Success and Trials...

Dear Family and Friends,

I apologize for my letters being so horribly written. My English is getting horrible.

First of all, the weekend of conference, we had very little opposition, we got to go to two sessions of conference, but had 5 people attend, first was the Jiminez family: Grey, her son Justin, and her daughter Ladt. Then, Monica and one her son Sabastian. We found both of these families by a miracle. Monica we found that Saturday night, Justo, we went to Zamora Huayco Barrio and a member had her as reference waiting for us. The referral is her step daughter, who for quite a while has been attending christian churches, and is honestly searching for the truth.  She went the Sunday morning session of conference.  She hasn't accepted a baptismal date, but if she knows the church is true, she will be baptized. Family Jimenez, we just found by contacing them in the calle, they told us that they didn't believe in the Virgin Mary, they accepted a Book of Mormon, after a couple visits with them...they accepted to prepare for a baptismal date....they also went to the Saturday morning session of conference...we are really praying and hoping that they will progress.

Dia Miercoles (Wednesday), we realized that a member who is our mamita ( she makes us lunch every Wednesday) had brought two of her work friends Friday night to clean the capilla (chapel). They literally took 3 hours to clean the church. They left around midnight, and the next day one of her friends that helped clean, Se llama Yaima Torrez came with her son and watched the Saturday afternoon session of the conference and we didn't even know it! We really had 7 people come to the conference, but that is okay...what really is important is the following up and we have a sita (discussion?) tonight with both of the member's friends...we are excited to teach them.

This week thus far, has been difficult, the whole week, no member was willing to accompany us.  It rained about half of the week, and my compañera this week has had a few hardships, she bought some bad milk, she received a ripped 20 dollar bill and no accepted it. Stuff was not happening her way. It was really hard for me to make mistakes, and not forgive myself,. This week and in many occasions, the Adversary attacks me through my self-esteem, and so I get into this vicious cycle of feeling sorry for myself and not changing...but I know that is not what repentance is about. I learned that need to set small goals before I can reach the big ones. As a companionship  we learned that during times of trials we have to look at it as sign to grow, a time of gratitude, and a time to grow in the love that God has for us. Many times God wants us to learn something when something isn't going our way, usually it is because ewe need to think of a solution, this week we are going to teach the lessons differently in a way, that our investigators can have the message stick in their heads, and they can have a spiritual experience.

A scripture that really helped me this week, is found in Helaman 5:9-11, 17-19, The missionaries Lehi and Nefi (how she spells Nephi now) remembered their objective to invite people to come unto Christ and to be baptized, they remembered their fathers and there reason for coming to the promised land, they remembered the words of the prophets, that if they keep the commandments, and build their foundation of Christ, they can never fall. and and ''they did preach with such great power and authority given unto them...therefore they did speak with unto the great astonishment of the Lamanites, to the convincing them, in so much that there were 8 thousand of the Lamanites who were in the land of Zarahemla and round about baptized unto repentance''

I know I just need to remember why I wanted to serve, so that families can be together forever, and taht I can learn to become a true disciple of Christ and have a pure love for all men. Yo Sé que este es la Iglesia de JesuCristo, Yo Sé El murio para mi and yo Sé que El vive hoy dia, y algún dia vamos a vivir con EL en las eternidades...me encanta este gran obra!

Les amo muchismo
Hermana Arnold

Editors note: I can vouch for how poor her English is now.  I was talking to a Spanish teacher that i work with and he said that this is good because she is almost certainly gaining a mastery of Spanish. Each time I put one of her letters on her blog, it gets more and more difficult.  I am thankful for Google Translate.

Intercambios (Exchanges) and Bus Rides!

So this week I had intercambios(exchanges) in Zamaro, my companion was in the jungle, and I stayed in Jipiro, but I got some sicks pictures of water falls, I'll have to send them next week.

In Loja, it is cold, beautiful, and lots of people are blessed with a lot of money, but Satan has a lot of power over the people here. There is lots of Idolotry, and a lot of people cannot accept the book of mormon, because they already have a bible...they cant give up their traditions of thier fathers, This week have been really trying harder to work and leave with the members, but when people lack faith, Satan has so much power. One night, we were on a bus to teach a person in another subdivision, but the bus stopped the lights went out, and the driver of the bus was trying to move the bus. We were crossing a small bridge over a river, but he couldn't maneuver it correctly. We were very close to the edge...a lot of people wanted to get off the bus, but the driver said no, I am going to fix it. The spirit on the bus was very ugly. When he tried driving in the right direction we got even closer to the edge...We all got off the bus and I knew that Satan did not want us to teach tonight.

Despite our many trials and opposition that we receive in Loja, we realized that we have to strengthen our knowledge more in the scriptures and we have to know Satan's weaknesses, and we have to be strong enough spiritually and mentally in order to win this game. This morning I was studying preach my gospel, Knowledge, in christ like attributes. Scriptures that really helped me was was in D&C 88:118, 131:6, Alma 17:3... it says that if we strengthen our knowledge in the gospel that we can teach with more power and authority. I really am trying to organize more of my thoughts and studies so that I can have more an effective and spiritual study and apply them in my mission.

Here is really cool quote from Henry B Eyring that I absolutely loved that I know relates to missionary work:

The Lord has given us all the source of hope as we struggle to help those we love accept their eternal inheritance. He has made promises to us as we keep trying to gather people to Him, even when they resist His invitation to do so. Their resistance saddens Him, but He does not quit, nor should we. He sets the perfect example for us with His persistent love:“And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen;yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.”

I know that our efforts are worth it...and than even though people dont accept it now, our ancestors will be blessed for our efforts and that if we keep our covenants we can have eternal life. I love this gospel and I know that it is true. 

Love you all.

Hermana Arnold

All of a Sudden....Transfers (CAMBIOS)

Well, I would like to send pictures but every time I find a computer in the cybers that don't work with the photos entonces, someday I will send you some recent photos with me in them. I am a little Gordita but it is what it is. Welcome to Mission Ecuador Guayaquil Sur.

Where's I've been so far (click here to see more)

So, in the middle of this week I had CAMBIOS (transfers)! There was an emergency and one of the other hermanas in the other zone needed transfers, entonces, por eso I had cambios and now I am the in the other east zone of Loja and I am in a rama (branch) called Jipiro. I was sad at first.  I really loved Catamayo and all the members; it really was a special place, but I guess this is just the will of the Lord, and I guess its just good practice for life.

Bueno, the members have a reputation of not liking the Hermanas because of something that happened a while a back, and a lot of them like the Elders more than the Hermanas, but we have plans to change that, we actually fasted that we could gain their confidence and that we could have unity with them. I was surprised and realized that the Lord blessed us because a lot of them were willing to help us I think simply because they see that we are willing to work.  We always have to be on our best behavior and we have to be perfect examples always so that people can trust us. It is such a big responsibility, but I know that we are Christ's disciples and we have to represent Him.

This week I realized why I needed to be in Jipiro because I have a lot animos (excitement, motivation) to work and to find people.  They have this saying on the mission which is,  "Qitar la tapa."It means to take away the top. If we don't let anything stop us from reaching our goals and don't let our doubts interfere with those goals,  the Lord can bless us with miracles and many people that are prepared for us. It is true that there are more people that are prepared for me here than there are in Catamayo.  I know that is another reason why I am here.

This week we found a women named Ulga, and she all her life has been very spirtual and had a dream about Jesus Christ ( que bestia all these people who have visions of God in there dreams) and before she met us she said she had a dreams needed to receive something from someone.  She is so prepared and we just found her trying to contact a referral, She just needs to have a sincere heart and ask God if these things are true and come to church, but Satan is going to do everything that he can so that she cant go, but the Lord wanted us to find her and I hope that she progresses.

Also, my new companion is named Hermana Argueta and she is from Guatemala, another Latina...hopefully by the end of my mission I will be a Fluint Latina. :)

Love,

Hermana Arnold

Halfway done, and turning 20 years old.

