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!

It is a small, small, small world.

Elizabeth (Eldrew's sister) called last night and told me that a friend on Facebook just contacted her. Her friend also studied dance at BYU while Elizabeth was at BYU. She told Elizabeth that she and her husband had the missionaries over for a meal...and one of the missionaries was our very own Elder Bellomy! And, they had nice things to say about Andrew:

Well, we just love your brother. He seems to be doing great! He's always happy and full of lots to say. He's an awesome missionary, too. You can tell that he's out here for a purpose.

I know that is not a lot of news...but it is good to hear of someone else's take on Elder Bellomy and how he is doing. It is good to know that he is getting fed and people are being kind to he and his companion. It is also very interesting just how small a world it is that a former classmate of Elizabeth ends up hosting Eldrew at their home.

We got a long, long letter from Eldrew today. He is happy. We are still digesting it and will post a weekly update in the next couple of days.

Hello to the "801" from the 281.

Houston Texas South Mission: Weekly update:

Or, should I say semi-weekly update. Sorry to have skipped a week. Eldrew’s letter last week was short and not very newsy. I think he was having a dip in excitement from his arrival.

Eldrew is funny. He complains every week that he does not get enough news from us. So this week we wrote a MONSTER email. It was 1,998 words long. His reply that arrived this morning was all of 435 words. I guess Eldrew has no concept of reciprocity. But, we don’t really care. We are happy to hear from him and know that he is okay.

Here are the highlights from this week’s report.

His salutation: “To the 801.” (That’s us in the Utah area code of ‘801’)

The Bike: We bought him a used bike through the mission. We asked how it was doing. Eldrew replied that he mostly drives in a car and only rides every few days when they ‘want to OYM (open your mouth). I can only imagine that has something to do with getting a workout.

The work: Going slow, but they feel like they are seeing results. He believes that he and Elder Rios’ diligence and obedience are paying off.

Testimony: Eldrew’s love and faith in the Gospel are growing every day. He knows the Book of Mormon is the word of God. As he puts it is…”to legit to quit…believing in..ha ha.”

His area and the people: He loves the area and the people. He really enjoys all the different kinds of people he is meeting. He is getting into the swing of it so he is better at talking to people. The better he gets, the more people are opening up. He is learning that a big part of being a good missionary is being personable. (I think he is learning to be himself, and have fun talking to people in a genuine way.)

His testimony: I won’t share the specifics…but it is getting stronger and more articulate every week. I can feel his conviction as he speaks. He is really starting to understand the scope of the Gospel message.

He finishes with some comments to each member of the family and (dare I say this) teases his girlfriend for having the Swine Flu.
The sign off: With Love...the real kind, Elder Bellomy.

(One last note...I'm sure that Eldrew would love to hear from everyone who visits the blog. If it has been a week or two since you've written, drop him a note. If you haven't written him yet...send him a nice long letter. He'll love it!)

Mail call: Photo and letter from President and Sister Saylin.

We got a nice letter from President and Sister Salylin (Elder Bellomy's mission president and wife) today. The letter was letting us know that Eldrew has arrived safely, is in good health, and is with his mission companion in the field. They also provided his missionary apartment address. They enclosed the photo above. It was taken the same night as the group photo that was email and posted before.

I think they sent the letter just in case their original email had not arrived...or if Eldrew hadn't bothered to write and keep us updated on his status. They said some wonderful things about our missionary. It was great to get the letter and the photo. We love to get any news. Many thanks to them.

Susan has some sort of supernatural power of discernment. She can tell by simply looking at the photo that Eldrew is genuinely happy...not just smiling because he is posing for a photo.

She's usually scary good with that Mommy Radar thing...so I trust her instincts.

In da hood! (Maple-hood.)

Texas Houston South Mission: Weekly update from Elder Bellomy.
Andrew is doing GREAT! If you know Andrew from his pre-mission days, you know that he is wise-cracker. (He was voted the funniest person in Viewmont High School his senior year.) His humor is a barometer of how he is feeling. Susan and I each read his email this week separate from each other. I asked Susan later how she thought Eldrew was doing…and she replied “Great!” I agreed. We both recognized the dead giveaway being that Eldrew’s trade-mark humor was back — in full force.

Door approaches:
I figure that I knocked on about 25,000 doors on my mission. Eldrew is just getting started and he feels like he is doing well.

"The work is going well and I am getting better at door approaches...I don't feel the extreme anxiety I did the first week each time I knock on a door...soooooo I think that's a good thing."

