1 year mark baby

Transfer 9 (5-30-16)
Events I experienced:
Monday was good. We cleaned the apartment, did normal p-day stuff, did a little shopping. A 40-ish year-old woman in Hollister told me I was beautiful, that was funny haha. I tried to get Elder Nadauld a gift without him knowing but didn't get a good chance, so maybe I'll try tomorrow. We had dinner with the single adults at a Chinese restaurant, it was great! They're a really cool group. We shared a pensée spirituelle about the most important words ever spoken: "This is my beloved Son, hear Him!"

Tuesday, I had an exchange with elder Arné! It was really fun! We had to navigate around the Coldplay concert in town. 56.000 people!! Incredible. There was traffic backup for miles.

Wednesday, we got a free crêpe pan! Super cool. We helped Frere F. clean out a fish pool. There was fish poop everywhere. He made us a great lunch. He's pretty awesome. He lives in upper nice, it's super beautiful.

Thursday, I had an exchange with Elder Loveland from Toulon. We had a few RDVs, contacted a lot, got a new ami named J! He's a referral from the Paris mission, he's super cool. We taught him the restoration and we're seeing him tomorrow. He lives with his girlfriend and their daughter is coming over as soon as she can get a visa. He's some sort of Protestant, and he's really nice and open. We have high hopes for him!

Friday, we had district meeting! It was cool. We celebrated Elder Nadauld's birthday, D. (a cool member) made us the best meal I have ever eaten, period. It was incredible.

Saturday, was pretty fun. I don't remember much. Because of gas and train strikes, our zone conference is cancelled, and the next district meetings as well. Pretty dumb. I hate French trains. Moving on...

Sunday was awesome! I gave a talk on chapter 1 of President Hunter's book in "Teachings of the Presidents" it was fun. Only had 2 days notice, but it turned out alright. Then we did numbers, Skyped the assistants to help them with something and then went to Kevin's for dinner. Amazing food as always.

A great week! I'm reading 3 Néphi 11 right now in personal study and it's really cool. Should be fun next week!
Love you all!
Elder MacArthur

Ben & Elder Nadauld and the Oldroyd family who were visiting Nice and kindly sent this picture to the missionary moms

Really cool view

Elders Hundsman, Thueson, and Menzel :) they're awesome

Our swaggy banner

5-23-16!

Hey everyone, it's been another week of lame writing by me. Sorry about that.

Events I experienced:
Monday: went up to Lyon, had a fun p-day shopping with the Aix-en-Provence zone leaders and the assistants!

Tuesday, mission leadership conference. Really fun! President Brown talked to us about the Lord's vision for the transfer and how we can accomplish it. I tackled the 5 at MasterTacos! It was delicious. Afterwards, we went back and slept with the Aix freres.

Wednesday, we had a lot of stuff fall through, and ward council.

Thursday, we planned our zone training, saw our recent convert Lu, had RCM.

FRIDAY, zone training! It was lots of fun! We talked about the vision for the transfer, binding Satan in our lives. It was great to hype up the crew and had fun together.

Saturday, I had an exchange with Elder Raherimandimby! We played soccer with some potential Amis, did some contacting, and helped with the service project. We worked with the Red Cross to collect and donate clothes, food, and other supplies for refugees. It was lots of fun!

Sunday, church, contacting, putting in the zone's numbers, and dinner at Kevin's house.

Lessons I learned:
The allergy medicine I was taking was the reason why I have been so tired! It expired 4 years ago. I threw it away. Victory

(free) Advice I have:
"Little Children" by President Packer, October 1986 Gen Conf. A cool quote: "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior." President Packer is an amazing teacher. I like his talks the more I read them.

I love you all! Nice is great. Really cool town. Beautiful!
Elder MacArthur

As big as my arm. Delicious. Ate it all!

Zone training! Corsica is on the iPad haha

5-16-16!

Hello hello friends. Things were good this week! Very new, a little challenging, but great.

