March 5, 2016

Hello lovelies!

I just want to say thank you all for emailing me and keeping me in your prayers! It honestly means the world! 

So on Saturday we went to the temple and I got to do the work of a woman named Mrs. Gurbakhash Singh Gill...oh my...It was awesome though and she is from India so that's pretty awesome too! We also had our first lesson with Pablo today. He has two brothers that he does not get along with and the same with his parents. No one in his family gets along so that's great...but nonetheless I see some huge potential in him! He also doesn't like organized religion...but is totally open to new ideas!

Sunday was way fun! I got to go and watch one of Elder Holland's talks about how Missions Are Forever. It is one of the greatest talks EVER! Some of my favorite things said in it was: "Do everything you can to make this(meaning mission) a part of your soul," "Man's extremity is God's opportunity," and "Bring a little thunder into their life." I love him sooooo much!

On Monday I had my very first TRC. That means we go to a building where the MTC has hired members and nonmembers to be investigators and then we of course teach them. We had two people in the one room. It's normally only one person, but they wanted to give my companion and I two. Their names are Nicholas y Adrianna. During and after that lesson I could feel the spirit and that they are progressing! Yayayay! This lesson was particularly cool because Hermana Doxey and I prepared a lesson for someone else thinking he was going to be our investigator when in reality that wasn't the case. We planned a lesson for a man named Brian and the lesson we planned was about the Book of Mormon because that's what he had questions about and then when we got into the room with the other two the spirit directed us to stick with the Book of Mormon plan! YES! 

Tuesday equals awesome day! We had another with Sergio! I honestly believe this was the best one yet! Hermana Doxey and I were so in sync and so intune with the spirit I could hardly believe it! Our questions were just right and whenever she wanted to say something the exact words would come out of my mouth and vice versa! We also shared Alma 37:6 with him and I asked what he thought of it and he said that the only thing he understood was the, ..."by small and simple things.." and I literally started laughing my head off. He started laughing his head off to the point of almost breaking character and asked me why I was laughing and I told him that that was the part I wanted him to understand! He's one of the teachers here so it's fun to see him like Sergio! 

WELCOME TO THE MTC! Today my District got to HOST! Which means that we have been at the MTC for at least 3 weeks and know the place well enough to help the noobs get around. Haha! I had sooo much fun! We were waiting for a while for the missionaries to get here because only 277 came today. That's waaaayyy low! SO when I finally got the chance to get a missionary, I walked up to the van and asked,"Who's my sister?" and then immediately started screaming because it was Kayla Carruth! I went to highschool with her! What a sweetheart! I felt so happy to be her host and help her feel welcomed!  By doing this assignment today, so many emotions were brought back from my first day at the MTC. It felt so nice to help these missionaries feel welcomed! 

As for Thursday....It was a serious day of learning. Today in class with Hermano Ah Sue we talked more about questions and listening. If we are asking the right kinds of questions to sincerely focus on their needs it should only take us ten minutes....OKAY! It's not as easy as it sounds, but that is why we need to wholeheartedly rely on the Spirit. He shared two questions with us that really impressed me: "If you could ask God one question, what would it be?" and "If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?" What powerful questions! What I love the most about these questions is that you're basically asking what the investigator needs without just coming out and asking them what they need. It's allowing them to think deeper. 

P-day eve was the greatest day ever! I WON THE SPOON!! Four square is LIFFFEEEE! Adrianna has really been softening her heart towards the prophets which makes me happy! As for Pablo, today was lesson number 5 which went so much better than it has been going lately! We had fantastic questions and we really nailed him with baptism today, but not in a forceful way, just of the importance of it in his life. Hermano Ah Sue had us do that question activity that we did on Thursday and this time we CRUSHED IT! His character's name was Raul and I remember asking him what are some things that brings him happiness and he proceeded to tell me that he loves the outdoors and being in nature and then I proceeded to ask him why which in respondance to that he said that he likes the peace and tranquility that he feels. He said it was nice to get away from the chaotic city which then allowed me to ask him if he wanted to know more about something in our gospel that can bring him those feelings wherever he may be! YES! After that Hermano Ah Sue came out of the room we were previously in and said,"THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!" 

I just want to invite you all to ask yourself this question: "If you could ask God one question, what would it be?" and then think about what you can do to achieve it and then do it for reals. Ask God. Talk to God. And then wait and listen. If you don't hear anything or feel anything yet then get to work! If you want something in your life to change you have to be willing to do something about it and God will make up the rest. I love you all!

