Suitcase Wars

Hermana Ostler’s Update – June 23, 2014

This week was the changes. Crazy. Stuff. It was basically me throwing around luggage the whole day, taking taxis, going to the offices, buying sick girls things to eat, picking up the new missionaries, dropping the old ones off to go home, meetings with President, begging for more money for taxis, going to the terminal at midnight, and then going back to the terminal in the early morning, cleaning, scavenging for more blankets for the hermanas' in our apartment, pulling pranks on the sisters in the apartment with our stuffed rate (ratatouille), answering the phone, fighting with cabbies, collecting passports, visas, craziness craziness craziness. 

That was my week. Just a bunch of sleepless nights and talking in english and being excited and impatient and happy and peaceful and tired tired tired. It was actually super fun, though. A change of pace and a change of routine and a whole lot of changes in the mission. 

And remember the girl from last week? The bouncing ball? Her name is Marleny and she is amazing. A gift sent from God to fill up a spiritually empty week. She has a son named David who is 5 and who cannot hear or speak, which is basically like a death sentence to be bullied for the rest of your life here. Her husband recently left her to be with a teenager and she is barely scraping by with the hopes to get her son operated on for a mere 50000 DOLLARS.  She has all the reason to be a sad and bitter person, right? No. I have never seen anyone so happy, so bright, so shimmering and beautiful like her. She is full of love and light and joy. She loves her son and literally just stares at him (like my mother... creeepy? hahaha, I love you mom) for hours. She dances with him and stands up for him and treats him like the normal child he is. She told me that he filled up her heart when her husband left her and so now she needs to fill up his. 

I love people like that. I love that there is so much reason to be happy here. I love that even when there are not a lot of reasons to be grateful.... we can still be full of hope. I love that circumstances mean nothing in the end, just your disposition to be happy and your courage to face everything ahead. Marleny is so ready for the gospel. I hope that we will have more chances to teach her and invite her to be more happy, with a chance to live with her beloved son for all the eternities... because that is what this gospel is all about. 

As I was in one of the taxis this week, (On Wednesday I took 25) I heard an interesting thing on the radio. They were arguing about the reason that Peru never goes to the World Cup (get it together man) and this little peruvian man said the deepest thing I have ever heard on Sports Radio. 

“What is the point in asking questions if we don’t search for the answers?”

Let us search for the answers we have. Let us be happy and joyful in doing so and let us be better every day. 

I love you all. Til next week. 

ALSO: Sometimes I get the hankering for American things. Like nutella or candy or treats. That is all I will say. Also, my birthday is in 2 months...............

NOT OBVIOUS OR ANYTHING. 

Hermana Alex

Sometimes I forget I live in a big city and then I see views like this. 

Remember the dino nuggets? This is me on the bathroom floor in the airport.

I love Hermana Habertson. The other day she told me to read 3 Nephi 20.44 Wow. It talks about how Christ is still maimed by what he suffered for us. That maybe we will fall at his feet when we see him because we will literally see what we have done to him. Just a thought. 

 

Sister Leaders

Legalized

Hermana Ostler’s Update – June 16, 2014

I am officially half way legal. After a year of avoiding eye contact with police and not signing ANYTHING, I am now getting accepted by the country of Peru. We went to Lima this week to eat a lot of Papa John’s pizza and also do papers. If anyone has ever wanted to travel to Lima.... I would say that would be a MISTAKE. (Karrie Baby. Imagine me saying that in an opera voice like from scrubs.) Lima is a scum ball of a city. You can never see the sky because of the smog and there are a ton of people and I think the so called mountains are literally just piles of garbage with houses built on top. Basically a super ugly city. 

But! The temple is there! I had not been inside one for a year and it was so amazing. Spiritual rejuvenation at its finest. To be inside a temple is to be in the presence of God. It is to feel His Spirit and to learn of His Kingdom. I am absolutely obsessed with the temple and I never wanted to leave. As I sat in that Holy House a beautiful impression came to my mind. They were the soft words of a loving Father in Heaven who asked me over and over again... “Do you understand how much I love you? You CANNOT understand the love that I have for you.”

I testify that God loves us. We were His children before this life and that will NEVER change, even though we do not believe in Him or understand Him or obey Him. His love escapes all bounds of our imagination. 

