Hey every one!!

It’s started to cool off a Little, which has been a big blessing. Walking with a nice pleasant breeze is much better than melting in the sun. It’s actually not that bad here! The UV rays are stronger here in Chile than in California, so I´m basically going to be black by the time I get home haha!

It’s been amazing to see the progress of our investigators! We basically have three families that we are teaching now.  It’s so cool when you go and teach the principles of the gospel, and the people just begin to light up! Its also interesting how you have to work around the questions and preconceptions that the people have. One of our investigators is an older man named Raul. He was absolutely the last person I thought would listen to us because in our initial visit he went on 30 min rant about how all religions are false and Joseph Smith this and that, but yesterday I had one of my best lessons in the mission. We taught he plan of salvation, and he accepted every point without question. He absorbed and UNDERSTOOD every point perfectly. It was if we were reminding him of something that he had learned long ago. (Which we know he did before this life! we just had to jog his spiritual memory). He is super pumped to keep on Reading and investigating. Afterwards he told us that 50 years ago he had the opportunity to hear the gospel, but he didn’t, and he wishes he would of found it out a lot earlier. Better late than never!

This week I had the hardest day on my mission so far. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. We basically didn’t eat lunch, all our appointments fell through, and for the first time I felt literally exhausted. My body was just aching and all I wanted to do was get to sleep. The next day I woke up feeling the same, and so I went to the bathroom and just cried out to God, begging him to help me overcome my challenges so I could go out and work. I don’t know how, but from that moment on, my morning went really smoothly. I felt relaxed, and rested. I had energy and excitement. God literally answered my prayer. I have sooo much to do still. So much to improve on. God has given me everything, and I still fall. That’s why I´m so grateful for the opportunities we have each day to have a new day, a blank page, through the atonement of Jesus Christ. That’s what this life is about. Enduring the hard times with the hope that something better will come.

I love this work with all my heart. Being able to be a representative of Jesus Christ in my family’s country of Chile is the best thing God could’ve ever given me. I know this Gospel is true. That this is the Church of Jesus Christ, and when we demonstrate our faith by LIVING the commandments that he has given us, we will be blessed. The Book of Mormon is true, and I know it is because every time I read it I feel this unexplainable warmth inside. 1 hour of personal study just isn’t enough haha!

Love you all, and till next time! keep going strong!!

Elder Pomar

P.S. Yes, I am wearing a ww2 helmet and a jacket from the Korean war in the picture :)

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

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NOPE!!! I´ll be hanging around Los Libertadores for another 6 weeks! By the end of this transfer I´ll have been here 6 months. God has something for me to learn here haha! It’s all good. We have a lot of good things coming up this transfer, and Elder Astete and I are ready to take of the world again. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t’ manage to baptize this transfer. My sector hasn’t baptized in over 7 months, which is pretty rare in our mission. Elder Astete and I have been working and working and working trying to help, and our efforts have helped us find a few new families to work with! One day we were just walking through some apartment blocks and this family was moving in, so we went in and helped them move the fridge and the dryer in from there truck. Service is the best way to soften people’s hearts. And the best part is that its just doing what Christ would do. As representatives of him, it’s a really special feeling to help other in all aspects of their lives. 

This week was filled with ups and downs. One of the downs was the passing away of one of our members, Jaime. He was an older gentleman of 75 who we were helping to come back to church. He had such a warm personality and was a real talker, so it was sad to see him go. I had the privilege of playing the piano at his funeral (Side note: within the first 5 months, I´ve played piano at church, at a wedding, and at a funeral. I don’t know what else I have left!). Most of his family is less active, but his daughter has started coming back. We´ll just have to give them support through this hard time, and I know that its the gospel of Jesus Christ that is going to help them heal.

As we talk with people on the street and knocking on doors, we get a whole range of people. One guy let us in and straight up told us that he doesn’t like any religion, but to make sure that missionaries like us don’t come back, he tells every missionary that passes his whole life story. Well, it worked haha! and today i had the strangest thing in my life happen to me As we were walking to go buy lunch, this rugged man stopped us. He had long hair, one of the lenses was missing from his glasses, and he began talking to me in English and told me that he was baptized in the church and could see the future and received revelation to tell me that I was going to be leader (and he said it in the midst of many f bombs and other colorful language) and after, shook my hand and left. I didn´t know what to think. Things that happen!

The best part of all was that this week my uncle Jenaro came and visited me. The last time i saw him was when I was 3 years old in San Jose California. We talked and talked and I got such an indescribable feeling of love for him. He is my family! Also, we had the whole conversation in English. The chap hasn’t lost a bit of it haha! He´s not a member of the church, and is finding his own path. I gave him a book of Mormon with a little personal note, and he looked me in the eyes and told me he would keep it forever. That made it all worth it.

