It's Missionary Work, What More Do You Want Me To Tell You?

Hi family:

Wow Elders!  You are so...yeah.  7 hours of church and you like it?  Get out!

We do about 4ish, sometimes more if there are investigators there.  No wait, 5, or more if there are investigators, and we are DEAD.  We get there at 8:20ish for MCM with Sycamore Ward.  Then we go to Sycamore ward for three hours.  This week only the R**s showed up, but I’ll tell you about that later.  Then we come in late for DeKalb sacrament meeting because we have to make sure that L** finds all her kids.  We don't even have time to eat, so even though we're not supposed to we eat trail mix or gold fish in DeKalb sacrament meeting after the sacrament.  But you try doing what we do with no food.  Then usually after DeKalb sacrament meeting we split.  We're usually exhausted by then.

We got to zone meeting 1 hour early (I can’t tell time, what can I say?) and so we went to subway!  What an adventure!

So this week we set a goal of tracting 10 hours and then we would reward ourselves.  We did a pretty good job too!  We got about 9 hours in, but that wasn't for lack of trying.  I have never seen Sister Fossett so gun ho about tracting before.  So we decided that because we worked our hardest that we would reward ourselves.  We even tracted in this tiny town for 1.5 hours in a blizzard, and not one person wanted to talk to us!  It was actually pretty hilarious.

We decided that was just an act of obedience, which paid off.  That night we contacted a referral from the ward (a part member family) and the non-member mom was pretty happy to see us.  They were having a party at the time, but she said she would call us to set up a time when we could come over, and she seemed pretty sincere about it.  Later we had about 15 minutes before dinner and Sister Fossett really wanted to tract like these three houses on a street we had passed.  So we went there and immediately got two PNIs. It felt very rewarding.  So we're going to Clair's today to by some hair stuff!  Yay for girl time!

The R**'s family is doing good.  She really likes church, and yesterday her 14 year old daughter was flirting it up with the teachers after church yesterday.  She's pretty much already a regular Mia-Maid by this point. The Sycamore ward is an awesome fellow-shipping ward! Even the youth.  The girls really like YW, and they're going to come to New Beginnings this week.  Our only problem is that they live pretty far away and so we can't meet with them a lot.  But we'll figure it all out.  We didn't have an appointment with the R**s this week, cuz she was sick then we couldn't get a hold of them.  So when we were up in Genoa this week (that's where the G**'s live too) we stopped by with a little goody bag.  It had candy, a DVD (the Restoration) and Daughters of My Kingdom in it.  She invited us in and then just unloaded on us.  All her problems and everything.  It was exhausting.  But she needed someone to talk to.  She was so thankful we came over and she felt so much better afterwards.  She's excited to get baptized.

The G**'s, though they don't have a date, have seen so many blessings from coming to church and meeting with us.  When we went over this week we taught the Restoration.  After teaching about the First Vision I asked the mom, if she wanted to know if this was true.  She said she already did.  I thought, "Yeah, that's what everyone says."  But then she went on to describe how she had seen blessings in her life from coming to THIS church, and how friendly the ward was and how welcome they felt, and how their children absolutely loved Primary.  And how  her 10 year old was actually praying now, when before he wasn't sure there was a God.  And he read King Benjamin's speech in the children's BOM with his dad and loved it too.  We both have a feeling that they're all going to be baptized though.  We're trying to teach and move at a pace that is not going to overwhelm them.  That's really something I've learned on my mission.  You have to work at their pace, even if it means you're not going to get a baptism til June, or something.

Sister Fossett is so awesome, and this Miracle is attributed to her.

So yesterday we stopped by a PI who we found about two months ago.  We've tried calling her, but she would never return our calls.  So yesterday we stopped by to see if we should even try.  She came out and seemed a little put out we were there.  I was really sad when she said that she didn't want to learn, because I really liked her.  I was planning on just leaving, but Amazing Sister Fossett kept talking with her just about life and gained her trust.  She still wasn't interested, which was really sad, but we left knowing that she at least liked us (which meant she liked the church).

Well at 8:30 that night she called us and asked if we could come over to help her with some stuff around her house.  She has medical issues, so even though she REALLY HATES asking people for help she knew she could trust us.  Sister FossettFossett hadn't taken the time to talk with her than we wouldn't have this opportunity to perhaps share the gospel with her.

Yeah, I didn't read that whole email you sent, just skimmed it.   

And I'm kinda out of time. 

But in response to your letter.  

My interview went good.  He's really seen me grow this past year and a half.  And I really have.

Oh also, I'm going to have to have some serious boy time in about a month.  I'll need a date for the weekend I get back.  I did hear that there is quite the lady's man living in our house (don't worry it's not an elder, that would apostate) who swims and has super high standards (I totally told your homecoming story in RS yesterday!  The sisters loved it!  And were very impressed.)  We could double with mom and dad...just an idea.  