Note:  September 1 is Hermana Arnold's halfway point.  It has gone by so fast for us here at home.  It looks like she is having a great time, despite the normal mission adversity.  Here is her letter home this week. 

Hello everyone,

I had a good birthday, my district bought me pan de chocolate, and on P-day I bought 2 skirts for 3.50 and a dress for 10 and shoes for 13, I love how cheap things are in Ecuador....but also, after that I forgot that it was my birthday, because I was so focused on other people! It was a great day, by far one of the best birthdays.

Also...this week I have witnessed a lot of opposition from the adversary. Satan is real, and he has angels and they take hold of a lot of the people's hearts, and this week, was kind of difficult because we could feel them. They obviously don't like that we are here.  We've had a couple experiences this week that I can say that I am afraid of the adversary, but I know that Christ lives, God has a plan for me, we have authority to be here and we are changing people's lives no matter how much they tell us we aren't doing anything. I may not be able to see all the fruits of my labors but we have a part in this plan, and we are just helping many people come unto to Christ who don't know where to find Him.

Sorry, I am running out of time, but I love my mission, I love to be hundred percernt focused on other people, and my capacity to love and serve others has grown and I get so excited to go out to work, when 6 months ago I dreaded it.  I have come along way and it has flown by so fast, but I still have so much to learn. Please always have me in your prayers and especially my investigators and converts that they will stay true and develope there own testimonies and repent...I hope this with all of my heart! Well, I love you and this church is true and this is his work!

Love,
Hermana Arnold

Catamayo...And More Success.

Note:  Due to the flakiness of the editor, I have gotten behind on the blog.  I will be posting older emails received over the past weeks, but here is the latest.  Hermana Arnold has been transferred to Catamayo, which is in the Mountains and is in the province of Loja.  It sounds like it is a bit safer than the big cities of Guayaquil and Machala.  Thus she has been able to take a few more pictures of the area without the fear of being labeled a tourist and thus becoming a target for muggings

So first off, I know that you may not understand the way things are done in my mission, every mission is different, but there are lot of interesting and cool things that we do.

Overlooking Catamayo

We have planners where we record everything we are going to do, we have our weekly plans and our weekly goals, we have these things called key indicatores, the key indicatores are lessons with members present, other lessons, references and contact, new investigatores, and also due to the circumstances of our mission we add other key indicatores like how many Books of Mormon we give out, how many people we have the reunion sacramental, how many people we invite to be baptized and these little papers called plan of assistance ( these little papers help people to remember to go to church and we have to have members with us in order to for people to be committed to going to church)

Every Tuesday and Friday we meet with our district and our zone to have a meeting, of what we are going to do to help our sectors. We always try to plan to have a certain amount of people go to church and then we make a goal as zone that this is amount of people we want to have by this Sunday.  (I hope this helps people understand a little better, what we do as a mission)

This Sunday, we had about 6 people come to church, and we have 2 baptismal dates for September. There names are Guiermo Lozano and Anthony Cueva. What is great is that there both in  part member families. We also have other investigators who came to church named Mauricio. He's 16 and his mom has been inactive for 25 years. His dad isn't a member...but they are all a really special family, and their next door neighbors are even more family, so if we work with them they can have support...and they all can be converted.

We have been working on Nancy Jaramillo and her family. Her parents have plans to be married the 25th of August!! and on the 30th, Nancy will be baptized with her parents. I know that this will come to pass, and I really am so very happy for them, and I know it is because of our faith and diligence and to help them...I hoping with all my heart!

This week I have learned the importance of charity, the spirit in companionship, and discipleship and that in order to love someone we need to be able to see the way they see, and we need to be able to forgive. At times it is hard for me to do this, but I know that because the Savior forgave, I need to forgive. The lord forgives me for my sins, thus I should forgive others for what kind of things they do to me.

I was reading a talk by Uchtdorf about how we need to enjoy the moments in our life, because this life is short, especially for me, on my mission. He said something about discipleship and he said, ''Let us resolve to follow the savior and work with diligence to become the person we were designed to become. Let us listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spìrit. As we do so, Heavenly Father will reveal to us things we never knew about ourselves. He will illuminate the path ahead and open our eyes to see our unknown and perhaps unimagined talents."


I know that this true, and if try to take day by day and try to be like Christ and serve others with all my heart, might, mind and strength, I know that my goals and my gifts can be realized and that I can take every good thing that I learned out of my mission and apply to life. I am really grateful for these experiences. There really is no other place that I'd rather be.

Until next week,

Hermana Arnold

Transfers and New Area

Well, looks like I had cambios, this always happens here in this mission, there is always a reason for every transfer or companionship, sometimes presidente has inspirations in his dreams on when and who and where will cambios be for the missionaries, seriously, I was so ready to stay in Machala another 2 or 3 months, my last Sunday there was the most productive and the ward council was actually easier to work with...this was the first time that I actually didnt want to leave, but when the Lord wants us to go, we go. I learned a lot about Humility and how we always need to have love be our motive when we do things, we also need to always have faith and act on the faith we have.

I am in Catamayo, a little province in Loja, the Sierras...I was so excited to be here, seriously! It is so beautiful. I will give you a little geograhical facts about Lajo. Catamayo, is about one hour away from Loja and it is on the border of Peru...Catamayo also a little closer to the costa, so the weather isn't nearly as cold as Loja or Cuenca, there are lots of high mountains and hills, so we are always walking up the hills. Also, to travel to the coast to the mountains, it take about 5 to 8 hours because they don't have freeways and they haven't quite figured out how to use dynamites to make the roads a little bigger to make the trip shorter..there is a view called buena vista, it is up on a hill where you can see the mountains and down below are long green grass fields, I am so blessed to be here, seriously!

So, the ward is not actually a ward, but a branch, and the capilla is really tiny! We are one companionship of hermanas among two other companionships of Elders, we are kind of outnumbered and this is my first time ever being in the same ward with Elders. Ya, our boundaries are all of Catamayo...its HUGE!

The people here are a little bit more tranquilo than the people in the coast, a lot more closed off, but the cool thing about the Sierras is that there are more married families. The bad thing about the Sierras is that people lean on the traditions of their fathers, which is catholicism, and so if they even think about changing thier religion, there parents or their grand parents are going to have it. It is incredible to talk to people on the streets and every other person I here say they're Catholic because of the traditions of their family...its something that they accept. I know that God is not a God of tradition, He is a God of commandments. This is definitely a new experience that I get to learn while I am here in Catamayo, Loja.

Actually when we got here, we didn't have a carpeta de area neither a program for August, so this was kind of a challenge, but with Hermana Cambal, she has experience opening up new sectors, it wasn't too bad. We actually were able to find people by talking to everyone and asking for references in every house that we enter. But this Sunday was surprisingly successful, I did not expect this much success. Church begins at 10 A.M and so we got up to wake up our investigators, and we talked to every single one and they all said that they could come. We actually invited one family to come with us 30 minutes before and they came with us. When we got to church, 9 people came to the reunion sacramental, that is the most I have ever had. The room for the reunion Sacramental is bien pequeño, this day there were more people that came to church and so there were seats outside of the sacrament hall, we didn't have anywhere to sit because there was no room, but we were happy that the numbers in the church were a lot better for the branch. I will write more next week about the investigators that we have.

Something that I learned this week is that our thoughts or impressions only come from two sources, Satan or Heavenly Father and always the temptations or inspirations begin with our thoughts, if we heed to the bad thoughts or actions or going to lead to maldad, but if we heed to good thoughts we are going to reap blessings and find that the spirit was speaking to us. The spirit is the only thing that can lead us to the right people and the right places, so we have to trust in the good thoughts so that we can have success. This week I have been trying to think more positively, because this is a sign of my faith...I think that is part of the reason why we had such good numbers this Sunday, but until next week, I am not going to let the cloud of doubt hinder the faith that I do have. Chou!

Transferred to Machala, Ecuador!

Note:  This email was short because we had spoken via Skype just the day before.  Rachel was transfered last week and is now in the city of Machala. 

