RUSTY PIANO SKILLS

HELLO HELLO :)

How has everyone's week gone?? It's almost May!? This is crazy. This transfer is flying by. 

So..you'll never guess it... Harrison, you're going to laugh.... These past 2 Sundays....guess who has had to be the pianist in Sacrament meeting?

Yeah. Um. Sister Oyler.

What?? No, I'm not kidding. Haha, I haven't touched a piano in years... But please thank Stacey Shaw for her patience in giving me lessons. 

Hahaha. And do you want to know what were some of the songs they chose?? Haha the first Sunday, I opened up to the first hymn of the meeting...#278...."Thanks For the Sabbath School" ...What?? Are you kidding? I've never even heard this song before. haha. But I managed. And yesterday... I had to try to play "The Daydawn is Breaking".... With annoying flats, and they sang so fast!.... Haha patay. And each song after that had a bajillion flats or sharps. I felt bad for the poor congregation. I'm just glad that the one man in our ward that actually knows how to play the piano will be back next week. So our ward doesn't have to suffer through me anymore. Haha, so everyone going on future missions...PRACTICE YOUR PIANO. 

Speaking of songs though, I just heard this new lds youth song, and it is really beautiful. I love it. Listen to it if you want to :)

https://www.lds.org/youth/music?cid=YS-F-musicteaser&lang=eng

So the other day, I started talking to this guy on the street, and he was completely convinced that I was a CIA agent under cover...? What?? He said that there was no way I had only been in the Philippines for just one year and already was fluent in Tagalog. He was asking me all these questions thinking that I had like secret intentions or something and that I was part of some secret American agency and was just undercover as a missionary in the Philippines. Hahaha I could help but start laughing. Oh, I met awesome people each day :)

This has been a busy week as well, exchanges, zone conference, everything! We have hardly been in our area again. But I just have gained yet another testimony that this is not my work. As we came to the end of the week and arrived back in our area on Saturday night, to be honest, I wasn't expecting very much success in helping our investigators come to church the next day... But I was humbled. The next day, we had 6 of our investigators attend church! The Lord is taking care of His children. He doesn't need me. He trusts me enough to let me help Him in this work and ultimately change myself. It's not the other way around. 

One of our investigators is Toto! He's 25. He is a pretty new investigator, and came to church for the first time yesterday. And when we went to teach him later that day. He told us he wants to become a bishop! Hahaha because he wants to be inside the chapel every day. He had a great experience. He is such a funny guy!

We also have found a family with 5 kids! The parents have been coming to church and love it :) We are trying now to get them to bring their kids :) Ahh. This is my dream to help an entire family and eventually watch them be sealed in the temple. 

Well, I'm out of time, but I just wanted to share this picture/quote:

When it gets too hard to stand, kneel. He is always there. Don't forget Him. Because He hasn't forgotten you. 

MAHAL NA MAHAL KO KAYO!

Sister Oyler 

THE POWER OF PAUSE

MAGANDANG ARAW SA INYONG LAHAT!

How was everyone's week? I hope you are enjoying Spring back at home! ...it's Spring there now, right?  It's still summer and HOT here in the Philippines. But I love my little bundok area :)

Well, for us, this week was....CRAZY.

Ha. We had exchanges this week in Morong again!! The beautiful province area! I was able to work with Sister Bergonia one day and also Sister Dolino the next day. They are both amazing sisters :) I love exchanges! We spent two nights there and then we had to leave early the next morning in order to travel 2 hours straight to the Mission Office for an STL meeting so we could put together a workshop for this week's Zone Conferences. After that, we traveled all the way home to Cogeo. We looked like little homeless girls everywhere we traveled, haha carrying little mattress pads and pillows and bags. #STLlife

We were exhausted, but excited to finally have a day in our area the next morning. But then we got a call that the Morong sisters were having some problems....so Sister Panis and I had to travel all the way back out to help the sisters. We were just wrapping up with them at around 5:30...when we got a call that our kabahay had just collapsed and needed to be taken to the hospital and her companion called us needing help. So we booked it, hopping jeepneys all the way back to Cogeo and then helped them...we got a taxi to take us all the way to Ortigas so we could get her to a decent hospital. After we got them into the Emergency Room and got her settled, we went to go buy them some dinner. We left the hospital and got home at around 10pm. SO DEAD. 

