I Did Get a Letter This Week

Hello!

First of all I'm sorry I didn't email yesterday, but we had an all mission activity so we didn't have time to really do anything else. They should rename it the all day mission activity... I know, lame joke. It was a great time though. We went to some place called the Highlands or something like that. I don't really remember what its called, but its the highest elevated point on the Atlantic Coast. At the top there is an old lighthouse with some story behind it. It was awesome to be able to look out at the ocean and was a beautiful sight. We went on a hike and ate lunch and just chilled for a while. It was good to meet all the other missionaries and see all my MTC Elders.

It was also Elder Larsen's birthday, so after the activity we went over to the Bishop's house and had a little celebration with a few other families and our investigator, Marcella. We've finished teaching her everything now and everything is set for her baptism this Saturday. It's an exciting time and we have really loved teaching her. She is as prepared as they come and has been such a blessing to us, and other members in the ward.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned David and Yohan, but they are brothers (15 and 12) that we started teaching a couple of weeks ago. They both came to church this Sunday and loved it. After church ended they were asking us about Mutual and whether or not they had a ride for next week. We have them set with a goal to be baptized on Oct. 9 and I'm pretty confident that they will be baptized. Yohan, the younger of the two, is always asking questions and wants us to come over like every day. It's definitely a different experience teaching young boys/teenagers than it is teaching adults. You have to handle it a lot differently but it has been going very well.

This week I've thought a lot about patience. Specifically patience with myself. I'm very hard on myself and expect the best. I'm lucky to have great missionaries around me and sometimes I become frustrated because I don't have all the experience that they do. I know that I will become a more effective missionary as time goes on, but I just want everything right away. I even feel selfish at times because I'm worrying too much about myself and not about what others need. So I continue to learn and try my hardest to be the best missionary I can be, even if it takes longer than I'd like. I wish I could write more but we have limited time to write today. I love you all!

Love Elder Tilley

I Didn't Get a Letter This Week...

But I did get this letter

Hi, Sister Tilley,

I'm so glad it's you! Elder Tilley wasn't sure he had your email address correct when he was over last night. He and Elder Larsen were expressing their concern at not having emailed home yesterday so I said I'd let you know what was up.

The entire mission went to the Jersey shore yesterday with President and Sister Bahr, so they left early and returned late with no computer time to write. I'm sure Elder Tilley will write and tell you all about the 'field trip'. He and Elder Larsen then came to our house for dinner as it was Elder Larsen's birthday and Marcella, whom I'm sure he's told you about, was able to drop by too, along with other ward members to hang out and eat etc.

You have such a wonderful boy! We love him here in Ledgewood and he's added so much to the missionary work here. He couldn't have a better trainer than Elder Larsen and we hope we keep both of them here for quite a while. The Ledgewood is a terrific ward. My family has only lived in New Jersey for almost four years, and my husband has been Bishop for three of those years. He works closely with the missionaries and loves them dearly. The people in the ward are very good at fellowshiping, members and non-members alike. Most of us are transplants and so our families are far away and we rely on each other for support. It's a great place for a brand new Elder to get started on his mission because he will receive all the mothering and attention he needs as well as getting some awesome priesthood guidance and leadership to prepare him for when he moves on.

Thanks again for raising such a fine you man, we love him a lot!

Sister Nielsen

It was so wonderful to hear from someone who has spent time with Ryan recently. It meant so much to me to know that there are wonderful people looking out for him (and feeding him). I admit it, I bawled like baby while reading this letter.

I just want to send a big thank you to the members of the Ledgewood Ward for all they do for the missionaries there. And a big thank you to Sister Nielsen for taking her time to let me know what was going on. I was trying not to freak out, but not very successfully!

Roaches, Brown Water, and Dog Bites

Hello!

So I've officially been bitten by a dog this week. We knocked on a door which was cracked slightly open, and so the dog was able to jump out and bite my leg. Luckily it wasn't too bad, the dog was pretty small and I was able to kick it hard enough that it thought twice about coming at me again. Just a day in the life... but seriously this week has been out of control! I went on two exchanges, it was stake conference, plus transfer facts came in yesterday. My companion and I are staying together so no changes there.