Funny, strange stuff:
Eldrew had a few experiences this week he found to be “very odd” and that he thought we might like to hear about.

“1. We delivered a Book of Mormon to this one individual and when he invited us into his room there was creepy writing all over the wall and the room was dim and he was really quiet and jumpy. I was thinking, "I hope I live to tell about this" ha ha ha but It all worked out, we taught the first lesson and lived to talk about it. (he hasn't called us back for lesson 2 though)

2. I was told to, "get out da 'hood"... apparently I'm in 'da hood'. Elder Rios told me this area is called Maplehood. (Kim’s note: The area is actually named ‘Maplewood.”) I take great delight in knowing that my mission won't only prepare me for the future by establishing good study habits and work ethic but it is also giving me gangster status that will ultimately help move my rap career along. ha ha

3. I talk to my drunken neighbor at nights and he rambles all the time. He said when he looks at Elder Rios and I he sees God. He's a good guy though, he can't read or write BUT he loves God. "And that's it brother, you gotta love big Daddy." (As he would say)

Mail news:
As mentioned in a previous post, the goof with the Zip Code may be slowing down the mail. Here is his sardonic comment about the empty mailbox:

"I hope all is well in C ville? I better be getting some mail this week...Elder Rios and I check it every night and I think he's astonished at the dramatic cynicism I've developed towards the mail. "that mail box is just a dark cube of failed dreams and false hopes."

 I sent Eldrew a hard copy of the blog so far…he seemed to like it. He also thinks that Elder Rios was cool with being an ‘internet celebrity.”

Miracle!
Miracles do occur on missions. For example, Eldrew now actually pays attention at General Conference…and enjoys it. I passed out at the following comments.

"Conference is about 100 times better while you're on your mission...Personal revelation was exploding while I was taking notes. Elder Holland got a vocal approval from all the missionaries around me...and I must admit, I was pumped up as well. Who dares deny this book of God. Elder Holland's my boy...we're now listening to all his past conference talks...he's the bees knees. All the talks were great though, and Elder Bednar's talk (which will surely be quoted) did bring me some guilt however...I wasn't always as 'diligent and concerned at home' as I could have been and as an official show of my repentance I would like to say I love you all and tell you all that I know that God lives. That I've felt his spirit testify of his Prophet's validity. The heavens are open and God speaks today. Joseph Smith saw God and His son and as a result our souls need not hunger. We can feast on the words of Christ and I know that word is the Book of Mormon. This is His ordained church and I promise you as you abide by commandments both modern and old and establish a firm faith in Jesus Christ we will find happiness now and salvation in the world to come. I know this because I've felt its truth and I feel it's truth. My stomach burns when I exclaim His Glorious message. I bear you this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Gaining weight.
Eldrew describes his mission diet plan…

"I'm still getting fat even though I'm on the "a lot at dinner diet". I invented that diet....you can't turn down food at dinner appointments so the only meals I can control are breakfast and lunch so I eat sparingly then and pig out at dinner ha ha"

As you can see, he is upbeat and seems to be devoting himself in the work. Thanks for all those who are supporting Elder Bellomy with their prayers and good wishes.

Address correction.

In his email yesterday, Eldrew reports, "Elder Rios and I check it [the mailbox] every night and I think he's astonished at the dramatic cynicism I've developed towards the mail. "that mail box is just a dark cube of failed dreams and false hopes."

We have had some reports that mail is being returned. We confirmed last night that the zip code on the address that Eldrew gave us is incorrect. Here is the correct address:

Elder Andrew Bellomy
12945 South Post Oak # 165
Houston, TX 77045

We need to work on curing Eldrew's mailbox cynicism. Please send him a note or a card.

If you are interested in understanding where Elder Bellomy is serving in the greater Houston area, here is a Google map. (You can turn off the address bubble)

View Larger Map

Welcoming the world to ElderBellomy.com

It is hard to believe that Eldrew has been on his mission for over a month. If the rest of his mission goes as fast as this past month…he’ll be home before we know it!

