Monday November 8th
Friends and Family!
Wow time is crazy! HELLO! Family and Friends!!! So first I want to say some funny things that have gone down this week. First off my companion has like these weird night terrors -well mostly she is like scared of bugs crawling on her- and randomly in the night she like screams and sometimes its super scary- but one night she like sat up and screamed and threw a pillow at me and it was a super hot night- just ridiculous -and I just got SO freaked out and screamed too! We both always just end up laughing, but its something super funny. Also, I know how much I told everyone I hate ciestas here, but one day this week I was very thankful for ciesta and gave it some recognition. We ride bikes everywhere….and my companion is not the best at telling me the right directions, so I have gotten really close to getting hit by cars or running into people- yes typical awkward sitch that is me haha-but one day I literally was going up a small hill on my bike and toppled over, just so out of control and I fell everywhere in my little sister missionary outfit and scraped myself up and like made a scene-- but thankfully it was during ciesta! Haha….soooo needless to say, no one got to see this awkward situation since everyone was asleep - just my companion and we laughed about it like all day.
Also, I never thought I would be able to hear American Music again but apparently its super popular here, and one night we had a ward activity, which was a modesty fashion show. It was super cute and way fun- all the members like modeled clothes, and there was lights and a runway and pizza after -it was great! And they were like blasting Lady Gaga- Bad Romance- in the church- in the chapel for this fashion show! Hahah it was so funny….I was like WHAT?! Only in the mish does this happen- like dance party in the church with the members.... whattt.
So the other day I was zoning off while my comp was talking to some man in the street- typical A.D.D. me- and I saw this lady that was a riding a moped, while smoking a cigarette, while breast feeding a baby......I didn’t even feel bad just staring at her it was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. The people here are so funny! Oh and something random is that like everyone we meet tells me I look like Evan Essence and get all stoked- I still don’t know if that is good or bad, but apparently she is a big deal here -like people actually listen to her-and they love her-isn’t she like goth? Haha- cool.
So I also thought I would kind of give you all details of what its like here. It is spring going into summer time so its super hot- like death hot- I am just always sweating- but it is also stormy raining season so the weather is bipolar. Everyone just keeps saying this is nothing....the heat—really? I might die...also we like never eat- I swear there is no way anyone could get fat in this mission but people keep saying you do.. I don’t get it. We don’t eat breakfast- sometimes yogurt or fruit- we eat a huge lunch from the members like pasta and or bread or milenesas, (which is like a huge chicken nugget) like my dream- haha- and they have grilled chicken too. Not many options-all the food is like Italian here- its weird. And then we don’t eat dinner so we pretty much are always busy and don’t eat, which is way good. But I literally feel like all we do is bake. Oh my....I know we are sister missionaries, so that is expected, but we are baking things for people like everyday….it is nuts- never for us- we bake for people in the ward- members or inactives- for like activites or FHE- I am becoming so domestic- you would all be so impressed!
So a lot has gone down this week in Arroyito. First of all there are two people in our ward right now that are sick, so we have been spending a lot of time in the hospital. It is sad ☹ One is a little girl, Luz, who I LOVE- we are besty’s! She has a bad cough- but another lady is a grandma, and she has terminal cancer, so it is super sad. One night some members from the ward came in and gave her a blessing. The spirit was so strong we were all just in tears. There was a lot of the lady’s friends and family, so it was good because we all just felt the spirit so strong and all knew how much it was touching all our hearts. So hopefully that situation will get better.
We are teaching a family right now, Adreana and Mario with three little girls and this week we taught them the restoration. She was very open about it all, and seems interested and so we definitely have hope for them. They are just part of another church so that is the hard part. Pray for them. During the lesson, I always just pray SO hard to have the Holy Ghost and for my companion and I to say the right things, and the things they specifically need. I said the first vision in Spanish and just testified with as much power love and emotion that I had in me. As I said it I was just filled with the spirit and in my heart I just knew without a doubt that this church is true and that Joseph Smith truly did see God the Father and Jesus Christ. After I was done I didn’t even remember what I said in my testimony, but I know that the Holy Ghost helped me say the correct things for this person and in the lesson. It was such a neat experience…….especially because a few days before this I was just so down, and not feeling like I could do much. The night before I had prayed so hard just pleading to my Father in Heaven that I am here ready to do his work- and I will do whatever it takes to be an instrument in his hands, and find and teach people that are ready for the gospel. I put all my faith in Him and just asked and wondered what I could do to be a better missionary. I promised I would work and study as hard as I could so I could receive His help. This week during all of our lessons I have felt his hand reach out and help me, and I am so grateful for prayer and the answers we are able to receive from our Father in Heaven. When we are going through hard times and we need his help and guidance, He is there. I was reading in the scriptures in Mark chapter 11: 22-24 and also in Matt chapter 17: 20 and both talked about how all things are possible we have the faith and believe in God, and just pray unto him with full purpose of heart.
We also found a lady this week named Lucy who is just so awesome. She is a bit older, and has such a hard life with things in her family and things she has gone through, but definitely has hope for things to get better. We taught her the plan of salvation, and as my companion taught her I just prayed so hard for her to say the right things just for Lucy that will help her. She had a hard time understanding what faith is to her, and we ran out of time, so we asked her to pray about things, and we would come back. I felt a strong impression to say something to her- I didn’t know what to say but I just had this burning and strong feeling in my heart, I needed to bare my testimony to her and just say as much as I could. I was nervous but I knew that the Holy Ghost was able to work with me, and I knew I would say the right things. I looked Lucy in the eyes and I just told her in broken Spanish that faith is the only reason I am able to be on my mission. I told her that it is scary being this age coming to Argentina, and not knowing the language at all, and having to leave my family. I told her that it has been hard- but I promised her that with faith in the Lord, we are able to overcome and do anything- and I told her that this is why I am here in Argentina-because of this gospel and this promising plan of happiness. I told her that this is what inspired me to come and teach other families about how it has blessed my family and changed me life-and I promised her that if she had the faith and prayed sincerely to God-she would receive an answer that the things we taught her were true- she will feel the Holy Ghost enter into her heart and confirm of its truth and she will know that this can change and bless her life. As I said these things, tears filled my eyes and I also had a picture of my family, so I was holding it up to her and showing her. As I spoke she just cried and cried, and so did my companion, and we were all just filled with the spirit.
I am so grateful for this amazing experience and I know that all these things are possible only through the power and inspiration of God-everything I have done and everything that happens in our life-anything that is of light love and good in our life that we experience is from God and I know this to be true, because I have personally felt and received my confirmation of it. I have looked and searched in this life through so many different paths looking for the things that can truly make me happy in my life and give me purpose- and I can promise each one of you-that it is only through our Savior Jesus Christ and following his example and living the ways of his gospel that we can feel and experience this most promising and fulfilling happiness. This is why I am here. So many people are suffering and no one is perfect, and things do get hard in this life…..but I know without a doubt in my mind that everything in this life that is unfair, hurtful, hard, challenging, sad, or difficult-can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and through the gospel. Everyone- I seriously love my mission. Every day is hard....not speaking the language, walking around in the heat, people and appointments falling through, missing home and my family, not understanding when people talk to me...but when I have these spiritual experiences, it is just another confirmation to me of my purpose and why I am here, and it just all becomes worth it.
I hope you are all just happy and being positive and loving the people in your lives, and through obeying the things you know to me true, you are finding this true happiness and witnessing those miracles and blessings in your homes and families, with friends and in school and work. Thank you so much for all your support and prayers and I love you all so much!
Love}}
Hermana Pond
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