Week 69

I don't know how long I am gonna keep this up, so if you don't get one, one week don't be alarmed.

So i thinks its been like 3 weeks now in this new area! Its been good! we have been doing a lot of teaching and waling and finding and walking and walking and walking I think we might have walked like 30 odd miles this week..... of and we do a lot of driving! So yeah, the towns we visit are still really Catholic and super rude!(I have a picture of the Catholic church in Delphos just to show you how Catholic this town is!) But we are sill finding new people usually they aren't Catholic. Okay cool so.......................

This week! On Monday we have a super awesome lesson with our investigator Cody @ the Smiths house Brother Smith was the Stake president here in Toledo when I was in the Bryan Branch. Side note but did you know the Toledo is the largest geographical stake of the church in the US? Anyway we had a sweet lesson. I guess another side note Cody wasn't making any progression when I first came here and my first lesson with him (was a miracle we actually met with him that time) he said he was having a lot of doubts about the church and what not. So after committing him to read/pray/find out for himself and teaching him more regularly on Monday the Spirit was very present in that lesson and we committed him to be baptized on Easter Sunday and he said yes. So the rest of the week we have been preparing him and he is ready to be baptized on Sunday! Super awesome! 

We also this week met with Tami and Joe they were progressing quite well and we have had a hard time getting in contact with them but this week we met with them and set baptismal dates for the 16 of April! They too are super awesome! 

Um other than that this week has been a good one. We went bowling today and was almost fun! haha but yeah I love this work being a missionary is THEE greatest! I you haven't read from the Book of Mormon this week repent and pick it up! It will increase your faith! I love the Book of Mormon! Well have a great week all. 

Elder Howard

Pictures of this last week.   

Week 68

So I have decided after 16 months that I should start doing a weekly
email. So I can let all of you out there who are wondering about what
I am doing and to maybe a few of you who aren't really wondering. But
here its goes....

So I guess to start off I am Elder Howard and I am serving in the Ohio
Cleveland Mission and currently in the Lima west area serving as a
Toledo South zone leader.

So we live in Delphos Oh it is a small Catholic community that don't
like the missionaries.... I will get to that later... But its good we
have a couple member here in Delphos and a few investigators. About 13
miles west we have Van Wert Oh it is to a small community less,
Catholic though. And we have been finding so good success there and
then 13 miles east is Lima which we dont cover apart from from two
very small communities Elida and Shawnee its pretty spread out in
these two places and we have a couple investigators in these towns
too.

So I guess on to what happened this week. Well we went to a couple
district meeting this week our own in Lima then one the next day in St
Marys so we could exchange with the Elders there. I stayed in St Marys
that day with Elder Brady (who was in the MTC with my last companion
Elder Butterfield) and wow it was awesome! They have a ton of
Marshallese people down there and a lot of them are members, or are
wanting to be so we got to teach a couple of them. I got to learn some
Marshallese too haha so that was good fun! We actually taught a
Marshallese guy who was the leader of another church where pretty much
all the Marshllese down there go. His uncle is a member so he is
interested about Mormons! So that was cool to teach him. We also had
like the coolest miracle ever! So we had like 15 minuets till an
appointment and we were on a random street and we decided we wanted to
go find a new investigator so we prayed for that before we got out of
the car into the poring rain and we knocked on this guys door and he
was totally like "I am not interested". So we asked for a referral and
he told us to visit his next door neighbor Steve, and we did exactly
that Steve let us in (don't worry dad I told him you guys had the same
name). We taught him the restoration in about 10 mins and committed
him to be baptized which he accepted and set another time to come
over! Isn't that a Miracle?! once we have a goal and then call on the
powers of heaven anything is possible! And I guess one more story this
week referring back to the people in Delphos not liking us... so we
just got back to Delphos Sunday afternoon after being n the Shawnee
area and we went out walking in the rain (since we have to drive so
much to get from pace to place we walk the towns) and a cop pulls up
next to us and starts asking what we are doing and all that jazz
saying he has been getting complainants about us like all day
yesterday and today (yesterday we weren't even in town and we just got
back into town not even 5 minuets ago) haha so yeah that was pretty
funny but you best believe before that cop drove away he didn't leave
without a pass-along card! I gave him the last one we had for the new
Easter video! So hopefully he watches it! But that's enough of my
rambling! The work is good, we saw a lot more miracles this week that
I am to lazy to type. But I love being a missionary! Good week, we
walked to much but it was good! I love you all, the Church is true,
Continue to do the things you need to, to build your faith!

