A parting of the ways

For those of us who know and love Eldrew, know how absolutely fussy he is about his hair. Prior to his mission, he obsessed about missionary haircuts. Never in his life has he parted his hair on the side. Under no circumstances was he going to have a regular missionary (parted on the side) haircut while he was on his mission.

When it comest to hairstyles, Eldrew has has almost every hair style imaginable...but NEVER parted on the side.

Imagine our surprise when recently he sent photos and announced he was parting his hair on the side.

For kicks, here are a few samples of the many styles of Elder Bellomy before his mission.

It goes without saying that we love Eldrew no matter how he wears his hair. We love getting photos from him on his mission. So, we will share one last photo we got last week. It is Eldrew sleeping with the new pet beagle of the owners of the home where Eldrew is staying.

We get to talk to Eldrew!!
One last note. Missionaries call home on Christmas Day and Mother's Day. Today is Mother's Day and we have our call with Eldrew scheduled at exactly 5pm Mountain time. He has scheduled that time so that it will least affect his missionary work. The whole family is looking forward to hearing from him. We will report in a later blog entry what he has to say.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

This week I'll call it "The Good, the Bad, and the Funny"

Susan asked me to share this entire email from Eldrew.

First, the Good:

To answer your questions about investigators: (not that anyone is counting...) I have been a part of 3 baptisms. Jimmy, Malonni, and Lacey. But the way it seems to go in missionary work is that you can't really claim any baptisms of your own.

The other day we got our mission newsletter, 'It Is Written', which contains articles from President and Sister Saylin and the Assistants, pictures of incoming and outgoing missionaries and baptismal statistics and names of individuals baptized. It was cool to see names of people whom I began or helped teach on the list. Oscar was going to be my first baptism...back in December on the 12th. He had some things to still work on so I never saw it happen. BUT he did. And the word was passed along that he is preparing for a mission! Edwin in my first area got baptized as well as a boy named Brooklyn.

Hopefully people I helped come unto Christ! Miranda moved to Virginia with her mother, she hasn't been baptized yet but she asked the sister missionaries if she could get baptized as soon as she got to her mothers. They told her yes...so...I'm confident she is going to be baptized. Currently we are working with a 24 year old man named Eric. He is going to get baptized this Saturday. He is overcoming word of wisdom problems and this week he is going through "detox". He took work of so he could sleep, throw up and feel miserable at home. Will you please pray for him this week that he can feel God's comfort and have the strength to endure. He is a very passionate young man and will go on a mission! ha ha :) I will send pictures of it home next week.

Some more good...My birthday. No breakfast in bed but I did get to wake up at 6:30 and exercise ha ha. My birthday present was given to me on Sunday. Lacey bore her testimony. I got all choked up and stuff. ha ha to feel the Spirit bear witness of what she said. She's thankful for the gift of the Holy Ghost. :)

Also, I feel great riding on my bike. I hope I stay on it my whole mission.

Also, today I read Alma 17...its amazing how diligence, faith, scripture study, pray, fasting, optimism increase our effectiveness in the Lord's work (Whether you're a missionary, a Sunday School teacher, on the High Council or a Laurel) Effective teaching, testimony bearing and even rock slinging and sword work! Ha


Second, the Bad.

There's none of that.

Finally, the Funny.

So here's an interesting encounter for you:

We were riding through a trailer park in the bottom part of our area when a car pulled up next to us and said, "Are you Jehovah's?" I replied, "No, Mormons!"

He said, "Nice, I'll pull over!"

So, he drove up a ways and pulled over and got out of his car. He was wearing black boots, black tight pants, and a black and white stripped shirt buttoned half way up with his chest exposed and over ten necklaces. His hands were covered in rings and his wrists with bracelets. On top of his head was a fedora hat covering is dreads that went halfway down his back. I laughed to myself as we rode up to him.

So! Tell me! What are you all about...maaaaan."

We told him, we're all about Jesus Christ and told him about the restoration. He was really interested but was really just interested in everything possible. He was "spiritual" and prayed to everything and anything people pray to...while he does yoga. He's studying to be a lawyer but the Man (American politics) is going to keep him from making a difference. He informed us early on in the conversation not to look up, because the airplanes and helicopters that were coincidentally flying above us weren't actually coincidently flying above us. It was the government keeping tabs on him. They are scared of him because he's going to do something for the people...probably a communist thing.

He also explained his ridiculous policy on guns which...I am afraid to say though it is stupid is kind of clever. He wants to take away everyone’s guns but not their arms. He will give everyone an arm...a sword. Because when everyone has a sword and no one has a gun, you'll think twice before you kill someone. His rhetorical scenario, "If I'm standing right there and you're standing over there and we both have guns are you going to think twice about shooting me faster than I shoot you? Probably not. Or if I'm standing right there and you're standing over there and I have a sword and you have a gun are you going to think twice about shooting me? No, because you have a gun! But if we both have swords you're going to think twice before you kill me because you may die first." ha ha ha ha hilarious. He told us to look at his face and remember it because it was going to be famous someday and then he was off.

