WHAT SHELLEY NOW TOO!!  I can't believe it.. I'm so overwhelmed with joy that I'll have two new pumunkins... ah!!! so many changes.  Congrats I love you all so much.

Salamat Sa letters!! I got Jared's funny letter and I received the package you sent..  By the way, getting packages is like the best thing in the world.. thank you so much. the Starbursts are great, My filipina companions have never tried starbursts.. I loved the story that Jared wrote.. about the Philadelphia and beyond.. I want to read more.. more! So funny. .  Packages are also fun for making other missionaries jealous.. haha  Salamat for the new skirt and outfit.. all of my clothes are so worn out, old and stretched out..  the new skirt was long over due.. so to make the long story short... you should send me another package. haha

I have a new companion!!!  Sister Gantiles.. You say it Gan-Tee-less not like Gentiles... We were in the same district in Kalibo.. and now we are companions!! Sister Guerrero is in ROxas so cool!! I want to go to Roxas some day.. SIster SHocker is in Roxas and is a TRAINER now!!! but her bata (child) hasn't come yet from the Provo MTC. apparently the provo missionaries didn't get their VISAs .. they were sent to the wrong place so they have to wait a week until they can come yet...  But it was fun to see sister Schocker again when she came down to transfer meeting.. I got to spend Thanksgiving with her and sister Guerrero.. We had Filipino style Spaghetti, Chooks roasted chicken (the closest thing to Turkey) and mango shakes.. and I had everyone go around and say what they were grateful for.. Sister Guerrero says that this is a holiday tradition that she will keep in her future family.

I"m trying now to lead the area!! ahh  new experience for me .. I sometimes don't know what to do.. its hard!! I pray that I"ll receive revelation for the area and the people here in OTON.   

about the skype thing.. I forgot my info.. I tried looking back sa old emails but I can't find the email where you sent me a password..  Maybe we'll just try sending me the information again.. or make me a new account.. 

THe pictures are of thanksgiving. Me and the Apitong family and me and sister Gantiles..

SOrry there is no time this week.. I have to send in reports.. I love you all so much,.. 

I love you, I love you , I love you

Halong (ilongo), ingat (tagalog), dahan (aklanon), andam (kinaraya), Take care (english),  

Sister FOwles

Happy THanksgiving! I would try and translate it but they don't have that holiday here.  it would be something like Malipayan nga ginahatagan pasalamat.

Um so I saw a movie poster for the Hobbit!! I want to see that so bad~! temptations.. ugh haha I hope you are keeping a list of the must-see movies.. I also saw a glimps of the preview of the new twilight movie as i walked passed.. it was like

Last week We found out that there is a local radio station where every sunday night some of the missionaries are invited to teach, answer questions and sing songs.. the Radio house is also in OUR AREA so we stopped by last Sunday before we went home.. The elders were talking on the radio and they were surprised to see us walk in that they almost messed up.. We are thinking of maybe going on air too but I'm too huya (shy) I would mess up..

It's transfers again.. Next week I might have a new companion.. I'll still be here in OTON.. for CHRISTMAS! woot woot.

FOr thanksgiving we are going to cook speghetti.. that's what sister Guerrero wants.. and we are going to buy a roticery(I don't know how to spell that) chicken Because they don't really have turkey here.. I've only seen two turkeys since i've been here.. Maybe i'll make some traditional deviled eggs... I told her this and she's never had them.. and she's not too sure about having "DeVIL" eggs haha

We are having a non-christmas, Christmas conference coming up. We have to present a 15 minute skit.. about the saviors birth or ministry. not sure what we are going to do yet.

I don't like transfers.. our district leader is dying this week.. which means he's going home.. so we'll have lots of new people in our district.. we have a way cool district.. ELder Karlson, Elder Digal who is way good at drawing animated characters.. he drew us! I'll show you sometime.. Elder Kaufana from Tonga, Elder Faran who is on his death bed and Elder Galloway and Elder Turner.. We are the only 2 sisters so we are spoiled.

sige..

the picture is of me and sister Veronica  the Angel here in OTON..

and the other is of us at the radio station.. we are with Elder Domincel and Kaaa.  that is Elder Kaaa who sister Cabatu knows...

/Anyways  pray for me and this language and that I'll be able to lead the area if Sister Guerrero leaves me..

I love you all so much...

P.S. maybe President Cook and Carol will be the new ILOILO presidents in JULY!  that is when President Pagaduan and sister are leaving...

LOVe Sister FOwles

Look !!!!  Barney!! the Dinosaur Van!  is here with me in the Philippines!! haha  I saw it as we were walking and I had to take a picture!  I told my Companion, "ina ang salakyan ni Nanay Ko!!" (that is my Mom's Car!)  Basi ari siya di?!! (maybe she is here!) haha.  

THe other picture is of me carrying a bag of rice into sister Lucy's home.. on my head.. like a boy haha.

Shelley's Kid's look great!!

Guess what.. My Camera is broken :(  The screen is black.. So I can't see what i'm taking a picture of.  And I can't adjust settings so it is permanently on this pin hole setting.  So I can still take pictures but I don't know what they look like until I'm on the computer.  Oh well.. Maybe i'll have to buy a new camera.  