On Tuesday I went on an exchange with Elder Wilbur, who was in the MTC with me. Both of us are brand new, so it was a great time to gain experience. I got to drive for the first time in what feels like years which was nice. It was kind of hard because Elder Wibur is really quiet, so I kind of had to take control in lessons. Like I said it was a great learning experience. Neither of us really know exactly what were doing yet, so we figured it out together. The other transfer that I went on was on Thursday, with Elder Litzenberger who is one of my Zone Leaders. It was kind of crazy because he is a Spanish missionary, so I couldn't really contribute much, but it was still a good experience. At the end of the day we went to see one of his members named Cesar (he and his wife speak English). He joined the church when he was about 21 and I was really impressed by his story of how he converted. He's actually supposed to be in our ward but he was called to attend the Spanish Branch so they could have more leadership. As we talked with him, trying to come up with ways to improve their branch, through organization and better member involvement I couldn't help but love this member. He truly cares about building up that branch, and is someone who is truly living the Gospel. He's not just content with being baptized and showing up for church each week, he wants to grow and progress in the gospel. He knows the importance of magnifying his calling. It's something I've really thought about lately, especially as I studied this morning. I love more than anything members who work to build the Lords kingdom, members who are willing to give all that they have for the church.

Our Bishop is a prime example of this. He is constantly making sacrifices to help the investigators and members of our ward. He goes well beyond what is required of a Bishop and he makes such a difference. Unfortunately some members don't quite get it. Its sad to see those who aren't willing to help with the Lords work, but we all have our agency. Learning to be selfless is such a valuable thing in life. It's something that I am really making a goal to work on. When I forget about myself not just a little bit, but when I completely forget about myself, That's when miracles happen. That's when the Lord can will use me as his tool. In my opinion that's one of the most fun things of being a missionary. You don't have to worry about yourself. We live in humble conditions. We have a roach problem, and for a whole day we had brown water. These are things that would normally really bother me, but I don't worry about it at all. We live off of very basic foods, we don't have many possessions, but we always get by. As a servant of the Lord, I know that I will always get by. I have his protection as I do his work. It's a great feeling.

Love, Elder Tilley

Transfers Already?

Hello!

I have great news! Well, first of all early this week we got a call from the Bishop and he told us that Marcella was moving 2 hours south, and that she was already gone. This was really hard for Elder Larson and I because she hadn't told us, and it was really sudden. A few days later, however, we found out that it was just a big misunderstanding and that she was only going down to move her daughter to college. Our spirits were immediately uplifted once we found this out and so we set up an appointment with her right away. We had her over at Bishop Nielson's home and just like our last lesson with her, the spirit was super strong. The lesson went extremely well, and we set her with a baptismal date for Sept. 25!!! I am so grateful for her and her decision to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

Later that day we talked to Tony, but this time we took Bro. Meyer with us and it made a huge difference. With a fellow scientist around his own age, Tony opened up and was more accepting of our message. Member work is so important! If it wasn't for the Bishop and the Archibalds, I know without a doubt that Marcella would not be preparing to be baptized. It really makes all the difference to have that support system around you, and to know other members who love you and will do anything for you. My testimony of this grows each and every lesson we teach with a member present.

Transfers are coming up next week which is pretty crazy! I'll probably still be with my companion but you never know. Elder Litzenberger, who I live with, will be transferred unless some divine intervention keeps him here. He's been here as a zone leader forever!

This week I've really thought about how blessed I am to have the Gospel in my life. There are so many people in this world who are lost and don't even know it. Every day we meet someone who is living a miserable life, disguised in pleasure and worldly possessions. Everyone needs the Gospel. I only wish that more people would listen and that their hearts would be softened. Knowing what's truly important in life and how to get it is so important. I have even met people who despise God and curse him for the challenges and trials he gives them. So many people lack the wisdom and the foresight to realize that trials really truly are blessings. When presented with those trials in our lives, we can do one of two things. We can learn and grow from them, or we can let them destroy us. I know that through consistent and sincere prayer/scripture study we can overcome trials. Not only does that bless us in this life, but it blesses us in the next life more than we can comprehend. I love you all and am thankful for your prayers.

