WK 21 FL 'Mighty Prayer ALWAYS Works' 6/26/12

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm staying in Wellington South no transfer for me!! That means I'll at least be six months here and hopefully more! I'm pumped  to be able to stay here and that makes me honored that the Lord trust me enough to stay in Wellington because we have a lot of AMAZING people that we are teaching and are preparing to be baptized in the month of July!! Elder Shaffer will be leaving us here in Wellington South and I'm actually really sad.. He's been here seven and a half months and has a sever case of jungle fever so it definetely is his time to go! We have a prophecy here in Wellington that Elder Shaffer baptized his wife and he is gonna come marry her after the mission and become Bishop of the Wellington Ward! I'm super pumped to meet my new companion, hit the pavement, and get to work! He'll love the area and I can't wait to baptize the entire city of Wellington! Just wait it's gonna happen I pray for it all the time! But transfer meeting is tomorrow so we are driving down to plantation early in the morning and Elder Burt and I are both gonna get new companions! Elder Shaffer is leaving to white wash, and train so pray for him for sure!!

But this week was full of hard work! Elder Shaffer and I always go to work hard and it's always our goal to at night when our head hits the pillow we are dead tired. That's when you know that you didn't waste any second of the Lords time, because this is His work! That is one of the two main things I learned this week, is there is no substitute for good old fashioned hard work! Of course you need major amounts of faith as well, but you MUST work hard on a mission! That is something that Elder Shaffer and I did very well together. The other thing I learned is that mighty prayer for investigators always works! We have been praying for this two twins that really wanna be baptized they are just scared to leave their Holliness Church. We have been praying very hard for them during every single prayer to our Father in Heaven and it has been working soo well! Every time we go over there the Spirit is undeniably there testifying of every word that comes out of our mouth, they fill it and are preaparing to be baptized this weekend!

I also went on exchanges with Elder Webb in South Bay and it was great to meet there investigators and even find some new people for them to teach! It was an amazing exchange and great to be able to learn from each other and see the work go forth.

This week I wanna give a shout out to my home boy Skyler Pond up in Logan Utah as well as Grandma Ruby! I love you guys and appreciate your prayers we can definetly feel them here in the Lords work! Zac I love ya man and appreciate you for bein an amazing bro to me man. Gabbe thanks for the pictures of hawk and remember to always work hard at softball! I'll be back before ya know it and still have that same passion for the game of baseball don't worry!! And mom and dad thanks for raising me in this gospel. It truly does mean a lot! But hope all is well back home, I'm still at the same address for at least for six more weeks and can't wait to hear from ya'll back home! Miracles are coming forth in the Lords work!!

With Love,

Elder Pond

WK 20 FL 'Work, work and WORK!!' 6/18/12

Hello Family and Friends!!

P-Day has rolled around the corner once again!! This week was absolutely insane and I can't wait to tell ya'll about it. But it is getting extremely hot and humid here in Florida! And this week I get to go to Belle Glade on exchanges I am super pumped. Don't look up Belle Glade on Google cause it might scare you, but I promise we are safe there! It actually has the highest amount of shootings per capita in the US. But the community out there absolutely love Jesus Christ, so obviously they absolutely love us as representitives of Jesus Christ!! And trasfers once again so beware where you send mail. And yea dad they will forword it to me if ya send it to the wrong place it just might take a little bit. But I am PUMPED for transfers!! If I get transfered I might cry though so pray for me to stay in Wellington I love it here!! Just kiddin, "I'll go where the Lord wants me to go"!

But this week on Tuesday we were leavin are apartment and biking along and all of the sudden Elder Shaffer flew over his handlebars and hit the sidewalk! He slowly got up and the whole left side of his face was full of blood. We walked home, cleaned him up, and called the North Elders to take us to the emergancy room. Elder Shaffer got nine stitches above his left eye it was insane!! And dad you even told us to not get in any accidents this week so hopefully that doesn't mess up with what you're workin on with the Missionary Medical program. So Elder Shaffer spent this week up in Wellington North cause he couldn't ride a bike and I tore it up down here with Elder Burt and Elder Owens. One amazing experience we had this week was when we gave one of our recent converts a preisthood blessing. The adversary has been working very hard on her since she has been baptized. She has gotten very sick and fell twice in the past week! So we went over there and gave her a preisthood blessing and all of the sudden she was honestly healed. She started walking around like nothing ever happened. And we went over there last night and she was totally fine. It was a miracle shown to me and helped me know even more that the preisthood truly is the power to act in Gods name! How blessed we are to be able to live in a time where the preisthood has been restored once again on Earth. But, the preisthood can only be used upon the powers of righteousness!

