Dear Family:
Oh, I love that picture! That was so cool!!! I wish I could have been there! That must have been such a fun weekend!
Yeah, the weather here has been HORRIBLE! First tornados, then weather that I can't breathe in! I'm NEVER living in the mid-west! I love serving here, but living here permanently? Nope. I've decided that I like the west! Nice and dry!!!
Yeah, Monday we tracted for a lot of the day, got new bug bites and a nice sunburn on my neck. It doesn't hurt though. I got some sunblock today. Doesn't help that I only have about 4 shirts I can wear in this type of weather. I'm more prepared for the winter just cuz I'm staying two winters here. But our AC is down, so that's been soooooo fun! We have a big fan, but that doesn't quite cut it sometimes. And then we're tracting and sweating, and we just look like a mess! Well I do, Sister Mondelli looks good no matter what she does.
But Kim. He didn't come to church, don't know why, we're meeting with him tomorrow. But last week we met with him Wednesday night. Wow! That was quite a lesson! I was at a loss. I had no idea how to help him. He wanted . . . He'd prayed, he'd relied on Christ and the Atonement but it wasn't working. Thank goodness President Cameron was there cuz he was able to help Kim by what he said.
Kim has a lot of respect for President Cameron, and he took that answer. Then I think when Brother Portwood was bearing his testimony and talking with Kim, a light bulb clicked for Kim. We pray for him all the time. But then after that lesson we had to drive home in the dark, 30 minutes, in a tornado watch area. Talk about stressful! Lightning everywhere, a chance of tornados, and you can't even see where they are going to hit! I had Sister Mondelli sing to me in her beautiful soprano voice, and I felt sooo much better! The picture is of us earlier that day after we went shopping. It was raining hard. We were only outside for 1.5 minutes and we got SOAKED! It was crazy!
Here's some other news from Rensselaer:
Todd: I think this time he really wants to quit. He bought his own pack Sunday before he came to church (oh the irony!) and he saw how much they were. His wife had been buying for him before. But when he saw how much they were that was a real eye opener and now every time he lights one up he prays that God will help him quit, to not have the desire to smoke. That's the first time that he has, on his own, actually asked God to help him quit smoking. He's putting his faith to the test! We told him that if he kept doing it then he'd be so blessed for it. We're excited to see him progress and hopefully be baptized in July!
Patt: We found one investigator a couple months ago and just barely got in contact with her again. We taught her the Restoration, and while Sister Mondelli was quoting the first vision Pat was smiling. We weren't sure why. Was she making fun of us, did she really understand what we were saying? But afterwards she explained that that experience was beautiful, that God had called and anointed Joseph Smith. We introduced the Book of Mormon and we felt impressed to read the introduction with her, and after she was done she said, "Amen!" in a reverent way. We explained what she had just read and before we could commit her to read it she said, "Can I keep this book? I'd like to read it." My heart swelled with joy! We both love Pat!
Dorothy: We tracted into her and she immediately let us in. She's a foreign exchange student from Germany and she had never heard of the Book Of Mormon before. She gained her testimony of Christ when she got here to America and her American dad was a preacher at a local church, Community of Hope. She wanted to read the BOM, when we told her it was about Christ and what happened in the Americas. She was excited about it. Unfortunately she's back in Germany by now, but she said she'd read it and go onto the website. We explained how to get in contact with missionaries. So hopefully she'll be able to!
Tina dropped us :( We went over and she said that she had heard we were a cult and not to come back. My heart broke. Oh man, I went to the car and I cried. When she told us not to come back Sister Mondelli and I both had a feeling that we REALLY needed to leave...like an uncomfortable feeling almost...I don't know why either. When I was walking away I turned around and waved at Chanasy. She smiled and waved back. There's something special about her, and I just HOPE that she'll come to a knowledge of the Book Of Mormon someday and accept it. But it's all in the Lord's hands and in his timing.
Last week the ZLs got 400 contacts, 15 news and 37ish other lessons! They worked through lunch, dinner and pdaybday present ever if it doesn't fall through!!!! I really feel that I came to Rensselaer to meet Kim and to help him progress and enter into the Kingdom of God. He is the first one that said to me, after I bore my testimony, "That's your testimony," and I can tell that the spirit touched him, “I want to be able to say that someday.” And now he can. Now he has.
I've had several people say that there's a light around me, or something. That's so weird, because it's only just recently, and recently I've felt so drained and so exhausted, but at the same time so ready to go and baptize people.
A mission truly does change you. And it makes you better. Oh man it really does! Tell Kray to go on a mission. Because there's no way on earth that someone can grow this much and NOT go on a mission....well maybe they can, but the mission is the perfect opportunity for this type of growth. And I'm serious, tell him that!
Kudos for the cousins to encourage him!
And Brennen is getting baptized this week! AWESOME!!!!! I thought he was still 2 or something... honestly I did. How old is Keylea’ Shay? I think she's still 6 or something, but I guess not.
And Wood is graduating! Awesome!!!!! And he got his Eagle! And he graduated from Seminary! A mission is next huh? ;)
Oh and as for Saydi picking my future husband? Right, we'll see about that. As long as I can pick hers. Although she won't complain about that, I pick ?????
Today we're prolly going up to the Dunes in Michigan City, if we can leave on time...but I don't know. Pdays are so stressful for me sometimes. Yeah, Sister Mondelli has taught me patience even more. And it's stuff too that I don't have any control over. Like yesterday we went to subway (thanks mom for providing that meal) and she had NO IDEA what to do. So I had to walk her through it, and even then she was still confused, but she got through it! And she enjoyed her sub. So it's just culture stuff like that that I really have to be patient on. I have to think of this, "If I was in Italy and I had to order, and I didn't know what the heck anything was, I would prolly be in tears by now."
Sometimes it's fun explaining things, but other times it's soooooo much work! Like try to explain the word, "bleak." And when you can use it. She heard it on The Testaments the other night, and now she wants to know how and when she can use it. I told her that we hardly use that word, so don't worry about it, but still, yesterday she asked if you can say a person is bleak. I have no idea!!!! It's just fun sometimes, it really is.
Sometimes it's crazy how much studying we have to do. Two hours of comp study, and then sometime during the day .5 hours of language study. I feel like sometimes we're wasting time, but I know that we're not, President Doll wants us to do it this way, and he'll understand if our numbers aren't outstanding.
Jackson training! That's awesome! He sent me a pic, but I'd like a hard copy. He'll be awesome! Yeah, showing your kid obedience is the MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO AS A PARENT! Although sometimes I live the spirit of the law, depending on the situation, and Sister Mondelli, she is so a letter of the law liver! But at the same time she's also living the spirit of the law. She's way more righteous than I am! And her ex-bf is soooooo good-looking! The only reason they broke up was cuz she came here. They still write each other. And she stays sooooo focused! She's amazing. And they'll get married cuz she deserves someone like him. He's one cute Italian boy!
K, gotta go! Love you all!
Love,
Sister Ostler
ps. I really don’t need anything
No comments:
Post a Comment