Week 69

My week was great! We got to go and work, but on Saturday and Sunday a pretty good cold hit my comp hard and me only a little bit, so we had 1.5 sick days. But that's okay! Don't tell mom ;) My area is awesome, the sisters in our ward had a baptism, and I got to be part of the confirmation, which was wonderful. Our schedule will basically stay very similar, just with the change of the study schedule flexibility.

And I am, just a pretty good runny nose! My comp is great, he's a trunky missionary, but a great guy who still wants to work, which I love. And our investigators are doing well. They come to church and are progressing. We have 7 people with a date for the 18th of February. I feel that at least 4 will happen on time! :) One is a mother and a daughter and the other is a kid who has been coming to church for almost 2 years but never was baptized, and we have 2 sisters who both might, so maybe even 5 promising ones. We want to build good reading habits before they decide anything!

That is so true. The members are more important for retention than the missionaries are, by far. And the zone is doing well, we are working hard. No real challenges now, I just need to learn the area a little bit better so that I can go and bring the new elders and do divisions (splits). President wants all 4 missionaries (zl's and trainer and trainee) to be working in the zl's area so that the missionaries see how a model area looks like (those are president's words).

Week 68 - Zone Conference

President came to my very first zone meeting, that was rude, lol. My comp is awesome, we have been getting along super well! He played professional soccer back in the day, he tried to teach me and he quickly realized that I am far to American for the sport. Still fun though ;) We have 9 investigators, good people, with a baptism date for the 18th of February. That's so awesome! I love my area, it`s awesome, a lot people who are ready. We played soccer this morning, I played all time D, lol. Thats where I'm best, haha.  We had more interviews with President and he told me that I will most likely be here for 3 transfers and then I will finish with 3 transfers more in another area. Time is flying by, kinda scary.

I live like on the 5th floor, (that's the top) and it is awesome. A great view where you can actually see the stars sometime! I do have a pension, her name is Angelica, she is a sweetheart! She cooks simple but tasty, which I like!! Yeah she is a member, and yes, it's an apartment building, every floor is a house. And no, it's a little bit humbler (than his house in Cocha). Its kind of like Tupiza, just a lot better. And no, we don't live with Angelica. We have to take transport to get to her house! We go to her house just one time a day at about 1 oclock, and the transports are called trufis! Just google Bolivian trufis, and you should see what I use about 5-6 times a day. when we all come down here in a couple of years we'll use them and you'll see just how "fun" they are lol.

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

Week 67 - New Area

Hey, how are you ? :)

Well, I'm a Zone Leader in Alamos, with Elder Cortez from Ecuador, same name as my trainer, but my trainer is from Perú. So that's cool, I think! I'm pretty happy, but it'll be weird to actually have full proselyting days for the first time in 4.5 months.

Yesterday starts the last transfer for Elder Wren (Former Comp - 2nd one), Elder Tatum (Previous comp), and Elder Cortez (my new companion; yes, I am "killing" him) (sending him home). That's gonna be weird.

My new area is not far from Cobija (previous area), probably about a 15 minute drive to the area from the offices, maybe 20. Yeah I'm staying in Cocha!! But I am in like a cattle farming area, which is pretty sweet. It's pretty green.  I know him (new comp); not great, but I know him. He seems like a really great guy! I will train my replacemenet, Elder Heaps from my group in the MTC until Thursday, and then I will go to my zone on Thursday afternoon!

I love you all.  Talk to you next week!

Elder Howells

Week 66 - Wrapping up in the office?

We are just preparing for transfers, President told me in my interview that I'll have a transfer. That stinks, because my area is awesome and it's the best ward I've had so far, but I am excited as all get out to not be in the offices anymore! I don't know where I'd go, but I hope I stay in Cochabamba. I have no desire to leave Cocha again. It's better with a little bit of modernization, I think. Yeah, I will miss him (Elder Padilla, his companion). We'll get the transfers on Sunday, but Tuesday is when the normal missionaries go to the new areas with their new comps. However, I'll need to train my new comp so I will probably go on Thursday! Well, I have to go! I love you so much and I hope you have a great week! I'll talk to you on Monday and let you know what happened!