P.S. I will most likely be getting a new companion this week because as you all know Hermana Doxey has been cleared to go on Monday, but now a sister in the district that came 3 weeks before me now has to be reassigned to a stateside mission because a visa policy law in Trinidad has changed and so now she has to stay a week longer in the MTC so that they can reassign her to a mission for only 3 months while they figure out the Trinidad situation...CRAZY! She found out all of this yesterday and she was supposed to be leaving on Monday too...AHHHH! Oh and her name is Hermana Peterson.

Picture 1: I dressed up like Snow White and went to the temple on Sunday. :)

 

Picture 2: My EPIC temple shot!

Picture 1: Hermana Doxey presenting me with the spoon because she won last time.

 

 

Picture 2: The four square sign and the spoon!

February 27, 2016

Hello lovelies!

I just want to apologize for last weeks emails and how chaotic it might have seemed! I was sort of rushed because the internet shut down and for like two hours we were trying to figure out how to fix everything. I was getting real worried. Everyone was freaking out and we didn't know what to do. I said a little prayer asking for Heavenly Father's help and like 15 minutes later this Sister came into the room and said she figured out how to fix the problem. It doesn't matter how stupid something may seem...never be afraid to ask Heavenly Father for assistance. He wants to help you. as for the rest of Saturday we went to the temple where the moment the lights turned out in the session i started to fall asleep. Every time my head bobbed I just pretended that I was stretching my neck. Hahahaha! 

Sunday:

We had a lovely sacrament meeting and my favorite quote from the speaker was this: "I may not be there yet, but I am better than I was yesterday." My companions and I got to teach the lesson in Relief Society which was about Repentance. All I can say is Alma 26:22 <3 Do you all remember what happens on Sunday? CHOIR!!! And we are singing my favorite Primary song! A Child's Prayer, but with a heart tuggin' twist. With actual CHILDREN! Ahhhhh! 

Monday: 

Sooooo I got a new companion! What?! She was in the district that just left today, but because she got pneumonia last week the Doctor said she has to stay an extra two weeks. And since I'm a solo mish they put her with me. I love her! She was my Sister Training Leader. Her name is Hermana Doxey and she is from Lindon, UT. She has been called to serve in the Argentina Buenos Aires North Mission. She is seriously the sweetest and super smart too! I am already learning so much from her!

Tuesday:

DEVOTIONAL DAY/CHOIR PERFORMANCE!!!

Sister Rosemary M. Wixom was our speaker. The spirit was incredibly strong today! Like I seriously can't even believe it!! We sang all songs from the Primary Hymnbook and the best thing of the night was when she had us all sing I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ. I was bawling hardcore. I love this church and being a member of this church.

Wednesday:

Hermana Doxey and i went to the Clinic today to get an x-ray to see if she is cleared to go and...SHE'S GOING ON A MISSION!! We have to wait until Friday though to know if she can leave earlier or if she has to wait until March 7. We had this awesome experience in class today with Hermana Avila where she had all of us listen to the spirit and not be afraid of silence. It was the coolest thing EVER!! The spirit was so strong. Like the moment I looked at Elder Diaz i started crying. We were to work together and ask each other questions. I started crying because i could feel just how much God loves him and all of us.

Thursday:

We got to share a lesson with two sets of members today which was awesome! Our lesson was on Hope and the atonement. They had some great responses to our questions and such powerful testimonies. We also got to experience some coaching with our teachers Hermana Avila and our new teacher Hermano Ah Sue. He is one of our new teachers because Hermano Byers is gonna go off and be a father! Grrr... Hahaha! We are so excited for him! Anyway, with my investigator Sergio he believes in pretty much everything except for prayer. He says that prayer needs to be at least 3 hours long in order for it to be excepting to God...Sigh....So I was working with Hermano Ah Sue and I asked him what he would to in that situation. He then said use the father analogy. That means ask Sergio, "If you could only talk with your dad for 5 minutes don't you think he would appreciate that just as much as if could for 3 hours?"

