Sorry, we are emailing a little later than normal, but this week has been pretty good. Oh and before I forget, I'll just let you know that next week, my P-day won't be on Monday. It'll be our zone's temple week, so I'll email on Wednesday.
So Mom, it's good that you sent me here with pretty much a mini-pharmacy as my medicine kit...haha luckily, I haven't had to use anything for myself, but I am literally like the mission nurse. Even in the MTC, I was taking care of people's sicknesses, and now I'm saving everyone's sicknesses here in the field 'cause I've got the works. :)
Well, the every-day compliments and cat-calls haven't ceased. It's nothing new for me anymore, but I do want to share one funny one this week. We were walking down the street and one guy was just staring at me with his mouth wide open...I mean everybody stares, but this was a little more extreme than normal. Ha...when we walked by, I just smiled and then he said in his Filipino accent, "You are my destiny." and watched me walk away. Haha me and Sister Soliven couldn't help but start laughing. Again, never a dull moment here in the Philippines.
Anyway, one of our new investigators came to church this past Sunday! Her name is Elvie Ramen! She is the sweetest ever. She has 5 kids, but some of them don't live with her anymore, so she came to church with Nico, who is 13, and the two other little ones...ages 4 and 1 (I forgot their names..). Anyway, I was so excited for them! But I was a little worried, because our ward has a slight problem with reverence... so I was worried that with the loudness and all the kids running around during sacrament meeting that it would be hard for her to feel the Spirit. Also, her little 4-year-old daughter is very rambunctious and....I was just worried for their church experience. I really wanted it to go well for her, especially since she is such a new investigator we just met her a couple days beforehand. But... God works in wondrous ways. Even though, yes, we still had a pretty irreverent sacrament service and yes, her children were kind of a hassle...I think she had a good experience. And actually half-way through sacrament meeting, we were struggling to get her 4-year-old to stay put, but miraculously, she suddenly just hopped in a chair next to me and laid her head down on my lap. So I scratched her back and played with her hair for the rest of the meeting and she pretty much stayed reverent. We are actually really excited about Elvie, she is really receptive and PROGRESSING! Me and Sister Soliven have such high hopes for her. I pray that this continues!
So, we have an investigator named Grace. She has 3 adorable little girls. Her husband is in prison though..(he is a drug lord..). So she visits him weekly and gives him food. Anyway, she has a baptismal date for August 2nd, hopefully she continues to progress though. We're worried that she doesn't quite have the right motive in her desire to be baptized..but that's another story. I actually want to talk about her sister-in-law. I forgot her name :( But one time, we went to go teach Grace and she told us that her nephew was in the hospital in really bad condition. Little 2-year-old Dominique. We asked what happened.. :( Grace's brother (Dominique's dad), had beaten him almost to death, and now he was in a coma in the hospital. It was so very sad to hear. We said a prayer with her for him and told her that we would continue to pray for him. Well, the next lesson, Grace informed us that little Dominique had passed away. And her brother had run off in shame and fear. The whole situation was just hard. Then, when we returned again for another lesson, Grace's sister-in-law happened to be there (the mom). She was happy and friendly, but we knew that she was suffering inside. We were anxious to teach them though because we were on the Plan of Salvation lesson with Grace! We gave her sister-in-law a copy of the Lesson 2 pamphlet, and while we taught, she just read and read. The Spirit was very strong especially as we bore testimony to her at the end about the beautiful plan that God has given to us that will allow her to see and live with her child again for all eternity. Her eyes were focused so intently on us and I know that the Spirit was touching her. At the end of the lesson, we asked her to offer the prayer. She refused...she really didn't want to. However, Grace kept insisting that she give the prayer. After multiple times of Grace insisting, she finally accepted. We taught her the simple steps of how to pray, and she began her prayer...she started to pray for her anak (child)...and then she broke. She began to sob. She cried and wailed and cried and each sob struck at my heart so hard. I could almost feel her pain and the grief that was suffocating her. We were all sitting on the floor of Grace's little home, and I scooted next to her and just held her. She leaned her head against me and just cried. I soothed her and told her to just let it all out. She cried for probably 15 minutes...tears were streaming down my face too as I just held her and listened to her cries of anguish and hopelessness. It was so hard. When she stopped crying, Grace got her some water and we were quiet for a couple of minutes. Then I just looked in her eyes....and she looked at me...and when she looked at me it was as if she were looking to me and searching for some kind of hope. And the next thing I knew...I put my hand on her knee and I was talking. I honestly don't remember exactly what I said. I remember that I talked about Christ and the healing power of the Atonement. But I know I said a lot of things, and I honestly don't remember what, but the Spirit was so strong. And even though I had just met her..half an hour ago...I was sitting right next to her on the floor, looking in her eyes, and talking to her like she was someone I had known for years. It was powerful. and it was not from me. Then Sister Soliven offered a beautiful prayer, and we left.
