And another transfer comes to an end!! 

DID I GET TRANSFERED??????????

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NO!!! Woohoo!! I’m still serving in Nueva San Martin here with Elder Allen! We’ve got a lot of expectations for this transfer. We have a lot of people with the desire, and we have a new ward mission leader to back us up!!

We've had a few sad experiences with some of those who we teach. (agency is sooo frustrating at times). Scarlet, our strongest investigator told us the other day that she didn’t want anything more with us. For family pressures and hard trials, she got to the point where she just stopped. It was hard for her, because her uncle and her sister are completely anti Mormon. She s now going to a Christian church with her sister. The sad thing is that I know she has a testimony. She had a lot of spiritual experiences with the Book of Mormon and with us. She let her fear overcome her faith. We prayed and fasted for her, and hopefully she lets other missionaries pass by down the line.

But to get back to the positive, we have so many people who are listening to us!! From part member families, to referrals from the members, to personal contacts that we have done, we are very happy. For one of the first times in my mission, I felt a desire and a love for this people so strong that I don’t want to leave Chile. I wish I could stay here for much longer to help, but now I just have to put my shoulder to the wheel while I can. 

This was a trippy story: The Lord works in mysterious ways. One of our appointments fell through and we started walking towards the other side of the sector. As we were walking, Elder Allen said hi to an elderly lady, and she said hi back really nicely, so we started talking to her. Even though she lived far away, we asked her if she knew someone we could visit. She then gave us the address of her son and told us to go by. We went, and 2 young men of about 20 opened the door, and told us to come in. One had his hand bandaged from  a knife wound and the other was with his girlfriend. all were really discouraged. It turns out that that very day they were getting ready to flee the sector for some problems they’ve had. Seeing that they had been humbled by their afflictions, we began to testify of the savior and the power his atonement has to change everything in our lives. They listened very intently. The spirit was really strong and they were very happy to receive our message. They will receive other missionaries to teach them, but the Lord helped us find them. I’m so glad we could be instruments in the hands of the Lord to find his children who were hurting and in need. God is a God of miracles.

I know that this is the work of the Lord. I have soooo much to learn. I have many attributes to develop, a lot to faith to have, a lot of doubt to drop and a lot of fear to lose. God is the only one who can help us. If we let God mold our lives, and we humble ourselves, we will receive strength.

Elder Pomar J

Hey Everyone!!

Wow, this has been one of the best weeks in my mission in a long time.  It really helps that Elder Allen and I are good friends. Here come the cool experiences:

The other day I felt like I should put a less active family as a plan B on our calendar for the day. We´d been looking for the Verdugo family for a while, since every time we had passed, they weren’t there or they didn’t answer. Turns out that our plan A fell through, and so we went to try our luck. Literally the sun, the moon and the stars lined up, because we found the mom and the daughter that day. They both have crazy schedules, and literally that day was the ONLY that we could have found them. Feeling a lot of pressure, knowing that this lesson was do or die, I began to testify of the savior, speaking as if He were speaking through me to these people. I felt such a Christ like love 

for them and I cried as I pleaded with them to come back of the Lord that he might take their burdens from them. It was a powerful experience. They committed to come the next Sunday they have free. I felt like a true minister of Christ in that lesson. 

We have one investigator, Scarlet, who is backed up to the wall of faith. Its do or die, and all the opposition is coming. Her sister is anti Mormon and keeps hounding her to go back to the evangelical church with her, and scarlet hasn’t been holding up the pressure too well. We´re fasting for her, and she is fasting with us to know if everything we have taught her is true. I know that she knows its true. She´s had way too many experiences to not. Ultimately, its her choice. Our last lesson will be tomorrow, so please pray that everything goes well!!!

I love this sector so much! I haven’t been this happy in a while. We´ve seen so many miracles and we´ve been blessed sooo much!! Even though I´ve been battling a cold for a few days, God has made everything possible. We´ve done nothing. He literally does everything. He prepares the people, he softens hearts, He gives us his spirit. I hope that I get to stay! Its the last week of the transfer, and they let us know on Saturday. 

Here’s the spiritual thought of the week!

whoso remembereth these sayings of mine and doeth them, him will I raise up at the last day (Christ in 3 Nephi 15:1) 

ek! It’s not enough to just remember. Just Do It!!!

Til next week guys! Love you all!!

Elder Pomar :)

for you guys.