I can't believe it is almost Thanksgiving now... wow! They don't celebrate thanksgiving here but Yes all the American missionaries hold their own kind of thanksgiving with their filipino companion.  I'll definitely will be doing that..  With sister Guerrero...  and THanksgiving is right before transfers so maybe other sisters will be staying over night at our house so we'll have a thanksgiving party!..

I feel like time is so fast here but it almost is standing still too  because there isn't a change in seasons.. it's still summer here.  You are now experiencing Snow!!  People here don't know what that feels like..  i think I'm getting a nice tan.. especially my feet!!  Way cool, but it could just be dirt permanently staining my skin.

I"m sad I wont be there for the house dedication.. but I think that thanksgiving will be the perfect day for you to celebrate that.

Subong magsabat ako sang mga pumankot nyo.... (Now i will answer your questions)

1)  Do you have to do any tracking? I mean door to door cold contacting?

Our tracting is while we are traveling to our next appointment. usually when we ride a C-cad which is a man biking us to our appointment.. we start talking to him and give him a pamphlet and if they seem interested we try to contact them.

2)  Does your mission president emphasize teaching non-members, or simply rescuing the members who are inactive?

OUr mission president emphasizes on establishing the church.. right now we want to focus on the area goals. we have 15 names of less-active members that we are focusing on trying to help them return.. We also teach lots of investigators and we try to teach our recent converts so they don't go less-active...  it's all about Conversion/ Retention/ and Reactivation

3)  Is the BoM your basic approach?Our approach is discerning the spirit what they need.. We teach people not lessons.  I've been trying to always have at least one scripture verse to share. We learn better when it comes from pulong sang Dios (words of God)

4) Do you speak simply hillganon? or other dialects as well?  Do you feel as this an example os speaking in tongues?

I'm striving to learn Hillagaynon and I have a mix of Tagalog.. but if I get assigned to Antique in the future I'll have to learn Kinaray-a  Which sounds hard haha Oton is on the boarder near Antique so There are Some investigators who speak it.. I pray for the gift of tongues everyday.. I still feel behind.. I'm striving and I think by the last day of my mission I might of things figured out..

I'm sad mitt romney lost.. maybe it's not time yet.. will he run again??  People here in the philippines I think root for Obama because he has better foreign relations or something.. so that applies to them.

anyways... keep me updated I love you all so much!!

Till next week.. oh p.s.  It's close to Christmas which means we can Skype AGAIN!!!  YAH!!!!!

 I love you!!  Salamat so GOod News!!!

Halong! Palangga Ta ka

Sister Fowles

What What what!!!! I'll have a new Pumunkin!!! (niece/nephew) before I get home!!!  Woa. Kristi and Rob Congrats!!  Oh my goodness, I'll be here on the mission for one entire pregnancy. That makes it seem like a long time. haha But it will go by fast. P.S. I think I hit my half way mark on Halloween..

Happy BIrthday Megan! Also I think I forgot to tell Scott happy birthday..:( so Happy Birthday Scott I love you.

I liked your dream dad.. especially me coming out of a drain.. that's cool. P.S. I think I could feel that hug too ;) Congrats with your "cherry-on-top presentation" That's my pops! way to go! What did you talk about?

Mom Keep getting better and stop coughing every 20 seconds Thats not good haha. THat's exciting for Natalie Fronks Call!! Finland will be a hard language to learn.. I know she can do it..  I got Jade's wedding announcement! She looks so beautiful and they look so happy!  I'm happy for her and Trevor.

Wow awesome Halloween Outfits!!!  I'm so happy you sent me those pictures! I feel like if you keep sending me pictures through out the rest of my mission the shock of when I see my nieces and nephews again wont be such a blow.  They already look sooo different and grown up.  Everyone looks so good!  I kind of forgot about Halloween because no one really celebrates it.. I think I saw two trick-or-treaters..  What I did see was the crowd of people entering the cemetery..It is like our memorial day but it's way more crowded and a lot more CANDLES. People were selling tonz of candles and snacks outside of the entrance to the cemetery. There was so much traffic it was hard to make it to our appointments.. and then when we did make it.. all our investigators were gone. To the Cemetery. haha.  

One cool experience I want to share before I forget. The other day it was late at night and we needed to bring Jaylord ( sister lourdAnn's boy) to the hospital because both of his parents were there and he was staying with a babysitter.  So we were trying to have him come with us but you could see in his face that he was scared and he didn't want to go.. He was being sabad (not listening/naughty) and we were frustrated thinking how can we get him to trust us and to go with strangers in-order for him to be back with his parents. So a cool thing happened. we called Jason (his father) and had Jaylord hear him on the phone.  Jaylord is like 4 years old and can't talk very well but he could hear his fathers voice on the phone.. His father talked to him saying.. come here Jaylord Go with them.. they'll bring you to us.. Dali di, dali di. (come here, come here)  Then after that.. Jaylord didn't complain he let us help him change his clothes and find his shoes. and he trusted in his fathers words that we would bring him to his parents.. ITs kind of the same way with missionaries and investigators.. at first they can be scared of us, not cooperative and sabad.. But if they would only listen to there father in heaven telling them.. Go with the missionaries..Trust them.. they'll bring you back to me.. Dali di, dali di.  Just kind of a cool lesson I learned from a child.. Those are always the most meaningful.

