I Went to Ecuador

Hermana Ostler’s Update – May 19, 2014

The responses to my Double Dragon letter were a hoot. Some were completely grossed out (I am sorry, Ben, if I am shameless, but I HAVE NECCESITIES TOO), and some people even shared some of their own detail-filled pooping the pants stories. Yay for shameless people! 

But I have recovered. Thanks. 

This week I went to Ecuador. I guess they don’t like it when you stay illegally in a country for a year? So I basically got booted out and had to spend three days filling out papers and having a giant English binge. Sharing stories about the mission…I basically beat everybody with all the crazy things... pee getting thrown on me, paint wars, killing eels, getting tipsy, miner strikes, accidents… I have had a full mission!  The only thing I saw from my travels is that there are a lot of bananas in Ecuador and that Elders are disgusting because none of them brought a change of clothes. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GRACIE LOO, KENZIE KURRR, AND KARRIE BABY. I love you all, my May babies! 

Living in Cusco is sweet. My sector is pretty fancy and well to do. People have tile floors! There are also supermarkets and American food and microwaves. All things that do not exist in Puerto. The ward, (ITS A WARD!) is really cool. The people want to help out and have strong testimonies. We are reading the Book of Mormon with all the members to help them finish it by Christmas. It is amazing to see the change that people have when they read that book. I will need a man who loves it as much as I do because I get soooooo carried away reading it. But I can see how people get so excited to read when they see that someone else is overly stoked. Testimonies are contagious, share it. 

Fleas are also contagious. I have them. 

Sometimes I think like we all get a little down sometimes. The other week I was in the PITS (That is for you, Ellis Island). The type of week where everything is so fun, but there is a lot of sadness right behind it. But then you lift up your head and realize that the clouds are pretty amazing in Cusco and that you live with 5 Latinas who are crazy fun and that it doesn’t matter where you are... there are still children of God waiting to feel His love. Life is so beautiful. It’s the kind of beauty that breaks my heart into little fragments and then picks them up and makes an extraordinary stained glass mural. Sometimes we feel broken, and then He makes us whole. Sometimes we feel ugly, like maybe we aren’t that special, and then we see that we are all a giant artwork of moments that our Heavenly Father has given us. And then we forget ourselves and find happiness again. 

Also...... I realized that I don’t function without exercise. I was thinking, “WHY AM I SO SAD??” And then I remembered the words of my wise, wise Mother. Have you exercised? Go out and move around and then come back and see if you are still sad.

Genius.

For some reason I sat by the same person for all 4 flights this week. Elder Nicholls. He is from Kennewick and knows Dan and his family! Weird how there are so many connections, right? We talked about base jumping (we decided that sky diving is better), shark tanks, ending the mission (scary), real life (even scarier). Basically, we came to the conclusion that it would be better to just be a missionary forever and never have to worry about anything, but also to have time to go hang gliding or skiing during p-days. Hahaha.

I love you all! Never go to Ecuador for just a day because it is SO NOT WORTH IT.

Hermana alexxxx

In Ecuador

The weird and extremely awkward Titanic shot with the Tamariz. She is my Peruvian comp that is the BEST. We have way way way too much fun together. 

Going to the airport to drop off Hermanas at 3 in the morning. My life!