4th week in the field

Hey!!

Sorry for no letter last week in this internet cafe some kid tuned off my power... it took a while to get started up and it took like 20 min off my e mail time.

So life in the field is pretty awesome. My companion Elder Harding is from Lehi Utah and is every bit the trainer I have been praying for. Sadly he is finishing up his mission and will go home on the 14th so we only got one transfer together. He is a bold teacher of the gospel and he is so patient with me and learning the language. Also its super awesome when he teaches because he teaches with the spirit everyone who is in the room feels the truth of our message... sadly we have come across people who don’t care and their hearts are hardened, they deny the holy ghost they do not let him into their heart... when this happens its really sad. We leave the lesson not upset but just sad... truly sad. Godly sorrow is what it is called. We have done all we can and they will not listen, it’s truly a unique experience. 

So I live in Bella Vista we have a nice house with 3 rooms 2 bathrooms a kitchen, microwave, washer, the whole 9 yards and we live there with the Assistants. When I get my camera I will take some pictures send them, the place is nice and the only bad part is that our chapel is a good 2miles away, so in the heat of the Teresina sun that’s not to much fun but I’ve gotten use to the constant sweating. It’s pretty normal now. haha

So Mom to answer some of your questions: yeah I got pictures taken with the mission president; they took some at the airport when we landed. Oh so the flight was direct from Sao Paulo to Teresina. The Teresina airport is really small; we walked off the plane onto the run way into the only baggage claim. It was cool, when we were flying in you could see the city of Teresina and then just trees for miles and miles. Even here in my area when I get to the top of a hill its just some houses and then in the distance it’s just trees and trees. 

We do our laundry in our washer I think all the areas now have washers Elder Harding says that I’m lucky because his whole mission he had to do it by hand and also the microwaves are just now finally in all the houses so that’s nice too. I still have my suits and if the chapel has AC you have to wear it in sacrament meeting. My chapel is really nice and has AC so we get to wear our suits this is the only time of the week that I am cold hahah.

I haven’t gained any weight yet, ill keep you posted though. But Elder Harding has stayed the same his whole time here except once he got sick and dropped to 127 he is 6ft and weighs just under 150 so he was really skinny but he has gained it back now. The weirdest thing I have had is Cow foot. It just tastes like beef not that strange. But they have a soda here (oh yeah I started drinking soda you kinda have to because every lunch the members serve soda) called Guaranu, its soooo good and they make the soda here with real fruit juice so the fanta and sprite here taste really good... not that I really remember how they taste in the states, hahah. 

This week I was super blessed we went to go teach a lesson with a member and the person we were going to visit was not home so we went next door and asked if they would like to hear a messages they said sure so we went in and began talking about churches, and the Husband said "there are just so many churches and if we only have one god why is there such confusion. And how are we suppose to know what one is the true one." My jaw dropped.... And we told him "well that is a very good question, and one that a 14 year old boy also had, his name was Joseph Smith" it was CRAZY, we will go and teach him some more this week and hopefully he will got to church this week. 

Well I love you all and miss you bunches!!! Please keep up the prayers for Portuguese I need all the blessings I can get :)

Love Elder Howe

NEW!!! Mailing Address

Now here is the NEW/UPDATED Address for Elder Howe:


Attention: Mario Diaz
Elder Alexander Howe
CP #2321

64001-923 Teresina, PI,

BRAZIL

Week # 2

This week was good, and sorry I didn’t leave enough time to write too much. My thought this week is trust in the lord. 

You will always have trials and challenges but those who have faith and overcome them and endure with faith shall have eternal life. The easiest way to overcome trials is to do the small things; read your scriptures every day. Pray with sincerity; take time to talk with god every day DONT RUSH PRAYER. Make sure you go to church and taking the sacrament worthily. Do these things and honestly what can’t you overcome? I love you all!!! 

Love Elder Howe

My First Week in the Field

So it’s pretty awesome here in Teresina Angelim. It is so awesome here! I have the best trainer ever he only has 5 weeks left so this is his last transfer then he is going home to Lehi, Utah. His name is Elder Harding. This first week has been super exciting; the first 2 days were super rough, just being thrown into a fray of Portuguese speaking people and not knowing what they are saying I have learned to observe... hahha. after the first 2 days though I can normally understand what people are saying...but sometimes they talk really fast and I just stare and smile... they say “you don’t know Portuguese” and I reply “nope but I’m trying”... please pray that I can learn this language fast.

Normally when I bear my testimony the people light up, I speak like I’m 2 years old but they feel what I’m saying, and one of the best moments was after I bore my testimony Elder Harding asked... “did you understand?” to the people and with out breaking eye contact with me they said “yes.” Man that was so sweet!

