Happy Birthday Hermana Howard

Hermana Howard opens a birthday package from Carlene

How to destroy the terrorists

How to destroy the terrorists: not by hunting and killing them, but by preaching the word of God.  That is the only effective way to end their acts of terror.

http://www.cantos.org/music/911.html

Helaman 6:

For behold, the Lord had blessed them so long with the riches of the world that they had not been stirred up to anger, to wars, nor to bloodshed; therefore they began to set their hearts upon their riches; yea, they began to seek to get gain that they might be lifted up one above another; therefore they began to commit secret murders, and to rob and to plunder, that they might get gain.  And now behold, those murderers and plunderers were a band who had been formed by Kishkumen and Gadianton. And now it had come to pass that there were many, even among the Nephites, of Gadianton’s band. But behold, they were more numerous among the more wicked part of the Lamanites. And they were called Gadianton’s robbers and murderers. 


And now it came to pass that when the Lamanites found that there were robbers among them they were exceedingly sorrowful; and they did use every means in their power to destroy them off the face of the earth. But behold, Satan did stir up the hearts of the more part of the Nephites, insomuch that they did unite with those bands of robbers, and did enter into their covenants and their oaths, that they would protect and preserve one another in whatsoever difficult circumstances they should be placed, that they should not suffer for their murders, and their plunderings, and their stealings.  And it came to pass that they did have their signs, yea, their secret signs, and their secret words; and this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant, that whatsoever wickedness his brother should do he should not be injured by his brother, nor by those who did belong to his band, who had taken this covenant.  And thus they might murder, and plunder, and steal, and commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness, contrary to the laws of their country and also the laws of their God.  And whosoever of those who belonged to their band should reveal unto the world of their wickedness and their abominations, should be tried, not according to the laws of their country, but according to the laws of their wickedness, which had been given by Gadianton and Kishkumen.  Now behold, it is these secret oaths and covenants which Alma commanded his son should not go forth unto the world, lest they should be a means of bringing down the people unto destruction.  


Now behold, those secret oaths and covenants did not come forth unto Gadianton from the records which were delivered unto Helaman; but behold, they were put into the heart of Gadianton by that same being who did entice our first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit— Yea, that same being who did plot with Cain, that if he would murder his brother Abel it should not be known unto the world. And he did plot with Cain and his followers from that time forth.  And also it is that same being who put it into the hearts of the people to build a tower sufficiently high that they might get to heaven. And it was that same being who led on the people who came from that tower into this land; who spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of the land, until he dragged the people down to an entire destruction, and to an everlasting hell. Yea, it is that same being who put it into the heart of Gadianton to still carry on the work of darkness, and of secret murder; and he has brought it forth from the beginning of man even down to this time. And behold, it is he who is the author of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men.

And now behold, he had got great hold upon the hearts of the Nephites; yea, insomuch that they had become exceedingly wicked; yea, the more part of them had turned out of the away of righteousness, and did trample under their feet the commandments of God, and did turn unto their own ways, and did build up unto themselves idols of their gold and their silver.

   37 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did hunt the band of robbers of Gadianton; and they did preach the word of God among the more wicked part of them, insomuch that this band of robbers was utterly destroyed from among the Lamanites.

Some towers still stand

"Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments; and also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these things unto the world." Doctrine & Covenants 1:17-18

"We dedicate our lives . . . in order that the world may understand that there is a God in the eternal worlds; in order that they may understand that God has something to do at the present time with the affairs of the children of men. . . . Even among the Christian portions of the human family, thousands and tens of thousands . . . do not believe that God has anything to do with the children of men.  We have to stand forth and make sacrifices in order that that belief and knowledge may come to the children of men" (The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p. 74).

Renewal

Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where I renew my springs that never dry up.Pearl S. Buck

http://www.cantos.org/jaguares/enmipais/

CD release

We will be posting more information about a CD being released in Ecuador that includes songs by Elder Howard:
http://www.cantos.org/jaguares/eventos.html

Happy Easter Sunday!

