Hey Everyone!

It was a really tough week this week from a teaching perspective.  Thankfully Elder Summers and I are really good friends so we continue to encourage each other.  Since transfers and Elder Lakey leaving, we have dropped a ton of our investigators because none of them were progressing. The entire week Elder Summers and I went through the old records of people and visited them. Some didn't live there anymore, and others just said "no hay nadie" meaning no one’s here, even though they are right there in the house. So frustrating.  We thankfully did find some new people to teach Gods word, but it came through hard work. 

One of the hardest things was being verbally spat upon. People honestly hate gringos here (because USA is the best!!) but it gets really old when everyone says "hello" in an Argentine accent.  Some yell "Satanas," meaning Satan or "your mom's a *****" and other really crude things at us. I could have gotten really upset or hurt, but I honestly felt a glimpse or like a similitude to what Jesus Christ might have felt at the time just before dying on the cross.  Before His sacrifice, He bled from every pore in the Garden of Gethsemane, betrayed by His own apostle, beaten, spat upon and mocked.  To end His life, He was hung on a cross with nails driven through His hands, wrists, and feet, with a crown of thorns on His head, and killed by His own people. 

People might ask why would God let such a thing happen to His son, and why did Jesus accept this plan?  Because He loves us.  He knows each and every one of us so perfectly: our desires, our pains and afflictions, our strengths and weaknesses, and who we are.  Jesus went through all of this and suffered for the sins, pains, and afflictions of the entire world and for every one of us, so that He could understand us and we could have the opportunity to return to God's presence after this life. 

I took a picture in front of this huge statue here in Villa Maria Argentina, it's of Jesus holding His cross.  We should always remember His sacrifice for each of us.  Many churches neglect or overlook what happened on that Easter Sunday.  He conquered death and was resurrected so that we too would have the opportunity to be resurrected in a coming day.  He loves us so much and His hand is stretched out to everyone who will accept Him.  We need to reach up, be baptized in His name, and into His Restored Church.  He loves us all so much, but only if we take this step to be baptized and be born again by water will we ultimately accept Him and His atonement. 

Thank you for your prayers and support.  God knows you, loves you, and will do everything He possibly can to help you if you take this step to accept Him.

Have an amazing week! :)

Love,

Elder Pomar