June 24, 2013

Wow that is pretty intense about Becca’s week!

So I have been wanting to write you this for a while but I just have not had time or have forgotten once I have sat down at the computer to write, but several weeks ago I watched this video of Elder Holland and he is in this conference and all these people are just asking him questions and the theme is about trials and troubles and things like that, this video came with a book that Elder Holland wrote, but in this video a women said that she has two little boys and how with the world getting worse she was so scared and nervous to raise her children! And one thing that Elder Holland said to her was "Do not forget that your children were Heaven´s children before they were yours!" That was something that really hit me that Heaven is just as worried about our children or our brothers and sisters or our parents as we are! And they will do everything that is possible as well! Having said that sometimes we have to lead these people by the hand and sometimes we have to be the very answer to our own prayers! Do you remember that one time I had Sister Thompson email you because I was worried that I had scarred you or worried you? Well the morning after I wrote that letter I realized that I probably had scarred and worried you and so I prayed really hard that Heavenly Father would send you a spiritual message and comfort you and tell you that I was OK. A little bit later I had the prompting to call sister and ask her to send you an email. I debated in my mind whether I should or shouldn’t, because I did not really want to annoy Sister Thompson either, but the idea came to my mind that this was going to be the answer to my prayer, if I wanted my prayer to be answered I needed to call Sister Thompson and tell her to send you a message, and if I did not then my mother would not get a spiritual comfort! So I called her and asked her to send a message! So sometimes we have to be the answer to our own prayers! 

Everyday I pray for the couples we are teaching that they will get married, but a lot of times we have to "hold their hand" and go with them to the government building to start the process! We had to do that with Garcia and Fina and we had to be a little persistent! We marked 5-6 times with them to go to the government building to get the marriage process started, but they canceled every single time, finally this week we were able to go with Irma Fina and get the process started which was a miralce!!! I told Elder Mariquele and he almost flipped out that that happened!

So you might have to grab (someone) by the hand and help them...you can be BOLD but NOT OVER BEARING! Also another idea that just came into my mind is that maybe you can read in PMG about the iceberg! I think (people) probably have an iceberg situation! We can only see the things on the surface, but there is something much deeper! Just something that came to my mind!

I hope that this helps! 

Love you!

Elder Tilley

Bec,

That is way sick! Way to go!! So do you think you are going to go there! (BYU) Tell you the truth there are a lot of missionaries that have tried to convince me to go to BYU and I am actually considering it!!! What do you say want to go up to BYU together!?  Maybe you can become some BYU star and then I could make a music video and put up on youtube and it would go something like this "Hey mighty Quin …whats up… can you teach me how to BECCA, well just sit back and relax...."  you feeling me!!? HAHA that would be so sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I would so be your number 1 fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I am still waiting on your atonement comments\ the things that you studied about the atonement! Maybe next week you can give some things of what you learned and then you can choose the next topic? Sound good?? If you put heavenly Father first in your life He will bless you, with everything else in your life!!! I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love you

Sparkely Buns Power

Elder Tilley

(Mom)

I forgot transfers are this week, but Elder Wilson and I are staying together, which is good! We are excited for President and Sister Merrill to get here this week!

Love you Mom I will be praying for you!! I hope that you have a great week! I will be praying for you!!! And for BEC and the family!!!

I love you so much!!

Did you get the pics I sent the past few weeks (the caterpillar pictures?) remind me to write about a young man named ivandro next week !!

Love you!!

Elder Tilley

Braden,

What the heck is this zone conference thing everyone is talking about! I have not heard a thing about this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I guess I am not too surprised, that is kind of how it goes in Angola!! you just got to role with the bunches and let me tell you there are alot  of punches here!!

…

(Dad)

Thanks for the update!! I hope that things will work your with everything!!!

Sorry I do not have much time to write today!!

Love you so much POPS!!

Elder Tilley

President and Sister Merrill and family when they were set apart by Elder Holland June 21

Elder Tilley’s new mission President and wife (Danny and Pennie Merrill) got set apart (June 21). This is their family...they are in the center middle…near Elder Holland.

