First Talk

Tuesday Feb 15th, 2011

Friends and Family

So I gave my first talk this Sunday in the mission! It was SO great - it took awhile to write, and my comp edited it like 5 times- haha - but it was good. I love giving and preparing talks SO much - I just learn so much about the gospel and it such a neat experience!

So not too many funny things went down this week - well probably, but I can’t remember any of them, but we have had tons of miracles!

There is this kid, Nico, and before I came to this area, I heard that he was probably going to be baptized either this month or the next, but he would be out of town so it would take a while but he came back early! He is SO funny - I love him - we are like best friends and we get along so well. He is 13 and such a gem - he loves church, and just told us that he wants to get baptized, and he reads the Book of Mormon with his family. The hard thing has been working with his mom Laura - she normally works Sundays and is not as committed, but recently she has been having problems, and has been reading in the Book of Mormon and is more interested. We taught her about the Atonement and that is her problem - she has some things she feels like she cant forgive herself for and can’t forgive others in her life, so she wants time. I shared an experience in my life with her about forgiving others, and it was so cool because it was her exact situation, and I talked about the healing power of the Atonement and Christ, and how he can help us forgive others and ourselves, and it was so amazing. So we are hoping she will be baptized next month and Nico this month. They are so cute - I love them and they all came to church this Sunday by themselves and loved it!

Osvualdo - our favorite ever! He is so tender and just loves the church and like cries every time he talks about how he received an answer and wants to be baptized and change his life - the problem is we found out he is not married to the lady he is living with...and she is still married to her husband, and its just a mess! But he wants to move out because they have had problems for so long, and he wants to start a new life so we just have to wait till he gets that all figured out - but he is so great and faithful - he is always so busy with work, but if he gets one free moment he will meet us at the church, so we can teach him - he loves learning so much about the gospel and is excited to get baptized!

There are also these kids we are working with from Bolivia and they are the best. One is 15 and one is 16 and they are so smart and love going to church activities and love the members and they love learning about the gospel - they have so many questions its so great! So we are hoping they can be baptized this month as well. I love working with pre missionaries - I always just imagine them preaching the gospel someday! This work is so amazing.

We have some great strong investigators and we are really just trying to work hard with them and help them prepare for baptism. We are also trying to find new investigators like crazy for march so we can always have tons of options and always be finding. We will see what happens!

I loved our gospel principles class this Sunday - it was so powerful. We had a good amount of investigators in for it, and the lesson was on baptism - what they all needed to hear! The teacher was just so great - I love her! She talked about the power of the spirit of conversion and how that is our drive to act and obey and do the things the Lord wants for us in our lives. At the end she talked about how we were all chosen to be put in this generation for a reason - how we were chosen because we are all so strong and have strong faith and testimonies and have tons of work to do. She talked about how when we heard about the plan before we came to this life we were just so excited and ready to come to the earth, and receive a body and learn and progress and grow in our families and experiences, but Heavenly Father said wait - these specific spirits - we need to save you all for the end. It was so powerful and it just really made me think - we all have such a purpose here on this earth and especially in this time. It is so important daily to remember this and be willing and have that desire that faith and excitement to serve our Lord and do our part to not only have happiness for ourselves, but for the people around us and for God. Each one of us are at the end of the race - we are the fastest and strongest and we have a goal - we have a light and a reward at the end and all we need to do is see it in our lives – every day open our eyes and see the glory and love and light and beautiful plan of happiness that our Heavenly Father has for us and then we need to do our part - we need to prepare every day! Every day we need to wake up and think - what can I do to serve the Lord today? How can I be more useful in his work-to help build up and strengthen his kingdom - so when we get to the end of that race and we finish and we are so exhausted and warn out and tired - our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ can embrace us with their every lasting and unconditional love, and thank us for everything we have done, and crown us with our reward.

What a responsibility……but what an honor it is - how great is our calling......we have such a great reason to rejoice daily. We are so blessed! Continue in service daily - in prayer - in studying and learning more about this plan, and our purpose in the scriptures, and by going to church - Heavenly Father is anxiously awaiting us daily to open up the windows of heaven and pour out these promised blessings and answers all we need to do is our part - come unto him in faith - ask- and act! We need to do our part. Sometimes its a sacrifice and sometimes we don’t think its possible or its too much time or its too hard, but I promise you all like it says in the scriptures and I always say in my emails…….

With God…….all things are possible!

Never forget that God lives and loves us! He is waiting…...come unto him and ask what you can do to help serve him and fulfill your purpose on this earth and in doing so.......

he that loseth his life for me shall find it......

We will find happiness…...we will find and understand who we are! And more importantly every day we will understand more and more who God and Jesus Christ are and we will become more and more like them - daily coming closer and closer to the end of the race and receiving our reward.

Know I love this work. Know that I have a testimony that if we live the principles of this gospel - we will be happy. I love being a missionary and I love sharing this message daily with every person we come in contact with!!!!

