Transfers!

This week we had transfers! I am now with Elder Gomez from Nicaragua (I´m still in Santa Rosa) who I met before when i was in Guayaquil. This week we`ve been working in a small town we noticed near outside of the city we`re in. I believe missionaries have never visited there as no one there says the had talked with missionaries. I`m gonna do the email a little differently this week so you can see the successes and dissapointments of being a missionary:

   Success: We`ve had the opportunity to teach alot of lessons this week which was awesome! Many familes have been very receptive and at first meeting us they tell us to come in! We´re being very blessed in our sector! 

  Dissapointment: We went to the house of one of our investigators, June who was going to come with all his family but he wasn´t able to come because of work!

   Success: He sent his sons and daughters, also invited his brothers, and nephews who ALL came to church!

   Dissapointment: One of our investigators, Melissa, that was preparing for baptism soon was not able to come to church because of work as well. 

    Success: Another investigators, Jimmy, who is preparing for baptism came to church right after the sacrament (we thought he wasn`t going to come!) 

    Success: He also brought a nonmember friend!

    Dissapointment: Another family, Daniel and Diana, we were teaching was not able to come to church, ALSO for work.

   Success: A teenager, Raul, came to church, accepted to be baptized, and through him we were able to teach his whole family who are now all investigating and very willing to come to church!

   Success: The same as above happened with ANOTHER teenager, Angel, that came.

   Dissapointment: The sun has been HOT this week!! (normal haha, but more than usual this week)

    Success: Between a baptism in the zone, a missionary celebrating his birhtday, and a missionary who ends her mission this week, we ate cake 3 times this week!

   I love being a missionary. I know that this is the work of the Lord and where I need to be right now. The missionary life is a great experience and I love it here. I know that those who live, and share the gospel recieve happiness and joy that is worth the effort.

Love

Elder Justyn Pollock

Baptism!

This week we had the baptism of Anthony, the 16 year old brother of our convert from last week. There was a ward activity during the day that ended right before the baptism, so there was pretty good attendance to the baptism. Plus there was food! Everything has been going great here as usual. I love being here in the mission and know this is where I should be.

   Right now we are preparing a 10 year old girl who grew up in Italy for baptism. She recently moved here last week and we started teaching her right away. Her Mom is an active member and her grandpa is first counsler of the district here(stake). It`s interesting teaching her because spanish isn`t her native tongue, and sometimes she doesn`t understand. We`re teaching another 18 year old, jeferson, that we found contacting who comes to church with his mom who we are also teaching. The others we are teaching are melisa, who lives with her grandma and comes to church with her aunts and cousins, and Jimmy a 15 year old who came to church with a friend. 

   I know this is the church of Jesus Christ and that those who live the gospel find hapiness. Love you all!

Elder Pollock

 

 

                                         Baptism of Anthony

Great Week!

This week we had the baptism of one of our investigators! It was an awesome baptism, and the next day when a member went by her house to bring her to church, she was already at the church! One of the first one`s there as well. I`m super excited for this baptism as she understands the lessons very quickly, reads the Book of Mormon daily, and asks good questions. She wanted to go to the temple this Saturday when the District here went, which is awesome as a convert that goes to the temple very likely perserves to the end. Her brother will be baptised this Saturday if all goes well!

   On Monday we had a family night with the Vicente Family and another family of the ward, which was also the birthday of one of the daugthers of the viecente family. The whole family, 2 of which are my converts, all went to the temple this Saturday! At church they bore their testimony of the temple, which was an incredibly happy moment for me. They are counting the months until they can get sealed!

   It was the birthday of one of the missionaries that lives with us, so we ordered pizza (much preferred over cake). We`ve been working really hard and been seeing the success that comes with that. With the World Cup it is a little different preaching, including Ecuador played this Sunday right during church! With lots of prayer and diligence it hasn`t affected our success.

   I love this gospel and I love this work! These are some of the best times I`ve had in the mission. I`m very happy to be here. I know God blesses as we live his gospel and keep the commandments. The Temple is the house of the Lord, and the place where every convert, and all members, should end up getting to and continue visiting. Hope you all have a great week!

-Elder Pollock                            
                                         
                                           Iguana was listening in on one of our lessons
                                                

That family I talked about about a month ago that got baptized last week. I went to do their interviews and took a photo there

 Baptism of our investigator

 

 

Training!

This week we had the opportunity to have another leadership council meeting with all of the zone leaders and sister leaders. It is definitely one of the perks of being a leader. I definitely can´t complain about staying in the hotel next to the temple with air conditioning. I love recieving training from the president as well. The evening after the council meeting we went and worked in some of the sectors in Guayaquil, where I had been for 8 months, so we were able to visit a few of my converts to invite them to a special stake conference. I was very happy to find them active! Including one single mother I had taught has already entered the temple and 2 of her friends were also baptized after I had left that sector! The next day there was another training meeting (another night in the hotel with air conditioning!) by a seventy, Elder Wadell for the 3 missions in Guayaquil. His talk was inspired and I learned a ton of things very specific for our mission.

   We are teaching some awesome investigators. One investigator that will be baptized this Saturday already wants to go to the temple this Saturday! All of the invesigators we have right now are reading the Book of Mormon, going to church weekly and praying daily. Those are the three indicators we can use to see if they are really being converted to the gospel. 

   I`m very excited and grateful to be a missionary in this time. I really love it here and try very hard to help others come unto Christ and recieve the hapiness that comes from that. 

Have a good week all!

Elder Pollock

Hey All!

 Not much to update on this week. We`re teaching a few investigators that are way awesome. I`ve definitely been blessed in having the chance to teach some excellent investigators. One investigator we have now is an 18 year old girl, Britany. She was a reference that we had recieved that we weren`t able to contact during the week. On Sunday morning last week we were going to the investigators houses we had to make sure everything would go well when I felt the impression that we should go to that reference`s house. When we got there it was less than an hour until church was going to start. The reference was already up and pretty much all ready, but wasn`t going anywhere! We told her that her friend had told us we should come teach her and invite her to church, and told her we have church in less than an hour, she went and finished getting ready and came to church with her brother! They came back to church yesterday again as well. She used to study with theJehovas Witnesses for a while, and has lots of questions. We invited her to be baptized and she accepted, her 16 year old brother folowing. She is now reading the Book of Mormon every day, understands and remembers everything we teach, and has already had the opportunity to defend her new faith, not even being baptized yet! The second lesson we had with her she said early and enthusiasticaly ¨Who`s going to say the opening prayer?!¨

   The family of recent converts came to church as well, the Dad with a white shirt and tie! He is now in page 70 of the Book of Mormon even with alot of work to do. 

   I love being her as a missionary. I know it is the best thing for me to do in this time of my life. This is the work of the Lord. Be bold and happy to share this gospel to others. I know it brings much hapiness to share the gospel, to those who share along with those who hear it. The Lord has many promises to those who share the gospel (D&C 84:85-88). I love this work and i`m very happy to be here.

   Until next week!

-Elder Pollock

(I guess I should start putting my first name along with that, as there will soon be 2 Elder Pollocks in the mission!)