Nearly in Haiti

river we have to cross like 2 times a day. a bit more difficult after lots of rain...

-knarly rain, the road was a river!

yep, a frog

Hi fam! so this week was super different. Tuesday, wake up at the crack of the dawn, get a taxi to take me and my bags to the capitol. get there, then the APs take me to a huge bus station. i hop on a Caribetours bus (like a La Bus or something like that) alone! it was crazy. then it was like a 3 hour bus ride. get off and the others are there waiting for me. then, take another taxi to our house, like a 45 min ride away.  So, i am campo. Really campo. i am in the 2nd closest areas to Haiti! i live in a small 4 man house that....well, ive been in better houses....all four of us went 3 days without showing cuz there was no water and the landlady is horrible and crazy and ya. good times.

 

So, i get here and its all good, defiantly new, cuz its campo. day 2, find out that the land lady is crazy and threatening to kick us out. day 3, the ayudantes (or the say, the APs of the campo) came to check out the house. and it was kinda dirty, but we had NO water to clean it. but anywho, on the other hand, we should be having a baptism this Saturday. her name is Rosmary. so, that's exciting. 

 

But, what to say. wowsers. campo is crazy. everything is super spaced out and open. lots of goats. less dogs. no food. lots of mud. for real, its been raining like mad here, and its all dirt roads. Saturday was probably one of the knarliest storms that i have ever seen. ever. it was insane. suuuuper loud lightning, crazy rain (you have NO idea how loud rain is in tin houses. it hurts its so loud) my companion is elder hawks, an American, and I'm his step dad! so this is his 3rd transfer, and i am his 2nd companion. its cool. really strange but that's OK, no worries. haha. 

 

But I'm loving it out here. the work is good, and i have more animo to work haha. the branch is small and there are only like 3 priesthood holders, but, hey, that's what I'm here for right? 

so i went to the famous market in elias piña, which is the closest to Haiti, and it was...disappointing. i mean, that market is famous for being huge and being able to find anything. but they had like no ties. but, it was cool to be there. 

 

But, this Internet center sucks, ill try and send pics, but, lets just say it took about 15 min just for me to log into my email....

super. 

but love you guys and talk to ya later!

-Elder MacArthur

 

 

on the long drive to San Juan

my new area, las matas de farfan!

More pictures :)

in los coquitos

even on the mission cant change my passions....

flag day in Haiti! this is a Haitian family, we are teaching one of them

mikenda, the one in red, has a fecha in 2 weeks. she is awesome

mikenda again, haitian pride. 

makin empenadas!!

some really scary lookin clouds before a knarly storm a few days ago

puppies! yes, stray, street puppies, but they are still adorable for now.

alexis makin burgurs for a ward activity!

my ward! well, alot of them in pedro brand

dog

middle of nowhere

our colmado!

the middle of nowhere. again

hoodlums. they roam the streets here...haha.

Las Matas de Farfan!

Hey kids! OK, so i actually have a few cool stories!! so first off. we got transfer calls last night! and i am going...to the CAMPO!! ya! sooo stoked. man. I'm going to an area called Las Matas de Farfan. its in the zone of San Juan, which is WAY out there. its like 30 min away from Haiti haha. so far out there, soooo happy! so that will be fun to tell you about next week! i go tomorrow morning sometime. its gonna be a long day of traveling!

And i had pretty much the spiritual highlight of my mission up to now this week. so, we were going to visit a few of the siblings of on of our baptisms, and we took a back route to her house. right before her house a girl is sitting there, and stopped us and told us she wanted us to bring her the word. we at first thought she was just kinda being flirty, but found out where she really lived and set an apt for the next day. so we went, and. wow. it was an excellent lesson. it was short but really good. she really did have interest. so, we left her a pamphlet and then passed by the next day. so no, its Saturday, and we go there. we start talking, and she read nearly the whole thing which is unusual. then she started really talking to us. she told us how she told us that she saw us passing alot and how she always felt that she should talk to us. and then that day, she said that as we passed she had a super strong feeling that she talk to us, right then. and then the spirit was way strong. she said that before she didn't like the Mormon's and such, but after us talking to us and reading she liked us alot.

