June 2013

After a one year break from blogging I have had to learn to post all over again. 

This post is evidence.  Ta-dah! 

(Future updates will be easier.)

Back in the US of A 

and sooo excited for this entire summer…you'll soon see why!

After a 19 hour flight and 23 months in the Philippines 

on an LDS mission we arrived at SLC airport.

                                             We are beyond thrilled to be home!

         We get to meet Chloe Bell.                          Squeeze Jami Lyn.

                                                              Hug the Hills. 



                                            So many great girls came to greet us!

The Kelley's were there too.  

And X drove in from Gardnerville, Nevada!  

Tom came especially to deliver our new baby...

~ a 2013 black-cherry Honda Accord

Just when we thought we couldn't hug or cry anymore

we drove to Leatherby's downtown where we met up with

Tom's family, Sam's family and GREG!

Mix together this many huge ice cream parfaits, 

welcoming embraces, and excited faces (mostly mine) and 

the after party was a big tasty success! 

Faces like these…siblings Sarah and Robert.

The next morning we participated in the blessing day 

and events for Lee Ray Howell with Sam and Jamie.

                                             Mom came along.

And my babies…so proud!

                                     I made sure to bond with g'kids all day long.

                                          One of my new acquaintances…Kaelyn. 

                                            
                                            Taggart and Alta.

                                             Smiling Stephen.

                           My fellow NYNYN mission alumni Michael.

           and the man of the hour Greg, free from the snares of San Pete!!!

               On our way back to Momma Elna's crash pad we take time 
                  to be released by the new President of Ensign Stake. 
      
            Once in West Valley City we get visits from more amazing family.  
                                       Pictured here with Kyle.

                                              Here we enjoy receiving American treats!

                                  Jami is spoiling us.  We may never leave the US again.
                                         (At least for a week.)

Other visits in June: 

Layovers in Centerville with Tom's family.

Here is Emeline.

                                   Heston was born to the Kelley Clan on the 24th.

                                        Showing off with Alta.

                 Serving up strawberry shortcake in honor of Robert's HS graduation.

Dinner with best girlfriend, Lora Naylor 

and a tour of their new home in Brigham City.

Snuggling with Chloe.  Heaven.

Precious moments with Brennan, Kaelyn and Ava.                        

A family gathering with Lane's siblings in Pleasant Grove, 

the home of Perry and Mary Howell.

Britni's crew arrives in time for a BIG family birthday celebration.

Here's Dalia and Tesila with Ave and me.

 Sweet Cocoa with her daddy, handsome Rayson.

Ready for church!  A real accomplishment.

 (The only photo with Britni and Rock.)

So, June is the month to play catch up, 

see Randi get married, take a trip to China 

and plan our huge BELATED BIRTHDAY BASH.

Epistle #20 of 20

Greetings dear family and friends,

Today marks the eve of our departure from the Philippines.  

Time to pack a few incidentals…like playing 'memory'.  Remember that game?

Most of this pile didn't make the final cut.

Ready for a Walmart.  2 years supply - finished!

We've been warned to expect mixed emotions.  What is surprising to us is the overwhelming, all encompassing excitement we have at returning to the USA, being with our family, getting acquainted with 8 new grandchildren and seeing great friends again.  

Without question, the Philippines has left an indelible imprint on our minds and in our hearts.  We will always equate this country and our experience here with agreeable, cheerful, and hardworking people who love karaoke, drink mango shakes, have yapping dogs, wear modest swimwear, observe no speed limits, speak Taglish, tend to roosters and cockfight arenas, enjoy boxed milk, provide a singing compass at church, and invade Jollibees.  We have loved these incredible people, the beautiful tropics (although accompanied with the fury of typhoons), and even the humidity.

On May 7th our favorite perfect cone performed it's projected eruption, every 4th year, killing 5 climbers.

Also on May 7th…kidney stones.  Need I say more?

With the permission of the Area Presidency senior couples are allowed 10 days of travel just prior to their release.

Ifugao village at Banaue Rice Terraces.

Cebu Temple

Chocolate Hills of Bohol 

Tarsiers, the smallest mammal.

One of the New 7 Wonders of the World (2011) - Subterranean River of Palawan

 

El Nido Island Hopping

and picnic…fish, shrimp and fresh fruit.

The Philippines has felt like a warm blanket, embracing us for two years.  The blessing of a mission is that the Lord allows us the strength and capacity for the allotted time, and then He reminds us that it's time to move ahead to something new and challenging.  We are ready to move ahead.  We knew our time was up when Carolyn said recently "I think I've seen enough gorgeous palm trees to last the rest of my life". 

Does life move on in an exciting way?  Consider......
  We arrive in SLC June 1st in time for the blessing of Sam & Jamie's firstborn, Lee, on the 2nd.  

  Remember the 8 newest grandbabies we get to snuggle!?  There are 28 others of the larger variety!!!  

  We celebrate with abandon Greg's freedom from the clutches of injustice.
  Randi gets married to Roy Scott in the Draper Temple on June 5th.

  A few of you will join us on a 2 week exploration of China from June 8th to the 23rd.    

  Jerry earns his Masters in July!

  Also in July, a massive belated birthday celebration.  

  And our first Fabulous Female's Trip to a surprise location.  

  The months of August, September and October will see us visiting Cameron's clan in Oregon, Britni's family in Washington, Lincoln's crew in Indiana, as well as other cherished family and friends along the way.

With the last of these mission epistles we convey our deep gratitude to each of you for your love, support and prayers on our behalf as well as for other family members. Please put something in our inbox every now and then.  We are eager to stay in touch and we promise our continued friendship and prayers on your behalf.

