Week 41: "goodbye to President and Hermana Heaton"

This week was a really great week. We worked really hard this week on preparing for the new President. He came in today and the office Elders had the opportunity to pick him up from the airport. It was so awesome to be able to see him and his family when they got off the plane. It was really hard saying goodbye to President and Hermana Heaton though. I have learned so much from them. Their amazing examples and their love for the work. President taught me to work, to have confidence in the Savior, and to rely on the power of the Holy Ghost. Hermana Heaton taught me that regardless of the trials we face, kindness and service are always the best way to open the windows of Heaven and the divine help will pour over you. But I´m really excited to work with President Smith. He´s such a great man and I´m excited to learn from his teachings and from his example. This week we´re working super hard with Kati, we´re having a lot of problems with them not being married but still living together. Please pray to help us receive the revelation we need to find a solution to this problem. Also, we´ve been working a lot with Fabian to try to help him realize that he doesn´t have to have the knowledge of an apostle to become a member of the church, only a desire to excercise his faith and follow the savior. I love this work and I´m grateful for this opportunity I have to be a missionary of our Lord and Savior. 

Elder Arbon

We made tortas fritas con Santi y Kati.

Week 40: "Have your focus on the One but your heart to everyone."

This week was a really good week! We didn´t have as many in church as we wanted this week but one of them was Kati. Faw, I love her and Santi So much. I cannot wait for her baptism. We´ve worked so hard with her and we´re going to have her baptism here in a few weeks. But this week we were working a lot with the family of Willy. On Wednesday we had a great lesson with the bishop. We talked about the restoration. He is a really good teacher. But please, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ your calling is to share your testimony and nothing more. Your calling isn´t to share Lesson 1, 2, 3, or the law of chastity or tithing or the word of wisdom. Your calling is to first be an example through your actions, and then it is to share what you know to be true, your testimony. Don´t try to say what the missionaries would say, sometimes and a lot of times that scares away people and it´s the missionaries job. We have been set apart to teach those things, we have the power and authority to teach. Please, be an example to those around you and then when you get the chance to share the Gospel, share the "soft things". Share how the church has blessed your life, how families can be together forever, or your love for the savior. But this week we had a capacitación about the importance of families and not just individuals. That families are the purpose of the church and this gospel. Families are where true joy and peace are and they are truly the kingdom of God on this Earth. I know this to be the one and only true church. I know that the only way to return to live with our Heavenly Father is through the sacred ordinance of baptism, the covenants we make in the temple, through the Holy Priesthood of God, and through the weekly participation of the sacrament and the renewing of our covenants. I know the windows of Heaven are opened. I know God listens, talks, and answers the prayers of his children through the power of the Holy Ghost. I know we can receive this divine relation through the keeping of our covenants, obedience to the commandments, diligent studies, honest prayer, and service. I know the atonement has the power to heal, to cleanse, to empower, and to change. Have your focus on the One but your heart to everyone.  

Elder Arbon

People at Work

Week 39: "I´m so stoked!"

This week was an awesome week! We were blessed in church, a guy came we had never taught before named Carlos. His family either passed away or had moved away so he was left here alone, he says he wants to start a family. We had a lesson with him on Wednesday and we taught him the restauración. After we gave him a Book of Mormon and gave him a fetcha and he accepted. It was such a blessing. Also we went to Kati´s house for Sati´s birthday on Wednesday. Elder Gudmundson bought him a cake and I gave him one of my p day shirts. While we were there we showed them the video about the guy whose family was killed in a car accident by a drunk teenage driver and forgave him. We showed that to Kati and after we invited her to be baptized again and she accepted. It was such an amazing experience. Also we were walking in the street one day and we saw this couple outside of their house so we stopped by and talked to them and gave them a Book of Mormon. We went back this week twice and taught the Book of Mormon and read with him 2Nefi31. After we gave him fetcha and he said he wants to but he´s moving in 15 days to Ecuador. So that will be a great reference for those Elders. Also one day we were walking home and decided to stop by Nahuel´s house to see how he was doing and his mom came out crying saying she´s having some hard times right now. We talked to her a little bit and then after she said she´s going to come back to church. That will be super good for Nahuel. Also we´ve been working really hard with the family of Willy. Yesterday we taught the plan of salvation and said that the only way to enter into the Celestial Kingdom is to be baptized and then we invited Fabian to be baptized next week and he accepted. I´m so stoked! I know this church is the one and only true church with our Lord and Savior directing it through a living prophet who contains the priesthood keys. But it was a great week this week with a lot of blessings, I love you all and I hope you have a great week. 

Elder Arbon

Week 38: "I'm not looking back."

This weekly was an amazing week! It was a little rough because it was changes week so Tuesday and Wednesday we didn´t get anytime in the field to proselyte. But Tuesday we gave a presentation to all of the new missionaries about the finances. Wednesday we had to make sure everyone took the right bus and ended up in the right place. Wednesday we had to make sure everything was ready for when the new missionaries met their trainers. On Thursday we took all of the missionaries to the airport. Faw, I´m so glad that I have 16 months left. But my testimony grew again this week, God blesses those who serve him. We didn´t get a lot of time in the field but one of our investigators got an answer to his prayers, Luis. His brother has had a hard time with alcohol, but after he asked our Heavenly Father if José Smith was a real prophet of God, his brother got better that day. It was truly a blessing. I know God answers prayer, but we must pray with fe and we must be willing to act on the answer, even if it´s not what we want to do. But funny story...we are teaching this family that the dad is a menos activo. We´ve gotten really close with them. The girlfriend of the dad was asking me yesterday what my type of girls were. I told her I could not date on my mission, but she didn´t stop, she insisted. She said when we go by tonight she´s going to have one of her friends waiting for me. It was super funny! But this week I read a talk written by Elder Jeffery R. Holland called Remember Lot´s Wife. Such a power talk, I challenge all of you to read it. But I would like to bear testimony that I know this church is the one and only true church of Jesus Christ. It was restored through the same priesthood keys that He held while on the earth. I know the priesthood is the power of God. I know the Book of Mormon to be the perfect word of God without fault. I know I can return to live with my Father in Heaven, but only through His Son Jesus Christ the his sacrifice. "I´m not looking back."

Elder Arbon 

Nahuel's Baptism