Holy heck, I have so much on my mind and the whole email system is being ridiculous today. So..hopefully this works. So I have my flight plans!! AH! It was a super happy day in the class when we got them. Yeah, so we leave on the 24th here, lose a day and get to the Philippines "2 days later". haha! That is just pure craziness. I'll gain 2 days coming back to the states at the end of my mission too. Weird..just weird.
Thanks for getting the first aid kit. I know i will definitely use it there. They don't have any real medical places I guess. Of course the mission has places for us, so don't freak out, but that is just for serious things. We covered medical this week..AH!!!! It was insane! Also..I found out the church has water purifiers that they have specially patented for missionaries. So my water will be completely clear and pure. but we aren't allowed to drink anything else that members make. Weird huh? We will eat on average at 2 members homes a month..maybe less and we can't eat anything unless we actually help to prepare it ourselves and see exactly what is being put into the food and that it is throughougly cooked. ha! mom, as for shoes, Amanda bought me some crocs, and the other sandals, I don't even know. I didn't ever try any on, but I think they run big. I think I will be fine with the others. They give us copies of the Ensign here so I do have the conference issue. Last night I was reading Bednar's about consistance in the home. SO good!!!! Sheri Dew spoke here last night! I was like a foot away from her, it was amazing! She said something that really stuck out to me. She said, "A nation can only be as strong as it's families." It is so true! If we don't have strong families, then the nation will go nowhere! Happy people come from strong, stable families. Look at our families in the United States. If Satan can hit the families as hard as he can and diminish the importance of family in a nations mind, then no one will be happy. Without happiness, people become very self-centered and selfish. Selfishness leads to every sin you can ever imagine and then here we are, a whole nation, just laying our will and freedom in the center of Satan's greedy little hands. It makes me sick to think about it. We must do all in our power to keep our families strong and to speek with others about the importance of family. So I was released on Sunday from being coordinating sister. It feels really weird seeing someone take over, but at the same time, it is nice to not have meetings all the time and take away from the study time I have. I can't believe I only have a few days left. AH! On Sunday the sisters sang Silent Night. We did 3 part harmony in Tagalog, it sounded sooooooo good! Mom, I thought about you when we were singing it. You would have loved it. It was really interesting, there are so many church services here, as you can imagine. Usually you can hear the other church through the folding walls. Well, we were getting ready to sing, a capella, and another musical number started in the service next door to us, a big piano solo. It was so loud! so we started singing and no one could even hear us. But I prayed, "Heavenly father, we have practiced so hard on this and it sounds so good! Help us to be heard and to invite the spirit to the meeting!" And seconds later, the other solo ended. It was right at the critical verse of the song, the last one, where we broke into 3 part harmony and the words just rang out in the air proclaiming Christ's birth. It was absolutely beautiful. I recorded a practice on a tape that I will be sending you within this week. It doesn't do it justice, but it sounds pretty good. I sang the tenor part an octive higher. So fun! So funny story about the Philippino's. When a woman is pregnant she goes around pinching people that have attributes that they want their children to have. They actually think it will give their children those attributes! haha! So Brother Leslie, 3 weeks into his mission was pinched like crazy on the cheek by a woman! HAHAHAHA! Good times. Look forward to random stories like that. So yesterday we also were able to hear Sister Oaks in Relief Society. She said some amazing things. She brought a little down syndrom girl with her, she bore her testimony and sang a song. Earlier in the program another girl sang a musical number. It was amazing the contrast of the pieces. the first girl, while having a beautiful voice, was obviously doing a performance, while the little handicap girl sang with her pure testimony. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. I was amazed at the power that filled the room. The Spirit was so strong. Absolutely beautiful.
I have 5 minutes left! ah!Lets see...Brother Leslie went into more detail about the Philippines. Let me just say it in a few words. No one tells you that Pornography and sexual sin is rampant over there. They say every home you walk into will have porn all over their walls and many times a "Santo Ninyo" doll, a baby Jesus doll, on the same wall. Or a life sized statue of Christ hanging with blood all over Him. Just gruesome things. I could go into more detail, but I don't have time. So..basically....pray...pray hard, especially for the elders. It is a mission where they have the highest number of missionaries sent home. But, it is also the mission with the highest number of requirements for someone to get baptized. These people are so lost, but they are looking, seeking for truth. and guess what the best part is.... WE HAVE IT!!!!! WOOH OOOO!! I'm so excited! I can't wait to get out there, slaughter the language and just get my hands into the work! I know I have people there that I am specifically going to help. As long as I love them, and show Heavenly Father's love through me, they will feel it. The spirit will bear witness that what I am "trying" to say is indeed true. This work is real! It is soul saving! I love you all so much and my next letter will be the last one from good old snow on the ground...it is freezing now PROVO, UTAH! All my love,
Sister Ashley Stadler