Famous or infamous he will always be funny to me!

Your son,

Elder Andrew Paul Bellomy



Translation:

(Eldrew's Dad with a little Mormon-speak translation and commentary for those who may not understand all the LDS references.)

Andrew has never really spoken in detail about the people he has/is teaching who have accepted the restored Gospel and have been baptized. We were wondering and asked him in his weekly letter. The first part of his letter is sharing with us. Obviously, he is happy that he is teaching and people are listening to his preaching...but he is not boastful about it. (I will say that I am eternally grateful to the Mormons who introduced me to the Church and missionaries that taught me.)

Testimony meeting -- a once a month sacrament or communion meeting in the LDS Church where there is essentially an open microphone for members of the congregation to 'bear their testimony.' They can speak on any topic they want regarding their feelings and experiences in the Church. (One of my favorite meetings...very unscripted.)

Restoration -- Mormons believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its pure and authoratitve form was lost from the earth and that through a modern prophet, Jesus Christ has reestablished (restored) his Church. If  you are interested in the concept, you can read about it here: The Restoration of the Gospel

High Council -- This is essentially an executive board of Elders that assists in the administration of an LDS Stake. They are sort of like a board of Deacons in a traditional Christian denomination. A stake is an territorial/administrative unit of the Church made up of about 5-7 congregations. The closest equivilent is that of a diocese in the Episcipal or Catholic Church.

Laural -- a member of a woman's youth class aged 16-18. Eldrew's younger sister is a Laural.

gkb

Happy Birthday Elder Bellomy.

Hard to believe. Twenty years ago on April 6th, the future Elder Andrew Bellomy came into this world.

We love him and are very, very proud of the fine young man he has become.

Happy birthday young man.

On sharing the spiritual.

I (Elder Bellomy's dad) have been pondering for a while about the nature of this blog. So far, it has been mostly a travel log about his experiences. By design, we have not shared too much detail on the spiritual nature of his mission.

Elder Bellomy has mostly non-LDS relatives and many non-member friends. There is a concern on our part that an overly-religious blog may not be well received, understood, or appreciated by some. So, out of respect we keep the blog on the lighter side.

Yet, the whole purpose of a mission is to be and to serve the spiritual. At points along the way, we want to share the deeply religious nature of his devotion to the Savior and his service to him. Hopefully, we can do this in a manner that is respectful and sensitive.

I'd like to say that Elder Bellomy is undergoing what seems to be a life-changing spiritual journey. His desire to teach and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ is evident in every letter home. His love of the people he is teaching is deep and touching. Each week, he tells a few stories of the people he is teaching. The sweet invitations to accept the Gospel, follow the Savior, and be baptized in his name. Some of these stories are so personal we choose not to share them here...but they are very much the core and purpose of his mission.

LDS tradition has it that a missionary's home congregation places a plaque honoring a serving missionary in the lobby of the chapel. The plaque features a photo, a map of the mission, and the missionary's favorite passage of scripture. Elder Bellomy did not take care of this before he left. We have been nagging him for over six months to tell us what his favorite passage of scripture is. Finally, two weeks ago the sent home his favorite passage...

Doctrine and Covenants 130: 20 and 21 — There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Latter Day Saints love our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ. Dedicated Latter Day Saints devote our lives to the Gospel. For the pure in heart, there is only a desire to serve the Lord. We believe that as we obey God, he blesses us in the work of the kingdom. For Elder Bellomy to choose this passage of scripture as representative if his mission is significant. (Being a former LDS missionary, my Daddy heart understands what Eldrew is feeling.) Andrew has fully devoted himself to serving the Lord. The blessings he counts on his mission is the opportunity to serve others and bring them the Gospel. When he obeys the commandments, the mission rules, the spirit of missionary work, has pure desires...the Lord promises to bless and consecrate his efforts. His love of this passage is a demonstration of his commitment to his mission.

I hope that those who visit and read this blog can imagine the great love that Elder Bellomy has for his Savior, his thankfulness for the atonement, and his desires to share the Gospel.
I also hope that we will be excused if we don't always share some of the deeper and more personally spiritual moments on this blog. Please understand that we intend to share with family, friends, and other visitors as much as we can...this blog may never quite capture the deep spiritual aspect of the experience Eldrew is having.

Please keep Eldrew in your hearts. If you are ever prompted with a desire to study Mormonism, nothing would make him happier. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance.

Was it something we wrote?

