Oh no!!!!! I had been writing for about ten min, and my computer logged out.... wierd. When I logged back in, my allotted email time was still ticking, and my letter was gone. So here is my fastest 20 min of typing ever!
So remember when I said last week that I was confident things would be smooth sailing again soon? Well, they are! It has been wonderful. I have been feeling much more confident and comfortable with my added responsibilities as District Leader, and that has been a wonderful blessing. It is still odd being the one to report on the status of our District as far as how well we are progressing towards our purpose here in the MTC, but I have been feeling much more comfortable with this role/responsibility as we have been making huge improvements. It is so much more fun to report on our progress rather than our lack of progress.
I have been learning a lot through both being here as a missionary in the MTC and serving as the District Leader. My testimony of Prayer has grown even more this week. As a District Leader, every Sunday, I have to interview each member of the District individually. Obviously I am expected to prepare for these interviews beforehand... and I definitly do. However, I realized this past interview session, that no matter how much I prepare and ponder what advice to give for the things the Elders in my District are struggling with, that no preparation will compare to the prepardness that comes through the power of prayer. I prayed a lot about the interviews before it was time for the interview portion of the day, but then, right before it was time to start with my first interview, I felt impressed that I should ask to begin each interview with a prayer, just me and each Elder individually. It was wonderful. That simple act of faith in the Lord's help through prayer brought a spirit of calmness and reverance to the interviews which really helped allow the spirit to be present.
Our district has been making huge steps towards getting our study/talking ratio more in line with what is expected of us here at the MTC. And I love it! Not only does it make it easier to study, but it means that I feel more comfortable joining in on the conversations and having fun with the District. Now, instead of losing almost a whole 3 hour block of studying to talking, we have dropped it down to somewhere between 30 min and an hour, depending on the level of focus during the day. So we have been doing tons better, but we still have room to improve.
All this improvement has been wonderful, but like I said, we still have some areas to work on as a District. A few days ago, our teacher gave us an assignment to do, and then pulled me out of class. He spoke with me about the things he thought we needed to work on. This was the first time I realized that even the teachers here at the MTC are inspired. He mentioned several of the issues that I believed we needed to work on as well! And, I had been praying to know how to address these issues without discouraging all the improvement and progress we had made. I was at a loss on how to address these issues, I had lots of ideas, but none of them felt quite right. But the Lord answers our prayers in mysterious ways. My teacher's advice on how to proceed was an answer to prayer. He gave me a specific section of Preach My Gospel to read and prepare a lesson for the District. It was truly an inspired assignment. I know I couldn't have taught that lesson any better than how it was presented in the Preach My Gospel manual. It was wonderful.
This morning I did the hardest pushup work out ever. I'm so so so sore! It doesn't sound that hard, but listen to this. In minute one, you do one pushup. Then in minute two, you do two push ups...... get the picture? You go all the way to 20 minutes. By the end, you have done 210 pushups. It was so hard. I had to drop to my knees by the end. But feeling sore is good when all I do is sit on my bahoonky and study all day.
Nathan: I have decided that after the mission, I will need to take wardrobe advice from you. Remember that shirt you gave me? Well, I am wearing it for Pday today, and I have already been complimented by 4 different Sister Missionaries on how much they like it.
Times up.
I will try to write a quick note later by hand
Love you Family,
Elder Ostler
