written in it once since. And I STILL want to work harder. Although half the time I don't know if I have the energy to go one more minute.
But for my b-day David sent me this talk by Elder Holland that he gave to missionaries at the MTC some time ago, and he said that missionary work isn't easy because salvation isn't cheap. I’ve heard that before, and it's so true. It is soooooooo hard and takes all the energy we have to help someone repent....to help someone even realize Alma 7:11-13. There have only been a few people that I've taught that have really understood those verses.
It used to be that I was sometimes hesitant to tell people the commandments of God, like the WOW. "Coffee is not bad for you, I won't believe that." "I don't have to go to church on Sunday." But now I don't mind just telling them the commandments. After all, they aren't my commandments, or President Cameron’s, or even President Monson's, but Gods. Romans 1:16.
But today....hopefully we'll get to go to Valpo to play frisbee with the elders. It will be my first time using my new frisbee! Yeah, we really haven't played frisbee since Dad gave me that awesomely cool one! That's how much the elders love me. "We're playing bball this week!" So we're stuck in Rensselaer cuz there's no way I'm playing basketball with a bunch of elders who are WAY to competitive. I mean I can't even dribble! I did play football with them. That was kinda funny. As I was explaining the game to Sister Mondelli (I know I explained football to someone! Thanks to Dan Adamson, and David for explaining that game to me about 500000 times!) and after two downs were played she said, "Is this supposed to be fun?" I agree with her. No, it's not really supposed to be fun. It's just something boys do.
The pictures....
Trevor our Toad! Todd hadn't seen a toad in a long time. So he asked us to catch one for him so he could see it. Well Monday night Stacy was driving us home (we had a member leave us in town so we could tract...it just made sense) and she almost hit one. So we went to get it, put it in our bathtub with some rocks and grass and named him Trevor (Neville’s toad off of HP). The next morning we put it in a tupperware container in our living room. Well about 1 hour later I went to check on him and he was GONE!!!! We spent 10 minutes looking for that thing. We eventually said a prayer and we found him.
We took him to our lesson with Todd that day and poor Trevor! I was afraid Todd was going to squish him. But he didn't. Trevor was awesome. He hated being caught, and he was scared of everything. We loved him though. And we sang to him when we let him go last night. What a cute little toad!
Also Stacey made us pancakes! They're the best pancakes EVER!!!
So since I last wrote things have been okay...I mean not amazing. We'll have to move Todd's baptism cuz . . . . I feel like Christ when he said in Jacob 5 "What more could I have done for my vineyard." Tommy is never home to meet with us, and he won't come to church, and Lisa dropped us.
But we have James. He's the one we met a few weeks ago that had a zillion questions that could all be answered by lessons 1-3. And some of the WOW. It was awesome! We met with him on Thursday and taught him the Restoration. He said he'd read 3 Nephi 11, and it was awesome, he wanted to meet President Monson! "Can I go to where he is, or can he come here?" It was so sweet. Then yesterday Sister Fernandez came with us and we taught him, his younger brother Curtis (he had to leave while teaching Alma 34) and his, James's, fiance Abby. She had to leave at the end too, before we talked about eternal families. But when we got there James said, "I started reading the Bible from the beginning (we had given him one cuz he didn't have one) and I couldn't remember how far you wanted me to read, so I read 'til chapter 13." Yeah, we were excited!!!
We taught the Plan of Salvation..everything... he loved it all, and he kept saying, "You sisters are here for a reason. God sent you here." I'm just happy that we're able to teach him and give him this opportunity to repent and be baptized and experience joy beyond anything he or Abby has experienced.
So we're also teaching Emily. We taught her about a week ago and at one point during the Restoration lesson Emily asked, "So someone at church told me about a lizard with magical glasses that's associated with your church." Sister Mondelli and I both laughed.
We have a really good relationship with the RS president, Sister Kelly. She lives really close to us. It takes us 2 minutes to get to her apartment, walking. And she's a good cook. Sister Clark...Kendra had a good relationship with Sister Valois (the former RSP) and now we do! I think it's essential for sister missionaries to have a good relationship with them. Then we can better help the less active sisters come back.
Kim is doing good. We're trying to help him understand the priesthood so he can feel comfortable in receiving it. He wants to KNOW everything before he does something. He's changed, that's for sure!
Not much I can think of to say other than I love you all so much! Thank you so much for your prayers and support, and your letters! Go out and help those missionaries baptize people! Really do it! We can't do it alone! I prolly won't be so tired if we got more referrals and stuff, but that's just life!
Again, I love you all, and I better get this sent before this boots me off. Enjoy the pictures! And I love Elder Ostler's email!s! Keep sending them.
Love,
Sister Ostler
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