This is Brasil

We had an incredible week!

On Tuesday, we did divisions with Elder Pulsipher and Elder Salgado (from Honduras). I stayed with Salgado in my area the whole day and we had some great experiences. We taught Mirtha (an investigator) the Doctrine of Christ and she gladly accepted it! I had the great opportunity to help this Elder and meanwhile, learn and grow from his example. He only has 2 months in the mission field, but he is tearing it up! To end divisions, I had a rather unpleasant experience. We were walking home and there was a lady turned around and as we walked by I said "Hola!" And she turned around, was smoking and said HOLA. And all smoke went into my FACE, my mouth and my clothes. I smoked...Just kidding, but it was pretty gross.

On Wednesday, we were in our area contacting people and we came upon a street that we had never entered before. We saw a young lady and started talking to her about the gospel. She actually had some interest, when all of a sudden I was inspired to ask her an important question. "Are we in Uruguay?" And she looks at me and says "No. This is Brazil." And so yeah....we left back to our country of service. This is the ONE area in the whole mission where you can actually be confused as to what country you are in. Anyway, we might come back to that street because Im pretty sure the Brazilian missionaries don´t even know it exists. 

On Thursday, we were invited to Hna. Martiniano´s setting apart! She is going to serve a mission in Peru! It was a special experience that brought me back a year and a half in time when President Mackay set me apart as a missionary! Truly an incredible and powerful experience. 

On Friday, I was assigned to do some special divisions with some Elders from my district so that was fun! I went over to Central 2, and we got to WORK. I also had the opportunity to interview Facundo, who was baptized on Saturday! It was a great, unforgettable experience. 

On Saturday, while I was still in the other area, I saw a less active guy (Brother Furtado) from my ward! We talked to him and I was like, Hermano...are you going to church tomorrow? And with hesitation, yet sincerity in his voice he said "Yes. Its been a while since I have been, but I will go with my family tomorrow." And he came! With the family!!!

I know without the slightest doubt that this work is the work of the Lord and we are here on his errand. Love you all!

Elder Teloma

The Lord´s Work In Misiones, Rivera

One of the greatest blessings in my life is being a missionary. This week, we taught Carbrera (an investigator) and Servando (his less active brother in law). We taught them both the Plan of Salvation and it went very well. We spoke. The Spirit taught and testified. It was a great lesson. 

Later we were able to teach Gabriela the reality of the Trinity. She had no idea. We explained that God the father, Christ the son, and the Holy Ghost and one in nearly every sense of purpose. Except that they are not 3 people in one substance. We explained with the simple doctrine of the Bible (Christ´s teachings) that they are separate personages, yet one in purpose. We also explained the true nature of God and that He has a glorified body, as we will one day have. 

The common belief of today that God is unknowable is false. How can we love, worship and honor a supreme being that to us is "an incomprehensible, unknowable substance beyond space and time?" We can not. 

Jesus Christ, the literal Son of God, came to this earth to show us what the Father is like. The incarnation, Atonement, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ testifies to us that HE, as his Father have glorified bodies.
I testify of the truth of this marvelous work and wonder.

Elder Teloma

Augustin

I tried to take its cookie and it barked

The thunder storm slowly followed

Oh ye Elders of Rosario, Colonia

Rivera!!!

Dear family and friends,
We had a great week over here in Misiones, Rivera!!!

Man, we had a miracle on Tuesday. We were walking down the street and some drunk guy named "Servando." Anyway, he told us he was baptized a long time ago and wanted us to visit. So we stopped by his house and met him and his brother in law (Cabrera). We got talking and we taught them both a very powerful lesson on the Restoration of the gospel. Cabrera is not a member, yet he completely understood, so I asked him if he would follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized, and he said yes! He asked me if I could help him with saying the prayer, so I did. It was a beautiful, spiritual lesson!

