Week 62: "Another amazing week!!!"

Another amazing week!!! My new companion is Elder Lopez, from Washington state. Such a great guy! He and I served in the offices at the same time and were really great friends so we hit the ground running as soon as he got here. This week we had some great lessons with Carlos, he is super excited for his baptism this coming Saturday. I can´t wait! Now we have started to work with his daughter, Samanta. But we had a really great experience this Sunday. We went out to Quaraí Brazil for a stake conference. The stake president asked us to be his support. It was great to listen to him and the mission president from the Brazil mission. I really felt the spirit super strong because I was able to understand almost everything. It was an amazing experience! I know God talks to us through the spirit and through the Holy Spirit we can receive the gift of tongues and the gift of interpretación. I love you all and I hope you have a great Thanksgiving week! 

Elder Arbon

Hulk Masacrando Artiguenses

Gauchos

Elder Arbon with Presidente Bueno and Elder Brown

Week 61: 2 Corintios 3:3.

This week was another incredible week! On Wednesday we had the great opportunity to help an older couple of missionaries go around the zone doing house checks. It was really fun to help this couple and be with them for the day. They are truly incredible people, so faithful and full of love! On Saturday we had a talent show as a ward! It was probably one of the funnest nights of my mission! There was about 70 people there! The whole ward was clapping, singing, and dancing! I´m so grateful to be able to see the power of the Lord help this ward come together as one. Man, I love this ward so much! In the show de talentos the 4 Elderes dressed up as gauchos (Uruguayo Cowboy) and danced an Uruguay dance. It was so fun! But our investigator Carlos Falco is really gaining a testimony. We have his baptismal date for the 30th of this month. He is such a great man...God is truly sending his angels to prepare the hearts of the children of men. But this week, my companion goes home and my new companion will be Elder Lopez. I can´t wait, he and I are really great friends so it´s going to be a great change where we will see a lot of miracles! But this week during studies I found a scripture that I have come to love....2 Corintios 3:3. I would like to bear my testimony that the gospel of Jesus Christ is engraven on my heart. I know Jesus is my Lord, Savior, and Redeemer. I know only through him and his teaching he can be my advocate with the Father. I love you all and I hope you have a great week! 

Elder Arbon 

Purple Pday

Week 60: "The Book of Mormon is truly a book of miracles."

This week was absolutely amazing! Monday we had a noche de hogar with a family that just recently moved here from Maldonado. They are a menos activa family so we have been working really hard on getting them back to church. They came last week and this week during the noch de hogar the husband told us something that really hit me pretty hard. He said that the wife has truly changed. Before they knew each other they she was a drug addict and a prostitute. But due to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the amazing power of the Book of Mormon she was able to have a change of heart. It really showed me that the Book of Mormon is truly a book of miracles. Also this week we had tri-zone conference with President Smith. It was the first time in mission history that we had it here in Artigas. President said he wanted to have us show the other zones so that they could implement the things into their zones. It was such a great experience! The spirit was so strong and everybody was uplifted from it! Also this Sunday was a lot of fun! There was a huge storm that cancelled church! The streets were flooded and a lot of the houses of members we flooded as well. So we told all of the hermanas in the zone to stay home and all the elders to get to work. It was so humbling to see the way people live here. It really showed me the blessings of the Lord that I have in my life. I love you guys, have a great week!

Elder Arbon

Week 59: "This truly is His work and He is speeding it up."

This week was by far the best week of my mission! It first started off with this menos activa familia. They have been inactive for a long time and their 11 year old daughter isn´t baptized. We dropped by one Sunday to invite them to church and found out that their daughter was sick. So we went in and gave her a blessing. After we left they went to the hospital and the president de la estaca works there and gave her a blessing. It turns out that she had Meningitis. But everything turned out well and the family said it was because of the blessing she had that God protected them. The whole family came to church this week. Also this week we have been working really hard with the family Betancourt...they have been inactive for awhile. But all 7 of them came to church this week. It was absolutely amazing in the church. We had 110 in church. We have almost tripled the attendance in 3 months. This truly is His work and He is speeding it up. During church Carlos and a few other investigators came to church...Carlos has a fecha for the 16 of Noviembre. He is an incredible man. But Mario...one of our recent converts got up and gave his testimony this week. It was truly powerful and it brought tears to my eyes. Also the zone is doing amazing! Three months ago we started with 241 people in church in toda la estaca. Yesterday...we had 514!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also we had the second most baptisms out of all the zones of the mission. It is truly amazing! All of  the elderes y hermanas are working so hard, obeying, and listening! I know without a doubt this is the true church. I love you guys and I hope you have a great week! 

Elder Arbon