Called to Serve: Hello, August.

Kamusta kayo lahat??

Wow. I can't believe it's already August!! Time is going so so soooo fast. I don't like it. I hope you all have been having a good summer! This summer has been treating me well--rain every day :) haha

This week has been awesome!! I don't even know where to begin! We found and taught 11 new investigators this week! And we had 7 investigators attend church with us!! We have been seeing so much progression, it is so amazing to be apart of!

And guess what?? Ricky finally came to church!! He is doing so well. He now has a baptismal date, too! For September 20th! (Happy Birthday, Avery!!) His lessons have been so spiritually strong. He just gets it. And I think I learn more than he does from our lessons. He finally understand the importance of actually acting on the knowledge he's gained. I am just amazed at his faith and dedication now. He said something in our lessons... "What's holding you back from doing what's right?" He is just the best.

And nanay Delia has a baptismal date now too! For September 13th! She has been coming to church for 3 weeks now! She wore her cute new skirt yesterday :) She is just so excited and is making so many new friends in the Relief Society. She signed up for the baking class every Friday and is loving it so much! She just has a smile on her face every time now, we see her. A real smile. It is so incredible to see how this gospel changes people. It's a real change. And it's beautiful.

So we had a funny experience the other day. Sister Acostan and I were walking down the road and this big ambulance was driving at us. It suddenly slowed down to a crawl as it passed by and then a voice came on it's speakers, "(clear throat) Hello, miss. Good afternoon!"

Hahaha, what?? I thought I had gotten used to all the greetings, compliments, cat calls...but that was a new one. Ha! It's more fun in the Philippines.

So last week, I mentioned that talk from Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I really liked this talk, because it was unlike any other one I have heard about the pioneers. Usually, it's just focusing on all their hardships..all the stories of trials or all the stories of the many miracles. But this talk really applies to us now. It helped me realize the legend that the pioneers left behind and how I can change because of it. One thing that he said there was...

"It is one of the great ironies of our age that we are blessed with so much and yet we can be so unhappy. The wonders of prosperity and technology overwhelm us and shower us with security, entertainment, instant gratification, and convenience. And yet all around us we see so much unhappiness.

How many people do you know who are truly happy? Can you say the same for yourself?"

Am I really happy? Ask yourself that. I think it's so easy for us to get swallowed up in the "happiness" that the world tries to offer. Then suddenly we seem to think that if I look like this...I'll be happy. Or if my house is like this....I'll be happy. So on and so on until we find ourselves chasing more after this "happiness". But it's a lie. In the end, the things of the world will never bring us true happiness. We will never be satisfied.

This world also tries to rob us of our happiness. So many times, we let the smallest, trivial things take our happiness away. President Uchtdorf said,

"The pioneers, those wonderful souls who sacrificed so much, went without and hungered for even the most basic of necessities to survive. The pioneers understood something about happiness. They understood that happiness doesn’t come as a result of luck or accident. It most certainly doesn’t come from having all of our wishes come true. Happiness doesn’t come from external circumstance. It comes from the inside—regardless of what is happening around us.

If they were here with us today there is no doubt in my mind that they would tell us we can be gloriously happy even if our favorite TV show is cancelled, traffic comes to a crawl, the rain spoils our picnic, or the fast food worker forgot to include straws or packets of ketchup at the drive-through window.

When we cover our face with our hands and complain that someone else got the promotion, someone else got the part, someone else got the biggest slice of pizza, it might be helpful to remind ourselves that there is a difference between the profound and trivial. "

How many times do we get upset over something completely small; completely trivial? This made me stop and really analyze myself. A lot of my "problems" are really just selfish and small. But this helped me see the bigger picture. That there is a bigger happiness that I am capable of reaching. I'm the only one holding myself back from being truly happy.

"The pioneers knew that the things around them did not determine their happiness, but the things within most certainly did. And with that spirit they found happiness in every circumstance and in every trial—even in those trials that reached down and troubled the deep waters of their very souls. "

It's not just the small, trivial things that get in the way of our happiness though. This life is not easy. We also, at times, have trials thrown at us full-speed. Things in life that knock us down, scrape us up, hurt us really bad. We look back at the hardships of the pioneers and admire them. They were incredible. But we are also modern pioneers. Just like they suffered...we also suffer. But just like they overcame, we too, can overcome.

"The pioneers were not supermen and superwomen. They were just like you and me. How often did they wonder if they could go on? They must have asked themselves over and again, “Can I do what I have been asked to do?”

But they pressed on. In faith, one step at a time, they pressed on. They trusted in God and His divine and merciful plan. And they left a legacy that will inspire and strengthen generations to come.

They knew they couldn’t simply take a day off. Each day they literally put their shoulders to the wheel in order to get closer to their new place of refuge. Some days they made good progress. Some days they made little. But they didn’t have the option to give up. In spite of feeling overwhelmed, in spite of many good reasons to become discouraged and disheartened, they did not give up. They could not give up. No matter how difficult, no matter how much they wanted to do something else, they kept their eyes on their goal and on their purpose. Each day and with every step they edged relentlessly closer to their destination.

They looked beyond their troubles to eternal blessings."

I don't know why this talk resonated with me so well. Just so many things he said in his talk have given me a renewed perspective and motivation to propel me forward in my mission. I was getting a little discouraged...I was running out of energy. "kaya ko ba ito?"

But I know it wasn't a coincidence that I found this talk. God works in mysterious ways. It's so easy sometimes to get surrounded up in dark troubles and worries. But we need to remember that there is a bigger picture. If we "look beyond our troubles" it will bring light into our lives. Life is so much bigger and more beautiful than just what happens here. Than just being born, living, and dying. As members of the church, we are so blessed to know the bigger picture. To have access to those eternal blessings that will not only bring us joy in the life to come, but peace and happiness in our lives now.

Alright, I am like out of time again, but anyway... We have seen so many blessings and miracles this week! And it is just amazing for me personally... there are many specific details in my patriarchal blessing about my mission and it's such an incredible experience to witness these things being fulfilled. Gah. This church is true. :)

But it's so good to hear from all of you and read all your emails. I'm so sorry if I don't get to reply to everyone. But don't stop emailing though, know that I am reading them! I am so grateful for the many family and friends that I have supporting me.

MAHAL NA MAHAL KO KAYO LAHAT!

Ingat kayo palagi :)

Halong permi! (I'm learning Hiligaynon, too ;) )

Sister Oyler