On Wednesday, we visited Gabriela and we were just talking when all of a sudden, the topic of family history came up and she mentioned that she would love to learn more about her family history! So we taught the beginning of chapter 3 of 1 Nephi. It was an incredible opportunity to share testimony of the truths of family history!

Thursday, we had our second lesson with Cabrera and taught him the Book of Mormon! It was a great lesson. He loved it! We also had the opportunity to work with the first counselor in the stake, President DeSenne! That was a great opportunity! On Friday, we had a great lesson with Jesus, who wants to be baptized. He has a brother named John who lives in Montevideo, who is a strong member and I thought it would super cool to have John baptize Jesus....haha. Get it? But seriously, that would be awesome. Ill update yall on that. 

We had a great week over here in Misiones and alot of miracles coming up!! I love this church. I love this gospel. I love the Savior Jesus Christ!

Elder Teloma

The Horse

Hello family and friends!
This last Wednesday, we were able to teach a new family the message of the Restoration! It is the Ramos family and they are amazing! They all have a special desire to learn more of the restored truths!
Then we had a great experience Thursday morning. We were just wallking around when I had the feeling to knock on a random door. I went up to it, knocked, and a lady came out (about late 20s) Her name is Estefani, and she told us that she is Christian and has her own belief in God. I said "That´s alright, the message we share is about families and how they can be eternal." I saw that she had two little children in the house. Her expression changed, and she said "I want to listen to this message then." And she let us in!! We taught her the message of the Plan of Salvation and she loved it. Seriously. I was reminded of my own mother, receive the missionary lessons at that age with two little children, ages 3 and 1. We shared a very special, spiritual moment together and we will be stopping by again tomorrow morning!
On Friday we stopped by the Ramirez family, which is a great family. Unfortunately, the mother is suffering from skin cancer. We only stopped by for a minute to see how they were doing and comfort them. We hope and pray that her condition improves.

Saturday, we visited a ton of people and almost got killed by a horse. So we decided to taking a shortcut that involved crossing a little creek of water. However there was a massive horse in the middle of the path, so I threw a rock at it and it got out of the way. (Don´t worry, that is actually normal) So once it was out of the way we crossed the creek and made our way uphill when I realized that the horse was tied up to a fence, It´s rope was right in front of me, so I took it and tugged it. I´m not sure why. I guess I still haven´t learned. Anyway, the horse turned around, and CHARGED us. But this thing sprinted....FAST. I turned around and BOOKED it for my LIFE. I knew that the horse was limited, but didn´t know how long its rope was. After a good 10 second chase....I made it. And by some miracle, my companion made it as well. I turned around and saw that the horse´s mouth was at the tip of my companion´s back. He made it by a SLIVER. And oh man, was this horse angry. We got out of there as fast as we could, grateful that we made it out alive. I will never mess with a horse again. Eh... who am I trying to kid.

After that, we had many great lessons! We taught Jorge and Sandra the Plan of Salvation and they were very interested in all of it! Especially the Kingdoms of Heaven! We stopped by Gabriela, but she just seemed very stressed out, with her children. I explained to her that when I was born, my mom immediately loved me. And as I was reflecting I realized that I never did anything to deserve her love. The same with God. And I explained to her that as we sacrifice for others, we love them. We learn to love them even more! She definitely appreciated this little lesson. I testify that as I have sacrificed for the people here in Uruguay, I have learned to love them, with all my heart!

Elder Teloma

Training Week 2!

Saludos a todos mis queridos seres!

We had a very nice week over here in Rivera, Uruguay. 

We visited a less active Sister, Sister Furtado. Her family right now is less active because they are busy on Sundays helping out the Brother Furtados family, because they are going through some stuff right now. Anyway, she explained to us that she has a strong testimony of the gospel, but right now, she has decided to put her family first. We were able to explain to her that if we obey God, and partake of the Sacrament every Sunday, we would be even more blessed and our families would be helped in extrordinary ways!

After, we had a great lesson with the DaCuña family, (the wife is less active) on family prayer and how important it really is. This week, we will work alot with the Sister to bring her back to church to enjoy the fulness of the gospel!