Love you allll!!!

Three Weeks in Bellville

Monday Feb 7^th, 2011

Parents!!!

I hope you know how much your emails help and inspire me. Even if it is a few sentences, I always getting something out of it that gets me really pumped. Thanks for being such good parents, seriously I think you both are the most inspired people ever…… you are both my heroes!!!

Thanks for all the updates on people mom! sounds like all is well. I will definitely keep you all in my prayers always, and for specifics people and situations. One day this week was reallllly hard for me and I was way homesick and mad and annoyed with my companion and was over it, but of course I overcame it and learned from it and the Lord gave me strength. The mission is like that - I can’t even tell you - every day I am learning new things about myself and about life……. it is amazing.

That is so fun dad did a video of the pictures I sent…..you guys are the best – I bet its soooo great!

Well I love you all with all my heart…..everyday I give thanks to God for the wonderful family I have been blessed with - out here I see so much sadness and problems in the home and with parents. It crushes my heart for the poor youth of the next generation - thanks for always being a good example and raising me in a healthy happy home with the gospel always in my life. What a blessing. The other day we heard two kids about 13 years old talking about how their dads would hit their moms and what they would do and when they try to stop it they would get hit and its just so sad. It is so crucial to always remember how blessed we are with our family. I am so excited to be with you guys for eternity!!!! LOVE YOU""""

Hermana Pond

Mon Jan 31st

Family!

This week was great – at first it was rough, but in the end it got better. It is crazy how I cannot speak this language very well, but can communicate and understand people, and they can understand me though our spirits and souls and light. I love it. One night I broke down to my comp in tears because I was a little down, and she understood me and gave me advice and it was great! I was so afraid having a latin comp I wouldn’t be able to vent or talk about things but the Lord knows me- haha- and knows I need healthy communication every day to help me feel better, and somehow it works out. I always end up feeling lifted up and lighter and refreshed because I know the Lord is taking care of me in this time.

It is so awesome here…..I LOVE this area even more than Arroyito. Even though I liked the little town for a while, a bigger town is more exciting! I hope I serve in the city one day…..I know I would love that too! For pday today me and my comp went to this little quiet park with a blanket and took pics and listened to church music on the IPOD! We just bonded in nature and it was so much fun. We are getting along sooo well, which is such a blessing. I was worried because this girl is known in the mission for problems……..like everyone who has been her comp has had problems, and I was so nervous to be with her, but we get along great and everything is okay right now.

I truly wish I could tell you every detail of my life! I wish I could tell you every emotion, experience, story of every person, but this timing thing is hard. Someday you will know all in person! The members here are soooo great! There is a story of a member that just made me like weep……but I will tell you about it next time, but we were both like crying sooo hard when he told me his conversion story. This church is so true, it is ridiculous.

I love you guys! Love, Hermana Pond

Monday January 24th

Oh my gosh I love you my family so much and miss you all. Sometimes it is so hard with a latin comp, because I feel a little lonely because its hard to communicate, but I feel so much strength and help from the Lord - it helps a lot. Mom - I got your cute Christmas package!! Thanks soooo much! And tell Grandma Pond I got hers too!! And I got the IPOD!!! Yayyy – finally - sooo happy and content with everything. You are the best!

Ahhh - its taking forever to get the mission calls - I am dyingggg to know. Glad to hear all is well - you all seem so happy and doing great things! I got tons of letters, so please thank people on the blog - I feel sooo bad, that I can only email family, and the mail system is terrible here, so as always give everyone my love and I really do love and appreciate the letters – they are like heaven for me. I am glad you like the pics! I want to send another disc soon there are sooo many better pics on it

So as you all know I am just a little discouraged, because I haven’t had any baptisms yet, and I just want to do whatever it takes to see these miracles and have this success. Its hard when I read other friends letters and hear about their missions and they are having tons of baptisms. But I have a good feeling about this transfer. I sat my comp down and I said I am literally willing to do whatever it takes to see tons of miracles and have baptisms this transfer, and she is as willing as I am to work sooo hard - if we need to give up P-days or fast once a week, we will do whatever it takes so we are both pumped. She has the same time as me, so we are both fresh new in the mission and just ready to go raising the bar.

I had an interview with the mission president this week, and he seriously is so great and my inspiration - I love him - he has so much passion for the work. In my interview I wanted to just cry because he said he is not worried about me at all, and has had so much faith, and sees so much promise in me since the day I entered the field, and he put me and my comp together for a reason, so I can learn the language faster so I can get to work. He looked me right in the eyes and he said, I promise you - you will have tons of success in your mission - I just know it.

So although it is hard I am happy and content and just patient, but working hard to we can have miracles this transfer.

But know that I am happy and all is well! Thanks for all the stuff you send I finally got it all- haha – thanks for all those prayers and angels have a good week!!!!