December 19, 2016

The thing about being a missionary during Christmas is that the Spirit is just soaring at all times! I have progressively felt that the Spirit is so strong and this week leading up to Christmas will be stronger even yet. The majority of people are thinking about Christmas and want to feel more of the Christmas Spirit than most any other time of year and so we are seeing wild amounts of success in helping families come closer to Christ. 

There are times when missionary work is hard and times when it is easy, however it is ALWAYS good. I feel like I can't even describe what the feeling is besides saying that I feel the Christmas Spirit. 

Let's talk about James and Misty for a little bit. They are always a treat to think about. I feel like they are family to us, we don't have our family out here and James doesn't have his family either, they are in Virginia. So we are going to hopefully go over there for Christmas and we can spend some time with them. We seriously love them, we have seen them make changes in their lives and do so much good and they started off already really good so it is wonderful to see. They are working so hard and overcoming so much and realizing how much power and choice they have over their own life. It is awesome to see Misty, she has a talent of being able to apply the scriptures to herself and James has a talent of digging deeper into them and seeing the morals of the stories. I could rave about my best friends all day long but if they saw it they would get bashful haha

We are seriously seeing so many miracles! Elder Tolbert and I are having such a good time, we are very much enjoying our time together! This is seriously the best time! We are loving our time together! :)

Have a marvelous Christmas and enjoy the wonderful time and take advantage of the time to share of the life of Christ! 

With much love,

Elder Mark Howland

December 12, 2016

I was talking with Elder Tolbert this week about how important the language that we use is. I have been obsessed with how often the scriptures use the words "speak," (in all it's forms)  "word" and others meaning the same thing. I mark all of them with the same color that I use for power because they are always referred to in using the power of God especially in testifying of God. 

Anyways I feel like it is so widespread to use self defeating language. I feel like it is so much more powerful to use language like "I will not drink alcohol" rather than "I can't drink." When we stand up for our beliefs I hope we remember that we use our agency to obey God's commandments. My Bishop from back home just sent me an amazing quote from President Packer that says, 

"Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God... We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see." 

We have such power within us and I feel like if we knew how powerful we really are, we would set our expectations for ourselves and we would achieve much more. God sees us for the power that we have and he loves us for it and I'm sure that he is so excited to see us come to grasp that power!

I hope you are appreciating the wonderful spirit that is surrounding us this time of year, I am!

With much love,

Elder Mark Howland

 Shopping for ugly sweaters...with Elder Tolbert.

December 5, 2016

Without any story or anything cool like that I just want to share my feelings with you about the joys of the Spirit, and missionary work.

This week I had a couple days where I was pretty low. My mood was bad, the work we were doing was slow (okay I lied I just remembered a story I will tell) and I just was struggling to find joy this week. Now everything is great, I'll tell you that first off but the process to get here from there was not over night.

So at the beginning of the week Elder Swainston got transferred and that was hard and sad. We had grown so much together and seen so many miracles. But now Elder Tolbert is here and Elder Tolbert has a very good skill of having fun and being very wise at the same time. While dealing with some personal inadequacies I went to him and asked him for some advice and it was amazing how he reached out and took some of the load off of my shoulders. What an amazing support he was for me that day, the next day I fasted. We had a packed day where we went from place to place to place and literally nobody answered the door. Even after a year, facing hours and hours of nobody answering the door it seemed fruitless. (If people had rejected us I could at least tell myself that a seed was planted and in the future they will listen). But with not even talking to anyone... it seemed like our work was a waste. 

Obviously we don't give up and we talked with a family walking down the road and they were awesome! We are going back this week to see them. Then again we talked with the neighbor of one of our investigators who used to meet with missionaries and wants the missionaries to come back over to help teach her and her 4 year old son! And things just kept going right from there. Without Elder Tolbert being my physical and mental support and without God being my spiritual support, I don't know if I would have stayed diligent. Luckily everything doesn't depend on just us though. We have God and our family and friends to rely on. They are there for us always.

I have realized that I have learned how to love out here to a degree that I have never before. I love the goodness in people, I love and appreciate my Savior and friend, I love each of you that prays for me and those I teach, I could go on and on. Heavenly Father has taught me how to love through service and gratitude. This is truly the best experience for my life. My eternity is changed. And the best news is that I am not a completed masterpiece! I still have a LONG way to go, and that is the most exciting part!

I love you so much! Thank you again!

Elder Mark Howland 

November 28, 2016

Thanksgiving was probably my favorite Thanksgiving of all time! We went over to a family's house in the ward and they had some other members there and they had some of our investigators there and we just had this really nice fancy classy dinner! It was soooo good and I ate soooo much! Totally worth it! And we read the address that Abraham Lincoln gave when he first instituted Thanksgiving. I love that tradition! We then played some games together and it just made for an awesome day!

James and Misty were at church this week again and it was amazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzing! We have Stake Conference next week so fast and testimony Sunday was this Sunday. You know how you never know what you are going to get with those meetings? Well this was the most wonderful Testimony meeting I have ever been a part of! The crowning event was James standing up and bearing a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon. Misty was crying from the time church started til they left. It was a perfect day.

