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 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 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 89 - Life at 13,400 Feet

How are you? :) Not a lot of air out here, my goodness. My comp (Elder Gill) is awesome, he has been out 4 months and lives by the Seare's (Katherine's Sister in Gilbert, AZ) kind of.  It does get real cold at night, I put on my thermals and I have a double blanket, so I'm pretty good. Being up here has already caused me to start losing weight #thankgoodness. The area is big, but still half the size of my last one. The ward is big too, it's a ward of a 1000 members, but about 100 attend... sad. So, I don't have to iron my shirts anymore because I always wear a little sweater dealio, hahaha.

(I told Brad about our Father's Day activities) Haha, I wish I could've watched Poppy play ball! HAPPY FATHERS DAY to everyone!!! My area is big, but the other senior comps who were there before worked stupid while trying to work smart. So we've tracted a bit and are just trying to help everyone here. We have one guy that should get baptized this week. He didn't want to, but we had two chats, and now he's ready, I'm happy for him, his name is Juan Pablo Rios. And in my last area, I don't know what happened, but no one got baptized (He had 2-3 people ready for baptism when he left on Tuesday), which stinks, but there must be a reason...
Well, I hope you all have a great week.

Love,

Elder Howells

Week 88 - Transfers

I had a great week, and the baptism on Saturday was wonderful! I am going to go to Potosi, Centro 1 (area), with Elder Gill from Arizona as Senior Comp.  I'm excited, Potosi is at like 13,400 ft. normally, so not bad! Yeah, it's winter so there should be pretty good weather (He's hoping for a little snow), supposed to be cold there, I don't know!  I passed through Potosi when I was in a bus coming to Cochabamba or Sucre for immigrations. Just google it, and you'll get the jist of it from the first picture. The big hill is called Cerro Rico, or rich hill. Got a crazy story about the gold and silver, supposed to be a pretty haunted city, a lot of devil worshiping and crap. Don't like that at all, lol.  

I miss Dave Alcorn (Dave is a family friend who just passed away), he was one of the greatest in the Kingdom, that I know. 

Today we went to a barbecue, I made bratts, then lunch, and now we're here emailing! Tonight we have just a few appointments, then getting my bags ready. My flight leaves tomorrow (Tuesday 6/13) at 7 in the morning, only a half hour flight!

I love you all!  Have a great week.