Thanks for sharing this moment in time with us.

Andrew reported out his mission today.

Ths blog has been dedicated to chronicling Andrew's experience in the Houston Texas South Mission. He came home this week.

When a missionary comes home, they typically report on their mission to the local High Council (The ecclesiastical leaders of the area) and their home congregation.

Andrew got to do both today. It was wonderful. We are so proud and touched by his reports, stories, and witness of Jesus Christ.

After the report to the congregation, we had friends over for an open house and refreshments.

It was a wonderful relaxed, and happy day.

One of the highlights was the visit of Elder Ryan Rios and his parents. Elder Rios is Andrews mission 'trainer.' He was the missionary that Elder Bellomy was assigned to when he first got to Texas. Elder Rios' leadership played a HUGE role in setting the foundation for Elder Bellomy to have the mission he served. We are grateful to him and his wonderful family. In fact, Andrew is visiting Provo to check out BYU latter this week and will stay with Ryan. It was great to see the two of them laughing and exchanging stories.

Whew...this ranks right up there as one of the great days of our lives. We are blessed by the Lord!

We thank all of our friends...and all of Andrew's friends for their love and support. We are soooo...grateful for the chance to share this day with all of you!

Welcome home Elder Rios. Thanks for serving a great mission.

Elder Ryan Rios was Elder Bellomy’s first missionary companion in Houston. On June 1, he honorably finished his mission and has returned home to friends and family in Highland, Utah.

This weekend we had the privilege of being in the congregation when Elder Rios spoke to his home ward for the first time in two years. (A ‘ward’ is the Latter Day Saint equivalent of a parish.)

Every missionary has a ‘trainer’ who is the person who shows the ‘greenie’ the ropes and teaches him what he needs to know to be a great missionary. Mission presidents typically choose only the finest Elders to train new missionaries. As far as we are concerned, Elder Bellomy got the best trainer he could possibly have. Eldrew loved his time with Elder Rios. We can honestly say that Elder Rios set Elder Bellomy on the path to be the happy, hard-working missionary he is today.

Elder Rios gave a great sermon. He shared some wonderful stories. He is a confident, articulate young man. He bore a strong, spirit-born testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We enjoyed being the congregation with his family, friends, and ward members.

We are sure that one of the reasons that Elder Rios is such a great missionary is that he has great parents. When Eldrew arrived in Houston, we got a call from his father introducing himself to us. He told us that he’d arranged for his son to take Eldrew out to a nice restaurant. He and his wife were excited that their son would be companion to our son and that they were praying for Elder Bellomy’s success and well being. The Rios’s have no idea how comforting it was for us that they were rooting for Elder Bellomy and that their son would be our son’s trainer.

After the sacrament meeting, we were invited to visit the Rios' home and participate in a family meal. Relatives from several states had gathered to honor and see their returning missionary. The Rios’ and their family are wonderful people. We traded stories, learned histories, laughed, and got to meet the missionary who served so honorably and trained our Eldrew.

Welcome home Elder Rios. Thanks for serving a great mission.

The Born Identity.

Introducing Elder Born!
This is a time when I wish I'd kept up with this blog on a more of a regular basis.

Last month, Eldrew wrote home and announced that transfers were in coming and that he would be training a new missionary arriving from the Mission Training Center.

Within a week we welcomed Elder Born into our mission family. We were very excited. I got a chance to call his mom and talk to her when he arrived. It was great to talk to her. Elder Born is from Phoenix, Arizona. Eldrew says that he is an AWeSOME missionary. In fact, Eldrew sees many qualities in Elder Born that he admires and wishes that he could be more like.

The pair have been working hard, teaching, and inviting people to accept the Gospel. Here is a photo of Elder Bellomy and Elder Born after a very heavy rain storm. It's not a great photo...but I remember working hard in rain, snow, and the heat. These are hard working missionaries braving the elements to preach the Gospel. (Click to enlarge)

The Mother's Day Call.
It was great to talk to Eldrew on Mother's Day. We were all prepped by Elder Bellomy. Being the serious missionary he is, he wrote in advance and notified us of the time when we could call him. He announced that he was timing the call with is Mom so that it would least interfere with his missionary work! At the appointed time, we called...and called...and called. No answer. Then after about 20 minutes, the phone rings and its Eldrew chiding us for not calling on time. It turns out that he'd given us the wrong number.

It was great to hear his voice. We did most of the talking...mostly asking him questions about how he is doing and what he is doing. The funny thing is that he kept giving us time checks. The call home is allowed to last 40 minutes. And, that boy was not going to go 30 seconds over.

"You have 35 minutes."

"You have 13 minutes."

"You have six minutes."

"You have one and half minutes."

Gotta love the fact that he is dedicated to follow the mission rules. It was great to get a sense of Andrew. We can tell he is happy because his warped sense of humor was in full force. He was teasing us, bearing his testimony, and generally glowing about his mission. Only six months until Christmas when we get to talk to him again.

The missing man at the wedding.
Last week was Eldrew's brother's wedding. We missed him. I confess that there has not been a moment since Eldrew left that I have wished him home. Last week was the exception. As we celebrated Adam's wedding, I really missed having Eldrew there for the big event. Eldrew wrote a very, touching letter to Adam and Lindsay. When we read the letter at the wedding dinner the night before the wedding, it brought tears to their eyes...it was a very special moment.

Playing dead.
Here is another random photo sent by Eldrew. It is of a possum doing what possums do...playing dead. (Click to enlarge)

The Wiki article on possums (opossum) describes the behavior of this indigenous medium-sized marsupial as:

"When threatened or harmed, they will "play possum", mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick of dead animal. When playing possum, the lips are drawn back, teeth are bared, saliva forms around the mouth, and a foul-smelling odor is secreted from the anal glands. The physiological response is involuntary, rather than a conscious act. Their stiff, curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away. The animal will regain consciousness after a period of minutes or hours and escape."

Later, after this photo was taken, Eldrew reports that the possum had disappeared — resurrected you might say.

Meeting Elder Rios.
Elder Bellomy's first companion is coming home this transfer. We are planning on going to his sacrament service where he will be speaking. It will be great to meet him and his parents. Elder Rio's parents are top notch folks and have been super kind to us and Eldrew. We are looking forward to hearing from Elder Rios.

Transfers.
There are transfers next week. Stay tuned. More news next week.

"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.

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.

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!)

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.

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.