Facts about Machala

1. Machala is 3 hours away from Guayaquil
2. There are a lot more pobre parts (poor) and the streets are really dusty
3. since we are in a field, there are a lot more trees, weeds, and weeds here are a lot prettier than they are in the US...
4. My sector is huge and we have to take tons of taxis

Here is the shpeel: when I arrived in Machala, the hermanas that were in my casa had their own programs for investigators (we put on the wall for the month of May our baptismal dates, the investigators have to attend 3 weeks of church before they are baptized) but they changed and so me and my companion have the other hermana's program for baptism, its a little weird, but it is inspired and we just go with it. hopefully I made sence, probably not.

We have 4 new fechas, all of whom i don't know really well: Jasmin who is 16, Johnny who I believe is 30, and Estefany who is 8 ( I am not really sure how she became a fecha because she is only 8 but okay)

Last week, I think I got a little trunkie, but I realized a way to get over it, its just to get over it and stop thinking about myself and just focus on one moment at a time. I have been praying every night to have charity for all those that I teach and just focus on the needs of the investigators, when i do that...the day passes by so fast. I really do like the area a lot, the people are a lot more open to hearing the gospel.

There are a lot of things that I need to work on, especially with the language, it is hard for me to understand the needs of my invesitgators but I know if I listen with the spirit, the spirit will be able to indicate to me what it is they need. one scripture that I read today was in Jacob 5:71-72 and it just talked about how the Lord worked with the servants in the vinyard, I know he is working along side me and directing me, I just need to have faith and let the spirit guide, so that I can rejoice with him in all the work that I have done for his children. Although trials pass, I have a testimony of the restored gospel and that Christ lives. I cant wait until I can see him one day. Love you all!

Same Sector, New Companion, and "Intercambios."

We had intercambios this weekend, and I went with Hermana Schiller, her sector is on the Galapagos!! She is really awesome and has such a happy spirit. She is the only 2 people in her family who are active, she is really strong and such a good example that she on a mission. I really surprised myself. It was awesome to be able to take the lead and teach the investigators. We broke our record with lessons with member, we had 6 and I didnt even need my trainer! I know the area, the member know me, and I am able to do this. The Lord keeps showing me that I can do this, and when I start to think of myself, and feel tired mentally, I do this things that I need to. When I focus on my conversos, I no longer feel the way I feel. I want Giovanna, Eduardo, and Francisco to progress. They are so special and I know that if I do all I can to help them, they will be able to have strong testimonies for life. Recieving baptisms is great, but when they progress, endure to the end, and go to the temple...that is what matters to me. and That is part of our purpose, they endure to the end and reciece their covenants in the temple. 

For a long time I wondered why I am still in Centenario, but I know that it is because I need to help Giovanna, Eduardo, and Francisco, they need me because no other missionary knows them the way I do. 

I read in Jacob 1:17-19, and it was just after Nephi had died and the people started to become more wicked, but Jacob, was consecrated a priest for these people, and has taught them in temple the things of the Lord, he knows that it his responsibility to magnify his office and answer the sins of the people upon his head, if he did not teach them the word of God with all diligence where their blood might not come on his garments, or their reason for falling was not his culpa (fault) he knows that he will not have to answer for them during judgment.  I realized this relates to missionary work, we as missionaries go through the temple before we are set apart, and we learn about the Plan of Salvation in the temple, and that everyone is child of a loving heavenly father. We are set apart because it is a hard job, but it worth it. and we have a heavy job description, the salvation of the childern of God is in our hands, but if we labor dilligently with all of our souls to teach them and bring them to Christ, we will not have to answer for them at judgment. This is a calling that is more than a trip, it is a lifetime calling and we are helping so many people. I hope that I can do the best I can to bring these people to Christ, and I hope that people will accept him! 
Love you all! 

Of New Companions, Fanesca and Testimonies in Spanish

So my newest companion is named Hermana Cambal, she is from Puyo, Ecuador which is the Frontera de las Sierras y la Ciudad. I am really lucky because I get to learn actually ecuadorian Spanish, and learn a lot of things from her because she knows the culture. It was really hard at first, to accept the fact that there were cambios, but after a few days, when I saw the way she teaches, and the new ideas she has, she is really Pilas! I have a ton things to learn from her, she knows the gospel and is really strong in the scriptures, and has a lot of different and awesome ideas

A couple days ago we made pizza with family with part members. We were able to kind of have a stronger bond with them and show them that we were serviceable. It was a nice change and it was really fun. I hope that the more we serve people like this, the more they can trust us and are comfortable with us sharing the gospel with them, and them accepting it.

This week, the holiday Semana Santa happened, it is basically like Easter and everyone basically holds crosses and flowers, walks around in the streets together, and sing sad songs in tribute to the crucifixion of Christ. They have this tradition in making fanesca. fanesca is a soup where they use dried fish, uncooked frijoles, egg, maduros, and vegetables. I had fanesca with tuna in it. I have heard that different opinions from missionaries about fanesca, but it actually isnt bad. It is cool to try something new!

There are a lot of pluses and minuses to the mission, although there are ton of baptisms there a ton of menos activos! The easiest type of person to baptize is niños because they are the most humble and the most accepting, however if they have no support, they will most likely fall away. I have seen a lot of people who said they were baptized in the church, but have not come back for many reasons. It is so sad to see them not want to repent and not want them to come back. The gospel will improve thier lives, going back to our sins only will make us more miserable. Wickedness never was happiness. It is so important to have support, but it is also important to have a foundation. We need to always read the scriptures and pray. It is the small things that strengthens our testimony and belief in Christ.

The Lord everyday has shown me that I can do this. There are a lot of days where I feel I can't get through another day and we will not be able to find people, but we do. I have the spirit with me and the spirit talks to me and inspires me. The spirit helps me to say what I need to say, and I know that people listen to me. Words have always been my biggest asset, I always to help people with them, and I know I am. I am blessed with the words of life and the gift of tongues, I have authority to preach the gospel.
yo sé que Jesucristo vive y él es me salvador y mi vida.

Yo sé que la iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los últimos dias es verdadera. La Unica manera nosotros podemos regresar la presencia de Dios es mediante su evangelio y su enseñanzas y nuestra fe y esperanze. La Quiro muchismo, no puedo esperar por su proxima carta.

Hermana Arnold

My Typical Day (with a small tribute to my mom)

Herman Arnold and Ayer recreating a pic
from her mother's mission

A typical day here is to wake up at 6:30 am, pray , wrokout, get ready at 7, have breakfast at 7:30 , then at 8 we have estudios personales, then after that we have companionship study for 2 hours, then at 11 we have idioma estudios. At 12 pm we start proselyting. usually we visit one or two people before lunch and then we go to lunch at 1 pm. We have about an hour to eat, then we proselyte from 2-9 p.m, we teach converso rescientes, menos activos, and investigadores. if we don't have any sitas (appointments) that is when we just start talking to people on the street we either invite them to go to church or invite them to be baptized. I have learned that it is important to talk to everyone until we find the right ones (mangos bajos). At 9 p.m we return to the house, we plan for the next day for about 30 minutes , we inform the district leader about our progress, and after we write in our journals and get ready for bed...that is my day!

Sister Weiler and her companion circa 1989.

I am getting a new companion this week.  I am staying Centenario and Hermana Ayer is training another hermana and they are opening up a new sector in Cuenca. I am really jealous that they get to go and really sad that I don't get be with Hermana Ayer...We have been through a lot these past 9 weeks, its crazy to think that we are going to part. I know this is the Lord´s will and we are both going to grow in some shape or form. I think we are going to be friends forever.  Seriously, she is like my best friend now.