Friday:

BEST DAY EVER! The spirit has been so strong today! Our lesson with Sergio was exceptional! He is understanding and seeing why this gospel is important in his life! I told him the Father Analogy and he said, "But that's the thing! God knows I have more time than just 5 minutes..." So in return I said,"What if we are keeping him in our hearts and minds throughout the entire day? Because in doing so we would always have a prayer in our heart. I then asked after we shared Alma 37:6, "Don't you think that reading the scriptures, praying, getting baptized, and even going to church are ways to show the Lord that we are making time for him?" He felt the spirit! He even prayed!!! Hermana Doxey and I were even asking each others questions that we were thinking about! My man HG was totally there and I just felt so much love!!

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week! I invite you all to read a general conference talk once a day this week. I have grown to learn just how important they are! 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Arevalo (:

 

 Picture 1: The original 4 Square kings!

 Picture 2: Hermana Doxey and I

Picture 3: Our Zone wore polka dots.

Our last day with Hermano Byers! We love him and will surely miss him!

February 20, 2016

Hello loved ones!

So last Saturday I was able to go to the Provo Temple by the MTC which is absolutely incredible!! We had a sub named Hermano Figueroa who shared with us his conversion story, which he said was so personal, but felt like he should share it with the elders and I. I felt so much respect for him. His family was falling apart while he was on his mission, but because of the Lord he was able to stay and bring so many souls home. He is such a funny little man! He's from Chile so of course he's got some sass! 

Sunday:

We had sooo many meetings! Also apparently if you make it to Sunday you're good to go! So I guess I'm good to go! I love being surrounded by so many worthy priesthood holders! It's such a blessing! In Relief Society there was a scripture shared that I absolutely love. 3 Nephi 9:13-14, 20-22. Check them out when you get the chance! We got to walk over to the temple and take some pictures and enjoy the fresh air. Alsooooooo I got to go to choir practice!! When I found out they had a choir you better believe I was there! We were learning a piece that happens to be my favorite hymn Nearer My God to Thee. We later had an awesome devotional by a man named Richard I. Heaton who spoke solely on converts. He asked a question that really hit me. "Will there ever be a change of heart without prayer?" We later watched a video called Character of Christ by Elder Bednar! SOOOOOO AWESOME! 

Monday:

So we met with Karla again and said that because her prayer wasn't answered the first time she prayed then why would he answer her now...sigh....she did however take our next invitation to read a chapter in the book of Mormon. We asked her to read 3 Nephi 12 and then pray about it. I felt like this lesson went so much better than the previous one. We learned a quote today that is really helping me understand. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. You CAN however, salt the oats." This is so crucial to understand and remember as a missionary. 

Tuesday:

The lessons with Karla are truly progressing.The spirit is so strong, but I think that she is still not seeing him yet. We got to do some service today which meant cleaning toilets! So much fun!! We also had our choir performance which happened to be at a devotional that was broadcated internationally! So like MTCs in other countries got to see us! We got the Elders to join us which was great!! Also we had a special speaker....ELDER RASBAND!! He is so awesome! We talked about his talk that he gave in April 2010 and he said something that I absolutely loved: "The leaders of this church are no strangers to the voice of the Lord."

Wednesday:

Karla is getting closer! We invited her to be baptized, but she said not yet. she wants an answer first. She said something today that almost brought me to tears. She noticed how Elder Esplin is always saying I know this or I know that and said she wants to be able to do that too! I asked her if she had a desire to know if these things were true and she said yes! Today new missionaries arrived which meant that we aren't the NOOBS!! Hahahaha! 

Thursday:

Today we had our last lesson with Karla. I wanted to die. Not because she is a bad person, but because I felt like I didn't know how to help her any further. She was going backwards...well at least I thought. I was so wrapped up in the fact that because she didn't really have any faith that I was doing something wrong. Which is partially true. Gospel wise I wasn't, but the fact that I was more focused on myself instead of her was the main problem. I wasn't trying to think of myself, but that just shows you how much trust and faith I needed to have in my Heavenly Father.

Friday:

I learned a new word today! It's PARANGARICUTARIMICUARIZAR. It means to hike a mountain or something like that in Mexico. Hahahaha! Also we got a new investigator...His name is Sergio. He does online school, works at the dollar store, and his girlfriend just broke up with him. He says he is honestly just working to pay the bills and is trying to get some sort of license. He's learning English. We were doing tracking so we didn't really have time to have a lesson so we just asked if we could come back another night. He said yes, but wasn't sure what kind of condition he would be in because he has anxiety and depression. He did ask something of us that was quite hopeful. He said that if we had any time at all if we could pray for him. Our first lesson is on Lunes. Wish me luck. 

