Week 49: Enos 1:4

This week was amazing. This week we helped as a whole district move the hermanas to a new house and also I had the opportunity to do 2 divisions. One of those with the elders that share our ward. They have been struggling a lot lately with people in church and lessons. This week they had 3 investigators in church, it was such a great blessing from the Lord. The most they have had in months. Also, Saturday we had a ward activity. I played football with all the little kids of the ward. It was so much fun. I attached a picture of it. But my companion and I have been changed. I am going to a different barrio in Artigas as a Zone Leader. I can`t wait. My companion is such a stud. His name is Elder Màrmol from Spain. He only has 1 more change left before he goes home so he has a lot of experience and has had a lot of success so I get the opportunity to learn from him. I`m going to make sure he sprints until the end. No trunkiness allowed. I can`t wait to start working. The zone of Aritgas is going to blow up here in a few weeks. We`re going to be right next to the city of Enoch in los cielos. Jaja. Yesterday we were trying to find an ex investigator and we knocked this door and we met a lady from the church evangelica. The spirit was so strong and we were testifying our hearts out. She opened her heart and listen to us. I truly gained my testimony of the priesthood. She said that a church doesn`t save us, Jesus does. She was correct but at the same time wrong. Jesus established his church because only through his church do we have the priesthood power. It is only through Priesthood power can we access the power of the atonement through the saving ordinances of Baptism, temple work, and la santa cena. But it has to be His priesthood, not any, but His. His will, His way, and His timing.  We had a lesson with this guy named Fierrera. He is about 40 years old and he is having some really hard times in his life. We shared a lesson and to be honest it was horrible. But we came back the next day and that day we studied the story of Enos and his prayer of forgiveness. We shared that with him and he said that he had said the same words Enos said and he said he felt his sins lifted from him. He was trying to explain the holy ghost but couldn`t. He kept saying an overwhelming peace. This was an answer to one of my prayers. I have been praying so hard to gain such a strong testimony that Jesus is my savior by receiving a forgiveness of my sins. In that lesson it showed me that Jesus has forgiven me of my sins. I want to share the scripture that hit me really hard. Enos 1:4.....hunger (desire), kneeled down (humility), cried out (prayed), and all day and all night (paciencia). I know without a doubt in my heart that Jesus is my Savior and that he has paid that price for my sins. I love him and I am grateful for him! I love this work and I know without a doubt in my heart that this is His work....and "Hoy es el Dia" that God is apresurando su obra (D&C 88:73). I know this is the one and only church of Christ. I know that through the holy priesthood power we can access the cleansing power of the atonement through sacred ordinances. I love His work and I love my Lord and Redeemer.

Elder Arbon

Futbol with the barrio boys

Week 48: Experience, belief, actions, results.

This week was an amazing week. It started off with a blessing from a teenager named Franco. We were having our weekly ward activity and he came with a member. We were playing futbol and he came up to me and asked how he could be a part of this church. It was amazing, such a blessing! He saw the blessings that come from this Gospel and now he wants it in his life. Also, this week we were blessed with zone conference and stake conference. Such a spiritual experience! President Smith is such an example to me. I know he holds the keys to this mission. He changed the entire mission. How we teach, how we plan, everything. One thing he taught was a pyramid with four words. Experience (Bottom), belief, actions, and results (Top). A lot of people try to change results by changing actions. He taught that we change our results by changing our experiences, which change our beliefs, which change our actions, and then it changes our results. How we`re changing that is our lessons have always been 45 minutes long. He told us that after 20 minutes people lose interest and the spirit leaves. Our lessons are now 20 minutes long filled with the spirit. We leave them wanting more so then we come back the next day and then the next day. Also he read us a scripture 2 Nefi 32:8 that talks about Prayer. But he went deeper. It says if we hearken (listen and obey) to the spirit we will know that it will be good for us. We can apply that to our lives by listening to the whispers of the spirit, acting upon them, then we will know that it is good for us, and then we can testify with power. I want to bear testimony with power that this is the work of our Lord and Savior. My goal is to become his servant and an instrument in his hands. I love you all and I hope you have a good week.

