The Baptism of SONIA!!

Despite all the obstacles that were thrown in our way... HERMANA SONIA IS NOW BAPTIZED AS OF SATURDAY!!! It may have been scheduled for 7 PM and delayed until 8 PM at the last second and then they couldn't actually show up until 9 and FINALLY performed the ordinance at 9:30... pero lo hemos hecho! (We have done it!). I was really nervous to actually perform it but in the moment when I started saying the prayer I could feel the spirit so strongly helping me even in my memory of her name (they are always really long and strange here - but luckily hers is more normal!) and the words I needed to say.

We've literally just had people contacting us as we walk by in the street asking for lessons and we both know that we only are receiving these miracles and mercies from Him because we are trying to be strictly obedient and serve in the Lord's appointed way.

Just a little story from the week, about a month ago we had a ministering activity with all of the Elders in the zone in my ward to visit the less active members, Elder Leinheart and I passed by for one house in particular where the child came out on the balcony and just told us no one was home. Fast forward to NOW, I was in intercambios with Elder Leinheart, and we just so happened to walk past this same house on the way to an appointment. We just hear "ELDERES - ESPEREN!!" from the same balcony and she RUSHES down. It turns out this sister is the aunt of the child who told us no one as home, and she (the child) wants to take the lessons along with all of her brothers and sisters!! I'm really excited to start working with this family and hopefully reactivate and animate them all!

"MISter GRIngo Buenas Tardes!"

- A Random Hermana Who Passed Us in The Street

Hope you are all doing so well! I'm constantly praying for your safety and happiness especially. Let me know if any of you ever need ANYTHING!

Elder Pollock de Barrio La Legua - San Martin

Happy Valentines Day!

How did we celebrate? Well our zone happened to have interviews with the mission president and his wife the day of Valentine's Day so they made us real sugar cookies and let me tell you, they are even better when you're BIEN lejos (real far) from your home. AND we got to attend the wedding of some recent converts with my old companion and three other pairs of missionaries, it's so amazing to see the happiness this gospel brings to all, knowing that they can have eternity together, and to rejoice in that joy together.

Okay, remember Hermana Sonia? Yeah, she's doing FANTASTIC!! She is so excited for her baptism and is striving so hard (and succeeding) to live the gospel and all Christ's teachings. When we taught her about the Law of Tithing she was so excited to give her part that even more could receive this gospel. We explained a little poorly that, while it's not something we do publicly (as those who do their works in the public eye to receive the public praise receive their reward there and not from the blessings God has from us), it's not some huge secret, so she proceeded to act out football plays to secretly hand off her tithing to the Bishop. Also in our last lesson she bore her testimony to us telling us how she had already felt these things to be true even before praying, and that when she prayed she continued in that feeling even stronger, and she called us angels sent to teach her this truth. I mean, I can barely speak Spanish, so I definitely know that really she was recognizing the strength of the Holy Ghost as it bore witness to her these things, and that really built my testimony that this is God's work.

Someone else that we are really excited to be teaching is another Hermana named Rosario, at first she just wanted us to answer some questions for her kids and so she invited us into her home. As we answered all of her kids' questions about bible stories and taught the doctrine of Jesus Christ, she payed attention to all of our words as well. Shortly, the lessons transferred from us teacher her kids to teaching her about the restoration of the gospel, and in our third visit, she told us "I know that Joseph Smith saw this vision and that he was a prophet of God, as you told me about his confusion at all the different religions and sects I recognized myself in the same confusion, and now I know the truth", and so now we're continuing teaching her frequently! Unfortunately she is con vive (meaning living with her boyfriend) but she has plans to get married really soon and then be baptized!!

Okay, one last story: this friday we had a miracle contact. As Elder Mamani and I were walking, to a person who some other elders from a previous change were teaching, I realized that I had dropped the map of the area somewhere along the way. We quickly retraced our steps for about 10 minutes and finally found it dropped on the ground, as we walked back to the same area we had turned ourselves around, we got a random call from some hermana about keys to our door (but it wasn't actually to our apartment, just some other apartment for future elders) and so we had to sit still for about another 15 minutes as we talked to our leaders about what to do. Right about as we were about to get up and go, a Hermana walked right up to us, and started asking us how she could start learning more about "our church"... she actually just contacted US! We immediately jumped into the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she accepted to come to church and to receive lessons AND to read the Book of Mormon - all in about 10 minutes! It's crazy how the Lord just places us in the right place at the right time, and through the strangest means.

I'm praying for all of you! Once again let me know if there is absolutely anything I can do for y'all! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

Elder Pollock

I was really proud of the omelette I made

Showing E. Mamani my family tradition of pizza and rootbeer (SO HARD TO FIND HERE)

Wedding of Alonzo y Claudia!!

Already P-Day again!

Wow I can't believe it's already P-Day again! This week was super awesome and just flew by!

Tuesday we had a Multi-Zone Conference with half the mission and President Strong and for president strong's presentation of Christ's visit to the Americas and explaining the doctrine had people read quotes off the projector and one Elder reads: "Buscar diligentemente a los mujeres"(Diligently seek the women) instead of *Buscar Diligentemente a los mejores maneras* (Diligently seek the best ways) and it took everything in me and everyone around to keep ourselves from bursting out laughing. 

