Monday, October 27, 2014

Burmese=noodle language​

Dear Friends and Family!

This week was pretty great!  I began my second transfer here!  Also, as of today, I have been a missionary for 2 months!!  And they've gone by so fast!

We had transfers this week and we got two new Elders. They're both Asian!  Elder Uthaichai is originally from Thailand and Elder Ledesma is from the Philippines.  Also they took two Elders out of our district so it's just us four.  Basically, district meeting has been referred to as a "double date."  Not really, because we're missionaries! Haha! We've been training them on how to teach English, which is funny because English isn't their native language.  My first thought when I saw them was, "I'm surrounded by Asians!"  My companion is Asian too!  It's pretty funny!  They're good missionaries though.  It's time to get some baptisms here!! 

Sorry this is short...I just blanked!  However, I hope you all have a great week! I think I'll be a Sister Missionary for Halloween, sound good?  All my love! 

Sister Fowlerxoxo
My beautiful Companion

New Elders!

Haha! 

Sister Loveless Rap Album Cover :)

This is how P-Day is almost every week :)

Friday, October 24, 2014

American Idol

Dear family and friends, 

So, I really wish the Book of Mormon was translated into Burmese or Chin-but unfortunately it hasn't been yet.  Maybe one of you could ask the people of the Burmese branch in Salt Lake City to get on that? Also, we requested to receive either Burmese or Chin speaking missionaries and we haven't heard anything about that yet.  Hopefully we'll get some soon!  I believe the people here will absorb the gospel when they can actually understand the missionaries.  Stupid language barrier!

On Tuesday we had specialized training for new missionaries. I have been referred to as a ripening banana-not green anymore, but slightly turning yellow. :) This training was so great!  We have an awesome mission president and assistants. We had to role play teaching the Restoration in 5 minutes.  Easy peasy!  Sister Loveland makes me teach that everyday almost.  I could literally teach a 5 min. resto. in my sleep. The Elders that taught us, were slightly lacking practice. They spent 2 and a half minutes on the apostasy.  When they were done, I said, "You should have brought your apostasy cups too if you were going to talk about it for that long!"  They weren't thrilled that I said that.  Haha!  I can't help being sarcastic sometimes. 

Here in the Indianapolis mission, the missionaries give church tours.  It's not a tour of the building, but rather a tour of the paintings, the chapel, and the baptismal font.  And yes, there is a script that I memorized(ish). It's a great tool for members to share the gospel because they get to bring their non-member friends to just visit the church.  I never thought I'd be a literal tour guide for anything, but I am! 

We had a combined district meeting this week.  I am surrounded by the greatest missionaries!  It's sad, transfers are this week and Elder Owen and Maxwell are both leaving.  Elder Owen is going to be a zone leader and Elder Maxwell is going to train a new missionary.  That means Sister Loveland and I are training two new Elders on how to teach English classes and help them with the new area. I can't imagine being double transferred into any area, much less this one.  This is a unique area!!  Hopefully they're good Elders!

Indiana is a weird place.  There are geese and huge squirrels everywhere. The geese are constantly squawking!  Ew. 

This week, we were teaching Tin Meng, our most progressed Chin investigator. She's so lovely!  She understands English and she has the strongest testimony!  Sister Loveland decided we would sing I Am A Child Of God to her. (Sister Loveland has an amazing voice so she sang a harmony.) After we were done, Tin Meng said, "Oh so good!  You two should be on American Idol!"  Haha!  It was so funny!  I love Tin Meng. :):)

They put the Angel Moroni on the Indianapolis temple this week!  That's exciting!  I can't wait for it to be dedicated!

We are officially getting iPads in January...YAY!  That will be the day!

I think that's it!  If you have any questions, email me!  

I love you all! :)

Love,
Sister Fowler


Here are some photos from her recent adventures!
The bishop of the ward and his kids!

Got to go on a fun Ward Hayride! 

A fun dinner appointment!


Monday, October 13, 2014

Bunco

October 13, 2014

Dear Friends and Family,

This week has been so dang great!  I forgot my little cable thing for my camera so no pics this week. I'll get you some soon!  