We were also able to visit Gabriela this week. We taught her the simple message of the Doctrine of Christ and she prayed in front of us to know that the Book of Mormon was true. We will stop by later today for another visit!

We taught Jorge the Plan of Salvation and he had alot of great questions! We know he has a family and we really want to get to know them so we can present this beautiful message to them all and help them understand that they can truly be together forever. 

We taught Sacias, who is stuggling with tobacco. We taught him about the Priesthood of God and how he can posses it, if he becomes worthy to do so. And he loved it. He has a sincere desire now to change and receive this power of God. 

On Friday, the Sister missionaries in my district set up a baptismal interview for their investigator, and for the first time, I had the opportunity to conduct a baptismal interview! And it was an incredible, spiritual experience. Her name is Nabia Vasquez, and she told me her whole conversion story which is incredible. The Spirit was strong, and I knew by the end that she was ready to be baptized the next day. 

The sister missionaries had also asked me for a blessing to help them work better, and especially with the language. I gave Hermana Barrios a blessing in Spanish, to have her be able to help her new companion learn Spanish. Then Elder Pulsipher, (my Californian bro) gave Hermana Chapman a blessing in English to help her with the language. It was an incredible experience and since then, we have seen miracles in their communication skills. Within a day.

On Saturday, we were invited to the baptism and it was a wonderful experience. And that concludes a great week over here in Rivera! I know this church is the true church of Jesus the Christ. I know it. I live it. I love it. 

Elder Teloma

Ruiz

We meet again

This is someone´s house in Brazil

Seriously

Training!!!

Hey!!!
So on Wednesday at 12:30am, I traveled the whole country to pick up my brand new companion in Montevideo!I arrived to Montevideo at 7:30am and met the other missionaries who were going to train. We all took taxis to the Montevideo Temple and met our new companions who had just come from the airport!
And......I am going to train ELDER RAMOS!!!! WHOO. He is the coolest missionary ever! He came prepared. He is a great guy to be around and we will be learning alot together these next 3 months! We spent the afternoon over there in Montevideo and had a great time getting to know eachother! Then we went to the bus station and took our 7 hour bus ride back home to Rivera (:

On Thursday, we had the first district meeting of the change! Aaaaand I have the exact same district!!! Every single missionary in my district is training!!!! (or being trained) It is super awesome! We had a great district meeting where we had the opportunity to get to know eachother and all that good stuff!!

Friday, we got to WORK. We had a lesson with the Gonzalez family, that is less active. And it was an incredible lesson. The older daughter Angelica has been less active for a while now, and when I asked her why she chose to get baptized last year, she said she wanted to set an example for her daughter. We were reading 2nd Nephi 31:10. And she nearly quoted verse :5 without reading it. So I asked her to read verse :5 and her face was priceless. She was in shock. It was a spiritual moment. We also visited Gabriela (an investigator)!! We taught her about the Plan of Salvation. It was a great lesson. Before we even shared the lesson, she explained to us some of her beliefs about Adam and Eve, and the plan, and it is exaclty what we believe and teach! We are NOT accountable for Adam and Eve´s transgression!

On Saturday, we met Jesus Escobar! He is the brother of a member from my last ward Cerro 16!!!! We met him and he is a solid guy who knows what he wants! I extended the baptismal invitation to him and he accepted it!
Then we had an exceptional lesson with Jorge. This is a guy we met last week (in his 40s) and he listened to us. We came back Saturday, gave him a book of Mormon, and explained it. He actually showed alot of interest. We shared with him the moment that Jesus told all to get baptized. I then extended him the baptismal invitation, and he ACCEPTED it!! There is still alot to do, but we are super happy and excited to work with this son of God.

And that was the close to an exceptional week in the Lord´s vineyard. I can literally feel my testimony growing each day. As I sacrifice, my love for the people and this work grows. I love it here!

Elder Teloma

The street is Uruguay. The houses are in Brazil. 

