Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints SACTM - Elder Howard

05/10/2023

Hope you all enjoyed conference weekend! :)

President Nelson teaches the importance of having faith in Jesus Christ and making choices with the celestial kingdom in mind.

23/03/2020

Hello everyone, unfortunately (and very sadly), this will be my last post form the beautiful country of South Africa. My heart is so sore tonight and I cannot express in words the way I am feeling. However, I know the Lord loves me and is going to do many other things with me. I also can't express the love that I have felt from my Savior as He has shown me the gratitude He has for my service. I have grown a testimony of following the 2 great commandments of loving God, and our neighbors. Their could not be a better time to practice these. Yes, we may be out of toilet paper. Yes, we may not be able to do what we want when we want. Yes, we may not be able to go to our favorite restaurant. But, this can never stop of from keeping our covenants to mourning with those who mourn, and standing for those who need comfort. This is what it is all about.

Love those around you.

See you soon,
Elder Howard.

02/03/2020

Hello my friends,

I hope you are all doing well. We had transfer this past week and I am staying here in Cape Town. Still convinced it's the coolest place on earth. My trusty dusty comp Elder Crockett got transferred for P.E., so he will be soaking up the sun in J-Bay (pretty jealous). However, I got a new companion and his name is Elder Correa. He is from Brazil, so if you want to say his name right replace the two "R"s with the "H" sound and there ya go. I'm glad I have a pretty easy last name cause dang, tough last names just get butchered this side haha. Elder correa is a great guy. I'm super happy to have him.

Just wanting to do a bit of follow up.. have you guys seen President Nelson's newest invitation? If not, head over to his page and watch that video! T-minis 1 month tell conference and we need to be prepared.

We had a really cool experience this week with a guy we found. We actually found him through Facebook. When we came to his house he pretty much poured his heart out to us. He told us that he has been a Christian his whole life, but that he has never truly felt God's presence in his life. He talked to us about how he has been really looking into science and how the science makes a lot more sense. However, he was willing to give God one more chance. His last effort you might ask? Reading and praying about the Book of Mormon. I couldn't think of a better way to try and find God's love than through the Book of Mormon. We testified to him of God's love and the Saviour's love and invited him to read the Book of Mormon.

As I thought about the experience, I found that one time or the other we all feel that way. We all feel lost, have questions, and maybe even walk away. Please, and I say please never tell someone who feel lost, or have questions, are maybe even walk away that their reasons are silly. We must help them keep looking for light. The grace of Jesus Christ is sufficient. Do all you can, and Jesus Christ will take care of the rest. How grateful am I for His saving grace.

Much love,
Elder Howard.

Yes, I look like I have gained a little weight back. Yes, I have. I've only gained 8kg ( it spinds a lot better than the actual pounds...) However, still skinnier than when I came. Fingers crossed it stay off🤞

17/02/2020

Hey everyone, sorry it has been so long. I am still doing well. I can still in Cape Town and I am loving it so much. Literally the coolest place in earth. So many cultures, foods, people, and beautiful sights.

We have had an eventful couple of weeks here in Brakenfell. We had a mission tour with Elder Koch from the area presidency. He shared a great message on our 360° degree range of influence and how we can use that to invite others to come to Christ and how at the center of that 360° should always be ourselves. We also had Elder Rasband from the quorum of the twelve apostles visit with Elder Carl B. Cook from the presidency of the seventy and Elder sitati from the area presidency. They had a special meeting with us as missionaries before the dedication of the Durban temple. Elder Rasband has such a powerful spirit with him. He truly is an apostle. I have no doubt. He shared with us about having integrity and making sure that our word is our bond. It was such a powerful meeting.

So, yeah, its been a great few weeks here in CPT, and I am glad I was here to experience it.

Love you all,
Elder Howard

30/12/2019

Hello friends and family,
It has been another week down here in Cape Town and I am not getting any less busy.

We had a great week here. From Christmas to exchanges, it was full of great food, and wonderful appointments. Just so ou all know I was fed so much food on Christmas that I thought I was going to explode. All the food was so great. We were well taken care of.