Love, Elder Tilley

Super Powers?

How's it going??

It's been a pretty good week as far as missionary work is concerned. One of the more interesting things that happened was meeting a 20 year old or so kid named Anthony. We went over to his house to teach his mom, Rita, but she told us she was busy but that we could talk to her son. Anthony is, for lack of a better word, strange. It started off really well as we talked to him. He seemed to really love God, and was nothing but positive about how he has been blessed by Him throughout his life. Then we dug a little deeper.... apparently Anthony receives revelation in the form of visions to do the Lords work. He has the gift to travel at super speed, and can, on occasion fly and has just about any other power you can think of. Oh yeah, and he can read minds and "go through peoples memories". He also goes through "trials and tribulations" in his room at night and has to fight off shadow monsters. And the icing on the cake is that he is a resurrected being who has been on the earth for thousands of years. We gave him a Book of Mormon and left. I don't think were ever going back.

Right after we left, however, we were able to meet David. David is a 14 year old boy who is looking for a church to attend and seems interested in ours. We talked with him and challenged him to read the Book of Mormon. He is a good kid and says he enjoys church because it keeps him on track and out of trouble. Hopefully we can get him to come to church.

By far the best thing that happened this week was our lesson with Marcella. We had her over at a members house (the Archibalds; former Bishop and his wife) for dinner and then taught her about the Restoration. The spirit was extremely strong, and she said that she believed everything and would read the Book of Mormon. She is really positive and receptive to everything we teach her, and is definitely prepared. I fasted specifically for her yesterday, and I feel very strongly that she will be baptized.

This past week my companion and I have felt that we need to improve on our diligence and we want to strive to be better missionaries in every thing that we do. It can be easy to lose your focus and hard to stay motivated all the time and so evaluating your performance is vital to your success. The other missionaries in our apartment were up really late last night, trying to figure out a way to be the best missionaries. It was interesting that we were all going through the same thing, so in the morning we had an apartmentship study and came up with a plan to do better. The work in our Zone has been really taking off lately, and we have gotten the shout-out the last few times. President Bahr said that our Zone was about to explode with success. We just set a record for most baptisms in a month as a zone for the mission. So we have been doing really well, but we have the desire to do better. The first thing our Zone Leaders said this morning as we planned together was that they had been pondering on how we could be the best missionaries in the world. We came up with a plan and a way to keep each other motivated and to magnify our calling to the greatest extent so that we can be the most effective missionaries possible. I love living with amazing missionaries, all of whom have great desires to serve the Lord and to progress his work. As we give ourselves to the Lord and as we put him as our main focus in life, he will give us what we need to be successful.

I love missionary work. It is exactly what Christ would do if he was on the earth. It is the lifeblood of our church, and it's central purpose. When the church was first organized, missionaries could stand out on the street and preach to anyone who would listen. In the 20th century, missionaries would tract for hours at a time looking for people who would come unto Christ. But now and into the future, missionary work hangs on the balance of what the members do. Member work is vital to missionary work today. It is not only suggested, but expected, that everyone do their part to spread the Gospel. Everyone knows at least one person who the Lord has specifically placed in their paths so that they can be exposed to His Gospel. At the day of our judgement the Lord will ask "If ye are my disciple, who have ye brought unto me?" Don't be one of the ones who has no answer. Forget about yourself or what others think of you. Have courage, for the Lord is on your side. Those who give all they have to help build the Lords Kingdom will be blessed beyond comprehension. Always remember your purpose in life....

Love, Elder Tilley

Baptism

Greetings!

This week has been very eventful. On Monday we had an appointment with a woman named Samira. Elder Larsen felt like we should get an Arabic Book of Morman for her even though She wasn't really interested. When we knocked on her door she didn't really want to see us, but her friend Jackie who was over at her house wanted to hear more about our church. We talked to her, and by the end of the lesson she even gave the closing prayer. She was so touched by our message that she broke down in tears as she prayed. She doesn't live in our area so we had to give her to some other Elders, but I hope everything works out for her. It's crazy how we were inspired to see a lady who wasn't interested in our message, all so that we could meet Jackie. If we went over there at any other time she probably wouldn't have been there. The Lord will take you on a wild path to meet people who are prepared.