This week we did A LOT of teaching!! We taught a total of 47 lessons. It was amazing to share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with so many people this week. During Gospel Principles class this week Brother Gordon asked me what the message we share with the world is. And of course I stated that the gospel has once again been restored on this Earth today prepartory for the second coming of the Messiah. I just thought to myself, what a truly remarkable message we have to share!! Think about it, to truly know that the same church and gospel that Jesus Christ himself had on this Earth 2000 years ago is once again on this Earth! We are so blessed once again to be a part of this true, living, and restored Church! That's why we go out to all the ends of the Earth and proclaim it to the entire world! I am personally so greatful for the amazing opportunity that I have to share this unique, but amazing message with the people in Wellington!

I've seen on my mission the key to missionary work is actually getting out there, hitting the pavement, and working hard! There is no substitute for good old fashioned hard work! Elder Shaffer and I have definetly been doing that here in Wellington South. We had another miracle this week as well! And we have seen how people can get revelation threw Church Attendance. Elder Burt and I were talking with some of our recent converts and they brought up an issue they have with Thomas S. Monson being a living prophet. So we asked them how they recieved an answer about Joseph Smith being a prophet and I never heard this before so it was amazing to be able to find out. She said she sincerely prayed and in church one Sunday and she felt a peace come over here from the Spirit! So we commited her to do the same for our living prophet today and I know she will have a similar experience! But it was just amazing for me to know that revalation comes very strongly threw coming to church. Because church houses are dedicated buildings to the Lord and a place where the Spirit of the Lord can be felt in abundance. There is one investigator that feels that true Spirit very strongly when she comes to church. She came to church a while ago and absolutely loved it, she is just to attached to her Holliness Church. But she decided to come a week ago and said to us, "But I'm goin to my church the week after that" which was this week. We went and visited her on Friday and she exclaimed how she wanted to feel more of that Spirit and is coming to church again this week!! As missionaries for Jesus Christ we just must go out into the streets and compell people to be baptized and come feel of the Spirit in church and specifically sacrament meeting.

But that's all for this week. I love ya'll and can't wait to here from everyone!!