Elder Arbon

Week 47: "Success in the mission field, whether it be findings or lessons, depends solely on your mindset (Vision)."

This week was amazing! By far one of the best weeks of my mission! I had the opportunity to do divisions twice in order to help the elders in my district. I helped them realize success in the mission field, whether it be findings or lessons, depends solely on your mindset (Vision). That is something that my companion and I have learned. It doesn`t matter your area, zone, or mission. If you truly believe you will be successful, it will come. Just need to believe in it and trust in God that he will fulfill his part when you`ve done your part to the best of your ability. But this week we had 4 investigators in church with the church attendance up to 60 people. It was amazing! The most we`ve had in the last year at least. The second counselor from the stake came and said if we keep progressing as a ward like we`re doing, they`re going to get us a new chapel! I love this work and I know it`s His work! I love you all and have a great week!

Elder Arbon

The foto is a "service" we did with Fabricio. He asked me to show him some lifting techniques. I knew I lifted for a reason! Jaja

Week 46: "Quiere agua, quiere un beso."

Super solid week this week! We`ve been working super hard to try to get the ward animated in the obra misional. Saturday we had a ward activity where we all came together and we had the whole ward go out and contact all of our old investigators. It was an amazing experience for the ward because they got to see the joy that comes from missionary work. After the missionaries played futbol with the barrio and cooked tortillas paraguayas. It was awesome, we had about 50 at the activity. But this week we have been working really hard with Rosario and Santiago. Rosario is the esposa of a recent convert and we`ve been really focusing on the importance of the family. They have a 2 year old son named Axel, it was super fun because one day we were walking down the street and Axel comes running yelling Elderes. Such a good experience! Also, Santiago is the nephew of Rosario and Fabricio. We found him one day when he went to visit Rosario. He`s 13 and has a lot of Fe in Jesus Christ. He has already read to 1 Nefi 11. Without a doubt in my heart I know it is the word of God given to us as another testament of Jesus Christ. Funny story, my comp had another bad dream and woke up screaming so one of the Latino Elders in the house woke me up so  he didn`t get beat up and I guess I woke up speaking in Spanish to my comp and some of the things I said were, "Quiere agua, quiere un beso." After I said that he went right to sleep. The next day when one of the Latinos told me that I laughed the whole day. But this week I`ve been studying a lot about the atonement and the priesthood. I`ve been reading in D&C 84 that talks about the only way we can access the ordinances of this gospel is through the priesthood and only through these sacred holy ordinances can we access the power of the atonement. I know this church is the only church on this Earth that holds the keys and the power to use the holy priesthood power for the saving of the souls of men. I love this gospel and I love this work. I love you all and have a good week.

Elder Arbon 

Week 45: "Obedience brings blessing, exact obedience brings miracles, and exact obedience with hard work brings miracles daily."

This week was an amazing week, we were so blessed in the work! A few things that happened this week: we had to take an hermana to the hospital because she had an allergic reaction at 10:30 at night, we have been searching for new houses for the hermanas that will be opening up an area, and my companion had a night terror and beat up a latino Elder that slept next to him (I laughed the whole next day). But his week was truly amazing. We could truly see the hand of God in the work. We have been focusing really hard and strengthening the barrio because last Sunday we had only 25 people attend church. This week we had our first consejo de barrio and our first activity as a ward in 6 months. In church we had 50 people in church, that was truly a miracle. Also we were blessed with success as missionaries. We had a lady named Elida Renee and a kid named Nico. With Elida Renee we took a less active member to her house and asked to come to church and she came. With Nico, we play futbol every Wednesday with all of the kids of the barrio and we have gotten really gotten close with a lot of them so they`ve started to come to church. But I learned a great principle this week, "Obedience brings blessing, exact obedience brings miracles, and exact obedience with hard work brings miracles daily." I know this is true and I saw it this week. I love this work and I know it is His work. I know that the priesthood, the same priesthood that Christ held while on the Earth has been restored, through our Beloved prophet Josè Smith. I know it is only through this priesthood that we can access the cleansing and strengthening power of the atonement through the saving ordinance only performed by the priesthood of God. I love you all and I hope you have a great week.

Elder Arbon