I had the opprutunity to go on exchanges to Paarl. It is such a beautiful place. We were able to teach a couple of Book of Mormon lessons, and let me tell you, those are my favorite. The Book of Mormon is such an amazing book. We promised one of the sisters that if she diligently read the Book of Mormon her mother would let her come to the Church of Jesus Christ. Now, I wasnt in Paarl on Sunday, but I did call and speak with the Elder's there. I asked about this certain sister, and yep, she was at church, yep, her mother let her come, and yep, she had finished all of 1 Nephi in 2 days. SO cool. She told us that her mother was not supportive of her origanally meeting with the Elders, but since the Book of Mormon, she has had no problems. It just goes to show that the Lord will match our efforts, and fulfill his promises.

With the end of the year approching, we have had a lot of ends. We finished Come, Follow Me, Light The World, and even some diets that havent worked out. With the new year approching along with a new Come, Follow Me, and all we learned from Light The World or our failed diets, let us start with a new resolve. A resolve to live the life the Savior wants to live. I promise as you council with the Lord for what you need to change that He truly will help you become the individual he needs you to be.

Much love to you all and happy New Year!!
Elder Howard.

16/12/2019

Hello hello friends and family,

What a busy week!

I had the opportunity this week to be a part of the missionary leadership council in our mission. It was an awesome experience. We gather as zone leaders and talk about issues we are seeing in our zones and we get to meet with the mission president to correct these concerns. At the mission leadership council I also got to try Krispy Kreme donuts! They have a shop here in Cape Town, and man were they nice.

We are really trying to work hard to meet with members and help them build their faith. Often times as missionaries we come to a house and share a scripture that has nothing to do with that family, and they forget it as we walk out the door. So, we are really trying to help them build their faith so they can love thi gospel deeper and share it with those they love. Member missionary work is the key to success and growth in the church. Without YOU the work could not go on. How could you help you local missionaries? It can be done in smaller ways than you think. Keep it simple and make it easy.

I hope you are all enjoying your holidays! Remember to invite someone to your local Christmas centered sacrament meeting this Sunday!

Love you all,
Elder Howard

09/12/2019

Hello friends and family,

Well, I forgot to tell you that I have officially moved to Cape Town. I am currently serving in the Brakenfell area, and I also got a new companion. His name is Elder Crockett, and he is rom Fresno, California.

Cape Town is such an awesome city. If you ever get a chance to travel here TAKE IT!! It is so beautiful, and there are so many different cultures here. I feel like I am conected to every culture on the planet here.

We had such a great week, and out fed out of our minds. We are sharing The Christchild video with a lot o the members, and they are feeding us in return. Really, a win-win situation. They get to watch an amazing video, and we get to eat wonderful food.

We are trying to help one of the people we are teaching to et married to their spouse so they can get baptized. I feel a little out of place, since I personally have not been married. Well, that is where the work of the Lord pushes you. Always past your comfort zone. The mission has been a wonderful experince of growing and becoming.

This week I hit 1 year! I cannot believe that 1 year ago I let home to come to South Arica. I do not regret it!

Love you all and enjoy your holidays.

25/11/2019

Tudu Bem?
With a Brazilian companion, and access to dualingo, I am trying to pick up some Portuguese. However, I feel more like a laughing stock then a learner. Its probably the same as the Xhosa people listen to a Mlungu (whiteman) trying to speak their mother tongue. Not afraid to try though.

It was a good week. We got to have zone conference and listen to our wonderful mission President. We talked a lot about being honest and being diligent. We also had a great ward activity called the "Member Missionary Training Center." We had a great turnout of 80 people. We printed members off their mission calls and invited them to the activity. We helped them learn how to be a missionary in simple and easy ways through using social media, sharing the Book of Mormon, and having easy conversations ysing the gospel. I feel that often times as member we expect the missionaries to do all the finding and teaching, but in reality we have people all around who are ready to recieve the gospel. It can be simple. We dont have to invite them everyday to get dunked in the baptismal font like a donut, but rather just share short power bits of our testimony and allow the seed to be planted. People are naturally curious. When they have pieces of the puzzle they want to see the full picture. Allow people to think and learn.