With Love,

Elder Pond

Wk 19 FL 'Stand Firm with Nothing Wavering' 6/11/12

Hello Family and Friends!!
It was soo amazing to hear from ya'll this week!! Even though this
week I hardly had any time at all to relax cause we were honestly SOO
BUSY all week long!! I know I use to work super hard at baseball, but
Elder Shaffer and I are working harder than I have ever worked!! And
now it's a bike week and I am not looking foreword to that.. But we
will work hard either way! Things here in Wellington are amazing!!
Transfers are already comin up again and they will be here in two
weeks now so be careful with mail. You will be good if you send it
within the next week or so but when it gets close just send mail to
the mission office and they will send it to me whether I get
transfered or stay here in Wellington!! I hope and pray that I stay
here in Wellington cause we have some amazing people that we are
working with that I cannot wait to see them recieve the blessings and
happyness that comes threw baptism! I cannot wait for after the
mission to take ya'll out here to meet the amazing people that I have
met already, and I know throughout my two years here I will meet many
more amazing people!
This week Elder Shaffer and I stood strong with our faith knowing if
we worked hard miracles would come forth, and they did!! One night a
couple of appointments fell threw, so we were going to see a potential
that we have lost contact with and while we were we saw a couple of
the street. So of course we decided to contact them and offer a
blessing from Jesus Christ! As we began talking with them they loved
the doctrine we were sharing, accepted a blessing, eventually accepted
a baptisimal date, and came to church this week! We defientely saw the
blessings of talking to absolutely everyone this week and the Lord led
us to that couple!
We also had a very inspirational lesson with a family that we are
teaching! She absolutely loves how the church and gospel is always
centered around families because she raised twelve kids herself! They
love church and are progressing very well to be baptized. But we
showed them some mormon.org profiles and a mormon message on families
and the Spirit was there without a doubt. We testified and by the end
of the lesson they were even testifying to a friend that was just
visiting for the day. It was amazing to see how they felt, recognized,
and then acted upon the Spirit. It was also amazing to see how we
could apply mormon.org into our teaching and use it as another
"companion".
Ah it is truly amazing to see how the Spirit can work within people. I
have noticed that most of the time people might not even know what we
are talking about, but they can recognize how they feel when we teach
and testify of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We have this
Haitan sister that we are teaching who is amazing, she just doesn't
speak very much English so doesn't understand a lot of what we say.
Imagine how hard it would be to teach someone like that right, but it
isn't cause the Spirit really does the true teaching! She explained to
us that when we left a blessing on her home, she felt a peace and
happyness come over her and every single time we come over she feels
that same peace and happyness. She accepted to be baptized just
because of the Spirit and how she felt and came to church this week!
The Spirit is the real teacher in the gospel!
But I hope and pray all is going well back in the good old 801! The
day I get back in Febuary 2014 I am pumped to go shred the slopes all
day long so be preapred!! But Zac you might be a worse driver than me
big man! Hope ball is goin well and you're tearin it up. I'm excited
I'll be back for your senior year and tell your coach to save me an
assistant coaching job! I am excited for you guys back home to find a
family that the missionaries can teach and baptize! I promise and
testify that is where true happyness and joy comes. But other than
that just workin hard here in Wellington bringing souls closer to
Jesus Christ. And I do get your letters and packages don't worry! El
Bell I wanna hear from ya soon man! I'm waitin to here what has been
goin on and how the ladies are! You as well Breezy!! Love ya'll and
may the Spirit be with you!
Mobbin for life!!
Elder Pond

Wk 18 FL 'Families Can Be Together Forever' - 6/4/12

Dear Family and Friends,

Guess what!? Half way threw this transfer already I cannot believe how fast this transfer is really going it's crazy!! I absolutely love getting lost in the work of the Lord! But it is getting super hot out here in Wellington. On Saturday Elder Shaffer and I had a lot of work to do because we had to make sure everyone was coming to church, and we biked soo much in the heat! At the end of our day we both went home absolutely exhausted, which is exactly how you should come home every single night on the mission.

This week we had a baptism of the most amazing family in the entire world. They are the reason that missionaries come out on missions, to bring the gospel to people like them! But their family was a refferal, and the transformation that has happened with their family is a miracle from the heavens. When we first met them they were struggling as a family, with happiness, peace, and even health. Now seeing them that they are baptized they are so much more happier! Their family is now preparing to be sealed in the San Diego temple in a year and when I get back home in Utah they said they wanna visit so just be prepared!! But at the baptism we sung Families Can Be Together Forever as the closing hymn and the Spirit just hit me like a brick wall. It was such a strong and powerful spiritual moment for me and everyone there. The Spirit was testifying to me of a whole bunch of things. First of all, that the work we are doing out here as missionaries is the Lords work. That the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints absolutely is the Lords kingdom in these latter days. That the steps this family has been making will allow them to live together forever as a family. That I am preparing now, and one day will go to the temple and that will be one of the most amazing days of my life! But the Spirit was there without a doubt testifying of everything! If there is one thing I have learned on my mission it truly is that we cannot do anything as missionaries without the Spirit, and as we strive to always have the Spirit with us people will recognize us as servants of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Just like this week we just got out of a teaching appointment we got called off of the street to talk with this guy. As we got closer we noticed that we knew him and was teaching his cousin a while ago, but he wasn't really interested. He pulled us off of the street and basically told us his whole life story and how much he truly needed God in his life right now. We then testified that is exactly why Jesus Christ sent us here. So we went in and left a blessing with his family and on his home. The Spirit was soo strong and powerful! We testified, invited them to be baptized and they are excited to be baptized on the 17th, because of the Spirit that they felt. We then went back two days later and he told us about how that blessing truly did work!  The next day he got a call for an interview and things have been working out and falling into place in his life. It gave me a testimony that as we truly strive to have the Spirit with us, we will be recognized as servants of the Lord and MIRACLES will come forth! It also showed me that with faith, anything is possible!

