July 9, 2011

(Dad) . . . I love being at peace. I feel the best when the Spirit is with me the most. I’m realizing and experimenting with the gift of the Holy Ghost, I know it is real. I’m the real me when I have it very close. I’m not me when I have left him. I’m grateful for what I am learning. I have my own testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my every day fuel. Thank you for your example. I realize more and more how blessed I am to have had parents like you who strove to teach me the Gospel. I love it. Thank you Thank you. I love you Dad and am thinking about you. Love Elder Tilley. PS-I think I forgot to tell you a couple weeks ago that I met a man from Otavalo Ecuador. It was really neat to think about you serving the people like that. He looked like a real Indian. It was really fun to talk to him for a bit.

1:40 (Jayce)
I love it Jayce. That’s what I like to see. I love the name. Did Josh tell you what our names were? I think mine was Shooter and Joshes was Rihnospidermantus. Named after an exotic creature that he had found. How cool. Jayce you are doing so well. Keep doing what you are doing. All thanks belongs to the Lord. He is so good to us. Can you feel His love for you? You can’t even imagine how relived and happy I am that you are doing so well in Spirit. It is so good for me that I know that you are doing well. . . . I’m thinking about you out there doing all you can to do what Heavenly Father wants you to do. I feel so blessed to have you as a brother. I’m really glad we are going to be able to get to know each other better before you leave. I hope and pray I’m a lot different when I come back. It is going to be really cool to be best friends and support each other in all we do. I sure love my mission and the Gospel. We had one of the most wonderful baptisms today. It was a miracle. We got a phone call yesterday that a Father wanted her daughter to be baptized. She has already been coming to church for about 6 years, but finally got permission. She is only 14 years old. It was so so wonderful. President Amado of the Quorum of the Seventy baptized her. Wow. I’m so excited for you to have your own wonderful stories and feelings to tell and share. I love you tons. Keep being humble. What a wonderful blessing. Instead of saying "Take Luck" this next week, I’ll say "Take Humility". I asked President what he did when he feels prideful being as cool and successful as he is; and he told me that he thinks about the Savior going to Calvary and recites the 7 phrases that the Savior said, one of them being "Father...forgive (adds his own name), for he knows not what he does". I love the Gospel. It is my favorite thing to talk about. I love you. Talk to you next week. Love Elder Tilley