(We still haven't received pictures of Elder Tilley's companions, but found this one on the Mission blog labeled "assistants", so this must be one of them).
(Parts of a letter to President Laycock). You are probably thinking "ahhhh" what happened, but I’m here....for a little bit at least. … My whole mission, it has been a goal of mine …
to be my companions best friend. I want him to know that he is the most important person in my book and I would do anything for him. I just wanted to be brothers teaching about Jesus Christ. This last week, … there was a note and two pieces of strawberry jammed toasts that were waiting for me.
The note said ¨For my best friend, Elder Tilley¨ You can probably imagine how I felt …It has taken a long time...or in reality, probably a very short time to learn that lesson. I want my life to be full of alike relations, especially for my future spouse. This last week, after going to a reference with Elder Besich and finding them not there, he said
¨lets knock in a triangle¨. On that street that we knocked, we talked to a man that had visitors that were preparing themselves for their confirmations. We testified of the Plan of Salvation and left him a folleto. As we turned the corner, walking toward another home, we heard shouts and running footsteps. We turned around and to our surprise two younger girls told us they were learning about Jesus and wanted us to come back and teach them. We excitedly agreed and went back and found on the porch of the house
8 young girls waiting for us. We sat down and were asked to explain by their pastor or teacher, who we were and why we were here. It was incredible. I loved some of their questions they asked, that reaffirmed to me that
I belong to the Church of the Almighty God. ¨You are saying that Jesus really lives today?....The Book of Mormon is like the Bible" another one said. We felt the spirit very strong. I know that they felt what we felt. The mission is doing well.
I think there is a huge excitement walking with The Book of Mormon in hand. It proved to be true for Elder Deaver and I this last week as we went to check the directions of the stadium Santa Laura. We left with two and came back with none and two references that felt our love and the Spirit. We will keep that up forever. It is proven by testimony that it works.
Thank you President for your love and example and for being on the next level where we are learning and striving to go… Love Elder Tilley
(Mom) ... From conference, which will be my new study theme, for probably a life time came the very repeated scripture..."we receive any blessings by obeying the law upon which the blessing is predicated"… Example...I think most of my life, I have wanted to be a happy person. I hope for it and pray for it and wish for it and think it would be good to have it and sure enjoy it when I do...not fun when I don’t have happiness etc...like it was something I couldn’t exactly control . . . But . . .
If I only crack the code and find the laws that govern "being happy", I will have a specific way and an action plan to be able to ensure lifelong happiness. Cool huh? I haven’t gotten too deep into it yet, but it really has me interested. We are going as a mission this upcoming Saturday- on the 15th to the 50 year celebration. (http://www.lds.cl/s/)
We had a fun this past week living a little dream of both of us, Elder Deaver and I. We had to take the map that the office Elders had made and make sure they were clear enough for the whole mission to follow. When we got to the stadium, we asked if we could have a tour of the stadium. They said we couldn’t do that because there weren’t enough guards to help us.
They asked if we were the bosses...yes, we confidently replied. He picked up his Walkie talkie and a man came over to show us around the stadium. You have to know that this stadium is a professional soccer stadium. It was probably similar in quality to a D2 school college stadium, but hey it’s pro. The man walked us around and took us down onto the grass. We walked over and sat in the benches were the team sits. I wish you could have been there.
We were the only three people in the stadium were 22 thousand people can fit. There was a big dark storm rolling in and a cool breeze. It was so beautiful. We talked to the man and he explained to us about the stadium and pretty much everything. We got talking to him about his family and
found that a family member had recently died. We talked to him about that and taught him about the plan of salvation. Because we had a Book of Mormon in hand, literally (as a mission now, we are everywhere with a Book of Mormon in our hand, it is incredible the difference), and opened to Alma 40 and
left him the Book of Mormon. We testified that our families can live eternally and we can return and see our loved ones again through Jesus Christ. I obviously felt the Spirit. We expressed to us that it is so nice to feel and hear something like that, because it gives you new breath, I might say. We were there for probably 40 minutes. We got his address and will get the missionaries there as soon as possible.
I sure love being a missionary family. I think I have expressed that in almost every letter. It is just something special. Heavenly Father is really blessing me.
I love being Elder Tilley. I love serving the missionaries. I love my companion. I love my pension. I love my family. I love my life. I love the Savior and love My Heavenly Father. I love you family, Love Elder Tilley
(Jayce) I’m sure glad that you are so awesome Jayce. I hope you know that we are going to be best friends. I’ll be able to tell you anything and know that you will be able to feel the same. …
No way I’m getting truncky champ. Elder Deaver gave me a letter today about how
ancient warriors returned home 1) disgracefully without their shields, because that meant that they had dropped it to lose the weight and run in retreat because they gave up or 2) they were brought home dead on their shield, which were used as a stretcher for those that had been killed.
Well Jayce, I’ll tell you what....I will be coming home with my shield. I’m so excited for you. I can’t even imagine how different your experience will be, but I will tell you
one thing that will be the same. When you feel the love, you are doing it right. Love you Jayce.
(Rebecca) I’ll write you a heart touch-er for this week Becs. You have to share it with the family though. We were on our way home from visiting the stadium where we will are going to have the activity next Saturday. We got on a bus that would take us back down to the metro (like an underground train). The bus driver stopped in the middle of the intersection and looked out his window and started honking and honking his horn. I looked over and saw a big Coca Cola truck unloading a bunch of pop. I thought to myself. "Wow, this guy can’t wait 10 minutes to get a Coca Cola. That is a sticky addiction". He just kept honking and honking and grabbed his bag to pull out some money it looked like. I could tell that all the people that were squished together around me were getting a little frustrated too. After what seemed a long time, I noticed that a
little girl was running toward the bus. When she got to the door, the bus driver said "Are you coming sweetie?" She jumped on the bus. The man said "How did your day go love?" You have to know that he is talking to her and there are about 8 people including myself physically in the middle of this conversation. She replied to her dad and they talked back and forth till we got dropped off.
I want to be a Dad like that. I’m glad you are doing well Bec and for this next week, I want to hear a story. Love you, Love Elder Tilley
(Dad) I’m glad I can write you Dad. We have been really busy. I hope it gives you comfort, that I can not remember 1 single thing that I learned in family scripture study. The only thing that I can remember is that it must be true if my parents got us up at 5:00am every single morning to do it.
I am so excited for Jayce. I was so much more excited to see that he got his call than I was when I got mine. I have really learned a lot and I like a lot how I am because of my mission. I am loving it …
I’m staying here, mentally and spiritually till all is done. I’m not leaving anything. I’m enjoying myself. I love feeling the Spirit. I want to be obedient. I want to follow the Savior and love doing so. I love sharing and living and helping and teaching.
Wow, how I love teaching. I love Lilia and Sergio our investigators. It feels like I have practiced my whole mission so that I was able to teach them like we have. I just love them. They both are ready. Tomorrow we were asked by President to take a missionary on a division to one of his old wards where a boy will be baptized. That ward is also a ward I was in. Do you remember the family that I knocked on their door and then got changed? I met them for the first time a few months ago and she told me that she had
seen me in a dream? It is that family. I talked to this little boy that will be baptized tomorrow because he was playing soccer out in front of his house. It will be a tender mercy to be there. I love you Dad. I am praying for you. Don’t forget about the promised blessing of (roof over head, clothes on our back and food on our plates to those who pay a honest tithing and generous fast offering, not mattering how small the amount and live the Gospel) That’s in the Principles of the Gospel book, under tithing. Thank you for your example and faith Dad. I couldn’t ask for a more firm and steadfast role model in my life. Love you, Love Elder Tilley
