FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

How are you all?!

Life is just amazing out here in the field! I love my area Rosedal, and love all of the mission experiences.

So first of all, we had a baptism this weekend...WHOOOO! Emanuel, who is the son of Diego and Paola (who couldn’t get baptized because they are not married), but the son really wanted to, and was so ready and knows like everything. So we had his baptism on Saturday and it was SO amazing…..so spiritual! My comp and I and my leader – Cale - and Elder Bryant all sang at the baptism…….we sang, “I Stand All Amazed.” Emanuel’s mom came late, but when she came in she was right in front, and when we sang she just looked SO peaceful and happy and kept looking at me and crying because we are just so close and love each other. She had told me that was her favorite song so that is why we sang it for her. I have never seen a happier kid! Emanuel was just beaming after his baptism, and just SO filled with light and happiness. He is so cute - he has really long hair, and when we told him he should probably cut it for his big day he said.....you know - I was thinking one day, and I was looking at the picture you gave me of when Christ was baptized and he had long hair, and he is our perfect example, so I think it’s better if I keep my hair! Haha - he is a gem….I love him. So that was an amazing night!

We are also still teaching Rocio - the girlfriend of a member who is like our best friend and is just perfect, and so ready to be baptized and be a member - and she is SO cute – every time we call her she is studying and the other night she called us late and asked if we could bring her a Doctrine and Covenants to church for her because she always studies in principles of the gospel, and always wants to read the cross references. Also she said that one day she was going through all her clothes that were immodest…..we still hadn’t even taught her about it, she just did it on her own-and she said that her boyfriend said to give it away, but she was like - no then I would be encouraging other girls to dress immodestly, and I need to be a good example to girls. I LOVE HER! She is the cutest. We told her we are having transfers soon and she was so sad, and began to cry because she said she just loves us so much and has never felt so close, and open to anyone. She is my favorite. It will definitely be hard leaving her!

We are also still teaching Marcelo and it was cool our leader – Cale – and his comp came out Wednesday to work in our area and do the baptism interview, and it was SO fun we ate pizza at my favorite members house and then taught Marcelo. It went well and was a fun night.

We are trying really hard and working with Emanuel’s family, but Diego, the dad is always drinking and its just sooo sad! He is having the hardest time giving this up since his habit is to drink on the weekends, and they are always fighting and having problems. So we are going to pass tonight and do a family home evening and watch “Together Forever,” the movie, and set goals with them as a family, so they can be baptized, go to the temple, and become an eternal family so that someday they can all be together.

On Tuesday this week we also had a very spiritual experience. We had a cita - (appointment) with Emanuel and he wasn’t home, so we were worried because he had his interview the next day, but we figured it was for a reason, and we left. My comp felt we needed to go and pass for this reference we had gotten from other elders, and so we went and looked for the house, and right when we pulled up to it I just got this really strong impression and realized I had been here before. We went up to the door, and this guy comes out in PJ’s and says that Ema is not there, and to come later. We both felt really strongly that we needed to sing and teach them something – and also invite the other girl that was there to come and listen. After we sang I look up and the girl that we just randomly invited to come listen was in tears, and looks at us and says....are you elders? At first it was weird to us, but she went on sharing a story about how she had dated someone that was an inactive member and heard the lessons from the missionaries before, and she LOVED IT, and always wanted to go to church and learn more, but she had problems with this guy and never went, and lost contact with the church. She said she would never forget the feelings she felt with the elders and how much peace and truth it brought her soul. She talked about how she had been going through really hard time now and was crying and pouring out her heart to us. Just looking at her and being lead to her in this situation I just felt this overwhelming rush of love for this girl I had just met, and I just knew in that moment that God loves her and wants her to find true happiness. We set up another appointment and got her number and we are excited to pass again and teach her!