Elder Bellomy continues to thrive. He is happy and working hard.

In tune with the rules:
I think the big news from Eldrew's mission is that the rules allowing him to play the guitar have changed. They did so right after we shared some guitar stories. (Hmmmm...I hope it wasn't because of what we wrote.) Eldrew is bummed, but quite satisfied to follow the mission rules. He gave his guitar away to a member of the ward.

Andrew's desire to keep all the rules is sort of blowing his parents away. We visited a reception last week at which a video was shown of the brother of the Bride giving a short speech to honor his sister on her wedding day. The video was very short and obviously filmed in the lobby of the mission home or LDS chapel. We asked Eldrew if he'd consider making a similar video for his broher Adam's wedding. Eldrew declined and explained that they have been asked not to make videos. Gotta admire his desire to obey the rules! (Working hard, having faith, and obeying the rules were some of the counsel I gave him before he left on his mission.)

New Companion:
Eldrew's companion completed his mission and went home. He now has a new companion, Carlston from Lehi, Utah. That is about 45 minutes south of here. They seem to be getting along well.

Beautiful person:
Andrew had a run in with a drunk last week:

So, yesterday I almost got kissed by a drunk guy! He's like "You're beautiful"...and grabbed the back of my neck to pull me in. I think he was joking but it wasn't funny. Elder Carlston had a field day laughing about it ha ha...

Houston Temple:
Elder Bellomy also had a chance to attend the Houston Temple last week.

Visiting the temple with his Mission President was very meaningful for him. If I remember correctly, the temple is actually outside of the mission. I believe that the missionaries get to visit the temple a couple of times a year.

Working hard:
One of the things about being on a mission is how hard you can work...and be happy doing it. It seems that Eldrew is also experiencing that on his mission as well:

I'm worn out all the time and my eyes always hurt because I'm working hard and I wake up on time and never take naps. I'm probably gonna sleep in the first week I get back because there is no disobedience in it. I wake up with exactness in the name of the spirit. I can't afford to not have it with me. Also, I've been working out every morning and night, so I'm staying in shape and I'm not eating too much because the members never feed us. ha ha but I'm happy. There is a unique satisfaction in being beaten dead everyday. Knowing that you're doing what you're supposed to be doing and that the Lord is somewhat pleased with your efforts.

Teaching the word:
Every week, Eldrew mentions a few teaching, tracting, contacting and other missionary experiences. I have to admit that he is teaching a lot more people than I expected...and experienced on my mission. I sense that the missionary work is going well and that he is really into it. Due to the nature of this public blog, we have not gotten too much into the details of that aspect of his mission.

Upcoming entries:
In the near future, we are planning a hairstyle story. The ever changing world of Eldrew's hair! I (his dad) will also be commenting on how our blog is approaching his mission.

Please keep Eldrew in your thoughts and prayers. If  you get a few minutes, drop him a line.

With love from Pasadena Texas.

This is the longest...by far...letter from Eldrew so far on his mission. He seems happy and content as he comes up on his six month mark. SIX MONTHS!! A quarter of his two year mission completed. Wow.

Here is the letter. (I've added a few photos for context and fun.)

This week was so cool ha ha and I'll tell you why.

First, Elder Beck and I were rolling down this street that we take as a short cut when we look over and see a guy playing guitar on his porch. We turned around and went to his trailer to talk to him. His name was Louie and he was playing a Fender Strat. We talked music. He likes blues and so we talked about Buddy Guy and Big Mama Thornton. He offered us some sodas and we accepted, so when he got up to get them I asked if I could strum on his guitar, he said, "Sure, Man!" So I strapped up and started ripping some blues. He said, "Man, not very many cats have rhythm like that, that was a good little ditty." ha ha so we brought up the gospel and we're going by this Friday to teach a first lesson.

Second. There is a section of our area called the Avenues. Just your typical grid system that goes by 1st street through 15th street and Avenue A through M. So one day we are riding down Avenue K and these kids are playing basketball. They yell, "Oh no it's the cops!" and some of them laughed and one of the kids hid under a truck ha ha We said no, we're not the cops, we're missionaries. And then they started talking, "Can I have that bike, that watch, that tie, that backpack...etc...etc" So I said, "I'll play you for it. ha They all agreed, but then I said I was joking but that I did have a proposition for them. A game of ball, if we won, they had to hear a lesson, if they won we'd leave, no lesson taught. They enthusiastically agreed. There was four of them and so they gave us their gimpy friend with a hurt arm. (not fair at all)...they tossed me the ball and asked if I had ever played before. I said, "Basketball? No, not really, but it doesn't seem hard." One of the kids yelled in repsonse, "you're hustling us aren't you? You totally are." I said "maybe" and checked the ball. I faked a drive and shot. Swoosh. 1 to 0. "You are hustling us!" They played winners ball so if you always make it the other team never gets the ball. I checked the ball, passed to Elder Beck, he shot. Swoosh. 2 to 0. I checked the ball, faked a shot and drove it. Off the backboard, in. 3-0. But then...they stole it from the gimpy kid and came back...we lost 11-15. Humiliating. We would have won if it weren't for the gimp! ha ha We're gonna try to get a rematch some day.

