Well Hello There!
I'm back in East L.A. My assigned ward is Boyle Heights. I cover the North Area. We have 6 Elders in our District. It's a newer ward. It got split off from another Spanish ward here in Los Angeles about 3 months ago. It is super close to Arroyo. The same stake actually. If I'm not mistaken, my area might even border the southern portion of Arroyo. So that is cool! If I understood the map correctly that I looked at, my new area is about 6 to 8 main blocks long by 5 or 6 main blocks wide. So that's definitely a change! It appears like we could walk the entire area pretty easily. But it is a highly populated enough area that we will even be using the buses quite a bit due to the fact there are 3 or 4 buses that we can use to get around our area! Insane to think about because back in the Azusa ward when I covered nearly 3 entire cities with Elder Ingram (Duarte, Monrovia and Arcadia) there was only one bus that we could conveniently use. So this place is hopping!
When I got here this morning it was a total culture shock. I pretty much got transferred to Mexico! It is crazy! EVERYONE here speaks Spanish! We walked into the laundry mat today and the TV was on in Spanish, the directions for how to use the washers were also in Spanish, the sign on the front door was in Spanish! Everywhere I look I see Spanish speakers! And this time I can actually jump into conversations with them pretty easily (unlike when I was in Arroyo at the beginning of my mission). It is a totally different environment here when compared to Azusa. It's definitely going to be fun. Seeking out the Spanish speakers to talk with is no longer necessary. EVERYONE speaks Spanish. It's awesome!
My new companion's name is Elder Nelson. He is from TX. He just finished his training. He is a super cool guy and had a ROCK SOLID trainer. I had actually met him previously at a training meeting with Elder Page a couple months ago. His trainer is one of my favorite missionaries in the mission. I'm excited to work with Elder Nelson. It's going to be lots of fun.
My District of 6 Elders includes another companionship of very young missionaries and the Zone Leaders. The other companionship is Elder Perez and Elder Ramos. They are both awesome! Elder Perez is training Elder Ramos. Elder Perez has been out for 3 months. He started training Elder Ramos after only 6 weeks here in the mission. And Elder Ramos just finished his first 6 weeks in the mission. Both Elder Ramos and Perez are Latinos. And when they talk Spanish together it is so so fast! There is a funny little lag time in my comprehension as I listen to them talk in Spanish. The Zone Leaders have been out for 9 months each. It blows my mind to think that I have been out on the mission long enough to be the oldest in the District for the 2nd time now! Crazy!
Elder Ingram stayed in Azusa, is the new District Leader there and will be receiving a new missionary from the MTC! So that is pretty exciting. He obviously will be amazing.
Leaving Azusa was tough. My time in Azusa has a very special and sacred place in my heart. But I'm sure that comes as no surprise. I love Azusa. Who knows what else the Lord has in store for me, but as of right now I can say without any doubt that my moments in Azusa were the most defining moments of my life.
Honestly, towards the end of the week, Elder Ingram and I were beginning to think that we would be staying together for another 6 weeks. It just felt like the work that we were doing there together was going to keep going together. It was a total surprise to us when we got the call late Saturday night. But, it really shouldn't have been a surprise considering the fact that I was there for almost 9 months. Like you said mom, it was about time to spread the good around!
Well, there is a bunch to do today. I still have to unpack and get everything ready to roll for this first week here in Boyle Heights.
I'm very excited to start meeting people here. Our top investigators apparently have a baptismal date for late December and are working on getting married beforehand as well. So it looks like Elder Nelson and I are going to get to try our hand at wedding planning with the help of the Relief Society. Woot Woot!
Love you All!
Your Son and Brother,
Elder Ostler
P.S. I'm praying and rooting for my Elder Ostler over there in Brazil! It's hard to believe that a trainer would be such a pile of garbage. I couldn't even imagine acting like either one of his two trainers. That is such a sad violation of the trust that the Lord has in his missionaries not to even mention his TRAINERS. The calling to be a trainer is a very sacred trust from the Lord. I can't wait till Harrison gets to be a Trainer himself. He will be key in the change of attitude in his mission. And the reason I say mission is because it is obviously a mission wide problem if he has received 2 poor trainers in a row. But when the going is rough, I can't help but find comfort and confidence in the promise from the Lord that He will never give us more than we can bear. The Lord only gives His greatest challenges to his strongest. And Elder Harrison Ostler is one of His strongest!
Well Adios for real this time!
Love Ya!
