To our dear family and friends

To our dear family and friends back in the USA and some in other parts of the world:

We humbly beg your forgiveness for writing one letter to you all about our arrival and  settling in to our new life as temple missionaries in Guayaquil, Ecuador. There is so much for us to learn to be ready to serve the Lord here in the temple. We are busy putting our apartment in order, getting a little rest before Wednesday (6:15 am) when we begin our temple orientation, and shopping for food etc, that our time is very limited to write each one of you separately,  We so want you to describe a little of what our first impressions are of the area and how our trip went, so the only thing to do is write this way for right now.  We love you!

We got up at 2 am Saturday morning because the shuttle was picking us up at 3 am for the airport.  Our flight was to leave at 6 am.  After the shuttle dropped us off and we got into the airport we found out our flight was cancelled due to some problems with the plane!  At least they found out before we left!  The airlines called the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah to ask for a shuttle to come pick us up!  We arrived back at the MTC about 6:30 am.  I was so tired, but we ate breakfast and I went back to our old room where we had been for 2 weeks and just rested the whole day!  Roy ran around doing different things (singing with the mexican Elders and Sisters, getting medicine for my earache and body aches, and preaching to the same group of Elders and Sisters!  Oh, he gave a couple of them a lesson on the harmonica too! They just love Elder Howard!

We repacked some of our things and left a few more behind.  Oh, Roy's brother gave him a suit that he had used on his mission in Nauvoo, but while we were in Provo we decided to buy Roy a new one and a couple pair of pants.  So he gave the suit to one of those Elders he was singing with and he was so happy to have Elder Howard's suit!  It will be used well, Nathan!  The next morning (Sunday) we didn't have to get up until 3:30 am because the shuttle wasn't coming 'till 4:30 am!   This time we actually left and arrived in Guayaquil at 11pm, went through customs (which was a piece of cake and they didn't even look in our luggage!), arriving at our apartment about 1 am (Monday morning)!  I think in 2 days we had only 7 hours of sleep!

What a beautiful apartment we have with a view of the city and foliage that is spectacular!  I just want to sit and look out the window!  Some of the sister missionaries had purchased food for us and flowers which was on the table and counter.  Such a warm welcome we had!  Then Pres. Rojas (temple president) and his wife took us shopping for food later in the day to a HUGE store which is kind of like Wal-Mart, but much bigger and cleaner.  They have everything to buy there except a car!

In the evening we had dinner with another senior couple and then had to go to a meeting with all the senior missionaries and the temple president.  By the time we got back to our apartment I was closing my eyes!  Today they let us have off so we could rest (that is the operative word!) and get ready for tomorrow.  This is a very large temple and a lot of people come on a regular basis to do baptisms and ordinances.  We have 8 senior couples and 3 couples in the temple presidency.  President Rojas and his wife are from Mexico but speak English very well.  Roy tuned their piano this morning and she brought us a lunch of homemade enchiladas and rice!  I made the most delicious smoothie (liquado) to drink, using fresh orange juice, bananas and pulp of guava.  We love each of you very much and hope you feel that love,

The Lord has blessed us in miraculous ways just to get us here and is continuing to bless us each day.  Roy's health is a miracle in and of itself.  He seems to have more stamina than ever and my feet didn't even hurt after shopping for food!  That is a miracle too!

Our neighbor across the hall was a missionary in Albuquerque when I was about 19 or 20!  He ate some of my mother's delicious food and visited our family!  He came back to the area and married a young woman from Ojo Caliente, NM and worked at the telephone company with my father and brother-in-law!  Now isn't that a miracle, that from any place in the world we could have gone we are here and across the hall is a couple that knew my family!  We feel so loved and needed here and pray we can learn quickly all we need to know to do our jobs well. Please keep us in your prayers, we need them!  We will answer any emails we receive from you and hope you will write when you can.  May the Lord bless you in all you do.  

Love,     Elder Roy and Sister Janeen Howard