Third, Yesterday we got a call from our bishop. He said to Elder Beck, "Rumor in the ward is that you're going home?" He said yes. He then said, "Another rumor is that you and your companion play guitar?" He said yes. He then said, "Well, my wife is going to be out of town this week and so I'm gonna be a bachelor. I've been trying to learn the guitar, how about this week you and your companion bring your guitars over to teach me a lesson." He said of course. ha ha Preach My Gospel says to serve the bishop...so we are :)
   

Fourth and finally. This week was a special zone conference. Elder [W. Craig] Zwick and his wife were touring the mission and so they gave the trainings. (Note from Kim - Elder Zwick is roughly the equivilent in the LDS Church to what a Cardinal is in the Catholic Church)
 
We sang a hymn and had a pray and then Elder Zwick got up. "I want to do something a little different today, I want to have some missionaries come up to do something. Open your preach my gospel, choose a principle, teach it, the next companion will tell a story about it and testify and then the first companion will bear testimony and close. I'd like to ask the zone leaders to choose 4 companionships from each zone to do this."
 
Of course, Elder Beck and I were chosen to represent our zone. ha ha We went 3rd. The first companionship came up, rambled nervously and closed. Elder Zwick told of Elder Perry's criticisms, they seem harsh but they are done in love and he let them have it...told them that they rambled and that they didn't stay on topic. Gulp. ha ha then sister's got up. They did good because they're sisters and he didn't have much to say about it but good things.
 
Then it was our turn we taught fasting and I told Miranda's story. Elder Zwick said that we made him want to start a fast right then. He asked the audience for comments and they were all good. phew...good thing I prayed to not sound like and idiot before we went up. ha ha I taught a lesson in front of a General Authority. It was crazy! ha ha

Uhh...it has been a while.

I fell off the Elder Bellomy blogging wagon and have not posted since January 5th. This week I have had a couple of interesting comments as to why there is no news about Elder Bellomy. One person asked me if there were no recent posts because the blog was discussing too many details of Eldrew's mission and were asked to stop. Another person wondered if bad stuff was happening to Eldrew and we did not want to talk about it.

I am happy to report that neither is the case. There have been no posts for quite a while because I am lazy and distracted. Elder Bellomy is happy, working hard, and having success.

Oh, and the other reason that there haven't been any posts is that Eldrew does not write very long newsy letters. Hence, there is not a whole lot to tell. (But now I am just making excuses.)

One experience that Eldrew did share is that the day after Christmas, he was at some sort of Ward get-together. One of the young girls in the Ward had a skateboard. If  you know Eldrew, you know that skateboarding was a major part of his life before going on a mission. He asked if he could show her a skateboarding trick on her skateboard - said "Yes."

So, Eldrew proceeded to show her a stunt called an 'ollie.' Here is what an ollie looks like:

Well...as you can guess from the photo above...Eldrew broke the little girl's skateboard.

He immediately told her that he was sorry and asked her where she got it and how much it cost so he cold replace it. She looked at him (visualize big kid eyes here) and told him she did not know...

She got the skateboard for Christmas! Ooops.

Needless to say, Elder Bellomy felt terrible. He did make good on his promise...he bought her a new skateboard. Eldrew said she was very happy to get the replacement, but even happier that he promised her that he would never ride her skateboard again.

Lesson learned!

More news from the Texas Houston South Mission soon.

Christmas call.

Our first missionary call home. This is one of four we will get during Eldrew's mission. Sorry to be so late reporting on it. We got a little carried away with the holidays.

Eldrew arranged the call and time via email on the prep day before Christmas. We gathered the whole family for the call at 2pm on Christmas Day. Eldrew is a missionary who obeys the mission rules. He made sure that we  understood that only family couuld be on the call.

When the big moment came, the phone rang and we all ran into the office to put him on speaker. It was great to hear his voice. He was calling on a member's cell phone. He was in good spirits, happy, upbeat, joking around...and sort of awkward...not knowing what to say.

By the rules, Eldrew kept his call to 40 minutes. Every five minutes or so, he tell us how much time he has left. The whole family peppered him with questions about how he is doing, what its like to be on a mission, about his new area, etc. etc.

