A LITTLE GOLF ANYONE?

COOKED MOUSE?? WHAT?

Sounds like you had a good week! With furniture shopping and all! I am a little jealous that I am not there to pick stuff out!! And for my new room could I get a queen size bed??(: oh and the back yard how big is it? Cause when I get home I wanna get a dog aha.. And I would put his cage out back or side yard or something.. Just let me know the size! ha And do you have more pictures of the house and the area so I can get a better basis on it!! thanks!! Plus pics of the fam and just every thing!! Thanks!! As far as the money I just pulled it all out just in case I use it or something but thanks, and I am excited to hear back from you mom! Love you!

But this week was a good week for elder Rama and I! We found this family of Inv who are half Nigerian and half Filipino! There dad is still in Nigeria working as a doctor so they are pretty myaman! And the kids are perfect in english and Tagalog,but they are more comfortable in English so we teach in English to them! And they seem really interested with what we have! We have taught the whole restoration with them and they came to church with us on sunday! We also had a bunch of LAs come to church with us on sunday so that was really exciting for elder Rama and I. So we were really happy and to see all of them at church! Also like I said we have a baptism/marriage on saturday april 5th!! And there are 3 people getting baptized!! How exciting is that! My first three baptisms!! And one of them the one that is getting married has asked for me to baptize her!! And she is my favorite of the three INV!! So I am really happy to see her and her soon to be husband get married saturday morning and then get baptized saturday afternoon!! How cool is that?? I am just so happy!! I feel like Alma did as he was rejoicing so much and he was rejoicing to God for the continued blessings he had recieved!! Thats how I am!! I am so blessed to be able to get these people baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!! So keep Sheryl, Abien,and Nash in your prayers that every thing may go according to plan and that they will be able to get baptized on Saturday!! Also today for pday we went and hit golf balls at a driving range and I actually did good and I think that you would be impressed! We had a member take us and he had his own clubs(really nice callaway set) and we went there for an hour and hit a couple buckets so it was pretty fun!! Thats basically my week haha!! OHHH actually I have a story!! So there has been this mouse in our house for the last few weeks and we havnt been able to find him until last night... So elder Rama and I were cooking some food before we went to bed so we were using the stove top thing, and we were just heating up some water to boil and I was to the side stirring something and all of a sudden I heard a few squaks so I looked at the burner to my left and the mouse was under neath the burning coils and the pot!!! And he was being cooked by them basically!! So then he got so hot that is eye balls like exploded outside of his head hahaha! it was gross and burning mouse does not smell good if you were wondering!! So then we got some pliers and pulled out the half burned mouse and threw it away!! SO gross hahaha! Welcome to the Philippines haha joke lang!

Being Funny!!

It's A Grilled FISH??

Swag Dream Catcher!

I'm Too Lazy..haha

Jackson told us he was too lazy to write an entire email this week so here is our correspondence!

Jackson: Houston Texas spanish speaking!!! How awesome!!! (Courtney got her mission call)

Us:It is awesome...u speak tagalog and she will speak Spanish!  How Come Your P-Day Was today?

Jackson: Transfers are tomorrow! ANy more pics of the house? 

Us:  Are You Getting Transferred?

Jackson: Nope neither me or Ramskie(nick name for elder Rama) are getting transfered which is good cause we have lots of bap and a marriage!! Plus he is now the District leader and Elder Guard got stepped up to zone leader!! 

Us: Why Don't You feel like writing this week?  Are you ok?

Jackson:  Yeah every thing is good! Just lazy haha I can if you really want me too, Oh I spoke in church on sunday! Everyone told me how good it was haha, i felt like it was a bomb talk too!

Us:  Wow elder guard is moving up. Sounds like u r in good company. Can u believe that about court. She was so nervous.  What did u talk about?  Was it in English or tagolag

Jackson: haha I know crazy huh!! and ask Tyler if he remembers Conner Jenson, he went to snow canyon or maybe you remember him? But he is the AP in this mission!! I just englished the whole thing except my testimony! 

Us:  What was your talk on?

Jackson:  Faithfulness and Obedience.  When do grandma and grandpa come home from there mission? and tanner said you were going to buy him a dirtbike?? like WHAT???

Us:  They left their mission today. They were really sad!  Yes on the dirt bike and hopefully a nice hoop for some great dunk ball I will ask Tyler about Conner when I see him. Is tagolag coming along any better?  You will never believe this but a Filipino transferred to snow canyon and he is my media aid   Hr speaks tagolag and not much English. Haha. Can u tell me something I can say to him in tagolag?