Love, 

Sister Ostler

Beautiful

A little bit of this, A little bit of that

Dear family,


Well let me first respond to mothers letter.

First, if I don't get any other letters this transfer that's fine.  AS LONG AS YOU SEND JACKSON'S EMAILS!  I want to know how my little bro is doing!

And that's fine that you signed me up for only spring.  I'm not staying summer.  I'll prolly come home and work.  I think Dad said that they needed me in August.  Someone is having a baby or something like that.  But we'll see.


Also for classes...well I wrote them down on a lined piece of paper and I think it's in my desk.  It's in the big drawer, and I think it's one of the folders in there.  It might be in the folder marked school.  Yeah, you might have to go on a treasure hunt.  And if you can't find it, just sign me up for classes!  Just so I don't get in trouble.  Although I would like to take the intro to seminary teaching.  That's in the 400s I think in religion, or 300s, I can't remember.  A cake decorating class would be fun too!  If you can get me into dance 290 (I think that's intermediate ballet) that would be good.  I'll figure it all out in a couple months.  So don't stress about it, and I'll try not to stress about it.  Just sign me up at least.


Way to go Harrison on not being broken!  And in swimming!  Sweet!


Tell Emilee and Danica I say hi!  Danica gets home today or tomorrow.  I miss that girl.


Oh you know what?  I didn't even read your email!  Yes, mom I did get your letter, obviously!  
Woot woot Harrison for holding to your standards!  Well not yours but the Lords!  Love you boy!  I'm so proud of you!  I worry about you boys sometimes.  I just see so much evil around me everyday, and it's so comforting to hear that my baby brothers are staying true to the truth that they were taught by our awesome parents!  Keep pushing forward with that steadfastness in Christ that you have!


Yeah, so I just skimmed the email..  of course dad, you are a hero!


Well I don't have a lot of time.


I try not think about the end, excpet everyone and thier dog keeps reminding me about it!  What the heck!  I just try to be the best missionary I can be.  

We took a break and played on the swings one warm day.  It was great! Yeah, we have fun togther.  Although this week to get us out of the car we made a goal.  10 hrs of tracting=going to clairs to buy some cute hair things!  Yay!

  
Also Last night Sister Fossett dressed me up in all her clothes.  She likes playing dressup.  And she's making me grow out my nails, which is really annoying.  But it makes her happy, so I'm letting her.  I've kinda given up on having things exactly my way.  Compromise.  Right?  But yesterday we went over 2.5 hrs of tracting!  We'd be lucky to get that in three days!  This whole clairs things has really got us going.

Being with so many different compantions has really helped me realize what I want in a husband.  I want somenone like sister Howell.  We just got a long and had a great fun time, and also we had the same goal and work ethic.  I really loved those six weeks we had togther.  When we would get a runny nose we would suck it up and just go, just like Mommy Chen taught us how to do it.  We moved forward together and when one of us would be having a bad day we would stop and help each other out.  One night Sister Howell was really put out by something that had happened, so I got out the cookie dough that hadn't made very good cookies and we ate the rest of it.  It was good!

But the R**'s and the G**'s came to church again!  The G**'s stayed for 2 hrs this time, and the kids loved primary!  The R** girls like YW, and hopefully will be coming to new beginnings next week.  We'll go too if they go. 
 
Zone meeting is tomrrow and I have my last interview with president before my final one.  Should be fun!
how are my bunnies doing by the way?  

Okay, I can't think of anything else to say.  Besides two-three weeks before I get home that little boy needs to be out of my room!  I hang around enough boys as it is!  When you walk into a chruch roomm full of elders...yeah, it reminds me of home!  I don't need my pretty room smelling like boy.  Love you Benson, but not the way you smell.  Sorry!

Oh, the reason we're emailing today is cuz our pday got switched to today for this week.  Yesterday was memorail day and so all the computer places would be closed.  And tell those elders to read chpt 5 in pmg if they want to answer the deep doctrine questions for the LA.  Especially the part about using the BOM to answer objections.  

Well I best be going! 
I love you all, and thank you for all that you do for me!
We're going up to Byron today to play with our elders!  
I'll take pictures.
Love,
Sister Ostler

So in reading 2 Nephi 9 this morning I came across verse 42, as you would while reading chapter 9.  It really impressed me and reminded me how much Heavenly Father wants us to rely on Him. 
"And whose knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches--yeah, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them."