Eldrew is of the opinion that he is going to be in his new area for a while. His companion goes home in March and will most likely remain in the area until the end of his mission. That being the case, Eldrew will probably stay and extra month or two after to assure missionary continuity in the area. If that's true, his next transfer will be maybe April or May. Of course, it is all up to the needs of the mission and the inspiration of his mission president. An interesting note...Eldrew's new companion sort of came with the territory. The area Eldrew is serving in was a part of the Texas Houston East Mission...the area moved into Eldrew's mission as a part of a boundary shift when a Stake was reorganized. His companion was already there and assigned to the Texas Houston East mission. So...his companion got transferred into a new mission for the last few months of his mission.

We discovered that Eldrew would prefer mail sent to his mission home and not to his apartment address. It seems to work out better that way.

So...the correct address is:

Elder Andrew Bellomy

Texas Houston South Mission

4627 Austin Parkway

Sugar Land, TX 77479-2146

On a side note, we Googled Eldrew's new apartment address and found a Google street view photo of the home. We won't post it here...but it is really sort of odd and cool to have so much information about where he is serving. I will show the general area that he is at in relation to Houston.


View Larger Map

At the end of the call, I got the chance to have a minute or two alone talking to Eldrew. It was very special. Susan got to finish the call with Eldrew one-on-one as the time ran out. She came out wiping away tears.

It made for a GREAT Christmas!

Transfer accomplished!

Eldrew has arrived in his new area. Here is his letter today.

Hey hey Family-

So....I'm sure you are all sooooooooo anxious to hear where I am. So...I guess I can fill you in.

I got transferred to a new area in the Texas Houston South Mission called Pasadena. It is part of the newly formed League City Stake. The boundary change is the reason for the new area in our mission because it was formally an area in the Texas Houston East Mission--you should ask Josh Madsen if he's served here or heard of it? So, it's pretty much suburb style...lots of cozzy homes and nice people. Country folk for sure.

My companion's name is Elder Beck from Blackfoot, Idaho. He's pretty funny and used to dirt bike.

We live in a member's home. He's a high priest and is retired and Red--the Red haired grandmother--works everyday somewhere. They have...or had (I'll explain in a second)...a parrot, 2 cats, and two dogs. BUT Suzie, the Bassett hound, an aged and important member of the family died last night after being a bit sluggish and sad the passed few days. Red was very sad and doesn't want anymore dogs because she "can't go through this anymore"...so today, Elder Beck and I dug a grave and buried Suzie...not your typical P-day activity.

We have some solid investigators and are working on a few others. I've met some great people already and I'm starting to learn how to be myself and be a missionary at the same time...if that makes any sense? ha.

Elder Bellomy

We will post again after he talks to his Mom on Christmas Day.

"I'll be (fill in the blank) for Christmas."

There is an old song, "I'll be home for Christmas." We know that Eldrew is not going to be in Utah this year for Christmas. But as of right now, we don't know where he will be for Christmas.

We got our weekly email from Eldrew. It was very, very short. The only real news is that he has been notified that he will be getting transferred this week. He is sad to leave Maplewood. Elder Rios has been a great companion, and Eldrew loves the area.

As of the time he wrote the email, he does not know where he is going, or who his new companion will be. I believe that the process is that he is given a head's up on the Sunday before transfers. I think he finds out late yesterday or today where and who. The actual transfers are on Wednesday. I don't know if he will let us know on Wednesday or if we wait until the weekly email on Monday to get all the details. We will keep our loyal readers up to date when we learn more.

I will say that Eldrew is sort of blowing me away. His letters are positive and energetic...even if they are short. His comedic view of the world comes through in every word he writes. It is amazing to see his committment to the Gospel growing each week. I can tell he is really focused.

Susan and I spent some time last night talking about my companions. I had some wonderful missionary compainions...and some real duds. I can honestly say that I loved all of my areas that I worked in. Each was unique and interesting. Eldrew is in for an adventure as he moves on to his next chapter on his mission.

Thanksgiving with “Familia Mendez.”

A really, really long letter this week...

Eldrew reported on his Thanksgiving Day, singing, upcoming events, some frustrations, and other items. About Thanksgiving he reports.

“Thanksgiving was kind of funny. We woke up and did our usual thing. Thursdays are our weekly planning day so we sit down and plan for 3 or so hours so we did that. Then we had dinner at Familia Mendez (a somewhat new family into our ward from the Spanish Ward). We had Turkey, Ham, Rice, and peppers. We scheduled appointments at member's homes earlier that week so we would be expected and we didn't stay more that 40 minutes at each home. Of course we did no tracting or OYMing (open your mouth)ing on a family day like Thanksgiving. Then we went home and slept. Ha!”

This week was sort of frustrating.
 I think that Eldrew is not having the most fun he’s had so far. This week seems to have had some down moments.

