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