'What they are saying is true.'

Dear family:

Thanks Dad for those awesome words on faith.  I realized that last night.  More on that later.

That's kinda funny Mom, that you worked with alzheimer ladies.  We do that every Tuesday morning.  We volunteer at the nursing home.  Some of them remember us, but others don't.  It's fun to play with them though.  I do have my favorites!  They are all so sweet!  And Duane said that some of the towns in my area were once in his.  Can you PLEASE ask him which ones, and if he remembers anyone that he taught or saw there?  The Lord works in mysterious ways...the towns that are the southest in my area are Remington, Goodland and Kentland.

Also way awesome that Mercedes is going on a mission!  She'll be AWESOME!!!  Hmmmm...I guess France and...Palmyra, NY.  She won't come to Chicago.  No way.  If she did I want to train her!  That would be awesome!!!!  We would have too much fun together.  But like that'll ever happen.

And thank you so much for fasting for Kim.  I think I almost cried when I read that.  He has been on my mind constantly.  I think that was the best fast I'd ever had though.  It really was...thinking about why I was fasting every second of the day almost.  And then praying all day, and everyday since.

And the tornados...I'm surprised you mentioned nothing about the storm we had on Saturday.  That was a VERY interesting day.  It was soooooooooo hot!  I just sweat out here, even when I'm walking.  It's crazy.  Well after lunch we went out and had some good plans of people to stop by and a place to tract.  EVERY SINGLE APPT. FELL THROUGH.  Even our tracting appointment.  Please, all you RMS out there, when does a tracting activity fall through?  NEVER!  But the street we wanted to tract had appointments on it that were security locked.

I was not in a good mood AT ALL.  After the last stop by fell through, Sister Mondelli in her positive way, suggested we could go home and do the progress record then stop by these people in the evening and tract then when people are actually home.  I agreed, even though I didn't want to do that.  It was a 3-5 minute car ride home.  When we left our investigators house it was 98 degrees outside.  When we got home it was 94.  That's a big change in just 3 minutes.  And I could see a storm...prolly rain storm, coming in from the north.

Well, we got home, I texted our evening appointment and they said they were in Lafayette and couldn't make it tonight.  Yep, that made me pretty upset.  Well 10 minutes later Stacey came over for some reason and I went outside to talk to her.  That's when we noticed the huge brown cloud of dirt coming in.  The wind picked up, and of course I got out my camera and started taking pictures.  Within 2 minutes it was 70 degreesish and the wind was blowing really hard.  It started to pour down rain and thunder and lightning.  Our power went out 3 times for 30 seconds each.  It was a super bad storm.

In Demontt two trees fell on the Fernandez house, but they were okay.  Power was out in Wheatfield and Demontt, and flooding had occurred in Brook.  But places like Michigan City and LaPorte didn't get touched.  It was just from Crown Point to Brook I think, and the surrounding areas.  Crazy huh?  Not much damage in Renssy, but still the Lord placed us in our apartment where we knew we would be safe.  I was mad at first when everything fell through, but then I saw how knowledgeable the Lord was.

The same thing happened yesterday.  We were supposed to go see Lisa.  We met her last week, had an appointment with her last Wednesday, it went well, she felt the Spirit, she came to church with her 8 year old boy, and he really liked it.  She did too.  We were planning on seeing her last night with Sister Kelly.  Well she called and canceled, and my emotions were already at the top.  So after 15 minutes of pointless tracting that afternoon, we went home, I took a nap (felt soooooooo good!) and then we went to Sister Kelly's for dinner.  Instead of going to Lisa's like we planned on doing we went to Cindy's house.  She can talk forever too, about her life, about her daughter, about anything and everything.  I told Sister Mondelli that she was in charge of the lesson.  We taught the Restoration (and yes mom, that was the right order, very good!)  Cindy was so confused even though I'm pretty sure we were teaching clearly.  We were testifying and using scriptures, but she was distracted, and man oh man it was tough and I was gonna go home and eat a whole bunch of PB and ice cream!  (That's sooooooooo good!)

We put in The Restoration, which is a 20 minute movie about Joseph Smith.  The Spirit was soooooooo strong.  I just prayed that she felt it too.  She didn't understand why they buried the tablets in New York and not in Jerusalem, and why we’re saying the Book Of Mormon was written at the same time as the bible and yet Joseph Smith was dressed like he was from the 1800s.  Sister Mondelli explained it soooooo clearly to her, and she STILL didn't understand.

We talked about the Book Of Mormon, more about Joseph Smith, and our modern day prophet and how she can know. I was getting so frustrated because it wasn't clicking with her, and so I just bore my testimony and invited her to read the Book Of Mormon and pray to know if it was true.

"I don't think I need to."  she said

Great!  Just great!  We lost ANOTHER investigator!  What next?  First Tina, then Patt (false alarm, she's happy with her religion, go figures) prolly Lisa, now Cindy.

"Why don't you think you need to read it?"  I asked.

"Because, well...you guys have been coming over for like, what three times now?  And explained all this stuff, and remember earlier tonight when you said that you might have a good, peaceful feeling?" she said to me.  "Well while we were talking tonight I had this swelling feeling in my chest, and it was warm too."

I was shocked.  Cindy feeling the Holy Ghost when she's doubted everything we've told her?  We explained that that was the Holy Ghost testifying...yadayada.  Then she said, "And then...this is really weird.  But I heard a man’s voice in my head say, 'What they are saying is true.'"

I was FLOORED!!!  NOTHING like that had EVER happened to me, especially with someone who I didn't think wanted to know if it was true.  Well we committed her to church, to read and to pray.  I'm still not sure if this will go anywhere.  It's just that stuff like this, really cool spiritual experiences, have happened for the past 8 months and then a lot of times nothing.  We find a golden investigator and then nothing.  But I guess I just have to have faith, right?  And pray a lot and have a good attitude.

Also is Nate Adams in the General Conference Ensign?  pg 67?  I can't tell if that's him or not.  Want to ask him please?

Yeah, these past couple days...I've been soooooo tired!  Like wanting to sleep during personal study, which NEVER happens.  That's why I took the nap yesterday.  And my emotions...I've just wanted to cry.  And in fact mom, when I got your letter on Monday I read it that night and cried.  That part where you said you didn't know what to say to me, and then you knew that all you needed to say was that you loved me...that made me bawl.  So thank you so much, I so needed that.

But today has gone slightly better...hopefully it will be all the way better.  Today is transfers and two of the elders comps are getting switched (well Perkins is going home) so we're just staying here.  I'm cooking Sister Mondelli some american college stuff...she would rather have that than hamburger goolosh...whatever.  And we're writing letters.  I hope to get my card to you next pday...and when I told you that I didn't have a lot of shirts, I didn't mean for you to buy me some more...but I won't complain :)  Just make sure they're stuff I’ll stay cool in.

And Saydi made jam?  That's not fair!!!  I want to learn!  I’m so jealous that she gets to cook!  I wish I could cook all day without worrying about wasting time, or that there's something better I can do.  And I'll start taking more videos.  But it CLEARLY states in the white handbook that we are not to take video or pictures while proselyting.  So I won't be taking any while contacting.

And thanks for the camel!  I loved it!  I'm giving it to my daughter on her hump day.  Hopefully she'll give it to hers.  Okay, well my time is about up!  I love you all!  And thank you so much for your prayers!  And don't worry about me on my bday.  I'll work hard, and then go to the Camerons for dinner!  Love them!

Love, Sister Ostler