VERY SHORT EMAIL??

Hey Sorry its a late email, but all is good!! We had a zone activity earlier this day and it went pretty long! But seems like all is good on your guys end! But I am not planning on emailing to long so it will just be something short, hope all is good! But we broke our record here in San Miguel, we got 51 lessons this week so we were pretty stoked about that! ahah so things are going really well for us here! I love you guys and my pday will be next weeek! So be prepared for that! 

One Amazing Letter!

Dear Elder Howell, 

    

    I sincerely apologize if it took me (or us) this long to send you an email! I've been meaning to send you one but frankly, I don't know what was stalling me from doing so. But hey, I finally am sending you one! Although, I have to warn you, this might be too long and your eyes might get all exhausted and stuff. I guess just have a lot to share with you! (since I'm also writing in behalf of my whole family as of the moment)

    First of all, I would just like to know how you're doing! I hope you are carrying on with touching the hearts of people with the Restored Gospel just like you've touched ours! I never got to really thank you for it, so please, allow me to express my utmost gratitude to you, in behalf of the Madike Family, for having given all your time and effort, into helping us discover the True Church! I guess it's safe to say that we've never been happier! We are looking forward to being sealed at the Temple. Just a few more things to work out. Like Charmaine, I think she's warming up to the church! She has come to church with us about 3-4 times now! I just hope she can find time off from her schedule so we could have some missionaries over to teach her! And yeah, my brother is somehow deviating himself from the church. Sometimes he's so eager to come to church with us, but on other days, he gets sort of, lazy, I guess? If it isn't too much to ask, do you mind sending him a little personal message aside from your response to this email? I bet he'll appreciate it, big time!

    Also, I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and a jolly New Year (even if 3 days have passed since the 25th xD)! I really hope you're doing fine! Please also greet your companion, the other missionaries and members as well!:) We've actually been planning on sending you a token of our appreciation but we were not aware of your exact whereabouts that's why we couldn't have it sent YET. How does that even work?:D

 Okay so allow me to update you regarding what has taken place after your transfer....:

    Elder Elkington took your place. He's a really cool missionary! He's from New Zealand. You've probably met him hahaha because I assume all missionaries know one another:D. He's got a real cool Kiwi accent. 

    

    I joined the Young Women Stake Choir! yay! My mum also gave her testimony about how she found the church at the Saturday session of the stake conference.

    On Sunday, November 16th, 2014, at approximately 10:20 am, I gave my first ever talk at the stake conference about letting one's light so shine before men. Gosh, I was SO NERVOUS before then! Especially when they led me to sit in front with all the stake leaders and President Bertin and his wife. I kept on praying to the Heavenly Father to alleviate me from me feelings of anxiety. The Spirit's influence on me was so strong, that the moment I stepped foot behind the pulpit, I was overwhelmed by feelings of peace! It was also at that moment that I decided for myself that I WILL serve in a mission! I've always been thinking about it but that moment, that single moment, made me finally confirm it. I am looking forward to my mission; and wherever the Lord will send me to, I will put in my whole being into following after your example and touching the lives of my future investigators! 

    I've also been practicing how to teach. I tried teaching my teacher, and he accepted the referral card I gave him! I even gave him a Book of Mormon! 

    I've also decided that I'll be going on my mission, probably when I'm around 21-ish. :) SO EXCITED!!!!!

    On December 5th, 2014, I ENTERED THE MANILA PHILIPPINES TEMPLE FOR THE FIRST TIME!! I had my Proxy Baptism Ordinances performed at the font and it was AMAZING! I was able to help save 6 of my ancestors, and 4 of another's from dwelling at the Spirit Prison. And I must say that the temple is literaly the most beautiful place I've ever laid eyes on! The interior of the temple is so solemn that I was moved to tears because I felt the presence of God within. Thinking about it now makes me recall the time when Jesus Christ accepted the Kirtland Temple as His house when he revealed himself to Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. (seminary reference wooo)

    Really though, every element of the temple is so beautiful!!!!!

So I guess that's it. Once again, thank you for all you've done for me and my family and all those other lives you've touched! (for the umpteenth time!) If ever there are times that you might lose inspiration, just know that we will always be praying for you! So don't ever be sad!! Once I figure out a way for you to obtain it, I'll give you a little "something-something", nothing big. Hope you like it!

