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