Hope you all have a great week!
Love you all and Happy December!

18/11/2019

A little P-Day fun. Some downtown Port Elizabeth, Cape St. Francis, Jefferey's Bay, and recent converts.

18/11/2019

Hello, hello, everyone.

Another week has come and gone. So crazy how fast time is going right now. I blink and another week is down. Overall, a good week with some great highlights.

This week was busy. From driving back and forth from the airport, to service, and teaching we barely had time to think about ourselves. We are teaching a wonderful little family here, who are continuing to come to church and to live the gospel. We taught them the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word of Wisdom/Law of Chastity. The grandmother in the family does a grear job of reading ahead. Her grandchildren often give her a hard time about her coffee habits. She read through the Word of Wisdom on her own, and decided to quite on her own. She told us that she has been drinking coffee everyday for the last 40 years and has never stopped, but as soon as she knew what the Lord wanted her to do, she was all in. I was blown away. 40 years of coffee to cold turkey??? I want to be her when I grow up.

Spritiual thought for the week will be from 3 Nephi 17:3. Here is the Lord telling the Nephites to, " go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again." This was the instruction after he had given the Sermon on the mount, the Beatitudes, the exposure of false prophets, and the fulfillment of the " Other Sheep" prophecy. They got a doctrinal smack down. This certain scripture from chapter 17 really struck me. Am I taking the doctrine in which I am being shown, and pondering, asking the Father to help me understand, and preparing myself to learn more? Truly, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us in the human brain. To be able to obtain, apply, and share, is to be able to become. Become like what? Christ.

Love you all,
Elder Howard.

11/11/2019

Hello to all,

I am going to apologive now. This week I got behind on the email writing, and in result, will be leaving a shorter one for you .

This week was a busy one. From running Elders back and forth from the airport, to helping members dig a pool, to baptismal interviews, and finally, to great rejections.

So yeah, we got a car for one day. That was nice on the feet. The zone leaders let us use the car while they were away for mission leadership training. On Thursday, we were able to help a member dig a hole for his swimming pool. However, here in Port Elizabeth they do not have dirt, just sand. Plus, Port Elzibeth is dubbed the "Windy City", so we were getting sand blasted the whole day. Then, Thirsday afternoon I got to conduct a baptismal interview. What a great experince. The spirit was definetly working there because I would have a question pop up in my mind about what I should ask him, and then he would answer that question without me asking. It was weird the first time, but continued to build my testimony the next couple of times. We celebrated my comp hitting 17 months by going to an all you can eat pizza buffet. The rule was 20 slices of pizza, or you wont be let back in the car. I tapped out at 15 pieces, but my comp went above and beyond. He slammed 21 pieces. These Brazilians can eat! The rest of the night was spent, consequently, with a sick stomach. I mentioned a few emails ago how I often time laugh at rejection. I am not alone in this. My companion too laughs at rejection. Door knocking is one of the wierdest and most mission story building activity you can do haha. People these days are either really bad at making excuses, or I have just learned to know when someone is lying. Anyways, it all makes for some great stories.

Love you all,

Elder Howard

04/11/2019

Molweni chommi, Ngani? Ndrite? Ndiyakhutanda!
Xhosa
|
English
Hello all my friends, How are you? Alright? I love you!

I just wanted to remind all of you that yes, i speak a language that has clicks in it. Trevor Noah said it best, "Why wouldn't you want to learn Xhosa? It's like Chinese New Year in your mouth!" So, everytime I speak Xhosa it's a huge holiday in my mouth. I wonder if that would be impressive on a job resume?

Anyways, here's my week.

Tuesday: It felt like I was biking to the misty mountains in the Hobbit. Plus wind that would literally stop you if you didn't pedal constantly. But its all good. I will have thighs of steel. So, we went to visit a member, but unfortunately he was asleep. We then did some finding. It's a lot different finding here. You have gates and buzzers so its hard to see people face. I dont know why I do this, but whenever I get rejected I cant stop smiling at the person haha. Like as soon as I hear the rejection coming on... there comes a big smile. Mission is weird. We had a lady today open her door, declare her religion, and say if we were going to tell her about our's she wasn't interested. I had a huge smile on my face the whole time. Am I crazy?? We did find a few great people that want us to come and visit their families. We stoppped by Auntie Molly (she's the nickname lady) and she said that she asked her pastor if we were good, and he told her no. However, she didn't believe that. She told us that she thinks we are good and we can help her and she even took the first step to pray about us. Pretty awesome to see these things happen. The spirit is undeniable. Although, at times not payed attention to, but it's there.

