HAPPY 2016

Pamilya at kaibigan ko! :) Hello and Happy New Year! Another week come and gone. 4 Months down this week how crazy is that! Well This was by far the BEST week of my mission thus far! 

Im going to go by days again:

Monday

Simply a good Pday. Funny moment though we got the 15 peso icecream cones from 7/11, and as we were walking down the street to get a trycie little kids came to ask for money and I put out my icecream instead as a joke, but it was no joke to them they took it straight haha and then says "Its pasko" haha too good! He enjoyed it more than I would I know :)!

Tuesday

We taught Sister Lisa Del Roasrio who served with Elder Matthew Olsen in Japan so thats a crazy connection and motivated her to come back to church! YES! The Lord works in wonderful ways! Got some Pamelones from sweet nanay Maria our RC (pamelones are like giatn gratefruit so masarap)

Wednesday:

I gave that Zebra stripe gum to the little kids and an investigator and they LOVE IT! :) Oh the PHIs won Miss Universe haha. Also Burkenstauks and joggers are HUGE here! 

Thursday:

We visited the district leaders house (Ruiz family) its a stright filipino mansion with 3 stories and had some good Kang-kong (leaf of some sort) adobo (cook in soy sauce) masarap. Also my the gift of tongues is real and incredible and I am understanding the people SO MUCH better this week and speaking and the grammar is strating to click for me :)! YAY!

Friday:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

SO no sleep last night because You Americans DON'T EVEN KNOW FIREWORKS!  hahaha I Mean we are talking the world was one big bom for about an hour straight! And from our apartment room you can see in both directions so we just watched about 50  different shows it was nice for the first 10 mins then our ears started hurting and we were done haha! It wqas so beautiful though :) 

In the morning we had Flan haha Dad youd ave loved it Sister Rosario made it so good! They love it here! we also ate a sweet sticky rice that had coal in it (yes the black coal you use for fires). Sister Ruiz made it for us they all laughed when i looked shocked that it was coal i was eating bc i wasw like "Bakit ang grey culoy?" (why grey?) We also had an RM, Sister Salvador, who served here in June come work with us, and with one of our RCs Vangie today. it was incredible! I really realized how Bold i need to be with these people. A lot of them have such strong testimonies but are too shy to say it and too lazy to live it. They really need a loving push to read, or pray, or magsimba :)! She took us to so many LAs and members who we hadnt gone to. Its pretty tough with over 300 LAs in or branch so we've got work to do but what a wonderful week this week we found so many of them! And so many new really great and progressing investigators!

skip to Sunday:

THE BEST DAY EVER! 

The power of fasting is so real for my new years resolution I am starting to do real 24 hour fast ever month. Wow and how incredible it is! Sister Vea and I both are! We prayed and fasted so much for these dear people and the fruits of our labors were present in church! We had 3 LA families there and so excited and it was an incredible testimony meeting! I got to bear mine in tagalog and it was amazing to look into all these peoples eyes and feel their love they are amazing I love them all so much talaga! We have transfers this week and im secretly praying i dont tranfer but ill go where he wants me to go :)! I read through "How Great Thou Art" hymn 86 my favorite and cant express the beautiful love our our Heavenly Father! He's probably so excited to see us so soon because the time is nigh! What are we doing to prepare to stand before him and make him proud! we can learn waht to do from Mormons example in Mormon 3:16

I love you all so much remember by small and simple things are great things brought to pass, that's the way the Lord has worked from the beginning! Have faith and endure each day well looking for every oppurtunity (never for problems bc the world gets too caught up in the problems)! They are all around us if well only be humble and trust Him! 

Ingat po hanggang darating lingo! 

Sister Owen! 

Ps. funny experience: Suday night a little kid peed in my shoe and i didn't know until i put it on so that was a nice surprise haha! 

pps. We had burgers for dinner !!!

oh and i made crepes for chirstmas!  

Christmas in the Philippines

  It’s Christmas in the Philippines



Hello family! Sorry I dont have time to send a full email but It was such a blessing to see all your faces this week! I love you all dearly and am grateful for Gods great plan that He sent us all together! I really truly dont know how I got so very blessed to be in this family! You are all so strong and faithful examples to me! 

This Christmas week we learned about consecration! About staying far from crocodiles of the world by being a consecrated servant of the Lord. We found some golden investigators this week! Sis Michlle, Melanie, the Garcia family, Aquinos, Cuyos, etc. I love these people! Im so blessed to do the Lords work! 