But other than that we have just been working hard here in Wellington South! Trying to dunk the world and bring everyone to the fold of God! Oh and I want to know by next week what you guys have done back home to help the missionaries out or do some missionary work or share the gospel! I expect it to be done and I love you all!! Can't wait to recieve mail from ya'll!!

With Love,

Elder Pond

Wk 17 FL 'Here Comes the Bride' - 5/29/12

Dear Family and Friends,
Once again another week in paradise, what more can I say!? That's it for this week..

With Love,
Elder Pond




Haha just kiddin!! I wouldn't do that to ya'll! But it truly was another inspirational week. I haven't received mail for FOR-EV-ER though!! So ya'll know who you are that I'm waitin for, and I'll be sendin off a bunch of letters today so be expectin one!! But it has been SOO hot and humid down here in Southern Florida, it is gettin to be summer and I am not looking foreword to it!! But that is wayy sick that the waitress' mom lives in West Palm Beach that's like a half hour away from Wellington. Oh one of the most exciting things that happened this week, that isn't gospel related, was we actually got to play in a softball game it took me back to the good old days in Dub Jay! We had a ward barbeque and softball game and it was an amazing activity. We had a bunch of recent converts and investigators come and be able to mingle with other ward members and make friends. It was a huge success and I had a blast pullin out a glove and bat and goin to work! Oh mom I would love for you to send me two old gloves that we have laying around and a couple of baseballs that would be amazing!
On a more spiritual note we had some great, uplifting experiences this week as well! First of all, Elder Shaffer and I actually had a wedding that went threw! It was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life! The Oaks gave us a referral who are absolutely amazing and their names are Vivian, German, and their daughter Alexandra! The Savior and His teaching have brought so much peace and happiness in their lives. One time Vivian was not feeling well because the cancer that she had about five years ago was slowly coming back. We gave her a preisthood blessing for the sick and afflicted and she told us after that day absolutely everything was perfect with her body and health. It was a modern day miracle!! They got married yesterday and are getting baptized on Sunday! Vivian has overcame soo much in her life and they all said that the gospel filled a VOID that was always missing and now is filled! We all felt the Spirit soo strongly at the wedding and after they are baptized they will be preparing to enter the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity in a year. Vivian loves the San Diego temple and wants to be sealed there so we could not be more excited for them! I'll send you guys pictures from the wedding cause we took a whole bunch! But Vivian and German have taught me soo much as we have got to know them very well. That the gospel can help absolutely anyone no matter what the circumstances are. The gospel helps fill that void that everyone outside of the Church is missing in their lives. And the priesthood truly is the POWER given from GOD to MAN! It works and can perform any miracle if true and sincere faith is involved on both ends of the blessing.
Another amazing experience happened while Elder Shaffer and I were harvesting one day. Our district leader challenged us to harvest for at least an hour a day and we tried our best to find time to do so and miracles came from it for sure! We set out on a harvest at normally a bad time which was around noon when everyone is either at work or school. But we had the faith that if we were obedient MIRACLES would come and they most surely did. I felt the Spirit prompt us to harvest another street that we weren't planning on going to so of course we listened! The first five doors we knocked no one answered and we kept telling ourselves to keep the faith and miracles would happen. Then someone answered!! But he said no.. But of course we still had the faith. The next door we answered this lady answered and immediately opened up to us and started telling us that her life was falling apart. We testified to her that Jesus Christ can help her put her life back together no matter what as she follows the example of Jesus Christ! We left a blessing with her that was super powerful, invited her to be baptized and she accepted! The Lord led us to someone who was prepared to accept the gospel as we listened to the promptings of the Spirit! We pulled out a scripture from the Book of Mormon testified of its truthfullness and now she is excited and well on her way to entering the waters of baptism! This all happened because we listened to the Spirit, had faith, were obedient, and the Lord provided a MIRACLE right before our eyes! It was amazing!!
But other than that the work is just moving right along here in the Wellington Ward. I am absolutely loving mission life and would not rather be anywhere in the world right now! This IS the LORDS WORK!! We are all His servants and His hands. So my challenge to ya'll back home is to be a misssionary. Just because you don't have a nametag and aren't set apart doesn't mean you aren't still a servant of the Lord. I want to here about your missionary experiences back home and I promise you that with faith, prayer, and hard work ANYTHING including MIRACLES are POSSIBLE! Pray for people to share the gospel with, be an example everywhere you go, and involve the missionaries back home in everything! Be the kind of members that missionaries love!
Look foreword to hearing from ya'll soon!
With Love,
Elder Pond

