Week 74: "We are going to get rid of all the limits we are putting on ourselves and we are going to go to that next level!"

This week was a great week! We had a lot of things going on this week in the zone. Tuesday was changes so we were traveling back and forth from the terminal to our house. We also have been busy looking up prices for the furniture because we are renting a house for a new companionship that is opening an area. Now, we have 34 missionaries. We are planning on 15 baptisms or more as a zone this month! This change as a zone we are focusing on not being content and not looking back. We have had a lot of success here in Rivera, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have more. We are going to get rid of all the limits we are putting on ourselves and we are going to go to that next level! I love it! This week our recent convert, Daniel, will be getting the priesthood and will be called as the secretary of the ward. I am super stoked for that! Have a great week!

Elder Arbon

Week 73: "When we sin Satan wraps us up in chains and the only way to break those chains is by repentance!"

This week was an incredible week! There was so many things that happened! The best thing that happened was the baptism of the family Pintos! They are a family of 3...the dad, mom, and a 1 year old kid! I love the family! That Sunday they invited us over to eat dinner with them. It was so awesome because they live in a tiny shed, one room without a kitchen or bathroom. But they are so amazing! Something that I learned this week was about repentance! In order to be converted, you have to repent. When we sin Satan wraps us up in chains and the only way to break those chains is by repentance!   We had the opportunity to go down to Montevideo to have a meeting with President Smith and all of the Zone Leaders. It was such a blast. We ended up staying down there 3 days. We got there the first day and my old companion, Elder Lopez, and I decided that we wanted to go to Burger King. So we left to Burger King and about 4 other companionships decided to come with us. So as we were walking, a storm hit with a lot of rain. We were also with some hermanas as well. So we sent them in a Taxi and we were running down the main street of Montevideo with our bags soaken wet. It felt like "Hobos on the Loose" again! During our meeting with President it was really inspired and filled with the spirit. One of the things that he said was that in order to be converted to the Gospel you need to repent. That really hit him. I know it sounds like a common saying that we hear all the time but I have learned that the key to the spirit is repentance. Also I learned that the key to animo (the best translation would be excitement) is the Book of Mormon. I loved that! The first thing we should do every day is...start with a kneeling prayer...read and mediate the Book of Mormon. With that comes the animo! I loved it!!!!!!!! We got back Friday night and on Saturday we had a baptism of a family! It was absolutely incredible! I had the opportunity to baptize the father...What a great experience! On Friday...Carlos Falco...my convert in Artigas came to visit me during church. It was so great to see him! Today we had a zone activity! We made zone shirts and painted them together and then we had a water balloon fight! It was so much fun. We also got changes this week! I will be staying here in Rivera and my new companion is Elder Zapata from Spain! Love the guy...he lived in the same house as me in Artigas!

Elder Arbon

Week 72: "We truly saw a lot of miracles this week!"

This week was another amazing week! It flew by! We are working with Corto Plazos in our area right now, they are young men in the church who are preparing to serve a mission and they come and serve with us for a little while. It has been absolutely amazing! Instead of one companionship we have two in our ward in order to get more work done! This weekend a family from Artigas came to visit us here in Rivera, the family Fierreira. They are such an amazing family! They came with us to some lessons and then they came to church with us on Sunday. But this week was filled with miracles!  We truly saw a lot of miracles this week! In church we had 8 investigators and two of them, a family, will be baptized this Saturday! I cannot wait!  Also, as the zone, everybody is killing it! They are all working so hard! As a stake we had 771 people in church, we started with 600 and had 48 investigators in church...it was absolutely incredible! I learned a lot this week...one thing I learned is that it is better to be trusted by God than it is to be loved by God, because God loves everyone but doesn´t trust everyone! I want to bear my testimony that I know this church is the one and only true church. The only church that holds the power to access the power of the atonement in order to receive the remission of our sins. I know that God is our Heavenly Father, that Jesus is the Prince of Peace and the author of our salvation. I know that the heavens were opened and the first two missionaries, the Father and the Son, appeared unto Joseph Smith and gave him the keys to restore the true church of Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book on this Earth, and in this book holds the key to peace in this life and guidance for the eternal life.

Elder Arbon