Its the easiest as I forget myself & go to work each day!

My new favorite scripture is Alma 26:16 because I too "cannot say the smallest part of which I feel"  But what I can do is consecrate myself more each day and do the Lords will! Love you lots! 

Magkaroon and mabuti lingo! Mahal ko kayo! 

Sister Owen :) FIND THE OPPORTUNITIES not the problems! There are SO many! Look at it from the Lords perspective!

I love you mom so good to see you all and your smiling faces I feeel you so close through your prayers know of my happiness and health and just how wonderful it is over here! Yes its hard but the oppurtunities the blessings the beauty of such a great and marvelous work is more than I could ever ask to be blessed to be a part of! This is great than we can comprehend! I love this work I love my Savior and HEavenly Father more and more everyday as I see their hands in my life! I love you all and know that angels are watching over us and God is with us :) He loves us! :)

“Even as I am"

Dinner at a nice restaurant                                      And yes those are real chics


Hello I am so happy to hear from you all today! I love you all and am grateful for your continued support prayers love and examples! I have been more than blessed in my life to have such an incredible family and friends! It has been a slow week in Vigan but nonetheless a wonderful one. 

This week I got sick (dont worry mom all is well). Im pretty sure it was a small case of Dengue pero I dont like going t =o the hospital and we had work to do so I waqs stubborn about that :/... pero I realized it wasnt really doing me any good bc I had to walk at snails pace and was bascially soaked through in sweat. Tuesday we rested and I bascially slept for 24 hours then Brother Rosario gave me a blessing :) I knew then that heavenly father didnt want me to be sick and knew that he needs me to get to work! I dont have time to be sick and I know as I do everything that the Father needs of me he has blessed me with great health and will continue to as I continue to lose myself in his work. sister andrada wanted me to still get checked for dengue so I did but that was on Friday when i felt pretty much better and the blood test was negative and my platelets were like 305 :)! Yata mabuti iyan ( i think that is good)! haha :)

Oh ps so sorry if i didnt ever do a translation i thought i had been. 

So this week I am so so exctied we have Marks baptism on saturday :)!!!! And his birthday was yesterday and he turned 16 :) His family didnt do anything "awan daw" (nothing he said) when i asked "kamusta(how is/was) ang birthday celebration mo(your)?" We were so sad so we got him a card and decorated it with scriptures and stickers and gave him a picture of christ and printed one of us and his family and mom I gave him one of those shirts you gave me. He LOVED it :)! He couldnt stop smiling seriosuly they are so grasteful here for the simplest things! For his binyag we are giving him a tie and a journal! I am so very excited! 

We had excahnged again this week for the tranfer crazy how time is blowing. I was with Sister Kong this time she is form down south PHI in Mindanaw (where James was, which is very dangerous btw was he ok). She is the sweetest sister ever like an angel and talks so sweetly too :). It was wonderful. We taught our new investigators who are a referral from our neighbors son Brigham Rosario. Theyre his 2 classmates Angelica and Charlenne :)! They are preparing for baptism on Jan 30th :) 

sige well I truly am so grateful for this week! I love how even in our weakest moments the Lord is so merciful to bless us and strengthen us! He truly is caring us along! I love him and his erfect plan! We ended the week with the christmas devo last night and i thought of the family as it desplayed the SLC temple :) and  allthe chirstmas lights! :) I know that this gospel that I have been called to preach in the PHIs is the "glad tidings of great joy" that the angels told of so long ago! The message of our dear savior Jesus Christ! I can feel that same joy of Christmas here so far from home as I lose myself and find my Savior and share his LIGHT with ALL!!!!

May we give the gift of Christ to everyone God puts in our path (and that's a lot if you just look around :)! I know this is His work and His glory! I know that it brings the great jouy and everlasting happiness and how blessed I am to be in His service! I love you all I love my Savior Jesus Christ and pray you might all come closer to Him this Christmas season! Maligayang pasko family and friends! 

Mahal ko kayo,

Sister Owen :) 

pasensya wala pcitures this week! but lots nxt week!

Ano Lingo na ito ?

Hello once again family! I love you and miss you! This week was so fast every week is and then its also so full of wonderful experiences! Ive lost coutn which week is it now? I know its been a little more than 3 months now.