Hey dad, can you send me a picture of me with lee mackay? All his old converts are in my stake right now!!

Can you ask the whole family to write up their conversion stories and send them to me? I would love to have them from everyone. I LOVED yours dad! It really touched me. Thanks for sharing!

Here we are!! After 9 months in Chile, the work never ever ever ends!

We´ve had a lot of cool experiences this week. We still haven’t gotten anyone to the water yet, but we have the faith and hope that many will soon!

I love working with the less active members!! There is just such a special spirit in seeing the light of the gospel flood the eyes of those who have strayed for one reason for another. Some of the most powerful lessons I’ve had has been with them. We visited one family who was sealed in the temple, and as we talked about how they felt in the experience, the spirit was incredibly strong. We testified as servants of the Lord that all the blessings were waiting for them as they began to do the things that they know are right.

We went to visit the Navarro Family with the bishop and we read "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" and as we began to talk about eternal families, the father and the son began to tear up and said that the only thing they want is to be together forever. He promised to read the book of Mormon and pray to know if it was true and said they would come to church. 

We have another investigator named Scarlet who is fighting really hard to quit smoking, but has just taken a love to the book of Mormon and really has the desire to be baptized. Helping her see the light of the gospel and how the knowledge of it has changed her life is amazing. she also said she would come to church

We planned on going to the temple this Saturday to do baptisms with our recent convert, and he was all stoked to go...

Then enters agency.

For some reason or another, none of our investigators or less actives who had promised to come to church came. we faced opposition and disappointment. Danny, the recent convert canceled on us to go to the temple when we got to his house at 7am

However, the Lord blessed us. Danny later changed his mind and we went with him and had a great time in the temple. We found more investigators who have the desire to learn. We found a great part member family that we are going to work with, and the bishop is really excited!!

The trick to life is not about what happens to us, it’s about how we react. If we realize that everyone is also an imperfect being struggling to improve, then we will see the world in another ways.

See you!

Elder Pomar

Hey Everyone!! How’s it going back in the States?

Here we are for another exciting episode of Elder Pomar’s Paradise. There’s been highs and there’s been lows, but you can expect that there’s always gonna be a good time!!

We have various investigators progressing with the desire to get baptized, now we just have to get them to church haha! I don’t know why, but is like we call everyone the night before and they tell us that they are going, and then the aliens come and erases their memory. (or induce a deep sleep until just after sacrament meeting starts). It’s all good though! If the mission is supposed to be a challenge, then it can’t be too easy. You just have to get creative. 

Some of the people I have met here have been ridiculously prepared. For example our investigator Nicolas is an ex military who had always liked talking to the missionaries, but never invited them to his house until we came. He has a determination like fire and really wants to know if the church is true

The Navarro family has the mom as the only member, and yesterday her spouse Joel practically told us "I know I’m not doing the things right. Is there a chapter in the Book of Mormon that I can read to show me how to change?" Between him and the three sons he has, they have a lot of potential, and we have a blast together!

We’ve been working hard with the less actives and we’ve had to give a lot of priesthood blessings lately. Between trials and sicknesses, the greatest feeling in the world is to have the spirit so palpable that you know that you are speaking as a personal representative of Jesus Christ. It’s such a faith building experience. Now we just have to defeat the enemy and get them to renew their covenants by taking the sacrament. 

I received an answer to a prayer that I have been waiting for for 6 months. In my first sector, I began to analyze how it is that I got my testimony. I’ve always believed, and so I didn’t know how to explain it to people. I asked God that he help me see how I got my testimony. One night before going to bed, a memory came to mind of something that happened 11 years ago. I had forgotten about it. When I was 8 years old, I felt the desire to try the experiment of Moroni 10 and see if the book of Mormon was true. I’m sure it had been after a family scripture study. In the silent dark in my Murrieta childhood home on manzanita drive, I offered a humble child’s prayer and asked him if the book of Mormon was true. I didn’t get an immediate answer, and was a little disappointed. Looking back, God did answer my prayer. Everything that has happen to me in these 11 years, every spiritual experience I’ve had, every desire to believe and testimony I received was in response to that prayer so long ago. God answers your prayer, but in his time and in his way

I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the church of God here on the early. Joseph Smith was his prophet and revelator, and the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know it, and I cannot deny it. If you are looking for your personal testimony, do the test. Pray, and then act with faith. God answers every prayer of his beloved Children.

Till next time guys!! Love you!

Elder Pomar