Week 22: "I´m learning so much about the Gospel and about our Savior but I´m also learning so much about myself and the man I want to be."

On Tuesday I packed up and said goodbye to everyone and got on the bus to Montevideo. I left at 12:30 in the morning. I tried to sleep but this gordo (fat guy that probably weighed easily about 350 pounds) sat across the aisle from me and snored the entire bus ride and the girl sitting next to me kept falling asleep on my shoulder so I would have to move to make sure she wasn´t but it was still a fun trip. I love it here!!!  When I got here we had an orientation for all the oros (new missionaries) and after we sent them off we got to work. The schedule here is a lot different then every other missionary. We have p days on Saturday and planning on Sunday. We wake up at the usual time and have personal studies at 8 until 8:45 and after that we go to the offices. We work in the offices until about 4 and then have a comp study until 5 and then we get to work in the field. But I´m mostly in charge of the reembolsos for these next two changes and then the next 2 changes after that I will be in charge of all the bills, the rent, and all that stuff. There´s four office Elders, two secretaries and two finacieros. My comp is such a capo though, Elder Larson. He´s from Cali and was a surfer. He´s such a hard worker, I love it. Yesterday we went for a run along the beach and then worked out at a park right next to the beach with the TRX bands. I loved it! Our apartment is two minutes away from the beach and we can see it from our apartment. It´s so sweet here. We went up to the roof and we overlooked the whole city. It was a amazing! We also have a big store next to our house so we don´t have to carry all of our food on our handlebars so that´s been nice. We also get to drive a car, but the roads here are nuts. Lines on the road are just suggestions to these people, it´s like Mario Kart in real life. I love it here. The ward is really helpful, my first day here we had 3 lessons with member and we have two bautismos por the 23rd of this month, I can´t wait! The way they speak here in the city is so much different than in Salto. They speak so much clearer here, they are so easy to understand so that´s been really nice too. The only downside here is we don´t get a lot of time to work in the field because we´re in the offices most of the day but this is where the Lord needs me.

Drew sent me a talk to read and it changed my mission. It´s called ´Consecrated Missionary.´ Please go read it. And what I realized is that I´ve been a good missionary and maybe even a great one but not a consecrated one. I need to forget about home, my future, and my past and turn everything over to the Lord. We have an hour to email and I am going to be obedient to exactness. But I really do love it here, I´m learning so much about the Gospel and about our Savior but I´m also learning so much about myself and the man I want to be. And that man is a disciple of God, not just during my mission but after my mission and for the rest of my life.

I love you all and I hope you have a great week.    

Elder Arbon