Week 65 - Paintballing

We did get to teach this weekend, it was sweet!! Are investigators are wonderful, but they deserve more than the relatively little time we can give them. Elder Padilla is the best, we are getting along great. We had a pretty intense paintball match today. I gave em heck.

And yes, the dog was a pitbull, who is just like a bigger headed Lola called Maquiavelo. Anyways, I'm sorry time is short today, I have to go, I'm so sorry!  I will talk to you next week!

Love you all!

Elder Howells

It looks like the others gave Brad heck too!

Week 64 - Skype on Christmas Day

Hey pops :) I was looking at the pictures I took of you and mom yesterday, and you two look so great! You don't really look like you've aged, or more wrinkles, just more gray on the both of you ;) It was great to talk to you guys, even though I had no idea what I wanted to talk about.

Today (P-day) we played soccer and went to eat peruvian food, dropped something off at President's house, and now we´re here writing.

And today President is having a open house and we're brining three recent converts. Then just office work, a leadership council on Wednesday, then I don't know what's up the rest of the week other than office work.

(I asked Brad about New Years celebrations in Bolivia and this was his response) And this country revolves around alcohol. Every possible day they drink, and you'll see the effects. Like people's faces are just torn up and stuff, it's sad.

Here is a short video clip of our call, right at the beginning.

Week 63 - Merry Christmas!

My week was really good, but it looks like your week was better ;)  Today, I went to play indoor volleyball, then Elder Padilla and I went to visit my old pensionista in Colón, and we went to visit Williams and Deysi (Brad's converts in his last area)... Deysi wasn't there, and Williams was totally drunk. That was pretty dang heartbreaking. He remembered who I was, said he knows he shouldn't be doing it, but he said it's easy to walk until there's obstacles. Well, it's a no brainer, but we only gave him encouragement, then we left, you can't teach someone who isn't sober. That is awesome what the ward did, let's do it again next year (our ward did a Christmas Service Project to feed 100 refugee families as well as some other things for people in need in the valley). That's awesome, Max beat cancer!

About Williams It really stinks, seriously. But I think little by little he will be better. The problem is the ward. Colon is such an inactive ward, all the people I worked with and brought to church aren't active anymore because the people in the ward don't fight for them. It's sad. But one day they'll have to "rendir cuentas", I think the translation is they'll have to acknowledge what they did or didn't do.

I love you all, have a Merry Christmas!

Elder Howells

Week 62

My week was good! My comp is great. We had some good lessons and I am happy with last week! I want time to start picking up more for a little bit. December is passing by pretty slow, I don't know why. We had an awesome Zone Conference with Pres. and it was great! President and the Assistants are such great guys!

Christmas is such an amazing time of the year, but trunky too... Yesterday and Saturday were good teaching days! I thoroughly enjoyed them! We talked to some great people and knew some great people, too. Today we went to the cancha, then we went and got some sketchy burritos, and now we're here (Mission Office)!  (Hopefully the sketchy burritos weren't a mistake)

Week 61 - Transfers and a new companion

We didn't hear from Brad until Wednesday this week because of transfers.  Being in the office means that he is quite busy during transfers, he takes people to and from the airport.

How are you? :) I am good. The new people came in, the old people left, the transfers are done, and now we can breathe! ;) I did not get moved, but I got a new companion from Spain named Elder Padilla, he speaks great English, like a British guy... I suppose I´ll have to get that turned around here pretty quick. Lol.

Elder Tatum (previous companion) switched secretary positions, and wards, and companionships. Elder Coronado literally comes up to me and pulls my ears, he's hilarious. He is now Elder Tatum's comp! Elder Jorgenson will go to Potosi as a ZL, so that's great! Elder Tatum will finish his mission in the offices (In February) with 5 transfers here, poor guy. Pres. said that I probably only have one more transfer in the offices, thank goodness! Elder Moss (From Tupiza, you remember him?) (He was a trainer when Brad was a greenie in the same area) is the new assistant, which is awesome!

Today we were in Pres.'s house while the new missionaries received their trainers, we presented ourselves, helped serve the food and clean up and get everyone in taxi's and to their areas, and now we're here (The office to email)! On Friday we have a zone conference/christmas devotional, which we be cool!

Love you all, have a great week!

