WK 25 FL 'My Heart is So Full Today!' 7/23/12

Dear Family and Friends,

My heart is so full today for the help of the Lord in assisting us in His work! We accomplished our miracle of 100 baptisms as a mission before the month even ended! We are seeing miracle after miracle here in Southern Florida. The work is going forth! As a mission we are pushing to keep doing things that have not been done before and we are! This is all possible because of Our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christs assistance in the work! I love "standing still to see Hise arm to be revealed," D&C 123:17. I know that the Lord will continue to help us accomplish even more things that have not been done. This work we are doing is absolutely amazing! I just want to express my feelings and passion on how everyone NEEDS to serve a mission! You recieve so many blessings that our Father in Heaven WANTS to give you, and He will! As the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "Sacrafice brings forth the blessings of heaven." I know that a mission is the greatest sacrafice that anyone could ever make and it will effect their life for time and all eternity! I love this work!

This week I was reading from a Church talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard and this quote hit me hard about missionaries! "We don't need you to just fill a positon; we need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This isn't a time for spiritual waklings. We cannot send you on a mission to be reactivated, reformed, opr to recieve a testimony. We just don't have time for that. We need you to be filled with faith, hope charity and love, wuith an eye single to the glory of God!" That is exactly what our mission is right there, vibrant, thinking and passionate missionaries! I love this work!
We saw a lot of miracles here in Wellington this week! Early in the week we faced some pretty hard opposition but we knew amazing things were to come, and in the last two days of the week they most surely did! Saturday we had an amazing baptism of a family that we had been teaching for three months! Definetly one of the most spiritual experiences on my mission thus far. An amazing family of five followed our Savior down into the waters of baptism. I love them with all of my heart! But Elder Chamberlain and I knew that meant we need to go out and work even harder to get more people prepared for baptism! So we hit the pavement Saturday and Sunday and saw a huge miracle. We have been teaching this lady for eight months now and she loves to come to Church, read the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, Gospel Principles, and Teachings from the Life of George Albert Smith! She absolutely knows that the Church is true without a doubt, but would never quite commit to a date! So Sunday after Church we went in full force with complete love and boldness and testified that our Father in Heaven wants this for her now! She accepted a date and will be baptized this Sunday!
We also had a part-member family come to Church on Sunday and we asked them if we could teach them a lesson immediately following Church in the Chapel. They accepted and we began testifying to them. Eventually the mother almost broke down in tears when we invited her son to follow Jesus Christ by being baptized. He accepted and his mom was filled with joy! He will also be baptized on Sunday!

My heart is just filled with complete joy right now! I love my Father in Heaven! I love His work! I love our investigators in Wellington! And cannot wait to accomplish even more things that have not been done! I love ya'll at home too!

But I play the piano occasionally here in Wellington. I play at District Trainings and sometimes during Preisthood but we have a lot of people that play the piano here so it really isn't much needed. But I'm sure eventually I'll play more. The work is going forth and transfers are up again in a couple of weeks. August 8th.. I'm scared and don't want it to come cause I really don't wanna leave Wellington. But I defientely do trust in where our Father in Heaven wants me to be. And I know where ever He does put me that I will make that the best area in the mission, with His help of course!

I thank everyone for their letters and can't wait to hear from ya'll again this week!

With Love,

Elder Pond

Wk 25 FL Pictures - 7/23/12



 Lindas baptism day with her sister Jessica!!

 

Chicko and Shelia's family that got baptized this Sunday!

 



 Titi, a member of the family that got baptized but she is seven, and the fish that I helped her catch!



Elder Pond & Burt Fishing!

 


A huge Iguana that a member caught by a canal in our area!

 

WK 24 FL 'All Is Well' 7/16/12

Dear Family and Friends!!

