"Are you reeeaaadddyyy for your blesssaaangs?"

IT HAPPENED. MIA GOT BAPTIZED!

It has been an incredible ride in our area.  Along with Mia's incredible baptism, we had 6 people attend church!  Everyone is getting back from their vacations and finally, the work is going nuts here!

Transfers came...and...Elder Santos and I are staying together!  It's so nice to stay in an area for more than 2 transfers (12 weeks) and with a companion for more than 1 transfer (6 weeks).  I am so grateful to God as He has been so merciful with me. 

A return missionary named Kiara just got back from serving her mission and literally has a million references for us!  I'm sure we won't be knocking on any doors any time soon to find investigators.  It's honestly and really a miracle as we are so blessed. 

So, for this transfer we have a ton planned...marriages, baptisms and reactivation of less active members.  We are working so hard and we spend sooooo much time needing to plan for all our success.  I try to keep calm and not freak out hahaha!

I am so happy right now.  It's really indescribable how excited we are to just do the Lord's work.  I never thought I could be so happy doing the work of salvation.  Haha, sometimes I do have to nudge my companion a little in the morning to get him up, but he loves the people, the Lord and we work incredibly well together.

I had planned so much to write, but at this moment, I am without words.  All I can say is that if we endure to the end, doing the little things like scripture study and say our daily prayers, GOD WILL GIVE US HIS GUIDANCE.  Period.

I love you all so much.  I'm so glad I still have more time left on my mission to be a servant of the Lord.  I love it as I have learned it's the only true way to have eternal happiness.

Love,
Elder Pomar :)​

Do you smell that??

What's that smell??

Hmmmm....familiar....

BAUTISMO!!!!!!

We have a baptism this Saturday with Mía Casas!  A huge miracle as so many missionaries have passed by and taught them, but little by little the seed was planted and we get to baptize her this Saturday!  We had an incredible lesson and invited all of the rest of her family to be baptized and they all have the desire to do it!  We still have a ton of work to do to make sure that the baptism happens and then we need to get the two couples in the family married so the whole family can be baptized during the next transfer period!

We've been trying to be better in our planning and it's really working.  "If you fail to plan you plan to fail" (shout out to mom hahaha).

I'm scared because transfers are coming and I'm not ready for another change.  I'm praying to remain for 1 more transfer here in Ituzaingó.  We have so much planned for this next transfer period! 

MIRACLE OF THE WEEK:

We went out to a neighborhood called "Ciudad de Mis Sueños," which means "City of My Dreams" (yeah right it's super sketchy haha).  When I was paired with Elder Wiseman one day in this area, we talked with a ton of young kids as they asked us how to say a ton of things in English.  We talked with them, showed them respect, and they gave us their address but unfortunately, we didn't take it serious so we never stopped by to visit them.  So we were walking down the road with Elder Santos, my new companion, and we get called over by a ton of youngins.  Sadly, they were all drinking wine (its super cheap here) and we felt we shouldn't go over there, so we turned to the left instead.  As we were walking, we ran into the same group of kids that Elder Wiseman and I talked to before and they called us over and we talked with them, gave them all high 5's and were able to meet their mom. She told us...

"Yeah, a month ago the kids came home and told me that they met 2 americans that were really good guys and that they had given them our address.  They asked me if you guys could come over and I said sure.  When you guys didn't come by, the kids were super sad because they thought that you lost the address or something"

A HUGE SLAP TO THE FACE BY THE SPIRIT!!!  I felt terrible, but we continued talking.  She has 5 kids, her husband left her, she doesn't have a church but reads the bible everyday.  We taught the restoration to her and she said "yeah, I've attended a lot of churches but I don't know why, but I just don't feel comfortable, I feel empty."  After explaining why there are so many churches due to the fall of Christ's church and after His death and the death of his apostles and then sharing that Joseph Smith with Heavenly Father's help restored the same church upon the earth, the spirit bore testimony to her heart that we were sharing the truth.  The spirit was incredibly strong, so we invited her and her 3 sons to be baptized along with her and they all accepted!!!  What a blessing.  

So what's the lesson?  I'm so glad God was merciful with me and let us find her and her kids, even when I put them to the side and didn't follow up with them when first getting their address.

I know these things are true. I know this gospel is true.  My testimony was weak before my mission, but after being tried and having these incredible experiences, I know that it is 100 percent true.  I know that my service is blessing this sweet family.  I invite each of you to allow Christ into your family and He with strengthen all of you.

Love,
Elder Pomar

Ps.  We went to downtown Córdoba for P-DAY and I got to see 4 of my old comps and we hit up Burger King! 

Un Año (Happy one year on the mission!)

Casas Family

Drinking Mate

Elder Samaoya (Previous companion)

Previous comps & current (Lervold, Wiseman, Samayoa and my trainee Santos)

Burger King duuuuuude

Over the hill...

Well, I hit the halfway mark this Thursday!  Incredible how this time has flown and they say that the other half of the mission is even faster!  I am grateful for another year to work in the Lord's vineyard.  

