TEMBLORRRR

Hermana Ostler’s Update – September 2, 2014

Did anyone feel the temblor last week? I was walking down the street with a sister when I felt such a good rhythm in my body that I couldn’t help but start swaying side to side. It wasn’t long until I realized that the sweet beat I was feel was actually the earth shaking. Hermana Liza grabs my arms and starts screaming, “TEMBLOR TEMBLOR TEMBLOR!” I look up at the buildings and see faces of pure panic squished up against the glass. Everyone runs out of the houses; in towels, with mouths full of rice, with babies and elderly folks... Meanwhile my companion was in the hospital with another sister in the 7th floor. Her experience resulted in her ABANDONING the recently operated sister as well as screaming nurses and oxygen tanks smacking against each other, ready to explode. Basically pure chaos. It lasted for literally one minute. I fear for the day when Cusco has a real earthquake. They CANNOT keep their cool. 

This Monday night we had plans to visit a less active family in the ward, but as we were walking I felt that we needed to visit a less active teenager, Lisbeth. She moved to Cusco a couple months back and has been trying to get into college here. I feel her pain because she has a hard time with tests, which makes getting in a little hard. As a result of this she has stopped coming to church. So we went to visit her and it was such a beautiful lesson. Her really active, recently married sister was in town and she reminded me so much of my sister Jessica. Beautiful, smart, and very very spiritual. She bore a powerful testimony to her sister of the beauty of living the gospel. She maybe doesn’t have a lot of resources now but she understands why she is here, and what is important in this life. She began to cry, begging us to never stop coming, to never give up on her sister because she wanted so badly to live with her after this life. She had been very concerned about her sister and was praying for a way to help her when we knocked on the door. I don’t understand how it happens, but God is guiding us to the people that need us most, all without us even understanding it. 

This week we visited Quillabamba again. I LOVE IT THERE. We go so much that the members and investigators are starting to recognize us. I love how traveling gives me the opportunity to know and love more of God’s children. I worked with Hermana Luque (MY BABY) for a day. Puerto memories up the waheezy. There is no control with her. We were in a lesson with a severely depressed woman and were in the middle of a hymn when by chance we messed up the tone and it resulted us in completely losing control in the middle of the song. I literally could not breathe with the laughter. Siempre una locura con ella. 

I also love how when I am in lessons I learn so much from the people I teach. Hermana Wahlen and I were in a lesson with 4 new investigators. There was a young man, Juan, who seemed very timid because of his lack of ´´religious knowledge.” We were teaching the Plan of Salvation and he had this face of earnest desire to learn. I asked him what he thought was the purpose of this life and he told me something that really made me think and that I had never thought of before. He told me, “I think the purpose of life is for us to get to know who we really are.” It blew me away and it is the truth. We lived with God as His children before this life, but did we actually really understand the magnitude of being children of God? I think it took for us to come down here to earth to see who we really are and who we can really become. Every day is another chance to look down deep into our hearts and start to know who we are at the core. 

Quillabama is in STRIKE. I am honestly a little scarred when it comes to strikes, after my experience in Puerto, so I was pretty nervous. But let me tell you, this strike was such a bust. A little bit of rock throwing and yelling followed by a giant party of Inca Cola and beer. A drunk man chased us down with a shovel, but nothing more and nothing less. 

Remember Marleny? We found her after I chased down a wayward bouncy ball. Well, meet OSCAR, her little brother. He is 22 years old and tall, dark, and handsome. Hahaha joke, but he is strangely tall for a Peruvian. We met him the other day when he was leaving the house. We were all sitting on the couch and he comes in for the typical farewell, a kiss. He first kisses his sister and then he goes in for my companion. As missionaries we usually do whatever it takes to NOT kiss men, and my companion tried...a little. But in the end she went in for the cheek kiss too. And now he is our investigator! He is actually really awesome and has a ton of questions. He was super sassy at the beginning but as we ended the lesson he told us that he felt something different with us. He told us it was like he was getting to know Jesus Christ through us. That is what talking with representatives of Jesus Christ should feel like!  And do not fear, he now understands Sister-Investigator boundaries. 

I loved this week. Traveling means a lot of drool on pillows in the vans and eating stale animal crackers and learning from other sisters. Being in my sector means seeing President Harbertson and goofing off with my companion. And being a missionary means feeling the spirit every day and learning how to see others the way God sees them. 

Besos, Hermana Alex