"And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay." Matthew 28:5-6

Happy Birthday, Sister Howard!

Sábado 30 Abril 2011 2 pm empieza el concierto y almuerzo - Martha Encalada canta "Doña Nelly" en "Restaurant La Trucha" en Huagrahuma. http://www.cantos.org/jaguares/eventos.html Venga temprano para pescar en el Rio Muguír con Pablo en la Piscícola Quiroz Quiroz (083 546 899, 095 237 185). 

Temple views

Guayaquil Temple at night

Here are a few views of the temple you could share: 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2081211&id=1399658247&l=d4740dcdfc

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2082032&id=1399658247&l=6f2f05c6af

Grow Tall and Strong

Redwood trees in California

Where I grew up in California, it was handy to visit the redwood forests.  Curiously, the Thursday evening temple coordinator in Guayaquil is Walter Redwood.  He is 100% Ecuatoriano, has never seen a redwood tree, and furthermore, he is very short, but wears a size 50 jacket; very different from a redwood tree.

 This tree is 369 feet tall (twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty).  Another tree in the same forest is 379 feet tall, but only temporarily.  "Its mass is equivalent to 15 adult blue whales, the largest animal on earth. Each year, this tree produces enough new wood to make a 90-foot-tall tree with a trunk 12 inches in diameter. If all of Del Norte Titan were cut into boards one foot wide, 12 feet long and one inch thick, the line of planks laid end to end would stretch over a hundred miles and could build 120 average-sized houses."

It looks tall and slim, but it is very, very big around.  What I remember about these trees of interest, is that they grow in rocky soil with short roots.  They stand for over 1,000 years because their roots reach out to each other and intertwine.  They hold each other up!

Grow tall, but "see that ye are not lifted up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not boast in your own wisdom, nor of your much strength. Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love... Alma 38:11, 12

Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds. The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.  Psalms 68:34, 118:14, 18:32, 28:7

Your greatest strength is in your marriage:
.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwHmjd70cso

Memories

Cousin Brett Foutz made a lot of memories in his home in Gilbert, Arizona.  Now the memories are all that is left.
http://www.kpho.com/slideshow/news/27445576/detail.html

Fuschias (Arete)

When I play the organ for preparation meetings at the temple, I think of my mother and how she played the organ at home every night, and at church, and that she loved the temple.  At the Farmers Market in Guayaquil I found one Fuschia plant and bought it for $7.  A valuable investment in a memory, as my mother always had many Fuschias.

Templo de Guayaquil

Many of the General Conference talks in April, 2011 focused on being prepared for times of pain, suffering, and all manner of tribulations.  The insight I had was that we must avoid the temptations of materialism, and focus our time and energies on building relationships and memories.  Don't forget to share your feelings and experiences with your family and friends.  Be sure to create memorabilia and traditions and stories that can be passed on from generation to generation.

Huge sculpture in Guayaquil

Be sure that your children have memories of their grandmother, including knowing about your experiences with her.   One way to do that is to come to Guayaquil for a visit and tour with her.  Be sure to ask her about the fabulous sculptures throughout the city.

We will be with the family again by November, 2011.  In November 2009 I had a dream about the family.  Here is how I documented my pleasant dream and the music that I dreamed up to go with it.  Ask your mother about the dreams she has about you!

Words of the Prophets

Latest General Conference

Oakland Temple, where I did my endowments in 1967

 "For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.  For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and for his name's glory." Doctrine & Covenants 21:5-6





April 2011 General Conference

Lubbock Temple where close to home gives access to all.

"No text nor volume outside of the standard works of the Church should have such a prominent place on your personal library shelves [as the General Conference issue of the Ensign], not because of their rhetorical excellence, nor the eloquence of delivery, but for the content which points the way to eternal life" (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 523).

