"A veces salgo"

First of all, loading my pictures into the emails isn't working super well lately. So after 15 months I have caved and made an album on google photos so that you guys can see all of my pictures. Feel free to join! I didn't put all of my pics from my whole mission in there, but theres a few. Heres the link 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8yeLSz1tBRDBq9vKA

We met a guy from Madrid. He was kinda weird. He straight up said, "no creo en vosotros" 🤣 I am very very glad I was called to teach latinos. 

Went to the beach last pday and threw the football around with some little kids. It was fun. 

We were able to complete our goal of getting the entire familia chambergo baptized. Hermana Jacki was baptized this week. Meaning that 9/9 of the people that live in their house are now baptized. Super cool. 

The ward primary program was yesterday. I think primary programs are the single greatest thing ever for missionary work. Church attendance tripled. Everyone brings their friends. 

We had interveiws and I told president Giuria how I have been starting to think about life after the mission and stuff and how it's all stressfull. He said how the Lord already knows exactly where I'm going to go to school, going to study, going to live, going to marry, etc. So I don't need to worry about it. I just need to trust his plan and do my part. I liked that. 

We probably knocked doors for 25 ish hours this week. I can't lie, it was kinda a beat down. But it seems that now matter how many people are "busy making lunch" or hit us with the "a veces salgo" (has to be the most ridiculous excuse of all time) the Lord always puts someone in our path that is ready and willing to listen. I still don't understand how peruvians can be busy making lunch from 11-9 every day. 

In section 128 of D and C brother Joseph is writing an apistle to the saints about baptisms for the dead. But the section can be seen so many different ways. It is one of my favorite sections of the book. 

19: Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them!

22: Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.

25: Brethren, I have many things to say to you on the subject; but shall now close for the present, and continue the subject another time. I am, as ever, your humble servant and never deviating friend, Joseph Smith.

Sometimes brother Joseph just starts heating up and goes on a heater. What a legend. Praise to the man. 

Have a good week 

Elder Pohlman 

Alfajores

 Man I am tired. Is being tired all the time my new reality? I remember before my mission I used to wake up in the morning and feel rejuvenated and stuff. Maybe I have just reached the point in life that that isn't atainable? I am going to start blaming it on the parasites that I inevitably have. Or maybe the hundreds of other random health issues I have adquired here. Really need to stop drinking that dad gum cold water and sleeping with the fan. They have been warning me about that one. On a more serious note I actually felt great this week. 

Discovered the chocolate covered alfajor this week. Probably the best pastry item I have had here. Also found chocolate covered chirimoya. 

I have been studying integrity and I think it is something we can all improve. It is a Christlike attribute for a reason. 

It is crazy how I can walk through any neighborhood in Perú and feel completely safe but the second we pass by where the Venezuelans live I feel like I'm going to get lynched al toque. Why are there so many venezulanos here? The Peruvians hate them so bad. It is actually really sad.

D and C 124: 44

If ye labor with all your might, I will consecrate that spot that it shall be made holy.

I love this verse. I think it can be seen so many different ways. Obviously the Lord is talking about temples. But I think he is also telling us that wherever we are, if we work with all our might, he can make wherever we are holy. Our houses, families, friends, minds, etc. 

Many have asked how my bathroom and kitchen look. So here's pictures. They really arent that bad. Maybe I've just gotten used to this place. 

Will have 15 months in the mission this week. People said the mission would fly. Holy cow were they right. Crazy 

Perú! ⚽️

 One day this week we had every appointment fall for like 4 hours. We had a strong impression to walk out to a little development on the edge of our area. We had never been there before and logistically it made no sense to go out there. On the way out there we bumped into 2 different people that we had lost contact with and were able to teach them in the street. One of them is going through extremely hard times right now and was incredibly pumped to see us. When we made it out there litterally every single door we knocked answered and listened to us. What could have been a very discouraging afternoon turned into a good one. The hand of the Lord is very prevelant in this work. I think as I have spent more time in the mission I have started to see these little miracles more often. 

Still hate dogs 

Peru beat Uruguay this week in world cup qualifiers. Its about time they win something. I think we're no longer in last place 😁 it's our year. Won on a header in the 88th minute 

One thing that Perú has on the U.S is panaderías (bread shops). They are on basically every corner and they pump out hot bread 24/7. 