The next day (Sunday), was the only day we had in our area, so we worked as hard as we could to help our investigators we hadn't seen all week. Last night was the tired-est I have ever felt. Tapos today... The sisters had come home and were resting, so it was just Sister Panis and I to clean the whole apartment. I scrubbed everything down! But our bahay looks so good now :) The sisters had left to go buy some medicine and we were just getting ready to leave to come email, when we got a call that Sister Wiradi had collapsed again! So we went and helped carry her back to the apartment, and get her lying down with a fan on her. As of now, everything is okay. But that's the reason why we are just now getting to email.

Tomorrow, Sister Panis and I have to give a workshop for our District Meeting...but as you can see, we haven't had much time to prepare. 

Overall.... I AM JUST SO EXHAUSTED!!!!!!

I have just kind of felt like I'm drowning in my To-Do list this week. And feeling like I don't have the energy to even start to do it all. But it's a miracle that I'm still going. I can almost feel the divine helping hands pushing me along. This week has been a trial and a blessing. So many things learned.

I just want to share a bit from one of my exchanges this week. The sister I was working with was awesome. I noticed though, that she was a bit shy as a missionary. She is only on her second transfer, and still learning teaching skills. I noticed that she was scared of silence during a lesson. I talked with her it and about the "power of pause". About how we really need to rely on the Spirit and not on ourselves. And about how especially during the quiet moments of the lesson, the Spirit will speak to the investigator's heart. In our very next lesson, I helped her apply it. And it was an amazing, spiritual lesson. We were visiting a inactive sister. The minute I was introduced to her I could discern just by her eyes, that she was struggling. After Sister Dolino followed-up with her about everything, the inactive sister gave the usual excuses and answers. But I knew that there was a deeper, hidden concern beneath her surface. Before Sister Dolino moved on, I asked her some more questions, really trying to listen to the Spirit. I could tell at first that Sister Dolino was uncomfortable with the silence, but I felt her relax, as we felt the Spirit enter the room. After asking a question, we waited for a minute or so before the inactive sister responded. When she finally spoke, tears were in her eyes and she opened up about everything. We turned the sister to the scriptures and bore powerful testimony. I was really touched with the experience that Sister Dolino shared. She got emotional as well as she shared and bore testimony from her heart. The less-active sister was especially touched. It was one of the most powerful lessons I've been in. I know both Sister Dolino and I learned a lot that day. It was such a great exchange.

I'm so grateful for all these opportunities that I get to learn and grow here in my mission. It is an amazing, amazing work. I am just at a loss of words for it all.

I'm out of time, but I just want to wish you all a great week this week!

MAHAL NA MAHAL KO KAYO!

Sister Oyler
 

 

(I left my little book at our apartment with all the pictures and included captions.. ha so

I'll send the captions next week. LOVE YOU!)

 

 

CONFERENCE AND CHICKEN FEET

HELLO HELLO HELLO.

Well, Conference was amazing. I loved every single second of it! It was re-broadcasted at our chapel here in Cogeo on Saturday and Sunday. It was kind of weird to see so many white people. Haha. 

There were so many amazing talks. Each one of them had something in it for me. I have been so spiritually fed. One of my favorite talks was the one by Wilford W. Andersen about hearing the music and not just learning the dance steps. It was a beautiful talk!  Also Elder Bednar's talk about overcoming fear was a message that really helped me. I just love Conference. As I was listening, I just had an overwhelming feeling of security. The Church is truly a refuge and a beacon in this fallen world. And Christ is at the helm. How reassuring that was to me yesterday.

