Dusty's Email -- 4/27/2009

Hey, 

We aren’t looking to forward to this next week. We can’t contact or knock doors. Just work with the investigators that we already have and we can get references but that’s about it. So we started yesterday, because there was no church. We visited a couple of investigators. But before that, Elder Pickup and I had a little adventure.

So as we were studying in the morning, we heard a crash out back. We have a little patio behind the house where the boiler is, so anyway, we look back there and a big old bird had crash landed. We realized that he had broken his leg, and was trying to fly, but couldn’t. So we were wondering what to do about the bird, because we couldn’t just leave it on our patio. I taped Elder Pickup in my sombrero acting as the Crocodile hunter with the accent and everything. He was trying to see if it was alive by touching it with an umbrella. But he’s afraid of birds like up close, so when the bird moved he screamed and jumped.

We finally decided the way to remove it was to put it a box and bring him to the park. Elder Pickup had the box, and I had the broom and my camera. We scooped him up and brought him to the park. Elder Pickup put him in a tree and he fell out. We checked later on him and he wasn’t there. We aren’t sure what happened to him. Other than that the day was pretty boring. We made sure not to touch the bird, so all is well.

The sickness, as far as I know, has not affected the missionaries, only our work. We are all taking the precautions necessary, so we should be alright.

I haven’t had much time to find an oven to cook the brownies, but I think that tomorrow were are going do it at the house of a convert. My birthday went well. Last Tuesday we went to the house of this big family to teach them and they threw me a little party. Cake and presents. It was great. Then on Wednesday, my comp and I went to Burger King and celebrated. It was good. I can’t believe that its already been almost a week. This past Saturday I completed 10 freakin months in the mission. ugh...the time is going by to quick.

On Saturday we had a baptism, which was really special. It was a dad of a family that was all baptized except for him. My companion had been teaching him for 3 months and he finally got baptized this last week. How special it was to be a part of that.

As I said, yesterday all the church services were canceled. Actually school is canceled this whole week. The church leaders don’t want to leave their houses, so it’s kind of slowing the work down, baptism wise. But our Bishop has been good about it. We have two more baptisms for this week.

I’m going to ask President this week about Mother’s Day, and let you know the number and everything next week. I don’t think that it should be a problem for you guys to call earlier in the day.

Things are well. Thanks for all the letters about my birthday and I look forward to talking to you on Mother’s day.

Elder Howard

Dusty's Email -- 04/20/2009

Hey there, 

I can’t believe that I’m already 20 years old. That’s crazy. I hope that things go well for you this week in New Jersey.

I’ll have to check with President to see if I can call in the morning (on Mother’s Day), I think that it should be fine, but I need to check, especially since it’s a Sunday. We have to pick up investigators and all, but we usually don’t start that until 11 or so. I’m pretty sure well have time.

This last week was really great. We baptized a lady that we’ve been teaching for awhile. Her husband is a member, and she finally, after 20 years, got baptized on Saturday. It was so special. It’s such a beautiful baptism because all her family was there to see her do it, and in one year they can enter the temple together.

Yes, I did get my packages about 2 weeks ago, and thanks for all of the stuff. Elder Pickup and I are really enjoying the snacks.

And yes, Mom, Elder Pickup and I have been blessed with a lot of success this transfer here in Tecamac. I don’t know if I told y’all but we found a family of about 7 people that we are going baptize in May. How wonderful. They’ve had so many problems and now have found the Gospel and they are going to see a lot of blessings from it.

Oh and if you can remember Kevin in your prayers please, I found out today that his Dad suddenly died the other day, and he’s having a tough time. So please remember him.

Mom, we haven’t really had time to do the Easter egg hunt. I thought that we would but we just haven’t. Actually Elder Pickup completed a year in the mission at the beginning of April and we still haven’t burned his shirt to celebrate it. So yeah we’ve been really busy. But other than that, we got a good week coming for us, and we are really excited. Thanks for remebering my Birthday, and I hope that it goes well on Wednesday.

Love

Elder Howard

ps: I look so sexy in my new blue suit.:)

Dusty's Email -- 4/13/09

Hey,

 This last week was quite a good one. We had our zone conference on Wednesday, and it was great to hear from President Bulloch and the assistants. we got to do a part. We taught about how to teach the second lesson which went really well we thought. President Bulloch spoke on the Book of Mormon, because I think that I told you guys, but as a mission we have started an intense study of the Book of Mormon. I think what’s so amazing about President Bulloch is that he can talk about something that all of us have heard before, but put it in a way that you`ve never heard and help you to realize new things. How amazing it was. I’ll have to share with you guys some of his talks when I get back. 

The week was pretty bad for the zone, we fell way short of the goal that we had, and this week doesn’t look much better. Elder Pickup and I are trying to find a way to motivate the districts, because there are just a lot of Elders that don’t have the urgency that they should have. which is where we have to help them understand, but in a way that excites them.

I`m glad to hear that Josh is ok and nothing went bad in the earthquake there in Rome. Curtis comes home the 5 of July. So yeah, he’ll be home soon.

