MY DYING WORDS.......HE DID IT!!!!!

 Entering the MTC on May 2011

 GOOD FRIENDS.....  at MTC

Wow so He Did It!!!!! such a proud mom!!! i hope that everyone enjoy Elder Houston's journey!!! he had many sweet and sour moments but what a wonderful young man he has grown into. what a powerful testimony he has gained and he will always be a great missionary thru out his life. thanks to all of you who has supported him thru this wonderful Tulsa Oklahoma Mission!! as he says
"The best mission EVER!!

ELDER HOUSTON'S FINAL EMAIL
May 22, 2013

wow.... so what to say well.. i did it ... haha what a trip! i have loved every minute of it..... the sweet and sour of it. i just hope and pray that i was able to do all that the Lord needed me to do. i tend to get in the way at times and i was by far a perfect missionary. but i pray i did my best that i knew how. ha if i had the chance to do it all again i would. a little break to see my family and then back to work i would go ha.... but wow what a trip.
       i never thought in all my life i could feel so much love for so many people. i never have known such happiness nor sadness. i have never been so excited or tired ha. so stressed! or so at peace with things. not any combinations of words can describe the feeling i have for my mission. so i will not try haha.
  but i will say how greatful i am for it and all that it has taught me to find my own personal testimony and witness! i have seen too much to deny the authenticity of the book of mormon, or the reality of the first vision and the restoration of the true living gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. i have in peace and surety entered in to the rest of the Lord, me knowing the truths of the gospel that can never be taken from me. and now the importance of these things has been shown to me and i know now the importance of making it possible for ALL, every one, to hear the message of the gospel. the elect hear His voice and harden not there hearts. in D&C we learn we are angels. all those who will and have ever lived here. and as it says in alma 13:24... im going to try all i can to be one of those angels declaring unto many and preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word. i pray i can be the example i need to be in all times and places.
     even though i cant be a full time missionary out here, i can be one in other ways. and i will need everyones help to keep me accountable to this, that i will live a life that is closest to the Saviors as i can. so others hearts might be softened to hear the gospel and have that rest that comes with it, that happiness :).
    i love the gospel soooo much. i love my Father in Heaven, who loves me with a perfect love that i will never know in this life. and im so eternally grateful for the love that i have gained for my Savior. i know i would have never known without my mission. im soo grateful for all those of my brothers and sister that made it possible for me to be where i am now. a love i have never known for life and everyone:)!!!
    charity is a pure love. the love of Christ who gave everything.
love ya family!!!!
see you soon !!!
love elder houston

2 WEEKS TO GO!!!!!!

 

Mitchell will be home in 2 weeks...Friday May 24th at 1030am...call me if you want to be at airport and i will give you more info.. His homecoming will be on June 16th at 12:00 at our ward building on southern and horne.

 oh my goodness.......FUNNIEST picture ever!!!!!! Elder Babb and Elder Houston having some fun!!

District meeting

 

 

Elder Houston's email:

May 5, 2013

 

hey family,

  so my heart is so full with the spirit this morning ha im on cloud 9 haha. so im not sure what i will get out in my email im just kinda dazed ha but ill do my best :). im just so full of love for my mission Pres. and for the people we are teaching and the members here and for my comp. hes so crazy but i love that dude haha. i hope you get our awesome picture hahaha i could keep a straight face i just lost it as he was licking me hahahaahah! so funny. we saw that sign on our way to houston missouri for a baptism of a guy and his wife who i taught when i first came out. two years ago. we where the ones that started teaching him and when he said hey guysi know its all true but my wife has to go through the disciplinary action and i want to wait when she gets baptized for me to be baptized. that was two years ago. the Lord is so loving and so aware of us  and the blessing he has in store for us. it was not coincidence that my last area was placed in the random district of mt grove, houston, and west plains missouri, where i was trained. and that i was place as a district leader so that i could do my very first interview to a guy who i didnt think i would see again let alone see him enter the waters of baptism. it was a complete circle of my mission. proof that the Lord has a plan he made it possible that i would still be where i needed to be in lebanon MO but placed us in a funny district at my last transfer so that i could witness this wonderful miracle. i love the Lord! and i love His work! sooo much.

   this weekend was just magical ha i loved it i have been able to see how blessed i really am is ways i have never thought of before. lebanon is about to have a flood of work and elect are being prepared all around us. it is sad that i am leaving just as its getting good ! haha but that is how my mission has been and i know it is for a reason. at the beginning of this year we helped set some goals for the lebanon ward one of them was to have 4 people baptized. a few weeks or so latter i received an answer in the book of mormon and the spirit that said the vineyard of lebanon missouri can easily exceed that goal if we work hard. and i know its true now there are so many people that we have met just in this last transfer that are ready for the gospel.

