This is the story of Nilia Tellería investigating the Church and deciding to become a Mormon. In the spring of 1996, Elder Engel and I were serving as full-time missionaries for the LDS Church in Venezuela, on the northern coast of South America, when a member friend of hers introduced us.
Nilia Tellería - Cumaná, Sucre, Venezuela
One
Sunday at church, we got a request from a return missionary in the
ward. She wanted Elder Engel and me to teach her friend, Nilia.
The
two women were classmates at a local college, who had begun to study
together. During one of their study sessions, they had lunch at the
return missionary's house. She asked if Nilia would mind if they
prayed and blessed their food. Nilia consented; they prayed, and
studied. Unknown to her friend at the time, Nilia had taken notice of
the respectful way her friend spoke to her Heavenly Father in prayer.
Somehow eventually, the two got talking religion, and Nilia ended up
agreeing to visit with us.
On
our first visit with Nilia, we learned that she had been looking for
a church that “felt right”. She had been looking for a long time
– most of her life, in fact. She'd been to all kinds of different churches. She felt empty inside,
like there had to be more to being in church. She was looking for a
feeling. She didn't know how to describe it; she just knew she wanted
it - needed it. We gave her a first discussion and a reading assignment in
2 Nephi 31. We taught her how to pray, how to depend on the
promptings of the Spirit to know the truth of all things. She had
questions about that. She wasn't sure she'd know it when that
experience came. She had high hopes that the feeling we were
describing was the one she was looking for. In parting, we invited
her to church.
The
Chapel Doors: Shhh... Be Still!
Elder
Engel and I arrived early at the chapel on Sunday morning, excited to
see what Nilia would think of sacrament meeting. Knowing of her
lifelong search, and having some sense of what was about to happen,
we could not help but take notice of the soft, sweet spirit of the
chapel that morning. This is a reverent place to be... Shhh! Be still! Power On – check!
When
Nilia and her friend arrived, the four of us went into the chapel and started talking quietly. As we whispered, Nilia's face began to
change. Her expression softened in a way that stopped our
conversation. Slowly, a different look seemed to settle over her –
a feeling of joy! She seemed to realize, “I'm home! At long last,
I'm home!” That morning, the chapel doors seemed to say to Nilia,
“this is a reverent place to be... Shhh... be still! Nilia listened
– and she felt!
Taught
By the Holy Ghost... About the Holy Ghost!
As
if that didn't beat all, the Sunday School lesson was absolutely on
fire that day! I had to make my rounds, covering opening hymn for the
other Sunday School class in the chapel. When I was done, I made my
way to the gospel principles class, where our return missionary
friend was teaching several new members, and one or two investigators
– including Nilia.
The
subject of the lesson that day was “The Holy Ghost”. All of us
exchanged stories of when the Holy Ghost had confirmed something, or
taught us something, or given us a prompting that had protected us.
As we talked about our various experiences with the Holy Ghost, Nilia
grew more and more emotional, for reasons she could not explain.
It
was as if the very Holy Ghost himself took a personal interest in
Nilia's spiritual education, wanting her to know who He was, that He
was there! All her life, she had sought His influence, and He wanted
to see to it personally that she knew she had found it! Nilia's
friend interrupted her lesson to do for her what all missionaries are
trained to do: help her recognize that what she was feeling was the
witness of the Holy Ghost! It didn't take long before we were all in
tears, feeling the Spirit burn bright and warm in Sunday School that
day! This is a reverent place to be... Shh... be still!
Prompted
to Follow Christ's Example
The
next day, we went to the return missionary friend's house again, for
a check-up visit and a second discussion with Nilia. We wanted to follow
up with her about her experiences in church. We were very excited! We
started by asking her how her reading assignment was going. She told
us she'd read 2 Nephi 31 as we had asked. She described some of what
she read about Christ being perfect, but still submitting to the will
of the Father and setting the example for all of us in being
baptized. She told us that while she was reading, she had felt the
Holy Ghost confirm to her that it was time for her to follow the
example of Christ. Before we could open our mouths to extend the
obvious invitation, Nilia asked to be baptized!
On
the big day, she and Elder Engel went down into the font. Putting his
arm to the square, Elder Engel administered the ordinance. When she
came up out of the water, she was just glowing with joy! We confirmed her, and
gave her the gift of the Holy Ghost. She was in tears as she bore one
of the most powerful testimonies of the power of the Holy Ghost and
the truthfulness of the Church I had ever heard! In closing, she
said, “I'm thankful to my Heavenly Father for having found this
Church. I know it is true!”
That
was one of those great days when it's an incredible honor and a great
joy to be a missionary!
We had watched the Holy Ghost teach Nilia the gospel almost
single-handedly. Elder Engel and I had played a part in it, and it
had all started when a friend had the courage to just be the salt of
the earth. But the Holy Ghost, whose long-sought influence Nilia had
finally found, had done all the teaching.
Watching
For Dawn, Their Vigil They've Kept
A
short time after Nilia's baptism, we sang in church , “La luz de la
verdad” or “Hark All Ye Nations”. For whatever reason, I
thought to look up the English words. I got choked up with emotion,
thinking of Nilia, as I read the second verse:
“Searching
in darkness, nations have wept;
Watching
for dawn, their vigil they've kept.
All
now rejoice; the long night is o'er.
Truth
is on earth once more!
Oh,
how glorious from the throne above
Shines
the gospel light of truth and love!
Bright
as the sun, this heavenly ray
Lights
ev'ry land to day.”
In
a too-often dark world, Nilia had been watching for dawn her whole
life long, and now the Spirit shone brighter than the noon day sun in
her new life as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints! To this day, I still cannot hear that hymn without thinking
of Nilia Tellería and her search for a church where she could feel
the witness of the Holy Ghost!
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