Week 102 - Last week in Bolivia

This last week was awesome, we worked hard, had some success, but nobody is gonna get baptized this week. We had like 7 new investigators, with a baptismal date, and only 2 came to church this week which stinks, but they just need to follow through with commitments and then they're going to be baptized. It still doesn't feel real that my mission is over, I kinda don't believe it, but at the same time, I know that I've done my best and I'm grateful to have had the opportunities I had to have loved people, companions and other missionaries like Christ would've done it. I love Him, and I am grateful for Him. I hope I made Him proud with this little tithe of my life.

This week we have some appointments, and on Friday morning I should be going to Cochabamba for my last interview with Pres., then on Saturday morning we'll go to the temple, in the afternoon we'll have a self sufficiency capacatation, Sunday is a free day to visit people, and then Monday we have a Family Home Afternoon in Pres.'s house, last dinner there, then we'll go to the airport and head to Santa Cruz! Tuesday morning, I fly out of Santa Cruz and Wednesday morning I'm home!

I love you all, thank you for the love and support you've given me throughout my mission!  See you all soon.

Love,

Elder Howells

Brad will land in SLC Wednesday morning the 27th. 

We will be having a homecoming party on Friday the 29th from 6:30 - 8:30 at our home (2421 Brook Lane in Sandy). 

Brad will give his talk in Sacrament Meeting on October 15th at 9:00 AM at our chapel on 11570 S. Wasatch BLVD.

Week 101

A UTAH MAN SIR A UTAH MAN AM I!!

Well on Sunday we had 5 people come to church, just none of them were the 5 we needed to get baptized this week, so we had to postpone the baptisms till the following week, but I leave Potosi next Friday (9/22) and I go back to Cochabamba for my last interview w/ President. Then I get to go visit people, say my goodbye's and all that fun stuff. So I won't be able to see any of the baptisms, but I know that they will all get baptized this month, so I can sleep easy knowing that!

Today we went into the mine on a tour, and needless to say, I don`t like mining very much, that would be a sucky job!

Here's a picture of me at the mine.

Week 100

I'm glad she's doing well (his sister Ellie broke her jaw in Lake Powell last weekend and had surgery Tuesday night to fix it). Pres. called me yesterday afternoon and told me that you sent him a text saying everything went well and she only has to be muzzled for 3 weeks! That's sweet!

(I asked Brad why he was going to Cochabamba again on Friday) And you remember when they robbed me? They took my Bolivian ID and I have to go get a new one before I go home! And our investigators are doing well. We have 4 with a date, we postponed Fernando from the 16th to next week, and then we got a guy yesterday and he commited for the week of the 24th on the first appointment, which is cool. And then the other two, I don't know how sure they are, but we'll see what happens there!

I love you all. Have a great week!

Elder Howells

Week 99

I'm doing good, the last week was great. But I cannot sleep at all. My comp snores, grunts, and makes all manner of terrible sounds in the nighttime hours, and I have been sleeping so little these last two weeks, goodnight. But other than that, I'm happier than a pig in a puddle :) I'm glad to hear that things are going well! And yeah, we have the same two brothers on date for baptism, Juan Pablo and Fernando for your birthday (September 16)! They're excited and making good progress. We have a zone conference with Sucre and Tupiza Zones here in Potosi tomorrow, and I think we have our regular interviews scheduled for this Wednesday, so that'll be neat to be able to get to know the Mission President a little bit more! And my comp is doing well, and he is opening up and starting to enjoy the things and get used to it a little better, so I am really happy for that and for his progress.

I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Howells

Week 98

This last week was cool, we went to Cochabamba on Wednesday, I got to go with Elder Gumucio (former companion) to Colcapirhua (his last area) and visits all of our converts there on Wednesday night, and on Thursday we went to get our new comps, flew to Sucre, and got a ride back to Potosí. My new companion is Elder Machaca, from Buenos Aires Argentina.  He is a great guy and tries hard, I'm proud of him for these last few days. We have one person on track for baptism on the 16th of September, Fernando Rios is his name, he is a great guy, and we're going to work more with his brother Juan Pablo Rios to help him towards that goal too!

I hope you all have a great week.  I love you all.

Elder Howells

Week 97

The trip to Uyuni was sweet, it was really cool, but I don't know if I'd go again. So Elder Gill got transfered to Cochabamba and they asked me to train a new missionary, so on Wednesday morning I'm flying to Cocha, picking up my comp, and on Thursday afternoon I fly to Sucre and take a bus to back here to Potosi! I am excited, I think it will be a cool way to finish my mission. I'm glad your stake conference was good, we had one yesterday too, so that was nice.

My week was good, Benita was baptized and it was a really special moment. She asked me to baptize her, and that was a great opportunity! And we have 2 other investigators that are fairly close to getting baptized, so that will be fun to see how they progress!

