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)

Amelia

Amelia got baptized this week. Pretty awesome baptism. She was super prepared and is super awesome. 

It rained (sprinkled) for about 30 minutes here on saturday. Rain in chiclayo is the end of the world. The streets turn to mud and everyone just kinda hunkers inside all day like its the apocalypse. Pretty funny. 

Testicular pain is the worst type of pain to exist. It seems like I always leave and enter the house in a lot of pain. But either due to the warm lemon water the pensionista gives me (she says it cures cancer btw) or God's protection it seems like I am always able to do what I need to do from 11:30 to 9 in order to do the work and get from lesson to lesson. 

Mercado Modelo in chiclayo is the craziest place you could possibly go. Walk around one corner and they're making mango smoothies, around the next corner and their cutting a pigs head off, around the next corner and they're making witchcraft brews, around the next corner and theres the biggest most beautiful fruit stand you've ever seen and around the next corner they're selling sharks. It never ceases to amaze me what you can get away with down here. Every time I go to the market my eyes ears and nose have a panic attack. 

The first person I ever baptized here went through the temple this week. Pretty crazy. Been down here for a minute. 

Love you all

Elder huevos fritos

Los ñaños 🇪🇨

Transfers were this week and I am with an absolute stud named elder kelley. We started the mission together so we had known each other well already. He is a stud. We are also with another elder named elder Arellano. He's from Ecy from an indigenous tribe so he has long hair and stuff. It's pretty lit. He calls me "ñaño" and it takes me back to ecy times 🥲 whered all the time go?? Starting to flyyyyyyyy? 

We saw some gringos this week. They were weirdos. One of them was wearing a cowboys hat though. Its crazy how its our year

We've been working hard. Should have a few baptisms coming up. We are teaching multiple full families that are married already. I want to baptize a whole family so dang bad. 

A lot of people have asked about my health. No I am not dying. I really am ok. With the counsel of wise people (my parents, mission president, doctors) we will make a decision soon about rather or not to have surgery done. It has been a diffent challenge for sure, but it has been an opportunity to trust in the Lord and revelation. 

Sorry, not a very long email. Sharing a phone with a latino on pday can be a little difficult 🤣🤣

Have a good week 

🇵🇪

This week went by fast. I enjoyed myself. 

We taught a guy with a big pen of probably 100 cuyes (guinea pigs) in his house. I've realized thats why they eat them here. You buy 2 of them and within 2 weeks you have 100. They smell so nasty. 

They are paving all the roads in in the northern half of Chiclayo 🙏 this place is going to be a different world in a few years 

I was offered 5 cows and half a families property to move to Querocotillo (look it up cool place) and marry a guys daughter. Pretty tempting. I love the people from the mountains. I can't even explain how beautiful the little towns up in the mountains of peru are. The little tiny ones that only have 50 or 100 people. I miss being up there. I only ever was able to visit a few of them, but they are so dang cool. It was about a year ago that we pulled up on a few and were the first white people to ever step foot in one of them. Crazy. The people are so cool and literally live 100% off their property. It is seriously the coolest thing ever. They get up at 4:30, go grind on the land, harvest some potatoes corn and a chicken, cook dinner, go shower in the river, then go repeat again the next day. I could totally live up there (for 3 days maybe) 

I finished the green spanish book front to back doing every single practice. It's been about 5 months in the making for 30 minutes every day. That thing is a beast. I'd say this is probably the biggest success since Mr clay shirts. 

Transfers are this week not necesarily looking forward to it. I don't want to leave my companion. Me and elder Urias are just about as united as me and Jmat on senior trip. It's a good duo. 

I have been really focused lately on how I receive personal revelation and how the Spirit works in me. I didn't really pay a ton of attention to it up until a couple months ago. I did good things and did the Lords work but once I started to really pay attention to my personal revelation and promptings from the spirit, my mission has absolutely changed. I have a yearning desire to have the Spirit in my life and be guided by him. It is a feeling that I want with me all the time. When a little kid hits me on the shin with a stick and I want to slap him on the head or people in lessons do the "oooooo hermanito yo tengo fe. A ver. Te cuento" thing and go on a 20 minute rant and I get frustrated because the lesson isn't going how I want it to, I feel the spirit leave me. It is not a good feeling. It is so interesting being able to always feel and know if the Spirit is guiding me and blessing me. It is something relatively new for me because up until this point in my life I have felt the spirit with me but I haven't ever really payed attention and tried to notice it's constant influence. It has become a constant yearn and desire in my life. Focusing on this has changed my life and been such a blessing for me. 

Love you all. Christ is king. 