Hello from gorgeous Wellington, Florida! All is well in the Lords work. We are working very hard here in Wellington pushing to bring twenty one souls closer to Jesus Christ threw baptism as a Stuart Zone this month and 100 as a mission once again! It is going to happen we have absolutely amazing people we are teaching and sharing the gospel I cannot wait. I absolutely love that the Lord gave me the opportunity and blessing to serve in the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission! This week in Presidents email to us he said, "We are doing wonderful things as a Mission and our efforts and works are known beyond our borders. I was talking to a member of the Seventy on Saturday and he told me “I was with Elder Ballard and Elder Bednar two weeks ago and the conversation was ‘what is happening in the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission?’” He asked me the same question and of course I said “we have the most obedient, above average, great missionaries in the world”, and I meant it." We are doing everything in our power to be exactly obedient and help the Lords work go forth!

This week we faced some heavy opposition here in Wellington. But we know that is prepatory to amazing things that are about to happen here in Wellington and the Fort Lauderdale Mission! We have an amazing family that is going to accept the gospel this week and follow our Savior Jesus Christ down into the waters of baptism! We have been working with them for forever and I truly cannot wait, it is going to be one of the most spiritual experiences I can just feel it!

But we get fed here in Wellington by members like every single day! It's amazing! I am super nervous that I am going to get transfered in three weeks though.. I know it sounds pathetic but I really think I might cry cause I have met soo many amazing people here! But of course I will trust in whatever the Lord has in store for me! Becuase in the end, he knows what is best for me and will give that to me as long as I fully trust in him! Lately I've gained such a huge testimony of the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in my life! His atonement has given me and all of us the opportunity to be cleansed from sin! I am eternally greatful for all that Jesus Christ and the Restored Gospel has done for me in my life. The Atonement has been able to cleanse me and is there for all of us if we but use it!

I love the work here in Florida and have learned to do everything I can with the upmost zeal! I love ya'll and can't wait to hear from  ya'll this week!!

With Love,

Elder Pond

WK 23 FL 'Best 2 Years of Life!' 7/9/12

Dear Family and Friends!!

It was really good to hear from ya'll this week! We had an amazing week here in Wellington South! Elder Chamberlain and I were talking last night about how truly these are the best two years of our lives, for two reasons! First of all we get to bring the gospel to people who need that happyness in their lives. Second it prepares us for so much more later in life! I wouldn't rather be anywhere than Fort Lauderdale and especially Wellington right now!

As you can see the work is going forth here in Wellington! We have full faith that our zone will hit 21 baptisms this month and that this is the month for 100 baptisms as a mission once again! I cannot wait for our faith and obedience to be shown. This Sunday we had a baptism and the Spirit was very strong as always! It pierced me to the very soul and brought that same Spirit into our lessons that we taught after church!
This week I also went on exchanges with Elder Torres, District Leader that serves in South Bay, and it was an edifying experience for both of us! We hit the pavement and went to work preaching repentance unto the people of Wellington! We both learned a lot and especially that we need a balance with finding and teaching. We just have so many amazing people that we are teaching to prepare them towards baptism by the Spirit! I love bringing souls closer to our Savior Jesus Christ, there is no greater joy! I decided that it is my dream to stand on a podium in the middle of a busy street and preach repentance unto everyone just like the olden days! I know it wouldn't work very well but its something that I think would be soo sick!!
I absolutely love seeing people recognize us as representitives of Jesus Christ! There was an amazing experience that we had the other day with that! We were following up with investigators that didn't make it to Church this Sunday and a lady was walking a dog and said "Hey Elders". So we went right over there and began talking with her! Her dad is a member of the Church that lives in Utah but she just never got baptized. She began talking about the Book of Mormon and said she knows it is true! We testified that if she acts now, her life will be eternally blessed! We blessed her home, testified of the Spirit, and she will be preparing to be baptized here soon! All that happened because the Spirit led us to the right place at the right time and she saw us as representitives of Jesus Christ! I love it!!
Another amazing experience that we had this week was actually while I was on exchanges with Elder Torres! We went to do an interview for the Sister that was baptized this week. She is in a part-member family that we baptized her two sisters a couple of months ago and she was absolutely ready to be baptized now! She read the entire Book of Mormon Stories and started reading the actual Book of Mormon and got to 2nd Nephi in two days!! So she passed her interview, but when she took her record in for her mom to sign it she wouldn't. Automatically my heart dropped! So much was running threw my mind and I was terrified becuase she wasn't going to be able to experience the blessings of the gospel because of something out of her control. So we knocked on her moms door and asked if we could speak with her for a little bit. She came out and the first thing she said was "Why does she even need to be baptized". So Elder Torres and I went to work testifying of this is the way. We probably invited her mom to be baptized three different times. You could see the Spirit truly testifying to her and softening her heart! Then at the end she signed the record because she could not deny the Spirit that we brought! And finally she got baptized and we couldn't be happier for her!

