Happy Memorial Day

Hello my brothers and sisters- 

Happy Memorial Day! I am humbly thankful for all of our loved ones who lost their lives for us and served with honor. It may seem like it`s a sad day but the word ``memorial`` means something, established to remind people of a person or event. I will relate something very important to you all that will help you have a ``Happy Memorial Day´´. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the perfect knowledge that gives a firm hope in all things that we will see our loved ones again. Helaman chapter 14 verse 15 to 17 says..

15 For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.

16 Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual.

17 But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.

He lives! And through Him, we will all be resurrected and see our loved ones again. Our loved ones are in the spirit world engaging in their own assignments given by the angels of heaven. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 13 to 14...

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Celebrate these precious lives that lost theirs for our freedom and hope. I know that if you do, God will bless you with comfort and peace. This weekend me and my new companion, Elder Paz, will be baptizing the Solano Family and Sister Mishel who recently got married a week ago. It`s such an awesome opportunity to see lives being converted unto Jesus Christ and His Gospel. I love you all very much and I hope you all enjoy this wonderful memorial day!

Elder Tellez

Baptism Dates and A New Companion

February 1st, 2016

Hello Everyone!! This past week I´ve seen a lot of miracles with my new companion, Elder Plant. We have found a lot of families that will be potential converts of the Church. Cumbaya has been great and I love our investigators who are willing to take the opportunity to hear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I´ve been pondering a lot on Alma the Younger´s conversion in the Book of Mormon. His experience is unbelievable and he was such a great prophet! He´s probably one of my favorite prophets in the Book of Mormon. His conversion has helped me realize that every person will have a different story of their own conversion of the Gospel. Families are our primary purpose as missionaries in Ecuador. Converting families is what I have been trying to do on my mission. There is a family of seven and they are the Almeida Family. They have full desires to get baptized in the Church. The mom and dad of the family are getting married next month and we are trying to find a baptism date for them. Missionary work has changed me a lot and I realize how to become closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ and our loving Heavenly Father. I challenge you all to read and ponder on Alma the Younger´s conversion and also the Book of Alma. These scriptures help us realize the importance of missionary work and how we can allow Jesus Christ to enter our lives. The Lord has helped me a lot, and especially the miracles he has given me throughout my mission. I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week!!

Elder Tellez

January 25th, 2016

Hey everyone! This past week has been pretty cool and it was sad to see Elder Morales leave my sector in Cumbaya! He was such an awesome companion and am grateful for his help in my missionary work. Today I received a new companion and his name is Elder Plant. I won´t be able to see him until later today but I am really excited to work with him. Missionary work has been great in Cumbaya and we´ve been trying to find a lot of families. It´s probably the most difficult thing to do in Cumbaya. This change will probably be my last in Cumbaya and I am doing my best to continue the success we´ve been having. I tried ceviche at a family´s home and it was so dang good!! It´s my favorite food so far in Ecuador. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to give a talk and it actually went very well. I was very nervous because it was the first time I gave a talk in Spanish. I had to speak for 25 minutes because the other speakers gave short talks and one of them was a return missionary! My companion started to laugh at me and I knew that I  had to do alot of talking but I was great! I love it here so much and it´s such a blessing to help others come unto Christ! I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week!!

Elder Tellez

January 18th, 2016

Hello Everyone!! This past week has been awesome!! This past week we were able to get a baptism date for another family. The Lopez Family!! They are very interested in the Gospel and I can´t wait to see them progress!! Their baptism date is set for the 13th of February! I´ve been pondering a lot on the story of Alma and Amulek. They were strong missionaries and they went through so many challenges in Ammoniah. I look up to them because I want to follow their examples as a Missionary! This might be my last week here in Cumbaya but I have to wait to see this coming Sunday! The Bishopric asked me to speak about Missionary Work on Sunday and I am way excited! First time to give a talk in Spanish haha!! I want I to share great news that I received this past week...  On the 17th of February, Elder Holland is coming to the Ecuador Quito missions to speak to all missionaries! I am so stoked to see him and I can´t wait!! 

I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week!!!

January 11th, 2016

Hey everyone!! Sorry I wasn't able to email last week because my District had an activity and we didn't have to time to email! We went to Mitad Del Mundo last week in Quito! It was a lot of fun! This past week has been the best so far in the Mission and i want to share some great news! Me and Elder Morales were able to get the Tené Family and Gabriella Castro baptism dates for the 6th of February! We are so excited and working really hard to help them attend Church and especially to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We hope we will keep continuing to have this type of success in Cumbaya! 

