Learn of Me

Carlene and Annie and happy to talk to Grandma and Grandpa on Skype

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Matthew 11:29

"By learning of Him, by believing in Him, by following Him, there is the capacity to become like Him. The countenance can change, the heart can be softened, the step can be quickened, the outlook enhanced. Life becomes what it should become. Change is at times imperceptible, but it does take place." (Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 1996, p. 51).

Fishing in the Rio Miguir is like fishing in the
California Coastal Range, except it is
almost 10,000 feet in altitude.

Countenance change, heart softened, step quickened, outlook enhanced, life what it should be... sounds like fishing trip.  Maybe going fishing is a way to be more like God... if you also learn, believe and follow as well.

Be Merciful to Others

Joseph Smith

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." Matthew 5:7

"The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs. . . . If you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another" (History of the Church, 5:24).

Bishop Luis Correa

Bishop Luis Correa is an attorney.  Many of his clients are applying for divorce.  His teaching to them about love and marriage and mercy and forgiveness result in reduced income, and increased blessings to the families he restores.

Change can take place

Thomas S. Monson

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Matthew 11:29

"By learning of Him, by believing in Him, by following Him, there is the capacity to become like Him. The countenance can change, the heart can be softened, the step can be quickened, the outlook enhanced. Life becomes what it should become. Change is at times imperceptible, but it does take place." (Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, May 1996, p. 51).

Our view can change.  Don't judge yourself or anyone else 
until you have the opportunity to see the issue in a different light.

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).

Love and Happiness

"The world today speaks a great deal about love, and it is sought for by many.  But the pure love of Christ differs greatly from what the world thinks of love. Charity never seeks selfish gratification.  The pure love of Christ seeks only the eternal growth and joy of others" (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 275).

"The world today speaks a great deal about love, and it is sought for by many.  But the pure love of Christ differs greatly from what the world thinks of love. Charity never seeks selfish gratification.  The pure love of Christ seeks only the eternal growth and joy of others" (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 275). 

Cate and Julian stick together

Julian is teaching physics today

Cate learns from her big brother

World's greatest big brother

When there is love, it shows

"Where is happiness, real happiness? Nowhere but in God. By possessing the spirit of our holy religion, we are happy in the morning, we are happy at noon, we are happy in the evening; for the spirit of love and union is with us, and we rejoice in the spirit because, it is of God, and we rejoice in God, for he is the giver of every good thing. Every Latter-day Saint, who has experienced the love of God in his heart, after having received the remission of his sins, through baptism, and the laying on of hands, realizes that he is filled with joy, and happiness, and consolation. He may be in pain, in error, in poverty, or in prison, if necessity demands, still, he is joyful. This is our experience, and each and every Latter-day Saint can bear witness to it" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, p. 183).

Mingle

All together, singing in the kitchen with
Sister Howard and the Missionaries
of the Temple

"And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practice virtue and holiness before me." Doctrine and Covenants 38:24

Mingle for music and meriendas
A few of Elder Howard's Violin and
Viola students

"Mingle together as opportunity affords.  It is important that we do so.

We need others to talk with, to share our feelings with, with whom to share our faith.  Cultivate friends.

Begin by being a good friend to others" (The Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 429).

Jesus Christ

"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!  For we saw him, even on the right hand of God, and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father." Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-23

"We know that salvation is in Christ; that he was the Firstborn Son of the Eternal Father; that he was chosen and foreordained in the councils of heaven to work out the infinite and eternal atonement; that he was born into the world as the Son of God; and that he has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. "We believe with perfect surety that Christ came to ransom men from the temporal and spiritual death brought into the world by the fall of Adam and that he took upon himself the sins of all men on condition of repentance. . . . and that building upon the foundation of the atonement of Christ, all men must work out their salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord. "We proclaim that to gain salvation men must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, be baptized by immersion by one who has authority, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and then press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, keeping the commandments and enduring to the end" (Joseph Fielding Smith, Ensign,June 1971, p. 3).http://mormon.org/jesus-christ/

A Voice of Gladness

Howards and Veras at Las Playas

"Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness!

Veras, Howards, Andrades,
Las Playas, Guayas, Ecuador

A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings from the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy.

We stayed at the home of
Margarita and Walter Andrade
for New Year weekend

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth!" (D&C 128:19)

We appreciate the smiles and
encouragement of Emy and José Vera

"We like enjoyment here. That is right. God designs that we should enjoy ourselves. I do not believe in a religion that makes people gloomy, melancholy, miserable and ascetic. . . .

Hermanas Vera, Howard, Andrade

I should not think there was anything great or good associated with that, while everything around, the trees, birds, flowers and green fields, were so pleasing, the insects and bees buzzing and fluttering, the lambs frolicking and playing

.

"While everything else enjoyed life, why should not we?

Sister and Elder Howard enjoyed their
time at the beach.

But we want to do it correctly and not pervert any of these principles that God has planted in the human family" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, p. 97).

Happy New Year

el Hombre Viejo will be burned at Midnight

We celebrated the New Year with the Andrade and Vera families in Las Playas.

... put off  the old man...and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Marvel not that a man must be born again (John 3:3-7).

The burning of the old year is a great
celebration...