So this week Im going to go day by day.

First, Monday! We had a sports festival with the Vigan 1 branch and got to hangout and play some pinoy games with everyone oh and they had a guitar (a lot of people do here) so I learned Glorious and we all sang it it was so fun! They all sing way off tune its the best but they're so passionate and get into it I love it :)! They are so happy and excited about life here! They fed us some freshly smoked fish right on the bone that's the only way it comes here. pero ive learned how to eat it so I don't get the bones. masarap! 

Tuesday was fantastic! we have two families we are teaching together bc they are kapid-bahay (neighbors)(which means they have a sheet separating their homes. Pero they're like related somehow basta they're awesome and all accepted our baptismal invitation. :) we are preparing them for January 2! 

Wednesday we visited the sweetest less active in our ward. Her name is Marlita she is handicap and crawls around their dirt floor home to get from place to place. She has a brain tumor yata and is so humble and happy regardless. She comes to church when her dad will take her or a member in her wheel chair so we are trying to find someone who will be more willing to do that each week. Adn her Dad is the only one in their family who's not a member so PM work buhay! : ) 

Thursday we had a Zone conference in Sta Domingo bc we are planning our Christmas Conference skit and song. We all go to Laoag for 2 days on the 21st &22and have a Christmas conf with President :)! So excited! The best part of today was teaching Romeo! He is the best SO prepared!(TBC) We are starting to figure out that everyone here is related. So its great for referrals! 

Friday we have weekly planning in the morning from about 8-11ish. I love weekly planning bc it literally effects our whole weeks effectiveness. ITs so important as we consider each person and follow the spirit to help them. The spirit really helps us to gain a Vision for the area, of what and how our Heavenly father wants us to carry out his work here. 

Saturday was awesome! We worked hard in the morning. Taught our lola Sister Crisencia! Shes this cute catholic na catholic lady. Pero she's so opened and accepting of the gospel we are just trying to help her understand that there is a difference (the restoration) between us and the catholic church :) Thats pretty tricky with the catholic influence here! But I feel she's so ready for this. She calls us her grand daughters its so sweet :)! I love her! Satudary night we had our adult session of our Vigan Zone Conference. President and Sister Andrada were here and Elder Villenueva of the 70. There were not many people so it was really up close and personal neat experience with elder villenueva! Also Bro. Rosario (the family whose home we live in) was his comp on their mission. It was all about ward members uniting with the missionaries in an effort to build the kingdom of God :)! Yes that is the key!!!!!

After we headed to an appointment with our fellowshipper Vangie who is an RC and she took us to a lady who used to be taught, Sister Joanne! She was so happy and lives in one of the crazy hut neighborhoods where people have literally built as many houses as they could squeeze in. Its just unbelievable how some of them live here and I just want to give them all my money :(. 

Afterwards we checked our phone and saw 3 missed calls from presidet :/ oops... He called again and said they're are waiting bc they're taking us and the other sisters to dinner :)! Haha I love President and sis Andrada! They're seriously The Pinaka!!!! We went to a place called Max's and had the best tofu and mango graham cake ever! It was so nice I couldnt beleive we were still in the Pines. President and Sister heard I like to cook and are letting me bake at Christmas :)!!! YES! So excited so Mom I Need Recipes! They are so funny and I can't wait for my tagalog to improve and I can talk more tagalog with them :)!

Sunday was the pinaka! We had our Zone Conference so the chapel was actually almost full. The meeting was really focused on Sabbath Day observance, tithing, and obedience! They stressed how these things are going to take the vigan area from a District to a stake! That'll be the day :)! THE BEST WAS... ROMEO & Mark Darwin were there :)!!!! Romeo showed up all shaved and clean cut in CHURCH CLOTHES after he told us he didnt have any and we were like dont worry just your best :)! He was a little nervous because we had him meet President Andrada bc siyempre they might be family :)! but he told us later Sunday night that he was so grateful because this message is changing his life in every way. What an incredible miracle. He is so prepare! Pres and his wife wnat to come to his baptism on Jan 2 too! :) Maybe we can celebrate at Max's again haha ;)

Sunday night we taught Mark and he is loving everything and doing so great! His testimony and prayers are so strong! They gave us a ride out to our farthest area Tamurong. It was way in the bukid, and we taught the Anchetta family. Regardless of the distance they are so active and strong and an amazing example of true conversion. 

