Hey,
Well its my pday so I get to write emails again. :) I'm doing great. On Friday we had a zone conference thing where we met as a Zone and talked about some things. Nothing really too interesting. As always, we get told to be obedient and to not get discouraged, etc. But it was a good meeting.
Then on Saturday we got to have the baptism. It went great and the Spirit was really strong. And there were investigators there too that got to see it. One of the investigators that we are teaching was there and after the baptism there was a cookout, and he told us at the cookout that he wanted to get baptized. But there are a few things he needs to clear up beforehand but it was great to see him decide to change. And it was neat to see how happy george was. The water in the font was pretty hot and after the baptism he bore his testimony, and he said, "When I first got in the water, the water was hot, an I felt like a lobster, but then...it was cool and I didnt feel any pain. I just felt good." I wish you could hear him say because it was pretty funny the way he said but but it was neat to hear too. And then he also talked about how before the missionaries came he never smiled, and then after the first time he said his smile got a little bigger and he pointed on his face to show how big it was, and then he said now his smile is big all the time and he pointed to the top of his face and said its up to here. Lol. And then on Sunday we had church and George was confirmed.
I also got to give a talk. I gave a fifteen minute talk on the Atonement. It went good. Then after church we visited this lady Clara. We have taught her the first two lessons and she is like 85 years old. So this time we asked her to be baptized and she said she wanted to be. And she loves the Book of Mormon. She reads it all the time. So we are planning on baptizing her on the 22nd of August. So its been a pretty neat couple of weeks that I've been here so far.
Yesterday I got to go on exchanges for the day with another set of companions. So I slept at there apt monday night and spent the day with them on tuesday. It was fine. It was basically just the same as normal except I didn't know any of the people we taught.
Yes it is always really hot here. Its in the nineties here too. Yesterday was like 94. You get used to being drenched in sweat and having your clothes just stick to you. Lol.
.......
I got my new bike on monday. As expensive as it was, I have to say it is a super nice bike. I really like it. It rides so smooth, and it shifts so smoothly too. And it maintains its speed alot better too. So I really like it and so do Elder Carter and Elder Comer.
Well I can't think of anything else to write. I hope as always you guys are doing well and that Moses Lake was fun. I'm working on getting pictures. Ill for sure send some by next wednesday. Thanks for the emails and the letters. I love getting them.
LoveElder Larson
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
July 22, 2009
Hey
I hope everything is going well back in Spokane. I feel like it has been forever since I last emailed. My last week MTC was good. To be honest it feels like a really long time ago and my whole stay there just seems like one big blur. But I do remember that we did some more practice teaching on thursday. We taught the Plan of Salvation to a volunteer investigator and it went well. Then on Sunday our District sang in sacrament meeting because we were departing that week. We sang hymn 264 Hark all ye nations. And every Sunday night is movie night so they show a bunch of movies in different rooms. Elder Shelley and I watched the Joseph Smith Movie. I really like that movie.
And then on Tuesday 6 of the ten Elders in our district left for the field. They are going to Everett Washington actually. So Tuesday was kind of a long, nastalgic day because there were only four of us and it was jsut weird to be the only ones. But then Wednesday morning we got up at 3am to start heading to the airport. It kind of stunk I felt a little sick and didnt really sleep that night and it mad the airplane rides kind of miserable. But I'm fine and I'm not sick at all anymore. But when we got off the plane our mission president was waiting for us along with all the AP's. He took us to the Mission Home and we spent the night here. And yeah it is really humid here but I think I am already pretty used to it because I really dont feel it anymore. But I did when i first got here. It felt like going into a sauna. And there are so many trees here. There main roads remind me of driving to Zions camp or something because it always feels like you are in the middle of a forest. There are just so many trees and it sounds like being in a forest too.