Elder Ramos!

Rivera 2015

Happy 2015!
This year is going to be GREAT.

So on Tuesday of last year, we had a great lesson on the commandements with Fidel. He is accepting the Gospel even more every time we pass by and this Saturday he will be baptized! After a great lesson with this son of God, we stopped by Mirtha! We taught and gave her a Book of Mormon! She was like "Can I....can I write my name in it?" And I was like "Why yes. Yes you can." And with the biggest smile on her face, she wrote her name in it and said "Now it´s mine. And I am going to read it!" She also invited us to lunch another day and she´s not even a member!! After Mirtha we left to find an someone who was an investigator 5 years ago. We had the information to where she lived. He name is Gabriela. However when we went to the house, they informed us that Gabriela no longer lived there but lives "right around the corner down the street"....No address... so I knocked someones door, an older lady came out, and I asked her if she knew Gabriela. She said yes. "That is my daughter. But she doesn´t live here. She lives down there." And I was like "What the heck!?!?!" What does down there mean?!?! So we walked further down the street and I looked at a house and I heard a voice within myself say "It´s that house." But I didn´t believe it, so I talked to the people across that house and asked if they knew Gabriela. "Oh yeah, she lives right across the street!".... I will never doubt again. We found her daughter who told us to come back Saturday!

On Wednesday we were walking down the street and I saw a dirty, fat dog eating a pile of fruit on the ground. It was making a weird noise, but I ignored it and kept walking. Then I stopped and said "Wait a minute...." I turned around, got a better look and IT WAS A PIG!!!!! I ran up to it. Pet it and took pictures with it! I LOVE PIGS. And I haven´t seen one for ages!
Also we did divisions. I worked with Elder Pulsipher from Temecula, California!!!!!!! Who is also a BYU Football player! Love that guy. We had a great day, last day of the year! Definitely unforgettable. For the last minutes of the Lord´s work of 2014, we went to visit a less active member who was feeling horrible. With faith and hope in his heart he asked us to give him a blessing. However before, we sang a hymn. As we sang the Spirit filled the room. Tears filled his eyes as he listened to us. After, Elder Pulsipher gave him a blessing. We talked with him and his family, then left. It was an incredible way to end the year.

On Thursday morning, NEW YEARS, we watched thousands of fireworks light up the sky. The best part was being able to watch fireworks go off in TWO countries!!
But yeah, we had a great zone meeting, but it started storming after. The first day of the year and it was heavy rains and heavy storms. Just lovely. We worked anyway, because the Lord´s work doesn´t stop. We taught another investigator, Jaquelina, the Plan of Salvation and she loved it! Only taught up to the Atonement and said we would finish the plan the next time we come. I asked her "Do you have any questions?" "No, but I want to know what happens after death!!!" Haha it was funny, we talked just a minute about it then told her we would be back to explain the rest of God´s great plan.

Friday was incredible. We stopped by a less active member who only speaks Portugese. Her name is Claudia. At the end of our lesson, she promised us she would return to church!! It was great. We then left to work with Brother Varela who is a stud!! He is 80 but he works. However.... yeah. So as we were walking from one lesson to another Brother Varela pulled some tiny leaves off a tree and ate them. He put them in his mouth and he ate them. It was disgusting. But he had the biggest smile on his face and said "MMMMMM, these are good." So I just laughed.

On Saturday, we found Gabriela (refer to Tuesday)!!!! Incredible lady! She couldn´t believe that we found her after 5 years! So we taught her the Restoration and it went well! We also taught Mirtha and gave her a baptismal challenge and date and she accepted!! WHOO!!

The work here just gets better and better! I love this work with all my heart. I love the people here in Rivera, Uruguay. Oh heck, I even love the people right next door in Brazil. I love the Lord Jesus Christ and know that it isn´t easy living the Gospel. But it´s worth it.
Elder Teloma

Its just eating like...dirty fruit

Rivera!

2015