Traveling to Ollantaytambo this week. It’s a tiny little village in the gate of Macchu Pichu. It was sweet working there for a day, but the cobble stone streets bruised my poor feet! The problem with divisions is that I miss my companion Hermana Tamariz wayyyyy too much. She is just as shameless as I am and all I do is laugh uncontrollably with that woman. When we were FINALLY reunited together we were talking in an overcrowded van and she turns to me, looks me in the eye and then basically yells, “I HAVE REALLY BAD DIARRHEA AND I HAD NO ONE TO TELL ABOUT IT.” Everybody heard on the bus and I spent the next 45 minutes laughing hysterically. 

Taxi rides in Peru are an interesting experience. You basically flag down whatever car will stop and then you get in and hope they know how to drive. It’s basically everything they teach you NOT to do when you are in elementary school. Last night we hopped into a taxi only to realize that we had hopped into the taxi of Paul Walker (the blonde guy from fast and furious) That last statement was a huge lie because this guy was not handsome OR good at driving, and all he did was swerve and yell at the radio (it’s the World Cup, people). When I told him to chill out he turned to me and said, “I am a professional.” Never have I prayed so hard. Lesson Learned? If he thinks he is Vin Diesel... get out of the car. 

Elder Oaks from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to Cusco. We had a special meeting with him as missionaries. For those who do not know, an Apostle is a Prophet of God, it’s the equivalent of Paul or Peter in the Bible. We know that the restored church of Jesus Christ has Apostles and Prophets and that we have the privilege to hear them and learn from their words. Elder Oaks is... He is swweeeeett. The coolest, deepest, most authoratative voice I have ever heard. That man has power when he speaks. He talked of the importance of the priesthood, of the importance of women, and the importance of the work we are doing. His words were so full of wisdom and love and I knew that what he said was the message that God was sending to us all. 

Sometimes people are rude. Sometimes they scream and cuss and sic their husband on you to do the same thing. That happens sometimes. But there are always miracles that follow. On Sunday we were walking and saw a little boy playing with his plastic ball on a mountainside. Just as we were passing, this mischievous ball went FLYING down the hill, leaving the little boy super sad. I had a strong feeling to chase the ball and went sprinting down the hill, yelling at everyone to STOP THAT BALL, to no avail. This ball was a little Mr Magoo because it almost got destroyed by cars about 10 times, but escaped every single time. We finally get to the bottom of the mountain and see that the boy and his mother were following us, also on the quest to get that ball back. We started talking to them. Her name is Marleny and is separating from her boyfriend right now. She was searching for something more in her life. She lived with members of the church before and has always wanted a family like theirs. She is now learning more about the church. I know that miracles exist and I know that there are people searching for something more in this life. 

I love you all. My thumb is healing and I have not thrown up this week. All is well.

Hermana Alex

My Tragic Life

Hermana Ostler’s Update – June 9, 2014

Let’s get down to business. 

Monday. Woke up at 3 to drop a sister off at the airport. (Normal.) Went in my pajamas with a skirt over top (Hey. If President sees me he cannot say that I am not obedient. Homeless looking, but not disobedient.) I had bought a giant bag of dinosaur chicken nuggets the night before and had a bountiful feast. On the way to the airport I started to feel.... stomach pains. A lot of them. We drove all the way there with my head hanging out the window, I think my eyebrows had ice on them by the time we got there. When we got to the airport I laid outside like a poor hobo. And then.... I started throwing up a giant mountain of dino chicken nuggets. The poor tourists. It was an interesting sight I am sure....a missionary hurling chicken nuggets in an explosive manner outside of an airport in Peru. Lesson learned? Don’t get dino nuggets… in Peru. 

We then had the chance to visit the Hermanas in Urubamba. It was amazing to be in my old area and see the growth there. The sisters are so sweet there and I had a nice time being outside of Cusco. A man even approached me and wanted to look at my coin collection (I have 5 now) and so I was very pleased. But alas, peace never lasts long as a Sister Leader. We got called back into Cusco because my daughter (my old companion who is so so so crazy), Hermana Luque was really sick and in the hospital. We rushed back in a sketch taxi that was illegal and had to pass a police station going the speed of heat, with my companion and I screaming GO GO GO GO GO. When we got back to Cusco we met up with the Luque and watched her as she sat in an oxygen tube for a week. 

But. Living with Hermana Luque, as we all know, is NOT conducive for tranquility. While she was here the bathroom overflowed and filled the entire bedroom with....POOP. We spent hours cleaning it up. But even though all my stuff was literally swimming in fecal matter, I could not stop the hysterical laughing. Everything is fun with friends, especially poop adventures. 

