First Week!

Kamusta, pamilya!!

How is everyone doing??!  I miss you all so very much, but no worries, I absolutely LOVE being here!  The MTC is such an incredible place!  Before I left, everyone was saying, ohhh just survive the first week...just make it to Sunday and you'll be okay.  But I have no idea what they were talking about I've loved it since day one! It's amazing!  I sent you all a letter....but I don't think you will have received it yet so I'll mention stuff in this e-mail that you'll probably read again in the letter. But oh well :)

My kasama (companion) is Sister Lopez!!  She is just awesome and I love her so much!  She is 28 years old and from LA! She's actually Filipino nationality, but she's grown up in Cali her whole life.  But!  Her parents speak Tagalog--she doesn't--but she can understand a LOT of it, so it's she's such a blessing as my companion!  Our district has 2 elders in it--Elder Torgesen and Elder Williams, and 4 sisters--my kasama and I and Sister Anderson from Salt Lake and Sister Fewster from England (but she's Filipino nationality too!)  Sweet, huh?!  I love them all!  Our zone is awesome too!  Oh, and I got called as Sister Training Leader!!! Whaaat?!  It was only my 4th day here when they gave me the calling!  But I'm excited to serve my zone!! I love them all so much!

Our main teacher is Brother Poole!  and he is seriously the best!  I have learned so much just in the 5 days here it's crazy!!  Tagalog is mahirap (hard)!! but I have learned so much of it, I look back and am just blown away!   I've been blessed with wonderful missionaries and teachers to work with and it has all helped me grow so much!

So, the first day here we had a "Teaching Experience".  Long story short, we're in a room with about 50 other missionaries and we're teaching an "investigator".  (You just ask for the microphone if you want to teach them). anyway, the investigator we had was named George.  And he kind of scared me haha!  He was just very grumpy and he had a very strong opinionated personality. He was super blunt and skeptical about everything people were saying.  And so I wasn't saying anything to him.  Anyway, he started asking us why when Christ was being crucified--the Roman soldiers had said that if He really was the Son of God, then he should just get down and save himself.  They would all be converted then.--he asked us why, If He really was the Son of God, why didn't he save himself?  Why didn't he get down of the cross and make everyone convert and save himself from death?  

Well, people started answering...but I felt like they weren't really saying what he needed to hear.  He started getting frustrated and upset and I kept feeling like we weren't really helping him understand.  People kept just talking about how Christ was half-God or something.  I felt the spirit sooo strongly to say something to him!  But 1-I was scared of him.  and 2-other missionaries kept asking for the mic.  Well...suddenly, George just stopped and said, "YOU!' and pointed directly at me!!! (I was sitting on the front row).  I seriously stopped breathing.  "What do you have to say to me?"

I couldn't even believe it! How did he know I was feeling the spirit and needed to say something??  Well, I took the mic and just bore a simple testimony that I'm not perfect and might not be able to answer all of his questions, but what I do know is that Our Father in Heaven loves us.  He loves me, and he loves you, George.  And Christ loves us too.  And that's why our Father sent His Son to die on the cross, so that we could be saved from our sins.  And if he hadn't gone through with that--if he would have stepped down from the cross--we wouldn't be able to receive forgiveness and return to live with him again.

George sat for a minute and thought.

 And then he asked, "So God sent Christ to be crucified? He wanted Him to die?"  and I said, "Yes.  And I know that might seem kind of confusing.  Why would a Father want His own Son to die?  But, if you step back and look at the big picture...we see that Christ died so ALL of us could live.  So it all starts to make a little more sense."

And the whole room just got really quiet.  And I think the Spirit started to touch George a little bit, because for once, he wasn't getting upset.  He was just sitting quietly and thinking.

And then he said, "okay."

The meeting ended right after that.  This might not seem big to you haha, but this was seriously a little personal miracle for me!!  I came to realize that my Heavenly Father is aware of me and aware of my testimony.  And I learned that I need to not be scared to open my mouth.  Especially when I am feeling promptings of the Spirit!

Okay, so I don't have much time left so I'm going to attach some pictures from this first week and bear my testimony in Tagalog then press send!  Mahal ko kayo, pamilya!! So much!  I'm so grateful for this opportunity to serve as a misyonero!!

Alam ko po na totoo po ng Aklat ni Mormon.  Alam ko po na mahalaga pagdasal at mahalaga bayad-sala ni JesuCristo.  Nagpapasalamat para sa ng MTC at ebanhelyo Niya.  Naniniwala ko po na mapagmahal po ng Ating Ama sa Langit.  Mahal ko dito ebanhelyo!  Sa pangalin ni JesuCristo, Amen!

(Okay I don't know if that's completely correct grammar, etc. but there ya go :)  )

Love you all!!

Love,

Sister Oyler 

P.S. for some reason, it's not letting me send pictures...so I'll try and figure it out.