This past week I pondered a lot on Abinadi in Book of Mosiah! It's amazing to see that even though he had one follower before his death, that one follower, Alma, converted thousands of people! This is such a great scripture to read in the mission and especially how the role of conversion plays in the missionary work. I'm grateful for the Lord's work and want to help fulfill His work and help others come unto Christ. I challenge you all to read the Book of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon! It helps to understand that missionary work isn't just for the missionaries but also for all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! I am so grateful for this work and it's helps me become closer to our Savior. If you have a chance to share the Gospel any day with a friend or someone that is going through a difficult time, do it!! Because I know that if you give others a chance to know about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, it will bless them a lot and you will recognize the Love that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father have for us! I love you all so much and I hope you have a great week!!!

Elder Tellez

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

Mitad del Mundo - The Center of the Earth

December 21st:

Mom!!! This past week has been great! We got a baptism date for the 16th of January and we are doing the best we can to make sure it still stands! Elder Morales is such a great companion and he helps me a lot! His family lives in the 16th zone in Guatemala. This week is very exciting, and especially excited for Christmas!! I`m skyping at 1pm your time!! Be ready!!!!!!!!!! Haha That´s good to hear that the new Star wars movie was awesome! haha thanks for showing me the first minute of the movie! I´m getting more comfortable with missionary work and I think Elder Morales has improved my spanish a lot. Elder Huff was a good companion but not the best example for me. Life has been great here and I can´t wait to share it with you and the family!
I love you so much and I can't wait to see you and the whole family on CHRISTMAS!!!

Elder Tellez

December 28th:

Mom! It was great to see you on Christmas!! Best present for Christmas! It was a great pleasure to see you and the family! My Christmas was great. Me and Elder Morales had pizza and scones for Christmas and listened to some Christmas music. All the missionaries in Quito had to be at their homes by 6pm on Christmas. So we had a lot of fun. My Christmas ornament for this year is perfect and I love it; that's cool you found a BYU football helmet. Definitely post that video on FB. The service we've done so far is during FHE for the investigators and the ward families. Thanks for sharing your favorite scriptures of the Birth of our Savior in Luke. That's such a special scripture and I'm grateful for our Savior and especially for the fullness of the Gospel. 

I am deeply grateful to call you my Mom and you've sacrificed everything for me and I don't know what I would do without you! I love you so much Mom and I hope you have a great New Year´s Eve!

***************************************************************

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas! This year has been great and I can't believe it's going to be 2016 soon! This year has been one the most memorable in my life. I graduated High School, Started college at BYU, and later started my mission! I am so grateful for all of you, and how much you've done for me! This year has been remarkable and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be on a mission! Life at times can be difficult in the mission but it has helped become a better and faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. Missionary work is such a great experience and I'm doing my best to fulfill the Lord's work. Next year, I'm making new goals to help build the Foundation of Christ and especially with my companions. I hoping this next year will be a great one! It was awesome to see my parents on Christmas and to share with them my experiences in Ecuador. I hope 2016 is a great year for everyone! I love you all so much and I hope you enjoy New Year's Eve!

January 4th:

Hey Mom!! I don´t have a lot of time because we went to Mitad del Mundo! It was a lot of fun and it's so awesome! This new year should be very exciting! I will email you way more on next Monday! 

Love you!!!

Elder Tellez

Feasting Upon the Love of God

@ the Mission Home

                                                                                                        12/7/2015

Mom-
On Thursday, we were able to eat at the mission home with our zone for a Christmas dinner, hosted by President and Sister Richardson. It was a lot of fun and it was great to see them again! The Secretaries told me that one of my Christmas packages got here and it´s at the office. The Zone leaders have to pick it up but they go every two weeks to the office and I have to wait until the 17th of December to get it from them. Oh well at least I know that the package is safe haha but thank you so much and thank everyone who has thought of me and sent a package! I received a letter from Kimmy Datin, and it was really nice of her to draw me a missionary and send a note.

We´ve been able to find more families to teach and it´s been helping us with our work here. Thank you so much for fasting for the Almeida Family! Christmas is coming so soon and I found out that we`ll probably skype on the 24th rather than the 25th of December but we will know by next week! I´ll let you know more! I emailed Grandpa about Great Grandma in Spanish and I hope he is doing ok. It´s so sad to see a close family member preparing to pass away. 