I love you all so much!! I want to challenge you all to read the Book of Mormon or Reread the Book of Mormon and then Ask God if he loves you. If you already know he does...ask again.

Con Mucho Amor,

Hermana Arevalo (:

Picture 1: My beautiful name tag.

Picture 2: Hermano Figueroa and the Elders

Picture 3: We got heart attacked!

Picture 2: It's SKYLAR! We went to high school together!

Picture 1: We all wore red and blue. That's our four square sign.Picture 1: We all wore red and blue. That's our four square sign.

Picture 1: Us at the temple!

 

 

 

 

February 13, 2006

 

It's P-day!



 

Hello lovelies!

WOW! What a crazy 3 days it's been! 

Wednesday: 

When I first got here they sent me inside to get my name tag which was probably the best part EVER! I'm a freaking MISSIONARY! Haha! Anyway, so when I got to the table there was a sister already there. Shortly after introducing ourselves we found out we are going to the exact same mission! Language and all! We also found out that we are companions! Her name is Hermana Rhein(Rine like a watermelon) and she is from Mesa, AZ. She is a very organized and precise person, but also a very sweet and sensitive person. If you didn't think that was crazy enough we found out we were in a TRIO with a girl who is ALSO going to our exact mission language and all! Her name is Hermana Allen and she is from Highland, UT. She is a very laid back and chill person, but man is her testimony strong! I love them both so much! I also found out, I'm finding out a lot of things, that I'm a solo missionary. What that means is that I'm the only girl in a class full of boys. This is the only time I can be by myself or when I have to go to the bathroom. I love it though! There are only four students total. We are the only intermediate students in our district. So that's awesome! The elders in my class are a trio as well. Their names are: Elder Esplin from Orange County, CA, Elder Layton from Rexburg, ID, and Elder Diaz from Philly, PA. We all live stateside and are all serving stateside, Spanish speaking. Our teacher's name is Hermano Byers. He lives here in Utah and is married with a baby on the way. He's taught at the MTC for about 3 years now and served his mission in Mexico. He's really nice and very easygoing. He is always so willing to help us out. They have such strong testimonies! I'm very excited to work with them. So being the only very fluent Spanish speaker in my district does have it's perks, but it is also very intimidating. Nonetheless I'm glad I can help! So a huge shoutout to my mother for teaching me Spanish! We got to meet our Mission Presidency and sang 3 awesome songs! As Zions Youth in Latter Days, Called to Serve(of course), and We'll Bring the World His Truth. Singing these songs brought the chills! We also had the opportunity to go to three rooms and talk with 3 different investigators. It's amazing how just finding out a few things about them and then through the power of the Holy Ghost we received such a strong love for the, God's love. My favorite investigator of the day was Jose.(we shouldn't have favorites, but it's just for fun haha) He's had a rough life, but it was amazing to me how strongly I felt the spirit that day. Then later on we met our Zone leaders...THEY ARE CRAZY! Haha in a good way though! And apparently Four Square is life. We shall see. In our bedroom we have a total of 5 girls. The other two girls are Hermana Keys and Hermana Virgin. Hermana Keys is from Rocksprings, WY. Now she is the sister I met through a missionary page on instagram so I thought it was way cool that we are rooming together and she is also going to my same mission Spanish speaking. She is a very funny, stylish person with a very sweet testimony. Hermana Virgin is from Orange County, CA and loves waterpolo. She's very bold and has a very strong testimony, but also has a kind and gentle heart. She too is going to my same mission Spanish speaking. A room full of Jersey girls! 

Thursdsay: 