Then she told us about her prayer when she asked if what we said was true and that she wanted an answer and then that that night she dreamt of demons. sigh. so we talked about that, and how God answers prayers and that was and answer from Satan, trying to scare her. we talked that if she was investigating a false church then Satan is cool with that, but if she is investigating the true church then Satan is going to fight against her alot. then we shared galatas 5: 22-23 which talks about the fruits of the spirit. later we started talking about the restoration, and i just started to bawl as i testified of it. it was amazing. she then started talking about how she felt and she started to cry. man, she is a chosen one if i have ever seen one. one of her daughters that is 10 is also really interested. they are going to be really amazing. she is one of the reasons that i don't want to leave this area. i want to see her get baptized. moments like that make everything in the mission that is awful oh-so very worth it. i love it.

So, last story, this is Presidente Almontes last transfer! he leaves week 5 of this transfer! crazy. that is going to be so weird getting a new pres. man. 

OK, well, I'm WAY behind in sending you pictures. so ill do that now. we are at a legit Internet center. cool beans. 

bye!

Elder MacArthur

 

MANGASO! or to say, huge mango!! so good. 

some cool places in my area. 

no, i do not know any of these kids. haha. we were contacting, took a few pictures, and all the sudden they all flocked to us (no, it is not weird. actually very common haha)

the others are just pictures from that barrio, los coquito 2

i fell....in a gutter...it was raining hard.

our baptism from last week, Perla

just for mom! a member here sews! she fitted all my shirts :)

Milk was a bad choice!

Man its hot! defiantly starting to be summer! it will rain for like 5 seconds everyday and then be 95 degrees and SOOO humid. man alive. but, on the good side, we had another baptism! ill send pics....prolly next week. I'm at an awful Internet center, the good ones inverse (battery thing) does not work. so, we are at a crappy one and the Internet is too slow to send pics. so ya. but her name is Perla, she was a reference and is awesome. and i was lucky enough to direct the baptism, which, surprisingly i haven't had to do yet! haha, so that was cool. and sorry, i sent an email last week that just said it was good to talk to you all for mothers day, i guess none of you got it! sorry! but this week was cool. we had interviews with the president and i asked him to send me campo, and he said he would! he just told me to call and remind him Thursday so that will be cool! next week ill tell you where I'm going! I'm hoping to go to an area called enriquillo barahona, its way down south and super hot, but its ON THE BEACH. ya. the house is like 20 yards from beach. and apparently the ocean breeze keeps the heat to bearable. but, its also an area where members are phyco and throw rocks at the missionaries. so we will see. hahah. but, the only other cool thing this week was a surprise intercambio with the zone leaders. i was with elder Kieley, who is amazing. i love that kid. his Spanish is better than the Dominicans. really. he can correct their Spanish. its amazing. and he is sooo smart. he is the missionary i wanna be haha. but anywho, i love you guys and ill see if i can get this thing to send some pictures...no promises...

bye!

elder MacArthur

oh, PS. i used white out and put accents on my plaque. haha so I'm now Élder MacÁrthur. as is should be. haha.

Im in the DR!

Hey fam, this week was good! we had another baptism, her name is Nayelis. she is the granddaughter or barbina, of of my baptisms awhile ago, and sister of oscar, also an older baptism. so that's good! we had another fecha for this week, but it fell....she got a boyfriend and now there are a few things stopping her from baptism. bummer for sure. but, we still have 3 pretty solid fechas for this transfer,so that is good news for sure. not much else to say. I'm really sorry i send lame emails. i just dunno what to say. haha. but, hey, this week i get to call you!! i have NO idea when. haha, so...surprise!!. it will be Sunday..that's all i know. so, get stuff ready to ask me! ill try and think of things to say, but, have things to ask! haha. oh, more cool news. i hit 11 months this very day. cool beans.

barbina, yiyi, nayelis, a friend, and oscar

eaton with a bunch of the kids

me, barbina, nayelis, elder eaton

yep, i learned how to make an AMAZING natural tea. be excited come winter 2012 and you can try it!