This week has truly been so emotional and intense in many ways. Never in my life have I understood and learned so much about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and its significance….and the need we have for it in this life. I have worked with at least 4 or 5 people this week that have terrible addictive drinking problems, and just in these few experiences I have seen so much damage and sadness and problems – more than I have ever seen before - that one little choice has brought into the individual lives of these people. I have especially noticed how much it affects the people in their lives that they love. There is nothing like these addictive substances that can bring someone down so low so quickly, and the saddest part is these people have tried to put their trust and confidence and hope in the weak and unpromising flesh of man and the things of the world, instead of going to God and finding a way out. These people have fallen sooo far down and I have felt such an urge and desire to go down to them with my helping hand to lift them up and send them to the light and to Christ.....but I cant. I feel so hopeless and sorry for these people that are not making the actual choice to change. They are so lost in darkness and stuck - there is just no other single way on this earth life than to go straight to God and his son Jesus Christ and the Atonement to help these people in their dark and hard times.

We went to visit Diego yesterday, and found him completely alone, drunk in his door step and just crying. It was so hard to look at him just so weak and confused and lost. We opened up to Matthew chapter 26, when Christ is actually about to suffer for our sins and he talks about in verse 21 how the flesh is weak and will drag us into temptation but the spirit is stronger and willing to pull us through. I just pictured Christ completely alone in the garden, just so afraid and just pleading

to God, and asking him or anyone to even be with him for a second to help him or be by him to experience all this pain and torment and wondering if there was any other way...but there was not, and he DID suffer every single pain and problem and heart ache and illness and sadness for EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US, so we do not need to suffer or experience or go through anything alone. HE IS WITH US - if we invite him to be-and he will pull us out of this darkness...he will help us overcome the flesh and keep a strong spirit so we can receive peace.

It is so hard that there are so many people that don’t get it....they just don’t understand that Christ is waiting for them with his hand extended, as they are just hopeless and weak and worn out and can’t do anymore on the ground...his hand is extended out to us...we need to look up to him and let him lift us! It was so interesting, because exactly this week when I saw so many of these problems in the homes with these people - I was also going through a very hard emotional time,

and didn’t think I could get over it or feel better. I was reading in Moses 6: 31-39 where Enoc is conversing with the Lord and asking…..why me? I am so weak and so inadequate, and so incapable of achieving the things you want me to do, but the Lord sends his love his light, his spirit and power and he promises Enoc that if he just does what he has commanded him to do, the Lord will bless him and his weaknesses will become strong and he will overcome all. I just love that story and after he experiences this, he stands up with all this help, and power he has received from God, and preaches loudly and proudly to all the people and they all fear him and are moved by him because they can just tell that he walks with God.

I don’t know if any of us will ever comprehend how tremendously blessed we are to have the knowledge and understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and his gospel and the way to true happiness in our lives. WE HAVE IT! and if you do not feel like you truly understand what you have - who Christ is and what he suffered for you- than I invite you to get on your knees and earnestly seek out and plead and humbly ask for his hand in your life....open up the scriptures and study of him.. talk of him…..ask others their personal testimonies of him. Because he is our only way and our only hope in this world, and I feel like for the first time in my life I actually can boldly state and testify that I personally know that this is the truth. I have seen it, I have felt it, and I have experienced it personally.

I truly feel honored and blessed that I have such a privilege to be a representative of our Savior Jesus Christ and preach to others his love for us and his way. I love this gospel with all my heart and I just pray daily to my Heavenly Father that every living soul will be able to experience these feelings of immense hope joy and love that come from living the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love you all with my heart!

Love Hermana Pond

More Miracles in Rosedal!

So it has been a good week here in Rosedal! Tuesday was just a day of miracles! In the morning we got a member lesson with an hermana from the ward and her cousin and she is 20 and loves the church and wants to be baptized but she is scared of her mom because she lives with her, and doesn’t approve of her going to church...so we talked a lot about faith and confidence and trust in herself and in God to help her overcome this trial and we decided to fast all together for her to receive the strength to sit down and talk to her mom about it, and we will see how it went this week. Also we set a few more fechas!

We found a new girl, Belen and she is so cute! We were walking by her house and like 2 different times we did this day I just felt SO inspired that we needed to talk to her and so she let us in - we taught her a few times this week and we set a fecha! The only problem is her husband always works and he doesn’t want her leaving the house or inviting us in, so we pretty much need to pass and find him so we can teach him and help him understand our purpose. She really loves the Book of Mormon though and they are new in the area and married and have a little girl. Then we found Maria - a neighbor of a member - and she is WAY Catholic and a bit older but she promised she would pray and ask God if she knew our message and church were true……and we set a fecha with her! She didn’t go to church since this Sunday was a holiday, but we are hoping for next week!