It takes humitily to call upon God, especialy when we're some of those stubborn people who don't like to ask for help.  We have an investigator like that.  She won't tell us whats wrong, and she really won't accept our help.  Therefore we can't help her.  She's proud even though she's about to break.
That's the same with Heavenly Father.  He won't help us unless we ask.
Love,
Sister Ostler

A Very Long Tiring Week

Dear family,

So this has been a great week.  We had L and her family come to church, along with the G**'s!  L and her girls stayed for all three hours, and then we talked to the YW president about including the girls in YW.  She actually gave them a personal progress book.  She wants this for her daughters so badly.  We taught her the WOW on Friday.  It'll take awhile for her to accept and live it, but I think she will.  In Sunday School we talked about the spirit world, and she has had experience with that, and she shared her testimony of it.  The spirit filled the room, and it was a great lesson!  She felt a little overwhelmed with everything though, but the subjects were perfect for her.  And the ward is, as always, so friendly.  The G**'s left after sacrament meeting, because she was on call.  But I really hope they stay for primary next week.  The kids will love it!

We didn't email yesterday because this government building was shut down because they were observing Lincoln's birthday.  Then at the library no computers were working.  Wow!  So we just went shopping and went up to Rockford to play with the zone.  We had a fun time.  Sister Leahman is leaving tomorrow :( so we had to say goodbye to her.  We started our missions in Naperville, and we ended in Rockford.  She is an awesome person!

Sister Ostler & Sister Howell
Love that girl

Sister Ostler & Sister Leahman

Tell Emilee I said hi!  I love her and miss her!  Also Danica comes home next week.  Tell her I said hi too!  And I'll write her...soon!

I think Autumn Winds sounds good.  Or a house too.  I don't mind.  Just somewhere other than the dorms or a cardboard box.  I would really like a private room though.  It would help me out a lot.  The classes you're going to sign me up for sound awesome!  You should throw in some martial arts class too! ;)  Yeah, I'll just fix it all up when I get home.

So about transfers.  Oh that was bad!  I about died!  We got this text at 8:50 at night when we were returning from some awesome tracting (two potentials and one other lesson in 45 minutes!) from the APs telling us we would be getting a call about transfers.  I got so scared.  What if I trained my last transfer?  I just didn't want to do it.  All the pressure came back.  I think it might have been similar to giving birth to Benson mom.  You were remembering how painful it was, so that's why dad convinced you to have a needle stuck in your back.  Well in training the only needle is prayer, but sometimes He let's you struggle for a bit and really grow before he sends that numbing medicine coursing through you.

Sister Fossett and I had been getting along great.  We do have our differences, but we are trying to work those out.  We didn't even plan that night.  I was so scared that she was gonna be leaving.  I needed her in more ways than I can ever tell you.  And she didn't want me to leave somewhere else.  The Byron elders texted us and said they had gotten a text that said they WEREN'T moving.  Then 20 minutes later they told us that Elder Lee was leaving (Elder Runner was not too happy).  So we thought that maybe they sent us the wrong text too.  We texted Elder Swenson (yes Jackson, your buddy is AP now.  How awesome is that?) and asked him if we were getting transferred.  He said that they had mixed some of the numbers, so no, we were safe.  Wow!  What a flood of emotions in less than an hour.  We ate a lot of sugar that night and I almost cried a couple times.  We were pretty happy to be staying together though.  There are great things to yet be done in this area.  Although I'm not sure if I’ll see a baptism before I leave.  Kinda sad, but hey, it's what I get,,,yeah....

You know, maybe a house would be good.  But I don't want to live far away from campus.  I want to be able to walk there.  Oh you just decide Mom!  Sorry, but I'm not really feeling in the mood to write to you.  Hmmm...what to say?

We found this investigator, K**.  We were looking for a referral, who's house number didn't exists.  So we tracted.  And we found her.  After introducing ourselves she said, "Okay, come in!"  We had had a very long day, it was 8:30 at night and we were beat.  So we got to know her and taught random stuff, but she invited us back and when we came back she was very interested in prophets.  So we taught her that...well the Restoration, and it was powerful!  I loved it!  We gave her Dad's BOM and she was so touched by that.  We were supposed to go see her today, but she had to take her nephew to the doctors office.  But she did leave us her number!  So we'll get to call her!  Yay!

I love missionary work, and yeah...I do.  It's tiring, but I love it.

We're also really working on unifying our district.  So far so good.  Tomorrow we'll meet the two new elders in our district, Elder Gram and Allen.  Other than that our zone stays pretty much the same.  Kinda weird.

I don't really know what else to tell you.  It's been a long week, a long, very tiring week.  Sister Fossett is scared for me to leave cuz she thinks that the ward loves me so much.  Which they do, and it will be hard for her, but she's so good with members anyways.  She gave a great talk in Sycamore ward too.  Sister Howell doesn't want me to leave either.  I'm gonna miss her a lot. Well nothing really to say, and I’m almost out of time.

Have a great valentines day!  Tell everyone you love them!

Love,

Sister Ostler 

ps. Elder Runner can play Soul Sister on his Ukulele, that's mine and Sister Fossetts theme song, except she doesn't know the song..oh well!

Why Should I Stop Now?

Wow Mom and Dad, super long email!  But thanks for that!