So the start to my day was definitely quite the adventure. Our original time to wake up is 6:30am, but because I'm a little more high maintenance I wanted to wake up at 6. So I set my alarm for 6...Or at least I thought I did. Anyway, so having 5 girls in our room means 5 alarms. Only two of us were waking up and 6. So clocks were set and we all went to bed. I heard Hemana Rhein's alarm clock go off first. I thought my it was strange that mine didn't go off, but I went with it anyway. So I said my morning prayer and went to wash my face and such. I came back to the room and Hermana Keys asked, " Are you going back to bed?" I told her that I wasn't and she then said, " Well it's 1:30am so..." WHAT?! Hermana Rhein's clock broke and I was almost fully ready to go! Also there's this thing...I guess it's some form of a initiation...but in our zone if we get a banana we have to peel it the right way. That means we have to smack the banana on our foreheads and pull...it gave me such a rush! Hahahaha! In my class we found out that we were going to be teaching our first investigator on FRIDAY afternoon! Her name is Carla. She is such a sweet young lady! She is from Mexico and has lived here for like 5 months with her Aunt and Uncle. She works in a Paneria, which is a bread shop basically. She loves making bread! I only know these things cause she sent us a video to help us know what to expect. Later that evening we met with our Branch Presidency. They are really nice. They gave us the opportunity to talk about ourselves and bear our testimonies. SO AWESOME! 

Friday:

So we finally got to exercise today! I can't even believe that those words are coming out of my mouth! And I'm here to say that FOUR SQUARE IS LIFE! The missionaries that have been here a little longer than we have are crazy in the square. It's like I'm watching ninja's throwing fire! I didn't start out very good, but it's just so addicting that I wanted to keep playing! I feel like I get better everyday. So we had our Lesson today with Carla and let me just say...trying to do a lesson with 4 people is HARD! I thought we were all on the same page...but not really. Elder Esplin and I had to try and redirect us back on the path of the point we were trying to make. I know that if the spirit prompts us to go in a different direction we should, but we weren't being directed another way. Eventually we got to a mutual ground and were able to invite Carla to pray if the things we taught her were true and to pray and ask Heavenly Father if he loves her. She said she would and we rescheduled to meet with her on Monday so I'll let you know how that goes. After we had our lesson we are to return to our classroom and evaluate our lesson. The last question we are to answer is if we think she will endure to the end. So I asked that question and without hesitation Elder Diaz says, "NOPE!" The rest of us just looked at him in shock and we all busted up laughing! He then realized what he had said and begged that we not tell our teacher, Hermano Byers. "I DIDN'T MEAN IT! I WASN'T PAYING ATTENTION!" Bless Elder Diaz's heart. Towards the end of my day we had one more class time and the Elders and I decided that we were going to memorize our missionary purpose in Spanish. It was a little challenging, but we sort of have it down! 

Overall, I am having loads of fun and loving every minute. It's a little strenuous, but that's normal! I love the spirit here and the blessing of having him so close. I love the opportunity to be a missionary! It truly is the greatest thing you can do with your life! I love you all and I'll talk with you again on Saturday! I'll send some pictures in a bit! Thanks for the prayers! Also have a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! 

Much love, Hermana Arevalo (:

 

 Picture numero 1: From left to right: Hermana Allen, Hermana Rhein, Yours truly, Elder Diaz, Elder Esplin, y Elder Layton. This was at one of those investigator meetings.

Picture numero 2: We all brought pearl necklaces and decided we were going to wear them on Friday. Twinners! 

 

Picture numero 3: Hermana Keys and I. We cute! (:

After being set apart this evening, I'm officially a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!

Kiara Fernandez, Lisbet Fairbanks (mom), Ariel, Tommy, Grandma K (Linda Knudsen), Kaity, Jessie, Josh, Grandma Mar (Marilyn Brown), Max, Will, and Ezra (dad)

Peter Muller, Bob Gawrych, Ariel, Russ Morley, Brent Beardall

Ariel, and Kiara Fernandez

Grandma Mar, and Ariel

Bishop Lorne Hurd, and Ariel

Ariel, and Lisbet Fairbanks (mom)

Josh, Kaity, Jessie, Kaity, Ariel, Tommy, and Ezra (dad)

Sam, Ariel, and Max (cousins)

 

Opening my call.  I'm going to Morristown, NJ Spanish speaking!

 Ariel with brother Benny

 Ariel with Aunt Sarah

 Ariel with Luke Sherner, Michelle, and Carson Gord

 Ariel with Dad and Jessie

 Ariel with Grandma Brown (Beverly)

 Ariel with Papa and Nana (Russ and Melinda Brown)

 Ariel with Grandma K (Linda Knudsen)

Mission Pictures (:

Hello lovelies!


So for my first post I just wanted to share a few photos from my mission pic photo shoot! As for my other posts, my step mom will be taking over! Thank you all for your support, love, and constant prayers! I will miss you all dearly, but am very excited for this next step in my life! I love you all and I'll see you in 1.5! Cuidense! :)