Brad at the airport during transfer.  The lady in red (Maria) sent me the picture
She loves Brad

Week 60 - The Airport and Star Wars

We just got back from President's house; he gave us snickerdoodles! The Elder Falabella zone conference and leadership council were awesome. He probably helped the mission out a lot, but you wont see the fruits of his teachings for probably 3 months. Then they oughtta show. He taught us to find more King Lamoni's, and all that came with that conversion - Ammon didn't straight out shoot to convert the other shepherd servants of the king, rather, he knew who he wanted to get, and how he was going to get him. He served, he was patient, he was long suffering, and humble. Then, when the opportunity arrived, he went for the dad. Not the mom, the kids or the uncle, but the dad. Everything starts with the head. And then to convert our converts into missionaries - whether they be ward missionaries, free hand mercenary missionaries, or straight full time missionaries. Just like Lamoni, his wife, kids, servants, Ammon himself, a convert converted to a missionary. Ammon, as the first convert, spread the word because he wanted to, then Lamoni's wife, then Lamoni, and soon, everyone who heard the Gospel. It was a really cool conference. I still say that President Hansen is my favorite, though. Haha. 

Today we did a service for a gal who is blind, and her helper is deaf. They are both just sweethearts, and I want to learn sign language now. That would be so cool. Then we got changed, went to lunch, and then we went and picked up the packages, took some stuff to President's house, and now we are here in the offices to stay for a while!

This week should be pretty low key until Saturday, when the transfers are made and the transfer preparation begin. That'll be crazy. I'll get to go to the airport like 15 times, which is cool, because I feel like I enter the Star Wars world when I go there. I know, I'm a nerd, don't remind me ;)

I love you all, I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!

Love, Elder Howells

Week 59 - Thanksgiving

This week was much better! I have a bunch of pictures uploading to dropbox right now so you can see what we did today! Anyway, on Saturday I baptized a kid named Abnel, who was an investigator of the sister missionaries in our ward. I also did his baptismal interview, and one other this week. And I have one more on Wednesday for Elder Crosby (Brad's MTC Companion) and his comp, so that's cool! We went on splits on Sunday so we could visit more people, I enjoyed that. Oh, that kid who got baptized, he showed up 2 hours late to his own baptism like it was nothing. We were all wigging out. I thought the sisters were going to hurt him, lol.  I threw up again on Thursday, which sucked, but I felt a lot better afterwards.  Last year we saw Elder Godoy of the 70 for Thanksgiving time, if I remember right. This week, no, the first days of next week Elder Falabella is coming to the mission. We will have zone conferences, and he will host a Leadership Council, and I'll be able to be there, which is going to be so awesome. Pres. Hansen already does such a good job, I can't imagine it with a General Authority. Elder Bednar came to the mission last last October while I was in the MTC, and he also did the Leadership Council. I can't wrap my mind around how that was. #scary. This year, I don't think we'll be doing anything for Thanksgiving. Unless Pres. takes us out to eat, which is possible.  And the place we went to for pday today is called incachaka, like the rainforest. That's the first time I've been to a jungle. So many mosquitos I think one time is enough ;)

I hope you all have a great week!

Love,

Elder Howells

Week 58 - Sick

The entire Bolivian population thinks that World War III will happen because Ol'Donald is in office. They say they'll never get to the States, that he'll send fire to Bolivia. It's hilarious. They all wanted Hillary.  Today was a good day, yesterday wasn't. I was kinda sick. A lot sick.  So, I've had better ;) I am good right now, just a little weak, so I'm taking it easy. That 24 hour sickness just drained the life out of me, I could barely talk. I wanted to be taken out back and put out of my misery.  I couldn't even drink or eat anything yesterday. I would try to drink like an inch of water and I threw up 3 times. And yeah, I am taking it way easy. I ate a taco on the corner, I think that's what did it. I'm not doing that again, lol. The Bolivian people are pretty anti-American, which stinks. They don't have a clue how much better it is up north. And I think, well, I hope my investigators are good. I really couldn't tell you, which isn't good. We had a couple of lessons on Saturday, which was nice. But nothing too much. It's a bummer. But, this week oughta be better.

In two weeks Elder Falabella will come do a mission tour, which will be sweet. Me and my comp have to translate 2 of his talks to distribute to the mission. So that'll be cool.

I hope you all have a great week.

Love,

Elder Howells