So this week has been fantastic!  Zone leaders are still being strange, but with Sister Fossett here all is well!  We just care more about the people instead of the numbers, so that's why our numbers this week were the best I've had in a very long time.  Plus I'm not worrying about my daughter.  Man, I've realized how much I focused on my daughters instead of my area when I was training.  The area took a back burner.

But with Sister Fossett here, I don't have to focus on her, and we can just work.  We have had so much fun!  She loves english (more technical) and she's an RN, but going to be a nurse someday.  She has a strong testimony and she's an awesome teacher.  I feel the spirit when she teaches.  Tracting is once again bearable.  I'm not the only one talking.  Having Sister Fossett here has been a blast!

I haven't talked so much in a long time about things other than missions.  We talk about everything.  It's weird and nice at the same time.  Also when she came I stopped feeling like I want to come home.  Before I couldn't wait 'til March 28th.  Now I'm focused once again on this work.  I love sharing the burden instead of carrying it.  She's like, "Who do we need to call?" every day.  It's awesome.  And sometimes, like this one night we were looking for a former investigator and we decided to tract this one apartment complex with four apartments.  So we talked to one girl, and after we got a return appointment we BOTH felt we had done what we were supposed to do.  I didn't have to say, "Well what do you feel we should do?" and then wait forever.  We both felt the same.  It's been so relaxing (a good missionary relaxing) working with her.  She can tell when I get mad at people too.  Like when they say, "You can't know what you say you know."  Yeah, she knows that makes me pretty darn mad.

We have had a lot of fun together, and have seen so many miracles.

P** dropped us, but we set L and her family on date!  She so wants this for her girls!  So we started teaching her girls this week.  At first all of them were just sitting there listening like teenagers do.  Then one of them started to really listen.  She ate up everything we said and at the end she said, "Can I have a Book of Mormon?"  And then after we explained a little bit about baptism, she asked, "Well how can you remember Christ throughout the week?  Does you're church help you with that?"  And this girl is 14 years old asking a question like that!  So we got to share with them the prayer for the sacrament.  It was such a neat experience!

And we've seen such a change over L within the past month.  She used to be depressed.  A dark cloud was looming above her, but now she's so happy and has so much hope for the future!  She is so amazing!  And when we asked when they wanted to be baptized they said, "Well what about the weekend after Valentines day?"  Yeah, we couldn't do that, they have too much to learn.   So we set them for March 24.  I hope they make that.  That's my last weekend being a full-time missionary. 

We had people to church on Sunday!!!!!!  4 PEOPLE TO CHURCH 4 

The G** family.  They have a 10 yr old boy who is so awesome.  We feel like he just wants to be accepted, and he's not getting that from his past church experiences.  And an 8 year old daughter who loves the Bible and Christ.  We hope they stay for primary next week.

A**...pray for her (our investigator) she can never meet with us.  Pretty sad, just shows where her priorities lie.  But she's still changing, which is good.  She's just at a point in her life when she won't make time for God.  Too busy.  And it's hard to change all at once.  Think about it.  Did we change all at once?  Nope!  We didn't.  It was a slow, continuous process.  So patience is the key for her.  I just have to have patience.

Sister Fossett is great with the members.  She's so friendly.  Ah yes.  Tell those elders downstairs that we sisters suffer from the same thing.  And dad, next time you give a talk and want to use something from my emails, tell those members that a good missionary doesn't care about the food when we come over to your house.  We don't care how many courses there are, if there's desert (we prefer none) how much it costs, how long it took you to prepare it.  The reason we come over is to teach members how to become better missionaries.

We have been called and set apart to teach and find and baptize.  So if you want to fulfill you're duty as missionaries, stinking listen to the missionaries, then go and do what they commit you to do.  As missionaries we bear our testimonies, we share scriptures, we teach lessons, but nothing in these people's lives would ever change if we didn't invite them to act.  Most people don't act.  Some do.  And when they do...oh the joy that you feel!

Sorry, but that's one of my soap boxes.  Member missionary work.

The members here are awesome, they really are.  And it is scary inviting people to change, but Christ did it and pip-squeak 19 year old boys are, so why not us?

Way to go Harrison on standing up and not going to the dance!  That's the first step that Satan would want you to take to lead you CAREFULLY down to Hell: put yourself in a situation where you can't take your sword with you.  Do people really think they can willingly go into an environment like that and have the spirit with them?  We as missionaries are put in situations like that all time, but we don't want to be in them.  If we are in a situation like that we pray for strength and leave ASAP.  We can tell if people have any potential or not.  And really, you're MORE of an example if you DON’T go.  Then people would ask why you weren't there and you could share with them your standards.

School dances were not as bad when I was a teen.  Harrison never lower your standards for anything.  And you little boys, you follow your brothers example!

Well that's all for now!  Tell Saydi to stay strong!  And you boys too!  Don't fight against the standards mom and dad and the prophets (the Lord) have set.  Follow them and they will bless you.

I love you all!

