So before I get started....HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRISON!!!! (this week) haha but I will wish you one now!! :) You said you got my card in the mail so yayyy :) Open it on your birthday. haa...so all the Filipina girls over here are crushin' on you. No joke. I have pictures of the fam in my little photo album and they are all like ahhhhh you are their crush! haha saliwa.....
Well this week has been so great! It rained after I finished e-mailing last P-day!! Nothing huge....but I was so excited! haha :)
(sorry..I don't know how to flip it..)
But...the rain brings out all the lamok...(mosquitoes) haha so I kind of got eaten alive again. but it's all good.
We also got to go the big city to the huge 5-story mega mall! I almost forgot I was in the Philippines! haha...almost. and oh my gosh, there is a catholic church in the mall....haha no joke and they have mass times posted. It was so funny to me.
So I ate balut again...haha and I realized I didn't really describe balut last time..so for those who don't know, it's like an egg...right before the chick is ready to hatch...and they boil it. So you crack it open and drink the fluid stuff and eat the chick... yeah you can gag now. But it's actually not bad. ha, oh and I have a video of my first time eating it. I'll see if I can send it.
But anyway, I love the food here! We ate this stuff at a members house yesterday baka.....ahhh what was it called.... baka
but it was so good!! Probably my favorite so far! Oh and we ate isau--or chicken intestine...ha that wasn't bad.
So..I have many many kids here....haha maraming mga anak. The ones we walk by daily all know me and come running when they see me yelling "nanay!!" ("mommy!") haha and they will hug my legs and hold my hands and walk with us for a while..I just want to take them all home with me.. Is that okay mom? :)
This is part of my daily parade. :) I love them so much!
So, this is so funny. Sister Sione (one of the kabahays) is from Samoa. anyway she has a friend in America somewhere and she was like oh, he's from Byson! Do you know him??...and I was like Byson...where? Like what state? haha she had no idea...she was like "Byson...don't you know??I It's a city in America." hahaha too funny. People will ask me all the time if I know..so and so.. because they live in America too. haha and Laura is great, she will always look at me and say, "What do you eat?? How are you so white??" I love them all.
So, our investigators are so strong.
Sister Deseree just amazes me. She has 6 young kids. her first husband left her....her second husband died...and her third husband she caught in the act of cheating on her and then he eventually left her. She has no job. She scrapes every day to feed her kids. And they all live in this tiny like...9x7 cement square. My heart just aches for them. And this week we had a powerful lesson about prayer with her. It was incredible.
We are also teaching Brother Ceasar. He is 35 and his wife also left him with their 8 month old son....but now it's been I think a year or so. Anyway, he is just so receptive! He asks so many questions and his heart is so open. He came to church yesterday!! And he went around and shook everyone's hand and got to know everyone, piped up in the gospel doctrine class with answers and questions, and even helped fellowship one of our less actives to stay and go to priesthood!! He's awesome!
Ah, and I have to tell you about Paul! We were walking home the other night when he called out to us from across the street! "Excuse me sister...LDS ka ba??" (are you LDS?) I was like yes! We are. He got so excited! Hhis face just lit up...long story short he moved here 2 years ago from Antipolo and had a friend that was LDS and went to church with them once. He was so excited and wanted us to teach him! We taught him once and invited him to church on Sunday. He came! He was a little nervous I think and felt awkward because he didn't know very many people. But we fellowshipped him and one RM fellowshipped him too. He left an hour early but I have high hopes for him!
Okay, one last investigator..s. Aida and Alan.. The other day Aida called out to us from across the road.."Sisters!!" We crossed the street and talked to her.. long story short too...she's a member. Her husband isn't. He was over eating like 10 feet away. Anyway we found out that they had been separated for 2 years because he ran off with another girl. They have 4 kids (age 2,4,6, and 8) that they had to put in an orphanage. But just that day they had reunited! But they were jobless and homeless. He was carrying this broken little pink backpack that had everything they owned and they were desperate and she started to cry. Well we helped them all the rest of the day. We figured out he could drive. So we helped him get a job as a jeepney driver. And we found them an actually nice little home for pretty cheap--it was a miracle. Then on sunday they picked their kids up from the orphanage and we visited them and taught her husband. It was an incredible lesson. The husband broke down and began to cry and said how much his family means to him. Earlier in his life...he didn't know.But now his family means everything to him and he wants to change and become a better man, husband, and father. He told us he wants to be baptized! He has a date for april 27th! And we're so excited and hope that he prepares and is baptized!
I love this work. It is amazing. I still can't believe that I am here. But I can't even imagine ever leaving. It's hard. The language is frustrating me. I beat myself up a lot inside because I don't have the language down...but I just keep telling myself...I've been here 2 and a half weeks....It will come. patience patience patience. That's a big lesson I am learning-- patience with myself.
Anyway, I love you all!! I love this gospel! And I love it here!!
Keep being amazing and stay safe :)
xoxo
Sister Oyler
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