Transfers are tomorrow and I am staying here in Muncie and Elder Swainston is leaving sadly. Elder Tolbert is coming in and we are going to do great things!!!

Love,

Elder Howland

November 21, 2016

This week was awesome. I had the opportunity to go on an exchange with one Elder Jones. He has been out on his mission for about 4 months and is the quietest person in the world. He has a very very loud companion and has not as of yet taken much lead in his area, and so Elder Swainston and I discussed it and decided that what would be best is to allow him to lead it all the way. That was probably one of the hardest things to do. Not make any decisions. Not invite him to do anything. Just simply follow.

At first it was weird and slow. It was awkward and frankly without skill. It is easy for me to do it and to step in but it brought miracles by allowing him to do it by himself. I learned that God does not work in skill alone but he works by the Spirit. I learned so much with 24 hours with Elder Jones about God's calling each of us to the exact place that we are and he needs our individuality to bring about his purposes. I couldn't have done it. I talk too much haha Only Elder Jones could humbly allow those investigators that day to ask their questions and think about the things we shared. He taught me so much just by being himself. The power of being yourself and following God's will is unparalleled.

We are powerful beyond what we know.

Elder Howland

Oh what the heck?! How did I not mention James and Misty came to church!!! They were participating when a question was asked and very reverent and respectful at all other times. James is a social butterfly and went around introducing himself to everyone. Soooo cool! They are such genuine and loving people.

November 14, 2016

So this last week we were talking with an investigator and I really don't remember what we were talking about but from the conversation I remembered when I was serving back in Norwood (which was December-April last) and I remember being devastated by the most crippling doubts that I have ever experienced in my life! Although I had had spiritual moments and lessons and had a very defined testimony there were several weeks where I just questioned everything! It was all in my mind, I made sure that I didn't tell anyone else because I thought it was a weakness and I thought that I would hurt other people's testimony if I told them about it so all I did was pray. 

Day in and day out I prayed that I would be able to overcome the doubts and that I could have the confidence in the Gospel that I once enjoyed! It didn't come all at once and I don't think I ever noticed them really go away but all I know is that now I can look back at that experience and just be so grateful because I was able to overcome that which I thought I would never get out of. 

Really, that is the big trick. Satan wants us to believe that when we go through things we have no hope. There will be no end to the hurt or the doubt or the sorrow or whatever our current trial is. But you yourself are the testimony that that is not true!!!! Can you see that? How many hard days have you gone through? And how many of those hard days have you made it through? Yep you have a perfect score and so why would now be any different than alllll those days and years before? You will continue to get through. The only difference is will you allow Christ to carry you through so that you can have peace as you overcome your challenges? Because there are 2 ways to overcome something, one way is to be dragged through completely miserable OR you can decide to overcome triumphantly and confidently.  I hope you can see the hope. I hope you can see the way, because He is the way. Where faith is, fear cannot abide. Just like where light is, there can be no darkness. 

So this week was great! It is definitely cooling down out here and we are using thermals and jackets but the fact that we made it halfway though November is still pretty dang good! This happened last year when I was down in Kentucky also so we are hoping for another very mild winter! Although either way I am in a car area right now so I have that. Last year we were walking 100% of the time!

Also transfers are in 2 weeks and I've decided I want to stay in Muncie forever it is soooooo great here! Okay here are two fun facts. One, Parks and Rec is set here which a lot of people know about but here is another. Two, Bob Ross was filmed here also! We went over and did some service and painted a room in an investigators house and they had Bob Ross on which I love and he said that indeed that was filmed here!

I love you guys! Thank you so much for your unseen prayers for me and thoughts. 

Elder Mark Howland

November 7, 2016

Here is kind of a short miracle due to time.

We had a missionary meeting this week and it was all about reconnecting with God and not being repetitive with prayers and it made the biggest impact on me. That changed my life. Before that day I kept looking at others and at all the bad they had, all the pride, and all the annoying things. Once I connected with God again through sincere prayer it was a connection on a deeper level than I think I have in my entire life- all the strife of the last 2 months disappeared in a day.

Despite that poor attitude- Elder Swainston and I were obedient and hard workers and we saw many miracles together but the biggest miracle has happened this week and it was within us. We came together and worked together and became one with Christ and we humbled ourselves and it is literally a miracle. The tension has dissipated and love and respect has taken it's place. It takes continual work but the Lord was truly instrumental in helping us to be what we already wanted to be but couldn't accomplish on our own. By being more sincere in prayer, it has invited more power into our life and helped to change us. That is what the atonement of Christ does, gives us the power to fully repent and change! 

I knew my pride was standing in my way and for at least the last week or two I have been praying at nights similar to Enos just hungering for the humility to love others and he answered that prayer through the revelation in MLC (Missionary Leadership Council). It is almost inconceivable how reconnecting to God solved a problem seemingly unrelated and yet now looking back was the biggest problem itself.

When you are feeling down just think about the good in your life and if you are discouraged you should know that you are doing better than you think. All goodness comes from God and we have a lot of goodness in our lives!!

Love,

Elder Howland

James and Misty (they're getting baptized on December 3rd), Elder Howland, 

Brother Hinds (with the beard), Elder Swainston.

Elder Howland and Elder Swainston