Called to Serve: HELLO HELLO HELLO

Kay, I'm trying to type fast, because I always run out of time.

This week was so good!! Elder Dallin H. Oaks came and talked to our mission. Elder Bowen from the Seventy also spoke to us. It was incredible. I was so inspired. The Spirit bore such a strong witness to me as Elder Oaks was standing to address us, that this truly an apostle of the Lord. I was touched and was taught so much. The things that he and Elder Bowen said in particular were things that I have been needing to hear at this point in my mission. It has inspired me to be better, to reach higher, work harder, everything! It was just amazing.

So here in the Philippines, they don't really celebrate Halloween. It's not really big. But they do have a holiday on Nov. 1 called All Saints Day in remembrance of everyone who has died. And then on Nov. 2 it's called all Souls Day for everyone who is still living. Anyway, they have a cool tradition here on the night of November 1st everyone has candles lit outside their doors. It's really pretty to see everywhere!

So I am so so so excited for Rose!! She is progressing so fast, she is so ready! I can't even believe that we just met her on October 18, and she will most likely be baptized next weekend!! We are teaching her every single day in order to complete all the lessons in time. I really really hope she does get baptized on the 15th because I will most likely be transferred on the 19th...and I want to see her baptized so bad! She is just amazing. Just soaking it all in. Asking questions. She already just has a rock solid testimony. It's just amazing to me how fast it is all going! She is AWESOME!!

So this week, I woke up one morning and opened the front door so me and Sister Quiban could do some jump rope and we found a rat in my shoe! It was just chilling there, but it was kind of odd, because we kind of moved the shoe around and normally a rat would scurry away and hide. But it just stayed in my shoe...We tried to dump it out, and it got turned over on it's back and then we saw that it's stomach was like split open!! It squeaked and curled back up in my shoe. ehhhhh. I felt bad for it...but I was kind of grossed out that this mouse thing was like rubbing it's intestines around in my shoe...blehh! We knocked it out of my shoe and then it scurried over to the corner outside... We found it a couple hours later and it was dead. Poor guy. There are a lot of rats here. Some of them you'll see running...and they are no joke like the size of a cat.... haha but for some reason they don't really freak me out. But the IPIS!!!! (cockroaches). Ahhhh! AYAW KO!!!!!

Also, this week....I got a "pigsa". Or in English, "boil". Ahhh it hurts pretty bad! It's because of the heat here...and because I'm stubborn and don't use want to use an umbrella when we're walking outside in the heat. haha Luckily, it's just one on my arm, and it's slowly getting better. Thanks to Ate Maricel :) She's taking good care of me, Mom :) But that's a first. I never thought I'd ever have to deal with boils. Gah. Joys of the Philippines :)

So I love the temple.

I just have no words to describe it. I'm so glad we have temple days here in our mission. This morning was an absolutely incredible experience for me. But I won't go into it because I have no time. However, the area presidency changed it so that now we won't have a temple p-day every transfer :( Now it's every other transfer... so I won't be able to go again until January or February. Bummer.

So we talked to this old guy on the street the other day about beer. Ha, that's how we started the conversation with him because as we walked by, we literally saw probably around 300 empty bottles of Esperada lined up around his house....haha he actually goes around and collects them all and then re-sells them, there are a lot of kind of cart people like that here that go around and collect every kind of things. Nothing is trash here. It's all picked up by somebody and sold or used for something else. Anyway, he was hilarious, and after we talked to him about beer, we had a great conversation with him about Jesus Christ. He agreed to have us come back and teach him more. So everybody...you can connect ANYTHING to the gospel. Even beer.

Okay, grabe time goes so so fast.

Anyway, it's so good to hear from all of you. I am doing so great here right now! I don't know why, but I am just the happiest I've ever been!! I honestly don't know why. I am just SO HAPPY!! I love this work. I love being a missionary. I love ALL OF YOU!

Don't forget that! Ingat po kayo sa itong linggo!

mahal na mahal ko kayo!

Sister Oyler