June 13, 2016

So... funny story.  My mission president said hey come down to Kentucky on Saturday so I drove an hour down to Kentucky without any idea of why I was going there. So I drive down there and we are expecting a bunch of missionaries aaaaand we were the only ones... So then we are sitting outside the Stake President's office freaking out and then President Porter was there and he said you are about to meet a general authority... Major freak out...  So we walk in and this guy who's name is Elder Grow sat me down and gave me a letter with my name on it from "somebody that you know" and I am like dead... Things going through my mind are like... I'm being sent home, MY MOM IS DEAD, horrible things, I don't even know what I'm thinking... So I open it and I'm like should I read it out loud?? He tells me to just look who it is from and... MOM??!!?!?!?!?!?! Are you kidding? I drove down an hour and met a general authority all so my mom could send me a letter hahahahahahaha It was so cool and when he told me and we were done, he said alright lets take some pictures! Haha 

So it ended up being really cool.  We were invited to some trainings for the Stake Conference where we learned about working with the ward council. Elder Grow is sooooooo funny! It was so great to have him teach us so many things and to receive revelation for our zone! 

That is probably the biggest thing that I have learned is the importance of hearing the voice of the Lord. I have found that revelation comes to us whenever we ask. It is funny how many times God tells us in the scriptures ask and ye shall receive. So I have developed a testimony of his talking to us. It has taken some effort but I have gotten better as I have written down a question, then studied and invited the spirit. God is bound when we do what he says. And I love him.

Elder Howland

(Elder Howland sent a picture but it's upside down and I can't figure out how to rotate it, so I'm going to attach it the way it was sent.  I wish I was more electronic intelligent...)

President Porter, Elder Wilcken, Elder Howland, Elder Grow

June 6, 2016

Elder Wilcken and I and Sister Bukhari and Sister Witherspoon all bought matching t shirts and are wearing them right now. It has cats riding unicorns like horses all in the clouds. Yes I'm pretty sure I just un-matured like 6 years. (And my grammer apparently went with it) hahaha

I had this weird realization... 9 months is next week. This is the first step to where I'm like okay I have been here for a long time. I have been aware of each month just because it goes so quick and I literally can't believe that it is going so quick! But this is 9 months. It is just crazy!

This week was awesome, quick miracle and I have to go.

It was 8:30 at night and we got a call saying we needed to be at the church so we left but the spirit said that was a mistake. So we got out of the car and talked to a couple people no big deal. But then we decided to not go to the church and instead went to go see this other family that we met this week. We went there and there was nobody home but then we knocked across the street and found a member from years ago who used to be a missionary but came home early and invited us back over!!! He is all tattooed up and stuff but sooo cool!

Love you guys!!!

Elder Howland

This picture was sent to me by a ward member in Miamisburg, Ohio.  Elder Howland was working on a service project for the member's neighbor.

June 1, 2016

This week was dang good! It is crazy that they are going by so much quicker than ever; next week is the last week of the transfer. 

So something I found out this week is that this zone that we are in is struggling more than any other zone in the mission. President Porter has taught us in the past that you put your priority in helping your bottom area (in business, missionary work, everything) and by helping raise your lowest area you raise the average of everything. So he has stacked this zone. I've known that since day one, I just didn't know why. So yeah he is trying to turn this area around and so I am surrounded with some of the best and most powerful missionaries out here and that is so cool. I am learning day by day how to be better by learning what they do... But that is boring.. 

Monday was exciting though! We had a Memorial Day finding challenge and it was sooo fun! We got together as a whole zone and went to parks and around town and spent the whole day finding new investigators, in fact that was the only goal!!! We went to different parks and we were never with the same people every hour or so we would come back together and switch it up and it was tonzzzz of fun! So last week we got 38 new investigators together as a zone all week... On Monday we set our focus on finding alone and we found... 39 new friends to start teaching!!!! In one day! As much and more than the whole last week! :) We also had so much fun and became more unified as a zone which always helps things haha

I went on exchanges in Eaton which is the sticks kind of city if I've ever seen one! I'm jealous that I'm not out there.  It was so cool because I was with Elder Miller who came out at the same time that I did and he is such a stud! We put 2 of their investigators on date which was so awesome because our area is struggling so I haven't seen a whole lot of success in it in the last month. We are going to be working hard this week to help those friends we have now to progress and feel the spirit and voice of the Lord!

We had a leadership council yesterday with President Porter and it is his last one before he goes home so it was pretty emotional. I learned so much about hearing the promptings that God is trying to reach out to us with. My goal is to become so familiar with his voice that I can know when he is talking to me and act immediately on it.

Whoa... this one was way longer than the last few haha

Love you guys!!!

Elder Howland

May 23, 2016

This week was crazy! God does great things! We did like 3 days of work and somehow we were able to meet all the needs of the area! We had so many meetings this week and God still makes up the difference! He is obviously the one doing this work.