We also found Graciela who is the mom of a recent convert, and he is way shy and quiet and always weird about us talking to his family but one day we got in when he wasn’t there and just his mom was there and we taught her and she loved it and says she is very interested, so we set a fecha with her! She just loves us and whenever we call she talks about how she reads the Book of Mormon and LOVES it and she just feels so good when we pass and loves our message. Last night she let us in because it was SOOOO COLD – and she fed us locro....its like a tradition here and they always eat it on the 1st of May and its this soup with all the parts of like cow and pig and everything stirred inside....it was interesting, but she is way cute and we also got to teach her husband and they are MARRIED (so happy!) - its so hard to find people married here - so we love them and are working a lot with them.

Also we are still working with Diego and Tania-they are sooo cute and normally so positive and love when we pass - yesterday we taught lesson 3 and 1 about the restoration and about the gospel and they were a little confused and didn’t understand how there could be only one true church and they have a few problems with baptism, but we committed them to pray and read this week. Also we are still working with Myra my Fav - we just click and get along sooo well - and I just love her - her baby has been way sick all week so she has been a little flojo, but she still has a date for the 21st of may.

One of my favorite miracles of the week was with Diego and Paula - who was the guy from last week who was just a mess-we passed on Monday and found the whole family together
just waiting for us - and we passed and Paula just told us her whole long story of investigating the church and she has had SO many spiritual and neat experiences in the church and she knows its true and she is so happy finally her boyfriend is coming around and interested, and he is praying and reading and its just TRULY SO AMAZING to see the changes in people and get to be a part of their growing and learning process of the gospel. She talked about her little boy who is 11, said he wants to go on a mission and how her boyfriend Diego gave the last prayer and it was SO powerful and sincere and we were all just filled with the spirit and pretty much crying. It was such a neat lesson! So they still have a ways to go....they need to get married and start going to church every week to be baptized so we are really excited about them and working hard with them.

ALSO the last miracle is Marcelo...he is a reference from a member...my favorite member family ever, who is like my family - and it is the dad and moms best friend from growing up and he is living with them right now because he is separated from his girlfriend. He went to church once
and we taught him and it was honestly just like the most spiritual inspired lesson EVER! He accepted to be baptized this month in May and he was just crying when he talked about how much he loves the gospel and our church, and he can see the difference it has made in the lives of his friends and in their kids too, and how much love and peace and respect is in the home. Hermana Cabrera talked about the temple and families being together forever, and we were just all crying and it was so spiritual! We love him - he is so ready to be baptized!

So we definitely are finding tons of good people to teach and they are slowly but surely progressing. Never in my life did I know how hard it is for people to change....it is sooo difficult! Everyone loves just being comfortable and in their normal lives, and don’t like to do much, but when they do, they can ALWAYS see the difference and are sooo much happier!

This week I am going on INTERCAMBIOS! I will be with a new hermana, who is from Argentina and she is just in the area next to us. I am definitely excited to work with her this week and learn a lot. I truly do love this work with all of my heart and would not be anywhere else in the world right now, then right here in Argentina - helping people learn of Jesus Christ and how they can come unto Him and find peace and happiness in this life. I read the story of Lehi’s dream this week in the Book of Mormon and I just love his inspiring words in 1 Nephi 8:10-12....it is so true! When we partake of the fruit of the tree of life we are just filled with a happiness and light and peace and JOY - and the fruit is just tastes so good that we want to share it with others...it is that change we all want-its hard to get to the tree, but when we make the choice to do so and we are focused and make it there...that joy and change of feeling just fills our every soul and we are satisfied. How rich and promising is this fruit from the tree of life! Let us partake and when doing so we will be inspired to share that joy and happiness with everyone we come in contact with!

I LOVE YOU ALL AND MISS YOU!!! I will talk to you family in a week for mothers day!!!! Get excited to BOND!!! Chauuuuuu and Besitooossss!!!!

Love Hermana Pond

Easter Update

Monday April 25th

Family and Friends!!!

Like always...such a fast week and so much went down!!!!

First of all...Happy Easter!!! I hope everyone had a good Easter. Here they just like each chocolate eggs and thats about it haha its not very celebrated...but it will still good.