Hermana Luque then celebrated my year mark by slamming my thumb in the door hinge of a taxi, but with the strength of The Hulk, I swear... Which... hurts. A little. That blasted door shut all. the. way. closed. I do not exactly remember the words that flowed out of my mouth in that moment.... but I am sure glad that they were in English so that nobody could understand them. I then walked around the city with a thumbs up sign because that poor little finger had a heartbeat the size of a blue whale inside. My finger is blue and we are praying that the nail doesn’t fall off. Yet again… tragic, but so so so good. 

This week I was thinking a lot about gold. I love gold. It is so beautiful and stylish and goes so well with my other favorite color, turquoise. But more than that, gold is a sign that we have found something of worth, that we worked hard enough to have something that really has true value. I see a lot of fake gold here. A lot of things that look like they have value... but they don’t. I see it in dance clubs, in relationships that are not according to God’s laws. I see it in money and clothes and cars and work and school. I see it in the faces of people who are searching for something and just seem to be collecting a lot of fake gold. 

I always tell my investigators a story that my Dad always shares. 

My Grandma Marian lives in the hills of San Francisco. They are beautiful hills with long grass and old trees and big thirsty cracks in the earth. They are hills that are rumored to be full of dust speckles. They are also notorious for the multitude of deer that live there. These deer defecate in the same place that you can find nuggets of gold. But with the strong California sun these little poop nuggets begin to have a golden hue. A tint that is suspiciously similar to that of the real gold nuggets. 

One day my cousins were at my Grandma’s house. They woke up one morning with a thirst and a hungry desire to find gold. To become rich. To make something out of their lives. So they naturally thought of the hills. They left the house, empty backpacks in tow, ready to find their fortune of gold. 

Much to their surprise and pleasure... it was easy to find the gold. There were piles and piles and piles of it! They filled their pockets and bags full of it. And they had no idea that what they were collecting with such eagerness, was in reality.... golden deer poop. They got home, dumped out their so called fortune, only to their eternal sadness to see that they had collected a load of CRAP. It looked a lot like gold, but in the end they saw what it really was. Crap. 

Are we filling our backpacks with deer poop? Are we happy with the things that look like gold but are in reality, are way too easy, to be of any worth? Let us collect real gold my friends. Let’s search a little harder and skip off the deer poop. Because at the end of the day, not mattering what it LOOKS like, its poop. 

I love you all. The gold is found in God and His plan for us. The crap...... you can find THAT anywhere. 

BESOS! 

Hermana Alex

Pajama party at the airport

Why Am I Here?

Hermana Ostler’s Update – June 2, 2014

Thanks everyone for the kind words on the haircut. Someone told me I look like a 80s model and so I think I will be able to live until it grows out. Haha.

Cusco is supppppperrrrrrr romantic. It’s called the Belly Button of the World, so how can you doubt that it’s a lover’s hangout? It must be the old cathedrals, or the choclo con queso, or that it is really cold, because EVERYONE is sucking face up in here. I swear that every step I take there is another couple who are so madly in love (if you can call it that) that they just cannot keep it to themselves. This extremely awkward situation makes me reflect on my total devotion to being single in this moment. Boys are so gross! Also I am fairly sure I have forgotten HOW to kiss someone and so it’s all cool.

We went to Quillabamba this week. Have I told you all how much I am obsessed with Quillabamba?? I wanted to stay there forever. It is another part of the jungle but it is not as hot as Puerto and is nestled in between big mountains full of snow and has tons of flowers and parks and the people are nice and there are only motos... I was in Paradise. We went there to visit the Hermanas and I was so jealous. I would definitely live there if I could. 

So we worked with the Hermanas there and it was so nice to spend time with all of them. One day Hermana Ignacio and I went to a lesson which turned out to be one of the craziest ones on my mission. I laughed the entire time. We show up to visit this young mom in her store. She is naturally watching a soap opera about a man living in jail who is in love with the daughter of the guard (this is according to her detailed explanation to us). Anyways, this woman did not want to turn off that soap opera. For nothing in the world. We had to beg her. And meanwhile her children are screaming and crying and ripping up a pile of books on the floor, all without a peep from their mother. We finally get the lesson started and begin to teach about the Book of Mormon. Normal? No. This lady would NOT participate. Her elderly mother was also there and began to swing into full panic mode. This little old lady starts screaming at her daughter, “DO YOU WANT TO BURN IN HELL? DO YOU WANT TO BURN?” Then the hysterical crying naturally began, “I DO NOT WANT TO GO TO HELL. NEVER. NEVERRRRRRR.” All of this was going on and the daughter just stared at the blank tv, wondering what would happen to the pregnant daughter of the guard. To make matters even worse, ANOTHER lady comes into the store and starts screaming at them about having a thief of a son and a lot of other really weird things. They all began to scream and chase each other down the street. 

