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

Here we go!!!! 

This week was full of work. We found a lot of less active members to teach and the investigators are slowly appearing. A lot of the time its as if God just puts them in our lap. He really has been showing his miracles to us.

My companion Elder Allen is just great! We have a lot of fun doing the work. He is very easy going, mild tempered, and very obedient. He has the vision and the desire to work. The more and more we talk, we find out that we have the same interests and desires. The time passes really quickly when you get along with your companion really well!

The greatest experience this week was with our investigator Nicolas. We had found him the week before, but he told us that he couldn’t meet with us till today. Well, Saturday we were walking by the street, minding our own business when out of nowhere we see Nicolas!!! We quickly greeted him and invited him to come to church, and he accepted! 

Then comes time to pick him up. We walked to his house and began to yell ALO! as they do here in Chile, and he didn’t come. We yelled a few more times, and we began to get scared. We called him up, and turns out he was sleeping. He came out to meet us, but agreed to come to church with us still. He sat in the front row with some members, and as a couple bore their testimony about their temple marriage, he began to cry. He was so incredibly impacted by them and all the other talks that he said.

I’m definitely coming back.

Were so excited!

Time ran out, but thanks for all your love and support! May God bless each one of you!

Elder Pomar