Week 29 - Cochabamba Temple

Hello!

This week was great. We got to go to the temple on Tuesday, it was great and the Cochabamba Temple is gorgeous! Thursday we had Zone Conference and I got some of Hermana Hansen's (Mission President's Wife) chocolate chip cookies. They were rather excellent. I had a really good week. We didn't have any of our investigators come to sacrament meeting, but quite a few inactive members came, which was wonderful. We started up mutual for the first time in my ward, and this week I have to organize games from Joseph Smith times. So, we'll see how that goes. I love my area, still. The Mt. Everest aspect is helping me stay thin(ner) than I otherwise would be.

I love my mission. The Bolivian people are wonderful, my companion and I are going, and my Mission President is a great guy. So, I can not complain. But an investigator did give us lettuce yesterday, so we had to eat it. I am a smidge nervous for it, but we'll see. 

I love you guys and I hope you all have a great week!

Week 28 - Another Good Week

Hello!

This week has been nothing to out of the ordinary. We teach, we get rejected, we walk a lot, and I love every minute of it. My comp and I are doing better, with a little lecture on the judge or be judged, and if you are guilty of the thing that you are judging, you've got a problem. So, we resolved our issues, and we are doing much better. 

We have the opportunity to go to the Bolivia, Cochabamba Temple tomorrow morning at 6, and I am so excited. We have two progressing families, one of them has 4 sacrament assistances, and three of the 6 members are old enough to be baptized, so that's exciting. And the other family is progressing, just at a more conservative rate. We teach other people, many others, just some are slower than others and the times when we can teach aren't as close as we would like them to be. 

But my area is excellent, the food is much better, one of my dogs ran away :( But other than that, I am very happy. The mission is wonderful, I love the people and the place, and more importantly the work. I hope that everything is groovy on your end. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Howells

Week 27 - Wolves and Scorpions

Hey! How are you doing? My week was, for the most part great! The investigators are there and are progressing, but nothing terribly noteworthy quite at this point. My area is dope! The food here is 10 times fatter and I have already gained a little bit of weight...

Here's a story! I snuggle with my wolf, her name is Bianca, and she is the world's biggest german shepherd. And her brother is named Kilay (like keelay), and he has to weigh the same as me.

Oh, we have found three little scorpions in our room, I am sure you can imagine just how well I handled that...

My scripture for the week is, Jacob 2:17-19.   It really is rather great, here it is:

17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.
18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdomof God.
19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

I hope you all have a great week!

Here are some pictures over the last month or two.  The last one is of the two wolves (German Shepard's)

Week 26 - Cochabamba

Hello! This week was good. I arrived in Cochabamba on Tuesday afternoon, and for the first time, I have a pensionista. A gal who cooks your lunches, and all the elders and sisters have them, but my old area was the only area in the whole mission that didn't. 

My new house is great, the food is good, and my area is a mountain side, so I am expecting big calves anytime soon. Lol. I love Cochabamba, and if you took Newport, California, and mixed it with Mt. Everest, that about describes my area. I am oneish streets away from the Cochabamba Temple, which is spectacular. 

The teaching has gone well, I love the work, General Conference was especially excellent this year, and I love my mission.

I hope you all have a great week! Until next time. And to those who I haven't been able to write yet, I am so sorry! I do happen to live in Bolivia, and the internet is quite sub par. But thank you all!

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)

Week 21 - Loving the Mission!

This week was good. I can not complain. The dogs are consistently possessed, especially the ones that herd the goats, which is all of them. But once you get past them, everything is just great. I love the mission, and while though it has it's highs and lows, it is amazing. This week we had a less active come to church for the first time in maybe 3 years, and we were able to do good work as far as teaching and serving are concerned. My area is so unique, and I love it to death. The adjustment to pioneer living still isn't easy, but with the help of the gospel and good members it has proven to be one of the greatest experiences of my life.

I hope you all have a good week, and I will talk to you all soon!

I asked Brad what he thought of the food now that he's been in the country for a while.

Bolivian food really isn't bad, from what I have had. To be honest it has probably cleaned up my diet, at least the way we eat in Quiriza. All Natural. But it is always, always like this: You work or finish whatever you are doing, pull up a tree or a comfy looking rock, they bring massive pots of soup, then we eat soup, and then they have a bowl of rice with some mystery cut of meat that they give us with some sort of mystery sauce. I find it better not to ask the source.  I know I have eaten the face meat of pigs and stuff, and chicken feet, and llama and donkey. The food here generally lacks flavor, but it isn't bad.  Just not great, lol.

Brad sent this to Katherine...