So I am loving the work right now! I feel like we are finally just picking up the pace and finding some great people and teaching like crazy.

First, we got to have interviews with the president this week and I LOVED it! I love him so much - he is like my idol. My whole thing was in Spanish! That’s crazy and really means I am getting old in the mission – shoot - and I told him I didn’t think it was that good, and I want a latin companion again – haha - he laughed and said its fine, and that I just need to have more confidence and keep it up, because I am going to be senior comp soon, and train! Ahhh–scary! So I need to step up my game and raise the bar……I am excited for that.

We also got to talk to the assistants and they gave us some good ideas and we talked a lot about the law of consecration and really knowing what we can do and sacrifice to serve God and do his will because so many times we work so hard and we know what we want but we don’t take it to the Lord and talk it out and work it out with him. Just like it says in D & C we need to decide and then study it out in our minds and pray about it and we will be given our answers. He told a story by Elder Bednar that I LOVED, and it was about a man who was sick and dying in the hospital and asked him to come in and give him a blessing. When Elder Bednar came into the room, he looked at the man and said ...."do you have the faith NOT to be healed...." and the man said “no,” and then Bednar said, “I am going to come back later tonight when you have the faith not to be healed (whatever is the Lord’s will), so all day that man prayed and studied and asked for that much faith in God to know his will, and Bednar came back later and gave him a blessing. The end of the story is never told whether he lived or died, because that part doesn’t matter…..it is having enough faith to accept the Lord’s plan.

He related this story to the mission and looked us in the eyes and asked us..."sisters - do you have the faith NOT to baptize....?" I was so puzzled on this question because of course our purpose as missionaries is to baptize, so why would we need faith not to...but then he talked about that if God personally spoke to you and asked you to come out on a mission for 18 months and be 100 obedient and do all this work and put all your life into doing all these things, and then you would only be able to see one baptism.....or not even one…..would you do it? I thought about it for a long time and wondered -would I? This really made me realize the significance of the word consecrate and sacrifice and how we need to be willing to do anything to help and work for the Lord, not to see success for ourselves, or to get what we want, but to do what He wants. We may not understand always why it is his will, but we need to be willing to do it anyway….. I just loved this, and truly related it to LIFE! It is sooo true! How many times do we promise the Lord we will do a few things and then think–okay - I am good – chau-no more because first I want my reward. That’s not what sacrifice is!!! We need to stop thinking so much about the outcome of the things we do and about our lives and ourselves, and just do what we are suppose to do - not because its easy or fast, but because its not easy or fast.….it is very hard! And sometimes we don’t even get to see the fruits of our work, but God does - and that’s all that matters.

Also in our district meeting we talked about faith and what it truly means to have faith and be a successful missionary, and we read this poem called “The Rock” and it honestly made me cry.......

The Rock

A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man did; day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down; his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might.

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Since the man was showing signs of discouragement, the Enemy decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind:

"You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it." Thus, giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough." And that is what he planned to do, until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half an inch. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push.

And now you come to me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself...Your arms are strong and muscled, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard.

Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done.

Now I, my friend, will now move the rock.

Soledad…...a reference from a member and the member came with us and taught her and we gave a powerful lesson about the gospel of Jesus Christ and taught about the Book of Mormon and she loved it so much. She felt the spirit so strong! She has 2 kids and is pregnant and is married! We are excited about her and definitely are going to work more with her this week.

Myra and Maggie...sisters....just lost their uncle to cancer and had tons of questions about where we go after this life....we taught a very powerful lesson about the plan of salvation and they both accepted to be baptized together at the end of this month.

Diego and Tonya....CUTE couple we found last week...LOVE THEM! We are already so close with them, and we went to their house Thursday night for her birthday ALL her family was there we taught a way spiritual lesson about Christ, and talked about Easter, and sang “I know that my Redeemer lives. They all loved the words to the song and loved that thought and all really felt the spirit. They also loved the ending prayer and
the peace it brought to their home. They were out of town on Sunday so hopefully they will make it to church next week, and we are really excited about them.

