October 6th, 2025, 5:30pm MDT
Pablo Arteaga worked hard for the opportunity to play professional football and his efforts were beginning to pay off.
As the starting goalkeeper for the Imperial Unide soccer club in southern Chile, Altiaga had attracted interest from scouts and received an offer to play for a higher wage.
Then earlier this year, Arteaga surprised the team by suspending his promising football career and choosing to fulfill his two-year mission to Argentina’s Latter-day Saints Church, according to a September 23 article in the Church’s Spanish Newsroom.
“On the field, I enjoyed winning, but in the temple, it was different – a lasting sense of joy,” he said. “I decided I wanted to serve the mission.”
Originally from Iquique, Chile, Arteaga grew up in a family with a passion for football. Both his father and grandfather played goalkeeper positions.
At age 8, Arteaga began to follow in the footsteps by playing for a local team. As a teenager, he joined Imperial Unido, where he began to excel and work in his way to become a starting goalkeeper.
His life was a spiritual transformation through his attendance and service at the seminary at the Concepción Chile Temple. At the seminary he said he had heard a speech by President Jeffrey R. Holland, a quorum representative of the 12 apostles who strengthened his testimony.
“I felt peace and happiness that I couldn’t find in football,” he said.
When Arteaga’s soccer career seemed poised to take off, he felt a strong desire to serve on the mission.
“They offered me the opportunity to continue even when I raised my salary,” he said. “But that night after praying and talking to my family, I felt a burning feeling in my heart.
A member of the Nueva Imperial Ward at Temuco Chile Cautín Satke, Arteaga is supported by his family, mentors and members of the ward. His desire for service was also inspired by his sister, who worked at the Neuken Mission in Argentina.
“We hadn’t been that committed as a family before, and now we feel like we’ve made a lot of progress together,” he said. “I decided to serve, so I saw the Lord’s hand in our house.”
Earlier this month, 20-year-old Arteaga began serving at the Argentina Mendoza Mission. Before leaving, he expressed his respect and affection for Chilean rivals in football, the Argentinians.
“Some people are talking about football competition between Chile and Argentina, but I know they are great people,” he said. “I am happy to share it with them and preach the gospel. It is like a dream in which the Lord allows me to serve such noble people very closely.”
Arteaga encouraged other young people to trust in the Lord and consider missionary service.
“The Lord knows our potential, and his way of doing things is always greater than ours,” he said. “Pray, hold on the temple tightly, and trust that if we sacrifice something good, the Lord will give us something better.”
Arteaga is currently one of 80,000 missionaries working on 450 missions around the world. Many leave research, careers, and other personal opportunities to teach others about Jesus Christ, providing service to those in need. Find out more about missionary work at churchofjesuschrist.org.