(Update from Merrill’s daughter about 4:15 pm Saturday; forwarded from Tammy Montgomery…another missionary mom)

… They just called! They are there!! It was 11pm their time and they had arrived @ 4 am. They were tired but LOVING it already! They got to witness 15 baptisms today!!!! They got to meet all the elders in the city and will travel to meet others tomorrow. . . . luggage didn't make it so they got there with the clothes they were wearing and the extra pair they had on their carry on. So keep their luggage in your prayers! Yeo! But they are in such great spirits it didn't seem to phase them much. I will most definitely keep in touch!!! Exciting times! Elder Holland said to my parents during the setting apart, "you won't only be witnessing history as the church grows there, you will be making it.". So excited that ours are apart of this wonderful time when the church is growing so fast in Africa ! "Pray for their luggage!! Our boys are in good hands !!! Tammy Montgomery

June 17, 2103

This is me and Elder Wilson (new companions) after playing soccer.

Grandma!

Hey I just wanted to write you quick email!! thank you for the great example that you are to me and the great lady that you are!

I was thinking about all that you have gone through and I have realized how strong of a person you are!! Thank you for your strength and your support! You are one of the greatest examples to me and unfortunately I may not have realized that before my mission and I wished I would have gone to your home more and had more one on one time with Grandma!!

I guess we will just have to do that when I get back!! Thank you so much Grandma for your example and your love!! I love you so very much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Tilley

1. I wrote dad, but I will have to write grandpa next week I think. So he said that their is a high chance that he will not come to Africa and be baptized. The thought that came to my mind was "so your saying there is a chance!!!" :) I think probably only Joe and Josh will get that movie quote :)

2. (My companion) is elder Wilson and we were in the MTC together for three weeks before he came here to Angola. So he will go home one transfer before I do. He is a really good missionary! He is from Wyoming and grew up on a farm his entire life, but you would not guess that he grew up on a farm! We are doing pretty well and the work is moving forward!

3. We have two senior couples as well as the Assitents. We are still in contact with President Kretlly and Mozambique so it is not too bad. Things are going pretty well.

We are really excited for President and Sister Merrill to get here. This week I went on a division with Elder Wilhelm and we had a good conversation about our mission vision and what things we can talk about with President merrill to help resolve some of the issues that the mission has.

Hey bec, go tear it up at basketball camp!!! But above all keep your standards!!!!! You will not regret it, but if you do not keep them you will regret it!!

Don’t forget about personal prayers and scripture study!! You are going to share with me next week about the atonement right!?

Love you

Tear them to pieces

Love Elder Tilley

Sparkly Buns Power!!

This is a letter I sent Sister Heilman...in case she doesn't get it.

June 10, 2013

We ate caterpillars this week:) 

I will try and send more (pictures) next week!

Yep it will be a great experience for them!! (Missionaries as Branch Presidency in the new Huambo Branch)

So we went over with President Kretly on Thursday night and he challenged Elizabeth to pray to see if she should be baptized. And he challenged her for the follow Tuesday right before he left back to Mozambique. So at first I was fine with the situation, but I was a little bit nervous because she has not been taught all the lessons and she had only been to church once and she was still a leader in her church. So I was not really liking the situation and as I prayed I told Heavenly Father that I was not liking the situation, but if President Kretly was really inspired to invite her to be baptized on that date I would follow! Then on Saturday night I got a call from the Elders who were teaching them and they said that Elizabeth and Inacio called them (the missionaries) and came to the conclusion that it was too fast and that Elizabeth was not going to be baptized on Tuesday. The Missionaries said when they heard that they went over to their house to talk about it with them, but apparently it turned out to be a through down lesson and apparently they called Elizabeth to repent and be baptized and from their was kind of a scuffle of words... I do not know all the details but when I heard what happened I did not like the situation even more because I felt like Elizabeth was just under all this pressure and if she ended up accepting to be baptized I felt like it would be because of pressure not because not because she was converted! I was planning on talking to President Kretly about it, but then on Sunday the missionaries called me and said that Elizabeth was going to be baptized on Tuesday. She said after the missionaries left she prayed and she felt like she knew what she needed to do. I was still nervous about the situation, but we went along with it. I told the missionaries to make sure she was converted and make sure she was not doing this just because of pressure! Also I talked with the Elder who was going to give her the interview and he said he was a little bit nervous about the situation as well and I told him the same things to make sure she was converted and not just because of pressure. After the interview I talked with him though and he said that it was a really good interview and he felt like she had a change of heart. So that night Elizabeth and their three kids including the 21 year old who was here in Angola for the summer break of school (he was studying in Houston Texas) were baptized.That night I felt bad and I went to my knees to ask forgiveness for not necessarily believing that this baptism should or could happen! But as I started kneeling I had the thought came into my mind that said "Do not feel sorry or bad that you wanted to make sure that someone was prepared for baptism". So they were all baptized and then confirmed yesterday and Elder Chatwin sent me a text last night and he said that they are doing great! So that is good!!