Diego and Paula - we passed for them last night and only Diego was home
alone outside in the dark. He seemed really sad and lost. We sat him down and he cried to us about how he wants to change his life, and wants more happiness and peace in his family and NEEDS to change.....he described how sad and lost and dark he had felt this week and does not want to feel this way. He recognized Satan was working on him and trying to destroy his family. He poured out all his alcohol and cigarettes and said he wants to prepare to be baptized and start learning and preparing TODAY. He then listened to the comforting words in the scripture in Jacob 2:8 about how the word of God can heal the wounded soul. He felt the spirit sooo strong and said he had never felt so much peace and knew these things came from God. We made goals with him and he said the most tender sincere prayer I have ever heard. It was truly like God was there with us right next to him just listening and giving him his love. After he finished he described the feeling of the Holy Ghost as he prayed and he said he wants that feeling forever. Never in my life had a seen such a contrast in someone - SO opposite and different from one moment to the next. When we came he was literally in all darkness just drinking alone and so sad, upset, lost, and told us he didn’t want to live anymore/the lights in the neighborhood were actually out...then when we came and starting sharing with him all the lights in the neighborhood turned back on, and his whole countenance changed. He was full of peace and light and PROMISE and hope. He no longer wanted to end his life but wanted another chance and was literally coming unto Christ and his angels and pleading for their help and was willing to do anything to have the feelings and confirmations that he was receiving to be with him forever. It was such a miracle!

How much HOPE the gospel of Jesus Christ brings every single soul. Every
time I talk to each person here, I just feel more and more of the unconditional love that god has for every single soul just like it talks about in D & C 18:10. Open your mouths and share your love of Christ with every person you come in contact with. This sad world is in direct need of the help of Christ and his gospel that can lift them up and give them a second chance, and more happiness and hope in this life.

I love the mission, and love the chance I have to help God’s children and teach about his plan he has for us of love, hope, peace, life and happiness. Anyone can share it to! Be bold and do anything you can to share this message with others!!! I love you ALL – Feliz Pascua and enjoy your week!!!

Love Hermana Pond

The Knock Before Midnight - MLK

Hi everyone! I am sending the last two emails together.......its a lot to read, but so interesting to realize the highs and lows of the mission. Remember how excited she was about conference?! Then she experienced the disappointment of not having her investigators attend conference. She was so discouraged she struggled to focus on the talks, even though she needed them more than ever......then she had the moment where the words of a prophet touched her heart and brought her peace. It's so interesting and inspiring to see the pattern of confidence and pure exhilaration followed by dispoointements and sadness. Then look at the next week - she is on Cloud 9 - as they had transfers, and such exciting things happening and such success. After the trial of faith comes the blessings, peace, and joy. In the mission and in our lives, its the same!
Thanks for your love and support.......she feels your prayers in her behalf......and the Ponds love you all SO MUCH!


April 4th, 2011

Family and Friends

It has been a hard week. I truly feel like this transfer has been the hardest I have worked in my mission. We have just been fasting and praying and teaching a ton, but we have no one that is progressing, and it has just been such a let down. I came into this area knowing it would be a bit more difficult, but we just don’t know what to do. I was so excited for conference weekend, and so pumped to tell everyone about it, and invite the world……but none of our investigators could come, and it was just so sad. It just makes me so sad to be out here pleading to these people to change their lives, and come unto Christ, and listen to THE LIVING PROPHET, since this is the only time in 6 months we will be able to, and everyone is too busy or they don’t want to come hear it....

I just felt so confused when it came to Sunday morning, and we were in the streets spending hours in the morning, just searching for people, and we just kept getting rejected house after house, and I was just so sad for these people. We ended up just going to conference and I tried enjoying it, since its what I have been waiting for the past 6 months….. but I was just so distracted, and kept wondering why these things happen. I don’t think it was a coincidence that a lot of the talks this conference were about the Atonement and trials and why we go through them. I really understood that everything happens for a reason and even though we can’t control of a lot of the things we go through…they all make us stronger and we can learn from them.

I like the quote that said when you become the answer to someone else’s prayer, you often are the answer to your own prayer…..that is how God works…..

I also liked how darkness precedes light,…..how the trial of our faith comes before the miracle…..so many good examples of that concept……

There are so many things we can learn from conference and every single message can apply to our lives at that very moment…….and what we are going through. I truly learned that it is just so important to forget yourself and just serve and think of others - and in doing so we will find our own answers to our own prayers and problems. Also – pain teaches us patience and we really should be grateful for the trials and experiences we are given in this life, because they help us get to know Christ better.