To mark the one month mark, I’d like to engage in a little geek analytics – Google analytics – to be exact. This website has been set up so we get an sense of where our anonymous traffic comes from. We don’t know who anyone is, but we are having a little fun knowing what states and countries visits come from. Here are a few trivia points about ElderBellomy.com:

Total visits: 322

USA visitors: They come from 27 states: Utah, Texas, New Jersey, Iowa, Tennessee, Washington, Idaho, Maryland, Colorado, Arizona, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Montana, Nevada, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, Ohio, Oklahoma, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Kansas, Maine

International visitors: They have come from ten countries: USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Brazil, New Zealand, India, and Australia

Make up of visitors: 43% find us through links from other websites. (Thanks webmasters) 36% visit from typing in ElderBellomy.com. 21% find us from doing a search on Google, Yahoo, or Bing.

Search rank: As of right now, ElderBellomy.com is ranked as the #3 website on Google for “Texas Houston South Mission” searches

Don’t worry, we have no idea who is visiting this site. Its just fun knowing that people all across America and around the world are learning about Elder Bellomy’s mission.

Last thing...we got a long newsy email from Eldrew today. I will update what he has to say in an upcoming post. For now, I will share words of wisdom from Elders Bellomy's and Rios' next door neighbor:

"I talk to my drunk neighbor at nights and he rambles all the time. He said when he looks at Elder Rios and I he sees God. He's a good guy though, he can't read or write BUT he loves God. "And that's it brother, you gotta love big Daddy." (as he would say)"

More to come....

Meet Elder Rios

Yesterday, we got a wonderful call and email from Robert and Joy Rios. They are the proud parents of Elder Ryan Rios – Elder Bellomy's training companion.

From Elder Bellomy's email, it was clear that he has a great 'trainer.' The contact from Robert and Joy confirmed that fact.

Elder Rios is from Highland, Utah. (I think I remember that correctly.) He is also the District Leader over ten companionships. He has been on his mission for over a year. He and Elder Bellomy have a lot in common. They both enjoy music, play instruments, and are interested in accounting careers. Robert said that Elder Rios told them in his email home that Elder Bellomy is a hard worker and a good missionary. Being the companion to a District Leader has the added benefit that Elder Bellomy will get to see and experience different areas, situations, and missionaries in his first area. The district is close enough to the city that they have several Houston landmarks within the district. Susan (Elder Bellomy's Mom) is very pleased that Elder Rios is such a good guy and that his first area and companion is shaping up to prepare him well for his entire mission.

The Rios' also included some photos of the missionary apartment. I must say that it looks better than I thought it would...and nicer than almost all of my apartments. (You know that I slept in the snow without blankets on my pioneer-era mission.) Here is what the place looks like.

We want to thank the Rioses for having such a great son and missionary. We appreciate the contact and photos from them. We're thankful for the kind things they have been doing for Andrew...even praying for him before they knew who their son would be training. Elder Rios is in our family's prayers as well.

Diversity, roaches, guns, and tracting.

Mondays are preparation days in the Texas Houston South Mission. Elder Bellomy just sent his first email from his first area. Elder Bellomy is happy, challenged...and having a LOT of new experiences.

His trainer companion is Elder Rios. Eldrew (short for Elder Andrew) reports that Elder Rios thinks that he is an "amazing missionary already." He is encouraged by this.
The companionship's apartment is small, smelly, and overrun with coach roaches. (That brings back fond memories of my apartments on my mission) He seems okay with the living arrangements. Tracting is hard (hmmmm...same as on my mission.) People can be rude — but Elder Bellomy is already learning to "shrug" that off. In fact, he thinks he is pretty good at tracting. He finds that teaching the restored Gospel brings the Spirit the most.

They are in a rougher part of town. However, the people seem to know the missionaries and he feels safe. One guy flashed a gun at them while they were tracting...but because the guy said that he liked Eldrew's blue tie he thinks that he was pretty safe. One fellow called them and threatened them with an announced visit with a gun if the missionaries came to his house unannounced again.

Overall, Eldrew says that right now it is emotionally stressful — but that he can do it. He misses home and Whitney in the evenings when he has time to think. He gets to sleep quickly and he says he will do fine
Elder Bellomy reports that the ward is ethnically diverse. There are people from all over. He met an African American convert named Goldy May Johnson. She's 94 Years old and joined the Church two years ago. She gave him some SNICKAS! (snickers candy bars). He thinks she is really cool.

He can only exchange emails with direct family. He can write once a week on Mondays. He can receive snail mail every day. Soooo, he is asking everyone to send mail. He'd love to hear from everyone.

His current address is:

Elder Andrew Bellomy
12945 South Post Oak # 165
Houston, TX 77046

Be sure to drop him a line.

