I have officially been in the mission for over a week and I'm pretty sure the first week is the hardest (at the beginning at least...until you actually understand people and then you realize the problems they are dealing with in their families.) I kept hearing President Stott's voice in the MTC, "Please..just stay for a week at least. It gets better I promise." And it does!
I don't feel like it is Christmas season at all. Part of that may be the fact that I sweat myself to death every day here. haha! no..i'm starting to adjust somewhat. I still sweat like crazy, but at nights it actually gets a little cold sometimes with the fan on. So...as for this week... besides the 3 mice that I found in the apartment and roaches the size of 2 of my fatty fingers put together, life is good. We had a workshop this last week for hometeaching and visiting teaching for the ward. These wards here are so young. They haven't implemented half of the programs they should be using. Sister Sabasan has to basically lead one bishop through things step by step. It is crazy. but the workshop went really well and some of the members really caught the vision. Things are so impromptu here. In the middle of the workshop I hear, "Now we will have a special musical number by Sister Stadler and Brother Thomas" ...um...what???? So I look at Sister Sabasan and she's just laughing. So I had brought a copy of Come thou fount with me..and I go up and play that on the piano and start singing...Brother Thomas starts right in ...perfect harmonies! He has the most beautiful voice I think I have ever heard from a man here. Most philippino's I have heard sing love to sing, but they don't have the greatest voices. Doesn't matter, their singing has power. But Brother Thomas's voice! AH! so good. So that was a treat. I'm suppose to sing at our baptism this Saturday! It's my first. Woohoo! Too bad I was only here for the last couple lessons, but the girls were amazing. We have a few people lined up for the 26th of December too. We're excited for them. We have some really solid investigators here. I pray for them every day, multiple times. They have so little, and some of them really desire to come to church, but the choice is either to work on Sunday and make enough to put food in their children's mouths or come to church. Pray hard for them. Especially Jennifer and her little siblings and the Cesar family (Jessie, Rowena and Jeroboy). I only have 9 minutes, I would go into more detail about them, but I'll have to do that in a letter and have mom put it up or Amanda or something.
So this week, I heard a song..I can't remember if I mentioned it last time. lol...it's from the Best 2 Years soundtrack. It says, "will I ever learn this language...will it ever come easy for me? Will the people that I meet, on the street, will I ever know what they are saying to me.." It goes on forever...it is hilarious! I died laughing listening to it because it expresses everything I have ever felt. I'll put it on the next tape I'll send..which you probably won't get until February or something. If you get it. I have talked to many missionaries and I have gotten some ideas of how to get this language started. I hear over and over and over that it takes at LEAST at the very LEAST 5 months to get the language down. That is a long long time....patience is something I was not blessed with in the Pre-existence and I am reminded of it daily. But....it will come. Life is good..and the people here are remarkable. Funny experience, so we were tracting and my digestion has not been the greatest here. I have to be really careful what I eat..I'm definitely starting to drop some weight. But..anyway..we were walking one night and we were near a member's home and I said.. "Sister, I need a bathroom now...something is not good." haha...so we go to this member's house, they aren't home. But the neighbor is in their home in the back entrance. So we go to the member's home. I go into the CR...I start to go to ....there isn't any tissue right? SO you use this water bucket thing to clean off...yeah...no water. The toilet doesn't flush, no water in the sink..the shower doesn't work..the door doesn't even shut all the way. IT was BAD!!!! hahahahaha! So I can hear Sister Sabasan outside the door talking to the kids. I'm thinking..ok, do i tough it out and get all sick and just deal with it until we get back tonight...no. Not even a remote possibility. SO I call out to her and she asks the little girl if there is any water. NOPE! hahah..good thing she told me. So she saved me...grabbed a bucket and went and pumped water outside so I take care of it. oh my gosh...I have never felt so scared in my entire life. hahaha!
Well family, Brother Leslie sent an email and included the 4th verse of hymn 85, which is so true. The Lord will never abandon us, no matter our trials or circumstances. I love you all so much. Keep praying for me..hard..i need all the prayers I can get. I pray for each of you day and night. God is in charge. May the Lord bless each of you. All my love,
Sister Stadler