Jesus Christ suffered for us that he might know us, so maybe we need to suffer in this life, so we can come to know Him.

I really am grateful for these trials and hard times in the mission, because being a representative of Jesus Christ I feel like I need to experience the things he has, and overcome the hard things so I understand what he did for me. I knew the mission wouldn’t be easy, and for that I am so grateful to be here - I am grateful for the things I am learning every day. I am grateful that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ now me perfectly and love me. In one of the talks at the end - I think it was Eyring - I felt like he was talking directly to me….and I was still so sad and down and distracted - and with simple loving words of a man called of God, I knew that my Heavenly Father was concerned about me and communicating with me...

He said - God knows you personally and loves you. He knows what you are going through right now in this very moment, and the pain and trials that you are feeling. Know He is proud of the work you are doing, and knows of everything you have accomplished and done. Lift up your heart and press forward in hope and faith.

In this moment I truly felt the Lord wrapping his arms around me to comfort me and help me move on. The mission and the work and the people, and especially me are not perfect………but God and Christ are, and with their help I know that I will always overcome any hard day and moment and they will carry me the rest of the way.

I love you all with all of my heart, and know I can literally feel your prayers….. they give me a sense of hope and love and faith that strengthens me and keeps me motivated. Know I love this work and I am truly trying my best and giving it every bit of my heart and soul. Hope you all enjoyed conference and have a good week!!!



Monday April 11th, 2011

TRANSFERS!!!!

Me and my companion, Hermana Ellsworth, totally thought we were staying together for transfers but we are not! I am so sad - she is going to Villa Independencia in the Cierras, and I am staying in Rosedal. But guess who my comp is now...HERMANA BROWN...AGAIN! from Mesa, and we love each other - so we are way excited and we have such a fun district and zone, so it will definitely be good - we are excited.

So this week was good!

First of all - funny story - I GOT ROBBED. I am SO bitter – my favorite dogeared necklace from Nordstroms - haha – shoot! So anyways, we were walking down the street one day, and were on the side walk and this guy on a moto just drives by and I am thinking - that is funny - why is he going so slow - and then he just sticks out his hand and grabs my necklace and rips it off and drives away! I AM BITTER. So yeah - that was interesting - and that same day 2 elders got robbed at gun point and got their cameras stolen. SO - I have pretty much just been walking around with nothing now because I am nervous for round 2. Its a fun story to tell all the members though...

Also we set a baptism date!.......with this cute old man named Roberto who is so funny - he just got in a little accident so he can’t walk very well, but he loves us and has been taught before and is way positive and already knows a lot - we are excited to be working with him.

Also Diego left - my best friend - on his mission to Chile, and it was sooooo sad……but we are so excited for him. He is going to be the best missionary ever, and while he is gone we really want to work with and teach his family because they are not members except one who is inactive. We have become way close to them and they love us, and we like bond at their house and sing songs together, and the mom feeds us dinner. It was fun bonding with Diego this last week before he left - he worked a lot with us and helped with the work - he is such a star. There is this cute family that lives by him and one day he just said, “Lets go over and visit, so we did, and he introduced us and as missionaries and said, “We have been praying and trying to think of a family that needs to hear the gospel, and I thought of your family“–haha- he is so great - so we are excited to work with them - they seem way nice and positive!

One night we bonded with one of my favorite inactive families that I just love (they truly feel like my family) We made fajitas with them and they loved it - and we are hoping that they will go back to church because they are such a strong family. They also have tons of non-member friends, so it is a great missionary opportunity to share the gospel. Their daughter is already going to seminary so we are happy! The work goes forward slowly but surely !!!

We also were contacting one day and met this cute lady named Elena. She was outside with her daughter and was SO nice and cute and positive! We talked to them for a long time and we sang families can be together forever for her and she said she really felt the spirit! We talked a lot about the plan of salvation and when she was in college she got a Book of Mormon and read it and liked it! She has one little girl and is married and has one more on the way, so we really liked her and were grateful that the spirit was soooo strong as we were talking about families and the gospel and we are excited to visit them again.