Love
Elder Howard

Pictures of my time in Lima west.

Week 67 Delphos

HEY!

So to answer your questions....

Transfers went good it took us like 4 hours to get home..... We live
in Delphos but we go to the Lima Ward which is like a 30 min drive. My
companions name is Elder Schmidtke he is from Washington state. The
new ward is very spread out Lima is the biggest geographical ward in
the mission. there are 6 elders serving in the ward. It was actually
stake conference this Sunday so I didn't get to meet anyone from the
ward cause we went to Perrysberg because we had a meeting up there
with the stake and mission president. The new place is pretty nice
just two of us live there and it is the nicest apartment I have lived
in.( I have some pictures) And really my responsibilities as a zone
leader is to uplift and inspire the missionaries in the zone and that
encompasses a lot of things haha so we stay very very busy. But I am
doing well adjusting to the new area. I miss warren and the people
there! but this place is gonna be good! I love you guys and will see
you in may! on skype of course haha my new address is 151 w 2nd St apt
#202 Delphos Oh  45833. Did you get both of them? one had shirts and
stuff and the other had my winter stuff. I miss you guys and love you!

Elder Howard

Week 66

Like no email time but I love you guys! and long story short I am
getting transferred tomorrow to Lima Ohio ima be the zone leader there
and yeah thats about all I got I will miss Warren so bad! I love this
place and the people here, its been my favorite area for sure! Love
you guys! here's a pic of me and the Mansfields!

Week 65

Hello Family!

I sounded grey last week?! Nah I am as happy as can be! haha But this
week was for sure better than last week! We picked up 9 new
investigators! It was crazy! Thursday this week was like a
missionaries dream! We has a member come out with us at around 12 to
visit some potentials we got flamed by one so we decided to go by
another lady who we taught the Restoration and committed her to
baptism, then we went by a family who was contacted the day before and
the same exact thing happen we taught the Restoration and committed
them to baptism. Then we went tracting in these sketchy apartment
buildings and lets just say it was interesting. Then at like 8:30 we
visited a Less Active named Josh. And he has two people staying with
him and they just cam into talk to us and like legit the same thing
happened we taught them the Restoration and committed them to baptism
haha so in one day we got 5 new investigators and baptismal dates with
all of them so it was like the best day ever haha then another cool
story that happened this week was on Friday night we were supposed to
meet this lady we contacted at the Burger King buuuuuut she totally
didn't show up so just like any missionary should do when your person
to teach doesn't show up..... you find someone else to teach! haha and
that what we did there were a couple sitting like a couple chairs to
the left of us and we just started a conversation with them and before
long we were teaching them the Restoration in Burger King! It was was
we invited them to be baptized and yeah good stuff right? haha I feel
like this week I have just been so bold in talking to people and in
testifying of the Restoration and how this church IS the ONLY true
church! I love it!!!!!!!!! well that's all the patience I have to
right about this day. I love and miss you guys! The Gospel is on the
earth again in its fullness! I know it!

Love Elder Howard

Oh and the Adams totally took us out to lunch this week! they said
they loved the picture of the Savior and it made them cry

Week 64

Family!

So I am like really exhausted right now and I hate typing but we had
no time yesterday to email so I am doing it now. I had a good week
really the only thing to update on is the Mansfields they are not
going to be baptized this Sunday the mother is just quite not ready
yet so we are hoping next month I will probably be transferred unless
the Lord sees it fit for em to stay. but they are awesome and will get
baptized it is just a matter of time. It is so dang cold here snow
everywhere biking in it sucks and yet I hate the weather here. I love
you guys though and miss you so much! Keep being awesome and doing
well in everything you do!

Love
Elder Howard

Week 63

I am just going to answer your few questions then I will tell you how
the week went! so i dont have my social number...... i dont even know
it..... do you not have it? and just to comment on how things are
going...... what?! happened to the car?! how did it brake? you better
not buy a minivan......... broken phone that's too bad..... but here's
about my week!