Elder Whipple...Hurricane Ike....and F.E.M.A.

Elder Whipple who came home from the Texas Houston South Mission reported his mission today.

Because I happen to be vested in this particular mission, his report was of great interest to me.

Elder Whipple told some of some great experiences while on his mission. He really grew in Spirit and dedication. He is an outstanding young man.

I asked him if he got to see Elder Bellomy -- he did. The departing missionaries were sitting and waiting in the airport terminal while the new missionaries got off the plane. (The flight returns to Salt Lake City.) Elder Whipple says he was sitting watching the sixteen new missionaries as they walked down the concourse. He said that Elder Bellomy was in front, leading the way. He said that Elder Bellomy looked great and seemed happy and enthusiastic.

Elder Whipple described the amazing impact of Hurricane Ike. It was a Category 3 hurricane that tore right through their mission area. Elder Whipple told how the eye of the hurricane passed right over his location. After the hurricane, they more or less suspended missionary work and spent weeks helping with the clean up. The LDS Church is always very active in after-disaster service. In fact, the local joke is that if you needed assistance after the hurricane, you should get F.E.M.A. -- Find Every Mormon Available!

Given that Elder Whipple was the Assistant to the President, I asked him if he knew where Elder Bellomy's first area is. If I heard him correctly, he is in an area known as Maplewood. I will confirm that tomorrow when Elder Bellomy emails us.

It was great to shake the hand of Elder Whipple who so recently shook the hand of Elder Bellomy!

Coming tomorrow...Mission report from Elder Whipple.

This Sunday, Elder Greg Whipple of the Deuel Creek Ward will be reporting his mission to the High Council and will be speaking to his ward. He is the son of Brent and MaryKay Whipple. They live in the ward next to ours. (We have known them for years from the time when our home was in that ward.)

Elder Whipple just finished serving in the Texas Houston South Mission. He served as the Assistant to the President for his last few months. He came home the same day that Elder Bellomy arrived in Texas. I am told that the arriving missionaries and the homecoming missionaries get a chance to meet at the airport. If so, then Elder Whipple will have seen Elder Bellomy this week.

I happen to serve on the High Council, so I will share later his report to the Council. Susan and I are planning on attending the Deuel Creek ward to hear Elder Whipple's talk. If you are interested, the meeting is at 12:30 PM located at 960 North 400 West in Centerville, Utah. If you are coming  via I-15 simply take the Centerville exit going east, turn north (left) at the Dairy Queen intersection...and the chapel is about two blocks on your left.

It should be interesting to hear about the Texas Houston South Mission from someone who just served there.

See you there!

Arrival in Texas. (According to Elder Bellomy)

We got snail mail today from Elder Bellomy announcing his safe arrival in Texas. (We'd already gotten an email from Sister Saylin — Your Missionary has arrived.) We just thought we'd share his note home:

He also included some artwork given him by one President and Sister Sayln's children. He is obviously pleased with it to send it home for safe-keeping in the scrapbook that his Mom is going to do.

Your Missionary Has Arrived

We got the following email today:

Hello loved ones! Greetings from the Texas Houston South Mission….

Pres. Saylin and I wanted to let each of you know your missionary has arrived safe and sound. They are happy and well and we love them already! You should be very proud of them. They are incredible and a wonderful addition to the mission. Tomorrow they will have some training in the morning and by later afternoon they will be off to their first area with their trainers. Their P-day will be on Mondays, so please look for their email that day. I know they will be looking for one from you!


May you know of our great love for them and may your family be blessed by their missionary labors as they help to bring souls unto Christ.


Much love,


Pres. and Sister Saylin and family

Kate, Scott (not pictured), Keith (not pictured), Seth, Sophie and Chloe

(Note from us: Elder Bellomy is on the far right of the first row of elders.)

Texas Bound.

(Texas Houston South Mission) General update and news from the travel front.

MTC update: News from Elder Bellomy has been all good. We even had a chance to talk to him today while he was at the airport in Salt Lake City waiting for his flight.

First news from Elder Bellomy's last letter. We got an email late last week. He was excited and loving the MTC. He told us that he was studying as much as eight hours straight and keeping up and attentive. (WOW!!!) He and his district were so excited to hear Elder Holland of the Quorum of the Apostles speak that they skipped dinner to get a seat in the auditorium. He was excited and ready to get to the mission field

On the road to Texas. Today is the day that Elder Bellomy arrived in the 'Mission Field."

