Sorry about no email last week! I typed a really long one and it obviously didn't get there. I got a bunch of letters from people this week who wrote through dear elder and two official letters!! So thank you to Kristina, Brittany (I got your letter finally that you sent to the mtc where i had 22 days left until I left for the Philippines..hahaha), and dear elder emails from Taylor, Ian, Robyn, Samantha, Jacob & Alysa (which was awesome! I could totally understand WAY more Ilanggo than I thought I could. There were about 5 words in it that I didn't understand! WOOHOO!! Now to only be able to speak it fluently. haha) And...Brittany! :) Britt...I laughed so stinkin hard reading Roxi's responses again from your bridal shower. That seems like it was so long ago! You've already been married for like..what?? 6-7 months? Holy heck..where does the time go!?? I hit my 4 month mark on Saturday..and the best way to celebrate it ever..Brother Gino Villar Paras was baptized. I have never witnessed someone so prepared to hear the gospel. That man took everything we said and ate it up and asked for more every single lesson. He has said to me about a thousand times.. "Salamat po! Salamat gid! Sister Stadler, really, truly, thank you po, thank you. You will never know how important this is to me." (po is a sign of respect here). To which my response is, "Brother Gino, salamat po for listening to the message and following the commandments of our Heavenly Father! It only gets better from here! Keep living the gospel standards!" He is so sweet. His family has a huge rift right now because he was baptized. They are all members, less active most of them, except his grandmother. WHO IS CRAZY! This woman has stopped talking to him, and us, because she personally didn't feel he was ready to be baptized. I wanted to say to her, Sister Villas, the only way I could be more certain than Gino is ready to be baptized is if one of the 3 Nephites showed up and said, "yep..he's for sure ready!" Even then..I would just say, "He totally is right!" Amazing. Anyway..the spirit was strong in the service, despite the fact that only half his family was there (2 aunts that are super inactive). Sister Flores announced that I would be giving the special musical number..haha..a capella. So I sang "I stand all amazed." It was absolutely silent when I was singing. I haven't heard absolute silence since I got here on the 27th of November. The spirit was strong and I was so glad I had been blessed with the talent to sing, to invite the spirit. Sometimes Sister Flores will turn to me before a lesson and say, "if it is ok with your family, Sister Stadler would like to sing a song first to invite the spirit." hahahaa! She kills me. If it was anyone else doing that I would die and be a little bugged. But she is so sweet I just can't say no. It is amazing what the power of the hymns can do. They are truly inspired. I understand how why Brother Leslie cried when his cd player broke. Music is the ice cream of life in the Philippines! Getting home at the end of the day, listening to music just makes everything so much better! Luckily all of my companions have had sound systems so far. I'm pretty sure most people do here...so I'm hoping I won't have to buy one. Mom, I'm so jealous you got to go to the temple! DAH! I would give anything to get to go to the temple once a week. The MTC spoils you in so many ways...but the spiritual high there is amazing and unlike anything else I think I will ever experience. My language is coming along. Slowly, but it is coming. Looking back, I am definitely getting better and I understand WAY more that I used to. People are so funny here. They never expect this slightly chunky girl from Arizona to start speaking to them in their native tongue. So they will start speaking to Sister Flores to have her ask me questions and then I'll just answer them instead and they always start laughing. So I of course think I said something wrong..but then they say.. "WOW!! WOW!!!! Beautiful!!" hahaha! It makes me laugh every time. I'm so sick of being told I'm beautiful. I just want to blend in with everyone else. BUT...at the same time...my standing out makes it so easy to get people's attention and to get people to talk to us. But sometimes I hate it because people get shy around me..especially young men. We're teaching tons of young men right now, all ages 13-25ish. They literally have found us! Amazing how the Lord will bless you if you are doing what you are suppose to. Our first time meeting with each of them, they all said, "Sis, I want to change my life. I'm sick of living like this." WOW!!!! And their fellow-shippers are all the boys from Batad! We love those boys. They are solid and preparing for their missions. We're literally teaching the Armies of Heleman right now. So this week I had a bit of a cool spiritual experience and I wrote it in my journal, more of a personal enlightenment really. I want to share part of it with you. I was reading 2 Nephi 31:20-21 and I wrote: "Am I honestly pressing forward? Pressing involves great exertion and effort. I think far too often I am leaning in the Right direction, not pressing. Pressing often ends in the sweetest results in the end of a hard, and timely process. I think of the olive press. Olive oil is one of the essential oils--but the process of obtaining it isn't easy and fun. Pressing flowers results in beautiful, long lasting creations-- but it takes a long time and adequate pressure in order for a flower to reach its fullest potential for beauty. Perhaps the same is true for us. As I think back on really hard times in my life, I leaned heavily on the Savior. I pressed forward, steadfastly, to get through the trial. I knew if I just sat there and did nothing it wouldn't resolve. I would only add to the problem. The times I chose to sit and moan and whine only brought more grief and pain. Too often though, when not facing great trials I find myself no pressing myself--not challenging myself to draw nearer and to be better. Why is that? I am most certain that the Savior of the world did not spill His precious blood so that I could press forward with a "when I feel I really need to" kind of effort. He did not suffer torment and pain and unexpressible anguish so that I could casually glide through my easier moments of life being just good enough. Good enough..what a subtle and ultimately damning tool Satan all too frequently uses on us. Too often we find ourselves caught in the mind set of "I am a good person, living a good life. I read my scriptures, I pray, I attend all my meetings. I serve when asked to do so. I live the word of wisdom and law of chastity, i pay my tithes and offerings. I love my family. What more must i do?? Surely I am doing ENOUGH" But honestly, if we search our hearts deeply, thoroughly, could we give more? I am not suggesting that we exhaust ourselves to the point of illness. Life needs balance (Oaks gave a great talk about that). However-- do we have ourselves fooled into thinking our half-hearted efforts will truly save us in the end? Will we look back and say-- "yes! I gave my all to the Lord because He gave me everything! He gave ALL of Himself, and so I will give all of me for His cause." After all-- why are we here on this earth? Are we here to have the most successful enrichment meeting turnout of the century with the cutest center pieces? Are we here to have the greatest Elder's quorum activity with the most selections in potluck history? Are we here to be the greatest laurel ever--known by everyone important at school and loved by each young man in the stake? Or maybe we are here to have blast each week at young mens playing games together and making sure we look ridiculously good while doing it. No--Surely we are here to come to a knowledge of our older brother, our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. To try to fully understand just how important it must be to REACH eternal life if HE- The most perfect individual, was willing to give Everything for each one of us to have the opportunity to have it. IF we but tried our hardest, pressing forward- Pressing steadfastly WITH HIM. Having faith in Him. And if He was willing to give His all, for this purpose which I cannot fully comprehend, surely I can help others come to understand His purpose here. How sad it would be to get there and realize that we could have brought so many with us to share in the never ending joy. Who have we missed out on? More importantly, who will come into our paths in the future? The church is true. The gospel is restored. Christ lives- I know this. With all of my heart I testify of this truth because I could never deny it. I have had the spirit bear witness to me that it is true as I have knelt in humble prayer, pleading with my Heavenly Father to let me have a personal witness that it is true. He answers prayers. He loves us and He has given us every possible way for us to see Him again. The choice is ours. Do we press forward?"
I love you all so much, and as always, I pray for you each daily. Let us each do all we can to be our best selves this next week. LOVE YOU BUNCHES!!! More than Philippinos love a mid day nap! HAHAHA!!! It is insanity!
All my love-
Sister Stadler