Called to Serve: This is what makes it all worth it :)

HELLO FAM BAM!

Ah! I can't believe Logan is leaving for his mission! That is so crazy to think about, time is going so fast. I am so excited for him! He is going to absolutely love being a missionary. Tell him good luck for me! That I wish I could see him off too, but know that his cousin loves him and is cheering for him on the other side of the world!

So this week has been so great!! We had zone conference this week which was the best. I learned so much. We have amazing missionaries and leaders in this mission. We had MTC exchanges this week too! Because our zone includes the temple area and the MTC, sometimes we get to go on exchanges with the Tagalog missionaries inside the Manila MTC! It's so much fun! Actually this week, we went on exchanges with some missionaries going to the Iloilo and Bacolod missions--so they were learning Hiligaynon! They were from the Provo MTC actually, but for visa problems they are staying at the MTC here for about 5 days. So poor things, they didn't understand a word of Tagalog--they taught in English. But I was so lucky, I was the one that got two of the cute new missionaries to work with me! Sister Fepuleai from Australia and Sister Robertson from Samoa! They were the sweetest things! I had so much fun working with them. They are going to rock it in Iloilo!

So, I found a new favorite food! (okay, one of my favorites). Kamote kahoy!! haha I don't know why I love it so much. It kind of tastes like a potato, but it seriously looks like sticks of wood (kahoy) before you peel it. It's so cheap, what the poor people usually eat. But I LOVE it. :) But it's healthy, so it's a good thing I'm craving this and not fudgee bars ;) There is so much good food here though. Soooo many fruits and vegetables!! I am not going to know what to do when I get back home to the desert.....

Well, I read this past week a talk by...Elder Gerrit W. Gong--that's his name. haha anyway, it's called "Becoming Perfect in Christ". And it was exactly what I needed to read. A big weakness that I am struggling with especially here on my mission...is being a perfectionist with myself. It is like a sickness. And it always leaves me disappointed, anxious, exhausted, dissatisfied..feeling like a failure. And I know nobody is perfect, and I don't expect to be perfect...but I always am falling short of my expectations. Well this talk was...just awesome.

He said that "the word perfection is sometimes misunderstood to mean never making a mistake."

He goes on to talk about how the greek word for "perfect" means "complete, finished, fully-developed". And that idea was really neat to me. Especially in the scripture, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven, is perfect." Christ is not asking us to get to the point where we never make a mistake. Christ is asking us to become complete. finished. fully-developed.

Like Him.

Which is exactly what this lifetime experiences offers us. A lifetime of learning and growing...falling and getting up, making mistakes....so that we can eventually become complete. finished. fully developed.

It's beautiful to me. And beautiful that amid all of our weaknesses and mistakes..."We are His greatest handiwork, even though we are still a work in progress."

Anyway, this week has been AWESOME! Why? Because, Ricky is AWESOME!

It has just been amazing to watch his progression. We've taught him Word of Wisdom this week and now he's working on trying to quit smoking. Last night, the elders came over with us to give him a priesthood blessing. He is just so solid. He came to church again this week, too! He told us last night that he gets so excited to go to church now to go and see the way people smile differently. He keeps describing the happiness he sees and how it just seems complete and whole. And how he hopes he can reach that point, too. Over the course of our lessons, he's opened up to us about a lot of things in his life. Last night, we thanked him for trusting us as missionaries to open up to us. And then he said something that was amazing...he said, "Oh...I don't just see you two as missionaries..." I was a little confused at first, and then he looked at me, "It's not just Sister Oyler. I see Jesus Christ through you." Tears of happiness just came to my eyes. I was just filled with the Spirit knowing that I was truly able to just be an instrument in the Lord's hands as He helps Ricky come back home.

At the end of the lesson, Ricky started to say the prayer...he suddenly started sobbing. The Spirit was so strong. It was incredible to just hear him speak with his Father. He said that he was crying because he was so happy. And as tears streamed down all of our faces, he just thanked God for helping him find this happiness. "I know this church is true!" he exclaimed in his prayer. and then he tearfully plead for help to be able to quit smoking, because he wants to badly to be an obedient follower of Him.

This is what it's all about.

Walking all day, every day--in sweldering heat, or monsoon rain--, the blisters on our feet, the bug bites all over our legs, the every day early mornings, the lonely nights of homesickness, the disappointing rejections, the new language, new culture, and above all the ever-intense fire of our own personal refinement....

it's all worth it because of this.

This kind of joy of seeing my brothers and sisters experience the pure peace of the gospel and start their journey back into His arms....this is what it's all about. This makes any price worth this prize. I love being a missionary.

Ah, I'm running out of time, but I wanted to share a Mormon message video that I really really liked, too!

Anyway, I love you all so very much!

Sister Oyler