So we had another typhoon rip through this week. In terms of wind, it wasn't nearly as strong as the last one...but wow, it was definitely a storm. It woke me up at about 2am with a HUGE clap of thunder!! I have never heard any thunder so loud! And then it was POURING. For the rest of the night, there was literally a never-ending deep rumble of thunder...it never ended! One big thunder, with loud claps every minute or so. And lightning was literally flashing every 5-7 seconds. It was like a thunderstorm out of a movie, I swear. It continued to pour for the next day. I still can't even grasp how the sky can hold that much water....We were on lockdown the whole next day, and the sisters from Marikina came to stay with us because their area had flooded. We had a flood in our area too, but not as bad, it flooded a little bit into our gate, but not in our apartment. In their area though, the water was over the cars, and reaching the bridges. SO MUCH RAIN! But after just one day and the next morning of lockdown...we were allowed to go out again.
Well, this week, the other sisters played a funny prank on me and my anak...hahaha. One night, we were coming back to the apartment at the end of the day. We have to be back by 9pm...9:30 if you are still in an appointment. So we were coming back later than usual around 9:20ish... And as we got off the tricycle, we talked to the driver for a little bit and left a pamphlet with him. Then we opened the front gate, and the apartment door was open, but it was completely black....I was like mmm, that's weird... And as we walked up to the door, we looked inside and saw everything scattered on the inside! The ironing board was knocked over, things had been rummaged through, and the back door was wide open. Ahhh! Fear just struck me! My anak let out a huge gasp! And then I was like, "anak.....RUN!" We bolted frantically back out the gate!
"My shoes!" Sister Felipe had left her shoes by the door. "Uh, hurry, grab your shoes!" she kept running...."Okay, I'll grab your shoes!" So I ran back and grabbed her shoes and then ran again after her.
"Okay stop stop, don't run..walk....okay just walk fast. don't look suspicious. where's the phone????" I scrambled to find the cell phone as we walked down the street and was just about to dial our District Leader when we heard hysterical laughing and, "Sisters!!! Come back!!"
Haha, the other sisters were at the gate laughing their heads off. When they heard us pull up in the tricycle, they had spontaneously decided to prank us and set it all up before we walked through the gate. Hahaha our hearts were racing a million miles and hour. Haha but we were laughing so hard too.
Another funny instance this week....I....well....kind of got proposed to?? Haha...this man came up to me this week and asked me to marry him. I thought it was in just a joking way, because that happens a lot, but this guy was dead serious! I was like.."um bawal po brother." (that's not allowed). But he said, "no, all you have to do is just sign the marriage certificate.." hahaha what??! I refused again. And he asked about after my mission. I told him I was going to be too far away. And he said, I will follow you! "walang malayo sa pag-ibig"...(distance doesn't matter when it comes to love). Ohhh gosh. Haha. The things that happen in the Philippines...
Well, we have an exciting week ahead of us! We will have 2 BAPTISMS this Saturday!!! Si Nanay Delia and Ricky will both be baptized this Saturday! They were both interviewed this week and now we've got the baptisms scheduled! I am so so so happy for them. Nanay just has a smile on her face all the time, she is so excited! She has all the relief society excited for her too :) And Ricky talked to me yesterday at church...he said, "Sister Oyler....I am just so happy. I woke up this morning and I was just....happy. For no particular reason. I am just happy!" There is nothing but smiles and excitement for everyone as the day is coming near. They are both so prepared. Both of their journeys have been different...difficult in their own ways, and now the time is finally coming where they can enter the waters of baptism, and it is so beautiful. We can't wait! Thank you for your prayers back home. I can see the devil working even harder as these things get closer, and I know the faithful prayers of everyone on their behalves are being heard and answered.
Well, we have an investigator currently named Kris. And she is so awesome!! She has been so prepared. She is....23 I think? Anyway, it has been kind of hectic with schedules trying to be able to teach her, but we were finally able to teach her again. The lesson before, we had taught about Christ's church and the Apostasy and asked her to read the pamphlet about Joseph Smith in preparation for our next lesson. Well when we came back, she not only had read it, but had read online to find out more about it, and watched the whole Restoration movie on YouTube! And she was so excited for us to teach her!! She had enrolled in an Book of Mormon class at the Institute at the chapel and was already in Jacob! We were just blown away! She is so excited about it all! We had an amazing, powerful lesson, and asked her to be baptized. She accepted! We were hoping to get her ready and prepared to be baptized next month! But Satan decided to step in and try to hinder her progress....We were surprised yesterday when she wasn't at church. When we texted her, we found out that Kris's mom is upset about her going to a different religion. Her mom is abroad at work, but she wants Kris to stop it all. Kris is just stressed because she says she knows that this all is true. And she wants to be a part of it, she wants to be baptized. But now she feels like she can't. She is trying to convince her mom now. Ah, I'm just praying for her and praying for her mother. I know that she might have to make a big sacrifice. But I also know, that she can be the way for her mother to come unto Christ as well. I hope that things will improve. I know everything will work out in the end.
Aww...there is the cutest little 4-year-old girl talking to me right now in this computer shop, so I haven't been able to write everything that I was planning on, because I keep talking to her. haha, anyway, so I'm almost out of time.
But I just wanted to say how much I love all of you!! I miss you more than you know. But I want you to know that this work that I am doing here is real. The power of this gospel is real. It changes people's lives. I think as members, we take for granted what we have. Don't let that happen. Don't forget to reach out. Everyone around you needs it. Member or non-member, we all need more help that only this gospel can offer. Be the instrument that our Father in Heaven can use to help His children. Be observant. Look around you. And reach out in love.
MAHAL NA MAHAL KO KAYO!
hanggang ang susunod na lingo!
Sister Oyler
Jeepney riding with my sistas
Banapple!
Mmm :)
gwapa sila..
Immigration Office--we had to go get fingerprinted for visa requirements..
This cool old prison house/hospital. One of the senior sisters I was talking to said she read a book called, "We Band of Angels" about it. I think there's some cool history behind it with the war, and American girls that ended up being prisoners here/nurses to everyone else. But it was a cool building we drove by.
So there's a KKK here too...different gang though.
Baha
Waiting during the baptismal interviews
...So long...
But we're happy for the baptisms!
So we went to Delia's house this week, and I noticed that she had put the picture that I had given her, of me and her, on her wall! Next to all the pictures and achievements of her daughter. It made me smile :)
Aki stole a picture during our lesson yesterday with Ricky.
I got some Taho this morning :)
Thank you, Aki, for these cute pictures! Salamat po!
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