This is hard. It is heart-wrenching and difficult. Every day, we are entering into the litle homes of people in the most humble and trying of circumstances. Their burdens are so heavy. Their trials are unbelievably difficult. And if I didn't have a knowledge of this gospel...it would be even harder for me to witness. But because I know the beautiful plan of our Heavenly Father...because I can see eternally and I'm not blinded by the boundaries of this life alone...it's not AS hard. And because I know that I am bringing them the remedy--the solution and help to their broken lives, it makes it even more wonderful. But what is really hard--what I'm struggling with--is when they choose not to accept it. EVERY DAY, I watch these lives that are in desperate need of the gospel of Jesus Christ...but every day people turn it away. They can't see, they don't understand, they give up. THAT is what is so hard. I am offering these people healing, happiness, love, understanding, and ultimately eternal life. But I can't do it for them. And coming to accept the gift of agency in the lives of others is hard. It makes me sad sometimes. But that's part of this work. It's part of life. That is the center of God's plan. Agency.
I've mentioned before how I've struggled a little bit with the fact that I haven't seen much "success" on my mission so far. I haven't had any baptisms or very much progression like I was expecting to have being sent to a place where the people are so humble. And I have been taking it out on myself. I have been analyzing and accusing myself of fault and trying to find what I am doing wrong. Why is it this way? A couple weeks ago though, my companion told me something that surprised me.
I've written about Sister Soliven before. She is an AMAZING missionary. She is POWERFUL. She has so many gifts and talents and is a strong tool in the Lord's hands. She has the gift of discernment so prominently. I admire that so much about her.. She sees behind people to what is really there inside them. And I see her working with others and even with me...she will just look at you and it seems like she can see all of you. And suddenly you're opening up about everything and she is listening and loving and bearing testimony and teaching powerfully. Everyone talks about how wonderful Sister Soliven is. I am so lucky to have her as my companion, I am learning so much. She goes home in August. She is probably the most successful missionary in my opinion.
And then the other day she mentioned something to me. I had said earlier to her that I feel like I'm not doing a very good job here in the mission. And she said, "Sister Oyler...."........"Do you know how many baptisms I have?"
What?...I had no idea...I had never asked her before. I started thinking in my head...probably like 15...no probably like 40!...Actually...maybe even 50.
And then she smiled and said..."None."
I was shocked.
"None??"
"Not one."
This amazing woman...incredible missionary that has done so much good and accomplished to many miraculous things....Has not even had one baptism in the entire 16 or so months she has served her mission.
That really opened my eyes. And I learned a lot personally. This mission isn't about baptizing people. Of course I knew that. But we often times get so focused on baptism, baptism, baptism that we thing missionary work = baptizing people. But it really doesn't mean that at all. We are called as missionaries to do the Lord's work. And maybe we don't know what that work is. I know I don't. Because it is His work. He places us and uses us in His ways to accomplish His purposes--whatever they may be. And I have witnessed the most amazing missionary as I have lived with her for the past 2 months. And I can honestly say I think she is the most successful. With the very baptismal number of 0.
Well, I'm out of time. I love you all so very much! Never forget that!
Sister Oyler
"We are troubled on ever side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed... For our light affliction, which is but for a small moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4: 8-9, 17-18)
No comments:
Post a Comment