Well, that’s all for now! Catch you guys next week!

Love,

Elder Pomar

Here is a picture I took this morning as we walked together to the office.  Elder Bertagna

Buena Buena everyone!

If any of you were wondering, the title doesn’t have anything to do with the email (I’m sorry Mary Poppins fans!), although I did have the opportunity of SAVING elder BANKS  in my ward the trouble of translating a few things haha!

Wow. This week was such a blur. Its such an awkward moment when you sit down at the computer to write and you cant remember anything you´ve done!  Fortunately, I do remember a few things! 

This week was one of those grinding ones.  It was interesting because every day we walked all over the place trying to find new people to teach, but we didn't find anyone until the end of the day, and then it made it all worth it! 

Yesterday was a prime example.  As we were heading home, we had 30 minutes until we had to get back to the apartment.  We decided to go visit a less active family that had been less than receptive the last time we past. To our surprise, she let us pass!  This week during my personal study, one of the things that made the biggest impact on me was the concept of listening.  A lot of times we as missionaries just talk talk talk talk and forget to listen to what the other people really have to say.  I´m sure glad I did, because as we did, she told us what had happened to her. And because we didn´t shove a scripture down her throat, she kept talking until she came the conclusion that she needs to get back into the church and lead her family back again!!!! It was honestly a miracle.  When we showed love, it did more than any arguing or debating ever could've done. 

For those of you who want to make a difference, think of the people who have stopped going to church for one reason or another. Go and have a conversation with them.  Listen to their hopes and fears. Help them feel the pure love of Christ and miracles will happen.  The Lord never forgets his sheep and neither should we!

Catch you guys next week! 

Elder Pomar

P.S. Here´s a funny note. Here in Chile, the G´s here are called flites (Flight-heys). I just learned the other day how they got their name. When Santiago began to have all these brothers show up, a particular shoe was released: the Jordan Flight. All the bros wanted them, and since basically every wannabe gangster bought them, them were called after the shoe. FLIGHTes! They speak really funny!

PPS Hey Trent and dad, you guys remember the song "Atmosphere"? My Trainers trainers brother WROTE the song, and he almost won a grammy! can you believe it! Elder Pyfer is my "grandpa" of the mission and was my zone leader for 2 transfers! Its such a small world

Buena Buenas everyone!

This week was full of fun surprises! For Christmas Eve, we went to the house of awesome members and ate until we reached critical mass. One of the sons is preparing to serve a mission, so we talk a lot to him to help him along. The guys just so great! His family is so loving and really friendly, so we had a great time!

We´ve been walking around a lot, but haven’t had much success. Some people just aren’t ready to receive the gospel yet, but no contact is wasted!

I went on splits the other day, and while we tried to get back we had the bright idea of taking the city buses. Unknowingly, we boarded a bus going the wrong way and we took a nice scenic tour of Santiago. I was so lost! We traveled for an hour and a half through 3 different zones until the bus flipped around and took us home. Never again

We have a new investigator named Raul! He’s an older gentleman, and the father of one of our investigators. When we first met him, he seemed super closed off and kept ranting on about how all religions are false and the whole gambit, but one day we stopped by and began talking, and he turned out to be super receptive! He told us that the only time he feels good with religions is when he talks to us. He feels something special, and so he lets us pass. We explained that it was the spirit, taught the restoration, and challenged him to baptism, and he accepted!!  He went to church yesterday, so we just got to keep going with him! 

One day we were walking and as we passed I felt the impression to talk to one of the less active families that we visit. I wanted to ignore it, because I rationalized that it would be better to visit in the evening, but I did it anyways, and we found that his daughter was home. In the 4 months I´ve been here, I´ve only taught her 2 or 3 times. The time was right, and we had a great lesson with her and her dad. And you know what? She came to church yesterday! Follow promptings even when you don´t want to!

Now here’s what I want to ask of you guys. Since being here, I´ve seen how destructive gossip is. It offends a lot of people, and it’s a big impediment for us as missionaries. I beg you, if you love to gossip, please stop. You have no idea how it destroys people. If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say it at all. Its one of the hardest things we have to conquer here in our lives, and we are imperfect people. What we need to do instead is pray with all the energy of heart to have charity, the pure love of Christ for everyone. If we ask the Lord for help, he WILL help us. We all have our faults, and we all have our challenges, and that is why I´m so grateful for the sacrifice Christ made. Without it, there would be no way to live with God again, so lets use it! Lets be the best servants of the Lord that we can be! May God bless you!

Love,

Elder Pomar