Ok I love you all dearly! Woah that was a long one! Just a full week of fun and happiness and hard work :)!!!! sige mahal kita!!!! have a happy week! Im bringing you all a rainbow chick home haha! Those are being sold in the market haha! (the pics)

Ingat hangang sa darating lingo,

sister Owen

Maligayang Pasko !

Sige so pamilya at mga kaibigan! Sobrang masaya ako para apportunidad magsulat sa inyo ngayon araw! Pagpapala na ito sa email! Awh exciting news! First SKYPE! Its only like 25 days away... well actually president said anytime in dec for an hour :)! Yippee! Buhay! Dalhil isipin ako ng skype 45 min lang pero hindi! 

Sry tagalog later para mas naintindihan ng email ko! :) 

SO We can skype in dec for an hour so start thinking when? it'll be a day ahead and I think like 12 hrs ahead here di ba? so excited to see your faces :)!

Ok so this week was harder but I learned SO MUCH! God really brings us to hard times because he knows we have room to grow! I know that's sooo true and we can learn so so much as we humble ourselves and seek his guidance and direction. The saying "work harder not smarter" has really been a huge lesson of this week. We did so much work but little teaching which is the way as missionaries we accomplish our goals and purpose. I also realized how we can strnethen our spiritual talents and gifts. They are so important and so necessary and wonderful! I have relaly seen the gifft of tongues so much this week! I am starting to understand speak and "get" the tagalog more this week! It's important to recognize that we have gifts but we have to Be Believing and work to us and grow the gifts and talents we have! 

More good news... I had a reunion with all my elders from provo :)!    SO fun to see there faces! We had a good time laughing about the struggles together and sympathizing with each other! We've all had some great and not so great times and cant wait to get better at tagalog! our district is still the best there ever was haha long live district 15H!! :) 

Even better news... NO TRANSFERS in our apartment! We all get to stay here in Vigan for Christmas (Maligayan Pasko = Merry Christmas!) I am so so happy! We are all best friends!  So exctied to be here all the members are planning christmas parties for us and we have a branch chirstmas party and plus im gonna make crepes when we have lock down chirstmas eve at the apt :)!

I love you all times up so have the best week ever! thank you for the prayers and love! I love you so much! I am so incredible grateful to be here to be doing this work there is no greater joy! To give all my time and energy to Him who has given me all I am and the chance to live and be and receive eternal happiness! 

mahal ko kayo

sister owen

Happy Birthday Hillary

HAPPY FLIPPING BIRTHDAY HILLARY!!!!!!! I FLIPPING LOVE YOU AND SENT A LETTER HOME! SANA IT GETS THERE BEFORE I GET THERE HA pero I LOVE YOU!!!! I hope you had the greatest bday and oh ya it was thanksgiving i totlaly forgot haha well thats good cuz i wouldve been distracted pero I hope it was delicious and wonderful!  But I didn't forget about your Bday Sis I am so sorry i didnt mention it last week tho! I sang to you about 5 times and we celebrated with you bc here it was Sister Miriati's (meedeeawhs) birthday!!!! Did you dance to the T Swift song? :) 22!!! Woohoo that's unreal!

Fun Pics from the Philippines

stars they have everywhere for christmas this was in the hidden garden last pday its a garden and has the best halo and empanadas there



eah chirstmas time in ilocos sur

oh dad ilocano is way diff than spanish andtagalog and EVERYONE speaks it yeah haha hard but ok they get tagalog too and the lord blesses me :)

run to the beach and we went this morning as a dirtrict (forogot my camera though)

1: at the beach on pday last week cool pic of badges

2:at the Tilladas teaching Sis. Tilladas 4 kids who got baptized last year and we are working on sis t :) the girl in the middle with peace sign is Genel she is 14 (the other is their friend grace)

3:at Mark Darwins house with his cousins and fam doing the "Pabebe" wave the famous hand sign here for like being "cute" or "girlish" haha pero now its bawal (not allowed) to do hand signs in the mish this was taken before ;) 

Thats Mark Darwin Loang in the back hes THE BEST and getting baptized Dec19th :))))) YEAH!!!!! Nick he is 15 and turning 16 on dec 13th yeah!!! 

So you gotta find him on insta and FB and befriend him! You two are going to be best friends i'm so excited!