I have also seen The Book of Mormon work miracles this week! We have so many people that we are teaching that just tear apart The Book of Mormon and love it! It truly speaks miracles!

I absolutely love our Recent Converts and members and investigators here in Wellington! I have become a part of them and they have become a part of my family! They are such blessings in my life! And will always be a part of my life!

I cannot wait to see even more miracles here in Fort Lauderdale! They are coming I can feel it!

But as for your questions we have a pretty nice apartment here in Wellington. It definetely has air conditioning, it's actually a requirement for all missionary apartments! If the apartment doesn't have air conditioning then we can't live there. But we are just working very hard here in Wellington South and have some amazing baptisms coming up! On the fourth of July we did the same thing we do every single day, went out and helped people come closer to Jesus Christ! It was actually an amazing day! But I gotta go I love ya'll and can't wait to here from ya'll!! Letters are amazing and packages are even better!! And yea I got the treats mom and gabs they were amazing!!

Always With Love,

Elder Pond

WK 22 FL 'Speak MIRACLES!!' 7/2/12

Dear Family and Friends,

Ah hello everyone I am so happy to be able to talk to all ya'll and I am still in Wellington as well! Today my heart is truly very full for the amazing opportunity to be a missionary and speak miracles. Missionaries are answers to many peoples prayers and I am extremely greatful for the opportunity to be a representitive of Jesus Christ!

This week more than ever, I learned that the Book of Mormon speaks miracles threw the Spirit! We have an investigator that has the hardest time getting to church but has a burning desire to be baptized. She has been meeting with us for a very long time just cannot set her priorities straight. We had a very strong impression from the Spirit to read the Psalm of Nephi with her. The entire time she could not get enough of it and was marking with her highlighters in almost every verse! When we finished the chapter and testified that we need to have that same attitude in this life! Then I asked her how this chapter in the Book of Mormon can impact her life and immediately the Spirit hit us all like a brick wall and she automatically started crying. The Spirit was there without a doubt testifying of the Book of Mormon and along with that everything that we teach because it all relies upon the Book of Mormon. Her desires skyrocketed and we recommitted her to be baptized and come to church this week! She came to church and cannot wait to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. This all happened because of the Spirit that the Book of Mormon brought to her! The Book of Mormon "spoke miracles" to our investigator!

Other than that we are just working extremely hard here in Wellington South doing the work of the Lord and preparing many souls to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and be baptized! Great miracles are going to happen here in Fort Lauderdale this month, I can just feel it! Pray for it and all the missionaries all over the entire world!!

My new companion is.... ELDER CHAMBERLAIN!! He's a wayy sweet guy from Kanab, Utah and once again someone that balances me out. Cause you know me I am always all over the place and full of faith! He's really good at teaching the gospel simply and has already grown to love Wellington as all ya'll know I have as well!! I never wanna leave here so everyone is just gonna have to move to Wellington once I am done with my mission! Thank you for your prayers and I can't wait to get mail from everyone!

With Love,

Elder Pond

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