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