Love, Sister Ostler

It's Never Good When President Calls You At 9:30 At Night

Well well well.  This has been a very fun week, as you can tell by the pictures!

Last pray we went up to Byron to play with the Elders.  We played the capture the flag, except it was capture the snow shovel.  It was great. Elder Runner was like a little kid.  His team won every time.  Then we had hot chocolate and played a dictionary game.  Great district!

Then one day we were sick of tracting.  We had tracted almost the whole dayish.  So we took a break in the car.  It was much needed.  I was in a much better mood by the end of it.  From the pictures you can see we had so much fun.  Sister De Leon and I were getting along just fine.  I was really focused on just having fun, walking at her pace, being patient and loving to investigators that didn't want to keep commitment, and relying on Heavenly Father EVERY SINGLE DAY for my daily bread.

We had an awesome appointment with L who had an amazing experience with reading the Book of Mormon.  She says she knows it's true (she has Wilson's Book of Mormon by the way) and we asked her if she wanted to be baptized (3rd appt) and she said yes, she's ready. We tried setting a date, she said she wants to do it with her three youngest daughters!  Sweet!  When can we come and teach them?  So amazingly awesome!  We're so excited for her.

We also found a family who's looking for something else.  They believe in God, but they're looking.  We taught them a little bit about church before we had to dash, and committed them to come.  No one, of course showed up for church.  Who knows.  I don't like Satan. Whatever.  We'll try harder this week.  A** has fallen off the face of the planet.  Won't set up a time for us to come over, she's too busy.  So I'm just exercising ALOT of patience.  Who knows about S**.  C*** is doing good!  She read!  She was tired last night, so it was a quick L2.

V** and her daughter are doing good too!  V** is looking for something more in her life.  "When I see it I'll know," she says, talking about the right church.  Her daughter is 12.  I gave her Jefferson's Book of Mormon.  I gave Patrick, Harrisons.  So I still have Bensons, Moms and Dads.  She really likes learning from us and loves the Book of Mormon.  We'll teach them the restoration next time.

So yeah, we had a great week.  Our numbers were low, but we still had a ton of fun together.  We would laugh, talk, work on getting her to talk to people and to teach.

Then at 9:40 Saturday night I heard the phone vibrate in my coat pocket as I was preparing stuff for Sunday's mormon.org presentation that we gave in both wards.  I went up and looked at it.  We had a missed call from President Doll at 9, and then now again.  It's never good when President calls you at 9 at night.  We called back and he asked to be put on speaker phone.  So we did.  Then he asked us if we could do him a favor.  What are you going to say, "No, President, we're not going to do you a favor?"  He said that a spanish sister was leaving the mission, for whatever reason, in Blue Island (by the city) and so they were going to put Hermana Moffett who was in Rockford there. They were going to move Sister De Leon up to Rockford and since there was a trio of english sisters in Wheaton, Sister Fossett was going to be my new companion. We agreed that that's what we would do.  What else could we say?

When I first heard this news I was super bummed.  I thought that I had messed up with training, even though I knew that I hadn't.  I knew that this was what needed to take place.  But losing my daughter after 3.5 weeks!  Ouch!  And we were just finally starting to really get a long!  Even though I was dead tired all the time.  But that night I prayed for understanding.  And I got it. There are so many good things going to come out of this.

1) Sister De Leon is now in the branch with the family that referred P**.  She can talk to them about him, since they're not returning our calls.

2) Sister De Leon is so much more comfortable when she's around spanish people.  She'll really soar now that she doesn't have to worry about the language.  She'll just be an awesome missionary.  Plus her new trainer, Sister Noyes is just awesome!  So happy all the time and just a great missionary.

3) Sister Fossett was trained well.  I found out that from the beginning she had to take charge cuz her companion was sick for 2 weeks.  She loves this work, and it really does not seem like she's been out for only 4 months.  She'll so train after she kills me!

I just felt that Sister Fossett would be so good for this area, and would really help me die in style!  I wouldn't be dragging her a long, but we would sprint on together.  She would help me on those days that I didn't feel like working.  And it's funny, cuz even just being with her for a couple hours I feel like it's not the end of my mission.  I feel like I'm not going to go home.  It's a great feeling, and I'm so excited for these next transfers and a half.

I loved Sister De leon, don't get me wrong, but it's hard to train. I'm super excited.  It's been 5 months since I've had a seasoned companion, and I'm super excited!

Well not much more tell.  Sorry it's so short.

Oh, and Sister Fossett is border line diabetic, so we're not having deserts at people's houses anymore!  Oh joy!!!!!  I'm soooooooo excited!  Oh, that last picture was the night we found out and I was writing my note cards for the presentation and I was preoccupied that I wrote transfers, instead of the word I was supposed to write.  That's my mad face :)

Love,

Sister Ostler

And at the end of the day.... oh wait, there is no end to the day!

