The Heart Attack Scare

Hermana Ostler’s Update – October 6, 2014

Being a Sister Leader usually means we get about 10 panicked phone calls from people every day. Sometimes it’s about throw up, sometimes it’s about bugs, or a lack of blankets. It’s always a crisis for them but is usually resolved very quickly. But this past week I received a call from a sister who told me, “my companion is having serious chest pain and now she cannot feel her left arm... is that bad?” I about pooped my pants. HEART ATTACK SYMPTOMS. I call Elder Nicholls, the nurse of the mission, and I think he about had his own heart attack. He called Sister Harbertson... the same. This resulted in thousands of breathless phone calls (the breathlessness can be attributed to my stress eating that was taking place) and butterflies (another sickness I suffer from) and running around like a chipmunk that lost its acorns. 

Let’s just say that the day was one of hospital visits and anxiety attacks. Because after all, she was having a HEART ATTACK. At the end of the day it wasn’t anything serious and the doctor sent her home with fungus medicine (not related to the heart attack) and I went home late at night to spend the entire night vomiting up all of my stress eating. Point of the story. Don’t call me with heart attack scares. 

This week I have thought about the Atonement of Jesus Christ in almost every moment. It cannot leave my head. I thought of His pain and His hurt that He suffered for all of us. I thought of the exquisite pain of our Heavenly Father who literally allowed His most beloved son to be murdered before his eyes. He did it for all of us, even if we do not believe in Him or follow Him. He did it for us and yet many times we live out lives without even thinking about that great and infinite sacrifice. Oh how my heart hurt for God this week. Oh how I suffered to think of what He did for me, a very undeserving little creature. 

My increased testimony of the Atonement was put to work during a couple of lessons. One was with the young girl that we are visiting who had been sexually abused recently. We explained to her the power of the Atonement to heal us of all our wounds and help us be whole again. I have no idea what I said during that lesson, but I will never forget the tears that we both shed to remember how much God loves us as His daughters. This teenager looked at me with such trust, because what I said was the truth. Christ lives and because He lives we may live in a happy manner. 

We also had the chance to teach the Ceballos Family. They are very active and Ghina is the hottest mom I have ever seen in my whole life. Her nails and hair and face are always perfect. I love her so much that I can’t help but love her despite her perfection. AND SHE SMELLS SO GOOD AND ONLY WEARS BLACK AND HIGH HEELS. But enough about Ghina. We taught them the plan of salvation and the two of them began to cry as they spoke of the two babies they had recently lost and their hope in seeing them again one day, thanks to their temple covenants. Hno Ceballos told us through his tears, “We live this gospel despite all the challenges because we want our daughter (the one that is living) to return to where she came from, the presence of God.” The plan of salvation is here to give us comfort in the darkest moments in life and give us the energy to keep pressing forward. 

I finally was able to meet my twin! Her name is Alicia Harbertson and she is the President’s daughter. President has spent my whole mission talking about how we HAVE to meet and how we are the same person. I don’t know if we are the same, but she is RAD. She says she wants to spend her whole life skiing, climbing and being a mom. HELLO. Same life dreams! President wants us to work together for a couple of days, super exciting stuff! 

We didn’t get to see conference this week. The mayor elections were going on and there is a law in Peru that we cannot have meetings of any kind, or proselyte. This meant that there was a rule for yesterday that we needed to work in jeans and not wear our nametag! Weird stuff. I prefer the missionary look. But it did mean that my companion and I could have a full on cracker war in the street without people judging the church. There are always perks with everything. 

I LOVE PERU. I love PISAC. I love that every little ruin reminds me of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I love that book and I love this mission and this people and this life. I love you all! 

Hermana ALEX