Pumpkin Days

We have sent a lot of the missionaries home that came for 6 mos.,  they were mostly teamsters for the wagons and to take care of the horses, we have 16 beautiful horses you know DRAFT horses, I love them. They are matching sets!!! So their wives went home with them, of course. That brings us to about 100 missionaries here for the winter. We do a show every night so I am on every other night.   

My brother Dr. Carl Howard came a few weeks ago, that was so nice, he helped me with my hip I popped out of whack.

Well today we carved 600 pumpkins for the town's pumpkin parade. The pumpkins will line the street and corn stalks too. Nauvoo is big on pumpkin days so we missionaries participate for good relations and FUN!!!  I am going to be in the parade as a Christmas person!  You know - Big red bows, bells on my feet, a wreath on my head that lights up with batteries and a Christmas tree on my back pack, it looks cute and I will hand out candy.

  Well the weather is soooo beautiful now the trees are all in different colors.   I have helped in the yards we had to take out the gorgeous plants and plant tulip bulbs before the frost 24000 bulbs !!! Yes I said 24000, spring will be beautiful.  The trees here are so beautiful all of the fall colors, and the wind, wonderful now but not when it is an ice storm (YES ANOTHER WINTER !! YIKES!)

   Last week there was a inner faith to do and it was our turn to host. This is where 6 different religions, here in Nauvoo, get together to discuss and tell what they believe about a particular subject (7 min. each) ( what is the nature of GOD ) was this month.,  any way I made the carrot cake to be served to the 100+  visitors and it was great .  We decorated the table in fall colors. It was fun to do my old stuff. I didn't get to go because I was in the show that night, I heard it went well.

  Well I'm HAPPY and I love working on the sites and telling people about the history and whatever else they ask, that is the part I love the most. !!!!.    I organized the ladies to make a quilt for our president who is going home in Jan. after 4 1/2 years so this has taken a lot of my spare time, of which there isn't any! It is wonderful, everyone made a patch (80).
 LOVE,  Sister Janet Howard   AKA, MOM!

I Love working in the gardens here

Hi everyone, Did you enjoy the “Butterfly Circus" email I sent you!
  It has calmed down here a lot, it was so nice to have the girls come and see Nauvoo.  As you can see in one photo I love working in the gardens once a week, I've really made a dent here (You know I'm fast) well we have fun, my supervisor is Sister Skidmore.

  The first Sunday of Aug was 'Fast day " and I was working at the Skofield Bakery giving tours and a family stayed and asked lots of questions, I loved answering. I felt it such a blessing to tell them about the blessings of the temple and the peace that this gospel gives us. I feel the Holy Ghost with me whenever I need him, I don't want to end this setting apart to be a missionary - it's wonderful.

 These dolls I made for some missionaries that are leaving and I love them soooo. One of them was in charge of the Sunset Show, She was wonderful, and I put rouge on her dolls cheeks because she wears so much but it looks darling on her -I LOVE HER.  The other was like the dad here and made us all wood necklaces and beautiful pens with wood on them.   I hate to see them go. 

I had 50 tomatoes on my bushes and something ate them!!! I think a raccoon or a skunk.  I put coast soap slivers around, I hope they will stay away.   Well I finally got chiggers!! On one of my arms, Yea Jannette they drive a person crazy!!!  I got them working at Wilford Woodruff s back yard. 

  Well I'm happy still! The young preforming missionaries are leaving tomorrow, they were such fun, I hope they choose good companions to marry and have a life filled with love and kindness.   It is late and I'm in the gardens tomorrow at 6 am.

 LOVE, MOM/ Sister Howard





Visiting Nauvoo

Me, Brookelyn, Jannette and little Sadie got to go spend a few days in Nauvoo. It was so fun to see Janet giving tours at all the different homes and businesses.  We got to see her sing and dance and be in plays! She's a great missionary! The other missionaries there just love her. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to go and feel the spirit of the pioneers and see how hard they worked to build a beautiful city, and then have to leave it all and start over.
          If you have the chance to go to Nauvoo you should! I think it was even more special because we had someone we love there as a missionary.
Love you Janet!!  Love Jodi

They warned us that the crowds were coming

Well, They warned us that the crowds were coming - be ready! Yep they are here! 

 It is humid here so everything grows weeds and flowers!  I am really enjoying all that comes with this mission, even my growth, I can say that NOW.   We have had some really incredible experiences happen here. The saints that gave so much to the early church, are not forgotten and we feel them often, they were good strong humans.    

At this time the L.D.S. Church has 52,000 missionaries out, in the world and we are all paying our own way.
 Here in Nauvoo there are about 500 missionaries, performers, musicians, Temple helpers and helpers that keep everything going, here now.  

One man said “How does this all work?   About 90 % of everyone here are volunteers and pay their own way how does the church get people to do that?! I don't understand. 

The answer was *** How do we explain this to someone ---   The pioneers (saints) didn’t go through all of this persecution because they liked Joseph Smith! If that was the case the church would have died with Joseph and Hiram Smith (the Mobs thought the church would die - the mobs were Satan driven - most mobs are).  