Jackson: Go up to him and say "Kamusta" and he will either reply in english or tag, and if he replys in tag he will say "mabuti po, or okay lang po" and then he might ask how you are and if he says mabuti then you can say mabuti deen. And also say Taga saan ka? Also ask him Ilan taon ka na? hahah marraming ehemplo! tehe 

Us:  What does that mean?

Jackson:  how old are you- ilan taon ka na? Where are you from-taga saan ka? Kamusta ka-how are you? Mabuti- good im okay-okay lang. you can also ask his name- Ano ang pangalnan mo?

Us:  Well u can definitely ride it when u get home. It will be a family dirt bike. We will be in the first ward with the gates and ships and ovards. Should be a really good ward.

Jackson:  What time is it there?  Did you keep the cake from my farewell when you moved?

Us:  934. It's late. What are ur plans for pday. What thing from the us do you miss the most. Where r the pics u promised.  Of course we kept the cake!!  

Jackson:  they are uploading now. And just being with the family expesially family dinner where we are all there talking, or road trips for sure!! Dope! I am stoked to eat that thing!! haha oh yeah!!!

Us:  We love you so much!  Talk to you next week!  Stay safe and keep the faith!

No Longer Tacloban BOUND!

Sounds like you have had an exciting and interesting week!! With packing and all that fun stuff and baseball for tanner and the news about ty.. First I just wanna say dont buy a house just cause you are rushed and you feel like you have to buy one now, also really pray and think about the best one for our family! And also when you do buy a house have dad dedicate the home! Ask him he will know about it and what to do!! So tanner told me he is hitting better? Do you think he should be playing JV? Or do you think he should be on freshman? Also I want pics of the house you put an offer on!!! SHOW IT TO ME!!! NOW!! aha I am just really curious! Any ways you should send me the lyrics to the les mis songs! Like I cannot listen to them but I can read them just bring me some memories of the good life haha! Any ways Its good to hear and talk to you mom!

So this week was a good week for elder Rama and I and we are continually having success here! And I really enjoy the area that I am in right now! Its has so much better work and the people are way nicer than my last area!! And everyone in my ward and everyone we teach calls me Justin Beiber... Hhaha like freak I dont even look like Jbeibs any more?.. Or do I?!?! I dont even know if I should take that as a compliment or what but whatever I guess I will just take it haha.. Any ways so this week was good we committed three more people to a baptismal date forApril 5!! So right now we have 7 or 10 INV with bap dates!! So cool!! I am so excited for all these people to become members of the church!! And they are all keeping their commitments like church,reading,praying,etc so its been really cool to see their progress!! So that was a defiant high light of our week!!

Now that I have discussed the highlights of the week I guess it is now to the lows of the week.. So on saturday I got a call from my mission president, but we were in the middle of a lesson so he said he would call back. And the whole time during the lesson I was like yes I am going back cause he said he would call me if I was to go back!! So I was just giddy during the lesson cause I thought I was going to Tacloban this week!! So after the lesson we told him we were done and he called us back.. So I answered and I said hello president Sperry!! And we started talking and then he said that he got an email about me today.. And I was like you did? And he said yes its about all the Tacloban missionarys! And then I got excited again! But here comes the crap news! He said all the missionarys who never went to Tacloban or who were in the MTC during the storm will stay in there reassigned missions!.. So he asked me so do you know what that means for you? And I said well not really cause I should have been there but I broke my elbows and went home for a bit, but he said that I did include me and that I am now a missionary in the Quezon City North mission and I will be learning Tagalog now.. When I heard this news I was really dissapointed and really quite sad.. I just didnt understand why me? I should be there and why did I have to break my elbows cause if I didnt I would be there with all my friends and my batch and elder Oakes!! So I was really discouraged that day.. But that night I prayed to my Father in Heaven and asked why am I here and why is this happening to me? The next day I felt so much better about the whole situation and a feeling of peace came over me, and I truly feel like this is where I am suppose to be, I am sad I will never go there or never see my batch again! But I am excited to really learn Tagalog now!! I was thinking how much I could use it after my mission! Every one in the Philippines speaks Tagalog and only a few speak Cebuano! Plus I have made so many cool and good friends in this mission! So I know that the Lord is really tesiting my faith. Cause this is going to be hard, like really hard but I know if I try my best and have faith that I can learn this language that I never learned or come to a conclusion for my self that I am suppose to be here! So I am now a missionary of the Quezon City North mission!!! No longer Tacloban! So thats basically my week haha! Also today we went to a nature reserve kind of place and it was really cool and pretty and clean! I have pictures which I will send later! I love you so much mom! Keep me updated on the home situation!! love you!

elder Howell

Jacksons Testimony to his Father

Jonathan lost a dear friend this weekend and this was Jacksons reply to the hardships that Jonathan has been going!  What an amazing testimony he has!