Much love,
Elder Lane & Sister Carolyn Howell
Dad & Mom
G&G Howell

Epistle #19 of 20

Hello to our kids, grandkids and friends,

As we near the end of our Philippines experience, we want to share a few more visual images of the people we have grown to love.

We worked extremely hard to help Jenny Rose succeed in her schooling.  This is her family, with two brothers and a sister.  She is on the left. 

After working and working to help her get her loan application in place for her final semester of a two-year course, we concluded she was not going to take the necessary steps to complete her loan application.  We visited the school and discovered she had not paid her 20% of tuition and supplies for several semesters.   The accumulated balance due will prevent her from graduating.  And, she did not take the steps necessary to qualify for the 80% loan in her last semester.  Jenny has taken the courses, turned in her assignments, taken the tests, and now she is finished - but will not be allowed to graduate because she has not paid the school.  Sad.  Very sad.  Her parents were so hopeful.  

Joerex, Michael, and Oscar are three outstanding young men are all recently returned missionaries, living in a remote town on the eastern seashore.  

It takes us 6 hours round trip to visit them in Baler, over mountain roads that are mostly paved.  It is the remaining unpaved portions that make the trip so interesting.  Two want to be teachers, the third wants to graduate in police work.  If they follow through and study hard, they will be a blessing to this District of 4 small branches.  A teacher will make 8,000-10,000 pesos per month, starting out.  That is $200 to $250 equivalent.  For perspective, we squeak by on 80,000 pesos per month, or about $2,000.  

Elder and Sister D, with Rosita.  

We visited her home.  Or better said, her hut.  No cinderblock.  Mostly outdoor cooking.  Dirt floors and hard-packed dirt yard.  It always astounds us how they manage to dress so beautifully, with clean and pressed clothes, since we know the washing facilities they use.  No washer, no wringer, just buckets, plastic wash basins and wooden scrub boards.  Just above the HUILLIER sign is the black Church plaque, signifying the meeting place of the local branch.  The donut shop is a real temptation on fast Sundays!

One lucky family lives across the street from this drain pipe.   It simplifies kitchen clean up.

Quenie, another participant, lives in this jungle paradise.  She is about to graduate and qualify to become a school teacher.  

We encouraged her to become active at church again.  She came out the next Sunday.  It meant a long walk to the main road and then a Jeepnie ride for a few miles, and then another walk to the chapel.  Much to our dismay, the bishop made a comment to her that offended her and she has retreated again.  

This was a celebratory dinner for a local missionary couple who we love and who were completing their one-year calling.  (He is the one who lost his thumb in a fight with his brother.  The older brother swung a bolo knife at him and completely removed his thumb!)  This dinner was served as you see it.  No utensils, no plates....just banana leaves. 

The food was delicious and the novelty of the meal encourages us to serve a similar meal when we get home. 

Wonderful Elder & Sister P, with their nephew, post meal.

Our former barber.  Elder Howell asked him to cut his hair short, but it lost something in the translation...By the time he could open his mouth, Lane had a white sidewall on one side.  

So, now he wears a hat whenever he can.  

 

For a recent P-day, we decided to drive over the mountains to the "Survivor" beach near the tiny town of Caramoan.  No one told us in advance that the road was impassable, except possibly to 4-wheel drives vehicles or just motorcycles.  This was the scariest drive of our lives.  At one point we needed a group of native mountain Filipinos to push us out of a deep mud hole.   The car did not fare well.  It took us 5 hours to travel 54 miles, but somehow we made it. 

Accompanying me in this picture is a kind motorcyclist who shadowed us, stopping at the most difficult passages, crossing himself, and using a shovel to even out the worst spots.  Then he would scratch his head, waive his arms and point where he thought it might be possible to get through.  

The result?  A fun day of "Island Hopping" near Caramoan.   Remote, sandy beaches, right out of a picture book.

What we didn't know until we got to the town of Caramoan was that a ferry could have taken us there.  So we gratefully boarded the ferry back, on laundry day.  Most tourists we met were from Manila who had traveled by plane, then boarded a bus and next a ferry ride.  Even the locals were amazed that we made the trip 100% by land.  

Extremely low clearance for buses and trucks...

Now as our time rapidly wears away, Carolyn has created a diagram for our final trip into the Angeles and Olongapo Missions to provide one last training to the stake specialists.  The words "Olongapo Mission" are placed where a mountain range exists.  The travel distance from the upper left to the upper right would be about 8-10 hours.  

Carolyn is a master scheduler.  With texts, emails, and phone calls, she lines up critical meetings all along the way, trying not to miss a single Stake or District.  The last work day of our mission will be in San Jose, at the upper center-right.  

With area permission, we will spend 10 days exploring the Philippines, prior to our flight home.  First stop?  The ancient Banaue Rice Terraces--a world Heritage cultural site.  Then off to Manila and Cebu to visit both temples, and then a stop at the Subterranean Caves of Palawan.  These caves can only be seen via canoe, traveling through the underground stalactites and stalagmites.  Finally, a 3-day stop at El Nido for more Island Hopping and a little R and R.  Then....the most important stop of all -- the Manila airport for the 19-hour trip back home to see you all.  We expect significant mixed emotions as we leave this beautiful land and its gentle, warm and friendly people.  Sharing faith and testimony ties us instantly and permanently to our brothers and sisters here.  Our perfect pattern is Jesus Christ, of whom we testify.  True and lasting happiness can only be found by following Him.  This experience has taught us much about enduring our challenges well.   And what an experience we have had!

With much, much love to all of you who have "Survived" our 19 Epistles and have shared this adventure with us.  Can you survive one more?

Mom and Dad,

Elder Lane and Sister Carolyn,

Grandma and Grandpa Howell,

Friend