Dear Family,

There's good news and bad news.  The bad news is that we were unable to meet with P** or A**, both of our investigators with baptismal dates :(  A** is so overwhelmed with life that she can't really make time for us right now.  P**, well we don't really know what's up with him.  I hesitate to push him too much.  I don't want to push him away.  Although something cool about him is that he wants to go to BYUI (he's applying right now) and that's where I'm going to go.  So even if nothing happens with him right now I'll be sure to look him up when I get there and be his friend and encourage him to continue learning about the Restoration and such.  God does work in mysterious ways.

The good news is that we have investigators in DeKalb once more!  We found this one girl, C**, who is actually looking to get closer to God.  She invited us back and thanked us for helping her feel a need to go to church and read the Bible.  I could tell that she wasn't too enthusiastic about learning from us, so we laid down the Restoration pretty plainly and simply.  She was raised Catholic, but saw the need for a restoration.  At the end she said, "So I've gotta pray to know if this is true."  It was a statement.  We invited her to be baptized, but she said that she would really have to know if this is what she wanted to do.  So it wasn't a complete no.  :)

Because of the storm and other circumstances all our member present lessons fell through :(  But some more good news is that last night we stopped by our investigator family.  They cancelled on us and we were unable to get ahold of them to set up something else.  So we stopped by with the excuses of wanting to give them Finding Faith in Christ DVD, and hopefully see how interested they were.  G** was happy to see us and more than willing to set up a return appt.  What was more exciting is that they were going to come to church that day but they all over slept.  Still the thought of them wanting to come and even planning on it made us so happy!  It showed us that they want to change and come closer to Christ.

I am learning to really be patient with our investigators.  If they don't come to church one week, patiently teach the importance of it again and gently invite them to come.  Same thing with the Book of Mormon.  I find that when we as missionaries sometimes think, "Can't you see how important this is?  Why don't you just get it?"  And we forget our own conversion story.  Mine took place over the course of years.  I didn't wake up one morning and decide, "Wow!  I know 100% that this is all true and I want to live every commandment with exactness!"  That's the same with investigators.  We as missionaries just have to keep inviting, teaching, and most importantly loving them.

The DeKalb ward is working so well with J**, who is going through some hard times right now.  They are trying to get her to the temple to do baptisms.  We also were able to meet with a spanish less active sister.  (thanks for sending me Sister DeLeon, she's such a help when people say, "no a speak english.")  So the ward is going to be sending visiting teachers to her.  Also Jane received a calling which is really awesome!  And J** is getting ready to go through the temple!  And Don blessed the sacrament!

I had a realization yesterday.  It seems that recently our zone has been really focused on numbers and less focused on people.  It used to be when I looked at our numbers I could say, "we taught this person and this person, etc..."  But recently it's been, "Okay one more member present to reach our goal."  So what I'm trying to focus on is just loving everyone I come in contact with enough to talk with them.  And invite them to learn more, and even though I want to get high numbers I'm really trying hard to realize that even if I don't as long as I'm doing the best I can that's all the Lord wants of me.

I also talked about this with Sister Howell last night.  It was so awesome to talk with her, because we are going through such similar things.  It's awesome to have a true friend on this mission whom you can trust 100%.

Glad to hear you got my package and my photo card.  Just out of curiosity, what was your favorite video?

There is this article by Elder Christofferson in January Ensgin about receiving daily bread from the Lord.  That article has meant so much to me.  It's helped me realize that it's 100% ok for me to get on my knees every morning and plead for help that day with the specific challenges I will face.  I've often felt that if I ask for happiness one day it should carry on to the next.  But it doesn't so I have to ask again and it worried me.  Did I not have the faith?  NO.  It is that Heavenly Father is teaching me to rely on Him.  I can't rely on anyone else.  No one is going to give me the strength to get through the Day except for Him and His Son.  I'm so thankful that He is teaching this to me now.

You know it's interesting that Jackson picked up on me being tired, or whatever he said.  Sometimes I wish that people, especially elders (no offense Jackson) could walk a day in my shoes.  What I am about to say is not meant to make me sound proud, I just want ya'll to consider this.  Out of the 13 transfers I’ll be on my mission.  I was jr. comp for 4.  I have trained all but 5 transfers of my mission.  And by the end of the next transfer I will have trained for 5 transfers in a row.  Training drains you.  I know nothing about motherhood.  But I think it might be like you have a newborn, and just when that newborn is sleeping through the night and you finally figure out why the heck he's crying you get another newborn.  You don't even get a vacation.

As a trainer you have to teach your daughter EVERYTHING!  The area is completely on your shoulders.  You have to encourage her even when she bombs a lesson.  Yeah, I can't explain it.  You just have to experience it.  Every single day I'm on my knees praying to the Lord to help me be happy.  To help me have a positive attitude, and when something not to pleasant happens I just have to keep going.  Sing a hymn, remember a scripture, fight back those tears.  And at the end of the day...oh wait, there is no end to the day.  It keeps on going and going.