Things have been really good in Centenario, but still it is one sector that is little more duro than others. Duro, meaning hard hearted. Hermana Ayer said at one point she had 11 investigators and right now in Centenario, we only have 3. Santo Rosa is more pobre and campo (poor and field/ valley) people are more accepting. In Centenario, there are more people who have money and cars, so people don't like to listen as much. But the one thing I have noticed about this sector is that, even though people don't like to listen as much, the people that do are Seguro( sure) and they know for sure that they want to be baptized, they don't just get baptized on a whim. I have noticed that in order to be fruitful, we have to be very obedient...its not as easy to receive so many new investigators. The members of the Ward are so helpful and the mission leader works really hard to keep the members active and help the converso rescientes. Hermana Ayer said that the ward is probably the most solid in all of Guayaquil, the members have such strong testimonies of missionary work, they help us a ton!

I love the members and the area however, I have to break through many mental barriers. These past 9 weeks have gone by fast but they have also gone by really slow, at times I wish I were somewhere else. I guess these cambios are good because it is going to help stretch me and change things up a bit . I am terrified because I have a Latina Companion, and so far this is my first. I have to show her around Centenario to get used to things and I am so nervous, because I have depended so much on Hermana Ayer...its going to be a lot on me for a while. I speak pretty good Spanish for only be here 2 months, but I know it is going to be a challenge because I still have a lot to learn. Looks like the Lord is going to bless me, I just need to stretch my wings and fly from the nest. I am capable of leaving the nest! I know the Lord has a plan for me and he just wants me to grow, I am so grateful to be in Ecuador and to be able to speak Spanish. I am so grateful to have the knowledge that God lives and that God communicates to his children. I am so grateful to be born into a family with the gospel, I realize that even though I am blessed, I have a big responsibility to help others come unto Christ and find thier families. I need to remember all the blessings that I have.

Elder Utchdorf said something that I really liked: could I suggest, as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? in other words, im suggesting that instead of being thankful in our circumstances--whatever they may be...true gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony. it comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will.

We need to always remember our blessings, and during both hard times and good times to have a thankful disposition, having eye of faith and hope that someday everything is going to be okay and these trials of life are only temporary. During the ups and downs i need to look at the bright side of things and need to see the reason that I am going through that trial, and one day I will see what that prepared me for. I know that this life is short and that we go through a lot of hard things, but it is not in comparison to all the things we will go through in the eternities. As Elder Utchdorf said, we are not made for endings, our lives are only made to begin and never end. This mission is only a year and half and I know this experience is going to shape me for the rest of my life. I am blessed to have these experiences, I know that this mission will sustain me forever.

I love you all!

Hermana Arnold

Fruits of Labor and Just Fruit!

Lots of Fruit in Ecuador...This one, Passionfruit

I am an in the city Guayaquil, Centenario. it is a richer area, a lot of people have cars and actually have fairly nice homes. Habiscuses and other tropical flowers grow outside people´s homes, they are so beautiful and people in the U.S would kill to have these kind of flowers! People here really love rice and Plátanos (really big plantain) there are two types, verde, green and flavorless, you have to cook it and you make chifles and patacones with these. Then there are Madures wich are mas dulce (sweet) and you make Madura Fritas with them, you cook them as well. They are both really good.

I am actually doing fairly well with the language. it is easier for me to just listen to people talk than for me to talk, even though I am fully capable of holding a conversation with somebody. I need to have more confidence in my abilities. The fastest way to learn the language is to listen to what common words people say, study them, and study the scriptures! When you know the doctrine and do all you can to serve people, the Lord will bless you with the Gift of Tongues!

Arnold and Ayer with Giovana at her baptism

The people are hospitable here! Every time we go to someone´s house they offer us jugo, agua, or cola or anything that they have. The people love to talk and tell their life stories. At times it is unrelated to the lessons, but it shows they trust us, and they love to have company! And also Latinos love that upbeat hymns, and it does not matter if they are in tune or the harmony, they just sing with conviction and testimony, it is awesome!

Saturday was got 8 references from a member and invited so many people to come to church. We were positive that we were going to lograr out metas ( reach our goals) which was 10 compremetidos a assistar a la Iglesia. We woke up early one Sunday morning, to walk to thier houses, and nadie (noone) woke up and noone wanted to come with us .We were devestated because we also missed the Santa Cena. It was a really hard Sunday, my body was tired and just wanted to go home and sleep.

I learned that God withholds miracles from us because he is testing us, we need to fulfill our capacity or our potentcial. We haven't been inviting enough people to be baptized, Lately I have felt a burden, this is how I usually feel when I run a race and I dont give it my all, I am going to have peace until we give it our all and invite everyone to be baptized. Afterall that is our purpose. We need to have faith that someone will accept our message. I also learned from Hermana Ayer, that if we have trials or we have problems, we need to understand the root of our problems, like Nefi when he broke his bow. We have our agency to change our situations, and trust in God that he can help us fix it!

I just need to remember his will and he has all power to give us miracles! We just need to constantly change and trust in God! Max Lucado said, ´God loves you just the way you are but he refused to leave you that way." This life is our time to prepare to meet God. The Lord knows best; he knows our potential, I love you all!

Hermana Arnold

Miracles and Difficulties

This week I experienced a miracles and desafíos (difficulties). The first experience that I had, was at a baptism, me and one of my companion went to of one of the investigators of the Hermanas in our district. As a goal of our zone, we planned to invite our nuevos fechas ( investigator with Baptismal date) to the baptism so they can experience what the service is like. We planned to invite 3 of our fechas including 3 menos activos. Only 2 of our menos activos came, and 0 fechas. It was a bummer, however, the miracle happened with the menos activa Elsie. She has been inactive for most of her life, she 16 years old, and doesnt even remember her own baptism. We have been trying really hard to get her back to church, so far she has been really closed off and shy. I think it has been hard for her because she knows she has to change her life to come back to church. The truth is hard to hear. For a while, we werent sure if she was going to progress. But the Lord showed us people can and have desires to change.

She on her own went to a Noche de Hogar activity and she went with us to the baptism! So after we got to the church, we left her with the people who were attending the baptism and walked to get our other menos activa. When we came back with our menos activa, Elsie's little 8 year old brother was there with her! This was a miracle because this little boy wanted us to teach him, he had desires to be baptized! We didn't even think to invite him. The Lord inspired someone to bring him, it was super chévere! Elsie was welcomed by all the youth, and gave her kisses and hugged her (latinos are very touchy and loving, this is the way that they show love) They welcomed her as if she was already apart of the family and she wasn't even gone! The Lord wanted us to reach out to this family, I still believe that they have a long way to go, but at least they know that there is a way, and they have people that can help them.

Also Giovanna, got baptized this week!!! we were so happy for her and she was definitely prepared for us! I took some pictures before the baptismal service!

My second experience was really difficult. Sunday mornings, some of the members and the missionaries in the ward meet to go walk to menos activos and investigators houses for church. We planned on inviting 6 amigos, only 2 came. We could not get anyone out of their houses. One of investigators with a fecha, was not able to come for some strange reason, and she never came. Giovanna and Francisco came to church, but did not stay the whole 3 hours of church. That was really frustrating, they do not understand the importance of going to church yet! Then We went to go plan Francisco's week before his baptismal date which is this Saturday and the family told us that Francisco cannot be baptized this week because they have a really trip to take to see a relative and will not return until Sunday. We were devastated and frustrated because there are cambios this Saturday (transfers) and we may not be able to see him get baptized...lots of not so easy things happened that day.

One thing I learned is that, through the good and bad times, the Lord is blessing us. and even though we are not perfect, and people reject us, and not understand the importance of their salvation, we still have ours. We still know that this church is true, and if it is not going to get through to them, its going to get through to us. There is only one way to happiness and eternal life, and that is through the Savior. He descended below all, so we can be raised up and live with our father in Heaven. I love this Gospel and I know my Savior lives. This work is so hard, but Vale la Pena. Vale la Pena means it is worth it...Salvation isn't easy, but its worth it!