“This week was a bummer! Ha, Ha. That's very pessimistic, but we didn't really get out a lot to go spread the gospel. I like talking and working physically...planning is good but too much planning and meetings and interviews and etc, etc, etc...makes for a week that feels very claustrophobic, that is very low in results, and is very discouraging."

The work.
Eldrew reports that he will be participating in his first baptism. It is planned for this Saturday. It is a young man who is 19 and was introduced to the missionaries by a member of the Church. Elder Bellomy and Rios taught the young man and let the sister missionaries continue teaching him. Elder Bellomy and Rios are staying involved because of their relationship with him

Eldrew reports that they have other great people they are teaching, but that they often have trouble keeping the appointments. Eldrew sees the importance of this. He says:

“We have currently some very good [people] we are working with, though presently we are having a hard time getting them to keep appointments. Which is a big part in teaching...weird right? We are working hard still, more mentally than physically though 2 weeks ago my throat was hurting from talking so much. I was never expecting that."

He and Elder Rios get a vote of confidence.
“Another other cool things is the Bishop in our ward told Elder Rios and I that we are good missionaries and he has enjoyed watching us.”

Looking forward to the Christmas call.
Missionaries are allowed to call home to Mom twice a year – Christmas and Mother’s Day. Eldrew is getting ready for the call. He says:

“This Christmas, I don't know when I will call ya'll but hey...I will at some point. I'll let you know the ball park.”

Snow Day.
"Oh so I almost forgot...I'm staying warm and the snow was really weird because it didn't stop. It went all day. It just accumulated on cars but melted on everything else but people were making snowmen and work was cancelled and stuff...it was funny. I heard that people were afraid to drive in it???...it was just like rain. Ha, Ha."

Have guitar. Will sing the Gospel.
"I used it [guitar] for the first time in a lesson this week. Elder Rios and I say 'Israel Israel, God is Calling'. It brought the spirit and started us off for a great lesson."

Not on our Christmas wish list – Transfers.
Eldrew reports that transfer news will be coming on the 15th. That’s when he and Elder Rios will know if they will be together for another month. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he and Elder Rios will stay together. We think Elder Rios has been a great companion. We will be very sad when they are assigned new companions. But, transfers aren’t our call. Elder Bellomy and Rios have a wise and caring Mission President who will make the right, inspired decision.

Snow in Houston! Earliest ever.

News reports today are that Houston is receiving its earliest snow ever. The forcast is for as much as 2 inches in some places.

Photo courtesy of The Houston Chronicle. They have a story and photo gallery here: Houston braces for icy night after early snowfall

I hope the Elders drive carefully and stay warm.

Mission trivia from Elder Bellomy.

Here is a small item of trivia shared by Eldrew in his letter this week.

The President of the LDS Stake that Elder Bellomy is serving in is Gifford Nielsen. (A "Stake" is the LDS name for and administrative group of four to six LDS congregations. Is is sort of like a dioceses is the Catholic Church. A Stake president is equivilent to a Bishop in the Catholic Church.)

For anyone who is familiar with Brigham Young University football, Gifford Nielsen is one of the most famous quarterbacks to come out of the fabled BYU Quarterback Factory. He was an All-American and played in the NFL for the Houston Oilers. Until recently, Gifford Nielsen was the Sports Director at KHOU-TV in Houston.

Dear Park Meadows Ward. From Elder Bellomy.

Hello Park Meadows!

How are ya'll doing'? Well, I trust.

I want to start out by saying how thankful I am for you all. I wanted to express my gratitude for such an awesome ward. I also wanted to pass on a little message.

This holiday season is an excellent opportunity for us to ponder on blessings and to pray thankfully to the Lord for all we have been given. President Monson in conference just over a year ago pointed out that gratitude is necessary to find "joy in the journey". Essential to find happiness while we are striving for that complete joy we wish to experience in the eternities. He quoted a well known author who points out that in our lives there always exists abundance and lack of abundance and it is up to us as to where we put our focus.
Unfortunately, we, me included, don't take the time through out the year to focus on that abundance, to see our lives as half full and not half empty.

This is not all, however. Much like the change from the gratitude of Thanksgiving to the spirit of giving that comes from Christmas we must realize being thankful has 2 parts.
Professing what you have is only half of gratitude. Isn't the most bitter form of ingratitude keeping all those blessings to yourself? Isn't this completely contrary to everything Jesus Christ taught? Will you just acknowledge your blessings and just bury them?

Now, of course, there are some blessings we can't share, like having a good home ward while you're on your mission. And there are blessings we reap that are all commonly owned, like the color of autumn on the Wasatch mountain side. But, there are certainly blessings that are to be shared--I may interject the more portions.

I am reminded of the hymn, "because I have been given much I too must give."

