Live and Learn

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. Mahatma Gandhi

Peace on Earth

Jugo de Guanábana con amigos

Elder Howard con amigos músicos

"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21

"The mission of the Church is to prepare the way for the final establishment of the kingdom of God on earth.  Its purpose is, first, to develop in men's lives Christlike attributes; and, second, to transform society so that the world may be a better and more peaceful place in which to live" (David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p. 104).

Elder Howard con amigas

Me visitan los amigos en el hospital

Feliz Día de los Enamorados

California is a romantic place
just ask Zane and Sarah
Happy Valentines Day

Affliction

Sister Howard found a man on the beach who loves her.

If you live on this planet, you must be prepared for afflictions and sickness.  The best way to prepare is to love and be loved.

It is going to get worse before it gets better: "For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be." Mark 13:19

"We are the only animals that let our kids come back home." Bill Cosby.  We hope that our kids let us come back home.  In these troubled times, we must be close to those who love us.

"Having one child makes you a parent; having two you are a referee." David Frost.  We tried as hard as we knew how to raise our kids with love and acceptance.  Now in our old age we are learning to love even more.

Our four kids get along with each other pretty well.

Tell us about acts of service

The night of February 4, on the anniversary of the departure of the Saints from Nauvoo (in 1846) I dreamed that I finally learned how to spend time with my wife by learning to follow my father’s example.

My father worked hard all his life to provide for the family, and in so doing, was gone from them most of the time.  He tried to magnify callings, study and learn, and try to be ever better qualified for the Lord’s service; but he had to be forced into early retirement in order to be available with his wife as missionaries in Chile.  Her serious health problems began after the mission, and my father spent fifteen of his last twenty five years learning to make his wife the first priority of his life, including dedicating four years to her full time care while she was completely helpless.  

Now the Lord is trying to help me understand that no success can compensate for failure in the home; that a man is not whole without a help meet and companion; that no other assignment or act of service is more important than fostering the love and trust of my wife.  When I left on my first mission, my father counseled me to allow folks to serve me, because that is how love grows in them, and their lives are blessed.  I hope I can learn to love and serve my wife now while we are young and healthy temple missionaries.  

In our old age we will need each other more and more, but we can’t wait for that day to come.  We must learn to need each other now.  As we serve each other selfishlessly, our love will begin to mature, and we will learn to be more like our Savior.

Better Keep in Touch!

Elder Howard back home on the ranch

Jake, the rancher, went one day


To fix a distant fence.


The wind was cold and gusty


And the clouds rolled gray and dense.





As he pounded the last staples in


And gathered tools to go,


The temperature had fallen,


The wind and snow began to blow.



When he finally reached his pickup,


He felt a heavy heart.


From the sound of that ignition


He knew it wouldn't start.



So Jake did what most of us


Would do if we had been there.


He humbly bowed his balding head


And sent aloft a prayer.



Michael Andrews
never feared the cold

As he turned the key for the last time,


He softly cursed his luck


They found him three days later,


Frozen stiff in that old truck.



Now Jake had been around in life


And done his share of roaming.


But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked --


It looked just like Wyoming !



Of all the saints in Heaven,


His favorite was St. Peter.


So they sat and talked a minute or two,
Or maybe it was three.


Nobody was keeping' score --
In Heaven, time is free.



I’ve always heard,' Jake said to Pete,
'

that God will answer prayer,


But one time I asked for help,


Well, he just plain wasn't there.'



'Does God answer prayers of some,


And ignore the prayers of others?


That don't seem exactly square --


I know all men are brothers.'

'

Or does he randomly reply,


Without good rhyme or reason?


Maybe, it's the time of day,


The weather or the season.'



'Now I ain't trying to act smart,


It's just the way I feel.


And I was wondering', could you tell me --


What the heck's the deal?!'



Peter listened very patiently


And when Jake was done,


There were smiles of recognition,


And he said, 'So, you're the one!!'



Troy knows how to stay in touch

That day your truck, it wouldn't start,


And you sent your prayer a flying,


You gave us all a real bad time,


With hundreds of us trying..'



'A thousand angels rushed,


To check the status of your file,


But you know, Jake, we hadn't heard


From you in quite a long while.'



'And though all prayers are answered,


And God ain't got no quota,


He didn't recognize your voice,


And started a truck in Minnesota '



BETTER KEEP IN TOUCH!

Filled with His Love

Stanlie Gail, fearless adventurer

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with his love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen." Moroni 7:48

Joseph Fielding Smith

"We accept without reservation the scriptural teachings that Christ is the Son of God and that he came into the world to ransom men from the spiritual and temporal death brought into the world by the fall of Adam. . . . We must believe in Christ and pattern our lives after him. We must be baptized as he was baptized. We must worship the Father as he did. We must do the will of the Father as he did. We must seek to do good and work righteousness as he did. He is our Exemplar, the great Prototype of salvation" (Joseph Fielding Smith, Ensign, November 1971, p. 3).