And then the next morning we went to the transfer meeting. I met my new companiions. They actually put us in a threesome. There are alot of groups of three because there are not a whole lot of members down here and there is a rule that we can only teach a female once and then any time after that you would have to bring another melchizidek priesthood holder. Well with 3 of us we kind of bypass that rule because we always have an extra person. My companions names are Elder Carter and Elder Comer. They are really nice, and they have not been out too long either. Elder Carter is starting his 3rd transfer and Elder Comer is on his 4th. So we are all pretty new, well me especially, but they are good missionaries and i feel like I am learning alot from them.
Our area is called the Newport News. Its according to them, the most ghetto area of the mission. So you see alot of small and poor houses but everyone here is really nice. And pretty much everyone is black. And they always sit out on their porch, probably a third of the houses we pass have someone sitting on the porch. Its different than in Spokane. And we are in a biking area so we always pass people sitting out there and get to talk to them. We actually have one investigator who is planning on being baptized this Saturday. His name is George Weeks. He is so excited and he loves seeing us and talking to us. Its cool.
So the second day I was here, Thursday, there was a huge rain storm. It rained so much really fast. So we started to head back to our apartment but by the time we got there the rain on the street was too deep to ride our bikes. At one point it was up to my knees. So that was a cool little adventure. Luckily I had extra shoes and pants and everything though. On sunday we had church. We got four investigators to come to church which was exciting. We were hoping and planning for up to 7 though. And its jsut a branch here. There were only about 30 members in the whole chapel. Which is tiny. And its funny, starting on time here as about as important as ending on time is in Spokane. We started like ten mins late. Sacrament was good though and then Elder Carter and I taught Gospel Doctrine. Our lesson was on how God answers prayers and we asked if anyone had examples to share of how God answers prayers and everyone did. Even the investigators. They did so good. We ended up just spending the whole lesson time sharing examples of God answering prayers. It was a good lesson and the Spirit was there. And then priesthood was good. The entire priesthood (all ages) its like twelve people and so we have priesthood on the stands behind the pulpit in the chapel. We talked about charity from the Joseph Smith book.
And everything else has been good. We have taught alot of lessons that have went well. We have done alot of tracting too. To be honest I don't see why everyone thinks tracting is so bad. I think its exciting because you never know what type of person you are going to run in too. But maybe that just because I am new. We haven't really gotten any doors slammed on us lol, but we have seen some rude people. I just think its funny when people do that too us though. This one lady saw us approaching the door and we scared her half to death. She yelled a bad word really loud too. it was funny.
Well my time is pretty much up. I think I've shared everything thats been happening. If not I'll send it in a letter later today.... Well tell everyone I am doing good. I hope you guys are all doing good too. I love you.
LoveElder Larson
I hope everything is going well back in Spokane. I feel like it has been forever since I last emailed. My last week MTC was good. To be honest it feels like a really long time ago and my whole stay there just seems like one big blur. But I do remember that we did some more practice teaching on thursday. We taught the Plan of Salvation to a volunteer investigator and it went well. Then on Sunday our District sang in sacrament meeting because we were departing that week. We sang hymn 264 Hark all ye nations. And every Sunday night is movie night so they show a bunch of movies in different rooms. Elder Shelley and I watched the Joseph Smith Movie. I really like that movie.
And then on Tuesday 6 of the ten Elders in our district left for the field. They are going to Everett Washington actually. So Tuesday was kind of a long, nastalgic day because there were only four of us and it was jsut weird to be the only ones. But then Wednesday morning we got up at 3am to start heading to the airport. It kind of stunk I felt a little sick and didnt really sleep that night and it mad the airplane rides kind of miserable. But I'm fine and I'm not sick at all anymore. But when we got off the plane our mission president was waiting for us along with all the AP's. He took us to the Mission Home and we spent the night here. And yeah it is really humid here but I think I am already pretty used to it because I really dont feel it anymore. But I did when i first got here. It felt like going into a sauna. And there are so many trees here. There main roads remind me of driving to Zions camp or something because it always feels like you are in the middle of a forest. There are just so many trees and it sounds like being in a forest too.
