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

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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

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¡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!!!!!

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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!!!"*****

Serving in Cambaya with Elder Huff

Elder Tellez & Elder Huff

President & Sister Richardson

Wow that`s shocking to hear about all the negativity towards the church! I have a deep support for the church and I will stand beside it and always support their decisions!

Ecuador is such a beautiful place! It has humble people that love the gospel and especially Jesus Christ. I like my trainer and his name is Elder Huff (he's from California). Talking to the investigators has been such an amazing opportunity and I'm grateful to serve and act in the name of Jesus Christ. These experiences help me become closer to the Spirit and get better with my Spanish! Cambaya is a great area to serve in and it is beautiful! (I will get transferred every 6 weeks) They have good food and I haven't tried guinea pig yet. The food is also pretty cheap and I should be able to live just fine haha! I'm getting comfortable speaking in Spanish with others and I cant wait to speak it with our family. My purpose as a missionary is to bring the people of Ecuador unto Jesus Christ and help them receive the fullness of the Gospel and I'm so excited to do that. The only thing I'm worried about is getting sick. We aren't allowed to eat some fruit that we eat with the peel like peaches, strawberries, etc. The MTC gave us filter water bottles that last pretty long with drinking tap water. The missionary experience itself is very different but I know that if I do my best, many life's will be touched, I will receive blessings and it will all work out as Heavenly Father would have it be. Right now I don't need money and still have that $ that you gave me. I haven't had a use for it yet. The housing is so cheap and its $10 a month. I should be fine right now and I will let you know if I need more money. My stipend is $90 every two weeks for groceries. My companion loves toffee and cinnamon rolls, and cheeze its! My mission is such a great foundation for me to build on for my future family and I will do my best to serve the Lord! I will email you more pics! Send me more dried mangoes if you can. haha

Love you Mom!!!!!!

Elder Tellez

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Ava!!! 

I know, I am so mad I wasn't able to call Mom and talk to you! You and Mom look great in those costumes!! Glad to hear that Halloween was great. I miss eating those pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. There are so many dogs in Ecuador and they are in every corner of each street! Where I live, there is a chicken coup underneath our apartment and there are a ton!!! So yes, I finally saw chickens haha! Love you Ava!!!!!

Elder Tellez

Arriving in Ecuador 

Outside the Mission Home 

Ready To Serve... 2 days left!

MOM-

I´m stoked to go to Ecuador and I´m ready to serve the people there!! I´m going to miss the MTC but I´ve been waiting for a long time!! Thanks for your compliment on my Spanish. 4 days left! I actually don´t need anything else in the package but thank you so much. Make sure you put a Virgin Mary stamp on the package. This last week has been great and I´ve been getting accustomed to talking to people in Spanish. In the MTC, I was able to speak Spanish with my companion while ¨practicing´´ teaching investigators. We taught the first discussion.They were fake investigators but it was such a wonderful experience.

That´s a great costume for Ava!! She looks awesome! I´m leaving the MTC Tuesday at 2pm and my plane leaves at around 5pm. I´ll call you when I land in Ecuador, so stay by the phone! That´s awesome Nicholas was called as 1st assistant! There is so much to do in Colombia and one day I think we should travel here. I went to the Temple for the final time and I'm going to miss it so much! Temple work is one of my favorite things to do and I'm going to do a lot of it when I get back. I love you so much and I can´t wait to talk to you and also email you about Ecuador!

I Rode a Llama in Bogota!

 

Mom!! I've been having an awesome week in the MTC and I´m doing very well speaking Spanish in the MTC! Yeah I've been keeping my journal but I need to write more! I think I´ll have more time to write in it when I get to Ecuador. I miss Nicholas a lot. He´s my best friend and I want him to be prepared to become a missionary like me. I went to the temple again today and you´re right, it´s an extremely peaceful place! Tell the ward I love them so much and miss them! 

I can´t wait for that feeling to baptize someone in the Church. I´m going to start emailing you in Spanish in the next email because I don´t have alot of time right now, 
pero te quiero tanto y te doy las gracias por las experiencias que tuve con ti. Rezo por usted y la familia todos los días y no puedo esperar a recibir un correo electrónico. Ah, y una cosa, fui en un tour hoy al centro de Bogotá y es hermoso ¡Monté una llama y compré algunas cosas para Ava ! ¡Te amo, mamá!