I love you all

Hermana Arnold

Things To Know About Ecuador

1. It rains at least 2 to 3 times a week and half of it is !Full hace Color! 
2. The bakeries, the rice, and the cockroaches are 10x bigger in Ecuador...
3. There is a 3 day holiday called Carnaval where everyone throws water at each other. Me and my companion were only able to proselyte for 2 hours each of those days! One day, we were walking down a street and a cute little family drives slowly past us and sprays us with soap and water...it was by far the weirdest experience I have ever had in my life...
4. Latinos really like to practice their English when they pass by us. They say," HIII HOW ARE JUUU" One Latino yelled at us while he was on his motorcycle," Hermanas I love JUU¨" It really is quite hilarious. 
5. You cant flush toilet paper down toilets, you have to dispose of it in the trash. Its nasty 
6. The jugo (juice) is absolutely amazing, members make it for us for lunch. It is like a smoothy, it super buenísimo! 
7. Guineos (bananas) are like 25 cents each, I am addicted to them! 
8. Keys are worth a lot of money here, like 45 minimum! Aparently, to make them it is really expensive in Ecuador. A lot of families have only one set of keys! 

MORE FACTS TO COME NEXT WEEK!

This week has been really difficult for me to have confidence in teaching. Every time I say something, the adversary really loves to send buses to overpower my voice and dogs that start barking. At times I freak out because I don't know what to say or how to start lessons. But the times when I just let the spirit guide, everything works out and I am able to teach with clarity. It seriously amazes me when I have no idea what to say, but when I start to open my mouth, the spirit gives me words to say! I have faith that the investigator understands by the spirit!

In Alma it says by small and simple means the Lord will bring about His great and Eternal purposes. I don't know everything, I cant see everything, but I know I just gotta keep doing everything I can, as simple as it might be.

I also learned about sacrifices, that when we make sacrifices the Lord will bless us even more that we thought possible. We just have to have faith and let the Lord lead us! And like President Monson once said," sometimes faith means trying again tomorrow". We cant be perfect at something unless we keep working at it, sometimes we just gotta jump into the cold water until swimming and breathing becomes natural.

Faith is the biggest principle, Life is always about faith. Faith can help us see miracles, we just have to work at it until we no longer need to act on our faith to see miracles, we will have a perfect knowledge of things...I love you all!

Hermana Arnold

Two weeks in Ecuador

I dont have a lot of time but I will tell you that I am in the city of Guayaquil. The other areas in my mission that I will probably be transferred to are Santa Rosa, Cuenca, Loja, and Machala. Loja and Cuenca are in the Sierras! We are missionaries over the Centanario ward. There are 16 missionaries in the zone, and there 13 zones in the Guayaquil South Mission. In our zone we have 25 baptisms on average a month, it depends on every zone...but it is about 250 to 300 each month.

The food is really good but super duper fattening. Lunch is the biggest meal here, and usually a meal comes with a big bowl of soup, meat, and lots and lots of rice. There are also bakeries  EVERYWHERE! I am a little worried about gaining weight, a lot of sisters here do...one sister gained 30 pounds! I sincerely hope that I wont gain that much weight.

This past weeks, our faith has been really tested. We have to have members assist us on our visits, it is MUY IMPORTANTE because the members here are not always reliable. The youth are absolutely amazing, the majority of the ward is youth, and a lot of them just come to church on their own. I really do enjoy getting to know them, they are super PILAS! Anyway, the language is coming a lot easier, however, it is still hard to understand the needs of investigators because of the language barrier. and it is also difficult because most of our lessons are taught out in the streets. People dont have very much here and so they don't often like to invite people into their homes.

I feel as though finding people is like picking out of big bag of marbles at random, I have know idea where to go or who to talk to. I often times just have to listen to Hermana Ayer and follow the spirit, that is seriously the hardest thing to do, but we have been obedient and we have been working our tails off!

We fasted from saturday afternoon to sunday afternoon, and let me tell you that was really difficult, but worth it! Saturday afternoon we taught a menos activo named Jose-Luis who served his mission in Quito, but hadn't returned to church in over 15 years. His wife is a catholic, and he has two children named Francisco (13 years old) and Guermo (17 years old) and they have never been to church. we taught them about the importance of the Sacrament and going to church, we also gave Guermo and Francisco the book of mormon to read and pray about. I bore my testimony of going to church, that even though the language is hard for me, I still feel the spirit, I still am at the peace, because the church is the same everywhere you go! Then we asked Francisco to be baptized on the 22nd of March, and he agreed, he just has to get permission from his mom.

we specifically fasted for 5 people to attend church, 3 new baptismal dates, and more investigators available and acountable to assist us in our visits. The next day, we witnessed a miracle! The next day, Francisco and Jose-Luis attended church, and a women named Fanny and her son attended (who are also menos activos). That seriously made me so happy that they came to church. and then, the bigger miracle happened. We sat next to a girl named Giovanna, it was her first time attending church, and she asked my companion if she could be baptized as soon as possible! We so far have planned her baptism, but she hasn't had her interview. But if she is worthy, she will be baptized on the 15th of March!

I learned this week that even if you do not know where you going, and you do not know who to talk to, the lord will bring you there. and sometimes the Lord will make you look and look, until your faith has been tried, until you know exactly where to find that person or the person will find you! Everything always works out! It is beautiful and this did not happen by chance! This was the work of the Lord!

Until Next Week

Hermana Arnold

Always Growing...Always!

Hermana Arnold and Hermana Ayer

The mission is pretty difficult, getting used to missionary life and the language. The people are pretty nice, although, it stresses me out sometimes when we are at the church and their are a lot of Latinas there, and the common thing to do before and after you greet them is you kiss their cheeks...seriously, I am not used to that! Latinas are very touchy and loving...haha its wonderful, they are so full of charity!

The language is still difficult but Hermana Ayer is helping me a lot! She is like an older sister, she is the best senior companion ever! I think with her help, I will be able to have the language down in 3 months!

The spirit is amazing, I have never felt its presence this strong before! I have learned that the spirit talks to me in inspirations and ideas. I never know beforehand if that is what they are, but the answer always comes after. I am able to detect good and bad spirits, just by looking at them! It seriously is a super power!

knowing the scriptures has been the most wonderful asset for me on the mission! I may not understand completely what others say, but by the look on their face and the few words that I do catch , the spirit tells me thier needs and exactly what scriptures they need to hear. I may not know the language very well, but I do know the language of the spirit!

Apparently smiling is not something Ecuadorians do in pictures

We had 1 baptism and conformation this last Saturday. His name is Eduardo and he is 14 years old. We call him the Karate Kid because he takes Karate lessons and jujitsu and he strongly resembles the Karate Kid. He is seriously is muy Chévere! ( That is Cool in Spanish) He has such a gift to understand the gospel and he is so responsible! We are very happy for him and we believe that he will always have a stong foundation in the church.

The past few weeks we have been praying specifically for a family of 3. We haven't had much success because we are both new in the area, we are still getting used to know the members. Sometimes it is really hard to hope, but the Lord leads us along. One night we had 20 minutes left to go back to the Casa, and so we decided to find more people to teach. We were walking down one street and we both felt prompted at different times to turn down a certain street. The street was emanating with the spirit! So we turned at this street not knowing why. We walked still not knowing, we were both asking,"spirit, where do you want us to go?" At that moment we were planning which houses we felt we needed to visit and we wanted to know the name of this street. We saw a family walk out of thier house and asked them what the name of the street was and the cross streets. They told us the name was Rosenda Savilles. We thanked them and went about our business. While we spoke to them, I had the strongest feeling that we needed to teach them! I realized they are the family of 3 we have been looking for!

I never cease to learn that the only way we can be receptive to the spirit is by being good girls or good boys and being obedient! Obedience brings blessings, but Exact obedience brings miracles! I know that that is true! I cant wait to publish peace to the people who have been waiting to hear the gospel  their whole lives! I know that my savior lives and am so grateful for the atonement, I truly am nothing without him! The gospel is true!

Hermana Arnold

First Week in Ecuador!

I'm sorry I do not have pictures yet, it is not as safe to take pictures because of robbers...it is definitely different here! My companion's name is Hermana Ayer, she is super cool and she has a year in the mission field! She is fluent in Spanish and she is super focused! She is from New Hampshire and she is 22 years old. She will be returning in June. It has been nice to have a companion who both speaks English and Spanish, I am able to ask her for help whenever I need it and I know that she can relate because we are from the same country.