And then the next morning we went to the transfer meeting. I met my new companiions. They actually put us in a threesome. There are alot of groups of three because there are not a whole lot of members down here and there is a rule that we can only teach a female once and then any time after that you would have to bring another melchizidek priesthood holder. Well with 3 of us we kind of bypass that rule because we always have an extra person. My companions names are Elder Carter and Elder Comer. They are really nice, and they have not been out too long either. Elder Carter is starting his 3rd transfer and Elder Comer is on his 4th. So we are all pretty new, well me especially, but they are good missionaries and i feel like I am learning alot from them.
Our area is called the Newport News. Its according to them, the most ghetto area of the mission. So you see alot of small and poor houses but everyone here is really nice. And pretty much everyone is black. And they always sit out on their porch, probably a third of the houses we pass have someone sitting on the porch. Its different than in Spokane. And we are in a biking area so we always pass people sitting out there and get to talk to them. We actually have one investigator who is planning on being baptized this Saturday. His name is George Weeks. He is so excited and he loves seeing us and talking to us. Its cool.
So the second day I was here, Thursday, there was a huge rain storm. It rained so much really fast. So we started to head back to our apartment but by the time we got there the rain on the street was too deep to ride our bikes. At one point it was up to my knees. So that was a cool little adventure. Luckily I had extra shoes and pants and everything though. On sunday we had church. We got four investigators to come to church which was exciting. We were hoping and planning for up to 7 though. And its jsut a branch here. There were only about 30 members in the whole chapel. Which is tiny. And its funny, starting on time here as about as important as ending on time is in Spokane. We started like ten mins late. Sacrament was good though and then Elder Carter and I taught Gospel Doctrine. Our lesson was on how God answers prayers and we asked if anyone had examples to share of how God answers prayers and everyone did. Even the investigators. They did so good. We ended up just spending the whole lesson time sharing examples of God answering prayers. It was a good lesson and the Spirit was there. And then priesthood was good. The entire priesthood (all ages) its like twelve people and so we have priesthood on the stands behind the pulpit in the chapel. We talked about charity from the Joseph Smith book.
And everything else has been good. We have taught alot of lessons that have went well. We have done alot of tracting too. To be honest I don't see why everyone thinks tracting is so bad. I think its exciting because you never know what type of person you are going to run in too. But maybe that just because I am new. We haven't really gotten any doors slammed on us lol, but we have seen some rude people. I just think its funny when people do that too us though. This one lady saw us approaching the door and we scared her half to death. She yelled a bad word really loud too. it was funny.
Well my time is pretty much up. I think I've shared everything thats been happening. If not I'll send it in a letter later today.... Well tell everyone I am doing good. I hope you guys are all doing good too. I love you.
LoveElder Larson
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Jordan's Latest Letter
Hey,
I have another Preparation day so I can email again. We just got back from the temple. It was great, as always. Tell James congratulations on his eagle court of honor and tell him happy Birthday. I just got the invitiation for the Eagle Court of honor today. They look good. Tell Spencer happy birthday too please, and that I wish I could have been there to see it.