There is also this girl named Mira - she is someone we found a while ago and she has just been having so many problems, and truly wants change in her life. One day we passed and she was just so interested in learning how to pray and she really loves the Book of Mormon and was excited about the chapters we gave her to read. She also has a ton of girlfriends that always come over and chat and bond with her and they like loved us, and one called one day - the day we came over - and said she had a feeling she should come by because she felt like the “chicas” (us!) - were going to be there, and she wanted to talk to us and hear about the gospel. It was so cool! So we are hoping she will progress - of course that part is SO hard for everyone - getting to church - but we have faith we will see!

Also there was this like HUGE event with this family in our ward - so their little 8 year old was getting bàptized this weekend, and they invited like 100 people!!!! Half of those that came were not members, so they invited all the missionaries in our zone to come to be impressive, and help and answer questions if people had them. Also the mission president was there, the stake pres, and the area 70! It was so awesome! They played a video about the church and also had a ton of food and mingling after. It was WAY successful - and what they are going to do is the family is going to give out all the references of their friends to the missionaries in their areas to go pass by their houses. The missionaries will give out the presents from the baptism - a DVD about finding faith in Christ, and also pictures from the baptism. BRILLANT YES??!!!

So we are very excited……I love it when the members get so involved and help in the mission work – it is so smart! Social activities, family home evenings, and baptisms are the best!!! If any of you members have things coming up - INVITE EVERYONE - find out what missionaries are in your area and help them OUT!!! So many of our close family and friends are truly ready and waiting to hear about the gospel and we are the ones that can help and be the most effective - we always get afraid to talk to people about it, because we are nervous or afraid of what they will say, but we need to be more BOLD! We need to remember that every person needs the gospel in their lives and we might just be the only person to share it with them. open your mouths! Be excited about the church and your testimonies and just share it all with LOVE! We are so lucky to have this knowledge...WHAT A BLESSING! We need to share it with others!!!

So I pretty much love the mission with all my heart and never want to leave! I feel like I am just learning soooooo much and my testimony is growing daily. I am so excited to start another transfer and just work hard and see tons of miracles!!! I love the people of Argentina and have care SO much for them all. I feel like this place is really becoming my home. And yes my Spanish is definitely getting better! I love you ALL - have a good week!

Hermana Pond

March 28th - More Excitement about Book of Mormon & April Conference

March 28th, 2011

Family and Friends!

First of all can I please let you all know that CONFERENCE is in like 6 days!!! I hope you are all getting pumped up and ready to go!!!! Like it talks about in Mosiah 2, when everyone in the town is setting up their tents and they get all prepared and ready to hear the prophet King Bejamin speak! Let us open our ears, our minds, and our hearts this week to prepare to hear the words of the living prophet of God on the earth today!!! Start thinking of some good questions to have ready to go, and get answered before Saturday!

So this week has been way good! First of all- the funny situations like always-

One night we had a noche day hogar (FHE) and lets be honest my Spanish is
still not perfect, and I was sitting next to Diego and he was helping me with my Spanish. I was trying to tell the hermana -a member- that I liked her shirt, and so I was like yelling......me gustta su ramera – well apparently it is REMERA, so and instead of saying I like your shirt to a member I was saying I like your whore....sooooo I definitely have realized I still have a ways to go on correcting and learning perfect Spanish.

Also we were knocking doors one day, and we got to this one house, and I went to start my contact, but right when they opened the door I had like tripped or had done something awkward and he ended up laughing and thought we were like jokes – haha - but it got us in the door anyway so its okay. So we sit down and start talking to this family and I just look on the table and there are all these Jesus books, and we realized that they are preachers from their church. So the whole time while we were trying to teach them, they would switch it up and try and teach us - it was out of control - then we gave them a Book of Mormon and we challenged them to read it and they bust out some Christian hope book and do the same- it was funny! We got invited to their prayer and study the bible night next Friday, so we will see how that goes..

Also one day we were in the ghetto, and I had to go to the bathroom SO bad, and our appointment wasn’t home, so we went to this other house where we thought we were friends with this girl, and we asked for her and she was like yelling at her husband not to let us in, and so I just asked him if I could just use the bathroom really quick and he let me in…...bad idea! The lady was MAD and like came in and was walking by my comp and ignoring her, and hit her with a block of wood when she walked by her- haha - I felt so bad - all this was happening when I was in the
bathroom - and so we like ran out of the house and my comp said we should not go to the neighborhood again, or she thinks the lady is going to like kill us.

