Two Months In!

This week was great! Last Tuesday we went to the Guayaquil West Temple! It was so pretty and beautiful, but I  didn't know what was being said, so I had to wear those headphone things for the English translation of everything. It was still really good. I loved it, but other than the temple just tons of Spanish.

My comp and I also had another baptism! Her name is Isamar Yarlibeth Silva Espinoza. Everyones names here are so long. I can never remember anyones names. Especially all of the members. I see them a lot more but can never put a face to a name or remember their names. Oh yeah and my name is never said right haha! It's hilarious how the people here struggle with it. Only one person has gotten it right the first time and he studied English for a while so it doesn't count. His English is also really bad but he knows a little bit.

The Coke here is way better than in the US. I  love it so much but don't drink it as much because it makes me feel slow and tired, but it's still amazing.   Usually when people get soda they´re just in these huge bottles. People don't really buy them in the small bottles, and everything here is crazy cheap. In the US everything is probably trippled or more. I love it!

Most mornings I will wake up with random bug bites. Some itch and some don't. I don't know. I don't really see mosquitos flying around a lot but I'm getting bit. The mosquitos here are on steroids or something cause the bites itch more and last longer and leave red spots for a long time. It sucks.

It's so hard not being able to speak or understand anyone. Especially in lessons. Cause I  just want to talk and know what they're saying. My comps English sucks when he trys to explain stuff but that's alright. I love it though. I can't wait till i just know Spanish well enough to understand people. All the American missionaries here say that they come not knowing any Spanish and it usually takes about 3 to 4 weeks to understand what people are saying. So I still got a while.

All is well though, just soaking it in and working as hard as I can. Time is actually going by really fast. I just miss being out in the hills and stuff. Especially now that hunting season is starting, but I can wait till I get home I guess. Well I love you all and hope your weeks are going well! Keep the Lord in your thoughts and hearts and pray often. Love you!!! BYE!!!

Elder Pollock 

Week 2!

Hey guys!!

This week was better than the first. I still have no idea what people are saying, that's really cool.  I can get the gist of it though and I can share a scripture and bare my testimony, so I guess that's all I can do right now.  But I'm loving it. 

So I had my first baptism on Saturday and it went really well.  I was so nervous. I didn't mess up on the words and have to repeat it so that was good!  She was super excited too!  Also another one of our investigators said yes to baptism, so I'm super excited about that too!  It's so hard though not being able to talk to the people and stuff and actually have a nice conversation and know what they are saying, but it's getting a little better every day. 

The food here is so weird.  All the food and how they're mixed and stuff is something of it's own.  I love it though. There's so much food.  Every time we eat at a house it's like this huge huge meal and I have to eat all of it!  It's weird cause back home I could never eat all the food, but here, there's more food and I can always eat all of it.  The weather isn't too hot yet cause it's the cold season and there's not really any mosquitos,  but November, December, January, and February are the really hot, rainy, humid times of the year so I'm super excited for that. 

Today was my comps b-day and we went to the zoo so that was way fun! There were so many cool animals.  I'll send some pics. 

Anyway, all is well here.  I hope everyone is doing good.  I know God is looking out for you guys and helps you with your needs every day, no matter what it is.

Love you all so much!  Have a good week!

Elder Pollock

First Week!

Hey guys!!! This first week is absolutely crazy.  The first two days were super hard because of the culture shock. Everything is just so different here! Everyone is super super poor. There are motorcycle taxi things everywhere and tons of people and things going on. Its insane. 

So my first day, I stayed the night at a house that was close to the mission office. It was a pretty good house, but the shower in the morning was super cold.  I came with 3 other missionaries and we all stayed in the house.  Two of them were from my district at the MTC.  It was nice having them there.  The next day we had the interviews with the mission president and stuff and then went to his house and ate dinner with them and the new missionaries in this mission.  It was good.  Then we went and got our companions.  My comps name is Elder Espinoza.  He is from Peru and I don't understand him at all.  It's really hard to understand anything holy cow!  It's so rough, but we get along pretty good and he helps me with Spanish a bit and is really patient with me,  which is good.  In lessons and just talking to people he does all the talking cause I have no idea what is going on.  So much Spanish and I feel like I am never going to learn the language. 

The area I am in is a pretty poor area.  I dont know about other areas, I dont even know what my area is called, but thats okay I guess.  There are tons of dogs everywhere.  I havent been bitten or anything yet so thats good.  The houses are just concrete with tin roofs and dirt or concrete floors.  There is garbage literally everywhere, and lots of super weird smells... it's really weird, but I'm getting use to it, so thats good.  Every day to get to my area from the house we take these motorcsycle taxi things it so cool!  It costs 50 cents for two people though, for however far.  So thats good.  Nothing here is like back at home, everything is different, even the food.  The members that I eat at give so much food its insane.  At first I couldnt eat all of it but I can now.  The food here is super good and I have no idea what any of it is.  Same with the drinks that people give me.  It's all a mystery to me, but oh well.  Most of it is good and some is bad but I eat and drink it anyway. 

It's really hard not knowing the language or what anyone is saying at all times, but hopefully that gets better soon.  I asked a girl to be baptized because my comp told me to and I didn't know what was going on, and she said yes.  She wants me to baptize her and we will be doing that this Saturday!  It's so cool,  I'm so pumped!  All is well.  I'm just super frustrated with the language though. 