Hermana Arnold with the group of
missionaries that entered the field with her.

Let me just say that in the coast, it is super hot and humid, but it has its own beauty! There are lots of beautiful tropical flowers and huge trees!! I am in the city of Guayaquil, but our ward is called Centenario. There is more poverty here, and lots of stray dogs and cats. It is definitely different than back at home...I did not realize how lucky we have it in America. The people in Ecuador are super serviceable and giving, even though they do not have a lot, they still always want to give everything they have, it truly is amazing how loving these people are.

People don't speak as clearly here, so it is not only difficult to understand the language, but it is difficult to understand the way they are saying things. I am not going to lie, it has been a challenge for me, and sometimes very discouraging because I want to run before I can crawl. It has honestly been hard to even walk the streets and stay awake because it is so emotionally and physically exerting. I know it will take time and I know that if I am obedient with exactness, I will able to have the gift of tongues and see miracles.

The customs in Ecuador is when you leave or say hello to people you know, you kiss thier cheek, that was very different for me! Also, there are no rules on the road, so people drive on both sides of the streets in both directions, it is kind of funny but also dangerous! We were in a taxi once last week and our driver drove on the left side of the street, and I immediately thought of Jerry Seinfeld, ¨ I would never do that in my car!¨ haha It made me laugh...to kind get through things emotionally, I have had to just laugh about things. These kinds of things happen everyday, and I know that I will soon become more accustom to it!

The ward is kind of small, but they are strong members...with lots of youth! It makes me so happy to see so many young kids, coming to the knowledge of their savior and doing there own missionary work! The people in my ward are wonderful missionaries, they know themselves what ¨ the work of Salvation¨ is. There are lots of young youth that want to serve missions, and they have only been baptized for 2-6 months...that is so cool!

One scriptures that really helped me was a scripture that my friend from the CCM, told me to look up: it is D&C 78:17-18: "Verily, verily I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; and ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The Kingdom is yours, and riches of eternity are yours. This scripture gave me so much comfort because I know I cant see my success now, but if I wait and I am dilligent, I will be able to love every minute of my mission, and I wont want to return. I know things will get better, and even if I have doubts, I should not doubt my testimony, because I have one, and I know my Savior lives. That is about all I have been able to communicate to people, and I know at times, that is the most important for conversion: it is simply knowing that our Savior died for us and that He lives. I love Him and wish that I could see him, and I know that day will come...I just have to wait

Until next week,

Hermana Arnold

On My Way to Ecuador!

Just wanted everyone to know that I am heading for the airport tonight!!! I seriously can't wait to get out on the field and serve the people in Ecuador! I am so excited to finally start teaching and publishing peace! Please pray for me that my trip their will be safe and my luggage will not get lost!

It was wonderful to have the experience of being in the presence of an apostle, Elder Oaks is very factual and methodical in the way he speaks! He get's the point across! It was so amazing to hear a man who holds all the keys of the Priesthood on Earth to bind the blessings for the CCM! He talked a lot about Preach My Gospel how it was essential for success on the mission, and that member missionary work is vital! He also said that the Lord had plans for the CCM even before we were born...he said the Lord has so much more in store for it! He not only dedicated this place but he blessed all the missionaries leaving from it, that they would not be grieved! So much he said was so sacred, but I know the things he said were inspired for me and all who were there to here. I have more confidence to go out on the field, because I am blessed by a MESSENGER OF THE LORD!  I know this place is a very sacred and I love the people in Mexico, I am going to be sad to leave this place and the people that I have come to know and love! 

I have a testimony of prophets, and I know that they speak directly to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. There is no hesitation in their voices, they bear witness of them! They are special witnesses of Christ! I know that faith is more than believing, it is acting, and everyday we exercise our faith. I know that God puts people in our lives to help us become better, to learn to have unity and to learn to be patient with others. I also have learned to be patient with the Lord's timing, the Lord is building and shaping us, we just haven't seen his master piece in the finish yet. I also know that obedience to the commandments of God will bring endless blessings, and if we truly open our eyes to his small tender mercies, we will begin to see the miracles in our lives! I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet and that he restored the church on Earth. We have to fullness of the Gospel, and the Lord is hastening His work, I am so exceedingly joyful to be apart of it, I cant wait to see the light come into people's lives and give them the hope that they always wanted but never could find. I can't wait to fall in love with the people in Ecuador! This is going to be the best year and half of my life!

Wish me luck!

5 weeks in...One week to go.

I am very much ready to leave for the field, but of course I have some worries. I am really apprehensive of not being able to understand the language, its going to take a while to get used to the way people talk, I have been able to kind of get used to the dialect of spanish speakers in Mexico, but I know its going to be different in Ecuador. I have also heard a lot about bus robbers, you can't really wear or bring with you something that is sentimental, or else someone might just pickpocket it or worse, stop the bus, and one by one they take those things with a gun pointed at you. I am really afraid of that...I really want to wear things that remind me of why I am here and my family, I just hope that if it does happen to me, I hope that the Lord will be with me.

The past couple weeks have been the hardest for me. Its been difficult for me to be with a companion 24/7 and being very different from each other. We have gone through similar things, but we both have dealt with them differently. I feel like I have been a terrible companion, and not loving enough. I am trying to be more bold and express myself more, but I have not been thinking about her feelings. She feels as though there is this leash around her neck. She said something to me yesterday, that really made me think all day, it was about how she could not live up to my expectations. There needs to be a balance. At times, when I know I have done something incorrect, or I receive constructive criticism, I try to work even harder. This way works for me...and I guess without realizing it, I forced that upon her without realizing it. She is more of one to be relaxed, and if someone gives her criticism, she will feel overwhelmed, she does not work well under pressure. So, she has to put her mind somewhere else. From what I assumed, I always thought that she chose to do the things that she wanted rather than the things that she needed to do first and that bothered me a little. But she never expressed to me that is the way she copes with stress. She told me that when I give constructive criticism, I need to ask her how I can help her. She also said we need to be patient with each others weaknesses because we are not perfect. I felt terrible all day. I felt like I didn't deserve to think of myself as a nice person, I felt like I didn't deserve to be feel good about my talents and so that is when I prayed to Heavenly Father that I could not only be forgiven be I could forgive myself. I prayed that I could forget about myself and reach outward to others. Immediately I felt the Love of God, and I imagined the Savior telling me that this was the exact reason why he died for me. This experience was a testimony builder for me. I know there is no other way that we can be forgiven or forgive someone else for our sins. Christ needed to atone for our sins because we would not be able to get back to the presence of our Father. I am so grateful for the Atonement, and the Savior's perfect love...I desire so much that if I could just have the faith of the brother of Jared, I could see the finger of the Lord. Or if I knew the Savior well enough from the scriptures, the Lord would see it fit for me to show himself to me. I cannot wait for the second coming of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and we will be able to see him as he is and know all along that He lives.

One thing I am really proud to say is my knowledge and memory of the scriptures. My patriarchal blessing says something about this and I didn't understand until now how important of a blessing that is for me. If I read every day, I will be able to have the spirit with me and I will be able to use it for the benefit of others. During lessons, scriptures always come to my mind at the moment when I needed it. and someone in my district was kind of amazed that I knew the scriptures so much. The thing is, I did not read my scriptures every day in Highschool, but I did go to Seminary everyday, and those lessons just stuck well in my head. I am so grateful for this gift that I have...I love the scriptures, I love the word of God! I find so much more peace and meditation from reading the scriptures, they are my new means of relaxation, they help me so much to get through the day! The scriptures are amazing!

Last night for one of the devotionals, I got to say the closing prayer (in Spanish), I am normally fine during class or companionship prayer, but I was really nervous. I always feel as though because my knowledge of Spanish is so small, my prayers are like a child would say them. It was definitely a cool experience to say a prayer in Spanish and the Lord is able to understand it because he is perfect, but it is also the language of the spirit. It is hard sometimes, like before I begin eating, to say prayers in Spanish, so sometimes I will just say it in Spanglish. I am getting better, I am using more future and preterit tense. You would not believe how many rules there are for verb conjugations!