ALSO -best part ever was we went to a baptism of some elders in our zone and it was suppose to be at 5 - the lady didn’t show up until like 730, and had ALL of these problems, and we truly didn’t even think it was going to go down, but we had an investigator there – the deaf friend of Diego - she is way cute - and then ALL of these little kids come to the church that we have taught before to play soccer and Diego
sits them down and like makes them watch the baptism, and finally when
it started the lady getting baptized was like HUGE, and she like wouldn’t even go under because she was afraid of water, and all the kids were SO loud, and it literally was out of control…. but in the end it all ended up working out, and everyone loved it. Such an adventure!

MIRACLES! Soooo, we have some great investigators right now! Eli is totally ready and could get baptized any day, but she always likes get scared the last minute and has tons of work and family problems so she is always giving excuses. But she really does want to get baptized, so we have been working with her a lot, and helping her get over her fears and doubts, and helping her develop more faith and confidence in God and in herself.

Aalso there is this family – it is a mom, Gladis and her 3 cute daughters, and they LOVE us and get emotional every time we come over, because she said she just feels so much peace and comfort when we teach and she knows its the truth and can make her family happy. Her mom is sick in the hospital, and had the nurses read
the Book of Mormon to her, and the pamphlets, and pretty much everyone in the hospital loved it! We are working with them a lot, and just trying to get them to church. We are hoping for a baptism for them after conference weekend!

Also there is Diego (a different Diego) and his cute wife and 3 kids- I love them! They just need to get married and my companion has worked a lot with the wife before, but one day we passed - and I just shared a little something and I actually thought they were members (inactives) - so I just said some little uplifting things and read out of the Book of Mormon - and he said he was in the other room when we came that day, and he heard us, and just felt so happy and peaceful and liked our message. So after we left he has been reading and praying and really wants to change his life, be a better dad, and have more love and unity in the family! We are so excited for them.

Also, there is Tina and Carla, but they are both living with someone, so they need to get married too, but Tina came to church, and they LOVE the Book of Mormon and they are reading and praying.

Also last night we passed for Diego’s house – (my best friend pretty much)
- who is about to go on his mission, and he is my idol. We wanted to talk about his
sister’s baptism because she is getting baptized before he leaves, but he wasn’t home, so we just ended up talking to his little brother, Gaston. He is inactive and 14 years old. I love him sooooo much, and I truly just look to him like my little brother, and it makes me sooo sad, because he is so inactive and doesn’t believe in ANYTHING and has no faith or beliefs. Last night we just sat him down and read some scriptures about faith, and truly I don’t think I have ever had such a powerful
lesson in my mission. We told him the story in Alma 5 about Alma’s son and his conversion - because Gaston said he wants to see God to believe anything is true-and we taught about how it was the feelings and power of the holy ghost that Alma felt in his heart to know the truth – not because he saw an angel. I just expressed with all my love and heart to this kid my testimony, and how I came to know of the truth of the church and told him my story, and the spirit was just SO intense! It
was definitely a tender mercy of the night.

Truly the mission is such a blessing! Every day we are seeing people change their lives and find the joy peace and happiness through Christ and the teachings of his gospel. I just LOVE the Book of Mormon and the power and role it has in the conversion process. You can find any answer in life that you are looking for if you read the Book of Mormon. I was reading the story in Alma 56, and I truly am just sooo inspired and impressed by their FIRE!!!, their faith, and love and desire, and COURAGE in themselves and in God! Why would we ever think we are inadequate or incapable to not receive the help of God in anything we do......I love when Helaman says that he has never seen such courage in anyone in his life. We need to put our trust in God and NOT DOUBT - and just go forward everyday with god by our side and he will be with us and help us. We truly can do anything with this kind of faith. I challenge anyone who reads this to open your Book of Mormon tonight
and read in Alma 56, and I promise you will be inspired beyond measure
and learn something new.

I hope everyone has a good week and know I am HAPPY and loving the mission and I am sooo excited for conference!!!!! Love you ALLLLLL – I think and pray for all of my family and friends often…..I miss you!!!!

Love,

Hermana Pond