On Tuesday I went on my first exchange with Elder Sandbakken. His companion Elder Wilbur, who was in the MTC with me went with Elder Larsen. It was fun to do something different and serve in a different area for a day. You learn a lot when you have a different companion. Wednesday we had basic training. It was extremely motivating and I learned a lot of things that will help me be a better missionary. Almost everything we learned about was something I needed to work on, so it should really help me. It was great to hear from the mission president and his wife again and have that renewed motivation to take on the world.

I had a really cool experience on Friday. It had been kind of a frustrating day trying to do a bunch of things to get ready for the baptism, so we hadn't really been able to talk to anyone. We went over to Sister Little's house and knocked on the door but she wasn't there. I then decided that I was going to talk to the next person I saw until we either were able to teach them or schedule a return appointment. As we walked back to our car, I didn't see anyone, until my companion had backed up and I opened the door to get in. As I was getting in, I saw this old man with a cane walking across the street, and I had an extreme prompting to go talk to him. I told Elder Larsen we needed to talk to him, so we went over and it turns out that he had a Book of Morman already, and that he had a neighbor who also had one and had spoken with missionaries before. We then taught both of them the Restoration and got return appointments. Theyr'e both kind of crazy so I don't know how sincere they are, or if we'll really get anywhere with them, but at the very least I showed the Lord that I was willing to follow his promptings through the spirit.

Finally Saturday came around, and it was time for the baptism. We had spent a lot of time and effort on it, so it was nice for it to finally happen. Elder Larsen Baptized her and I gave a talk on Baptism. It was an amazing experience, and I was glad to see Siste Little follow the example of Jesus Christ. On Sunday I comfirmed her with the Holy Ghost in sacrament meeting and I was really nervous because it was the first blessing I had ever given anybody. Not to mention that it was a homecoming so there were 288 people there. Oh and the mission president and his wife were there. So yeah, basically the pressure was on.

The comfirmation, with the homecoming talk given by Quentin Grillone made for a super spiritual meeting. Quentin served in Chile and talked about the earthquake that happened while he was there, and the challenge of finding out his dad died while he was on his mission. He had pretty much the whole congregation in tears with his experience and powerful testimony. It was an amazing Sunday and hopefully will turn into an amazing week.

We just started teaching a lady named Marcella that I really think will be baptized. Other than that, most of our investigators are really stagnant. We haven't been able to teach the family we met a week and a half ago, but hopefully we will soon. Things are pretty up and down right now, so I'm really working on being more consistant. I know that if I just lose myself in the work and give myself completely to the lord and always work hard I will be happy. It can be hard to always be focused and doing that, but I try my best to forget about myself. My companion and I are getting along great like always and we learn a lot from each other. Keep us in your prayers.

Love, Elder Tilley

I got a Suprise in the Mail

I got a bonus letter this week!!! When I picked up the mail today there was an envelope from Ryan. Inside were two letters, one for David and one for myself! It totally made my day. I often wonder if missionaries realize how much their letters mean to their families.

In my letter to him I had mentioned that I was teaching my Relief Society lesson on the Blessing of Scripture, so he sent me a page and a half letter telling me what the scriptures mean to him, and how they have blessed his life. It truly brought a tear to my eye.

Here are a few things that he pointed out:

• Reading the scriptures invites the Spirit into our lives
• If we want our lives and our families to be guided by revelation then we MUST study the scriptures
• There is nothing in life that can't be answered by the scriptures, specifically the Book of Mormon
• There is no other book as uplifting and positively influential as the Book of Mormon
• The Scriptures are the word of God. They also testify of Jesus Christ and his teachings

Those are just a few of his many thoughts on the scriptures. I can't tell you how amazing it was to read his words. He is an amazing boy, and I couldn't be prouder! Every letter he sends inspires me to do better and for that I am thankful.