BTW How many more months do you have left until you can call yourself a "Returned Missionary"?

and please include a short testimony on why going on a mission is awesome so I could write it in my journal!:))))

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!! UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Sincerely, 

Sheryl Chisom Paz Madike

P.S: Sorry if it isn't formal!

LOVE ME SOME SKYPE!

Hello mother!! What a week it has been!! With the skype calls and every thing!! I was so happy to be able to skype with you guys!! And I dont know why you guys a freaking out about me being sad/complaining haha I love every thing that is going on haha, I guess you just missed percieved it I guess haa!..

But this week was great for us!! Sister Lara got baptized and confirmed on December 27! So we were able to have a white christmas here in San Miguel!!

Also our week right now is going great!! We are lined up to get a lot of lessons this week! Also we committed the Dele cruz family to Baptism! They are really excited, we taught them the gift of the Holy Ghost, the were saying how they feel feelings of things and how they feel like they have been guided in there life and they said they always wanted that constant guidance! So it was cool to help them see that they can if they get baptized, so they are scheduled for the end of January! So we are excited for them!

Not much to report on as we just skyped this past week! But hey love you guys!! Sorry cant send pics this week cause of the computer shop.. Its called a piso net, and you put in pesos like it is a vending machine, and 1 peso is 5 min haha! its interesting.. so ya!

But happy new year!! 

I Love Being A Missionary

Hello mother! Seems like you guys have had a pretty busy week with all the stuff you guys have been doing!!(: I miss you guys so much and cant wait until I get to skype with you guys on Christmas!! I have been counting down the days!!

That is really sad about Britton, I will continue to pray and I will even fast for him this week that a miracle can happen, I know that as all of us have faith we can accomplish miracles, with the help of God, Ether chapter 12, read it.

So our week is going so good!! In words of president Bertin "You are on fire in this area. Great work. P. Bertin"       So its safe to say that things are going really well for us here in San mig, and I always got to thank my Father in Heaven for our blessings!! So sister Lara had to get moved to December 27, but that is okay cause it will be the last Saturday of the year so that is a good way to finish out the year ha, we are really excited for her so pray for Lara that she can pass her interview!

We also had brother Boyd come to church for the second time in a row so he is getting geared up for his BAP in Jan!! We and his family is part member returning less active so we are happy for them for coming out of in activity!

We had one of our investigators tell us that he was a murderer and he served 8 years in prison.. That was a interesting and some what sketchy experience... But he is a cool guy who wants to get close to Jesus, but sad thing is he is moving so we wont be able to teach him any more, but he was a cool guy who had some potential.

We taught the Bangit family this week, there are so freaking cool!! We finished the Restoration this week with them on Saturday and the spirit was just so strong as we taught about the Restoration of the Gospel! They are really receptive and they really want to know if it is true, so they said they would pray and also that they would attend church as a family next week! We will be putting a bap date on them this week! Pray for the Bangit family!

We were able to get 15 new investigators this week! And a couple of them were families, so lets hope that they can progress, I love getting new investigators cause it is just giving another person an opportunity to hear the great message that we have to bring! 

We were able to beat our numbers last week and we are so close to 40 lessons a week, next week we should get it, I would say this week but we have lots of stuff going on, with our chirstmas conf of the mission and stuff like that!

But I just would like to tell a couple stories that I have noticed on my mission and I made a connection with my last area and here.

So this goes back to my time in Fairvew, with teaching the Madike family, and it was just as we began to teach the father of the family Theodore Madike, and remember he came all the way from Nigeria basically on vacation for only 30 days was his visa, but with the help of the Lord he was able to stay longer because of the ebola virus that broke out in Nigeria so he wasnt able to go back, so we were able to teach him and baptize him to complete the family and prepare them to make covenants in the temple.

Then here in San Miguel with sister Lara.. I remember when we first talked to here, we were walking to a part of our area that is far away, and I remember hearing a voice like 'hey elders" so I stopped and waved, it was a member in our branch, I usually would just keep it at a hello, but something was telling me to go over there and enter their house, so it turns out that they were having a birthday party for the person that lived there and the member was a friend of her so that is why she was there, also the person that was having the birthday party was the aunt of sister Lara so she was there, and eventually we talked to sister Lara and she said we could go and teach her, now look and where that has come. Also sister Lara was telling us that if she didnt have here phobieas than she would be abroad in a different country, so the Lord gave her that so she could hear the Gospel.

Now what are the similarites of these two stories? The Lord gives all his children a time and place to hear the Gospel, and gives them the chance to except it, as thinking back on these two stories I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of his children and the end result of that plan is to have his children return back to him, and the only way they can do that is through this Gospel, and the Atonement.