Don't mean to sound negative, just realistic.  I am having fun.  And in fact I know that the most important thing I can do right now is to show Sister De Leon I love her.  To take care of her.  To love her.  She'll learn.  I just have to love her and SHOW her I love her.

And your always ask what you can do for me.  Well I’ll tell you what.

1)  I love Dad's letters.  I would not mind if you wrote me once a week!  (and can I have a job when I get back? :)

2) I love pictures.

3) I love the seemingly insignificant things that go on at home.

I love you all and miss ya'll too (and yes Jackson, I am still a cowgirl.  I got called to Chicago, but spent all but 4 months in the corn fields...and I love it!)

Things in this area are really beginning to look up.  I try so hard to have the faith of a Wilson (I loved that story about him getting a blessing then getting better instantly).  But faith is action.  We have a goal to have one unplanned lesson everyday.  That would be so cool!  But I am doing good!  We're going to go throw snow balls at the elders today!  Joy!

Love Sister Ostler

And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit

"A good women knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do.  Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important.  A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence.  But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently.

"The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life.  Qualifying for the Lord's Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness.  Keeping the commandments, repenting, and renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessings of always having the Lord's Spirit with us.   Making and keeping temple covenants also adds spiritual strength and power to a woman's life.  Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation.  Insight found in scriptures accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day.  Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord's Spirit with us.  Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas."

~ Sister Julie B. Beck

I read this today and thought of all my wonderful friends back at home who are fighting the ways of this world.  As a missionary we strive every day to receive revelation, but I never thought how it might apply to raising a family or even getting through a semester of school.  So yeah, I hope that this can help you in some way.  I love you and think about you often!

Love,

Your friend always,

Sister Ostler

This is what our district does for fun.  Dress up like cowboys and indians.  Whatever elders!

I know. . . .   I'm beautiful!

Teach In The Spirit

Get out!  Quinn is old enough to go on a mission?  Oh my heck!  I get older, but no else is allowed to get older.  That's my rule.  So peoples, stop getting older!  He'll have fun in Brazil.  Just never ask what you're eating.

So sad news.  I can't attach photos on here :(  oh well.  I am sending home my memory card today, so that should make up for it right?  So what's going on in our area?  Well....

Let me tell you about P**.  His story starts back in Octoberish when Sister Wallace and I were tracting a street in one of the small towns in our area that we hardly go to.  We had no success.  On the last house a car pulls up and the spanish lady in it tells us that no one is home.  She informs us that she is a member of the spanish branch and told us that we could come over whenever we wanted.  She showed us where she lived and then left.

Jump ahead to Christmas Eve.  After our District Meeting in Byron we were driving back home.  We pass through this small town and decided to stop by a less active/part member family.  They weren't home, so we started going home when we drove past this spanish families home, the Orozcos.  We felt that we should stop there and spread some Christmas cheer.  They let us in and we sang a Christmas hymn to them and got to know them a little.  As we drove away I was honestly wondering what the point of that was.

Well there was a point.  Heavenly Father had it all planned out.  Last Sunday the hermanas called us and gave us a referral.  A friend of the Orozcos, P**.  He's 18 years old and really looking to put God more in his life.  He came over the Orozco's home the same night the hermanas were there.  They taught him a little bit about the Book of Mormon and he wanted to learn more, so they gave his information to us.  Lucky for us, because of the previous meetings with the Orozco family we were already familiar with who they were so it wasn't hard for us to gain their trust and to work things out with them in regards to teaching P**.

We had some members from the Sycamore Ward come with us to our first lesson with him.  He was more than ready to accept the gospel and to accept the invitation to be baptized!  We were so excited!  We are excited for him.  We know that making this change in his life will be hard, but worth it.  We are so willing to be with him every step of the way.

We are working with one less active in the Dekalb ward a lot.  Her name is C**.  Around General Conference time she decided to come back, and has been pretty good about coming to church.  She hardly knows a thing about the restored gospel, so we are just giving her the missionary lessons.  Our first lesson with her was amazing!  Half way through the Restoration we discovered that she really needed to know about the Atonement, repentance and forgiveness instead of Joseph Smith.  Sister De Leon pulled out her scriptures and flipped to the perfect scripture for her.  C** even paused after reading one verse to let it soak in.  Sister De Leon was inspired!

We have 0 investigators in Dekalb, and even in storms no one lets us in to teach.  We've had two people let us to contact them then they just turn us away.  I told this to Jackson...you'd think that if you saw two girls in skirts in a storm knocking on doors that they would have something important to say and you'd take the time to listen.  But nope, it's "You two are crazy!"  We've got that twice so far.  Whatever!  I always respond, "Well we know that what we have to share is so important that we’re willing to come and talk with you in a storm..." or something to that effect.  But we've been lucky.  We've had a pretty mild winter.  It's only starting to get cold now.  So hopefully in 1.5 months it'll melt and then get to the 40s and 50s...hopefully.