ALSO ON TUESDAY ::: HERMANA SONIA HAS ACCEPTED THE 22ND AS HER BAPTISMAL DATE!!! We have been teaching her for a few weeks now and she really loves the teachings of the gospel and has such a strong understanding that this church is THE church that Jesus Christ established on the Earth during his ministry, restored by Him with the same power and authority. Also her 5 year old son always gives me a fist bump after shaking my hand and he always, ALWAYS, NAILS my ring, destroying his hand. (Guess I'll just have to switch my fist bump hand).

Also Elder Manani and I were just walking between citas talking and he says "Elder voy a extrañar mi misión mucho"(Elder I'm going to miss my mission so much). "Obviamente Elder igual" (Same here). Los Dos: "... PERO" (BUT). So basically we're both very excited for this time that we have AND are so excited for our lives to come.

Also I realized that something that makes me feel more at home here is cooking! So I've been learning how to find all the ingredients I need here and have made Pancakes (with homemade Syrup - thank you Mom!), a French Omelette, Arepas, and I found all the stuff to make Flour Tortillas for tacos and breakfast burritos so I'm SO EXCITED for that.

One last thing: This Thursday our leaders told us we have an "Emergency Meeting about Obedience" for last Saturday, so basically everybody thought something super sad happened. They gather us all in the chapel of the stake center, call us out to a different room companion by companion, and as soon as you walk into the room it's just filled with TONS of pizza so basically they just pulled a giant prank on our whole zone (yet.. nobody seemed to mind 🤔). My companion got the real big end of it as they sent me out with a different companionship and just told him "the assistants are going to come in to talk to you personally" just to pick on him extra HA.

I hope you are all doing so well! I'm praying for all of you! Let me know if there is absolutely anything that I can do for y'all!!

Elder Pollock

Primero Cambio!!!

WOW okay LOTS to write about:

The 21st we went to the temple in order to prepare ourselves for our meeting with Elder Holland the 22nd and both were AMAZING! The session was in Spanish (my second time through in Spanish) but I could actually understand it which was definitely a HUGE blessing. I always feel at home in the temple and it was really nice to have that comfort and peace there. Plus there were two people going through for their first times and that was just super cool to be apart of and look back on my first time through.

Having Elder Holland come and speak to us was so amazing. Especially to actually see his personality and let me tell you he's real funny in real life: "Sister Holland te amo.... Gosh Dang!" - Elder Holland, is definitely one of my favorite quotes from that meeting. He told us he was really proud and impressed with our mission and how obedient we are and taught us very clearly the doctrine of obedience: that through our obedience we receive spiritual power.

Also a SUPER cool thing he taught - one of the very first principles of all things is obedience. In the creation, Jesus Christ acting with the power and authority of Heavenly Father *PROVED* all things as He organized them, watching them until they obeyed. Meaning: through the process of the creation, they tested - proved - the obedience of ALL things.

Before there were changes, I had the opportunity to have interchanges with one of the zone leaders and LEAD MY SECTOR which was terrifying but I ACTUALLY SUCCESSFULLY LEAD MY SECTOR FOR THE DAY WHEW, it was definitely a miracle.

Oh boy if I was stressed that day for interchanges I had something else coming, little did I know that I would be receiving a new trainer who only speaks Spanish, AND that I'll be leading the sector 24/7. That first day trying to plan the day out and figure out who to visit and everything was pretty dang stressful, but it gave me a great opportunity to rely on the Lord's help and guidance and to see all the miracles that happen every day so clearly. Now I am actually really comfortable and confident leading the sector and have learned how important it is to depend on the Lord and that we can truly depend on Him to support us.

My new companion's name is Elder Mamani! He's from Bolivia - La Paz, just turned 19 on SATURDAY WOAH, has a ton of church parodies of popular pop songs on his phone (as well as trap remixes of primary songs which.. I'll let slide given he also has Disney songs he's allowed to have for medical reasons). Also his favorite phrases of all time are "Que Vaina" "Que Trunkaso" "ANIMOS ELDER" and more.

I've been doing really really well, especially the past few days. I realized on Sunday that I could actually almost completely understand all the conversations we were having with the families and I could actually socialize and have a REAL conversation with each of them. One time in particular a member family was really concerned for their missionary out in the field, and I was able to testify about how real the blessings and safeties we have as missionaries are, and I felt the spirit so strongly as I spoke. We then gave a lesson about how in life there are two perspectives you can have: the perspective of Nephi, or of Laman and Lemuel. In the history found in the Book of Mormon about their journey to the promised land, it is clearly illustrated that these men are experiencing the exact same things, the same miracles, the same hardships, and that the only difference between them is their perspectives. Where Nephi recounts the miracles and marvelous things they have experienced and received from the Lord along their journey in the wilderness, Laman and Lemuel are bitter and wound up in the fact they have these afflictions in the first place, and forget the marvelous things the Lord has done and shown them. In this life, we are ALWAYS going to face hardship and affliction. It doesn't matter where you live, who you are, if you're righteous or malicious. Yet we can choose to have a good life or a "bad" life. We can choose to have the perspective of Nephi, rejoicing and depending on the things of the Lord. Or the perspective of Laman and Lemuel, dwelling upon our afflictions and looking past the miracles in every day, forgetting that in every moment, we can depend on Heavenly Father, His justice and mercy - justice in that all that we are wronged is made just through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and mercy that we can be forgiven of all our wrongs through that same atoning power.

I hope you are all having an AMAZING life, please always remember that you don't have to be alone through ANY struggle. Jesus Christ knows you personally, and has suffered your same pains, your sadnesses, your all. He took it all upon himself. Let me know if there is absolutely anything y'all need!

Elder Pollock