Dr. Roy E Howard April 25, 2014

SERMONCITOS Two Strikes Ignite an Eternal

Flame!The beginning of !

the Latter-day Sentinel!!!!!

Nathan L. Howard!http://latterdaysentinel.com!

!! Five years ago this June 2014, our son Craig with another gentleman started the Latter-day Sentinel, “…a news portal for members in the Spokane Temple District.” The registration progressively increased each month. The inspiring stories captivated the readers and many positive comments began to be received. Just a year later when the new on-line paper was beginning to make progress, Craig’s associate and cofounder of the Sentinel, announced his departure from the State. This would surely extinguish all the efforts made in the past year to introduce this unique medium featuring local members with stories to inspire thousands. Rather than see this happen, Craig appealed to JoAnn and me to take over the Sentinel as owners/publishers. The time required for this project along with the out lay of substantial money to purchase the paper from the departing founder, left us pondering and praying.

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Dr. Roy E Howard April 25, 2014

To hear the rest of the story, we need to back up about 60 years to the 1950’s - San Francisco, CA. ! My Dad was the ward softball pitcher and was quite successful in pitching with good velocity, striking out a number of batters per game. I recall going to the games with him…freezing in the stands as the San Francisco fog rolled in about the 5th inning. He practiced in the back yard pitching a hard foam ball against a backboard target. He and I played a lot of catch until I hit my teenage years, when things changed. I got my first car and started driving every day after school to the City, to work at the concrete company. As a newly hired lab technician, Dad, was now also my “boss”! I suppose it was partially my fault, but it seemed I could never do things right in his eyes, and we gradually grew further apart (Strike 1 – and the flame took a noticeable reduction in its brightness). ! Dad was quite the preacher. With his church callings in the Stake Presidency, and later as a councilor the California Mission Presidency, he gave lots of talks and practiced his talks on us kids at the dinner table. I’m afraid I was more interested in my Mom’s good cooking to pay much attention. He purchased an old foot pump, hand feed printing press and I became the “printer’s devil” (some days – literally, I admit). I did however take pride in running the press as fast as I could without getting caught in the jaws of press. He wrote countless notes and I became as skilled in type setting and printing as he was in his preaching, or at least I thought I was. I honestly only read few of the notes besides to my type setter’s perspective they were all upside down and backwards. They were quite a hit with the ward folks and relatives and in a few short years his notes evolved into a weekly preachment which he

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Dr. Roy E Howard April 25, 2014

titled “Sermoncito” that he faithfully continued until almost the day he died. ! My Father was a good provider and faithful in his church callings, which took him away from the home a lot. When I was a baby the family lived in Sacramento, CA where I was born. Work was scarce in those days and before Dad got into the concrete business he hired on with Diamond Match. I never knew what he did there – maybe sales, not sure. He could sure strike a match though, and never fail to produce a flame. He would strike it on the trousers, on a rock, on a cast iron pot, even saw him ignite a flame by striking the match with the flick of his thumb nail. Those wood stick matches were amazing. You could practically set up an entire campsite in the time it took the match to burn down to your finger. I think about Dad’s Sermoncitos and how they must have been as a warm glow to those “in darkness” but as a youth I still refused to move closer to the flame. I was in fact myself in darkness and didn’t even realize it. Here I had within my reach the Master Sentinel to light my way through the troubling teen age years. All I can say to summarize those early years with Dad is, “Strike Two”, and with that, the flame grew dimmer. ! I finally matured some, went on a mission, married a beautiful girl, got a job and had two fine sons. I was determined to maintain a close relationship with them and no matter how busy we all got, we took the time to play catch, attend a game, or a concert in which they participated. It takes two to play, and all the pitcher (the Dad in most cases) had to do was grab a ball and say, “lets play catch”. I

was always on the list to receive the weekly Sermoncito and even though I used a few of the thoughts in assigned talks, I rarely wrote back

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This week’s message is by Nathan and JoAnn Howard: an excerpt from the Latter-day Sentinel http://latterdaysentinel.com!

Dr. Roy E Howard April 25, 2014

nor acknowledged the treasures contained in each mailing. I never did lose the image of Dad striking a match in his unique ways, nor the desire to rekindle that flame of warmth that I once felt in my heart for him. ! One day when I was traveling on business I happened to stop at a bee-keepers supply establishment. I was fascinated with the production of honey and especially the by-product wax that would allow me to make a candle extending the bee’s hard work, to lighten and warm the way for all “seeking the light”. How sweet!!! I did not hesitate to purchase molds and a supply of wax and begin as soon as possible to make bees wax candles!! With the first candle now molded, I felt it’s warm glow, basked in the light, and received the most amazing feeling that I was again at the printer’s work bench working in partnership with Dad to fulfill his mission as stated in Matt 5:14-16, “…Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” ! Dad passed away without me thanking him properly for all he did to teach and enlighten me and with his Sermoncitos. Thanks to Corla’s patient help, in his last years he expanded his list of readers by the use of email. His goal never deviated - never to bring praise to himself, only to be a sentinel…a guardian of truth, one who stands for righteousness, one who represents a beacon or light for those that wander in darkness. With that motivation and example how could I not answer yes to Craig’s invitation to carry on the torch (the “flame”) and accept the challenge to publish the Latter-

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I never did lose the image of Dad striking a match in his unique ways, nor the desire to rekindle that flame of warmth that I once felt in my heart for him.

Dr. Roy E Howard April 25, 2014

day Sentinel? To avoid strike 3 on my part we took the perfect pitch and swung into service. On Nov. 15, 2010 JoAnn and I officially became the co-publisher with JoAnn, of the Latter-day Sentinel

(The Sentinel). ! Not a week goes by that we don’t feel Dad’s approval and blessings to carry on with his legacy to keep ignited the Eternal Flame. We could not continue this great work without the talented work of Craig. It seems that it was predestined, when Grandpa pitched that first perfect pitch to Craig to enter in to a partnership to help accomplish the Mission of the Sentinel. We all have had a few strikes in life and always will, but we still keep coming up to bat. May we stand as a team, committed to faithfully carry the “Eternal Flame” of truth, blessing the lives of others with our own gifted ways and means.

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Dr. Roy E Howard,

The format of the messages we send our children has changed through the years.  E. L. Howard Jr. typed on paper for many years, then on a computer.  Nathan, Roy, and others continued sending sermoncitos in the original format by computer for several years and sent by email to subscribers.  Now messages are shared on Facebook where all the world can share and more can contribute, including Martha Encalada, Emy Gabriela and Emy de Vera: News from Nathan, Roy's Ruminations, Photo Inspirations, Recipes, YouTube/drrhoward.