Events I experienced:
Monday, lots of trains to Nice. Long day, but pretty fun. I rode with Elder Thangaraj to Marseille, where the whole zone met up, minus the Sisters. We had lots of fun together, it'll be a fun transfer! Then we all got on a train, minus the Corsica Elders, and we went to our respective sectors. Elders Lutu, Raherimandimby, Nadauld, and I got into Nice, then unpacked and ate dinner, then planned.

Tuesday was great, we did emails, had RCM, lots of cool stuff really. We met one of Bono's cooks. We might get to meet him and U2 in June! That would be awesome!!

Wednesday, we did lots of contacting and had Ward council. We met a lady from Utah who took our pictures and sent them to our moms. Then we met and old sister missionary who served in Nice a year ago, and her family took more pictures to send to our moms haha, it was pretty fun.

On Thursday, I went on an exchange with Elder Loosle in Saint Raphael! It was really fun, we taught a cool English class and lesson to their ami M. He's really set on getting baptized, and he's Tahitian, so he's super cool. He even took us to an old WW2 memorial. Pretty cool guy! I bought a big ice cream by the boardwalk in St. Raph, it's really beautiful.

On Friday, we all got back to Nice and waded through the gare traffic for the Cannes film festival. We saw another old missionary, Elder Pittsenbarger! He's pretty cool, Elder Loosle and I talked to him a little bit. He was helping all the Americans use the ticket machines, it was pretty funny to watch them struggle haha. Afterwards, we all got kebabs, then Elder Nadauld and I weekly planned, and we taught a less-active named J at K's house. K is a recent convert, also the Assistant Ward Mission Leader. He's amazing! J is a cool Chinese guy, he wants to be a stock trader. We talked about the sacrament; the lesson went really well. Then K fed us a great meal, poisson cru! And he gave us Mountain Dew. K has friends in high places.

Saturday was good too, we did yard work for a former member and his wife. They are really old and the sweetest people ever, to the point where this old guy is calling you "my dear" and stuff. Pretty weird but he's old and French and a little off, so it's fine. They gave us really classy snacks, because they're pretty well-off, like lots of Niceans.

Sunday was great, we had church and a meal with the single adults afterwards. Then we taught Lé the plan of salvation, it went really well. He's awesome. Then we went to the church to enter numbers in for the zone, did some porting, then had dinner with K! He made some delicious food as usual. He made a really good cake. He is the third Nephite.

Lessons I learned:
I learned this week that change is good! Challenges are meant to stretch us, push our limits and expand our capacities. I've been reading in Helaman this week, and there are some great stories in there. Néphi the prophet was an incredible man who handled change and difficulties really well. When he was thrown in prison, he relied on the Lord to deliver him, and as a result, hundreds of Lamanites were converted and the church grew. He used hardships as a tool to advance God's work. I hope to be able to do the same.

(free) Advice I have:
"Tears, Trials, Trust, Testimony" by President Monson, April 1987 Gen Conf "...That long journey, made under such difficult circumstances, was a trial of faith. But faith forged in the furnace of trials and tears is marked by trust and testimony. Only God can count the sacrifice; only God can measure the sorrow; only God can know the hearts of those who serve Him--then and now." I love President Monson! He's too cool.

I love you all! Thanks for listening! :)
Love, Elder MacArthur

Upper Nice

Picking cherries

K makes an awesome cake

Ben with the former Sorella Spicq (& friend) who knew Marilyn Bradford in Italy

Ben & Elder Nadauld with the Wallace family in Nice.  Soeur Wallace served in Nice about a year ago.  Thanks to the Wallace family for emailing to the moms.

Ben & Elder Nadauld met another LDS tourist who took their picture then emailed to the moms!  On the same day!

5-9-16!

Hello hello! Best week ever this week. Sad and happy tout à la fois.

Events I experienced:
Monday was nothing special.

Tuesday was good! We helped the Hub family get wood from the forest. Always a fun thing. Then we had dinner with the Bar family and Nes! I think that helped him to feel the love from the members, and hopefully that'll give him motivation to go back to church.