Wk 16 FL 'Let the Holy Spirit Guide, Even Threw the Thunderstorms!!' 5/21/12

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry I didn't send an email home last P-Day it was insane!! We were runnin all over the place doing everything that we need to do on P-Day for the week, P-Days are so busy we hardly even get a chance to relax. But then we come to the Church to send off our emails and they were messin with the internet so it was all down!! I got a chance to shoot off a quick email to President at a members house but we had no time. Oh and I got my haircut by a member it looks amazing!

But guess what?? I didn't get transfered!!! And neither did my trainer Elder Shaffer.. Which is really weird cause fathers and sons never stay together more than two transfers!! But Elder Shaffer and I trust that the Lord knows exactly why we need to be here longer and are still workin our hearts out! Elder Shaffer was a little disapointed cause I think he kinda wanted to be transfered.. haha. So my address is still 1425 Riverside Circle, Wellington, FL, 33414 for at least five more weeks. But I really hope longer cause this area is just about to blow up once again!

The most amazing experience happened to us here in Wellington today! It was around eight at night and we had some appointments fall threw so we werent sure who to go see. An investigator that called us earlier that morning and cancelled on us to reschedule for five days away came to both of our minds. At first I kinda ignorned it because she already called us and cancelled that same day. But the feeling from the Holy Ghost kept coming to us so we said, "Lets trust in the Spirit and let it lead us to where the Lord would have us be!" So we biked over there and knocked on her door and her son who we hadn't been able to meet with answered the door. He said that she just left and started walking to Publix so we left a little disapointed. But the Spirit came to us again telling us to go to Publix to look for her! So we bike over to Publix and look everywhere and she is no where to be found. But then a members husband who is a nonmember came up to us and just started talking to us. We got to know him a little better and are now able to stop by sometime and leave a blessing on their home and baptize him! But we left still not getting in contact with our investigator.. As the storm above us starts brewing and pouring we head home. But in the distance we see someone walking home and once again we get an impression to take a detour from our normal path home and bike past this person. As we begin to pass her she exclaims, "Hey guys what are you doing!?" It  was our investigator that we were searching for walking home!! The Spirit led us to her and it was so amazing! We walked her home in the rain and the whole time she was talking about what she read in the Book of Mormon and how excited she was to get baptized. When we got to her house she invited us in for a quick message and prayer with her and her family. The Spirit was there without a doubt and we invited her entire family to be baptized and they all accepted! They are progressing closer to our Father in Heaven and very excited to be baptized. This all was possible because we truly listened to the impressions from the Holy Ghost!

Last week we had a baptism of three after church on Mothers Day and it was amazing as always! We had a total of about 20 investigators at the baptism and the entire gym was full of members and nonmembers alike. When they were baptized I felt the Spirit confirm to me once again that the work we are doing is the Lords work. But after the baptism every investigator that was there felt the Spirit so strong one even went and paid tithing!

Adversity definetly came this week though, as always. But the thing we know as missionaries is when it does come something amazing is about to happen. So we went off for a two hour harvest knowing something amazing would happen if we put our trust in the Lord. Every single door we knocked on that answered let us right in, knew we were representitives of Jesus Christ, and let us leave a blessing with them it was amazing! I love how the Lord always prepares a way for us to work threw adversity we may face, and find MIRACLES!!

But we hope and pray all is well at home here in Wellington. Always "let the holy spirit guide" no matter what. And I can't wait to hear from ya'll back home! But Elder Pond is out until we email again! Mobbin for life!