The Lord's restored Gospel is not made to be buried treasure! Look for opportunities to serve, to teach, to build. If you make the Lord's mission your mission, you will do just that! I know blessings come from sharing the gospel, I can testify to you that it strengthens your testimony, it brings the spirit and it increases the faith the Lord has in you because you become a profitable servant and not a deer caught in the head lights with a book of Mormon that never left your bag.


I challenge you to share what you know and feel.
The Savior lives and His Atonement is real. I love this gospel because it is true and the promises are [stoppable.]

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Random Photo Silliness.

We got a photo CD album from Eldrew. No captions, no commentary, no explanations. To be honest, most of the photos make no sense whatsoever. But, for your holiday-weekend viewing pleasure...here are a few selections with our best attempt at a desciption...

(Click on any image to see the larger version)

Why pets are not allowed at the Missionary Training Center.

We think this is Eldrew's call center station at the MTC. (The missionaries at the Missionary Training Center take turns calling and arranging delivery of materials that folks have requested from the LDS Church)

Eldrew's room at the Missionary Training Center. (Looks more organized than his room at home ever did.)

Placing the spire on the Provo LDS Temple...or...preparation day fun at the MTC.

Group shot of Elder Bellomy's MTC district. Most of the missionaries in this group were going to the Texas Houston South Mission.

Houston skyline. We are pretty sure this is on the way in from the airport when Eldrew arrived in Texas from the MTC.

Just one of Eldrew's many, many roomates in his first missionary apartment in Maplewood, Texas.

Salon-quality missionary haircut.

????? (We can only guess that this is Eldrew's idea of creative pumpkin carving at a missionary Halloween activity.)

Eldrew's training companion (Elder Rios) driving.

Morning scripture study. (Elder Rios) We can hardly believe that it gets that cold in Houston, Texas.

Another photo from the car series. Elder Bellomy and Rios going somewhere in their car. (Elder Rios is a 'District' leader. He oversees and coordinates about five companionships. Thus, they get a car to use to visit other missionaries.)

The last photo from the car series. We should name this photo: 'Cars-are-better-than-bikes-because-it-rains-really-hard-in-Houston.'

Roof leak at the apartment.

Catching the rain.

These are just a few selects from the photo CD from Eldrew. You can see all of these and more at Elder Bellomy Photobucket album

Bike. Crash. Book of Mormon. Thanksgiving.

Eldrew reports that all is well and he is happy and engaged in the work. We can tell that he is getting more confident in his abilities.

In a story that did nothing but frustrate his mom...Eldrew mentioned in passing that he'd been hit by a car while riding his bike. Susan had to wait a week and demand the full details to get the confirmation a week later that Eldrew was okay.

From what little Eldrew did share..., a driver did not see Elder Bellomy and managed to bump him off his bike. No harm was done, no broken bones, cuts, or bruises. The bike was not damages.

For Eldrew...no harm...no foul. However, the driver who was at fault was very upset and kept asking Elder Bellomy what he could do. Finally, Eldrew told the driver that all that was required was for the driver to accept a copy of the 'Book of Mormon' and read it. Thus, Eldrew turned a bike accident into a missionary moments.

Speaking of missionary moments, Eldrew reports that they are teaching a father and son who have committed to joining the LDS Church. They met them while street contacting and Elder Bellomy reports that he was inspired to discuss the importance of families. The father and son were interested and are taking the lessons from Elder Bellomy and Elder Rios.

In another story from Eldrew, he and Elder Rios arrived at their apartment early one evening last week and were determined to stay out and work until 9:30 pm when the missionaries are supposed to be done for the night. They decided to meet some of the other people in their apartment complex. They ran into a lady in the Laundromat and struck up a conversation. It turns out that this woman had taken the missionary lessons from the missionaries some time ago...and had lost contact. She still had her copy of the 'Book of Mormon' the missionaries gave her and still reads it on occasion. She told the elders that she loves the Joseph Smith story, and gets tears when she thinks about it. She has agreed to take the missionary lessons again. The Elders were sort of amazed to run into someone with someone so interested in the LDS Church in such a random manner...right in their apartment complex. What are the chances of that happening in Texas?

Elder Bellomy and Rios are working hard, teaching wonderful people, and having fun.

This week, I had an assignment to speak in one of our neighboring LDS congregations. Also speaking was Elder Whipple. You may remember Elder Whipple as a returned Texas Houston South Missionary who is from our neighborhood and who came home from his mission the same day Elder Bellomy arrived in Houston. They got a chance to meet and talk in the airport terminal. Elder Whipple is doing well. He gave a great talk. He is certainly out of missionary mode as his hand was wrapped in a HUGE cast. It seems he broke his hand playing basketball! (I guess it is true what they say about the intensity of LDS Church ball.)