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Hey everyone! This week has been so great and a lot has happened! Today I was able to go on a tour with my district and companion. I rode a llama, and saw the beautiful side of Bogota. I don´t have a lot of time but these pics I´m about to send will show you how much fun I've had here!! Love you all! 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is such a great blessing in my life! Have a great week!

Striving To Fulfill My Purpose

Colombia MTC Group 2015

Called To Serve Him

MOM!!! 

I also loved the talk by President Monson!! I´ve been getting better and better in Spanish! I thought it would be more difficult than expected but I´m getting the gist of it. I have been studying so hard to know the language and especially reading it! And you´re right, reading the Book of Mormon and the scriptures in Spanish helps!! I can´t believe it´s been almost a month and close to being done in the MTC. 

I went to the temple today and the Spirit was so strong and I love doing endowments for others!! I Love Temples!! Two days ago, I gave my first blessing to someone! The Spirit was so strong, that my heart was about to explode!! It was an amazing experience! A lot of things have happened in the MTC and I've been striving to fulfill my purpose as a Missionary and preach the gospel in Spanish in Ecuador. I´m so stoked to go to Ecuador and serve the people there. 

I will promise you this, by the time I get back, I will be fluent and be more of a charitable person, who loves to help and is always selfless. I love the Gospel and the MTC gives me a better understanding of the purpose of it. 

 I love you so much Mom! I can´t wait to email you more next week! God bless you!

Elder Tellez

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Michael-

I really miss you. This week I asked mom to face time you or to call you and she said we couldn't. It made me really sad.  I want to go on the same mission as you because I miss you.

Do you get to play soccer today? 

I still haven't decided what I want to be for Halloween. I am thinking of being Flash or Cinderella. I'm excited to go trick or treating. Yesterday I got to go to Cornbelly's with Aunt Veronica and my cousins. 

I am so excited for a cool toy. I love toy's.    

I miss you so much but am happy you are serving a mission.I love you so much!

Have you seen any chickens in Colombia yet? 

I love you Michael!

AVA

Ava!! Sorry to hear that you were very upset when you wanted to facetime me: :(  Don´t worry! I will skype you and the family on Christmas! Two months! 

Glad to hear that you are having fun adventures with the family! You should be Flash for Halloween but I thought you wanted to be the Joker! I still haven't seen any chickens in Colombia. And yes you do love toys haha!! I got to play soccer and I was bad for a little bit but scored two goals! 

I love you Ava! Can´t wait to hear from you!

Elder Tellez

PS I´m riding on a llama on Tuesday! 

Focused & Ready to Serve & Study Hard!

Elder Tellez and Elder Weber attending the Bogota Colombia Temple again.

Elder Tellez with other "really tall" Elder's.

    General conference had me in tears. When Elder Holland spoke about how Moms are a very important part of the Plan of Salvation, I couldn't stop thinking of you! That talk was perfect for me to hear and in that it helped me further understand the importance of why Moms are the central figure of God's children! I'm thankful for all you've done for me and especially helping me become the person I am today! I was homesick for a little bit and now I'm focused and ready to serve and study hard!! I was able to proselyte with my companion last Friday and it was so much fun! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only thing that can help us become humble, happy, awesome, caring, and devoted children of God! Spanish is getting easier but struggling a little bit when speaking it. My companion is awesome and his name is Elder Weber. He's my companion until I leave the MTC. He's serving in the Colombia Medellin Mission. I tried this fruit called granadilla and I love it!! It's got a weird texture but it tastes so good! My friend from Brighton is still here in the MTC and it's been cool to talk to him and help each other with the Gospel in Spanish. I wish you guys could come to Colombia to see what's it's like and the food is amazing. Hopefully it's the same in Ecuador haha! I love you so much and I look up to you! Also, I think of you and our family everyday and always pray for you guys! I love you Mom!!!!!

I hope you all are doing great! Have an awesome week!!

