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
