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

Week 71: "have an experience in Christ."

The work here is going amazing! We were blessed this week with 7 investigators in the church and the assistance was 68 and we started at 40. The work is going really well! I wanted to talk to you about something. It is something I learned in Artigas. Read 3 Nephi 11:14. It is when Christ comes to the Americas after his Resurrection. He asks the Nephite people to come unto him and thrust (don´t just feel) the marks in his hands, feet, and his side. Why does he do that? He does that so the people can have an experience in him. So they can know for themselves that He is the Christ - 3 Nephi 11:15. When was the last time you had an experience in Christ? I learned how to have an experience in Christ, read Mathew 5:38-41. We must go the 2nd mile. We can´t just go through the motions...that´s the first mile. The second mile is...the thing that is hardest for us. 

I know you are going to kill me and I want to apologize before hand. We had interviews this week and I extended my mission from the 9th of September until the 9th of October. I want to be home with you but I love this work so much I don´t ever want to leave.  On Thursday we had interviews with President Smith. It was an amazing interview. After I left with the President to a lesson. It was truly amazing...I felt the spirit so strong!  

Elder Arbon  

Week 70: "I know Jesus was behind pushing me and pulling me."

This week was incredible!  My companion and I are living in a tree house basically, with just us two. I probably shouldn´t tell you but I think it is so funny. Our toilet doesn´t work, both of our sinks don´t work, in the kitchen there is a hole in the sink so the water goes down into a bucket, then we use that bucket to flush the toilet, the shower is broken so it´s just a hose, we have to sleep outside because it gets so hot at night because we live right above a bakery and their oven runs all night, none of the lights work so we study and plan in the kitchen, we have cockroaches the size of your palm, rats, and bats. It is so fun!!! This is what a mission should be like! My companion and I did 2 divisions (I went to the area of other elders and worked with them) and worked our heart out. This week we had 9 in church!!!!!! It was amazing! 9! God blessed us more than I could have imagined! It was so humbling and so incredible! Also President Bueno and his wife came to visit me...I love those two so much! It was so great to see them. This week we have been having a lot of problems with an Elder, he has been complaining of back problems and wants to go home. He also hasn´t been obeying to the best of his ability. So this week he is going to be working with me. I´m really excited to help fill the power of the spirit and have an experience in Christ. But this week was amazing...I have never been so tired and beat up in my life. But I know Jesus was behind pushing me and pulling me.

Elder Arbon 

Week 69: "The best and the smartest missionary is the missionary that knows and teaches the basics."

This week was a really great week!!! Rivera is doing really well! I love it more and more every day! My companion is a great missionary. We get along very well and we work super hard together! He is from Ecuador! We are doing our best to get references from members, they have been giving us a few but we are really working with the menos activos. So they can reactivate and then they can bring their friends with them. The members are really good with lunches...we have lunch almost every day. This ward is a really good ward. Right now a lot of them are traveling for the holidays but our ward works really hard! On Thursday we had the opportunity to go down to Montevideo in order to have a meeting with President and all of the other zone leaders in the mission. It was amazing...the spirit was there so strong! We found two new families this week and one of the families came to church this week and are planning to be baptized the 8 of Feb! I cannot wait! The Elders here are all awesome...they work super hard. I have learned on my mission that the best or the smartest missionary isn´t the missionary that has the most amazing new technique. The best and the smartest missionary is the missionary that knows and teaches the basics. The Lord has said I delight in plainness, the Book of Mormon preaches in plainness.  Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ taught with plainness to Joseph Smith, and it is plainness that invites the spirit into a lesson and it is plainness in our lives that helps us live a Christ centered life! I love you guys and I hope you have a great week! 

Elder Arbon