I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Howells

Week 96

I'm doing good, tired, but really good! :)  Right now we are in Uyuni (World's largest Salt Flat) as a zone, we had to leave Potosi at 4:30 am to get here, and we will get back at about 11 tonight, (4 hours of travel), so this is the only email I can send, I'm so sorry! But we still can write 6 more times in the future ;)

We are only going to have one baptism of Benita this week, but that's okay, she is really prepared and a sweetheart! With transfers coming up this weekend, I think Elder Gill will leave, he's been here 6 months now with three comps, so he should go, and I have no idea who will kill me.  I think my legs are fine, they just hurt when I step wrong, so yeah, new shoes are in order, lol. But don't worry about it, I'm fine :) Elder Gill decided he wants to be a pirate some day, #I'm a sailor, I sail LOLLOLOL. (Inside family joke)

I'll talk to you next week! Be safe, I love you!

Week 95

I had a good week, we worked hard, and we even put another person on date for the 12th, and this newest one, named Benita, I think she is the surest of the three. :) This week should be a farely normal week, we want to find about 7 new, real investigators this week, that's our goal! And just in case you were wondering... we are only going to write 7 more times, then on the eighth my flight leaves Cocha for Santa Cruz. Not bad, time is flying by, my goodness. I am excited to get home too, but am sad to leave here. I'm glad we'll all be able to come back soon in a couple of years, I will miss Cocha a lot!

I love you all!  Have a great week!

Elder Howells

Week 94

I had a great week, we worked hard, and had seven people come to church yesterday, so I'm thrilled about that! We had a pretty good week, a couple of appointments, and a few services too, which I enjoyed. This week is a normal week, as far as I know, nothing out of the ordinary should happen! I am doing great! And yeah, of the seven people that came to church we have two brothers on date for the 12th August, I think they are on the right track for now!

Well, I hope you all have a great week!

Love, 

Elder Howells

Week 93

I can't believe Brennen is on the way home and Chase too. Have you thought of a theme for my homecoming talk?? My week was great, I loved the zone conference, it was sweet. The new president is a great guy, he has no clue how to do missionary stuff yet, but he is a doctrinal wiz, so that's sweet. What he lacks for in mission knowledge and how to teach the way missionaries do, he makes up for it in the spirit, so I'd say he's just fine. I still miss Pres. Hansen though. Elder Gill and I are getting along good.

The work is going well, 7 investigators came to church yesterday, and we probably will have some baptisms the middle of August. Lately, I've been studying Sec. 93, there is so much more before spiritual life, and so much more after this life than, unless you look for it, you never find or even think of. It's sweet. I have gotten good at teaching specific principles, especially in a class setting, and or applying them into the plan of salvation, I love that kind of stuff.

Toady, we went on a tour of some old cathedrals from the 16th century, they were neat, but not one ounce of the spirit in those buildings.

Well, I love you all.

Have a great week! Elder Howells

Week 92

We are doing great, no broken windows this week! ;) We worked hard, but nothing amazing this week, awesome gospel experiences, like always, but nothing off the walls! Today, we have been here and there, cleaned the house and now we are emailing our families. I can't believe how quick this is coming to an end, less than 80 days! Geez. Tuesday afternoon we are traveling to Sucre for our first Zone Conference with our new Mission President. I've heard he's a nice guy and a great teacher, so I'm excited to meet him. We will go in a bus tomorrow (Tuesday) at five in the afternoon, get there around 9 at night, more or less. Sucre is a lot closer than Tupiza (Tupiza was part of Brad's first area). The Tupiza Zone are going to be there too, so that will be cool.

Thought for the day.... The Prophet said if we read the Book of Mormon everyday it will make us sin resistant, and I feel that it's true, I've put it to the test and I can't deny it.

Well, I hope you have a great week.

Love, Elder Howells

Week 91 - Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!  I am good, I had a great week. One of the kids who is 9 years old got baptized, my comp baptized him and it was his first time, so I had the words written out on a paper (I was one of the witnesses) so he wouldn't forget them.  My companion and I were swordfighting a little bit a few nights ago (with broom sticks) and he threw it, and broke a window.... Funny stuff, I have a video!  I am so jealous you guys are going to the Oakley Rodeo tonight. Dang. President is gone.... That stinks! But they deserve the rest, they've worked too hard. I think the new President is going to do a good job, but I have never seen him so we'll see how that goes!

My comp wants to be an anesthesiologist, but I told him go big or go home, surgery or nothing, and he said "no way", lol. I'm converting him to the hick ways! He's still trying to stick the the yuppy life but I'll get him here quick! 

And for this week we are a little empty, we have a meeting on Friday, and just normal appointments throughout the week! :)  I hope you all have a great week.

Love, Elder Howells