The person that called mom, yeah who knows. That doesn’t ring any bells, maybe it was just someone that was messing around. Who knows. From the info you gave me I have no idea who it was.

The Easter here lasts from Thursday till Sunday. It’s called the Holy Week. The people just do a bunch stuff, like walk in the street with a statue of Christ and sing. So it is a bit different, but there were also a lot of drunks, but nothing bad happened. All the stores close down, everywhere. We wanted to get two people married this week so they could get baptized, and the only opportunity that we had was Wednesday, which we spent most of the day with President Bulloch in the church.

So the ex-Elder that’s been robbing the houses. He started doing it while he was here in the mission - he was a zone leader in some parts of the mission so he knows where all the Elders live. So when the last mission President, President Littlefield, caught him, he put him in prison and he was excommunicated. He actually said a lot of things to President Littlefield about how he was going to do stuff to his family. President Littlefield had to have protection 24/7. But now this ex-Elder is out of prison and robbing the houses again. He is dangerous, so hopefully no Elder will try and fight him if they walk in on him.

It sounds like you have quite a responsibility on your hands with the new kids. It will be a bit tough seeing as they are deaf. I hope that you guys can help them and that everything goes good.

I got your packages this last week. Both of them. Thank you so much for all the stuff. We need to find an oven to be able to cook the brownies, but we are real excited to eat them. At night my companion and I lay on our beds and read each other the jokes on the wrappers of the Laffy Taffy, and laugh together about how lame they are. We are going do the Easter egg hunt, I promise that we`ll do it. 

This last week we talked to a number of people. One of the ladies gave us her information, and we went to her house to share the message, and only her and her son were there. They talked a lot and we didn’t really get a chance to share the message, so we left a Book of Mormon, described what it is and left a part for them to read. We returned two days later and the Mom said that she hasn’t had a chance to read because her son has been reading the book ever since we left and knows that its true and just can’t put it down. 

So that excited us, but also in this visit, almost the rest of her family was there, so we described our message, and walked out of the house with 6 new investigators that all came to church on Sunday. In all, the family has about 8 members. The other two had to work on Sunday but are coming this week with us. They have a lot of problems that they want us to help them with, they really want to know how to forgive, and the thought has come to my mind a couple of times to share what’s happened with us and the girls with them and how we had to learn to forgive, so we`ll see if I get the opportunity to.

Things are well here. Today we got permission to go to the central of Mexico City, because we wanted to buy some things. I needed to get a new suit and they have them pretty cheap there. This guy in our ward says that he knows a guy with a place. So we went there today, and let me just tell you, this guy has the hookups - I bought 2 suits...nice suits for 800 pesos. Which is about 75 bucks. So now I have a blue, a black and brown one. My black suit, the coat didn’t match the pants. The pants were lighter than the coat, so it looked a bit funny. Remember I bought some pants awhile back, because my suit pants got too small. The new black pants didn’t match the suit coat, it was close, but now, after months of work and weeks of wash, they are real different. haha. The suits are slick, I’ll send pictures. 

That’s about it from here. Elder Pickup and I are just trying to get our zone more excited to be here working.

Love you and thanks for the packages again oh and the tape too:)

Elder Howard  

 

 

Dusty's Email -- 04/06/09

Hey,

 That would have been cool to be a Zone Leader with Elder Tanner, but maybe in the future. This dumb computer erased my other email that took me forever to write. So I’m not happy and don’t have any time.

This last week has been busy. We spent two days in President Bulloch’s house for a Zone Leader council meeting. Then Thursday and Friday, my companion was sick and in the house. Saturday and Sunday we had three baptisms and General Conference. Yes I did get to see all 5 sessions, and 4 in English. I felt like a theme was temple attendance and the blessings from it. I’m excited to get the Liahona next month to study it.

I have a challenge for you all. To take the counsel from Elder Perry, find someone for the missionaries to teach. Because that’s our job, and the members job is to find. Joseph Smith said that of all the responsibilities in the church, preaching the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important.

Dad, I do carry an id but it’s of the mission, it’s like if I have problems with the police, I’m suppose to show them it. But it doesn’t hold any personal info.

There is an ex-elder who is robbing the houses of the missionaries. He’s robbed about 9 houses, in one zone, because he was a Zone Leader there when he was here in the mission. Please pray that the police can find him so that we don’t have such a big worry here in the mission. Many elders are starting to carry their cameras with them, because it’s almost more safe. This guy dresses up as an Elder, with his badge and all, and asks the people to let him into the complex and then breaks in the house. So it’s kind of a problem right now.

I really love the area here in Tecamac, there are a lot of people. This week we have 2 baptisms, and these 2 will complete a family, meaning that the whole family has been baptized and will start preparing to enter the Temple.

Mom, yes I have read the book several times and really enjoy it.

Thanks for the update about the final four. Go Michigan State!

I did get Kenny’s email - thanks for forwarding that to me.

I have to go. Sorry if these messages are short, I spend 20 minutes writing then the computer acts up.

Thanks for your support and letters and the packages.

Love

Elder Howard