   we just started teaching this wonderful family. we have taught the mother allie only three times and she made it to church for the first time this weekend. haha it was funny it was fast and testimony meeting ha im not sure why but that always seems to be an investigators first sunday ha but any way the spirit was so strong and people where coming up and getting very emotional and crying. haha allie was kinda shocked by this it was very different ha she said, people at your church are very... emotional haha they cry alot. and she is not a emotional person. but as the day went on she came to class and we taught a lesson where the spirit was very strong and she got a gospels principals manual. when she got home she read the entire thing except two chapters! that a ton. but any way we went and stoped by to see how she liked church and she telling us about how we cry alot haha. then she got to telling us about her reading the manual and she said it was great i got to a part in there where is just made my feel so good and i started crying! hahaha she said what did they do to me! haha so funny we then go to talking to her about the spirit and how it can cause those strong feelings. she said it makes sence... and i know its true i always did i just didnt know where to find it. she began to tell us of some experiences she has had and how she knows this is it and she said what do i need to do to be baptized im done smoking what is next :) i could of kissed that lady after that !! haha i was so happy!!! but i didnt haha no worries i refrained haha but man it was hard i just wanted to shout praises and do a little dance haha but i just wait till we got to the car haha. I LOVE THIS WORK!!!!!! sooo much im going to miss those experiences they have not happened alot but just that one time make the entire two years worth every second. my mission was nothing that i expected but everything i hoped for. im so blessed and have been and am so grateful for the Lord and Father in Heavens infinite love and mercy my heart feels so full as to bursting and i know it is only a small small portion of their love for us :) i love this gospel and i love you all soooo much i cant wait to talk to you next week ill call you in the morning and tell you the plan for the skype stuff love ya and have a great week!!!

love,

 elder houston 

FIRE!!!!!

Elder Houston's email:

April 29, 2013

 

hey !!!

    so this was a  pretty great week we got to meet a couple new people that seem super interested in the church ! and we are moving back up in lessons ! i also got to talk with my companion a little about my goals before i leave and i think he is going to put in the effort for my :) he is so awesome i just wish he would follow mission standads better. haha so i forgot to tell ya last week he was going to make some lunch and it was one of them oven bake pizzas. haha he came and asked me hey do you think i could put the cardboard that was under the pizza. i was like i dono haha. so he put it in next thing i now i come in the kitchen and there is smoke pouring out of the top of the oven! i was like wo!! ITS ON FIRE! haha i opened the oven door and not the best idea smoke filled the entire appartment!! haha we were just running around yelling ITS ON FIRE! ITS ON FIRE! haha we opened all the doors and windows and through the pizza out side and patted it out. haha. then, after all was calm, elder babb took a peice of the pizza and ate it.. i asked how was it. he said its got a real smokey flavor. hahah it was great haha.

   we also got to start teaching this wonderful family that im soo excited to see them learn about the gospel there is sooo much great things coming to our new district. we have at least three in the areas mt grove, west plains, and houston. and we have a family of three another couple part member familys that might be able to get baptized before i leave! so awesome im super excited i just pray i can do all i can to make sure the area will be ready for elder babb and his new companion after the 24th. the ward council is also really took a jump on the work as well the bishop is helping a ton.

    well thats about all i have for this week sorry it so short. im so happy to hear all is going well at home thats so awesome mike and dallan go to speak together. haha tell mike im super pumped to see him too and i said hi! haha and i cant wait to hear his cool accent haha i dont have much of an accent sorry mom haha all thought when i feeling exctra hill billyish i can sound like a real gen-u-ine hill billy :) haha well i love you all im super excited to work and finish strong wth the goals i have sent and so excited to come home and see everyone and so excited to be the new born again person i feel i have become through my mission the new out look on life and the gospel and the real important things of this wonderful and exciting life im going to miss the spirit that comes to us missionaries but want to do all i can to keep on the wave of missionary work and always be worthy too keep the spirit so strong in my life. im going to need yalls help though i need you to keep me accountable. thanks so much for everything and for being the Saviors light in my life with your example of His love. for as long as His light of love is in a room darkness cannot be there.  oh and i dont mind when i talk what ever is easiest for everyone. just give me the topic and the day and ill do my best to get out of the way and let the spirit guide ha. tell bishop rogers im ready to be a ward missionary ;) haha i know i cant do this but i put in a request for it haha  love ya and have a wonderful week

God bless!

love, elder houston