Hello Family!
It's been another great week at the MTC! Classes are starting to slow down a little bit to give us more chances to teach the different lessons we have been learning and to get accustomed to the different parts of grammar we are trying to perfect. It has been such a great experience here at the MTC coming to understand how i learn best and being patient with myself when i may not understand a principle of the Russian language as fast as another. Its really exciting to think we have only a few weeks left here before we leave. They are already talking to us a little about packing and a few other items of business concerning our departure. Oh, and another thing that was neat was when we had a few of the native Russians come in and speak to us and i could almost understand every word! Understanding the sentence as a whole was a completely different story as your brain has to work at a million miles per/hour, sorting through the files of your brain to find that word that you know is in there somewhere but are just not sure where. It was a really neat experience and it really helped our district see what it will really be like in the field. We also had the chance to teach the natives a principle their language which was super helpful because of the corrections they can make in what you say as you speak. Its been hard teaching for the most part here because you never quite know if what you're saying is completely grammatically correct so it was very helpful to do that. Also, we've been singing each day in preparation for conference and those of us who are going are very excited to be able to go and sing praises to God while having such a great experience. Dis morning my companion and i had the chance to do some temple work and we got talking to one of the temple workers there and he told us just about everything he knew about the mission experience and it was pretty interesting. It was neat to hear it from his perspective having served a mission so long ago and being married for many years. He told us about how going to places you've never been before, and being with people you didn't choose to be with changes your life and can help you be a more patient, humble, and understanding person as you try to see them as God see's them and love them as God loves them. Luckily my companion Elder Scovil and I get along really well. Every other companionship in our district except for ours has had a few incidents as they've struggle to accept each other for who they are and try to help each other. Its amazing to see and feel the difference when both focus on the good of the other and seek to be understanding of the others differences. It seems to make all the difference between whether we are happy or not. I'm so grateful for the great companion i have! hopefully we have the chance to serve with each other again once we enter Ukraine. Well, my times about up so i just want you all to know that this church is true and that i love you all! Have a great week!
~Elder Ostler