So, Sister Loveland and I drive a 2013 Subaru Legacy. It's  a nice car. Although, Sister Randall, the last Sister here backed into Sister Loveland and killed her leg with the bike rack.  Haha!  I should be certified to drive next week!  I can't wait to be able to learn how to navigate this area.  We had zone meeting this week. I had to give a talk because my ZL's are jerks.  ;)  They're so great though!  I have an awesome zone.  We always play bunco at zone meetings.  We all bring white elephant gifts and we roll dice to see who gets to pick a gift. I got my gift at Humble Impressions, the thrift store we give service at.  It was a night light in the shape of big red lips. Haha!  Everyone wanted it.  Guess what I got though?   A mylar package of spaghetti noodles brought by the one and only Elder Maxwell.  Jerk!  Haha!  

We got to watch "Meet the Mormons" before all y'all.  It was so good!  They wanted the missionaries to preview it so we wouldn't go to the theaters to watch it. We are a classy church! :) That movie is the greatest visual representation of the Atonement though. 

So we have this investigator named Cross Sui Nai.  She is so precious. She is from Burma and she has a husband and two little children.  She's only lived in America for 1 year and her English is much better than some people that have lived here for 5 years. (Thanks to us!)  She told us that she went to college in Myanmar before she came here.  She has her degree in law!  Cross is a lawyer!!  She's brilliant, but she had to come to America to get away from the violence. My heart goes out to these people. They've suffered so much.  Now, they live on small incomes and have to orient themselves with a culture and language that is foreign to them.  It's not fair.  But at least they're safe and happy!  I love Cross, she's so enthusiastic and happy!  I admire that, especially because she's been in a tough situation. 

Yesterday was ward council.  I'm seriously in the greatest ward! They're very missionary minded. Bishop Lykins actually went to BYU.  When he was there, he said some girl in his class ask him where he was from. He said he was from Indiana and she asked, "What state is that in?"  Haha!  Those are the kind of people that go to BYU. ;)    I have the greatest ward mission leader and Elders here too.  Elder Owen and Elder Maxwell might try to make me hold a shocky dog collar sometimes, but they're still great missionaries. They even made me buy them a radar for their car.  It was only $2.50 but they tested it out with a member of our ward that's a cop.  Elder Maxwell is from St. George so we talk about Swig sometimes.  Those were the good ol' days!  ;) We usually get a text to remind us of ward council and it says, "No alcohol this time." Haha!  

Other than that...I've been working on my Chin. I can say Gospel of Jesus Christ now.  Jesu Khrih Thawng Tha. Good stuff!  

The work is doing good!  I hope you are all happy and safe!  

Love,
Sister Fowler xoxo

Monday, October 6, 2014

Who's a happy missionary?

October 6, 2014

This week we contacted a referral from church headquarters.  She's from England and she was given a Book of Mormon 9 years ago when she lived there. She knows so much about the church!  She'll hopefully be baptized soon even though her husband is against the church.  He actually has no clue that she's meeting with us.  

I had to give training at district meeting this week.  That was a joke!  I've been out for like a day compared to the other missionaries. I trained on accountability and our mission's game plan.  That was scary!  Then we had to role play...:( I'm not good at role playing yet!  It was awkward to role play with my district leader too.  I don't know why, because the Elders are all like brothers to me!  Haha! 

So, last week I was struggling because I felt like I wasn't being a good missionary.  I haven't been sharing my testimony because the Chin people won't understand it in English. I hate the language barrier! Anyway, I made a goal to find another way to testify of the restored gospel and Joseph Smith.  During conference, I got the impression that I should learn to say my testimony in Chin.  It's going to be tough, but we have some investigators that will be able to help me.  

I know that one day, Indianapolis will have a Burmese Branch.  I'm so thrilled to be working with the pioneers of this area.  They already love God so much-we're just giving them the truth's they're missing. 

We went personal contacting in the park this week and met a boy named Charles.  He is so precious!  He's 18 and a senior in high school.  He believed what we told him about the restoration even though he wasn't raised religious at all.  He had some great questions too.  I can't wait to teach him more!

Love,
Sister Fowler