Today, around 9:30 I got the call from him at the air port. It was great to hear his voice. He sounds happy and content. He said he really enjoyed the MTC and said that he told one of the trainers after two days that he couldn't understand why anyone would leave. He really enjoys teaching the missionary discussions and feels the spirit when he is doing them. He is a little nervous that he doesn't know them better, but is ready to teach.

Fat and Sassy: Elder Bellomy said that he didn't eat too much the first couple of days because he was nervous...happy...but nervous. But once he was acclimated to the MTC, he chowed down. He says he gained SEVEN POUNDS in less than three weeks at the MTC. His favorite meal is the Fiesta Chicken with mashed potatoes.

Apparently, prep days at the MTC are very efficient...and short. You have a regular day until lunch. Then you go to the temple and do laundry you don't really have time to do anything else. In a display of genius efficiency, the MTC puts the computers for writing emails home in the Laundromat. That way, the missionaries can do emails while they wait for the laundry to get done.

Elder Bellomy's travel companion is Elder Oliver. He was really excited because he and Elder Oliver were room mates and have so much in common. Having a great elder like that helped Elder Bellomy adapt to the whole MTC routine.

I can't help but wonder where and what Elder Bellomy is doing right this moment. He is actually in Texas...and is starting the real part of his mission. Send good thoughts and prayers his way.

A new twist on a family tradition.

It is a tradition in our family to gather for Sunday dinner. We eat, relax and enjoy talking.

Tonight, we burned some hamburgers and started a new tradition. Now that Elder Bellomy in on his mission, we gather around the living room and read all the letters Andrew has sent to family, ward, and his girlfriend. This collective sharing provides the most complete view of how Elder Bellomy is doing. We also spend time telling Andrew stories from before he went on his mission.

From the other letters we heard tonight, we learn that the Elders have a pull up contest every night...and Andrew always wins. He enjoys going to the Temple with his companion and district. He misses Whitney...and she misses him. One of the Elders in his district (I think the one from West Point) has a lot of common interests with Elder Bellomy. They listened to the same radio shows, enjoy the same music, and other interests. He describes staying up late one night and talking with his companion, whom he really respects. From everything we are hearing...he is very happy.

He has his travel itinerary. He will be flying out on September 22. We don't know the time...and I don't think we are supposed to.

We will keep you posted on any more updates. In the meantime, we are going to finish just hanging out.

If you are ever interested in coming and hanging out on Sunday afternoon and listening to the letters...just give us a call for the time.

Love from Elder Bellomy.

We received Elder Bellomy's letter today.
He is doing well. He sounds energetic and engaged. He is learning and working. He reports that he has mastered the first missionary lesson. From what we can tell from his letter, he has an assignment to work in some sort of call center to contact people who have asked for materials from the Church. Elder Bellomy says that he has arranged for two missionary visits with people interested in the Church. This is getting him excited. He says he can't wait to teach. He says the manifestations of the Spirit are "so strong" when he presents the lessons.

As mentioned earlier, he really likes his room mate and his companion is a good guy.
He made requests of each member of the family: 

Sarah: "Stay away from the boys!"

Adam: "Postpone the wedding until 2012!" (fat chance says Dad)

Liz &Spencer: "I want neices or nephews!"

Ma &Pa: "Keep praying for me!"

Sounds like he is off to a good start. It would be great if his letters were longer.

Here is his signature:

"I'm as happy as I can be."

I just had the opportunity to speak with Elder Bellomy on the phone. With the permission of the MTC, we were taking care of some insurance matters. Elder Bellomy's District President stepped away for a moment to receive and email from me, and gave us permission to talk.

With the clock ticking...I got in as many questions in as I could. Elder Bellomy says that he is doing well. He told me that "I'm as happy as I can be." The tone of his voice, his manner, his confidence all told me this is true.

He reports that he likes his companion. He is particularly happy with one of his room mates who is going to the same mission he is. The Elder is from just a few miles down north of Centerville -- West Point. The Elder attended Clearfield High School where Susan did some substitute teaching. I think that this link to home with an Elder of similar background is great for Elder Bellomy.

We expect a letter from Andrew today, so I am sure there will be more to tell later.

Snail mail coming...

I just knew that as soon as I said we have not heard from Elder Bellomy...something would happen. Susan just discovered an email from Elder Bellomy in her inbox. It was a test email to sent this around 6PM. No real news in the email...just a test and letting us know that a snail mail is on the way.