We wrote to Elder Bellomy this week about how much we will miss him this Thanksgiving. One of the things that we are thankful for this holiday is to have a wonderful son who is serving a mission and working hard. The Lord is blessing Eldrew and his family. We hope that he can bless the lives of the people he meets. We hope that someone in Texas will look out for Elder Rios and Bellomy and invite them to Thanksgiving Dinner.

That's it for this week. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

Now THAT's what I call a Presidency visit!

I am leaving my office tonight after a hectic day of meetings, deadlines, reports, and general paperwork. As I walk to my car, my cell phone jingles at me. I have a text message from a phone number I don't recognize.

I open the text message and up pops a photo of a smiling Elder Rios and Elder Bellomy along with a short text about how well they are doing.

The message is from Dave Stephen's – Eldrew's Elders Quorum President from here in Centerville! He is in Texas on business and had Elder Bellomy's mailing address. His Houston business was just minutes away from their address. He stopped by on a whim to drop off some goodies and take them to lunch. When he arrived, the Elders were no where to be seen. However, he knew he was in the right place because there was a car with bikes on a rack...with a picture of Jesus in the car window.

He decided to wait a few minutes...and soon after Elder Bellomy and Elder Rios showed up. Dave said he spent a few minutes with the missionaries and took this photo. Dave reports that Elder Bellomy is looking good...is happy...and dedicated. The Elders had just eaten...so he did not take them to lunch — just a quick visit.

When I called Dave, I literally got happy cramps in my cheeks from non-stop smiling and laughing at Dave's description of Elder Bellomy and Rios.

Dave is some kind of Elder's Quorum Super Hero...I mean going all the way to Houston to make a Presidency visit to one of his Quorum members! Thanks Dave for making my day.

(Photo note: Observe Eldrew's hair cut. Before his mission, he was obsessed with his haircut...I mean OBSESSED. You will notice the short and choppy missionary cut. For Eldrew to be smiling in spite of a that haircut...he must really be happy.)

Trick or treat.

We wanted to make sure the Elder Bellomy and Elder Rios had Halloween treats. The idea was that they shouldn't have to go out knocking on doors (Get it?) for treats. Here is a photo of the treats we sent.

We contacted Elder Rios' Mom to see what kind of candy he likes. We put the candy in a couple of Halloween bags with riddles on the outside. Ready to solve the riddles?


What do you find in a ghost's nose?


Boogers!


What's a Monster's favorite treat?


Ice Scream!


Okay, those were really easy. Anyways...Happy Halloween to Elder Bellomy and Rios.

Proof that miracles do happen on missions.

This apparently, is a photo of the results of Elder Bellomy's room inspection at the MTC. (Included with the photos he just sent.)

As his parents, we can see that he took some old habits with him into the mission.

And in what can only be described as genuine modern miracle...this is his room before he left the MTC.

Catching up...

Okay, I admit. I fell down on the blogging job last week. For all our loyal readers, I will get caught up on Andrew's news from the Texas Houston South Mission.

As mentioned in the previous post...it is a small, small world. Even  smaller than I realized. Eldrew described the small world story from his perspective:

So it is a very small world. 2 instances: The Ence family...I had dinner there and Sister Ence who's from Cali has cousins who went to Viewmont. She asked me if I knew them..."Do you know Nick Baker?"...

"Does he have a sister named Liz?"...

"Yes! Liz Baker is my cousin! Do you know her?"....

"Yes, we hung out nearly every night two summers ago, she brought me otterpops when my tonsils were taken out."

Then the story that you know about the Brame family knowing Elizabeth BUT it's even cooler than that...Brother Brame served his mission in South Carolina and I said, "This is a stretch but do you know the Vaughn family?" and he did. He was in their ward his first transfer. The Vaughns are Whitney's step siblings. Zion's a small paradise...i'm tellin' you...(But i'm trying to change that).

The work.

We are kind of focusing our energies on [some less active members of the Church] right now...an awesome couple that is actually a part member family so it's an investigator too I guess? ha ha he's not too interested but very supportive...they are into cool college radio music from the 80's like old cure, the cult, old U2, etc. He skateboards and used to listen to punk...awesome. I told him I used to skate and that I was in a punk band...he didn't believe it. Last visit I commited him to listen to a few new bands to break his cynicism towards modern music. Today we're having a family home evening with them and we are going to [ask] them to read B. of M with eachother.

Other sundry and random status update from The Elder.

This week was really good...

I have a tooth ache right now...

I'm getting really fat thanks to Blue Bell ice cream but I'm happy...

I'm getting better at door approaches and candid conversation...

I have gotten a lot of mail these passed two weeks...

Especially from Whitney...

More to come in the next few days: Houston Halloween, first photo CD from Eldrew, and another letter.Stay tuned!