Hey Mom! 

I am doing just fine. It was a really good week. I think it is awesome how me and him (Elder Weisler, aka Jake) are in the same Zone and that he is my Zone leader though haha. It's been a lot of fun getting to catch up from over the years. So this was a real good week. Me and Elder Morgan are just fine. He is a great companion. Just trying to do all we can do build up the Spanish part. So I might have told you about that knew family that came in a couple weeks ago. So he is not a member but she is. She is even endowed. So we visited them Tuesday and had dinner. They are from Bolivia. Awesome family. All of them are members and including her daughter and her daughter's husband. But the dad is not and he has been investigating the church for 30 years! His  son even is on a mission right now if I remember right and gave a Book of Mormon to his dad with soooo much stuff that he had marked or written and told him when he gets back that he will be baptized. We will continue to work with him for sure. We also found some other great investigators. Ones name is A. His wife said next time we come back she is going to cook for us. I got them to believe I was from Guatemala or Spain haha. Yeah we actually just ate there (Fletchers) yesterday after church. It was nice. They are so awesome. Brother Fletcher is actually going to be taking us to Philly next p-day. I was thinking maybe of getting a new suit. So there is a guy named T in Philly where so many Elders get suits and he lowers the price to 99 dollars for every Elder cause he knows we can't pay a ton. Super nice guy. My gray suit is just not doing super good. One pair ripped again. So that's next p-day. And Y went to the temple, just the visitors center the other day. She is doing great actually. She was on vacation or visiting family this week but will be back soon if she isn't already.  So we had a real good week. Oh! We had zone conference which was super awesome with Elder Kacher and his wife. It was super good and he is a great guy. He will be traveling a lot though and this was the last one in English haha. Learned a lot from that.

 

Wow ha super cool about Josh (Tolibas).

Well hey I actually am running out of time but I got my shirts! I love you and I'll talk to you again next week! 

Love, 

Elder McArthur 

Hey Mom! 

Sounds like y'all had a really great trip from what the girls told me. Yeah I would love to go zip lining! Especially there. Not a terrible drive. The one to Arizona felt like forever! 

We had a great week! Love the area a lot actually. Yeah we are right here on the border like our area goes down into Maryland and the church is in Maryland. Yeah we live in Oxford. We have found just lots of people and also working with less actives because there are plenty of members to start a branch. We just have to get them back. The coolest thing though is I think I told you about the family that came last week. So she invited us over for dinner on Thursday and her husband is not a member! Which is awesome for us cause he always goes to church with her and he is super nice. We are going to start teaching him. He speaks Spanish and English. He does very well actually for being Hispanic. She does not really speak any though hah but wonderful family. They also have an older daughter about 20 something who is a member with her husband I believe. We have found some awesome people. We have a Puerto Rican guy J who is progressing very well. He should be coming to church Sunday. We are seeing him tonight. The work is already taking off and there are other members who speak Spanish that will come out with us. The ward is super supportive in the missionary work and there is actually a lady who buys us milk every week haha. We actually also had a bonfire this week with Stubbs and some other people because we met a less active girl who is younger. Her name is Y. She is in her 20s and Stubbs wants us to start teaching her cause she wants to start coming back to church. She came on her own this Sunday actually. So everything is going well. Yeah! So the exchange (with Elder Weisler, aka Jake) was so awesome. We talked for forever just catching up on life and he actually put you on his email list (which I get Elder Weislers long before my own elder). So look for that. Is was crazy cause we just can't believe we are serving here together and especially got to go on an exchange. We stayed up for a bit just talking about so much stuff. We are playing basketball with him and his companion today actually. We traded ties of course. He gave me a super awesome purple one. I have like 30 ties now. Time flies out here. I'm so close to that year. It does not feel like it. Yeah Saryn emailed me! Birmingham, Alabama! So awesome. We have some Alabama fans in the ward. I had like a dream that Kayla got called to Philly. Idk why! It was weird. Haha. 