First off I wanna express my love and concern for the walker family, please give them my consonances... And secondly I wanna express to dad and all of you that you will see him again!! I can promise you that!! And I know it to be true!! I teach the Plan of Salvation all the time and I can assure you that you will see your friend again dad, I know it is really hard to lose someone you care about so much, But I promise you that thats why God has created this plan for us so that it isnt over for us, there is so much more after this life dad I can assure you!! And I know it all to be true!! Read Alma 40 and it tells us where we go after this life. Dad I can promise you that you will see him again. And that he will greet you with a huge hug as well as mom and Grandma we will all be reunited again, but we need to live our lives right in order to do so, and fully take upon us the atonement of Jesus Christ and repent of all of our sins so that we can make it to Spirit Paradise, and then eventually to the Celestial Kingdom! Dad I am so sorry for you I know how close you and him were and I promise you that its going to be okay! Be thankful for this gospel and the opportunity to be able to see our loved ones again after this life!! I promise you and I testify to you dad that you, me, mom, darrins wife and kids will see there dad, friend, husband again! I also know there is a reason for every thing! And God has a plan for us! And Darrin has a work to do in the Spirit world!! I love that we have the Plan of Salvation and Eternal families! What a blessing this Gospel has on all of us!! I will keep all of you in my prayers love you al!!

March 1st Letter...Still in Fairview

Sorry I am emailing so early.. We have plans to go bowling at 10 am so thats why I am emailing now, so I prob wont get either of you alls emails until next week.. But any ways how is everyone? How is the fam? How is the house search going? Send me pics of the houses you are looking at and thinking about getting!! How is your back dad? How is school mom? Have you got my letter yet? And if so how was it? ha how is ty doing? I heard tanner made the baseball team! Did he make jv? And how was your guys week? Any thing fun and exciting? I cannot belive its already march!! When is spring break? Are you all still going to cali? How are dem Dodgers? Who is playing and who isnt? When is march madness bball tourney? Is it soon? Let me know haha how are the olympics this year? How is the good ol USA doing? are we kicking butt like always haha? Let me know how all of you are doing!! I miss you all so much!!

So my week...  

  My week was a great week!! elder Rama and I are killing it here and are seeing so much success in our work!! Its been such a blessing being with someone so obedient and someone so hard working!! Cause we are getting so many blessings and we can see all our obedience and hard work paying off!! First off this week we commited two more people to a baptismal date!! yay!!! How exciting!! I just hope to see these people get baptized!! The only thing is there bap dates are after this transfer and I will prob be shipped back to Tacloban by then.. But atleast I am doing all I can to better these peoples lives!! haha Any ways, also our numbers are getting better every week and we are progressing this area so much!! Elder Rama was saying he has never seen numbers like this since he has been here!! So I guess you could say that I feel pretty acomplished with that!! Also we are finding more and more INV every single day! And they all seem pretty willing to have us teach them so thats been a really cool experience!! A cool little spiritually experience I had this week was we were tracting and it was aroung 7 at night so it was dark and we came to this house and she was really skeptical about letting us in, cause one its dark and two we are strangers telling her we have a message to change her life... So she was like come back tomorrow or no its okay, but the thing about Fillipinos is they will never shut the door in your face so I guess thats a bonus! So as she kept trying to think of an excuse I said a simple prayer in my heart asking my heavenly father to soften her heart so we could share the message of the restoration, and right after I closed my prayer she let us in. And we taught such a powerful and spiritually lesson that night. And I promise the spirit was there I really cannot deny the feeling that we all felt that night. And this experience really made me think... Our father in heaven is truly preparing these people for us!! We just have to make a willing effort to find them, And that prayer got answered when she let us in, i kid you not not a second passed by by the time I closed the prayer and by the time she let us in! I am continually being blessed here in the mission field and continually apreciating America, for its civilized people, and its government programs which assist the poor. Its so sad to see how people live here... It really saddens my heart to see all these cute children with absolutely nothing, and the living conditions in which people live, I wish I could do so much more for all these poor familys that truly have nothing.. But I know that what I am sharing is worth a lot more than prized possesions or all of the gold in the world. I know that what I have can truly bless there lives and bring them closer to their saviour Jesus Christ and also find out more how the true church has been restored to the earth in these latter days. I love this opportunity I have to bless Gods children every day with the message I have. I love the people here. I love the Philippines. And I love my mission and wouldnt trade it for any thing. I am glad that I made the desicion to come on a mission. I love this Gospel and Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints with all of my heart. I love my family and everyone in it, and I am so blessed that I am sealed to you guys for time and eternity!! I wouldnt trade any of you for any thing!! I love you guys so much!

Love elder Howell