To every nation, kindred, tongue, and people

From Ethan: Mon, Oct 27, 2014 12:18 pm

Wowie was it a nice and busy week!! We taught 16 lessons and barely had any free time! I think I can contribute the success to one thing that Noelle Pikus-Pace committed me to do. Each morning during my prayer I have been asking for two things, to be reminded to take upon myself the name of Christ more throughout the day and to have the spirit with me at all times. It seems to have worked very effectively! We had some great lessons and the Spirit bore witness every time we taught a gospel truth. Prayer really does work!

I have been in heaven this week with all talk about hunting. Elk and Mule deer season just opened this last weekend! I saw some pretty nice elk and deer horns :) The area that we serve is almost totally a farming community, sugar beets, potatoes and dairy cows! Finally the harvest is over, I guess that had an effect on our being able to meet with more people. Now the farmers are fertilizing their fields.  Guess what they fertilize with... (DON'T LET THE KIDS READ THIS!)  Yep, they use all the Cow Poo! Here in Idaho they have perfected the way to fertilize with Cow Poo.  Instead of using the traditional spreader and working it into the ground, they liquefy the poo and spray it out the back of huge semi trucks!! I guess it gets into the soil faster. Also they kill two birds with one stone, watering and fertilizing. With all the spraying poo, it gets in the air and yeah, we gotta smell it all day. I have never been in a place where it smells like our bathroom after my dad uses it ALL THE TIME!! It's most definitely something I would not wish on anybody. So that's a little bit about Burley, Idaho Unity Wards!

We had a very cool lesson this week with Taggert Patterson. Recently adopted by the Patterson family, Taggert was born in China an orphan.  At 13 years old, he speaks very little English because his mainly speaks Mandarin Chinese. We were able to find a man who served his mission in Taiwan, Brother Kyler Redder, who is still fluent in Mandarin! We were able to teach and have it translated into Mandarin. It was such a cool experience to hear the gospel taught in a foreign language. Even when Brother Redder would go off on a certain topic, we could still discern by the Spirit what he was talking about! Taggert grew up Buddhist and hasn't been able to except Jesus Christ as the Son of God. When Brother Redder testified of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Savior and Redeemer of the world in Mandarin Chinese I could not help but think of the scripture Mosiah 15:28 "And now I say unto you that the time shall come that the salvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.”  Now I know just a little bit of what my father felt when he testified of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the people of Taiwan.

I love being able to share the Restored Gospel with the people of Idaho and to help them receive all the blessings it has to offer them. I wish everyone could feel the love that I have felt from my Heavenly Father and a witness from the Holy Spirit that this Gospel is true!! It is something I hold very dear to my heart and when I share it with people I feel like I am sharing a little part of myself with them. It is amazing, it is lovely and it will continue the rest of my life!! 

Love and Miss you all!!

-Elder Howard (ehoward@myldsmail.net)