Hey!

    This week there were exchanges. I had to say goodbye to Elder Betanco, my freind from Nicaragua. I´m now here in the same sector in Guayaquil with my companion, Elder Saavedra from Bolivia. 

   We found some awesome new investigators this week! Before Elder Betanco left, we found a married couple who accepted a baptismal date in September and they came to church this Sunday! We found them feeling an impression to knock on a door and happily, we obeyed. The guy is working and the girl is studying in the University. When we found them we invited them to church there at the door and then to be baptized and they both quickly accepted. We also found Pedro, the son of an inactive member. We found him 3 blocks from the church on Saturday and he came with member friends nearby the next day. He´s 13 and extremely excited about the church, finding his place with friends at church immediately. He stayed all 3 hours, then stayed an hour after to see a baptism, then came back in the afternoon for a meeting with the youth. His parents agreed to him being baptized in September as well, and we´re working on activating the Dad. We continue meeting with Robofoco infrequently and he continues coming to church, but has not accepted a date for baptism yet. 

   I made some more sweet and sour chicken this P-Day as it turned out well last time, and it´s nice to eat something a little different from the typical chicken, rice beans, soup and plantains (or some combination of that) every once in a while haha. The chicken turned out perfect but I burnt the rice, and I´m pretty sure my companion was thinking "How did he burn the rice?!" Maybe I´ll get some tips from the people around here as they are VERY experienced in cooking rice haha.

    I´m happy to be in here in the mission and to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that thoughtful study of the scritpures will help us to face the daily challenges that all encounter. The Gospel changes the lives of those who live it. I´ve seen the hapiness grow of those who begin to live the commandments and can testify of that myself. I hope all have a great week!

Love,

Elder Justyn Pollock

This week we´ve been continuing with some investigators we have that still do not feel ready for baptism. It is sometimes hard to stop visiting an investigator who continually comes to church every Sunday and fulfills the commitments to read the book of Mormon and pray, but doesn´t accept to be baptized! We are visiting less frequently those investigators now to let them "ripen" spiritually, to put it in fruit-terms.  Many are called but few are chosen. Some investigators are ready for baptism from the first contact, others take longer, and some take VERY long. I´m blessed to be in a mission where there are many who are prepared and it is mostly a matter of finding those people! I´m trying to write this in a more spiritual sounding-gospel language, but my gospel language is for now, Spanish.

   Not too much to report this week but that I´m happy to be here as a missionary. I have been reflecting about preparation in my studies this week, as there are many future missionaries in the ward in which I am serving. As one begins the mission there is in-field preparation involved. Before that there is the MTC. Before that there is preparation in one´s youth. Before coming to this life, we were preparing for this life on Earth. Everyday we should be in active preparation for the future: immediate and long-term. The promise of the Lord given by Henry B. Eyring is that (páraphrased) "the Lord will place his prepared children with his prepared servants. How often that happens depends on the preparation of our minds, and of our hearts." I know that the Lord will provide to us opportunities to serve and preach the gospel as we prepare ourselves diligently and on a daily basis. 

Elder Justyn Pollock

P.S. I made Chinese food today for PDay. Sweet and sour chicken! It turned out pretty awesome but I filled the house with smoke (no fire, just burnt chicken) at one point due to a long time without cooking (good excuse Elder Pollock) and we were scared there were going to call the firefighters haha. We turned on the fans though and it turned it out all good with stomachs satisfied.

Planting Seeds

This week I gained a testimony that some plant seeds, and some harvest (not sure exactly how the phrase goes in English). An old investigator and good friend I had back when I was in Calderon 7 months ago, John, suddenly decided to get baptized last week! He´s the brother of one of those who I had the opportunity to teach and see baptized when I was back in Calderon. I was blessed to be able to go see his baptism, and to be able to give a message in the baptismal service. It was a fulfilling of the fact that some reap, and some sow. When I was back in Calderon the Lord planted a seed of faith in him, and now 7 months later other missionaries were able to get him to baptism. I was extremely happy to be able to see him in the water! Present was his brother Jordy, and Marco who are converts from when I was in the sector.

   As for in our sector we have some good investigators who have been coming to church, but who still don´t feel ready for baptism. Harold comes to church continually and participates actively in the 3 hours, reads the book of mormon frequently, prays, and is very receptive, but doesn´t feel that he has recieved a testimony of the book of mormon yet and is waiting on that. We are applying what we know to help him recieve that witness and praying hard for it! I have faith in the promise that is made to us by Moroni and in the intro of the Book of Mormon.

   I´m grateful and happy to be spreading the gospel here in Ecuador. I know that those he recieve it are happier and recieve blessings in their lives. This is the work of the Lord and everything is on his schedule. Our part is to work in his work as if it all depended on us, and he will direct it how it needs to be and do what we can´t. 

Have a great week!

Elder Pollock

Zone photo of our current zone



"Live Guayaquil"

 "Say no to Drugs" (with a pamphlet of Word of Wisdom)

2 new missionaries

Hey!

   This week was interesting as it usually/always is in the mission. In our zone we have 2 brand new missionaries! They are 2 gringos who came from the MTC in Mexico, at the same time that my brother left for the field! We spent alot of our time this week helping out the missionaries in our zone, so I had a little time to talk to the new guys and see how they`re doing which was fun. Their spanish is actually not too bad! One of them happens to have seen my brother around at gym time at the MTC! It is fun to see their excitment to have the chance to teach real investigators.

   We had a leadership council with the Mission President in which we learned many things that will help us have more succes. There was a focus on the Book of Mormon, and he encouraged us to always have a Book of Mormon at hand, literally, while we are preaching all day. 

   As for our investigators, we are teaching ¨Robofoco¨ who came to church again this week! He is very excited and has a baptismal date for the 16th! He surprised us this week, as I found that he speaks English! He`s actually really fluent as well. We are teaching some other investigators as well, some who have accepted baptismal dates and others no. 

   I`m happy to have this opportunity to be a missionary in the work of the Lord. I love being here and preaching the gospel! The Book of Mormon is the word of God, and those who read it will come closer unto Christ.

-Elder Justyn Pollock

Puerto Nuevo - La Toma

My companion is Elder Betanco

 

PS  Serving the missionaries in other sectors I had the chance to go to Calderon, another sector in Puerto Nuevo where I was in around January. It was awesome to see some converts again and active, as well as others who had baptismal dates when I left who have been baptized and are active! The converts that had those Motor Taxis (Motorcycle with a rigged on metal cart behind to make it basically a car) were especially excited; one of the guys basically tackled me with a hug. Fun to see old faces again!