Dear Family and Friends,
You guys are all the best and I miss all of you guys soo much!! You guys are always in my thoughts and prayers!! But I survived my first week in the mission field and it was absolutely amazing!! Missionary work is incredibly hard though so the Bulldog was right about that one. I honestly fall into my bed at 10:30 at night absolutely exhausted.. Last night I was soo tired I fell into my bed and forgot to write in my journal and kinda fell asleep in my church clothes. So like the best two years I did it but it was on accident I promise! So nevertheless missionary work is incredibly hard but very rewarding!! My first week was one of the best weeks so far in my mission. It was actually wayy hard to leave the MTC cause I grew wayy tight with a lot of people in my branch and district and in our residence building but I was very excited to leave and get to work in the Lords work out here in Florida!! I was put into a zone called the Stuart Zone which is the furthest north zone in the Fort Lauderdale mission!! It use to be part of the Orlando mission, where T Call is serving, but like four months ago it became part of the Fort Lauderdale mission because of the new temple that is being built in Fort Lauderdale!! But I absolutely love it here. I'm in a town called Wellington and I'm in the Wellington South mission!! The first thing the bishop said to me is welcome to paradise and he was absolutely right!! I don't know if I could live here when I get older but I really do love it here!! Me and my trainer, Elder Shaffer, live in a duplex somewhere in Wellington but I have no clue where cause most of the time I have absolutely no clue where we are cause the roads are wayy confusing. Like there are no mountains to tell me what direction is north or anything like that so it's wayy hard. But something that is wayy cool is in the backyard of our duplex there is a huge river and a whole bunch of wildlife. Like everyone here has a pond, or a lake, or a river right in their backyard it is wayy sweet!! But I've seen soo many animals that I have never seen in my life. We see ducks, lizards, fish, turtles, and a whole bunch of exotic birds every single day!! I'll be sending tons of pictures soon so don't worry!!
But on my first week in the mission field Elder Shaffer and I have had a ton of success!! The very first night we got in Fort Lauderdale the President Anderson's wife cooked us an amazing meal which everyone enjoyed soo much cause we had been use to the crappy MTC food!! But then they sent us out to place Books of Mormon our very first night which I was kinda scared I'm not gonna lie.. But looking at where I'm at now is absolutely amazing!! I know that Jesus Christ has strengthened me throughout this past week soo very much!! Cause this week we went over to visit a girl named Shawntrecia Romoues who was supossed to be baptized a while ago but kept postponing the date of her baptism and wasn't sure if this is what she was suppose to do. But when me and Elder Shaffer went over there we had a wayy spiritual experience and after that she knew that she needed to be baptized to come closer to Jesus Christ and eventually gain eternal life and countless blessings in the life to come. So we baptized her this week!! My very first week out in the mission field we got a baptism and I was overcome with joy after!! I got to confirm her and give her the gift of the Holy Ghost and it was just unreal that I somehow helped her be able to come unto Jesus Christ and be baptized. They are all about baptism out here in Florida and they encourage us to get them baptized at least two weeks after we first met them!! Which I thought was crazy at first but now I know it is realistic and the wayy that the Lord asks us to do his missionary work! He also asks us to invite investigators to baptism the very first time we meet them. Which once again I thought was insane but I have seen it work!! I extended baptismal dates to three different people and they all accepted!! Elizabeth who is the most amazing 84 year old lady!! She loves Jesus Christ and loves prayin with us. And she's bein baptized on the 11th of March hopefully!! I also extended a date to a guy named Amos. I know like the prophet Amos it's a wayy sweet name!! But his wife and five kids were baptized last week so we've been teaching him and he committed to be baptized on the 11th as well. And then the best one is a guy named Taquan!! Taquan is a wayy sweet guy that has a strong testimony and can't wait to be baptized!! But unfortunately he can't be baptized till April 14th because he's on house arrest but I can't wait till April 14th for him!!
And that's all of the dates and baptisms that we had this week!! But we are teaching some wayy sweet investigators and I love them all soo much!! The culture down here is wayy diverse too!! Like I hardly see any caucasion people and the names of people down here are wayy black and they all have a ton of swag so don't worry I'm learning how to get some more swag don't worry!! I have to go but I love all of you back at home and I will talk to you all next week. Anyone please feel free to write me letters they really help a lot!! My address of my duplex is 1425 Riverside Circle, Wellington, FL, 33414. And to the people I haven't written back yet I'm sorry I promise I am writing you today and you will be getting your letters this week!! I love you all and can't wait to mob it up with everyone in two years just like old times!!
Elder Pond