We told him, The man,  This church is CHRIST'S church, our prophets are chosen and guided by Christ just as in Abraham's day. God loves us in the 2000’s as much as Adam's children.   When you read the Bible and read the Book of Mormon you get the whole picture of what Christ wants for this world. Now that you have intellectually read these books - Now Ask GOD if this is all true and asks for his spirit to tell YOU! IF it is TRUE.  We believe in personal revelation, this means you can get an answer for yourself and don't have to believe me.  Once you have felt the Holy Ghost tell you, you are willing to give all you can and that is why our church has so much. Yes we pay tithing but it goes to build temples and churches we meet in - and lots of it goes to humanitarian help all over the world.  Our clergy and even our Tabernacle choir are all volunteers so our $ is used to help the world (the Red Cross will tell you we are there before they are!).  

   There are 5 main shows to see and vignettes too; I have tried to get to all of the vignettes I had time for. I went to one yesterday (Joseph Smith giving the King Follett funeral Discourse) the actors are superb and it was wonderful about 20 min.    This talk was given at a funeral of Joseph's friend and He told of the spirit world and all of wonders and love that are there, how this world is for us to grow and serve God and each other. I have a copy of the whole discourse Joseph gave in 1842.  There is so much more than this earth!   I also went to Joseph's and Emma’s letters to each other vignette --- loved it!  

  Well enough for now, I will tell you some of the experiences when I see you. (9 1/2 mo. here and 9 1/2 mo. left)
   I am soooo glad I'm here,   

 LOVE, Grandma/Sister  Janet Howard

Yes, I'm still alive!

Yes, I'm still alive!  It is almost July and almost Billy's birthday !

 The shows are in full glory and we do 2 a night .   We have a lot of people here and when I am at sites, we are giving tours as fast as we can, alternating with another sister, actually we are giving tours at the same time, Wow It is so rewarding! Each group is different, I am told to say the story of the site but to be guided by the spirit what else I feel to say to that group.  I have had some real experiences and  some wonderful discussions. It is the youth I feel so impressed with  and I have had parents say "they are so glad they came to my site".   You know I feel so happy about the  gospel and all that it gives us including inner joy, that I wish I could help others to feel this glow inside.  The knowledge that I ,and all of you are children of God  and he really loves us, is so filled with hope!

I come home each day exhausted so I take a quick nap and then go to put on a show. I bought a new CD yesterday (Mormon tab. = THIS IS THE CHRIST ) I love it, I fall asleep to it at night .
 My Rellicinda skit is doing good ,they love it . It is a tongue twister and I have to keep my mind focused. I'll try to send a photo.

I bought a bike last week for $10.00 (used) It's so fun to ride. I am so looking forward to having the girls out here next month.

I'm kind of the happy one around here,  They say I'm always smiling, I guess I am. I'm glad to be here.  I miss all of you, especially the kids. I hope you all liked the pioneer hats I made you. did they fit ?

 The essays I sent you,You better read them !!! ( pre-existence, intelligences, and who are you ) there is alot of knowledge in it, things you need to know. The next one is about done ( The Purpose Of Life and Why are we Here? )    You are going to get a new subject every month, this is hard for me to find time but I am so willing to do it .

We have fire flies!!! They are soooo fun to watch it looks like fairies all over the place.

   Well good night for now.
LOVE , S/MOM

May 28, 2011

Hi,

   We did our dress rehearsal tonight for the SUN SET SHOW- it was raining some but we did it anyway.  It is an outside show, fun and cute, I did my solo (Rendacilla) this is funny I am BY MY SELF!!! And I memorized a story about Cinderella but it is all mixed up - yes I memorized it, WOW. It is cute and of course I made a funny costume for it.   I get lots of laughs.   Yes I will do it for you at home - but only if you beg ha ha .  

  Well it is so green here.  The other night I went for a walk about 10 pm.  It was windy and cool and dark with the moonlight, I think it was the most beautiful walk I have ever had.   There were fire flies,  and fields of grass, the moon and it was by the horses, over a bridge and on a dirt road, I just wanted to stay there, and Oh yes there was some water going under the bridge making wonderful noises.   When the girls come here they will get to go on a hand cart trail for 1 mi. ,if they want and that is where I was.

   All of our outlines have been re written so I have to kind of learn them a new. It is nice living around really great people, we are asked to do a lot, but it is wonderful to see how willing they all are and we are all in the same boat so we are all rowing together!!!   

  It is hard to get to all of you and the young women too and my ward family writes too, I feel guilty if I don't write, I really can't.

   I am making pioneer caps for the boys in the family, everyone wears them here and they look great.  

 I have 12 months left in my mission. I'm  Happy,

 LOVE, GRANDMA

Pictures


Janet sent some pictures of her mission. It's fun to see where she lives, her outfits that she wears and the sisters that she serves with. We are so proud of her and thankful for her good example.

Janet's House



Janet got to come home for a few days in February to help Jannette with the baby



Riding the train home in February 2011





Bee Catcher