This Sunday, I am so incredibly excited because Elder Oaks is going to come for the dedication of the CCM! Its going to be broadcast and there is a tradition that happens every time an apostle comes. He will usually arrive during the Hymn, but as he walks in, we all are supposed to stand and we have to be more reverent and quiet! I cannot wait to see him and be so near this apostle and prophet. Its going to be a wonderful and spiritual experience, especially since I have never been in the presence of an apostle!

Grandpa, will be in my prayers and I promise that I will not worry too much. I just hope that I will be able to see him again after my mission! Also, it is such a blessing that you were able to find someone to bring my license, photos, and debit card. I am glad that that worked out. Also, I would love it if you could also send me my pick laced cardigan, my black flowered cardigan, and the knitted one in my closet in the care package. If you cant find them that is okay, I just don't know why I didn't think to bring those. I will see what I can find in Ecuador! I was told that they have a lot of cool "Aztecy" scriptures cases, I hope that I can buy some cool ones in Ecuador. I love you very much, and miss you when times are hard. But I know I have been prepared for this moment, I know that the Lord called me to succeed and not to fail! Thanks for all of you support, cant wait until I can tell you all about the dedication and my trip to a place called South America. Its like America...BUT SOUTH! Love you!

Week 4 in the CCM...

This week has been another great learning experience! I have learned so much about obedience and how much blessing can be received from keeping the commandments. The scripture, "if you keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land," means so much to me now, when before it was repeated phrase I didn't completely understand. I have grown to love Nephi and his example of always being obedient to the Lord because he knew that the commandment were for his benefit, that the Lord was preparing a way for to accomplish the things He wanted him to do. I know that if I "will go and do" the Lord will help me accomplish the things he wants me to do.

I have learned so much about spiritual promptings, and the importance of scripture study. My preparation for most of our lessons we are going to teach, have mostly been from the scriptures and let me tell you, I am so grateful for seminary and scripture mastery, remembering things I learned and the scriptures I memorized guides me in my lessons. Those scripture masteries are the bare essentials, they encompass the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ and give us guidance to live in accordance to the Lord's will. I have never appreciated the scriptures so much in my life, it is such a treat to be able to study and them and feast upon the words of Christ!

I am also amazed by the Holy Ghost, and its spiritual power to guide me and my companion in lessons. We have learned to act on our faith, and we have to trust that the Lord will put words in our mouth, if we have studied sufficiently. It amazes me how much more prominent the spirit is, and I realized that I know how it speaks to me. It speaks to me in direction and in ideas, it might be a small voice, but I feel it more than I hear it. I don't know if I am so immersed in the spirit or not but I feel the promptings and impressions are so much stronger! The spirit is a wonderful teacher! The spirit teaches and testifies to us that what we are teaching is true. I feel as though certain experiences at the CCM always relates with our lessons that we teach. As if everything happens for a reason and I am having those experiences to learn! It was amazing because I was explaining the principle of obedience to my investigator, Julia, I explained to her that when we keep His commandments and we are obedient, we will be blessed, even if we don't know the reason now, I felt for the first time in my life the spirit baring witness to me that it was true. That was the first time that the spirit actually spoke to me in a still small voice. I was living that principle. I have learned that if we want our investigators to pray more, we need to pray more. If we want them to repent, we need to repent. We need to live what we are teaching, we need to be worthy to teach.

During class one day, we were watching a clip from one of Elder Bednar's devotionals. And Elder Bednar is all about answering questions, so someone asked whether or not a prompting was from the spirit or just themselves. He said, " Don't worry about it! BE A GOOD BOY OR A GOOD GIRL!" He recounted an experience he had when he was a missionary in Germany in the 1970s. President Packer had just recently been ordained an apostle and was visiting Elder Bednar's mission at that time. President Packer and his wife were visiting His mission at that time and they needed to go through Easter Germany to go to some conference of some sort. So Elder Bednar and his companion had to take them to the train station, Elder Bednar gave President Packer 20 marks (do know how to spell it, you can ask Uncle Aaron) because He was concerned whether or not they have anything to eat or be safe because they would be traveling late at night. Little did Elder Bednar know, was that President Packer's wife had a Visa extended for 3 years, and the Easter Germans were not allowing individuals to pass through Eastern Germany with this kind of Visa. The man that checking the passports on the train, was the scariest and most evil man that President Packer had ever met. Somehow, when this man got around to Elder Packer and his wife to check their visas, Elder Packer was able to "righteously bribe" him ( as Elder Bednar comically put it) with 20 marks that Elder Bednar gave him. Later on after they arrived to the conference, President Packer was told the severity of the situation: that it was miracle that they had made past Eastern Germany, because many people with the same kind of Visa, were forced to stay in Eastern Germany! They were saved by the 20 marks.

Elder Bednar talked about another devotional that Elder Packer spoke at BYUI when Elder Bednar was president of the school. Packer said that everything you can understand about the gospel or spiritual impressions can be learned from a missionary with 20 marks. Elder Bednar said that when he gave him to 20 marks, he did not know the reason why. But many years later , he realized that it was a spiritual prompting. He received it because "he was being a good boy", he was doing everything he was supposed to. He said often times we will never know it is prompting until after it happens. He said that is why we shouldn't worry if it is a prompting or not because if we are doing everything we are supposed to, the spirit will be with us and it will guide us in the right direction.

Dad, I am so grateful for how much you have taught me to give a hundred percent in everything I do. Thank you for always pushing me to have good study habits . I would not have been able to learn the language as fast, and I would not have been as focused on the work as I am now. I now have been able to experience and I have a testimony of D&C 84:85: the Lord is able to put words in my mouth that I would not have remembered myself. I am able to remember words in Spanish that I have only written down once or have looked at twice. It is as if I have acquired a photographic memory for the Spanish Language! El Espiritu Santo es verdadero y yo se como Lo habla a mi. El Don De Langua es verdadero y tengo fe que yo Puedo testificar de JesuCristo con lo. Yo tengo un testimonio de JesuCristo. Yo tengo un testimonia de profetas y yo se ellos son testigos especiales de Cristo. I know that if we act in faith without knowing beforehand what we should do, the Lord will deliver us to the right place and the right hour. This church is true! I love you and am so grateful for how much you prepared me for this moment!

Week 3 in the CCM

Thank you so much for thinking of sending me a package...I cant wait to get those pictures! Well, it is a wonderful atmosphere to be in, because we are so immersed in Spanish because our teachers are native speakers! My two morning class teachers only speak Spanish and speak very little English...so my district and I are getting more used to listening to Spanish, as long as it is related to the Gospel. It has been really hard for my district lately, I can see it in their bn

a nod to Abbey Road (but no bare feet)

 faces. The Elders don't really break down, but you can kind of see their frustration in their eyes. We are all very tired. We are one of the only few districts who have 3 investigators a day. It really stretches us, because we have 6 hours of classes everyday and we feel like we have barely anytime for our own personal study and companionship study. Hermana Ball and Hermana Spencer had on separate occasions to leave class because they were so stressed out. Hermana Ball had an upset stomach and started puking and ran to the bathroom. (On a more positive note, our teachers said that we were more effective missionaries then their Latin missionaries, I think it is because we empathize,listen, and ask more questions instead of just teaching.) It is stressful, don't get me wrong, but it is a good stress for me. The language isn't as hard for me as it is for other people, but I think the part that is most difficult for me is learning to work with a companion and being with them 24 hours a day. Sometimes I wish that I could do the lesson by myself! I know that is unreasonable and selfish, but I didn't realize how introverted I was back at home and when it came to homework or school, I mostly would work by myself. But, I know that the Lord is helping me become more patient!

