Jackson on Pink Tie Wednesdays and Short Tie Fridays...and Special Visit from FAMILY

Jacksons letter to Mom (Notice how short it is:)

I am so glad you guys had fun during his birthday dinner! You can make it through your class i promise, the Lord gives us these hard trials to only make us stronger people, and i know that you can do it!! Okay cool just let me know! Its crazy to think i am over half way done here! and i only have like 18 days left here!! crazyyyy!! Thats sad, make sure you make him feel loved, i think that's the best way, also i wouldn't enforce to much on him dating right away cause he prob got hurt pretty bad. Yeah me too she is so awesome and she makes me so happy. And all her letters are so uplifting. But keep writing i love everything i get from you guys!! love you mom!

Elder Howell

Jacksons letter to Dad (Notice a little longer...haha)

 Jealous! That sounds so much better than the food we are getting here haha!! How many games up are they?? And is kershaw still dominating? what is his era? thats awesome i am glad to hear he is healthy again!! Yeah it was really cool to see them, i got asked to host, and i knew he was coming in today so i kept waiting for their car and next thing you know there they were!! It was cool to see people from the real world haha! but it was way cool and good to see family!! Thats so awesome you will have to let me know how he does, why does he have to go up north and take it? Yes, it is starting to get quite cold here, but i kind of like it cause its going to be so hot where i am going so its going to be a nice little thing before i go, it also has been raining a lot here! Its coming good!! My last email was my testimony in cebuano! And we are encouraged to only speak cebuano now, its tough but its a nice challenge. Oh and thanks so much for those goodies and the sweatshirts cause its starting to get cold so thanks so much!!! I miss you so much dad, i miss all of our dodger talks and all of the good times we had together, you never realize how good you have it until its "gone" but i know i need to be out here and i know you and me will be eternally blessed for me going on a mission. And i am so excited to serve the people of the philippines. Thanks so much dad i love your emails and letters they are so uplifting and encouraging, love you so much!

Love elder Howell

Dad, you are a wonderful writer and bring me to tears every time i read your letters!! I bet camping was awesome! Did you hike to the top of the mountain like you planed? I bet the weather was great!! The weather up here gets a little chllly in the mornings but by mid day it is warm again! I cant believe you took bella into the outdoors!! haha was she like freaking out the whole time you were there?? I have a cool story to share with you, i have been worried abou you guys and Courtney and i have been praying a lot to keep you guys so and was still worried until i was prompted to go into D&C section 100, and the verses i read were abut Joseph Smith and he was away from his family for an extended period of time, and like me he started to miss them so he prayed, and heavenly father said... You dont need to worry you are doing the lords work and your family is in my hands i will keep them safe. How awesome is that the Lord wanted me to see that for a reason and teared up to the fact that i didnt need to worry about it any more because i am doing the lords work and he will keep you guys and courtney safe!! I was so happy after reading this!! But i hope all is good in St. George i am still loving the MTC and all the stuff here! I hope school is doing good, And keep rooting for the dodgers for me!! Love and miss you dad.

Love Elder Howell

To Jackson:

1.  Did you get the jeans and what did you need them for?

2.  Have you received the donuts, cinnamon rolls, swedish fish, cookies and box of goodies?

3.  How is the language coming? (really...don't sugar coat)

4.  Tell me a little about each companion...(where from, how old? where they are going?)

5.  What is the day like for you in the MTC?  (start to finish)

6.  What is your PDay like?

7.  What do you need?  What can I send you?

Answered by Jackson: 

1. YES
2. Yes and thank you so much i have shared them with my district!

3. I think it is going good! I enjoy learning this language so much and its such a beautiful thing to learn and preach in the native tongue of these people!

5. We wake up at 6:15 shower, then at 7-8 we have personal study and i usually read scriptures and study preach my gospel, Then at 8:15 we have breakfast(defiantly my least fav meal) than at 8:45 we have class and this goes until 11:45, which is usually language learning and some gospel learning in there too, and also we have 2 investigators and we teach them like 3 times a week. Then we either have language study from 11:45 until 1:10 or companionship study, so we get to compose a lesson for our upcoming investigator. Then at 1:10 we have lunch and that goes until 1:55 and then after lunch we have more study time. Then at 2:45 we have class again until 5:45, then at 5:45 we have a daily planning session which we use to plan out our next day. Then at 6:10 we have dinner until 7:00 and i either will have TALL(a computer software language program) or i have gym and that goes until 8:05 and if i do TALL after dinner, then i go to gym until 9 but if i have gym after dinner instead of TALL i have study time after gym for an hour. That is basically my day oh and i go to bed at 10:30

6.Pday starts off with study and then breakfast. After breakfast i come and read emails and respond to them. Then at 10:40 we have laundry to do!! Then we have the temple at 3:00 so in between the scheduled things we have free time to do whatever(get hair cut, nap do more emails, etc) then at 6 we have class/ teaching an investigator until 8!! then more study until 9:30.