With Love,

Elder Pond

Wk 14 FL 'Sunshine in Your Soul' 5/7/12

Dear Family and Friends!!!

What is up!? Elder Pond reporting in to the 801 from the 561!! This week has been amazing out here in sunny Wellington Florida. The temperature here in now around 92 with humitity!! Safe to say I hardly ever wear long sleaves anymore.. And I am soo glad that this week is a car week cause now we can get around faster, its not as hot, and my bike has a flat tire that I have to fix! But life is great here in the mission field I love it and truly never wanna come home!! haha. But don't worry I will eventually..

This week was very sweet and sour. The sour part was all the dates that we had for this weekend fell threw and one of our recent converts is in jail for some reason.. But we are working threw it and know that once we get threw the trial of our faith, then we will see a miracle! We had a ton of SWEET parts of this week as well though! Yesterday we met an amazing family that came to church! We saw the miracle of having 16 investigators in sacrament yesterday it was amazing!! But anywase this family was a referal from the Oaks, and yes Brother Oaks uncle is Elder Dallin H. Oaks! They are an amazingly strong family in the ward! So they brought this family who is their neighbor and I talked to both of them after church and they expressed the love and spirit that they felt at church! We then had dinner at the Oaks with them and they totally opened up to us and told them that this is exactly what they need in their life right now. I gave her the Book of Mormon that you wrote your testimony in Mom and it was absolutely amazing! We had her read it and she expressed this is exactly what she wants for her family and what they need in their life right now. She then got up and gave me a hug and thanked me soo much for the special and sacred gift of a Book of Mormon and we were both about in tears! They then told us that they would absolutely love a blessing on their home and said come over anytime and that they cannot wait for church services next week. This was a testimony to me that as we get threw those tough times, MIRACLES ALWAYS COME!! You just must push a little bit father, work a little bit harder, even when it may seem impossible you have to know that with Christ all things are possible!!

We also had an amazing experience harvesting, which is just like tracting except we don't ask if they would like to hear a message but if they would like a blessing on their family and home, this week!! We have been teaching this Haitan family who is absolutely amazing and their friend next door just got out of jail so they told us sometime we should stop by. I stopped by when we were on exchanges this week and I was with Elder Hoole and we just started talking and we identified ourselves as representitives of Jesus Christ. She told us that she knew we were and are more than welcome to come and leave that blessing when her entire family got home. We went back later that day and after the blessing she was in tears because of the Spirit that she felt and the love from Jesus Christ that she felt. She thanked us and told us she would consider baptism but would absolutely love to come to church! I absolutely love harvesting it is a tool for the "above average missionaries" and works amazing when used with exact obedience and faith!

Once again we are teaching SOO MANY investigators and preparing them to be baptized hopefully here soon! But I love my mission so much cause I not only help other people grow soo much but I myself have grown more than I ever thought I would! I now KNOW what Helaman meant when he said "it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation"! Threw daily studying the Book of Mormon I have firmly planted my foundation in Jesus Christ! Just like Joseph Smith said, the Book of Mormon can get any man closer to God by abiding by its precepts than any other book!

But I'll be skyping home this Sunday for Mothers Day and it will be at 8 PM here so around 6 PM in the 801! First of all I need everyone there at 6 PM sharp!! That means all my friends and family that would love to come I would absolutely love to see all of your gorgeous faces! And then Dad I need you to send me your skype account number in the mail posted tomorrow so it gets here Saturday and then any other information I may need to connect with you guys on Skype! And I am pumped to see ya'lls face and I promise by Tuesday when I email home Elder Shaffer and I will of found a family to write you about! But nothin really else goin on just workin hard in the Lords work. I will be sending pictures soon!! I just have to find my camera cause I kinda lost it.. Oh and transfers are next week so beware I could get transfers but I pray I don't! Oh and the bugs don't really bug me to much cause the Lord protects His missionaries!

Jesus Christ is there to strengthen each and every one of us threw every single day!! Keep the "sunshine in your soul" and always have the Spirit with you! I love ya'll and write letters as always!!

With Love,

Elder Pond