Hey Mom! 

Yeah! This was a great week. We had kind of a lot of stuff cancel but it still went great. We got a few new investigators actually this one.  His name is D. He was previously Muslim but very open to seeing what we are about. His mom is an active member in our Ward actually. They are African as well. Yeah that food is so spicy! But I did not get any this week cause we went on a few exchanges. I brought Elder Foster for one of them here who is new to our zone and Elder Riley went to their area. We had an awesome just super busy day. But it was a great exchange. Just running around everywhere that day. We did another one with the Camden Spanish Elders. I went there with Elder Padilla and Elder Knuth came to our area with Elder Riley. It was a good exchange,  I've really been able to get over the fear and just talk with people so I try to help other missionaries get over it. We had a great week and especially with getting people out with us. The Ward is very supportive and awesome. This past Sunday I went to Camden for church because we had Ward conference. So me and Elder Riley did an exchange with the Camden English Elders so that way one of us could go to Cherry Hill and the other to Camden. It was a great Sunday there but so different going. It's been a pretty long week though. We also went to help out with another huge "Sweet 16" party. We served some food and all that good stuff. It was all Hispanics. Every week is just flying. I'm excited for General Conference and just the holidays. We went to the mall today and it smelled like the holidays because of all the stuff they have put out. Sister S is reactivated and just fine. 

We do call it a Spanish twig because it is not a branch. They are still part of the Camden Ward until they build the building over in Camden. It will be done in 2017. President Sikahema talked about it in Ward conference. 

We are going to Philly the Monday after the Pope leaves. 

Christmas is around the corner! We gotta get through Halloween and the Thanksgiving though first. I wonder where I will be. I could be here but I could go somewhere else between then and now. I'd like to be here! 

Well everything is going good here and hard to believe September is just about over. Love ya mom! Talk to you again next week! 

 

Love, 

Elder McArthur 

 

                                                My Spanish missionary!! 

Hey Mom! 

Yeah they definitely do (weeks fly by). I have less than 10 months now which blows my mind.

 I'm doing great! We had such an awesome week. We have changed some things and really working with the ward and Spanish twig more. We have been getting people out with us more and having much better success. It's been a really great week. That couple is doing great. We are going back again on Tuesday to help him. Little by little things are coming along with them so we will see what happens. They are just the nicest couple honestly and have great morals already so it would not be too hard to convert. The Rs are doing ok. We might have to just drop them for a bit though because they will not come to church. But that's ok. T is doing well. His wife and kids finally came yesterday! But he was not able to make it. Turns out he plays professional soccer! Did not know that one so I thought that was real good. They fed us some African food the other night actually and it was dang spicy and had a pretty interesting taste haha. We had a great lesson with them. They are progressing well. This past week was just great. We found lots of new people and have lots of return appointments with them so we are hoping the hold. We already have members out with us cause of the way we are starting to get members to go with us.  He (referring to Elder Riley who is an English speaking missionary about visiting with the Spanish people) loves working with them and tries his best to understand and communicate but it still goes fine because we bring members out with us who help a ton. We were able to bring a few out people out this week and have some great lessons. We have been able to help this one lady already get reactivated now. Her name is Sister S, and she loves us. She wants to feed us soon. We taught her last night with a new young married couple in the ward. The O. They are from Utah and came with us to see her. Awesome couple and we also ate at their house the other night. They are great at feeding us. Oh! And for Labor Day we went over to our Ward mission leaders home actually and they had some people from the ward over. Sister T who is a member is a Cherry Hill, her husband is Catholic but comes to church with them a lot and is supportive so we have been trying to just fellowship him and see what happens cause he is awesome. Hopefully something good comes from it cause it has been years. Oh! And Sister H who is our ward mission leaders wife is going to start cutting our hair. She had a studio back is Utah but she doesn't right now so that will be nice. Haven't had it cut like that in forever! So yeah I'm loving this area a lot. That is cool you have a brand new missionary there. They are always the best! Yeah I hope we (he and Elder Hillstead) serve together! We were both so excited haha and just talked for forever. President Nelson is coming and a bunch of the 70 I believe. So that will be cool! It will be broadcasted on Lds.org. I know a few of the sisters up there cause well one of them was in our zone until she went up there. 

 

Wow! Sounds like BYU is doing great. Elder Riley is a BYU fan so he is loving hearing about that haha. Good to hear Alabama is doing great. I figured they would be. Who is 1st? We ate at Olive Garden today and the Bama game was on! I had to look away though of course.

Well I love ya mom and talk to ya again soon! 

Love, 

Elder McArthur  

 

 This is the view from the missionaries' apartment in Camden during the daytime.  Philly in the background.

Hey Mom! 

I can't believe it has come around again already. I am so excited though. Next month is already Halloween! Goodness.