What are you guys doing for Christmas? A week from now, it will be my first change. I will either have Elder Huff to finish my training or another companion. If I get a different companion, I'll have to run the sector haha! We did watch the Christmas Devotional and we actually watched it with the Almeida Family!! I loved all the talks and it was great to see how much the Almeida family enjoyed it. 

Keep this scripture in mind: Jacob 3:2, "O all ye that are in pure heart, lift your heads and receive the pleasing word of God and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever."  I'm grateful for your example, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ truly has helped me become better and better! 

I love you so much Mom and thank you so much for sending my packages! Have a great week!!

Elder Tellez

********************************************************************************************

Hey everyone!

This past week I´ve been focusing a lot on finding Families to teach. God loves us so much that he provided a plan for us! The Plan of Salvation! Families are central to God´s plan and I`m doing my best to help and teach families in Cumbaya. My family, for example, has been a spiritual foundation for me and they know how to live the Plan of Salvation and they strive to build the foundation with others. Christmas is coming soon and I´m grateful for the Love that God has for us. He also loves us so much that he sent his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ for us! Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer of the world! Through his Atonement, we may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. My Mission President and his wife had a dinner on Thursday for our zone. The food was amazing and it was a great opportunity to celebrate our Savior! Only through Jesus Christ, we can return to our Loving Heavenly Father! Throughout the course of my mission, one of my purposes as a missionary is to baptize families in the Gospel, so they can be sealed eternally. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is such a great gift from God! Use it and feast upon it and share it with others! Love you all so much! Have a great week everyone!

Elder Tellez

Trust in the Lord

Mom!!

I can´t believe it´s been over two months already and time flies by so quick! A lot of things have happened last week and I don´t know where to start! Our investigators have been progressing and reading the Book of Mormon but still haven´t attended church. A lot of them have very difficult dilemmas in their lives.The Almeida Family that we've been trying to get to church and a baptism date for, has been especially difficult. Anita is the mom of six children, with no husband in the home, and has an even more difficult challenge due to her mom´s terminal brain cancer. She`s going through a very hard, rough time and we've been helping her and the family with support with the love we have for them. Yesterday night, she and her son, Emilio, wanted a priesthood blessing. I gave them each a blessing and they said they were filled so strongly with the spirit, and were in tears because of how powerful blessings are. I love giving priesthood blessings in Spanish!!! It was my first time in Spanish. Can you and the family please fast this Sunday for this family? This family is going through a lot and I want them to know how much we care and love them.

I met the Gonzalez family yesterday in ward council and they said that they used to live in the SAN FERNANDO VALLEY in CALIFORNIA!! They lived there from early 1980`s to 1990. The husband`s name is Xavier Gonzalez. I wonder if you knew them. I can´t believe I`ll be skyping you and the family in a month, and I`m very excited!! Oh by the way, my tooth is fine. haha I know you've been asking for quite some time and I forget every time I email. And another thing, those third pair of shoes that we got, both of them are for the right foot!! UGH!! 

Anyways, that's great you had an awesome Thanksgiving with family!! Great pics too!! I had a great time with the families and sisters on Thanksgiving. The food was good but not as amazing as your cooking haha!! I kept thinking of you and family on that day! 

It´s so sad to hear that great grandma is passing soon. She has always been so kind to me and I love her so much!! I'm going to email grandpa and send my love for both of them. Through the gospel, families can be together forever! 

Christmas is coming soon and I`m so blessed to be part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!! Jesus Christ is the best example for all of us and it´s very important to always remember his Atonement and sacrifice for us!! I love you so much Mom and I am counting down those days til Christmas!!! 

Elder Tellez

****************************************************************

¡Hola todo el mundo! 

This past week has been great and Thanksgiving was amazing! I can't believe it's almost Christmas! I've been thinking a lot about having trust in the Lord! Life is difficult and we will have trials and challenges in our lives, but if we trust in the Lord and endure our trials and difficulties, we will receive blessings from our Savior, Jesus Christ and our Loving Heavenly Father. Throughout the time I've been in Ecuador, trusting in the Lord has helped me understand the purpose of being a faithful disciple! The scripture that helps me everyday with frustrating times is Helaman 5:12.. 

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless woe, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." 

If we build on the foundation of Christ and act on our Faith in Him, we cannot fail and can endure all things throughout our lives. It is so important to act and magnify our purpose, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation that God has blessed us with. Me and my companion have helped so much here in Ecuador and I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve as a representative of Jesus Christ! No matter what, Heavenly Father, and his Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, will help us and they are willing to do anything for us. 