Some members took pictures of me eating cake. Got violated in one pic but its funny so ill throw it in  

365 in 🇵🇪

 Today marks a year since I got to Perú. I will always remember my very first day here. Exactly one year ago today. I met my companion, we got in a van and drove 3 hours out into the foothills, dropped off our bags, ate the most delicious food I had eaten in a while, and went out to teach. We had a family home evening our very first night in a little shack next to a river on the outskirts of the city. Within 24 hours I had gone from air conditioning cars and paved roads to hot, walking and dirt. I was so uncomfortable, I felt so far from home and was so scared. I understood maybe 3 words from that family home evening. I kinda just sat there and smiled. But I felt the spirit as we sang hymns and read the scriptures with that humble family. The only thing I was usefully for was eating 5 bowls of popcorn that the cute old grandma was cooking on the fire. Looking back, that very first night was the night that I fell in love with perú and these people. I wish I could go back and be a fly on my backpack during those first few hours here knowing what I know now, having gone through what I have gone through, and having grown how I have grown. Sometimes it still doesn't feel real that I live here. I am so thankful for this place. It has for sure been the craziest, awesomest, hardest, most rewarding, happiest year of my life. 

The family that me and Elder Cutipa were teaching in my old area whose wedding we went to was baptized this week. I wasn't able to attend, but am super excited for them. It is the first husband and wife I have seen get baptized during my time here. It is crazy to see how sometimes we don't see the fruits of our labors until weeks or months after. 

The rest of the familia Chambergo was also baptized yesterday here in our area. One of the coolest baptisms I have ever been apart of. They are the most humble people I have ever met. Their family is going through so many hardships money wise right now, but were still able to take saturday off for the baptism. They are seriously probably the coolest family I have met here. Since the kids are older than 18 they will have to wait a year to get sealed to their parents, but the ward is super involved with the family and super giddy to help them reach that goal. 

Seeing a whole family get baptized in an old area and half of a family get baptized in this area has had me thinking about temples and how we can really help our converts to continue progressing. The temple is obviously a huge part of this. Yesterday there started to be rumors going around that the church has bought the land for the Chiclayo temple this week. It hasn't been confirmed by the church, but they will probably come out and anounce it in the next few weeks. The temple here will absolutely change missionary work and the church here in Chiclayo. I am kind of jelous of the missionaries that will get to serve here with a temple literally 5 minutes away from any corner of the city. But, it is a privilege to be able to be apart of the groundwork leading up to it. And as I have seen this week, the Lord is definately preparing people and families to be endowed with power. 

I stepped on a mouse in the middle of the night while getting some water. Theres so many mice in this house we can kill them without even trying 

I'm pretty sure Chirimoya was the fruit on the tree of life

We saw an old man pooping in the middle of the sidewalk

My health seems to be about the same. It's a fun game, every day I get to wake up and see what body part will hurt today! Meh. It is a little bit discouraging but it was a good week. Man, I love these people so much. 

Shoutout President nelson on the 100 bomb. We are so blessed to have a prophet in our days to guide us and receive revelation on our behalf. 

 Alma 7: 13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

 14 Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness. 

Some pics from this week and from my first night in peru 🇵🇪 

 I formerly apologize for any coloquial speach included in this email. I feel the need to make some jokes to lighten my mood a little. I promise I have changed on my mission. 

I came to the conclusion this week that there are only 3 things that will not miss about Perú. Healthcare system. Huge dogs barking and looking like they're about to kill me while their owner says "tranquilo, no muerde, no te hace nada" and people forcing me to eat things against my will. All of these things will be pretty funny looking back on it I'm sure. 

Spent a good chunk of time in the hospital again this week. Got imaging done on my crotch again (second time in Perú). They diagnosed me with a "varicocele". All I know is it feels like I got kicked there all the time. Most of the time it is just an achy dull throbbing pain but some times I want to fold over and cry like a little girl. How many medical diagnoses can Elder Pohlman rack up in Perú? I really just wanna be healthy again😕 aparently theres no cure 🤷‍♂️nice. They always used to call me three ball cpohl back when I played basketball (they never called me that). I guess putting on the whole armor of God will look like double knee braces and a jock strap for me 🥲

I was given a paper and pen this week and told to solve 174+89 and I could not do it. Whatsoever. I'm in trouble for college. 

Despite the hardships of this week, we saw some awesome experiences. There is a family of 5 recent converts in the ward. They are the poorest people I have ever met in my entire life (and I have lived in south america for a year). They live meal to meal. 7 people live in a little shack with dirt floors and tin roofs. They have a tiny little kitchen, a pipe with water, and a room with 7 matresses set on cardboard on the dirt floor. The whole room is basically just one big matress. They are so incredibly humble. In total they are a family of 7 but the two oldest kids (18 and 22) didn't get baptized. The family has been having some incredible hardships lately, and hadn't come to church for 3 weeks so without saying anything to them the relief society did a fast for them. This last sunday both of the kids that aren't members came to church and started meeting with us and accepted baptismal dates. This was honestly one of the first experiences I have had that has really stregthened my testimony of the power of the fast. Super cool experiences. 

About 50 people showed us the tik tok of the elders somewhere in south america dancing in the disco this week that went viral. People here think its the greatest thing ever

We also had a baptism this week. Pretty cool. We've been working our huevos off, busting our pelotas, putting our nueces to the wall, etc so this baptism was really sweet. Marco has always been pretty hesitant, and his uncle doesn't like the missionaries so we've been a little tentative with him. But we finally grew un par and invited him to be baptized and he accepted. 

God is good. Church is true.