Well we had a wonderful week! Full of service. So that one family we have been doing service for wants to have us over for a dinner now. The husband started asking questions. This is the Dominican lady and the Puerto Rican guy. Wonderful couple and have a couple kids. Anyways, so we helped this past Tuesday and the fed us lunch but we could not stay for dinner. She thought we were! So we felt bad but this Tuesday we are and just getting to know them better and all that. We are super excited. Little by little! The Lord works. We just had a week of service and some lessons as well. We also had MLC(Missionary leadership council) with all the Zone leaders and Sister Training leaders. Elder Hillstead is now a Zone leader and Elder Kelley! I was not surprised. Elder Weisler is still one as well! So it is so great seeing them every month. We have Zone training twice this month so I'll see them again this transfer and we also have Zone Conference. So we have this R family and we just had a great lesson with them tonight with our Ward mission leader from the Spanish side of course. I think they are going to start progressing better. At least I hope! We shall see. So the sisters got it (the smurf from last week) from some members because they were with them when they did it. It was crazy! T is doing well. We are going to visit him tomorrow with Bro. H who is our English Ward mission leader. Nothing too big there yet. But things are going real well. Just trying to work on baptisms! It has been a while but I found out that the guy in my last area I told you about is getting baptized! I knew he would! I just wish I was there for it. It has been a busy and great week in all. Just been doing lots of service for people which is fine. They just keep feeding us. I found out Elder Wasden also went to serve with Elder Kelley's boy(trainee) in South Philly! Elder Kelley is in Spring Garden where I started. So some cool changes. We also got a new assistant Elder Hunter who will also go home with me. He is awesome. I don't think too much more went on this week that I can remember right now. 

All we did today (Labor Day) was make some pancakes actually and played some basketball with the other elders in our Zone. Nothing special. Last year our P-day was on Tuesday but it was not this time. 

 

We have gotten like 0 rain. Nothing at all which is shocking to me cause it is humid here. 

(Upon asking him if he would prefer us come and pick him up from the mission or not.)  I thought about that and I definitely want to fly home. It would be cool and it does not matter at all to President. But I want to fly home. I want that feeling of getting off the plane and walking to see everyone. We can always come back. 

Hard to believe conference is here again! I feel like I just watched it. Time really does fly in the mission. Well I'm a little short on time but I love you mom and I'll talk to ya again next week!

Love, 

Elder McArthur.

Hey Mom! 

So I am staying with Elder Riley. Hard to believe how fast this transfer went by. It flew! There are only two people leaving out of our Zone and it is as companionship. It is a double out. The rest are all staying which is cool! I'm excited to see where everyone goes though. Yea it is hard to leave an area always. I've hated leaving every area I've been in.

We had a pretty good week! Found a few new people and I guess our main focus would be this African guy named T. He is super awesome. His wife and daughters are members and he just got here from Africa about 3 weeks ago. We will see what happens with him! We had exchanges this week too. I went to Camden again but with the English elders and also brought Elder Cortes who is a golden here with me. They were both awesome exchanges and I just want to serve in Camden! This guy actually ended up driving us home there. He is a Spanish teacher and knows someone in the Cherry Hill 2nd Ward who is also a teacher. We found him later at night by just street contacting. We walked by him but I just felt strongly we needed to talk to him so we turned around and had a great chat with him. He is pretty set in his ways but the nicest guy. We talked about his daughter as well who is in stage 3 of her cancer. But she is fighting. It is just sad cause he said she is so young and doesn't even really know what is going on. I brought Elder Cotes here to our area and we had an awesome day. Taught 3 lessons that day. It was a pretty good week. Oh! So we also had a huge prank pulled on us with a giant smurf. Basically it went all the way to President to figure out who did it but we finally figured it out. It was some sisters in our zone! So we called our whole zone to see if they did it and all of them said no. But! The Sisters that pulled the prank were the only ones who did not answer the whole day. The craziest thing is is that it ended up in our apartment. They said they left it outside and everything but we figured out how it got in. Some maintenance guys had to come and must have just put it inside because it was out there! It's a long story but I don't feel like writing it all right now haha. But crazy. We are staying healthy thank goodness. We have been doing a good amount of service actually. Nothing consistently every week but things here and there. We chopped a ton of wood this past week and are going back tomorrow to help this couple who are friends of some members in the English Ward. But they are Hispanics haha. Both speak English and Spanish perfectly though. So we will see what happens there if we can start teaching them or not. But everything is going well! I'm excited to stay here for a while and not be gone after just one transfer. 

 

I also gave a talk on missionary in the Spanish one. It went real well I think.

We are actually getting Facebook back this coming transfer so I'll have to do that! Cause those are really great. I could use them.Well I love you mom and I'll talk to you again soon!

Love, 

Elder McArthur 

                                             The Smurf that the sisters left for him and Elder Riley.