The great work of the temples

Familia Pino, 25 Marzo 2011

"The Prophet Elijah was to plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers, foreshadowing the great work to be done in the temples of the Lord in the dispensation of the fulness of times, for the redemption of the dead, and the sealing of the children to their parents, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse and utterly wasted at his coming." Doctrine & Covenants 138:47-48

Super Luna Marzo 2011

"When we go back into the other life and find our dead friends living there, if we have not performed the labor that is necessary for their exaltation and glory we shall not feel very happy and it will not be a very pleasant meeting.  We ought not to wait for opportunities to be pleasant and agreeable always; but we should strive, even if it takes a little sacrifice on our part, to put ourselves in a condition to perform this labor" (The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p. 97).

Super Luna

"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Matthew 16:27   .

Super Moon last night

And behold this is not all, there shall be
many signs and wondersin heaven. Helaman 14:6

"Righteousness must be the aim of the Saints in all things . . . Do good and work righteousness with an eye single to the glory of God, and you shall reap your reward when the Lord recompenses every one according to his work . . . In the name of Jesus Christ we entreat you to live worthy of the blessings that shall follow after much tribulation, to satiate the souls of them that hold out faithful to the end" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, p. 353)

For as the light of the morning 

cometh out of the east, 

and shineth even unto the west, 

and covereth the whole earth, 

so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.

Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:26

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

My Soul Delighteth in the Things of the Lord

2 Nephi 4

16Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.
 
17Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorrowethbecause of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.
 
18I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.
 
19And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.
 
20My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
 
21He hath filled me with his alove, even unto the consuming of my flesh.
 
22He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.
 
23Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time.
 
24And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.
 
25And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carriedaway upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.
 
26O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
 
27And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?
 
28Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.
 
29Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.
 
30Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
 
31O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?
 
32May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!
 
33O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
 
34O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
 
35Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

Knowing what is important

Heather is grateful for the protection and blessings of Heavenly Father today.  Brandon layed his motorbike onto the road to avoid being hit by a fast car that did not stop or slow down at an intersection out in the country.  Covered with blood, he was taken to the Lubbock hospital with a concussion and shock.  However, he only has skin damage, and is expected to recover soon.  His home teachers will give him a blessing tomorrow.  Heather says, "everything is fine, we know it could have been much worse".

Heather is taking time off from work to stay with Brandon while it is so hard to walk and he is in so much pain.  "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).

The "grim reality" of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan has caught the attention of the people of Ecuador.  People who came to the temple seeking safety and peace were told by Security: "the temple is closed for maintenance, your home is the holy place where you should teach and protect your family".

Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen. (Doctrine and Covenants 87:8)

"The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean bhands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation (Psalm 24:1-5).

Heather and Brandon are very happy with the nurses, physicians, physical therapists, and all who are taking care of him.  Spring Break just started, so he will not even miss school.

The bishops in Ecuador are reminding the people to listen to the prophets and have supplies on hand for emergencies, but not to value possessions.  There are other values much higher.  "If we are poor, and have not as much as our neighbor possesses, do not envy him, and do not worry about it.  As I said in the beginning of my remarks, there is an eternity before us, and we shall always be ourselves, and nobody else, and what we do not gain today we will gain tomorrow, or some other time" (The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p. 131).

Like Brandon and the people of Japan, we are all at risk every moment of every day.  "We are all in it together, all of us, and we have a great work to do.  Every teacher can be a better teacher than he or she is today.  Every officer can be a better officer than he or she is today. Every father can be a better father, every mother a better mother, every husband can be a better husband, every wife a better wife, every child a better child.  We are on the road that leads to immortality and eternal life and today is a part of it.  Let us never forget it" (The Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 582).

To us what is important is our family and our friends.  "For this cause we also . . . do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:9-11).

Grandma loves Annie

Heber J. Grant

"Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves.  And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward." Doctrine & Covenants 58:27-28

"Never be found among the number that try to see how little they can do; but always be found among the number that try to see how much they can do" (Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards, p. 97).

Guayaquil Temple Steeple at sunset in March

Sister Howard loves to be of service to her family, friends, and everyone all over the world.  Her last assignment in the Gallup schools was to train and support families and parents.  The training included child care.  In this 2006 video we see her in action, soothing Annie by loving and talking and holding and shushing in her ear.  Another technique not demonstrated is swaddling.