So I ate chicken feet this week.

Yeah, up to this point I hadn't eaten it, because I see the chickens here every day and the nasty stuff they walk through...so why on earth would I eat their feet??

But Sister Wiradi cooked it this week, so I had to try it... Haha it was okay.

 

 So if I could have one word to describe missionary work...it would probably be... TIRED.

Ha, joke, that honestly doesn't sum up every beautiful thing about being a missionary. But it is 100% true. Missionary work is the most tiring work that you will ever do. If you're doing it right, that is. But every day, I am just SO. T I R E D. We have amazing, miracle-filled days, and also those days where everything just seems to go wrong, and no one will listen to you...but through the ups and downs, the goods and bads, the laughs and cries....I am just always TIRED. I feel like my body is slowly starting to break down after almost 15 months of being a missionary.

15 MONTHS???!!!! I just had to count on my fingers to figure out how long I've been on my mission and the realization just HIT ME!!! Oh my gosh.

This is not okay, time goes way too fast. I haven't hit it yet though...i'm still 14 months pa..

Well, lately our mission has been focusing on finding investigators in the upper/middle class parts of our areas. Because usually, the people we are baptizing are the humble people living in the squatters. Because it's honestly so easy to find people willing to listen when we go there. But we need to establish the church. And it's sad, but true that these humble people who sometimes don't have the means to even feed their own children, are not going to be able to be the leaders to establish the church more fully here in the Philippines. So we've been focusing on finding in the more middle-class parts of our areas. 

So, we've been doing a lot of tracting this week. I am just blown away at the difference in receptiveness when people happen to make a little more money. It's sad to me. 

During one of our exchanges this week as well, I was working with Sister Sauni, and I was helping her to learn how to tract in their middle-class part of their area. Hahaha. That was a fun exchanges. We ran into some of the most bitter people!! 

One lady, when she answered the door, said something in the english equivalent of, "Only members of Iglesia ni Cristo will be saved!" And walked back in her house.  Sister Sauni and I just looked at each other and laughed. Oh the joys of tracting.

On a different exchange the next day, I just was a witness to the vast contrast, as we were walking back home for lunch through a really poor area. We walked by this young pregnant woman and greeted her, and she immediately said, "Tuloy kayo." (Come in!) I asked the Sister I was on exchanges with if she knew her and she said no with a surprised look on her face. We entered into her tiny home.... probably a bit bigger than the size of your bathroom...a dirt floor, and bamboo walls. Two small children were clutching at her legs, crying. Her name was Cristine. We began talking to her and discovered that they literally had absolutely no food. No money. Nothing. Her kids were crying with hunger and she was crying because she had nothing to give them. She was about 8 months pregnant too, and looked completely drained. Her husband had left to try to find some sort of work because he had no job. My heart just broke with her. As she cried, I cried with her. I wished so badly that I could give her money but it's not allowed as missionaries. (which I completely understand). We asked if we could share with her and she said yes. 

The lesson we had with her was simple. Our message is simple. But it is the most brilliant beacon of truth that we have to offer every individual no matter what their situation is. We couldn't give her money, or fund her for food, or buy her a house... but we gave her something deeper. And I watched it enter her eyes as we bore testimony of our Savior and His gospel. 

We gave her hope.

Something I don't think she had before we stepped through her door that morning. 

When we got back to the apartment for lunch. I couldn't eat. With Cristine and her crying kids echoing in my mind, I couldn't eat lunch for myself. But I knew in the back of my mind that our Father in Heaven is mindful of her. He is deeply aware of all of us. And when bad things happen in our lives, it does not mean that he loves us any less or that we aren't as valiant as somebody else. All things are done in the wisdom of He who created us. And our lives are prepared in a way to sculpt us and refine us into the potential being He sees inside us. Sometimes those refiner's fire just appear differently in different people's lives. But through it all He is there. And He always will be. Christ's Atonement is infinite and eternal. 