The email is only 33 words...but it is good to hear from him. I will update his status as soon as the snail mail arrives on Friday.

One week today.

Well, it has been one week today since Elder Bellomy went into the MTC to prepare for his service in the Texas Houston South Mission. We have received one short note from him last Friday. He said he is doing well, he likes his companion, and that his faith and testimony have 'doubled.'

Interestingly enough, we don't know when preparation days are in the MTC. Nor do we know when he can receive and read emails. We think he has an email address, but do not know what it is.

So, for now we are in something of a bubble. We will keep everyone posted when we hear something.

Letter from the MTC Presidency.

We got an email from the MTC Presidency letting us know that Andrew is all checked in. It has some useful information regarding his address and mail policies. Since all of you are sharing this experience, here is the letter:

Dear family of Andrew Paul Bellomy,

We are pleased to inform you that your missionary has been safely checked in at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. We thank you for supporting your missionary and know that your family will be blessed as a result.

Your missionary's mailing address while at the MTC is:

Andrew Paul Bellomy
MTC Mailbox # 257
TX-HOUS 0922
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

Please note the following items:

1. Missionary service began upon arrival. Please do not arrange or request visits with your missionary, particularly "unanticipated" meetings at the temple or in proximity to the MTC.
2. All missionary mail must come through the US Mail or commercial delivery services. Hand delivered items will NOT be accepted. Do not send pizzas, fast foods, ice-cream, or any items that will spoil if they are not refrigerated within 24 hours. Missionaries are not called out of class to receive packages, nor do they have access to a refrigerator.

3. Communicate with your missionary weekly through letters sent to the above address or through the email account that the missionary will set up within the first two weeks. Only immediate family can send to this email account. Telephone calls for missionaries cannot be accepted.

4. Families and friends should not plan to visit departing missionaries at the airport or MTC. Farewells should have been said at home before the missionary arrived at the MTC.

Should you need to communicate with the MTC, do not reply to this email, but call 801-000-0000.

Sincerely,

Provo MTC Presidency

I you are inclined to send him a letter, I know he'd appreciate it. He leaves the MTC on September 22. So, time any mail to arrive before then.

What was lost is found.

There was one apparent mishap during the room cleaning that had Andrew very concerned (can you say---semi-meltdown). It definitely threatened to permanently alter his I.D. collection that was for sure! You see, he thought he had thrown away $50 in cash and his very first...and former driver's license. (He had to get a new one with a later expiration date for his mission). Andrew has every picture I.D. since Junior High school and now his collection would never be complete. The money was an inconvenience but more easily replaced in his mind. In his fervor to declutter, he had emptied a big tub full of stuff into a trash bag.

Because it was garbage day the next day, his dad made sure that Andrew deposited the bag in the trash can at the curb. The next day, when Andrew was putting the finishing touches on the room, he realized that the money and I.D....and uh oh...his new credit card were missing. Once he reached the trash can at the curb...he realized that it was too late and the garbage man had already come! There was much weeping and wailing but after a few hours there was a degree of resignation...though he had to tell everyone the story placing the blame squarely on his dad for asking him to take the bag to the curb.

Adam on the other hand was not convinced that all was lost. He said, "Watch, we'll find all that stuff tucked away somewhere." It turned out he was right but it was much more obvious than that. Adam picked up a pair of pants that Andrew had left on the bathroom floor, reached into the pocket and tah dah!!!! There was the $50, Andrew's former license and the credit card.
Hurray! Our very first mission miracle. :)

Before and after. NOT RETOUCHED!

Andrew's last assignment before he left was to clean his room.

Andrew's room before:

Andrew's room after:

We have to do a shout out to Whitney, Andrew's girlfriend who actually did most of the work. (He is a lazy bum.)

Drive-by drop off.

We dropped Andrew off at the Missionary Training Center in Provo today. It was another bittersweet experience.

We got to town early and had lunch with Linda and Don Montierth and their son who also entered the MTC today. Susan and Linda are both converts to Mormonism who have known each other since kindergarten. It is an amazing coincidence that we both have sons who went on missions on the same day.

When I was a missionary, the process for entering the MTC was that families escorted their children into a large auditorium and had a presentation directed by the MTC Mission President. At the end of the assembly, missionaries were directed out one door and families out another door. There was always sort of an emotional mass goodbye. Family members and missionaries were prone to buckets of tears.

