This week was one of those beautiful weeks when something little happens and you think to yourself..."Is that totally weird that I find that completely acceptable? Where am I? OH!!! I'm serving in the Philippines!?" haha! That happened a couple times for me this week. Like when I found myself walking across a bride suspended in the air with a little Filipina following right behind me. Beautiful! I love this work and I grow to love it more with each day. My companion and I have passed the awkward adjustment zone with incredible speed and continue to grow to love each other! Not speaking English has been the hugest blessing to me and the teachings are going well. We are continuing to find new people each day through OYMs. Mom, OYM means Open Your Mouth or Offer Your Message. Basically an OYM is when you approach a person on the street and just start talking with them about the gospel and invite them to church and to listen to your message. It's street contacting. :) Sorry...I keep meaning to define it. My sweet companion is starting to catch the vision and I'm excited where it can go. I'm really trying to just exercise my faith and believe and press forward. we have some solid investigators right now. One man, Mark, read his reading assignment, then on his own started from the title page and is now past 1Nephi 16. I wanted to jump up and down and hug him. Here's the greatest part...the Ilonggo version is very deep and is hard for most people here to understand, but Mark just started going off explaining about what he had read and all about Lehi and his family. I'm excited to see where that goes. right now he has work on Sundays, but this last Sunday was his last day he said he was going to work on Sundays so he's excited to go to church. He has 2 little babies and a beautiful wife. Not sure where the wife stands, but she is very kind. hopefully his influence will help. As for the ward, there are tons of in actives and this Sunday was one where I just craved to be home for a solid Sunday with the spirit strong. We witnessed on Saturday and baptism of a girl in the ward, not a convert, but get this....we get to the baptism and bishop goes to start and i realize there are only 2 priesthood in the room. So I asked him if there was another witness and the 1st counselor, Brother Wycoco (who's daughter was being baptized) said "We don't have any other priesthood so I'll just witness and baptize." No one around me said anything and thought it was perfectly fine..including the other 3 sisters. haha!!! AH! So I quietly said, "Bishop, we need another witness." Bishop looked a little embarrassed and then remembered there was a man outside, the gardener, who was active and worthy but in the other ward. So he ran outside to get him. Meanwhile Brother Wycoco started to get a little heated and say the man was wearing shorts. "Sister Stadler, here in the Victorias ward we are requires to wear pants to a baptism, shorts are not allowed. So if he's wearing shorts, he can't come in and witness. This is just the way we do things here." I am definitely learning patience on my mission! ha! I took a deep breath, walked over to the organ (which by the way..organ here means cruddy little keyboard...yeah...so much for that) and started playing prelude. Then said to Brother Wycoco, "Brother, it is more important that he holds the priesthood and that he witnesses than the fact that we is wearing shorts instead of pants. It would be better if he were in pants, yes, but it is more important that we have a witness." To which he said, jokeingly.."He's a teacher (pointing to a boy in the back of the room) so he can witness, and my son is here too! (who is 5 years old)" Yeah.....REALLY????? So I said, quietly, "Brother, these are not my rules, these aren't the mission rules, these are the Lord's rules." He shut up after that and the man came in with....wait for it....baptismal pants on! WHAT? haha! At least we had a witness! ah...the Philippines! I wanted to say.."Your woman aren't even in skirts and you men are all in jeans!!! What kind of respect is that showing this sacred ordinance????? But instead, I kept myself level headed and testified of truth. Always more affective. Well, I love you all, life is good. sorry! my next email will be in greater detail. You're great! All my love and prayers are will you!
God speed!
Sister Stadler