But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him (Colossians 3:8-10).

Celebrate a  New Year with a new
chance for a life of joy

 ...our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin (Romans 6:6).

Merry Christmas

Feliz Navidad from tropical Ecuador

We have been invited to spend Christmas weekend at the beach, but we have chosen to stay home and receive your calls.

We are available on Skype: rnjhoward  or at our phone number: 316 854 2224  


New Year's weekend will find us at the beach for 5 days.


Our Christmas Card to you: http://www.cantos.org/rnjhoward/Navidad

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And sudden there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

"In celebrating the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ our thoughts turn to that sacred occasion when He was born "The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). He promised: "He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). Truly, Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer who was "wounded for our transgressions ... and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). "Our prayer this Christmas season is that the light and testimony of the Savior's divine mission will come into our hearts and be reflected in our lives and in our homes. May each of us be blessed, not only at this Christmas season, but also throughout the coming year. May our faith in Jesus Christ increase as we follow His example in all we do and say." (First Presidency Message, LDS)

Christmas Eve

This Christmas Eve we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.  We are grateful for our testimony that His resurrection breaks the bonds of death and brings us all home to our Father in Heaven.  We dedicate our celebration this year also to our beloved sister, Stanlie Gail (1 September 1946 to 24 December 2010).

She was a bright light, a shooting star, who cheered us all many times.

We are grateful to have shared time with her nearly every day for the past few months, and pray that her family may receive peace from the Holy Ghost, as our sister returns to the Father who sent her here to be with us for 64 years.



Our Christmas Message: www.cantos.org/rnjhoward/Navidad


(George Albert Smith was the Church President when Stanlie Gail was born)

George Albert Smith

"I thank [my Heavenly Father] for the knowledge that has been burned into my soul; I know that my Heavenly Father lives, I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind, and that there is no other name under heaven whereby men and women may be exalted, but the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. I do know that he came into the world in this latter day, that he bestowed divine authority upon a humble boy who was seeking the truth, and the result of that has been the organization of the Church with which we are identified; and there is with it the power of God unto salvation to all those who believe. Knowing that as I know that I live, I bear you witness of it" (Conference Report, October 1927, p. 50).

We need a little Christmas Now

The best known American face in Ecuador could be Abraham Lincoln (penny and $5 bill).  The Ecuatorianos don't know how tall he was, nor howLincoln responded to the man who asked him, "how long should a man's legs be?'  He said, "long enough to reach the ground".  Maybe that is a good way to think of how long a life should be: long enough to return to the Heavenly Father who sent you here.  Lincoln lived 56 tough years.  We appreciate and remember him.

And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It is the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln said of Thanksgiving: The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God....

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

We can't wait for anything.  We have to celebrate when we need the celebration, to quote another famous American, Mame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldyKvZdsOZM

Temple Missionaries, Guayaquil, December 2010

New Christy Minstrels version on 33 1/3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ6yFTHnwMg

Mame:
Haul out the holly;
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again.
Fill up the stocking,
I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now.
For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute,
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute.
It hasn't snowed a single flurry,
But Santa, dear, we're in a hurry;
So climb down the chimney;
Put up the brightest string of lights I've ever seen.
Slice up the fruitcake;
It's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough.
For I've grown a little leaner,
Grown a little colder,
Grown a little sadder,
Grown a little older,
All:
And I need a little angel
Sitting on my shoulder,
Need a little Christmas now.
Mame:
Haul out the holly;
Well, once I taught you all to live each living day.
All:
Fill up the stocking,
Young Patrick:
But Auntie Man, it's one week from Thanksgiving Day now.
All:
But we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute,
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute.
Agnes:
It hasn't snowed a single flurry,
But Santa, dear, we're in a hurry;
Ito:
So climb down the chimney;
Put up the brightest string of lights I've ever seen.
All:
Slice up the fruitcake;
It's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough.
For we need a little music,
Need a little laughter,
Need a little singing
Ringing through the rafter,
And we need a little snappy
"Happy ever after,"
Need a little Christmas now.
Need a little Christmas now.

Warriors in God's Army

The Aguilar Family: faithful temple volunteers

"And if any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with him him that is weak, that he may be edified in all meekness, that he may become strong also." D&C 84:106.

Many families here have been strengthened in their relationships with each other and in their testimonies as they interact with the temple missionaries.  We have come to love and be loved here in Ecuador.

One shining example are Brother and Sister Aguilar. In the year since they joined the church they have come several days each week to volunteer in the baptistery. Besides growing close to the Temple Missionaries, they have also become strong in their own testimonies and ability to serve others.

Last night Hermano Aguilar had a dream that he was dressed as an ancient warrior in full armor.  He felt strong and confident and happy.  He then determined to reach out to the inactive members of his ward.  We told him that next Tuesday when he goes to the temple he will be clothed in the Garments of the Holy Priesthood, which will be a fulfillment of the prophecy embedded in his dream.  Then he will be a warrior in God's army:

"Behold, I have commanded my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., to say unto the strength of my house, even my warriors...those who have hearkened unto my words, I have prepared a blessing and an endowment for them, if they continue faithful. I have heard their prayers, and will accept their offering..." D&C 105:16-19.

They are very happy.