We are going to see Jeffersina this Tuesday and we are excited to share with you about it. This week was pretty revelatory though with the meetings, There should be some pictures on the Cincinnati Ohio Mission Facebook page. Also there was a picture on the Facebook page that an Emmalee Cartwright posted of my companion that was soooooooooooo funny! :) 

We had a leadership training and got to see several of my last companions which was so fun and we got to eat good food and learn so much.  Things are just so great right now :) We are planning on this week being big!! 

LOVE YOU!!!

Elder Howland

May 16, 2016

So I just want to share a quick miracle of this week... We had a member out with us teaching and we had to cut that short to go to a dinner appointment. When we pulled in the parking stall of the dinner appointment's home, they sent us a text saying that they had to cancel. We were pretty bummed because if they had told us sooner we could have kept the member with us and done some good work! But we figured God wanted us in that area for a reason and so I got the idea that we should walk and we found a local member and decided to walk to them even though it was cold, rainy, and Elder Wilcken was sick.  We walked there, 2-2-5ed**, and still found nothing.  We walked back to the car and on the way someone pulled over and asked to talk to us.  And to make a long story just a little longer, we talked to a lady who had been adopted by a member family as a child and baptized.  Since then she had married an Episcopalian and has several kids and has been looking for a way back to church.  She said "I have lived here for 9 years and have never seen missionaries around here but I'm so excited to be able to come back." 

We had no right being there. If even one thing happened differently she wouldn't have passed by us. God led us there in a very real way. He is the one that knows where his children are and we need to rely more on him. I'm going to commit to do that more.

That is the best of the week and sooo much fun. This week we are going on 3 exchanges and so I'm sure that it will be soooo much fun :)

LOVE you!

Elder Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch Howland

(2-2-5ed means going to visit someone and if they do not answer we knock on the two doors to the right and left and 5 directly accross the street! The OCM version of tracting that is way more efficient.  I didn't know...I had to ask him what that meant.)

 Elder Howland with his new zone...at zone conference.

 Elder Howland and his companion, Elder Wilcken (from Texas).

Elder Howland...

May 9, 2016

Hello hello hello from wonderful Dayton, Ohio! Technically I am in a place called Miamisburg but I thought if I started out with that I would confuse some of you saying I got transferred to Miami haha. I am now with one Elder Wilcken who is a stud. Oh my gosh can I just say that this transfer is just like God is patting me on the back- after being in Norwood ward which struggled numbers wise and working with missionaries (except a couple exceptional families who shall remain nameless... *cough*Garlock's*cough*) I now feel like I have made it and just like Brigham Young I feel like I should say "This is the Place." I get fed everyday and we are not in the ghetto and my companion is fantastic, really a tremendous missionary, and person. The only struggle is that they baptized twice last transfer and they have literally nothing left so we are starting from scratch. But this is the second time I have had to do that and it is kinda fun to be honest :) I also feel like I get to be more of myself now. Like with Elder Mc Kellar I needed to be his number one guy and support him 100% and so we didn't do a lot with the other missionaries because he didn't want to and I was loyal to him, but now the whole zone is looking to us for leadership and I get to be outgoing and fun and everything I wanted to be! So that is the best :) I really love all the missionaries that surround us, they are so fantastic. And how can I not mention... We have a CAR!!!!!!!!!!! :) That is so nice, after 6 months walking ahhhh. Really. Just everything is so good :)

This week Elder Wilcken caught and tamed a wild snake! Yes Elder Wilcken the redneck (and redhead) cowboy from Texas wrangled that bull snake like a pro! We have pictures to prove it too. But I will have to send them next week.

Love you,

Elder Howland

P.S.  Elder Howland would love to get cards and letters from you all.  His new address is:

Elder Mark Howland

1103 Arrowhead Crossing Apt 3

West Carrollton OH  45449

May 2, 2016

Okay so I pushed this to the last couple minutes so I have to be very quick. So I am getting transferred. That is sad news because after being here 5 months I really loved this ward and the people in this area! I got called as a Zone Leader so I know about 6 areas that I can go instead of the normal like 30 possibilities but I will look forward to getting you that information as soon as possible!

This last week was awesome. Ronda came to church again for the third time and is ready to be baptized on the 14th. I hope I am able to come back for it! She is pretty much ready with only like one more lesson to be taught. I am looking forward to coming back to this area for her baptism she is so elect! She feels the spirit so strongly and participates in class so much. She was ready for the gospel and just waiting for us to come! What a miracle!

I keep learning over and over and strengthening my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know it is the word of God. I know that Joseph Smith is his choice seer and that through him and the atonement of Jesus Christ I can change through his Doctrine and become more like him. This has been the best experience of my life and can't believe it is flying by!

Nicole is going to be so mad that I am leaving hahaha 

Love you guys, thank you for your support and your love and prayers!!!

Elder Howland