The Fletcher's are so funny. He brought us dinner the other day on the way back from the youth temple trip. I'll have to send more pictures though cause I have lots. I just suck at sending them. I feel like me and Elder Hillstead definitely will. At least I hope! He wanted to open the area with me haha. Elder Morgan is doing great. We get along real well. Yeah so the Mexicans are great! I think I'm totally a Domincan but I still love the Mexican, especially their food. I've been making homemade tortillas and that flower juice (which he hated at the Mexico MTC). There is a Mexican store where we bought it all. Yeah it's so cool having Stubbs here cause he is great and helped me out a lot when he was actually still in the mission. So it's been great. 

I've definitely had to teach a lot haha. But in Spanish. 

It is so true. Sometimes it's so hard with all I have learned to just not tell people how wrong they are cause it is sad just to see how blinded and confused they are. But just gotta Bear testimony because you can't force it on anyone. However, I always like to just to get one appointment.

Ha I just lose track of time honestly. It's been so great out here honestly and just trying to do my best! I don't think I missed anything. Well I love you mom and ill talk to ya again soon! 

Love, 

Elder McArthur 

Hey Mom! 

Haha the Fletcher's are the best that is for sure. They love the missionaries.  This was the last place I was expecting to go actually but President decided to reopen it up and put us in here and call me as district leader. We have an awesome district here. We have a trio of Elders. Elder Parker, Pule who is from Zew Zealand and Elder Allred. And Sisters McGuire and Schettler. Elder Morgan is new. He is doing great. There are plenty of Hispanics but they are all Mexican. I miss the Dominicans but I'm starting to love the Mexicans too. It's way different cultural wise, but this area is beautiful. We have already been down to their (Fletchers) house and funny thing is is that Elder Stubbs who was my Zone leader at the beginning of my mission is now here for the summer working for him and living there so he is helping us out and it's awesome to see him cause he helped me out a lot when I was struggling. Really love the area and it is a ward but we have to bring back all of the less actives and everything on the Spanish side. It was super sad to leave Hazleton but President B said I have a place to stay when I come back haha. He gave me a tie. He was so awesome. He was originally supposed to go to Finland on his mission. He told us some crazy stories. He was a super super good missionary.  I think tomorrow we are having a bon fire cause there is a less active Elder Stubbs(James) wants us to meet so we are going down to the Fletchers for that. So yeah! It was a good week of lots of contacting and all that. 

Yeah I hope to hear that she (A back in Hazleton) gets baptized soon! I am going to email Elder Wasden about her and stuff to see what is going on. 

Yeah being on my own for a year has been interesting, but at least it has helped me know what to buy when I go shopping and not eating crappy all the time. 

Oh! So I am actually in Elder Weisler's (Jake's) zone and he is my zone leader so we are actually going on an exchange together on Thursday. Your dream came true! We are both super excited. I talked to Elder Hillstead. We really hope we serve together.

That is too weird that he (Jessey) has already finished his mission like I remember when he just left to go back out. Wow. Time goes by super quick. Cody will be leaving soon! Haha yeah still one more year. This past year has been great and I know the next will only be better especially after knowing how to speak the language a lot better. Elder Pule wants to learn. He already speaks Samoan and some Native New Zealand language. And of course English. 

Oh it is so humid here and much hotter than up north.

Jessey's blog post was super good. I know he definitely will never forget because I know I'll never forget mine. The experiences I've had have been amazing. 

Oh and so we actually live in Pennsylvania. We work here and in Maryland. Well I hope you really enjoy the trip down there. Send some pictures! I love you Mom! Talk to ya again real soon! 

Love, 

Elder McArthur  

 

I have to thank Brother Fletcher in the 3rd picture down with Elder McArthur for these pictures because Elder McArthur has been slacking on sending pictures lately!!

 

 

                          So the young man 2nd from the left is the former Elder Stubbs who they helped move in to his new place for the summer.

                                         Sister Fletcher with them here.  Her and Brother Fletcher have been spoiling him.  They sure love the missionaries!!

                                  Elder McArthur on transfer day.  It was so much easier for Brother Fletcher to get pictures of him since he moved to his area!

                                          Unloading at his new apartment in Oxford!

                                          One of the MANY times they have eaten at the Fletchers in the less than 3 weeks that he has been there!  Thank you Owen and Emily!!

Hey Mom! 

