Monday June 6th, 2011

Family and friends,

Hola! I cannot believe how Fast the week flies by! So much to tell!

First -IT IS SO COLD HERE! Winter has definitely hit and I am kind of liking it but not! I am so white, which bothers me! Also its just so windy here, and I found some old poor boots in the apartment from other missionaries and clomp around in those just tossin on all sorts of random clothing before I head out – haha - I feel so poor lookin - but its great…its part of the misión!

One morning we were studying all cold and content with our little blow dryer lookin heater by our feet and we got a knock on the door and thought – that’s weird – who is wanting to talk to us this early - and we open it and its the TJs!!! (Jehovah’s Witness) There were 3 girls from a different religión and they immediately recognized us, and got sooo awkward and like didn’t know what to say, and nervously read a scripture out of the bible and ran off - haha - it was pretty comical. I am not sure why they were so weird about it - I was about to invite them right in and share some scriptures and converse with them…so funny.

Also we were walking in the streets one day and this little old man like is yelling at us to come over to him and we are all worried because he seems like something is wrong, and we run over to help him and he just ends up asking us if we know where we can find him some single ladies because he is a lonely old man and has this empty house and wants to share it with someone…he tried like pulling us in but we just ended up inviting him to church and running away haha. Also last night we were going to meet some references of a member and when we passed by he was TRASHED and the member was so embarrassed and awk and didn’t know and he kept trying to hug and touch us and the member was like no you cant touch them! And he was like who cares, and closed his curtains and was like no one can see! When we tried leaving we went to shake his hand and he said that we are in Argentina and because we are we need to greet and part the right way and grabbed our faces and kissed us! Haha it was so funny.

Also last funny thing…this morning I woke up SO tired and just SO out of it and the alarm went off and I woke up went straight towards the door and apparently I thought it was open and literally walked SMACK right into it like SO loud - it was like in the movies, and I almost toppled backwards! I was laughing so hard at myself in the dark, so early in the morning, because I couldn’t believe how out of it I was.

So we are still working with some really good people! This week we have been passing a lot for the family More, and one night we were mostly just teaching the 2 daughters who are twins and 18 and then the mom but the dad came in and I was so excited because I really have just been wanting to meet and teach him and had a feeling he needed to listen. Of course…we were teaching the plan of salvation, my favorite! When he came in we were talking about Christ and the Atonement, and the spirit was just SO strong, and you could just see it in all of them! They were just so filled with light and joy, and there was just such a good feeling surrounding every wall of their house…..it was one of my favorite lessons. At the end we all got in a circle on our knees with all the family and I had a feeling one of the twins should do the prayer and I asked her and she gave such a beautiful heartfelt prayer and she was crying and at the end we were all just crying and it was SO powerful! After I found out that the mom - when the missionaries came to her house - was just having such bad stress and anxiety in her life and since she has been going to church and hearing the lessons her life has completely changed and she just feels so much more calm and care free and enjoys every minute of life! Her husband drinks and smokes and it has always been a problem in her family, but he is slowly trying to quit and I told her these things will definitely help and change it all for him and his family, and she can share the Book of Mormon with him and help and lead him by example! She is so great!

Also we had such a miracle on Sunday- it was Fast Sunday my favorite, and they had promised us they would go to church but they still hadn’t come, but right for sacrament they showed up and came in and ALL the testimonies were SO good, and all the youth got up and bore SUCH Strong testimonies and new converts and the spirit was just so incredibly thick and it was just so emotional and good and they loved it!

Also this week we have been helping a member with English and he showed us a really moving poem called “The Bridge” - I am not sure mom if you could look it up and post it - but its about Christ and what he did for us and how God gave his son for all of us and its so good! This member is so tender and was just crying and talking about how much this knowledge of this gospel has blessed and helped his life because he is the only member and has so many problems in his family and he would just be so lost without it! He is such an example to me! I love strong youth in the church they are just my heroes.

Another tender mercy from the Lord this week was one morning I was studying in the Book of Mormon and it was just SO inspiring to me, and I loved it SO much, and felt that I should share it at lunch with one of my favorite families that are members here. Right when we got there she was just so emotional and has had such a hard week and is really struggling with her rebellious teenage daughter who is really inactive and so unhappy and they want to help her but they don’t know what to do. My heart just broke for this poor mother and I truly just thought of my own mother….how many prayers and tears and heartache and sadness my parents went through all that time for me, and what courage and strength and what patience it really took. I shared my personal story with her and then opened up to the scriptures to MOSIAH 27- any parent that is just struggling and in so much pain and sadness for your children right now open up to the Book of Mormon and read Mosiah 27:14…..I read this with her about how much praying and fasting and patience it took Alma’s dad for him to finally get to that moment where his son could experience the spirit and conversion, and Atonement for himself. In 24-30 it goes into the feelings Alma the younger had - from pain and sins and sorrow to light and joy and forgiveness, and literally being born again of God. Alma the younger was literally doing everything in his power to convince people against the church and ruin it - you would never even think that someone like him would ever come around and change…but thanks to a loving strong patient faithful and hopeful father, God answered the prayers of this helpless loving dad and his son was changed.

THERE IS HOPE! I am truly so grateful for a Father in Heaven that loves all of his children equally and regardless of the decisions they have made in the past the things they have said or done - ANYONE IS ABLE TO CHANGE! Anyone can come to the perfect and clear and well worth knowledge that we do have a living Heavenly Father who sent his son to die for us, so we can live again and be cleansed from sin and return to his presence some day….don’t give up the hope….don’t lose the faith! Keep up all your endless love and prayers and patience and I promise you all…that God is listening…and in his due time…he will heal and convert those people out there that we love so very much.

This morning I found such an amazing scripture in 1 Samuel 16:7 that talks about how God knows each and everyone of our hearts so perfectly and purely and he loves us for our hearts, and not for our outward appearance and outward actions, but what we have within…and out duty as his servants and his members of the church is to find that perfect pure and living soul in each individual person and LOVE THEM all! We need to see them how God sees them and always have hope that they will change and develop into that divine potential God knows they have! I love this gospel SOOOO much and I am daily seeing its clarity and perfectness, which drives me to open my mouth to each person I encounter and share my testimony of it! I LOVE YOU ALL AND MISS YOU! HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD WEEK!

Love Hermana Pond