And then the lesson ended, as well as this ridiculously true and absurd story. 

Quillabamba was basically just a hoot. I love being with my companion. She loves pranks as much as I do and laughing and doing really dumb things. She is also a powerhouse during the lessons. 

Coming back from Quillabamba was also an adventure. In Peru, we 15 people travel in the same minivan that usually smells suspiciously of vomit. You never leave on time because it’s Peru and you need to wait hours for the van to fill up with people ready to throw up on the journey. We ended up waiting to leave Quillabamba for about 3 hours, watching the Combi Wars (combis are the vans). The different companies go absolutely BERSERK when they see someone with a suitcase. 

We finally leave the city and as we are driving someone has the brilliant idea to turn on the AC. But remember, its Peru, nothing is ever that easy. The man blasts the air and suddenly the combi is FULL of black, dusty, air. Those ducts were entirely full of years old dust. I look behind me (I was in the front seat) and all I see is black air and hear desperate screams. Personally, I thought that we were on fire so I dived out of that van while it was still moving, as did my companion. The poor people in the back couldn’t get out because the doors were child proofed and all we could see were people banging their bodies against the windows, trying to escape the dust. I WAS DYING of laughter. We finally got everyone out, now covered in dust, and had a good laugh. 

Then we got back into the combi and spent the next five hours rejecting the ancient driver, who was asking for our hand in marriage. Again, a normal travel experience in Peru. 

We also had the beautiful opportunity to talk to the Hermanas about our purpose as missionaries. Why are we here, anyways? Why did we come? What is the meaning of all this? It was so amazing. I had time to really think about how I came to be here. I remember when the Prophet made the announcement that 19 year old girls could serve missions. I remember my roommate screaming and crying, and I also remember I was frying an egg and it burned because I became full of panic. I DON’T WANT TO GO. That was the first thing I thought. There is no way I am giving up my life for a year and a half. I was happy living from one frivolous moment to another. Happy to ski. Happy to mountain bike. Happy to climb really beautiful rock.  Happy to search and find adrenaline rushes to fill the emptiness that I had in my soul. Happy to lose myself in selfishness and vain glimpses of joy and happiness. But as the weeks passed by I remember asking myself, “Is this what I want with my life? Do I really want to just be focused on myself forever? Is this the life I want?”

The answer came slow but surely. No. That was not what I wanted for my life. I loved and love all those adventures, I love to laugh and to live with joy. But I was filling my soul up with things that do not bring the contentment that we all are looking for. I was filling my backpack up with golden deer poop that looked like gold. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t gold, it was poop. 

And that is why I came to the mission. God has given me everything in life. He has given me the ability to laugh and to love every moment. He has given me family and friends and a healthy body. He has given me the Gospel, something that I never valued that much. And so I am here. Giving a year and a half to teach about the love of God, to invite others to fill their backpacks with gold, which gold is the love of a dear, beloved Father in Heaven. 

I also remember when I was set apart as a missionary. I remember when they laid their hands over my head and told me that I was a literal representative of Jesus Christ. I remember telling my mom afterwards that I felt in that moment that something heavy came over me. Something heavy that filled me right up to the brim. That heavy thing was an anchor. I can now say that I am anchored to my God, to my Savior, and to His church. I spent so many years wandering about like a vagabond, craving for something to make me whole. And God finally has given me that anchor that keeps me close to Him, and it has turned an already happy person into someone so unbelievably full of joy that it surprises me. 

That anchor is waiting for everyone. I invite you to look for it. 

WITH ALL MY LOVE,

Hermana Alex

Quillabamba

This little old lady recently got baptized. I LOVE HER. She is absolutely insane. She sang me songs in Quechua, laughed uncontrollably when she was praying, and screamed about the absurd cost of potatoes now. She has a big love for life and God and people in general. She cannot see and only hears if you grab her by the ear and SCREAM into it. It was so so so fun.

One day I forgot my blow up mattress and slept on my face on a blanket. I have a gift to sleep anywhere. 

Hermana Irvine, Hermana Rasmussen, Hermana Tango, Hermana Ignacio