Wednesday: Okay, awesome day. While we were planning, my companion and I both felt that we should visit a specific member. Unfortunately, since they lived a ways out of the way we could not visit them today. We decided to shoot them a text seeing how they were doing. 2 minutes later our bishop texts us saying that this member had been in a car accident and would like some of the members in the ward to check up on her! Like what?? The spirit knows all things. We then went to the local library to do a weekly servoce project. I just cut papers. About as exciting as it gets in a library. We then stopped by someone we are teaching, but it was just a stop by. No appointment we were just seeing how they were doing. We had focused to help this person focus on the sabbath day, but were unable to get to it in the last lesson. We were just chatting and all that jazz, and then we asked of they had any questions. They then go, "Help me understand the sabbeth day please." Whattttt?? The spirit came in clutch 2 times in a row today!

Thursday: HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I cannot believe that October has come and gone. However, it didnt feel much like Halloween. Not one person I asked could tell me why OCT 31st is so awesome. Oh well, its another 366 days until the next. We found a lady who knew a sister missionary from the ward, whi had left just 2 weeks back. She said she would like to learn more about what we do and why we do it. Its pretty cool to see how our good examples and sacrifices can make ripples in other people's lives. We met with a family from the ward, and they too couldn't tell me that it was Halloween, and the ward was having a Halloween party the next. (Having a Halloween party in November doesnt count. I shared my beef about that with them.)

Friday: I got to go on exchanges with Elder Fesolai from Australia. Solid dude. We got to teach a man from Uganda at a Mcdonalds that had an ocean view. Pretty gucci honestly. He was raised in a religious community that was really forced upon him. He wants to get closer to God, but doesnt want to be so restricted by a chirch. We taught him how the gospel will bring us the Holy Ghost and how the Holy Ghost is the "Spirit of freedom" Alma 61:15. We the got to teach a sister who is here going to Nelson Mandela University. She is having troubles with her studies, which is also causing her troubles reading the Book of Moron. I shared with her my experience when I had to read the book in 1 semester for a class and how when i turned reading the book into a priority, everything else began to fall into place behond it. Show God that he is your priority, and watch as he makes your happiness His priority.

Saturday: THE SPRINGBOKS WIN THE RUGBY WORLD CUP! Pretty cool to be in a country that has won a world cup. The town was going crazy. I have never heard so many car horns going off at once. It was so cool. We got to meet with two members who are also going to NMU (Nelson Mandela University). They fed us some lunch and we got to talk about conversation they have had with their friends and how they are so glad that they have the knowledge that the restored gospel brings. It not only allows them to make better choices, but to also live happeir lives. Growing our gospel knowledge is such a smart thing to do. It is one of the things we get to take with us to the next life. We got to meet with the three people we have on date today as well. They are continuing to progress nicely and recieve the information also. Tomorow they get to see a baptism of an 8 year old in the ward, so we are super excited about that. We hope they continue to catch the bug.

Sunday: Had a great fast and testimony meeting. I love bringing people to testimony meeting. It shows that they truly can know that it is true and that they wont be the only ones. We also had a baptism of a child of record. So fun! We had a big break the fast lunch with the ward. We also got to read the Book of Mormon with a man we were teaching. He asked some grest questions and is really enjoying the book. We met this man while we were tracting and had a very nice chat with him. He was a minister in his church, but wanted help answering the questions of some of his members. We said that we would love to help. He asked some grest questions like, " How do you help someo e who has lost faith?", " Why do we suffer?", and "Why does christ require so much?" We shared the answers through the Book of Mormon. He was pretty impressed that we gave uo everything to come and do what we are doing. He was supef busy with work so we are going to try and contact him again.

Well another week down!
Love, Elder Howard.