Wednesday was fun, I got to do an exchange with Elder Dunn! He's from Santa Barbara, he loves cars and guns. He's a fun guy, we ported a lot (the whole day) and got sunburned, but it's ok. It was a fun day! You can really get to know a person well by porting with them, because you have lots of time to talk!

Thursday, district meeting in Perigueux! The second district meeting is up to the district leader, so I chose to talk about success. I briefly touched on this during my first district meeting, and I felt that it would be good to go over. We read the definitions of success in PMG p. 10,11 (in French, at least) and we read a great poem about success that I love, called "The Race." We also read the Fourth Missionary, a good talk given by Elder Corbridge of the Seventy. My goal was to help people realize why success is. It isn't baptisms! That is often an exterior indicator of success, but real success is never giving up. Success isn't a final destination, it is a state, the state of trying and never giving up, when we kill the natural man inside of us and seek God's will 100%. I think people liked the meeting, I did give them all chocolate after a fun squat jump game we played. Afterwards, we had a finding day in Perigueux, and I did my exchange with Elder Kimble, it was very fun as well! He's a good friend.

Friday! TRANSFER CALLS! I was super nervous but excited at the end. Elder Storti is staying and receiving Elder Carlson, whom I don't know. I'm going to Nice to be with Elder Nadauld; we'll be the zone leaders there. It'll be sick! Elder Nadauld is incredible, he was an Assistant when I came in, the first France Lyon missionary I hugged when we got into the airport! He started his mission in Brive, so we'll have lots to talk about. We saw the O'Ms down in Beynac today, it was super beautiful! There are lots of castles everywhere.

Saturday was sweet, we had a picnic with J-L and Frere D. It was beautiful! We did some planning and packing, then we swung by the Cal family to give a spiritual thought and say goodbye.

Sunday, we walked to the church [early, in time to make a 6 AM France time call home for Mother's Day]. We met a lot of drunk people on the way, people coming out of night clubs. It was strange. After church, I said goodbye to everyone, got pictures, didn't cry, surprisingly! We ate lunch with President Brig, it was delicious. We came home from lunch and I did last minute packing, then J.D. picked us up and took us to the gare. Nes didn't come to church, but he did come to the gare to help me with suitcases. He carried the big one on his head, African style. It was impressive! We took gare pics and then took the train to Bordeaux. I did my Sunday calls in the bathroom, the quietest place on the train. A little stinky but oh well. We got in to Bordeaux and slept with the zone leaders and Angouleme.

Lessons I learned:
Mother Teresa said this: "People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and  God. It was never between you and them anyway." This is powerful stuff! Why do we let others pollute our righteous actions? So what if they're not nice! Be nice! Who cares? I have learned on my mission to not care about what others think, in a sense. You have to have thick skin and not be affected by the naysayers and the haters.

(free) Advice I have:
"A Doorway Called Love" by President Monson, October 1987 Gen Conf. A wonderful talk with a sweet old lady story. Good read!

Think about your success in your life. Read Helaman 5 for a good success story.

It's been a long day. It's been a good 6 months in Brive. I'm off to Nice for lots of hard work and lots of fun! Thanks for reading!
Love, Elder MacArthur

Many photos I took are on my camera, not iPad, so I you'll have to wait on those till next week.

The Beynac Castle

The super crew of Pangouliviers

The Nice Elders:  Nadauld, Latu, Ben and Raherimandimby 

A scary dog

5-2-16!

Hello hello!

First things first: sorry. Well hey. I forgot to write this week! Sorry about that. It was all good though. Dang. Sorry for the lame email.

Picture time! They're worth a thousand words.

(free) Advice I have: "Balm of Gilead" by President Packer, October 1987 Gen Conf. Super good talk! I won't explain, just read it. Forgive others!

Love you all! Sorry for being lame! I promise wonders next week.
Elder MacArthur

Zone conference in Bordeaux!

Missionary faux pas (same tie).

Goofing around.

Painting in Dijon with a dog with a human face which Ben thought was humorous [no mention of how he came to posses a picture of a painting in Dijon which is no where near Brive].