I’m working on getting a camera, I really want to show you guys what it’s like here it’s so awesome!! OH-look it up on goggle maps we are in the south part of the city of Teresina.  But yeah I will work on that camera thing. 

The people here are great they are soo ready for the gospel, like we invite them to be baptized on the street. Like the 2nd question we ask after “what’s their name”. We need to find Christ’s elect there are too many people to work with who don’t want to not be prepared when the lord returns so we ask right then and there. I LOVE IT! Every single person here has faith in Jesus Christ... so it makes our job so much easier. I know the lord has been preparing this area. The people here are looking for the gospel and we are here to feed them the words of eternal life. It’s so awesome!!! 

The Portuguese is going well I have to speak Portuguese when I’m out of the house so its been rough but I’m learning and trying my best and know the lord is with us... I have seen his hand in many ways just in 6 days. I wish I had time to tell you all they ways but just know that your prayers are being answered and the lord is watching out for me and making sure his work is getting accomplished. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Love Elder Howe

NEW Mailing Address

Check out my New Mailing Address (also updated on the side) :

Elder Alexander Thompson Howe

Brazil Teresina Mission

Rua Tersandro Paz No 2129, Salas 105-108

Centro

64001-380 Teresina - PI

Brazil

Note and pictures from Elder Howe's trainer

Below are some pictures and letter from Elder Howe's CTM language trainer:

Sister Howe!! Happy New Year (a little late..hahaha)
 
This morning your son, Elder Howe, left MTC towards mission field!
Yesterday I could tell quite clear how you felt when you gave him the last hug at the airport to send him to Brazil...I gave him my last hug also we both cried, haha... I do love your son as my brother! I now miss all my missionaries from his district! I really could feel a lot how a father feels when a son leaves home for serving on a mission.
 
I want to assure you all that Elder Howe is one of the best missionaries I ever trained in the MTC!!! He is simply amazing! He was doing and will keep doing a great work for the Lord Jesus Christ!
 
Thank very very much for sending him to us! Thank you for preparing him so well! He is a great example to me! Every time I was needing to invite the Holy Spirit for my classes I knew I could call for Elder Howe to give a short message and the Holy Ghost would come through his words and testimony.
I miss him! Please, tell him again that I love him! He is now one of my best friends ever!
 
Have a great 2012 full of joys!
Regards,
 

Alessandro M. S. Zamboni
Bilingual Instructor - Brazil SP MTC

Surprise!

Dance party

Hands must be up in order to join

YAY Elder Howe!

Candy bag and new tie

Whole training group

Where's Waldo?

Week #8; Secret hatch

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

So I’m almost out of the MTC (CTM depending which language you’re speaking) and on to my Mission in Teresina. My whole district is super pumped to get out and begin working!

Christmas was super good here; Saturday we were allowed basically do what ever we wanted all day. We decided to spend our morning in the gym, so that was fun then we had a delicious lunch followed by the Muppet Christmas story (in Portuguese) I didn’t really know what was going on (those Muppets talk so fast) and then later that night we watched a Christmas Carol. Such a good movie, I don’t remember the last time I saw it but it is a super good movie. they also gave us all ties for Christmas and bags of candy (the candy down here is pretty good) and then the next day we just had sacrament meeting and we were allowed to do what ever our hearts desired... so I studied hahah. It was a wonderful Christmas to just reflect on Christ and all he has done for me. 

On Monday we got to go out on the streets and proselyte... Elder Cooper, and my new "companion" Sister Kafussi went out with 7 Books of Mormon and we're able to give each one away with a message in an hour. I was really a miracle because this area where we are allowed to teach had been combed by missionaries every week for the past 8-9 years by missionaries. So most companionships struggled to place 3 in the 3 hours we were given but the Lord truly lead us to people who needed to hear our message. I know it was because the lord hears our prayers, we had been praying for a few days that we would be lead to people who needed our message. So yeah it was good. (Sister kafussi is like our study companion because she is the only sister in our district she just studies and teaches with us). But we were out on Monday it was funny to see how some people avoided us. it was funny this one lady were walking towards and as we got close she turned and faced this wall with a tree next to it, we were behind her saying ”HI!" and she is just looking in this tree and pulls a string out of this tree... she pulls a string and a door opens this like secret missionary escape hatch she walks in to it and shuts the door... we just all started laughing, because this lady just pulled some random string and opened a secret door.... unbelievable!! hahah 

I love you guys and I am not sure if I will have a p day next week so I might not be able to send an email... but the next time I do send I wont be limited to 30 min!! YAYAYAY love you guys!!! HAPPY NEW Year!!!

Love

Elder Howe