 

I know this is true. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's true church on the earth today. And it's not just a church. It is the place that we will find the way to real peace and happiness in this life...and in the life to come. It is the only place where we can do what is necessary to allow us to enter back into our Loving Father's presence, in His glory, to live happily eternally.

This is not a casual membership. Being LDS doesn't mean anything if we don't truly "live what we believe" like was said in conference. 

I hope we can all live our religion out loud. By truly doing what we claim to believe from the deepness of our hearts, we will see our hearts begin to change. We will gain a deeper understanding and a broader view of life that stretches farther than we can now comprehend.

I love you all so very much! Always remember that :) 

MAHAL NA MAHAL KO KAYO!

Sister Oyler

 

On one of our exchanges this week with the Antipolo Sisters!

 

Sister Maraj Gill from Pakistan

 

Chicken feet...

 

 

Sunday Funday. Working with some of the Young Women :)

 

WHEN YOU ARE FEELING A LITTLE WEAK

 

 BONJOUR!!

joke lang. I'm still in the Philippines. I'm just getting tired of saying KAMUSTA haha.

How is everyone this week?! I'm hearing that General Conference was amazing! I am so excited to hear it this weekend!! This past Saturday, we watched the General Women's Session and that was something that I needed. I love this Church. It is truly His Church.

I was so proud this Sunday as well!! Timboy received the priesthood and passed the Sacrament. He also got sustained as Deacon's 1st Counselor!! And Hanna got sustained as well as Beehive President! Ahhh I was beaming, I was so happy for them. They are just amazing, amazing kids. 

As for us, this week has been great. Just so completely exhausting. I honestly don't know how my feet keep moving one in front of the other. I have never felt so physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained as I do at this point in my life and at this point in my mission. But it's honestly a quiet miracle for me just to see the divine strength I receive to keep going.

I wish I had more time to write, but we've got to go. 

I do want to close though with a quote that I really really like. This was said by Theodore Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." 

Remember that you are strong. Keep on keeping on :) I know sometimes, it gets difficult. Really hard sometimes. And nobody around you will understand it to the depth you do. We are all in the same game, just different levels; dealing with the same hell, just different devils. But beneath it all, I know our Savior is at your side. He is closer than you might realize.

Keep going forward. Don't fear the world. We each have inside us the potential to become like our Father in Heaven. With this knowledge in our hearts and Him on our side, we can accomplish miraculous things. 

I just thought of a quote by C.S. Lewis that I heard once that really like...but I forgot all of it. But there is also this one that I can leave you all to ponder with. Maybe I can get the other one to you next week. 

"The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said that we were ‘gods’ and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him—for we can prevent Him, if we choose—He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful, but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said."

,MAHAL NA MAHAL KO KAYO!

Sister Oyler

 

 

(Pictures from last week)

 

 

P-day river break :)

Woops!  I crouched down and my skirt decided to take a little dip.....

Sister Andrada is crying :(  She doesn't want to transfer....

It's always a long day at transfer point.

Timboy graduated!

Little Simon did too!

 

Smart kid :)

Alimango, pagong, pusit

 

Oh dear.....

 

Did you know about the thing inside the thing inside the coconut? 

I didn't .  It's pretty good.  :)

 

My "new companion" for the week!

 

 

Liza Ann and her kids  :)

 

(This week's pictures)

 

We found another monkey while I was on exchanges with Sister Milsom!

 

 

Easter egg hunt!

I won!! :)  "Your husband will be handsome, nice, worthy, RM, talented."  Wow, pretty sweet prize :)

We made cookies in the toaster!

Our dinner:  cookies and hotdogs  Haha...this is so sad.

 

Mango float :)

 

 

Sister Panis

 

 

Sooo tired....allll the time.

 

 

This is my new bed.  In the kitchen.  But for the first time in, like, 3 months, I have actually slept the whole night!  No bed bugs here.  :)

 

Good morning :)

 

Temple day!