Elder Tellez

Elder Tellez with his companion Elder Weber (left), and the other companionship they're sharing their room with.

My Journey Has Begun

Bogotá Colombia Temple 

Mom,

My journey has begun. My life's purpose has always been to help people at all times and bring the gospel of Jesus Christ unto the children of God. My faith in Christ has always helped me understand the Book of Mormon and you helped me as well. Without you, I wouldn't be the person I am today. The Colombia MTC is a great place of peace and joy, along with guidance and help in preaching the gospel in spanish. The missionaries here are great disciples of Christ. They help me progress in the Doctrine of Christ and give me guidance as a missionary. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve the Church and Heavenly Father. Our family has been such a great foundation for me. You have always taught me the purpose of life and I'm thankful for your example. I know two years is a long time, but you are right, the people of Ecuador need me. Just like I needed you for 18 years to progress in the gospel, be baptized, have a true testimony of Joseph Smith and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. You have truly fulfilled your purpose by being such a phenomenal Mom who cares, loves, nourishes, and guides her children to succeed and endure to the end. I love you so much and I can't wait to share with you what comes my way as a missionary!!!!

Elder Tellez 

Michael's Farewell

Michael arrived safely to the Colombia MTC and is very excited to be there.
For those that weren't able to be at his farewell, I've shared some excerpts from his talk.

"Before I was baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, I wanted a confirmation if the church was true. I was taught by my Mother, family, and in Primary. I learned about the Godhead, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, about the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the restoration of the Church; these things helped me develop my own testimony. As I knelt down on my knees, praying to my Heavenly Father about whether the church was true, the answer came to me as if a car had hit me, and the divine answer was YES the church is true. SO, what is a testimony? A testimony is a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost. The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves His children; that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the Son of God, and that He carried out the infinite Atonement; that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel; that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior's only true Church on the earth; and that the Church is led by a living prophet today who holds all the keys and is the mouthpiece of the Lord. With this foundation, a testimony can grow to include all principles of the gospel.

Our testimonies are constantly changing. Just as anything else they aren’t stagnant, and are either growing stronger, or getting weaker. The wonderful thing is that we decide what direction they go in. Will we nurture it, share it and help others attain one of their own? Or will we slowly abandon it, forget about our covenants and let it fall by the wayside? When we build on a strong foundation and strengthen our testimony day by day, month by month, and year by year, we will be blessed and become closer to Jesus Christ. At the same time, when we are faced with trials, our foundation is what we will depend on to get us through those difficult times. It is of the utmost importance to have a strong relationship with our Savior and a true understanding of what the atonement is.

Heavenly Father, and His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, are always there for us, but we have to do our part. Jesus Christ sacrificed everything when he came to this Earth, and served others at all times in all places. We always need to follow his example and keep in mind of how much he’s done for us. Because without him, we have no purpose and if we are not willing to sacrifice some things in this world today, we cannot fulfill that purpose and endure to the end.

I am a member today because of a man named Dennis Frazier. I actually never met him. Sadly, he passed away the week I was born. He and his wife Maria, shared the gospel with my grandma and she knew that it was true and was baptized. We never know whose heart we can touch with our testimony and the lasting effect that it will have. We may be the last helping hand someone may need to make a lasting change. Robin Williams once said, “No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” Brothers and sisters, this Gospel can change everybody’s lives and our mission today is said in Moses 1:39 “For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Ecuador. I look forward to sharing the gospel with those who have been waiting for it, with those who have never heard of it, and with those who have lost their way. I hope that they will feel my love for the Lord, my love for His gospel and my love for them. I pray that I may stand and serve honorably as a witness of Christ so that others may begin and continue to build on His foundation.

Brother and Sisters, Jesus Christ has come, and He will come again.
This is my testimony and the message I am excited to share with the people of Ecuador. I have a testimony that the Godhead exists, that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are always there for us, and we are not alone. I believe that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that through repentance, we may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. I know that Joseph Smith restored the true and only living Church on this Earth. I also know that President Thomas S. Monson is our Prophet today. As members of the Church, our goal is to bring back our brothers and sisters to our Eternal Father and Jesus Christ. This is Our Mission, should we choose to accept it." -Michael