Hola

Mission Roster for this transfer.

Hey a few items of business

1. Can I have Sade the Lades e-mail address? 

2. It would be most helpful if you guys made a plan of salvation for me with separate pieces.

Mom:  Hey Sista!  I’m sittin here if ya got a minute and if you wanna chat.  What’s with the roster?  I haven’t looked at it yet.  And we’ll make it today and mail it to you.

Sister Ostler:  Oh, it’s just where missionaries are in the mission.

You have no idea how awesome it is to talk to you!

I'm doing good.  And yes, Sister Mondelli was sooooo pretrained!  I’m doing EVERYTHING now.  Well not everything.  Sister Wallace is more than happy to help, but I don't want to put too much pressure on her.  I just remember how hard it was for me to adjust to things out in the field.  So for the first week I was pretty easy on her, although she did commit someone to baptism for the 24th!  She's awesome!  I mean she's only had 4 weeks of missionary experience so far and I've had a year, so I understand she can't be like super missionary yet.  Not like Sister Mondelli was.  But she hasn't butchered any lessons.

Mom:  Elder Larkin is the senior companion and the newbies arrived yesterday.  So the trainers got assigned a newbie.  Elder Larkin brought him here, they tracted us.  We totally played along like we weren't mormon.  It was awesome.  That missionary was soooo nervous.  He was very relieved when we finally spilled the beans that we were Mormons.  You should do that sometime if you train again.  It was super fun.

Larkin is back now with his greenie.  I haven't met him yet.

Saydi leaves on Friday.  Boo hoo hoo.  I'm sad, but she's not.  Do you and Jackson email?

Sister Ostler:  Thanks a bunch!

And funny thing.  Guess when I got your letter?  Yesterday!  We were gone all day and when we came back at 9:10pm it was in the mailbox.  I have to go to the post office to pick up packages, so it's sitting in the car right now unopened.  I won't be able to open it til tonight cuz we’re going to Rockford to play some games with the zone.  It was my idea to have a zone party, so even though I woke up with a sore throat, and sore sinuses (only slightly, like a 1.4 on the pain scale) we're still going.  We got out and threw the frisbee today and Sister Wallace is actually really good.  I want her to be on my team!  We’re supposed to be there at 12, but it takes an hour to get there and we still have to shop.  So I’m hoping about 1.  I’ll drive fast.

That's so funny!  And President Doll told us not to tease the missionaries or play jokes on them.  Elder Dearinger was going to, I'm sure he still did even though President Doll told him not too.

Did you send granola bars in the pkg?

Mom:  Do you always have to go pick up pkgs?  That's not cool.  I can't even remember what I asked in my letter cause I sent it on Thursday so you'd get it in plenty of time.  Ughhh, that holiday on Monday probably slowed everything down.  How is your toe?  Yes I sent lots of bars in the pkg.

Sister Ostler:  Oh, my toe is fine.  It's healing nicely.  And you asked about C & J.  We're only meeting with them if they call us.  There's no way I’m going back there.  Cool about the missionaries in our house.  Will they be there when I get back?  And there's about 30ish sisters in the mission.  Count them on the roster.

Since Sister Howell is not here I don't really have a REAL friend to talk to.  She really was more than a companion, we were like real sisters.  We really want to room together... she just needs to move to BYUI.

Thanks for the bars btw!

We tracted into a muslim the other day so I started asking questions, thinking of Ahmed, and she explained more to me about the Holy meat.  It made more sense.  I kinda said the same thing that you did to Ahmed, that we believe that there is a prophet today, that God still speaks to us.

And that fasting thing is crazy!  I have a hard enough time fasting for once a month!  Let alone a whole stinking month!  This fast Sunday was killer!  7 hours of church, training, doing everything.  I just wanted her to get to know members and just relax. By the end of it I was so spent, and while doing comp study before our dinner appt with the stake president and his awesome family, I was just praying that Heavenly Father would help me through it.  For dinner we had either pork or steak, but oh man did I eat it!  It was food and it was a gonna help me!  Yeah, I only have 6 more fast Sundays on the mission!  Not that I’m counting either.

Mom:  Do you and Jackson email?  Once in awhile, every week?  And was I supposed to send you a tape recorder?  You said something about a tape recorder awhile ago.

Sister Ostler:  Yes, a tape recorder would be oh so nice... well if you send me tapes to listen to.  Cuz we don't have a tape player... well a tape player, not a tape recorder.  It was on my drawer with all the old electronic stuff, but I guess that's all occupied with Benson's clothes.

Sorry I haven't talked a lot about this week. It's just been hard.  Lots of appointments falling through.  And the stress over not getting members to come with us...although sometimes it's a last minute appt. or the member cancels or not returning your calls.  Honestly, go with those missionaries when they need someone!  Well, a male would have to go, but whatever.  Yeah, I do have to pick up all pkgs that don't fit inside our tiny mail box.  So I did get the letter last night, but not the package.

I only got 2 minutes . . . 

Mom:  Okay, it was great talking to you.  I love you and hope you’re doing great.  Don’t get discouraged.  We’re praying for you all the time.

Definitely be her friend.  You're all she's got and I KNOW her mom is hoping that she feels loved.  You must be incredible or President Doll wouldn't have you training again.  I just wish I could get a glimpse of you as a missionary.  So where are you at right now?  The college?

Sister Ostler:  No, we went to the library...gotta go...25 sec!  And yes, I'll be her friend.