I love you all!  Be safe I pray and Do your home/visiting teaching.. magnify your callings.. keep your covenants.. I hope You are all doing the things that I'm teaching people to do out here..

Palanga ta ka! 

Love Sister Fowles.

WOW!!!! 471% increase in missionaries!!!

WOW!!!!  471% increase in missionaries!!!  What!!!!  4000 now a week!!  THe Apostles really have their hands full now with assigning missionaries to missions..  haha..  I can't wait to see the 1st 18 year old elders and 19 year old Sisters here in ILOILO!!!!

DAD!!!  Breathe, you can do it.. Don't stress out about your presentation!  You are amazing!  I"m so proud of you and I know you will do a great job..  Make me proud !!!

Some funny moments i've remembered diri sa Philippines... the moment when I saw the ice cream trolly man passing by us jamming out to the song "My Sharona" instead of the normal ice cream jingle song..  He made everyone smile as he passed by..  The day when I was teaching in Benji's home and I looked at their wooden cabinet with a glass door and saw a live chicken sitting inside..  It was like that movie.. the Indian Cupboard. or something haha.  And the car that passed us with a full c-cad tied to the top..  You know how they usually have a bike rack and bikes tied to the tops of vehicles.. it was the bike and the side car attached and harnessed to the car.  I guess you'll wont really think it's funny unless you've lived here. 

I love sister Swarna!!  she is so good at EVERYTHING.  IT has been so fun with the three of us.. We like to call ourselves the United Nations because we have an American, Filipina and an Indian in our companionship!  SO we can cover just about any language over here..  

This morning we had breakfast with Sister Pagaduan and the City Sisters.. It was so fun.. We played badmitton and yoga.  This is SIster Swarna's last few days before she leaves on Wednesday for India.  She is a legend now..

This last Sunday was conference and I was so happy to see brother Jerome come for the 1st time since i've been in Oton.. He is a part-member family and we just gave them a baptismal date for December22 and it is the best feeling when you see them at church... the BEST. Then Junel (Jerome's Brother) and Julivie also came to church. it's been like 2 months since they've been to church so We hope they will continue to go.

They don't really celebrate Halloween just all Souls day and all Saints day which is on November 1 and 2. But I did see Halloween costumes and decorations for sale at the store.. But usually people go straight to Christmas here.. It's funny because winter here is just a cool breeze..  My companions are always so cold and I tell them that they should spend Christmas in Utah and they'll know the really meaning of cold.

Have to Go and work now.  I love you all so much.

Be safe I love you and YOU ARE BLESSED>

Palangga ta ka.  Halong  Love SIster Fowles.

Woa!!

Woa!!  Jace and Alli are so big.  Alli is losing teeth! lol..  I got a letter from Shelley from Dear Elder!  salamat. I think I did Recieve Marsha's letter too.

Happy Birthday Cammers and Ksenya!

This last week has been crazy. Sister LourdAnn called us and said she was in the hospitl throwing up blood.. We got permission to go see her because she was all alone.. When we got there we helped her and her husband fill out paper work because her husbnd is kind of slow. and while we stayed there, Her husbnd was able to go watch their two kids at home..  One of my cherished moments was when it was just me and Sister Lourdann in the hospital room and I started to wash her feet because she had dried blood on her feet. I felt like the savior when he washed the feet of his disciples.. a pure love.  While I waited with her she was so tired and before she fell asleep she looked at me and said thank you.. I wanted to cry.. I started praying there in my heart that everything would be ok.. When we arrived in the hospital she told us that we are her only friends. The next day we did service and went to clean her home.. she had mountains of laundry and dirty dishes..  We asked around for members to accompany her at the hospital because we couldn't stay over night with her..  SIster Veronica Is a true angel from heaven. She volunteered to help sister lourdann even when she has a family of her own.. I've never met someone who is more loving and giving of herself then sister Veronica.. I know that the lord will bless her and I hope that someday her older children will accept the gospel with her.

My other favorite memory for this week was when we visited the Bibiolata family and they are very less-active.. Their attitude wasn't too friendly at first when we came and it was so late and dark outside that I didn't want to stay anylonger and just go home because I was hungry..  We stayed and just talked with them for like an hour.. just getting to know them, no teaching.. Then we finally started the lesson about the restoration and the atmosphere had totally changed from when we first got there to when we left.. We applied how They had the gospel in their life and it now is lost and it too can be restored just like the story of the restoration and Joseph Smith.  The best part is.. Brother Bibiolata came to church last week :) It's a good feeling when you see them..

I love you all.. Keep up the positive attitudes, it really can change your day. Be safe and I love you

WRITE LETTERS! you know who you are.. haha just kidding..

Love SIster Fowles

Ashley Pictures