Hey Mom! 

So wow this week was crazy and went really well. Everything went great with the wedding and baptism! We are printing out the picture for them so they can always remember it. It was such a great experience and it was very spiritual. You'll see pictures! Also Elder Newbold is getting transferred so I am taking over the area. I am a bit scared! But I think it will help me a lot and help me become more of a leader. We will not know who are companions are going to be until Tuesday. I can not believe all that is going on and that I have been out 4 months! Also Jake has a very big chance of coming here because of all the Elders that are leaving. So I'll tell you about this week! 

So we had lots of great lessons but some of the biggest things is we did this 5k walk starting at the Phillies stadium. It was a great opportunity for all of us to talk to people and be seen. We talked about it and who knows what kind of impact we had.  Right after that we went to the temple site with L and the L family. It went awesome! The spirit was definitely there. She is doing great and we are trying to get her other daughter to be baptized soon as well. We had another exchange and I stayed in our area again. It went awesome cause one of our investigators is the husband of a member and he just returned after being gone for forever in El Salvador. He was down there with family who is also members and went to church with them and even to the temple! So we taught him and it was super awesome. He ended up coming to church with his wife and staying the whole time AND also for the whole baptism! He could definitely be next to be baptized. So we will see! His name is H. Super awesome guy. He is like 60 something. Anyways. So all of our investigators are doing real good and we also had 2 more reactivation said of less actives. The work is coming and I hope I can keep it going! The wedding went perfect and they were so happy. After the baptism they posted stuff all on facebook about how happy they are to be a part of his church and they want to be sealed next year and said they will invite us for sure. So that was the week! I will also get my package tomorrow. I'm so excited to get it! 

 

I love the holidays and I hear it's so fun out here! But all the food. I weigh about 180!! Like what?! I need to start working out a little bit harder and not get fat lol. 

 

Also I love the book of Jacob. I am trying to finish the whole Book of Mormon by the end of the next transfer. That does make me think a little bit of us as missionaries. It has gotten a lot better honestly. Time is flying! I mean it is still only 4 months but that is a decent amount of time! 

 

Definitely go out with them (me going out with our sister missionaries) cause we love having the members come with us. That's a great opportunity to see what it is like also. That 3rd testimony is always better. 

 

Idk where I am going to go yet for the holidays! So we will see.

 

I appreciate the support of everyone and it is good to hear what others have to say about their mission and everything. It is not easy! But this is preparing me I know. Brother A who we just ate breakfast with this morning said this is crucial for the rest of our lives. Obviously there are tough days but after baptizing R and A something has just changed. They are going to be some of the best members and I just think it is so cool they want their kids to serve missions and everything. You have to meet them.
 

Also just send me some deserts you think would still be in one piece! So I'll take whatever honestly! I'm super excited that is for sure. It is going to be weird not being with everyone for the holidays but it'll be fun! Well I love you mom very much and thank you for everything! The church is true! 

Love, Elder McArthur

Hey Mom! 

So A and R passed their interviews and are ready to go! We have their wedding next Saturday and then the baptism on Sunday. I have never seen them so happy after coming out of that interview. We had a lesson Saturday to go over the questions and everything and then ate dinner with them. We talked to R for a long time and he really opened up. They are going to be such great members. He wishes he could serve a mission, but he wants a calling cause he wants to serve. He said he really hopes he brings his kids up to be able to all serve missions and have a much better life than he had. It was funny cause we were talking about the baptism and decisions they have to make on who they want to talk and all of that. He pointed right at me and said, "I want you to do it." I was just super happy I get to participate in being able to do that and then Elder N is baptizing A. So be ready for those pictures next week! I have plenty for you today. We could not be any happier for them. So that is their update! Also we are going to the temple site with the L family and L this coming Saturday which should be great. We ended up having a super good lesson with her this past Monday. We ate and then had a lesson with the guy J that lives above us. He is a member but was less active cause he was going through difficult things like with his dad dying and stuff, but he is coming back now, and it was crazy cause he does not get emotional but he definitely did with talking about his dad cause it happened when I first got here. So he is doing great. A is doing awesome of course! Just trying to find him a job so that he can go on his mission and move afterwards. He comes with us basically every day and also the other elders. He can go with both Spanish and English since he is fluent in both. So he is great. We also had some crazy surprises of people coming to church! N who we have been trying to get foreverrrrr finally came and loved it and will be back next Sunday she said lol. She is hilarious. She is from Puerto Rico and as well has great English. Spanglish is so real! It is its own language lol. Also A and M. We have been working with them for forever, and they actually have a nephew serving a mission, but A ended up coming and brought family! M was sick I believe, but it was so great to see them. So that is what is going on there. We have had a great week with people attending things. So that is mostly the main things on our people! 

We had an awesome Halloween Party at the church. I got some great pictures of that of course. It was good to be able to spend it with them. Who knows what I will be doing for Thanksgiving, but I know I'll be getting fed a tonnn. I can not believe how soon Christmas is! I am very excited for that. Oh speaking of food though so I know I have gained weight. I went to put my jeans on the other day and talk about filling them out lol. We just get fed all the time! Anyways it is also getting pretty darn cold here now that it is this time of the year. We should probably get snow sometime this month I am sure. 

I cannot believe Jake will be coming in so soon. I have a good chance of being in the same zone as him that is for sure, but we will have to see. It is just crazy he is coming out here in the same mission. 

I am sure Sam gave a great lesson. I wish I could have seen him before I left, but hey it will be soon enough that I'm back. It is weird I am going to be hitting my 4 month mark soon. Does not feel like it. Soon enough it'll be at 6 ha but anyways. I feel like I am learning a lot and the Spanish is coming pretty well. Little by little it is getting more fluent and my grammar has improved. It was funny cause I was looking at some of my stuff from the MTC and wow ha I see I have learned something. I just see a lot of the older Spanish missionaries and I think will my Spanish ever get to that point. But I am around it all the time and so hopefully so! But it helps me a lot cause I mean I just learn a lot of my own and by listening to how people say phrases and words helps a ton.

Also it would be nice to have a beanie soon or a scarf because it gets super windy and my hood is not the greatest for that hah. Jordan told me he would get me some tanks and flip flops.  I hear last year the wind chill got down to -20 here and they said if you had open skin and stayed out for 5 minutes then you would get frost bite. That was a nice.  Everyone had to stay in. So who knows! But yes I did get my sweaters and I love them so thank you very much!

I have plenty of pictures for today so do not worry about that. We just took lots of pictures and messed around really. ha! It was fun as always. It is so cool to see all the history here. It is a very busy city though that is for sure. Jake will love it. Also I can't believe Samuel is about to go in! He will enjoy it down there I am sure.  It'll be awesome to share all the stories we will have from here in our missions when all of us get back speaking different languages and stuff. It is funny how similar Portuguese is to Spanish. We actually have a couple who is from there and speaks it that is in our ward. So I could probably talk with Luke, but the accent is way different.

 

Temples are the best, and I wish I could go. I am just so excited to see next year when A and R get sealed with their family. That is what they want so badly. So who knows if I will get to go through with them then. I have just had more of this sense of a lot of peace recently and excitement. The spirit has really worked on R because the funny thing is is that he said the first time we came was just to please A, but as he kept coming he said he just felt something telling him this is right and what you need to do. We have been helping this ward grow. Lots of less actives are now coming back and now we have the baptism. Just seeing the work hastening. I love it! I just know that the lord can work miracles, and we just can not give up. I try to push hard every day, and I know I will be blessed as I do so. I love you so much mom! And I'll talk to you soon.

Love, 

Elder McArthur