Even though I am having very little frustration with the language, I did have one minor set back this week. We were on the 4th lesson of our investigator Julia. She has been progressing along very well and she's eager to learn! She's eager to have her own testimony, but her boyfriend, Carlos (who is an inactive member of the church) will not pray with her about the things we have been teaching her, he will not read the Book of Mormon with her, and he doesn't want to marry her in the temple. At the moment, when we were teaching her about the law of chastity and Temple marriage, she said Carlos

At the Mexico City Temple

does not want any of these things. I really wanted to help her, I just didn't know how and so I said something that was not my place to say. I gave her the opinion of Rachel, not the opinion of the spirit. I said that maybe Carlos is the right thing for you. I said that this gospel isn't only meant to help your relationship with Carlos, but your relationship with the Lord. The Gospel is for you. Then, about 30 minutes later, we had an evaluation from our teacher who was Julia and for the most part we have been doing really well, but what I said was probably not the best idea. Immediately I felt so guilty and I started to cry. I felt so terrible for saying what I said, because it is not the place of a missionary to say those kind of things to investigators. I knew that it wasn't real, but it was one of those moments where all guilt that I have ever felt for doing anything wrong went strait to my shoulders. I sincerely wanted to help this woman, but it wasn't my place to give her an ultimatum, even though I wasn't trying to. The next day,we had another lesson and Julia told us that she didn't think she loved Carlos anymore because he wasn't willing to help her. At that moment, I knew that I had been right, but I was wrong for saying it. She needed to come to that conclusion herself. I realized that missionaries are meant to serve, love, and teach...but there needs to be a balance of things. I repented and I am grateful that I learned this in the MTC.

I am also grateful for my experience at PVCC. I realize now why I felt so good about going there, it was to prepare me for this moment! I learned a lot about myself, I learned about how to live away from my family, I learned to rely on the Lord, I learned to stand my ground even when I stand alone. I now have an experience I can relate with others and I know what stress is! I am so grateful for the stress that I went through at PVCC, because it prepared me for the stress of my mission. I am grateful for the work I had to do to get here, my heart is in the right place and I want to apply everything that I am going to teach my investigators!

Also, some really wonderful news...2 days before our district leaves...The CCM is going to be dedicated! Two of the Seventy are going to be there to speak along with ELDER OAKS! We are so blessed and lucky to be apart of this, and it is going to be a great way to end our experience of the MTC and start our missions! I have always wanted to meet one of the Brethren!

So I hope that everything is okay back at home and I am so excited for the package! ¡Hasta Luego!

Hermana Arnold

January 15-Week 2 CCM

I am so happy to have received this email from you again! I sent a letter about a week ago, I hope you all get it! Also, if you would like to send a packages or letters the quickest and safest way possible, just send it through mydearmissionary.com or dearelder.com. You can write a letter on the site and type in the address of the MTC, and they will print it off and send it in a matter of 3-7 days! That goes the same for packages. My roommate got a bunch of sweets and even floral arrangements from my dear missionary, I was amazed how fast it got to her, and that nothing went bad!

My companion is named Hermana Hieleson, she is from Iowa and she is going to the Boston Massachusetts mission. She likes music just like me and she loves Harry Potter and Dr. Who. She also wants to become a writer. She also attended BYU Provo for a time before she went on her mission. We are very much alike, which is kind of funny, because I prayed that I would have a companion just like me! She is very amiable and easy going, and since the spirit prompts her differently, it helps me to think about things a little differently.

The majority of the missionaries here are going back to the States, only a select few are actually going to South America. I love my roommates Sister Buno and Sister Clement. Sister Buno is from Seattle and Sister Clement is from San Diego. They are both in a different zone, but we love them. The two sisters from our District are named Hermana Ball and Hermana Spencer. They really extroverted and hilarious. They make us all laugh. Both of those sisters are in our casa, so they are friends with sister Clement and Sister Buno. We are already so close and we laugh at just about everything. Heavenly Father has blessed us to be together, to relate with each other and comfort each other in our time together. There have been lots of tears and lots of consoling. I have only cried a little because everyone from my casa was showing their pictures from home and I don't have any. So could you take a good picture with everyone together so I can show everyone? Also all the sisters in my casa have TONS of clothes...I feel like the apostle Paul, I am pretty sure he didn't have any shoes.

I also have been having a lot of anxiety dreams, a lot about home, and one of them I had a dream that bad people were invading the school, I heard sirens and then I woke up attempting to hide in my own closet! Then I had a dream that my roommates were only responding to me if I spoke to them in Spanish, and so I actually said in my sleep," que?" and they told me about it the next morning. I though that was pretty funny and embarrassing at the same time.
The CCM is the most amazing place ever, the people who work here do an amazing job of making everything special for all the missionaries. The food is very good. In Mexico, the biggest and best meal is lunch, so they try extra hard to make it delicious for everyone. I have grown to love their pan dulces and have had tacos almost every day, they have the BEST corn tortillas!

Entonces, (this is a Spanish transition) My schedule consists of getting up at 6:00 AM, having personal study and then starting class with our teachers. We recite the purpose in Spanish with our district in the classroom, sing a hymn, and say a prayer in Spanish. Then we learn a certain verb like Neccessitar out of these workbooks that they give us, and we kind of practice conjugating them with gospel related words or phrases. It helps a lot applicar (to apply) them when we are teaching our investigators. We have classes at night and during the day. What is funny is that our first investigator and is now our teacher! He is so cool because he helps us have eyes to see and ears to hear when we are applying the Idioma (Spanish) and the gospel together.

Sundays are the best. Every week we have to prepare a talk for Sunday in Spanish and I was able to

give one last Sunday. I felt really good about it because I tried to put myself into it even with the little Spanish I did know. It was enduring to the end. and I used preach my gospel and couple scriptures that a lot of people used in their talks. I talked a lot about keeping covenants and commandments, and always having faith in Christ. I also talked about keeping <ones> integrity and character during pruebras (trials). I used a scripture in Job. I talked about how he kept his integrity even when he lost everything. At times he did question the Lord of why he was ever born and why he ever lived. But then he realized that everything was going to be okay. I read the scripture Job 23:10. I only have it written in Spanish and I don't have my English scriptures on me, but basically he said He knows that the Lord knows the way he is taking him, He will be made as gold. I said I know that are trials are meant to strengthen us and the Lord knows the reason we are in that trial. He will truly make us Gold.

The last thing is that, We now have two investigators who are both our teachers. We have 1 in the morning and 1 at night, about twice a week. We are getting a lot better at planning lessons because they taught us about how to start a lesson. They told us to first offer a prayer (a very simple and not very long one); Then to ask them questions about their life, what there expectations are for this visit, and what kind of role does religion play in their life. And sometimes with those questions our lesson will go in a completely different direction. Our last lesson with our morning investigator Julia, had a question about Joseph Smith, and I in the past( with another lesson) tried to memorize the first vision in Spanish , but it didn´t work out so well. But this time, I was able to explain it and later on through the lesson when we explained our expectations for her and our purpose...I recited the entire purpose in Spanish without reading it. It amazed me, because when we say it in class, I can barely remember it! So, The gift of tongues is real and it is amazing!

Yesterday, we had a devotional ( we have a devotional every Tuesday) and it was a live one from Provo and Elder Bednar spoke. Apparently he speaks A LOT at devotionals, but that is okay, I love it! He is an amazing speaker. But, he talked a lot about gifts and specifically about the Gift of Tongues. He said the reason why The Lord gives us these gifts is to bless someone else's life. The reason why we are given the gift of tongues is to testify of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I thought that that was a really cool way to put it. He said that only way we are able to receive the fullness of it is to strip ourselves of pride and turn ourselves outward, just as Christ did. It truly is amazing, that obedience applies to EVERYTHING in the gospel. If we are obedient we will receive all of his blessings!

Me amor este obra y el evangelio de JesuCristo. Este Evangelio esta me cambio. Este obra es mucha para mi como es por todos las personas!  I love this work and the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel is changing me. This work is as much for me as anyone else. I was good to hear from hear you! I hope this suffices! Make sure you include, the blog about my mishaps and funny stories! I am not a robot! I love you!