Three days ago we were walking to back to Quiriza from one of our other villages, about an hour away even on foot. And it started to rain hard. I was soaked from head to toe, the waterproof boots are kind of water proof, I realized. But much more comfortable than the others, I have decided. And there is one or two dogs in Quiriza, and when ever we walk past them, they will walk with us for hours to the other villages, wait for us in front of whichever house or hut, and go to each lesson with us. Just little mutt dogs, but they are cool.

Week 20 - Burger King!

(I told Brad that I thought spring was around the corner and asked him how the weather was there and how his trip to Cochabamba was, he calls it Cocha)
Ha, we are heading into fall right now!! Burger King was a long awaited for and much needed treat for the taste buds. Lol. President has told me twice that this is my last transfer in Quiriza, so I should be in Cocha soon! Cochabamba is like Hawaii or So Cal weather, without the beaches and the other basic American things, but it is gorgeous. I probably had to come live in the 16th century (referring to his current area in Quiriza) to realize how nice modern living actually is. A little humility and gratitude check. The little guy crouching down in that picture with me, Elder Cortez, the assistants is President Roly, our Branch President. I don`t think you knew that! I love the people here, they are awesome. And man, I realized how bad I wanted to drive again. I sat in the driver seat of some guys truck, it wasn't on or anything, man I could feel the endorphins buzzing in my head. I wanna drive.

(I asked Brad if he knew something President Hansen didn't about him being in Cochabamba next, I also asked him how he likes his companion Elder Wren and Elder Stoker, who has become a good friend) I do want to go to Cocha, I would be fine spending the rest of my time there. And Cocha is hot, it is a wet hot, pretty humid for 9,800 feet. Elder Wren is hilarious, his comedy is kind of like combining George Costanza with a Cole Mackay, not very loud, just little comments that destroy you with laughter. Elder Stoker is a great guy, he is in Sucre now in his third to last transfer.

(I asked Brad how his Spanish was coming along)
I am learning the finer points of grammar, but I am fluent basically. I can't understand Chileanos hardly at all, but I understand the others almost 100%. I really enjoy the mission, not saying I am not excited to be home, but still, I enjoy it. I forgot like my home routine, I had like ¨Brad´s way of doing things¨, as you and others described it, and I just don't even remember it. Next week you gotta tell me about some of the crazy or unusual things I did with machinery or trailers or whatever it was so I don't forget who Brad was\is. I could spend hours talking about the crazy things Brad did with cars, trucks and equipment and the thousands of dollars he cost me in repairs :)

Below are some pictures of Brad having fun on P-Day with Elder Stoker and his district.... He's still a goofball, so not too much has changed.

Week 19 - 2 Baptisms!

This week was slow, but really good. I baptized two people on Saturday and confirmed one yesterday, so not bad at all.  Elder Wren is my new companion, he is from Bakersfield, California. A really good guy, and man he is hilarious. I like him a lot. I leave tomorrow at 1 pm for Cochabamba to finish immigrations, so I should be back Thursday night or Friday in the wee hours of the morning, then we are planting a field or 9 of garlic Saturday.  :)

(I asked Brad if it has still been warm and also told him to make sure that he get's the paperwork right for that poor couple that had to be re-baptized. I also asked him about his trip to Cochabamba and if he had somewhere to stay while there) The weather has been fine, and yeah, I made sure the papers were done right this time, lol. It was their second baptism. And we don't have a place to stay, usually we will get to Cocha at like 4 am and then we will leave on a flight to Sucre at 3:30 that same day, and we leave Sucre at 7:30 pm to head through Potosi and into Tupiza. So unless there are no flights or floatas (Buses)  leaving Cocha I won't be staying over. But if I did I would be in the assistants house, I believe!

I hope you all have a great week, Love Elder Howells

Week 18 - New companion, Elder Wren

Hello.  My companion was transfered to Cochabamba, and I have a gringo companion, Elder Wren. He won't be here for a few more days, so I will be with a Colombian Elder until our new comps arrive. (Brad was with the Columbian Elder in the CCM)  But all is good here, this week we had a lot of lessons with members, not a lot of service.  Just working and doing the normal missionary thing. Carnival started this week and it is pretty good, but I like the Sandy City parade more.

(I told Brad a lot of people commented on his picture last week of plowing the fields in sandals)  Hey, the sandals, called abarcas, are what all of the natives wear.  They have car tire for the soles, and they have thick leather straps. Anything short of my work boots get destroyed in the fields.  Everyone, literally, has the sandals.

The investigators are progressing more or less, just keeping their commitments. We will have 2 baptisms for the people who I told you about who couldn't go to the temple because somebody screwed up their records, so they have to be baptized again. (A couple in Brad's area were off to the temple and had saved for a temple trip.  His mission president came to give them a recommend and couldn't find their membership records.  They were baptized in Argentina but the baptisms were never recorded).

Have a great week!