I love all you guys and miss you all so much!!  Sorry if I didn't write back.  It's because I have so much to do and so little time to write and stuff.  But I'll do what I can.  Theres not a lot of pics because I ran out of time.

Elder Pollock

From the Mission Blog

12 NUEVOS MISIONEROS EMPEZARON SUS MISIONES

El 5 de Septiembre 12 nuevos misioneros llegaron a el mejor misión de Dios, son de varios países del mundo. Ellos primero conocieron sus entrenadores yo pude ver los ánimos que tienen para hacer la obra del Señor. Luego el día 6 de Septiembre hubo la capacitación para ellos.  Ellos pudieron practicar como hablar con personas y como vencer el temor de compartir el evangelio. Durante la conferencia, Presidente Santos nos compartió una experiencia que tenía. Él, cuando era misionero, salió de una sector y bautizó una persona. No pudo ver el satisfacer de su trabajo hasta que vio el converso con un llamamiento siguiendo firme en a iglesia. Nos enseñó que nuestros acciones en la misión tiene efectos muy grandes que no vamos a ver hasta después de ella. Estamos muy felices para ver esos nuevos misioneros y las bendiciones que van a brinda a la gente de Ecuador.

12 NEW MISSIONARIES START THEIR MISSIONS

On September 5, 12 new missionaries came to the best mission on earth, they are from several countries of the world. They first met their trainers and I could see the excitement they have to do the work of the Lord. Then on September 6 there was training for them. They were able to practice how to talk to people and how to overcome the fear of sharing the gospel. During the conference, President Santos shared an experience he had. He, as a missionary, left a sector and baptized a person. He could not see the satisfaction of his work until he saw the convert with a calling being firm in the church. It taught us that our actions in the mission have very large effects that we will not see until after the mission. We are very happy to see these new missionaries and the blessings they give to the people of Ecuador.

Made It Safe!

Hey mom hey dad! I made it safe and sound. all is well. this computer doesnt have auto correct to everything is probably going to be spelt wrong. we slept in the mission home or whaterver its called. there were 4 of us who are new. we slept on matresses on the ground. no sheets or anything. at night it feels like im in vegas but without the tall buildings. i dont know who my comp is yet. ill find out soon i think. havnt met with the mission pres yet either. last night we got off the plane and went to mcdonalds. it was pretty cool. not as good as home though. anyway all is good. hardly any english but thats okay. spanish is rough but hopefully everything will come fast. i dont know what area ill be serving in yet but ill find out today too. anyways i love you guys so much! i miss you guys so much too. Wish me luck cause i need it. haha. this is going to be a real adventure. here we go! bye love you guys!

Last Letter From the MTC!

Hey guys!! 

This week flew by faster than I thought it would. I remember thinking that this was going to be the longest week ever and now here I am... nothin much happened. It was just any other week at the MTC.  All I've got to do is pack today, and then class tonight, and tomorrow is church and stuff so really I'm just done now. Im really nervous to get out into the field in Ecuador. It's going to be so hot and humid!  Bring it on! But really it's going to be hard.  I'm nervous I'm going to get a worm or something and get put in the hospital. I hear stories about that all the time. Which sucks. But it's exciting. The language is still rough and I can't understand as well as I can speak Spanish which is weird but it's a challenge and I'm ready for it. It's just all the simple stuff that I should know that I struggle with and all the hard stuff that's hard to know that I don't know. But it's all good.

At the Sunday night devotional I can't remember who it was, but it was a pretty good talk!  He was talking about us missionaries and how we are truly an Army of Helamen. He talked about how the Spirit of God dwells inside all of us. Everyone on earth. He mentioned how we need to lose ourselves and forget ourselves in the service of the Lord. He talked about a lot of stuff which was so so good but it's a lot. After the devotional we watched a talk from Elder Holland. It's called missions are forever. It was so good! It was really motivational and inspiring and really helped my perspective on things! I loved it so much! I'll just give you one quote he said, "do it by the Spirit because there's no other way. There can be no other way." I thought that was super cool!  And Tuesday night at the devotional my cousin Max and I sat together in the choir. It was so nice we talked the whole time until the talk. He's a good man. His parents should be proud of how much he's changed! I already know they are. The talk was good though! I loved it.

Other then that stuff, not much has happened. Tonight is the last time that we get to see our teachers!  We are going to get a ton of pictures with them! I'll miss them a lot. They are so cool and spiritual! They've helped me come closer to Christ. That's what a good teacher does. Anyways love you all and hope you have a fantastic week! Work hard and keep the Lord in your hearts and minds every day! He blesses our lives every day and we don't even know it. At the end of every day, look back and see how the Lords hand has touched and blessed your life. If you do that then He will show it unto you.

Love,
Elder Pollock

Cousin Max (Elder Franckowiak Leaving Sunday evening Sept. 3rd to the Rostov Russia Mission) and Jackson (Elder Pollock Leaving Monday morning Sept. 4th to the Ecuador Guayaquil West Mission)

Jackson has an eye for photography.  

Max sent these to Anny and she forwarded them to me.  What amazing pictures!

I'm so glad they had the opportunity to be in the MTC together!  I know this was not by chance.