The baptism of Pablo, Kati, and Marjorie--I did the interview for Katie and Marjorie...and the 8 year old asked me to baptize her!
Hey family!!!
It was great to hear from you all again! I can’t believe that today I have completed twenty months in the mission. Time flies by fast. I’ll start by answering some of your questions, Dad. First, how do we motivate ward members to accompany us to our lessons? Teach them. We share a quick message with the members, help them to fill the spirit, and understand the doctrine. Usually the members are excited to accompany us when the spirit acts on them and they understand the importance of missionary work. Lots of planning, and lots of love. Second, what do we do to reactive the less active? Family Home Evening with member families. We found a less active woman named Carmen Gloria. She was less active for twenty years. We invited her to a Family Home Evening with a member family and she went to church. Then we talked with the bishop and the ward mission leader to get her a calling right away. Callings are crucial for less actives and converts. Now she attends regularly and is in the process of getting a calling. Third, what do we do to get people to church? Accompany them. We usually have members accompany the converts, less active, and investigators. If no member can help out, we do it. People are lazy. Sometimes you just have to help them get there the first couple of times. It also strengthens the testimony of the members that accompany them. They get more excited for the missionary work.
Elder Mace, me, and our mini missionaries, Carlos and Alex... after gertting homre from the rain!
So this week was absolutely crazy. The craziest part of the week was the fact that we had mini-missionaries. Mini-missionaries are priests that go out with the missionaries for three or four days. So Elder Mace and I did divisions with two priests from the stake. I was with Alex, a sixteen year old from Villa Dulce. It was an amazing experience. It was really cool to strengthen the faith of the young men and get them excited to go on their own missions. It was an unforgettable weekend because right as soon as we started the mini mission with a bunch of youth from the stake, it started raining. So we got hit with a lot of rain from the start—haha. Good times!
So all of our investigators are progressing very well, but it looks like I won’t be able to see all of their progress. Changes came this past weekend and I just received the most intense change of my mission. President Gillespie called and asked me to be his assistant!!! So, it looks like I will be finishing my mission as Assistant to the President! It will be a huge change for me. In a way, I feel like my mission kind of ended because I won’t have my own sector or my own investigators any more. The rest of my mission will be dedicated to helping direct the work here in the mission, organizing conferences, meetings, interchanges with zone leaders, helping with the changes, and other things. Elder Jaquier is my new companion, the other assistant. He is a 27 year old from France—haha…but an absolutely wonderful missionary. He speaks French, Spanish, and English. Hopefully I will learn some French this change. I think one of the coolest things will be being able to drive!! We will be driving all over the mission now. My entire mission just changed so much.
Well, there’s a lot more to say, but I have to watch a driver safety movie before I get the keys to the mission car—haha. I know that this work is true. I’m willing to serve wherever and however the Lord wants me to. I know I’m here for Him. I love Him with all of my heart.
I love you all,
Elder Teeples
Epiphanies 
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