So this week was okayish starting the month of Feb we have a new
mission wide rule to where we are to be out contacting between the
hours of 5-6:30pm so thats been going on all week we have been
tracking and talking to people on the streets! not a lot of receptive
people though they either have their own church or they have already
been saved....... But other than that we have had some success which
is good we got a few new Investigators and potential investigators
from the finding initiative. But an update on the Mansfield family
they are great so awesome and so prepared still haha they were not
able to make it to church yesterday first time they have missed since
we have been teaching them! but we are seeing them tonight. We are
teaching a couple other people but are yet to see progression thus far
we are hoping things will change this week. I love my mission so much
and I guess they day I come home is now Nov 18th? have you heard
anything about that? but I do love this work its great I love being
able to help people receive the truth and build my own testimony
aswell. I love and miss you guys!
here is a pic of me and my companion sorry its taken me so long to
take and send one!

Elder Howard

Week 62

Hola!!!! Hello!

I am dong great! Things are going good! I love being able to read your emails every week and see how my family is doing I love and miss you guys so much! I so grateful we get to be together for eternity! This week I froze and I was warm and I froze some more! But I think the bulk of my email home will be about the Mansfield family! we have taught them for two weeks now and they have been to church once and they came to stake conference yesterday there are 6 of them and they are just so prepared by the Lord. We taught the restoration on Thursday and they listened so intently and we invited them to be baptized and set a date for the 21 of Feb. They accepted and are just so awesome and eager to learn about the restored gospel. I hope all is going well back home because I am loving it out here this is literally the BESTthing I have ever done and I want all you my little siblings to experience it as well even if you don't have a really strong testimony right now if you have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and do thing things you are counselled to do by Mum and Dad and the Leaders of the church you will know for yourself what I have come to know and that is that we are all children of heavenly parents and all they want is for us to be happy and return to live with them again. And we have the gospel of Jesus Christ to lead and guide the way. I love you guys and miss you! Do your best and be your best!

Love

Elder Howard

Week 61

Hello!

Life is good did I ever tell you how much I just love the snow?!
because its so great to be in it all day! NOT. things are going well
though. I hate emailing but because I love you guys I do it. so this
week was pretty chill (as in cool) we had a mission conference and
Elder Gong was there look him up he is in the presidency of the 70 I
also had a interview with him. actually really cool. and we had two
new families come to church and they loved it! so I am not
complaining. other than that all is well. I love you guys be good and
safe.

Love
Elder Howard

Week 60

Hey Family!

So this week was pretty good! yesterday was awesome! But I am doing
good! So now i will tell you why yesterday was good but first i will
start of with the bad..... It snowed yesterday pretty hard and it was
like 30 degrees and with the wind chill it was like 10 so that sucked
but what sucked even more was that I was biking in it!!!!!! ha. But we
also got 4 new Investigators and set a baptismal date with one of
them! so yeah the good out weight the bad. So good stuff happening!
everyone at home sounds good. not really to much else to report on.
Love you guys!

Elder Howard

Week 59

Heylo

How is it going?! you miss me yet? I only have 10 months left.....
crazy!!!! I miss you guys! 
this week was a good one we taught 25
lessons pretty good i'd say. It snowed last night so warren is white
and cold. we biked in a little snow yesterday and will do the same
tomorrow and Wednesday and the rest of the winter. its cold but not to
bad. 
The Adams moved back into the ward they were at church Sunday and
Dan brought his daughter who is also named Danielle haha but she
enjoyed church not sure if we will be able to start teaching her
though. they are doing good and I am taking them their present
tonight.
 Also this week we got a call from a member of the stake
presidency in Pittsburgh asking us if we could give a less active lady
a blessing who asked her mother in Pittsburgh if she could have one
but since she lives in warren we were asked to do that. We are going
to do it today after 3pm so it should be a awesome opportunity. Sounds
like the family is doing a okay Xbox is a waste of time tell them to
go practice rugby or soccer or something! If Zach cant play rugby will
he do something else? well thats about all from me! I love you guys!
work hard study the scriptures and say your prayers!

Love
Elder Howard