Hey!

   Well I`m already out of time in 2 minutes but just a short update. I`m doing great! Still in the same place and everything! I`ve been loving the mission and learning a ton! This week we didn`t have any baptisms but we do have plenty of investigators to teach!  An inspiring story we taught in a lesson this week was about Job (Read Job 1 in the Bible) 

Love you all!

Elder Pollock

Hola Buenas Tardes all!

    This week we had a great week. We had 3 more baptisms this week. One of whom is Abraham, who has been investigating the church for 5 years! 5 years ago one elder got him and his wife married in preparation for baptism, but the elder left and they didn`t get baptized. We have been teaching that family and the husband finally decided to get baptized! He has one 8 year old daughter. We are now hoping that his wife will soon get baptized. It was an awesome moment in the mission.  We also had the baptisms of the grandson of a member and the brother of 2 of the investigators we baptized last week. 

   We had a council of leaders today, which means i`m a little short on time to write haha. We learned alot from President Torres about how we need to be the examples for the other missionaries, and many other things on how we can help the zones we serve in. Some authorities from Peru came and talked about family history work, which is something we will be incoporating more in the mission now. 

   I`m grateful to be in this mission and be able to help others come unto Christ. I invite all to do temple work for their own ancestors, and share the spirit of Elías with others. It is a great way to share the gospel. I know this is the work of the Lord. I love being on my mission and enjoy a great happiness here spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Have a good week everyone!

Elder Pollock

Hard work pays off!

Hola!

    This week I passed the 1 year mark in the mission! As I reflect back on this last year I`ve learned alot and grown alot more than I imagined I would have. Being here in the mission and dedicating my life to the Lord has helped me put my life in a different perspective. I`ve grown much closer to The Savior and to our Heavenly Father. Plus I learned spanish! It is an experience in which you learn to put behind your own needs to help the needs of others, and there is an incredible amount of people in need. 

   This week in particular we`ve been working very hard and putting everything we have. I came home tired in every sense: physically, spiritually, etc. But it has all been worth it, and all our hard work paid off! This saturday we baptized 13 of our investigators! We couldn`t get a photo all in white in, but I sent some pictures and everyone in the pictures got baptized on Saturday except for the older ladies, one of the teenagers who is member, and the littlest kids. I`m grateful to the Lord that I was able to be the means to bring that blessing to all of them. 

    After 1 year here asking my self if it has been worth it, there is no way I could deny that this experience was worth it. I`m grateful I have this opportunity. I know this is the work of the Lord and we are all instruments in his hands. I know this is the church of Jesus  Christ. All who come closer to the Lord recieve peace and comfort. 

   I glad I have a year more to continue serving the Lord! I encourage all to do what you can to advance the work of the Lord and serve him. 

I love you all!

Elder Pollock

 

Transfers!

Buenos Tardes familia y everybody!

   This week we had transfers, as a group of missionaries reached their 2 years and left for home.In the mission when you start someone´s in-field training, he is called your ¨son¨. So I had to say goodbye to my ¨son¨ Elder Chandler. I was transfered really nearby in the same city of Guayaquil to El Guasmo. I am now a zone leader with Elder Castro helping 12 other missionaries in encouraging them and setting the example as best as I can. I am really trying to push myself to magnify this assignment I´ve been given. I can say I´ve worked harder in this week than I have in probably my entire mission. I´m learning alot from Elder Castro from Peru, who 6 months ago was my zone leader, and has alot of experience. 

   We had 2 baptisms this week of Lady and Sandy (yes. like in spongebob). They are two girls that live next to a bunch of members. The baptism went smoothly and it was a good experience. We brought many investigators to their baptism to see how it was and that helps encourage them to be baptized alot! I have gotten home, I´ll admit, super tired every day! I was very grateful to have a baptism though, which makes it all worth it for me and is the fruit of our labor.

    I know this is the church of Jesus Christ and this is his work. The savior went through everything we´ve been through and will help us in times of need. As we are more obedient, we can come to know God more, as we see the blessings we recieve in exchange. As said in a great disney movie, Keep on swimming everyone!

Love,

Elder Pollock

 

There aren`t any ferris wheels in this Carnaval

Hey!

    We are currently in some national holiday they have here in Ecuador they call Carnaval. It`s three days of playing with water, and basically anything else you can throw. It started this Sunday in the morning, so as we went out to bring investigators to church it felt like a military operation, dodging around corners, blow up pools and changing direction wherever we saw someone with a painted face. I didn`t want one of my white shirts and my slacks to get stained! Luckily the people here don`t wake up on days like this until like 10:00 so we didn`t have too much trouble in the morning actually. It was super sketch on the way back home from church though; at church we planned out the streets we would use to avoid pools and little kids with paint. We got home without getting wet, and stayed inside all day, as our president told us to do until Wednesday. We left just to go to the internet cafe today (in our proselyting clothes). So far we haven`t gotten wet or painted at all, but right outside this cyber (the only one open around) are like 3 blow up pools and a bunch of kids, so we`re gonna sprint back home.

   We started our carnaval on Saturday with a little pool in the church, as we had a baptism! Angelino decided to follow his older brother`s (our recent convert`s) footsteps. He got baptized and was super happy to do so. The next day he brought 2 deacon aged freinds to church as well for the confirmation! We`ll see if we can get the families of his 2 freinds to church this week. He`s a cool, good kid, and I`m glad he can be part of the church with his brother, which will help him stay away from the many temptations there are at his age. 

   I love being here as a missionary. This is the Church of Jesus Christ. I feel the hand of the Lord in this work. As we put our trust in him he guides us, protects us, and provides for us when we need help. Wish me luck. Time to go get soaked!

Elder Pollock

 

PS one of our investigators, an old lady, did pour a cup of water on us actually haha that was pretty funny.

Other PS Shout out to my brother who is going on a mission to Chile in June!!! He`s gonna be an awesome missionary!

                                                      Baptism of Angelino