Called to Serve: AN IMPERFECT TOOL

KAMUSTA!!

Hello, everyone!

I'm running out of time again this week ( no surprise). Haha, but hopefully I can share a bit with you all. Thanks everyone, for all your love and birthday wishes!! Mahal ko kayo! :)

So we've struggled a bit this week with one of our investigators who has a baptismal date for the 27th. He told us he would be baptized if on that date he feels for himself through the Spirit that all of the things we've been teaching him are true. Well, just this week, he started expressing that he doesn't want to be taught anymore... He feels like he is wasting our time as missionaries because he told us he has no intentions on being baptized because he has no intentions on changing his religion. It made me really sad when I heard him say these things, because I can see he hasn't clearly developed an understanding of the divine truths of this message. Hopefully we can work with him to help him gain for himself a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. But I know that ultimately, each of us is backed up to our own wall of faith, and there we must make our stand. That is one of the hardest struggles for me as a missionary. Other's agency. Especially when I know what is right before them, and it's the hardest for me when I know they understand too...but they choose not to accept it. I struggle with that.

However, we've had a great miracle this week in the fact that one of our investigators, JeyJey, is preparing herself to be baptized on the 28th! We had a powerful lesson with her this week. We were talking about the Holy Ghost and helping her understand who He is and how we feel Him. The Spirit was so strongly present in the lesson, it was an amazing experience for me. And I just looked into her eyes as she was bearing her testimony of the things she was learning and her desire to come closer to the Savior and I just saw the most sincere, and humble child of God longing for Him. I could see so many things in her eyes and it just hit me so strongly. I could feel the honesty of her soul wanting to follow Him and I could almost watch her conversion start to take place. It brought tears to my eyes as I was overwhelmed with the whole experience.

I wish I had more time to describe more, but my time is almost up. I am just so humbled by all my experiences as a missionary. Every day is hard, but every day I see miracles. Every day I grow.

I'm so grateful for my calling as a missionary. Every day I am used as an instrument in His hands for His perfect work--even though I am an instrument with so many imperfections. But I'm grateful for His patience with me by still using me amidst my imperfections to accomplish His miracles. And I can see that through all of this, I am also being chiseled and shaped to become a better tool in His all-wise hands.

THANK YOU ALL again for your love!! I miss everyone so so much. I hope this week is going great for you. Enjoy this wonderful Christmas season!!

MAHAL NA MAHAL KO KAYO!

Sister Oyler