Well I'm gone! Got transferred. Don't know where of course and I have no clue what happened honestly. Everyone is staying except for me and Elder Draper. It's sad but I mean it happens obviously. I'm pretty sad but it's exciting to see who will be my next companion and where I will go.  It was a slow week but really picked up at the end. Yea I translated this last meeting and actually did better than I was expected. That's awesome that he (Ryan) is training! I wonder how his German is. It's a tough language.

Yes! Thank you so much. The pants surprisingly fit perfect haha. I've gained just a little weight. Those were super good but gosh I can't eat a whole ton. I want some healthy stuff maybe next time haha well a mix. Haha I can't keep eating crappy food! I have lost weight though but I'm still bigger than I guess I'd like to be. So yeah. But this week we had such a miracle! Cool story to share. So we have taught this lady A and her husband who are progressing well. They have a baptism date for next month. Anyways, so we go to her though the other night cause her husband was at work. We took R who is the awesome member who was a missionary. So we follow up on her reading right. She tells us, " Oh, I have read much more than you left." We just left her with 1 Nephi 1 and she read up to Chapter 20! She basically told us when she went to read, she said a prayer, started to read and when she read the first verse of first Nephi she just broke down crying because she felt the spirit testify to her the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. It was one of the best lessons I have had in my mission and she is sad that I am leaving but she will definitely be baptized. She already has a testimony of the Book of Mormon after the 3rd lesson! I'm so excited for that and a couple other people who are doing good so there is plenty of work here to still do for sure. 

I feel like I have learned just so much more and especially about the restoration. I gave my last testimony on that in English and Spanish Sunday. Well I'm short on time cause we are going to our Branch President's house to eat haha. I love you mom and I'll talk to ha again soon in my new area! 

Love, 

Elder McArthur 

Hey Mom! 

I just do not know where the time goes honestly. It's June! I hit my year mark next transfer. Wow. I just think of all that has happened since last June. So weird

Well this week was super good! Lots of great lessons. Found 5 new investigators. I'm just trying to work as hard as I can and I have seen the success from doing so. We taught 15 again but we are shooting for that 20 again. That was actually my first confirmation.  Everything went real well this week actually. He (Elder Wasden) is coming along well. There is still a couple things I'm trying to help him with but the Spanish is honestly coming along better than I thought it would. Yeah haha I sound real Dominican. I'm doing great honestly. Just can't believe I'm hitting my year mark. In my interview President told me that he my just have to pull me out and have me train again haha. Time is just going by quick and like seeing people get home that I remember when they left is just crazy.  I heard (about Elder Perry dying)! I was so sad. I wonder who will be the next apostle. That's a huge call. Just gotta pray for them. But everything is good. I'm thinking I might leave here though but I'd like to stay for at least one more. It's so weird though cause I'm the oldest Spanish missionary here in Hazleton so I have to translate all the time. It can be really hard sometimes! But it's getting better every time I do it. Like we had a combined meeting and I had to translate. This Sunday was awesome cause we had lots of people in church. One of the members we found came. He has been a member since 96 and he is awesome. Nothing too interesting went on this week. Just super busy and everything. But yeah. Don't know what else! 

Yeah they (President and Sister Anderson) are super awesome. I'm glad I'll have him for my whole mission. I'll die (go home) with him in the mission. 

I haven't heard about it but I know there is just a ton of rain out there. We have been getting a good amount recently. Which has been nice cause it has been a little hot. 

I can't believe Jessey is already coming home! That went too fast. Yeah I do feel like I have changed with certain things for sure.

I gave a talk on the sabbath day this Sunday and so I talked about it and how we really need to be better at how we are living our sabbath day and just trying to prepare ourselves more.

We have the restoration which no other church has. That is what sets us apart and we are THE only church with the priesthood authority. I always love teaching that lesson to people but you do have to be bold sometimes in what you say so they really understand and you just have to let them know what this means. But always ask them what it means. 

I've loved my mission so far and to see the changes in people is amazing. I just know this is all true. Idk how it couldn't be. It's my second summer. Just hard to believe how quick time flies. Just always have to stay busy. Well I love you mom and I will talk to ha again real soon! I'll have pictures soon too! 

Love, 

Elder McArthur