So that was the experience. We learned a lot of things (From President Kretly). One thing he hit hard on was that we need to be finding teaching and baptizing all at the same time. Not just at first finding and then teaching the people and then baptizing them and then starting the process over. We need to be doing all three all of the time! I hope you have a great week mom!!!! So Grandpa still has not written me back! Should I write him and just tell him some experiences I am having or should I wait for him to respond? I love you!!

June 3, 2013

Elder Tilley, Elder Clifford (from Mesa, AZ), Jesse and Denilson 

Hey Mom sorry I wrote you a letter, but then the internet went out, so then I saved the letter, but now it is not here. Jesse was baptized. He was not going to get baptized because he had a test on Saturday during the baptism but Friday afternoon he texted me and said that his test got moved so he was able to get baptized on that date! So we ran around on Friday trying to get everything ready for the baptism!

Lourenco and veronica are doing really well they marked a date to be baptized on the 28th of June which is a Miracle in it self, but a lot of things could go wrong! So please keep them in your prayers!

We learned a lot of things but on Sunday night we had a fireside about the 7 habits of a highly effective person! Which was really good! I feel like if Braden was there he would have been going nuts!:)

Haha I am just kind of like whatever and laughing that you were worried about it! :) that boat sailed a way along time ago and fortunately too!!! :) You can tell me any girls that get married its more just kind of fun to know! 

So this week we passed by Inacio and Elizabeth's house with President Kretly and President Kretly invited Elizabteth to pray to see if she should be baptized this Tuesday! (Tomorrow)  this was a three or 4 days ago. She said she would pray about it... long story short a lot of weird drama stuff went down and she is going to be baptized tomorrow at 8. I am really nervous that she is just going to be baptized because of all the pressure and not because she is converted. I am really nervous about the hole situation, So please pray for me and President Krelty and Inacio and Elizabeth!

Love You Elder Tilley

Nope I think I am good love you so much!

Did Bec tell you that we are studying the scriptures together …? if you want to join in.

Love you mom

Logging off!!!!

Com Amor

Elder Tilley

(Preston) Love you Bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry I could not write more!!!

Bec! 

Haha I did not do very well either this week. But I have been studying about the Atonement the past while. One thing that I have learned from the District President (Stake President) is that God can’t do EVERYTHING/ANYTHING and just do what he wants. For example God cannot sin and things like that. Also if it were not for the Atonement God would not be able to save his children, Us! God is a perfectly just God and so if it were not for the Atonement God could not just save us... pretty interesting! Also I have learned little bit about the Laws of Justice and Mercy! God has to be perfectly Just and Perfectly Merciful, but it is impossible to be both without a mediator!  That is where Jesus Christ comes into play! He fulfills the law of Justice so that God can be merciful to us! But that still does not mean that we can do what ever we want and God will save us! God set up rules and guidelines (the commandments) for us to follow and if we follow ALL of them not just most or some of  them we will receive Exaltation if we do not then unfortunately we loose out! Obviously we all make mistakes and so that is why we have repentance so that we can be cleansed from our sins! Maybe this week we can both do better at studying more about the Atonement and find more scriptures to share with one another? Love you Becs!

I hope that you are doing well!

Keep being a great Girl!!!

Love you !!