I love you all so much and I hope you all have a great week!!!

Elder Tellez

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last week was better than the one before, but for some reason, it's hard for me and my companion to find more people to teach in Cumbaya. We've been doing great "saving" the inactive members of the ward and those struggling with Gospel. In the mission field, "saving" is when you and your companion reteach all five lessons in preach my gospel to those that are inactive and they attend church all 3 hours each Sunday and continue progressing as a stronger member of the ward. "Saving" inactive's is one of my favorite things to do out here. It's been hard getting baptismal dates because so many investigators don't act on their commitments and have dilemmas in their lives. For example, the Almeida family who we taught last week, got them a baptismal date for 5th of December, and said they would go to church, didn't show up yesterday to church and tonight we are going to their place for FHE w/another family to see what happened. Their baptismal date changed again because they haven't gone to church in a while. Each investigator and family, have to attend church 3 times and all 3 hours before they can be baptized. Hopefully we can get them baptized on the 12th of December because it's most likely that my companion will transfer in three weeks! Every six weeks there is a change with companions, and hopefully Elder Huff doesn't leave Cumbaya. Baptism is the most important goal in missionary work, but there are other things that we can also do to help fulfill the Lord's work. My companion and I are eating with the Hanks and Pack families, and the Sisters on Thanksgiving!!! So excited!! It will definitely be different without you and our awesome family! Thank you for putting that scripture on my blog!! Love that scripture! I will send more pics for sure and send pics of Thanksgiving next week! 

I love you so much Mom!! I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving!!!!!

*******************************************************************

Hey everyone!!! This week has been getting better for me and my companion. It's been hard at times to find more investigators but I know that I have so much time in the mission field and I will do my best to find those seeking the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I know that if I have trust in the Lord and keep up the work, I can do great with the companionship of the Holy Ghost! Today I went to the Scala mall and they have CINNABON!!!! I love cinnamon rolls!!! I tried this drink called Polaca and it's amazing!! It's a popular drink in Ecuador and if North America never had Egg Nog, I would want Polaca because it's like an "Ecuadorian" version of Egg Nog. I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving and I'm going to miss all that I have it with! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it is a time to be with family and loved ones and give thanks for all the great things they've done for you! I'm thankful for my great family who has created a foundation of Christ and has givien me full support and love! I especially want to thank all the friends that have helped me and have been such great influences in my life and a lot of them are on their missions right now! Me and my companion are celebrating Thanksgiving with two american families and the Sisters in our ward! Excited but it's going to be so much different without my family! 

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! Love you all!!! 

Elder Tellez

We Can Strengthen Ourselves Through Jesus-Christ

Mom,

The first couple of weeks have been a little difficult as a missionary, but I know that I need to always have faith and trust in the Lord. Me and my companion have been teaching so many families and investigators. When people reject the gospel and our message of Jesus Christ, I'm not sad because they rejected it, I'm sad because they lost the opportunity to hear the truth and how we can return to our Loving Heavenly Father. 

Saturday was probably the most exhausting day so far. We planned to visit three investigators and two families, which most of them lived really far away. We visited them and none of them were at their houses. I think we walked about 19+ miles total, without counting the bus rides. We were able to make contact with a lot of people while proselyting but we wanted to get baptismal dates for the families and investigators. Sunday was so much better and it lifted both our spirits with joy and excitement. That night we decided to visit the Almeida family that we tried to visit on Saturday, they were there that night and one of the return missionaries wanted to go with us. While we were teaching the family the lesson of Baptism and the Atonement, we felt the Spirit dwell in our hearts and the love we have for the family was evident. We got a baptismal date for them, which is set for the 5th of December. We are excited about it and want to help them progress in the Gospel. Numbers don't matter to me, but it does matter that I help anyone who is struggling with the Gospel or has no hope and faith in Jesus Christ. Life is difficult, but we can strengthen ourselves through Jesus Christ and his Gospel!!! 

I remember the Hills and that is sad that Sister Hill died in Africa! Also sad that Grandma's sister died too! I will email her! Glad to see how Dad and Nicholas's birthday turned out and I miss that restaurant haha!! Great pics! I will send you more pics!! We will be spending Thanksgiving with our zone. It should be fun.

Love you so much Mom!!!

Elder Tellez

*****He shared this with Ava: "The grossest food I've eaten here is probably vegetables with mayonnaise that one of the families gave me for lunch, yuck!!!       PS: Chickens below!!!"*****