We found a family!   We've been teaching G** for awhile, and we finally met S**.  He wants to be the kind of dad that is there for his kids, that doesn't get mad, that's patient, that is pretty much everything that the church teaches fathers and husbands to become.  We read parts from the family proclamation and they both really liked that.  They want to change, and they want to have religion in their lives.  We were really excited for them.  They have 3 little kids, and then a 17 yr old.  We've never met him.  But we committed them to church, and informed the primary president and ym president.  But they sadly didn't show :(  who knows why.  We're going to see them again on Friday...hopefully.

As for D**, well his church, that I want to call a whole bunch of bad names right now, but I won't, found out he was meeting with us and held a special meeting all about the Mormons.  I highly doubt any of it was in our favor.  Would you call that Christian?  Yeah, I didn't think so.  People talk about knowing someone by their fruits.  Well take a look at you're own church.  Would Christ bash someone else's church?  Especially when that church is trying, and succeeding in reaching out to those around them in love to help them get back to our father in Heaven?  Everything this church does helps fulfill God's purpose (Moses 1:39).  Yeah, I was NOT happy that night.

So you might want to let the elders in on this idea.  What we're doing is picking one active family per week to go over and practice the lessons with.  We pick an investigator and explain who they are to the family and then they are our investigator and we teach them a lesson and invite them to be baptized at the end.  Pretty sweet.

We've done it twice, and both times it was really good.  It really helps us see where our strong points are and what our weak points are.  Then we practice them.  Like last night Sister De Leon invited them to be baptized before we talked about the importance of baptism like we planned to do.  So we talked about that afterwards.  But this way members can see that we're not bad teachers.  We taught the L** last night, he's in the bishopric in Sycamore ward.  They loved it and said we did a great job and pointed out things we did good, and a couple things we could have worked on.  They said they loved the Spirit they felt.  "It's not the doctrine you teach them," Brother Lerohl said, "It's the sprit they feel, and then they want more."

That really hit me.  That's why it's so important to teach in the spirit so that they can receive it by the spirit.  I made a diagram of that yesterday, but sadly I can't send it to you cuz the computer won't let me :( next week.

I really want to put my whole heart into this work, but sometimes it's so hard.  Sometimes I’m just so exhausted and don't want to do what I know I need to do.  Like today when I was getting ready I was thinking about comp study and how much I DID NOT want to do that.  I seriously almost cried.  I often think about the time when I won't have to be responsible 24/7.  But in that moment I think I was kind of praying really informally ( I can't describe it) but I was thinking about the Atonement and how it can help me have the strength and patience to keep going and keep being responsible.  But 5 transfers in a row of training kills!

Though I figure if I don't learn patience here then He's just going to teach it to me some other time.  I appear patient on the outside, but in the inside I want to explode sometimes.  Like today when I asked Sister De Leon to call some people for a member present, and she was asking me all sorts of questions, like, "do I leave a message?  who do I call now?  what was her name again?"  I answered calmly, but seriously I wanted to just say, "Can you figure it out?"  But I know that she's new.  I try to remember when I was new and clueless too.  And try oh so hard to have the same patience that my mom (Sister Chen) had with me.  I love Sister De Leon, don't get me wrong.  I know this is my lesson to learn.

Elder Anjeweirden (awesome man) told me to delegate before he went to the celestial kingdom of Valpo.  And that's really what I'm trying to do.  He said that they'll never learn unless they fail a few times.  So I do let her fail a few times, then help her see what she can do better, instead of me coming to save her every time a situation goes down hill.

By the way, Jefferson, I want to hear about your experience with the missionaries!  You should ask if you can go tracting with them!  You too Harrison!

I love the plan for spring break!  We have to spend a day in the city!  They have an Eddie Bauer store there! :)  Although I’ve recently fallen in love with good will.  But yeah, we have to spend a day in the city, half a day in Wheaton, a day in Dekalb, or two, and prolly two in Renssy.  I have to take you to Aiydas.  A super good dirty mexican restaurant for super cheep.  And Sweet dreams in Dekalb.  AMAZING cup cakes, and portillos with the chocolate cake shake.  Ahhhhhhhhh I'm so excited for you to come and meet everyone and be where I've been!  It's going to be so exciting!  We also have to go to a show in Chicago...if there's time.

Oh for housing.  Is Ben going to be there?  If so I want to be in his ward.  If not Carriage House bottom floor please!  I think.  Can you actually send me a list of all the single rooms places?  And what are you doing for my classes?  Have you signed me up?  Do you even know what to do?

Oh random.  I had a dream about Marie last night and have been thinking about her.  Tell her I love her!

Love Sister Ostler

ps. I love ya'll too!'

Oh, the pkg was received!  Thanks!