My companion and I have never been so excited as we are today, having so many people to teach and we continue to receive references.  The hardest part is that everyone has vacations, so in February it's gonna be insane.  We have been working with a ton of part member families and we have had the blessing of gaining their trust and love.  The hearts of the people are really opening up now and we should be able to have a baptism before the end of the month.  The Lescano family went on vacation, but they will get back in a week and we will continue with them.   I love this area soooo much.  Transfers are coming up in a couple of weeks and I don't want to lose out like I did in La Rioja not being able to see those I taught be baptized.  I'm praying that I stay here.  The members are incredible, the people have the fire to work with us.  There is really nothing more I could ask for.

Well, a year has passed by and a ton has changed.  I'm still a huge sports fanatic, I have a sweet tooth, I love dressing up nice, I love the shoe game, I love cracking jokes.  But now, I really love this gospel!  I not only know it's true, but I love it!  It helps me personally and it applies to everything in my life.  The sabbath day is now a delight (miracle, right mom?) and it gives me strength for the rest of the week.  We as members of the Church of Jesus Christ, have the BLESSING of these teachings.  Why don't we take advantage of what Christ has given us so we can be happy?  Like, truly happy.  Eternally happy.

I know that there are several people that are on my missionary email list that are not members of the church, or perhaps less active.  I invite each of you to "Come and See."  Invite Christ into your life and enjoy the blessings He has for each of you.  Start with the little things, like praying and reading the scriptures everyday.  It's through doing the little things that we do that will motivate us to do the bigger things.

Elder Santos and I got special permission from our mission president to go to the temple again to celebrate my being out 1 year in the mission.  I am looking forward to another incredible life changing year!  I love you all!

Love,

Elder Trent Pomar :)

I just love this work!!!

We are SOOOO CLOSE...

major key alert major key alert

We finally have people that...

1. Read what we give them
2. Pray everyday
3. Come to church :)

We have been working with a special family, the Casas family.  The mom has been less active for a long time and there are members of the family that have never had the opportunity to be baptized.  The mom said "I love living the Mormon life because I've never felt so happy, but I don't want to return and then leave again."  So, we had dinner with them and the brother and sister-in-law of brother Casas.  Brother Casas' extended family is super evangelist, but we taught them all anyways.  When we invited the Casas family to church, they just looked at each other kind of doubting....silence.....then the brother of brother Casas speaks up and says...

"Attend church and if you just attend once, God will help give you the desire to come back and never leave again."  

Then brother Casas sister-in-law said the same!  They aren't even members of our church and they are still helping us!!!!  Well, they came to church.  I almost cried tears of joy because they are just the sweetest!  The father, Nelson Casas, is super excited along with their daughter Mia to come back and attend church again.  We already know that Mia wants to be baptized and we are hoping that the father Nelson Casas chooses to do the same.  So, that's the good news for the week. 

Unfortunately, there is some bad news this week with the Lescano family.  The dad is spiritually growing like crazy!  You can just feel and see the light in his eyes.  He prays with his twin sons Tomas and Matias every day and they read scriptures.  Then, there is the mom, who is a member, who is less active and doesn't really want anything to do with the church right now.  We did a special fast this past Sunday to ask God to soften her heart.  They leave to go on vacation for a week, so we are praying that a big change will happen and they will move forward.

We are working with so many people right now!  We just need to remain being obedient, work hard and it will come!  We keep getting references and God just keeps putting people in our way, what a blessing. 

Love,

Elder Pomar :)

Ps. We had a great zone conference as always​ 

...And a Happy New Year!!

We had a great New Year's celebration and an awesome Sunday!!!!!  We had...A MIRACLE!!!!!

We were given a reference from a member to visit a less active member, the lescano family. We passed by and chatted a bit a few weeks ago and have been working with them since that time.  They have 2 twin daughters who are 9 years old that we are teaching.  Everyone said to us "they are never going to come to church, don't get your hopes up."   Well...haters gonna hate, BECAUSE THEY CAME!  The baptismal goal for them is this coming Sunday.  If not, it will be next saturday!!!  Incredible......

We are also teaching two more part member families and things are going great.  The sweetest sound is when the kids say "why didn't I get baptized when I was 8?"  "Dales los palos!!!!" (meaning...parents getting a beat down from their kids hahahaha).

We keep finding new people to teach which is a blessing!  They just appear out of nowhere! 

Also, we have been walking so much that I am just dead.  My feet really hurt, so it's been nice to have P-day to just chill out and recover.

New Year's Eve....Originally, our mission president said that we had to be in the pension at 10:30pm, but because our Bishop Allasia is homies with our mission president, we got to stay out late as we were given special permission!  So, we had:

Asado (steak)

Ice Cream

....and Asado

....and more Ice Cream 

IT WAS SOOOO GOOD!

I'm excited for a new year, as it gives me a blank slate and a new opportunity to make changes in my life.  I've got that New Year's resolution game going (not so much with the exercise haha) but i've made the goal to read the Book of Mormon everyday!  I love reading the Book of Mormon as I feel God talking to me personally through it!

If you don't feel close to God now, or don't feel like your on the right path, I promise if you make the goal to read the Book of Mormon (and the scriptures in general) and pray everyday, your desires will change, and next thing you know you will be back on the right path which leads to true happiness.

I have a new favorite couple of scriptures from the Book of Mormon...

HELAMAN 15:7-8

7 And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them—

8 Therefore, as many as have come to this, ye know of yourselves are firm and steadfast in the faith, and in the thing wherewith they have been made free.

I know that reading the the scriptures daily can change us and through that change, we are made free.

Make the goal, it has changed my life already!

Love,

Elder Pomar