We saw someone this week with a Utah shirt on. My mind was blown. I think he was kind of shocked by a white kid running up to him and asking where he got his shirt. 

It's starting to heat up again down here. A few weeks until this place turns into a straight oven. I have really enjoyed the nice weather the past few months. Time to load up the fridge with sprites again. 

I found hot sauce in the big market and have started putting it on everything. Big win 

Happy birthday to my mom😘

D and 20 

7 And gave unto him commandments which inspired him; 8 And gave him power from on high, by the means which were before prepared, to translate the Book of Mormon; 9 Which contains a record of a fallen people, and the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to the Jews also; 10 Which was given by inspiration, and is confirmed to others by the ministering of angels, and is declared unto the world by them— 11 Proving to the world that the holy scriptures are true, and that God does inspire men and call them to his holy work in this age and generation, as well as in generations of old;

Conferencia

 I realized this week that I am all grown up and still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. The future is scary. 

A less active lady asked us this week to come help her paint her house. We got a group of 8 elderes and 2 sisters and went over. We pulled up and they had 2 peices of sand paper, a bucket of paint and 2 paint brushes. We just kinda figured we would spend a couple hours sanding the walls and then someone would come paint it later. After a few hours of sanding the walls and getting COVERED in dust the ladys son was like "ok yall ready to paint? We have to have this thing painted by tomorrow." I told him look dude I've never painted a house before but I don't think it's that simple. I think we need to tape off the baseboards and get paint rollers and everything. And the air is so thick of dust we literally can't see. Not to mention the fact that your house is huge and you've got one bucket of paint and a few little paint brushes. I don't think you just throw paint around and call it good, like I think it's kinda complicated. This absolutely rocked his world. After that he thought I was some house painting master. He started asking me stuff like hey hermano pohlman should we paint from top to bottom or side to side? Should we mix the paint in water? Totally random questions that I would never know the answers to. I started just acting like I knew what I was doing... "no yeah hermano take 1 litro of paint and mix it with .3 litros of water, that should do the trick" type nonsense. That seems to be a thing down here. Your computer isn't working? Call the elderes, they know. Your water pressure is low? Call the elderes, they know. Need to paint your house in 1 day? Grab a can of paint and some water color brushes and call the elderes. I am honestly not surprised one bit by this service project. It is exactly what I would imagine a house painting service project in peru looking like. 

The stake presidency showed up to put un conference 30 minutes after it started for most sessions. Par for the course 

The faith of the members down here is inspiring. Their biggest goal is to spend time in utah and attend a session of conference. They find it an absolutely horrendously grave sin that I have never gone to a session. It is kind of embarrassing to be honest. Their faith is inspiring. I won't lie, if I was a person down here it would be hard to be so strong in a faith that has a lot of its roots in another country. But it doesn't seem to faze them in the slightest. Every song when the congregation sings they stand and sing the words in spanish. It is pretty special. 

Conference was awesome. Crazy to think it's my third time watching it down here. I really enjoyed. We got all sorts of fruit and took it to the church. It seemed like they really put an emphasis on personal relationships with Christ and not just posting on Instagram about him. I really liked that. Walking around all week teaching key truths like baptism by emersion for the remision of sins and the importance of prophets (two things pretty clearly taught in the Bible) to people that absolutely adore the Bible yet find these two things incredibly hard to believe can be exhausting. Conference is always such a nice breather and opportunity to listen to powerful people and see that we aren't alone down here in our beliefs. I sat there in awe this weekend trying to figure out how you could posibly listen to the prophet of the Lord and not feel that he is a called and ordained servant of the Lord and that he leads His true and restored church. The people down here absolutely adore President Nelson. Every time it showed him they would all start cheering. Lol. Conference weekend as a missionary is one of my favorite things as a missionary. Crazy that I only have one more. 

 

We are so blessed to be able to listen to the prophets in our own tounge. It is so much more powerful. The latinos that gave talks had pre-recorded translations that the church used. Those ones were so powerful. Hearing the prophets and apostles voice as they speak is a huge blessing.  

Amos 3:7 (old testament 🤯🤯🤯) 

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

D and C 1: 38 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

We are blessed to be lead by a prophet of God. This is the Lords church. The same one he "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2)