Christmas in Campina Grande

Oshi! Ola vocês! Puxa o tempo passa numa pisca do olho!
Como vocês estão!? Natal está chegando!!!

Ahhh! I cant believe Christmas is arriving so soon! Its funny as a missionary you really see
the holidays coming and going especially this time of year as we see the decorations go up in the stores and people putting up lights. Here they do have christmas lights! but there are not nearly as many like back in the U.S. Its like only a couple houses here and there...whats cool is that here usually the houses have a little veranda entrance before the actual entrance into the house with a gate, ``a little room entrance`` and in this room a lot of people put their Christmas tree there and lots of lights, so its way cool to walk down a street at night and see all the Christmas trees! I put up one picture of the most extreme house i have seen here that is the closest to an average american lit up house...anyways here in Campina Grande it actually sort of feels like the the Christmas season weather wise. Its actually gets cold here! This time of the year is definitely the best time of year to share the Gospel and the true meaning of Christmas. One member told me that this will be the best Christmas of my life becuase I can be the best present to somones life sharing the gospel. You guys can too! ANyways I love you guys very much until sunday  

Thank you Grandma and Granpa!  I love you!

My new crazy rubiks cube!

This thing is nuts! I need to put up another picture of it deformed...Irmão Rafael gave this to me...

He is the master of rubiks cubes...i still dont know how to do this one yet...

but i will by the end of my mission...i swear...

Short and sweet message but Andy's clearly happy!

Oi!!! Tudo Ok com todo mundo!

Right off the bat im sorry to be frank but this is going to be my shortest email ever because I was helping my companion out with many things and writing a lot to the Pres and I just uploaded a ton of photos for you guys to catch up there. But in short Holy Crap! I love my new area and my new companion and my new bishop and members! Im very excited to work here! I have so much to do! Im super excited as well to talk to you guys shortly, ahhh i cant let that distract me! SO...About the phone call im not exactly sure yet...I think i will try to use a computer in our capela...I will fill you in more next week. Love you all, Have a great week! Elder M. HOwell IM going to be sending a surprise to you guys tom!

In Travel to Campina Grande!
My son, Elder G. Olivier on the left!

Transfers...Andy Senior Comp in Campina Grande!

Puxa Vida!

Flip! My whole world has been turned upside down, well my whole missionary world that is! From this day forth my mission will be completely different becuase...I was transfered to Campina Grande, Jardim Paulistano! As a Senior! On top of that I was called Treinador! I´m a Father! haha Dont worry not literally! that would be crazy! My ``son`` is Elder G. Oliviera! He is from Minas Gerais! He is a Brasileiro if you didnt notice from his name! Im really grateful that I have a brazilian child just in case i dont understand something exactly right and can continue to help me with my pronunciation! Whats awesome is that i will be living in a house full of Brazilians again! but unlike the first time i will understand what they say! haha This is going to be an adventure! ahhh I have the responsibility to lead all the discussions and train this greenie all he needs to know in 12 weeks so that by the end he will be able to train right off the bat! I am nervous im not going to lie! Im nervous that i will not be able to handle this role, but that is where my faith comes in. I have never felt so unprepared so unqualified...my I was called of God...so this must be the right time for me but i sit here writing this email with so much anxiety on what is to come and how i am responsible for everything involved for the progress of this ward here...I sat sleepless looking at the ceiling in the Moroni house (the house right next to the presidents house) thinking Im just a 20 year old guy with 8 months in a country that ive never been to speaking a language ive never studied before i came, but now this country is starting to feel like home...Everyday its becoming more familiar to me...Im petrified, that this all happened so fast but i trust in the Lord with all my heart that everything will be all right if i give it my all! I know that prayer is such a simple thing and overlooked severly by many but the confort i felt last night was unbelieveable...I love you guys! I pray for you! Plz pray for me and my companion here as we are reopening an area!!! Love, Elder m. Howell

Thanksgiving in Brazil

Oxente! Ola! Como vai? Eu estou aqui de novo escrevendo para vocês! Incrível!

First things first, Im sorry to hear that you guys werent able to have memorable
Thanksgiving, well memorable in a good way, thats the worst thing ever to be sick
during the time when lots of things should be going into the body instead of the other way
around...i remember one thankgiving long ago when i was in Moab, Utah with the fam and
i got extremely sick right before the big dinner! I went straight to the bathroom, spent a good half an hour pouring out my insides and then i felt as good as new and went and replenished what i had lost...I hope you guys feel better soon, thats a real drag. On the brightside I had a special thanksgiving with the our Bishop Israel which is his first name, how cool is that, and with a couple of the members we like the most haha, we would have invited everbody if we could but you know as a missinary we only have so much, anyways it turned out really sweet. That day i was missing my family tons thinking of the awesome
thanksgiving memories we have had with the Mayberry´s but that night i felt like i was eating with another family. It was quite something as we put together a little slideshow we put up with a projector and we went around the table as tradition expressing what we were grateful for. Im grateful for many things but i shared that i was thankful for a hot shower...haha also for the Gospel in my life that brings me so much comfort and strength to be the best person i can be also for the incredible power it has to overcome any challege and heal any burdened heart and relieve any sort of sorrow. I would be a completely different person if i never was converted to the Gospel as i am now. Also thank you so much for the package! I received one that has a book, im assuming my origami book :) and a bunch of sweets! Thank you so much! Im preparing a little something something to send to you guys for Christmas! I hope it will get there alright. Anyways also we had a special conference with Presidente Hall( who my companion and i yes we both write to him every week) and surprised guests the presidente of the CTM of São Paulo! I didnt have he pleasure of passing through the CTM there but im so happy i met him. He and his Wife Presidente Clark and Sister Clark bore super strong testimonies. I was very uplifted. I cant believe its going to be December this week! Time is flying by! Have you guys put up the tree yet? Its going to be a tough Christmas without you guys but as Sister Hall said i only have two Christmas´s as a servant of the Lord! Im really excited for the christmas conference we are gong to have the 13th! Well, I hope you guys get better real soon...Real quick, is Grandma still working at temple square and if she is where at? Could you guys send me Tyler Blacks Address along with MaryJoy and Darrins and the Saxtons and Dean and Caseys and Brian and Jeannie that would be awesome! Well until next wed! because of transfers! awww! I think i might be called Senior!!!! Some of the missionaries if my group have already been called! so i think im next! aww! Hope you guys have an excellent week!
  Abraço, Elder M. Howell

Speedy note...lots of new pics!

WOW! Time flies by way to fast! Especially when Im in a lanhouse attempting to write to you guys...
I swear the fastest hour in my life! Anyways im very very sorry this is going to be the shortest by far so far
but i just want to mention a couple of things...the gratitude i feel to the people who have touched me in my life, who give me so much inspiration to improve myself in everywhere and for the love they express to me even with all the flaws that make me who I am...Thank you Dana and Madison for sending me all the pics and quotes of President Hinkley, made my day! I have started to read ``Our search for Happiness`` and by golly it is a great book! I recommend it to everybody, especially non members...Anyways i hope you guys get a sense of what happened this past week better with my letter to the Prez...I hope the translation isnt too funky...I love you all very much, I cant tell ya, Have a great week! Enjoy the pics!  Love, Elder M. Howell