Howard, Amelia

Alright, looks like my P-Day is Monday now! And I know I said this last week, but I'm pretty sure  this  is actually the longest email I've ever written. I honestly don't have a ton of time because P-Day is almost over. It ends at 6:00 pm sharp, and we have more teaching after that.  First things first, missionary work here in Edmonton is  nothing  like I expected. I had all these preconceived notions that my trainers have been laughing at. XD Oh, yeah, trainers  plural . I'm in a comptrio, so I technically have two trainers. I was supposed to go with some other sisters, but it's a crazy story.  Alright, summary time: This week has been  HeCtIc . I had a super long day of flying--not as long as some people, but long enough for me. I also had a tight connecting flight and so two of my luggage bags went MIA for a while because the airplane I was on got delayed. I finally got one of them back but I'm still waiting for news on the other one. :l...

CANADA EDMONTON MISSION #305, 8925 51 Avenue NW Edmonton, AB T6E 5J3 27 Aug 2021  Dear Brother & Sister Howard, We are thrilled to welcome your daughter to the Canada Edmonton Mission. It's been a unique time for us all and we are grateful to have your daughter serve amongst us. We are so grateful for your daughter's desire to serve the Lord! Attached you will find a picture of her with Sister Cowley and I and with her new companions. We thought that you might also enjoy this group picture of all the missionaries that arrived yesterday. We know that your missionary eagerly anticipates the emails she will receive from family and friends each week. To help her stay focused, we would ask that you consider sending your daughter's  weekly email as close to Preparation Day (Monday) as possible. When emails arrive, they show up in the missionary's 'inbox' and can become an unnecessary distra...

Hi, everyone! Disclaimer: this might be the longest email I've sent so far. I understand if you don't read it all!  This last week has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows! Just like my last email, I'll put a summary, then elaborate a little lower down. I still can't figure out how to access the pictures I've been taking, so apologies about that. If anyone wants to see some pictures, find our district on FaceBook! My companion and the others have been posting lots of fun stuff. Also, I'm going to give my district a shoutout. I hope you all see it! I'm going to bold this in the hopes that you read it, 18-A! -Sister Malu, you're amazing. I love your voice and your talent with the piano. You're so beautiful and the most patient person I've ever met. I loved hearing your testimony. You also remembered all the teaching steps and used them in the correct order. Thank you so much for being my companion! -Sister Tillmond, thank you for trusting me enou...

Hi everyone! I'm going to do this email a bit differently. Lots of things happened this week. I want to do a sort of small plates and large plates of Nephi thing where I'll quickly summarize my week, then go into more detail if people have more time to read it. (I understand if not everyone has time to read everything. XD) Also, I just have to say that I love alliteration and use the word plethora at every opportunity because it's a fun word. XD Summary: I've had a crazy week! The sleep schedule is hard to get used to, classes are awesome, and I have the  best  companion ever! The devotionals are savagely humbling, I feel slightly more confident with teaching, and I've felt the spirit so much this week! I've been feeling a bit under the weather, so I've been in and out of doctor offices, but things are good now and I'll doing much better. I went to the Provo temple with my district today. My district is great and we've been having so much fun. I'...

Hi everyone! I can't believe I've already done a week of the MTC! Home MTC was way better than I expected. I honestly loved it. After slogging through online school, I thought it would be boring, but it wasn't dull at all. I was busy with classes, workshops (they asked us not to call them devotionals XD), companion study, and personal study. I also got to practice teaching a couple of investigators with my awesome companion, Sister Malu. It's been a bit tricky to wake up on time some mornings. I haven't had too much trouble staying awake in the classes, though. They're much more engaging than online school. I feel like I already know my district so well, and I haven't even seen them in person yet! Two of the elders actually live a couple minutes away from each other, so they were able to meet for some of our classes. I'm going to the Provo MTC tomorrow! I'm excited but also a little nervous. I've had a couple virtual tours and it looks like a big...

Dear Sister Howard ,     Welcome to the Washington Spokane Mission!  You have been called to a mission full of daily miracles!  We are so excited to meet you soon and serve beside you in this great mission.  You have been recommended by your local church leaders as one worthy to serve, and called to the work by a Prophet of God.  You will be a wonderful addition to our mission.  We need missionaries like you to invite people to come unto Christ and help them receive His restored Gospel.  We are excited for the contributions that you will make to the work of the Lord.  You will soon come to feel, as we do, that the Gathering of Israel is the greatest and most important work on Earth!     This region of the United States is one of the most beautiful in the entire country.  The landscape is diverse – from majestic mountains, evergreen forests, rivers and lakes to miles of rolling hills of grain and fruit orchards.  As spectac...

Hi everyone! Today is my first P-day at the MTC. I had a full day of classes and companion time yesterday. So far, I love it! It feels a bit like trying to drink out of a firehose, but I made sure to take lots of notes so I wouldn't forget everything. I have an awesome companion named Sister Malu. We're going to be companions during the three weeks of the MTC. Not just for home MTC, but when we actually go to the MTC next week. I'm super excited to meet her in person, along with the rest of our district! I had no idea that a district was so small! There are only a dozen missionaries in my district, including me. Most of them are getting called to Africa, including Sister Malu! She's going to Zimbabwe. A couple elders are going to Kenya and the rest are going to Gana. (Hope I spelled those all correctly! XD) Some of the elders are also going to London and California. I actually got reassigned! I was originally called to Edmonton Canada, but I got reassigned to Spokane Wa...

Sister Howard began her Home MTC experience on Monday August 2, 2021.  It was great way to break her into the missionary schedule and for Amelia to meet her district and companion, Sis. Malu, through Zoom meetings.  It was tough doing everything online, but Amelia learned a lot and felt the Spirit strongly.  There were some technical difficulties, including wrong zoom links, poor signal, and everyone unmuting at once to answer questions.  Sometimes sibling would knock on the door or come in unexpectedly, but things worked out.  It was a special opportunity for our family to get a glimpse into missionary training, and to have a little more time with Amelia.  Amelia went on daily walks, or used the elliptical machine to get her exercise.  We attended the blessing for baby Alan, Jake and Becca's new baby on Sunday, August 8, which was fun to see family again.  Amelia cleaned and packed her room in her downtime, and spent time with siblings at SeaQues...