4. First there is elder Manley, he is so funny and makes our whole district laugh!! i love that kid haha he is from California! He does an asian women impersonation and for some reason its my grandma so our whole distirct is like "elder manley when is grandma howell coming today?" hahaha its so funny to hear him talk like and old Asian lady!! He is going to Tacloban, Then there is elder Oakes who is so awesome and is so in tuned with the spirit its amazing to study and do things with him cause he knows so much about doctrine and scripture!! He is from Washington and is going to Tacloban as well.

7. I am good now, our whole district has been sick so i just bought some cold medicine here and i am getting better but i am good!! thanks tho!!

Awesome i am so glad you guys are treating here like a member of the family it makes me so happy!! So is growing so much spiritually too its so amazing and she always sends such nice and uplifting letters!! Sorry about the pics i havnt taken very many but i will start!!

Love Elder Howell

Letters to Dad and Tanner

Here is a Letter to Jonathan and Tanner...

DADDD thanks so much!! i miss you and your dodgers updates that you always gave me! there is this elder who is in my zone who is a big Giants fan haha so we always give each other crap haha, but how is Kershank?? is kemp back yet?!?! i saw that you said they were 10.5 games up!! Thats so good! they are going to win the world series this year and i wont even be there to witness it!! But i know what i am doing is the right thing!! And i get more excited each day about going to the Phillipines but keep me posted about the Dodgers i wanna know everything! But i love that picture you sent! it reminds we of our wonderful times playing wiffle ball and me and ty kicking you and tans butts haha!! Well i love hearing from you guys and miss you all!! Hear from you soon love you!!

Love Elder Howell

Hey buddy!! how are you man? i miss my little brother to "bug" haha I am doing so good!! i love the MTC so much, there are so many opportunities to learn and grow both physically and mentally! You are going to do awesome when fall baseball starts, always remember that you are the best on that field so go out and play like you are!!! The language is coming along okay... Its a hard language to learn, but one of the elders in my district is really good with the language so he helps all of us with it so that is good!! Thanks tann tann love and miss you too, it means a lot hearing from you! Keep them coming!!

Our First Email Home! (September 5, 2013)

Hello family!! IT is so good to hear from you guys! and i am so thankful for all of the things you have sent me! they were so nice and thoughtful! But anyways, i love the MTC it is so awesome and i am learning so much while i am here! My cebuano is coming along a lot better than before and i am learning so many new things about the gospel! My companions are awesome and they are so cool! Eler Oakes is from Olympia, Washington and ELder Manley is from Southern California! I have already grown to love both of these elders that i have been serving with! We are already like best friends! The days here are kind of long but the weeks go by so fast! its crazy to think that i have already been here for over a week!! And i love it! My testimony has grown 10 times the amount from when i had first entered! We have had multiple mission confreences while i have been here and a story from one of those the night before the conf. i asked my heavenly father if this is what i am suppose to be doing, and i didn't get my answer right away but i did get it the next day! The conf. was awesome the speakers were the old mission pres. of the MTC in the Philippines and they were saying how awesome it was there and how amazing the people were and right then and there i knew this is where i needed to be. I also have an awesome district, the other two elders in my district are Elder Fox and Elder Smith and they both have MGs who are waiting for them too! But they are so awesome and they are good examples to me! The other night our district had a testimony meeting in our room and it was so amazing and the spirit was so so strong while we were doing this! IT was simply amazing! I had the opportunity to give elder Oakes a blessing because he has been sick and he asked me and my other companion to do it and i was able to seal the anointing and the spirit just flowed out my mouth as i was giving him this blessing! It was such a cool thing too do here and i am so glad i could finally do it! I had no idea what to say before but as i said the blessing the spirit directed me on what so say and what the elder needed specifically.Oh and my branch presidents name is Pres Capik, he is a firm guy with strict rules so he will be one of those tough mission presidents to love, but he is still a nice guy and i and i believe he cares for each of us! But anyways sorry I haven't been able to write or respond my P-day isnt until today! So always remember that i can write you all on thursdays! But thanks so much for all the letters and packages they make me feel so loved! I love you guys so much and think of you all the time! i love this work that i get to participate in and i am so excited to spread the gospel to the people of the Philippines. Hope all is well down south! Love and miss you all!(: 

Ps, tell tanner that the food here was really good the first few days and now its slowly getting gross haha but it is still good and they have a lot of selections! But not as good as mamma's home cookin!!

WIth much love, Elder Howell