2014-7-22

Wednesday night, the missionaries who were waiting for flights to go home were taken to a different hotel to stay till they could get flights home.  They finally all flew out yesterday (Monday).  We felt so bad for them and their waiting families!!!  Typhoons have a way of rearranging our lives.  We are just grateful that it wasn't worse!  All the missionaries and the senior couple should have arrived or be arriving at their homes by tonight or tomorrow!  Thank you for your patience, missionaries and families!  We hope your reunions are sweet ones!

New Missionaries!  Here are the pictures of our new, arriving missionaries and their trainers:

 The New Philippines Manila Missionaries and Their Trainers

                                                    Three very happy missionaries.

Message From The President

Message From The President

 Dear Elders and Sister,

Sister Ostler and I love you very much. We are constantly praying for you.

This week you may want to consider the application of John 21:11-17 to your life right now along with Elder Holland’s masterful teaching about it in October 2012:

John 21
11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.
12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.
13 Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.
14 This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.
15 ¶So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
“My beloved brothers and sisters, I am not certain just what our experience will be on Judgment Day, but I will be very surprised if at some point in that conversation, God does not ask us exactly what Christ asked Peter: “Did you love me?” I think He will want to know if in our very mortal, very inadequate, and sometimes childish grasp of things, did we at least understand one commandment, the first and greatest commandment of them all—“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” And if at such a moment we can stammer out, “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,” then He may remind us that the crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty...
You have a monumental work to do, underscored by that marvelous announcement President Thomas S. Monson made yesterday morning. Your Father in Heaven expects your loyalty and your love at every stage of your life.”
To all within the sound of my voice, the voice of Christ comes ringing down through the halls of time, asking each one of us while there is time, “Do you love me?” And for every one of us, I answer with my honor and my soul, “Yea, Lord, we do love thee.” And having set our “hand to the plough,” we will never look back until this work is finished and love of God and neighbor rules the world. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, General Conference 2012
May we each, as fellow servants of the Living God, pledge our HEARTS and our time to serving Him and His children here in the Philippines Manila Mission.

You are wonderful!

With love,
President & Sister Ostler

2014-7-20 The Longest Day

So, transfer day during a typhoon.....not a great time to try something like that....especially when it's your first transfer day ever!  :)  But we are in a mission with the most incredible, consecrated people.  Everyone pitched in and did whatever it took to make things run smoothly. 

The missionaries, who had been at the hotel so they could fly home, had their flights cancelled and the hotel was already fully booked for the night, so some of our senior missionaries went and picked them up and brought them to the mission home.  It was the second night they had barely slept.  But they put on their p-day clothes and went to work cleaning up the mission home yard from all the leaves and debris!  Where in this world do you see young adults like these????? 



The Assistants and a set of Sister Training Leaders as well as several office couples came to the house as well to help with the orientation of the new missionaries.  The leaders got all the information we needed from the new missionaries and checked to make sure they had the supplies and clothes they needed.  Sister Chong-Nee, a sister training leader, just took charge and did a wonderful job.  While President Ostler interviewed the new missionaries, the other leaders oriented the missionaries to the Manila mission and gave them all the information they needed.  Angel fixed sack lunches for all of them instead of the rice and pork dinner she'd planned because we had no electricity.  Caleb really was convinced we should just put the pot on the gas bbq grill and cook the rice in it, but Angel opted for sandwiches!  :)


After lunch, the trainers for all the new missionaries arrived. By then, we had about 50 people at the house with no electricity.  But they went ahead with the training and just opened all the doors for ventilation.  Soon, the Facilities Management people arrived and replace the battery and got the generator going.  Lights!  They are so wonderful!  :)

 During the orientation, Elder Atoigue and his family came to see the mission home with his aunts and uncle.  What a wonderful family!

Angel changed the menu to bbq chicken and rice and was miraculously able to whip up a delicious dinner for the whole group.  The electricity came back on in time for dinner!  What a blessing to have lights that evening!  

 Then we had the transfer meeting.  It was wonderful to watch the warm and happy, loving way they greeted each other when they found out who their companion was going to be.  I had never see it happen like this before.  Of course, the sisters squealed and hugged....but even the elders hugged like they were old friends, and one huge new elder even lifted his smaller companion off the floor in a bear hug.  It was the funniest thing!  How wonderful these missionaries are at helping their new companions feel good about themselves!

For my message, I shared the story of our son Josh, when he was 3-4 years old getting locked in a bathroom.  He was unable to get out.  We tried everything.  It was a very old house with a solid door and a deadbolt lock.  I was imagining having to feed him under the door!  But we remembered a lesson I had recently taught the primary children about how Heavenly Father can answer our prayers any time, any where.  Josh and I talked that day long ago about whether or not Heavenly Father could help us and open that door.  Josh was confident Heavenly Father could.  I knew He could, but my faith was shakey. I asked myself if I really believed what I had taught those Primary children, and I had to answer that yes, I really did believe that.  So, exercising our faith, we knelt and prayed for Heavenly Father to help open the door.  After one failed attempt to open it, and after exerting continued faith, the door opened and Josh said, "Mommy, Heavenly Father opened the door!"  I testified to those precious missionaries that Heavenly Father is aware of them.  As they begin their missions, they will need His help a lot, and He can and will help them any time, any where.

What a special time, with such a special group of missionaries!  Then it was time for pictures with the president and his wife!  I have never had so many pictures taken of me at one time!  I guess I'd better get used to it!  :)  Wow, do we love these missionaries!  I cannot imagine having more fun!