Sometimes when we are given challenges or trials we only see them as they are and not what they are helping us become, our trials are truly the refiners fire that molds us and shapes and, really turns us into what our Heavenly Father wants us to become. I know that our Father in Heaven knows each of us and loves us indivudually and he wants what is best for us so sometimes we have to go through trials to receive what the end result is, and I know with both of these situations that the Lord had his "hand" in them.

I love being a missionary and I just love serving the Lord, it has been such a huge blessing doing what I do and helping people come unto Christ, its weird to think I only have 9 months left of doing this. 

I love you and pray for you

love elder Howell

Don't Worry Mom!

Hello mother I hate to make you worry and all ah but we are A okay here in San Miguel, nothing has happend not even a little rain.. It changed course late last night and is going west now, so we should be safe and sound here!

Hopefully you guys werent worrying to much and I hope you were able to have a good week!

Things here are continually getting better for us! I am loving it so much here in San Mig!! 

First off sister Lara is doing great and we she came to church again so now she only has to come two more times and she can get baptized! We are so excited for her and she is progressing so well! And of course she brought all her friends as well to church, also brother Boyd one of our Inv came to church, so we should get a few baptisms before this year closes out, so safe to say we are counting our blessings as well!

We also were able to find another Family this week, and they are a way awesome family, its the mom and dad and then they have two daughters and one of them is a speacial child, and they are so receptive to our message and love having us over, we are praying for them that they can progress!

Dont really know what else to say haha, just know that things are going really goood here for us and we are continually increasing our numbers each week! I really do like being here ahaha and elder Maddela is way cool and funny we are having a good time!

FYI I opened up my christmas package!! It was so awesome haha I loved all the things you were able to put into it, so thank you so so much!!

Also I have been cooking a lot lately, this week I made fried chicken and sweet and sour pork haha i bet you would be impressed aha!

Ohhh I ate some nasty food this week.. its called Buro.. its fermented rice.. its nasty haha google it!

I hope that you guys are doing good! I love you so much!! 

love elder Howell

Great Comp PIC!

Another Great Week!

Hello so this was another good week for us in San Miguel and we are definitely seeing the blessings of our hard work and also our obedience!

Some many cool things have happened this last week! I celebrated Thanksgiving here in the Philippines for the second time! I was the only American so I introduced my companions to Thanksgiving, just no turkey ahha! But we went around the table and said what we were thankful for as a tradition in my family! It was cool and they seemed to enjoy it!

We had our open house at the Chapel this week so that was a cool thing, us missionaries had a booth at the end and we just basically talked about the lessons and the Restoration and stuff like that, we are hoping we can get some referrals out of that activity!

Also the next Sunday, sister Lara came to church with here two friends!! It was so cool to see here finally come to church!! I was so happy for here and we have been praying for her for the longest time! It is so awesome to know that our Father In Heaven hears and answers our prayers!  #testimonybuilder

I am like positive that she will get baptized in December, so that will be a good Christmas gift!! 

We were able to find a lot of new investigators again this week, our teaching pool is so large so we are having a hard time adjusting our time to OYM and to find more people, but this area is just getting more blessed each day and I am so thankful that I have been able to serve here! 

I continue to be amazed at how much we need the Spirit in this work!! Like so many small miracles are just happening, like the scripture says in Alma 37, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" 

Maybe I will tell you a story that happened last Monday before we went out to work, we were sitting on our front porch thing and I was trying to sew something and then this girl rides by on her bike and asked if we were smoking?. Odd question but I noticed that her English was like perfect!! So eventually she came back and we talked to her and she is Filipena but she has lived in America since she was 8, so she was fluent at English, so we eventually talked to her and she said we could go and teach her so we did, so we got her basic beliefs and she didn't believe in God or the Bible.. First time on my mission I have encountered that.. But I remembered the story in the Book of Mormon about the two missionaries in Alma who were teaching the King who didn't have a belief of God she we helped here see that there is a God and that we are all children of God and that she can pray to him and he will hear her prayers, so we committed her to pray, and she did we went back there the other day and she said she got this strong peaceful feeling after she prayed and she believes that was an answer, we are going to go back and teach her today so lets hope it goes good! 

But every thing is going good here for me! I love it here! Continue to pray for all the people that we are teaching especially sister Lara!!

I love you all!

Love, elder Howell