Week 25 - Transfers

First off, this week we had 3 sick days, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  We were in bed all day long on my birthday, pretty much a crappy birthday, but that's okay. I have a lifetime of awesome birthdays, just after my next one! Haha. 

I got a transfer... I am going to Cochabamba, Zone Universidad, and Area Colon 1. It is the wealthiest area in the mission.. I am coming from the poorest and humblest to it's literal polar opposite. Wow. I am going to have culture shock bad. Saying goodbye to my friends and the people whom I grew to love in Quiriza was really difficult, I love those people with all my heart, but I am excited for the opportunity to go and try my hand at another area with a new type of people, in a new environment. Lol. 

My new comp is from Peru, I know him a little bit, his name is Elder Infante! He is a good guy from what I know. I will leave from Tupiza tonight on a bus to Sucre, and in the morning I will fly from Sucre to Cochabamba. So... Here we go, I suppose!! 

I love you all and I hope you have a great week! I am sorry if I couldn't respond to some of you, the internet is very slow and we don't have much time. But have a swell week!

Week 24 - Big Pumpkins and Brad's 19th Birthday!

We harvested pumpkins this week, and man, let me tell ya, some of the pumpkins are enormous. Like.... Enormous. The biggest was like 128 pounds, and I got it up ontop of my shoulder and carried it to the truck all on my own. Then we harvested corn, planted more fields of garlic, and yeah, more pumpkins. Everyone wants me to carve a pumpkin, haha. But other than that, that was literally how my week went.

(Katherine asked Brad how the work was going and how the kids are there) No, no converts, we have actived a guy who was inactive for a couple of years, now we are working on his family, we shall see how that goes. And the kids are dang cute, but rowdy.

Katherine shared her scripture for the week with Brad, and he shared his, this is Brad's scripture this week:
Right now, my favorite is D&C 84:88, you oughta read it!! I like it, and I do believe President Monson has used it in a few of his talks if I remember right.

D&C 84:88 "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

Brad's 19th Birthday is Saturday the 26th of March.  It will be weird for us and for him.  You are welcome to send him an email for his birthday, he would love it.  Here is his email address:

bradley.howells@myldsmail.net

Week 23 - More Garlic & Pictures!

Hi guys,
This week was a good week. We got to our area Wednesday night in time for curfew, so we didn't have the opportunity to teach, but Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we spent all day both days planting garlic by hand, which, if you don't know how that works, I'm going to explain it to you. Ha. You take a sack of little garlic bulbs, and you make a little hole with your finger, and then you place it one by one, pointing up, every 3 inches, for about 100 yards of a furrow. And then you do the next one. So you are basically in the toe touch position all. day. long. I don't know if you all knew this, but I am just about the most unflexible person I know. So it is really a task to maintain that pose for hours and hours and hours. The fields have about 70 furrows on average all at about 100 yards, so you have a lot of work to do. It is not hard, just very tedious and leg demanding. Getting out of a chair is quite the task right now. Lol. But I am so happy in my area, with the people, and with the mission. I probably only have 2 weeks left in my area before I get transfered, so I plan to make the most of it. I hope you are all doing so well. I love you guys. Until next week!

The following pictures were taken by Brad's Mission President's wife, Sister Hansen.  We sure appreciate her taking and posting all of these pictures.  We are lucky she's seen Brad quite a bit over the last 5 months.

The Road to Quiriza

Brad & Elder Wren (his companion)

Chapel in Quiriza & where Brad lives

Sister Hansen w/ some local children

President & Sister Hansen

The Quiriza Branch

Week 22 - Threesome for the week in Tupiza

How's it going? just to let you know I am eternally jealous that you are in DisneyWorld without me..... This week was a whole lot of nothing. One Elder had to go to Cochabamba for an interview with President so we had to stay with is companion in Tupiza all week. It was really slow. But not bad though.  I taught a lot this week, but not once in my own area. its okay though, not a big deal. Our attendance yesterday (In Quiriza for Sacrament Meeting) was still 34, which is what we want.  (I asked Brad why 34 people and if Alejandro was progressing)   Just have to be at 30 or higher.  And no, we can`t even visit him because of the river, so President Hansen said to focus on my side of the river.  (Because of the rainy season the river is too high and too strong to cross)

(I asked if it is still raining quite a bit and if it was getting colder) And the rain is like every other other day now, and it isn't cold. And there are lots of blankets I can buy if it does start to get colder. But I am fine, I have slept in a lot colder, lol. (Camp Tracy)  (Brad and I have had many cold nights out camping for scouts, Camp Tracy was a memorable one for many reasons)