Nowadays, you simply leave your missionary at the curb. We call it the "tuck-and-roll" method. You drive onto the MTC campus and are directed to the south/east sidewalk along the main street. There are dozens of 'stations' for dropping off the missionary. As soon as you pull up to the station you have been directed to, three or four 'Host' missionaries cheerfully greet you and begin pulling suitcases out of the trunk. In moments, there is a quick round of hugs and the missionary is led away to meet his fate. It all happens in such a happy, fast manner that it is over before you know it.

Susan came up with the best analogy Doing a drive-by drop-off is like pulling a Band-Aid off as fast as you can instead of as slow as you can. Fast may be shocking...but it is over before you really have a chance to get all worked up. Slow separations lead to anticipatory emotions and are a lot more emotional.

If you are ever doing a tuck-and-roll drop-off at the MTC, here are a few suggestions.

1. Arrive a few minutes before your assigned time. This allows you a few extra minutes of walking around with your missionary.
   
2. When you are there a little early, park in the lot directly to the East of the MTC. The lot is open all day to those dropping off missionaries. There is a very nice volunteer attendant who will explain the best way to drop-off your missionary.
   
3. Take most of your MTC photos before you get to the curb. You will be really rushed when you are dropping off your missionary.
   
4. Our favorite photo of outside the MTC is the gated entrance with the MTC name. You'll have to wait a few minutes for your turn, but it is fun to watch the other families do their photos. There is a happy buzz with dozens of missionaries and their families. (This is why you want to get there a few minutes early.)
   
5. Be on time...but not ON TIME. We rushed ourselves a little and realized after that nobody was verifying our exact arrival time. If you get to the curb within the 15 minute period before the next wave, you should have no problems.
   
6. Linger a moment to watch your missionary as he walks away. As soon as Andrew turned and walked away, I got in the car. I missed one last glance at my son as he disappeared. An extra few seconds would have been nice.

We are so proud of our son Andrew. The drive home was happy, but somber. We can hardly believe that the mission has started and that we have two years before we will see him again. We miss him already. This is the first time that Andrew has been away from home...really away from home. We hope that he will be resilient and faithful and will thrive in the MTC and in Houston.

Please keep him and all the missionaries in your prayers.

The bittersweet goodbyes.

The setting apart was wonderful. President Morris gave a special blessing. Andrew Bellomy is now, officially Elder Bellomy.
We now have an awkward few hours while Elder Bellomy is in sort of a twilight zone. Officially a missionary, he still has his non-mission friends, girlfriend, and family around. It is sort of normal...yet not. We all hung out together after the setting apart. One-by-one, people departed with tears and happiness as they said goodbye for two years. It was particularly hard to see Elder Bellomy's sister Elizabeth say goodbye. It was as if she didn't want to leave because it meant that it would be the last time for such a long, long time.
When 10:30 rolled around, the family and Andrew's friends gathered in a circle and said a prayer together. Saying goodbye to his girlfriend Whitney was hard. Because he is now set apart, it had to be a rather public goodbye with his 'pseudo' companion Dad standing and watching. It made it hard to be tender...especially since there could be no privacy or physicality. It was hard for both of them.
We will be up early in the morning to go to the gym and final prep for the trip to Provo. If the goodbyes tonight were hard, I can't imagine what it will be like at the MTC tomorrow.
Andrew and his Dad had companion prayer tonight and we will take tomorrow with all the sweetness and sadness it will bring.

730 days and counting.

In just about an hour, Andrew will be set apart by President Morris, our Stake President, as a missionary for the LDS Church. Andrew will be serving in the Texas Houston South Mission. He is excited and ready to go. We'll be dropping him off at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah tomorrow.

Nowadays, parents don't go into the mission home for orientation. We'll just drop him off at the curb and drive away. We had a last dinner together tonight at Cafe Rio. His bags are packed. He is ready to go.

Andrew has been preparing for his mission by going to the temple. He took out his endowments in the Bountiful Temple. He also visited the Manti Temple with his Dad. He also did baptisms at the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple and the Salt Lake Temple. He went back to the Bountiful temple today.

Andrew will be ordained tonight as a minister for the LDS Church. He will be a witness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As soon as he is set apart, he will be expected to follow missionary protocol. He will have his Dad as a 'companion.' They will read scriptures, go the gym, and be together until he is dropped off at the Missionary Training Center tomorrow.

Once Andrew is set apart, he will serve as a missionary for two full years away from home. We will be counting down the 730 days until we see him again.