Well dad, you were right. You do do alot of teaching here. Every Monday and Thursday we teach members who volunteer at whats called the TRC to be an investigator for us to practice teaching on. And those investigators really know how to ask good questions. To be honest there were a couple of times where Elder Shelley and I were stumped and really didn't know what to say. But, it has helped us learn what we need to learn and it has helped us learn how to teach. It has also really helped us learn to rely on our testimonies. I don't know how you could possibly teach someone the Gospel without a testimony. Well I guess thats cause you can't. But we have gotten alot better at our teaching and our teacher said that we are doing a good job and that we are being good about being bold. So that made me happy. And on the days that we are not teaching someone at the TRC we are usually practicing on other missionary companionships. So we have done lots of teaching. We have also been singing in the choir, LOL. Mostly so we dont have to wait in line for the devotionals, and we can get guaranteed good seats. So thats worked out nice. I'm glad you guys had a fun fourth of July. I'm sure the Pugh's cabin was fun. We got to watch fireworks but to be honest watching them just made me miss home a little bit. But I was fine. Actually I'm liking it here more and more everyday. I'm not sure I want to leave. The Spirit is so strong here everyday and as much as I feel like i have gotten better at teaching, I am still a little nervous about teaching real investigators. But I know I will do great. It's cool there are ten missionaries in my district, and 6 of them are going to Everett Washington. The rest of us are going to Virginia. And I said hi to a new missionary who came in today and asked him where he was going and he said Spokane washington. But I didnt get his name. so there are alot of missionaries coming to Washington. We leave for Virginia on Wednesday at like 7 in the morning. Oh and when we leave I will get a new address which is:Elder Jordan Rex LarsonVirginia Richmond Mission9327 Midlothian Tpke Ste 1-bRichmond, Virginia, 23235-4944
I also got my second Hepatitis shot today. It cost 56 dollars. I paid for it, but I should be able to be reimbursed by the insurance. They are going to get me a sheet that I can send home to give to the insurance. I have to get my third Hep B shot in the Field around October. Also, if its not too late, please deposit my check from the County into my Money Market account because it makes better interest. But its not that big of deal cause the interest is so low. Well I hope everything is going well for you guys. Sounds like the High Adventure was fun. Thanks for all the letters you send. Getting letters really is great when you are a missionary. Tell everyone that asks about me that I am doing great, and thanks for thinking about me. Well my time is up. I love you all. Thanks again for the letters and everything. Have a good day week and enjoy this email. Bye
Love,Elder Larson
I have another Preparation day so I can email again. We just got back from the temple. It was great, as always. Tell James congratulations on his eagle court of honor and tell him happy Birthday. I just got the invitiation for the Eagle Court of honor today. They look good. Tell Spencer happy birthday too please, and that I wish I could have been there to see it.
Well dad, you were right. You do do alot of teaching here. Every Monday and Thursday we teach members who volunteer at whats called the TRC to be an investigator for us to practice teaching on. And those investigators really know how to ask good questions. To be honest there were a couple of times where Elder Shelley and I were stumped and really didn't know what to say. But, it has helped us learn what we need to learn and it has helped us learn how to teach. It has also really helped us learn to rely on our testimonies. I don't know how you could possibly teach someone the Gospel without a testimony. Well I guess thats cause you can't. But we have gotten alot better at our teaching and our teacher said that we are doing a good job and that we are being good about being bold. So that made me happy. And on the days that we are not teaching someone at the TRC we are usually practicing on other missionary companionships. So we have done lots of teaching. We have also been singing in the choir, LOL. Mostly so we dont have to wait in line for the devotionals, and we can get guaranteed good seats. So thats worked out nice. I'm glad you guys had a fun fourth of July. I'm sure the Pugh's cabin was fun. We got to watch fireworks but to be honest watching them just made me miss home a little bit. But I was fine. Actually I'm liking it here more and more everyday. I'm not sure I want to leave. The Spirit is so strong here everyday and as much as I feel like i have gotten better at teaching, I am still a little nervous about teaching real investigators. But I know I will do great. It's cool there are ten missionaries in my district, and 6 of them are going to Everett Washington. The rest of us are going to Virginia. And I said hi to a new missionary who came in today and asked him where he was going and he said Spokane washington. But I didnt get his name. so there are alot of missionaries coming to Washington. We leave for Virginia on Wednesday at like 7 in the morning. Oh and when we leave I will get a new address which is:Elder Jordan Rex LarsonVirginia Richmond Mission9327 Midlothian Tpke Ste 1-bRichmond, Virginia, 23235-4944
I also got my second Hepatitis shot today. It cost 56 dollars. I paid for it, but I should be able to be reimbursed by the insurance. They are going to get me a sheet that I can send home to give to the insurance. I have to get my third Hep B shot in the Field around October. Also, if its not too late, please deposit my check from the County into my Money Market account because it makes better interest. But its not that big of deal cause the interest is so low. Well I hope everything is going well for you guys. Sounds like the High Adventure was fun. Thanks for all the letters you send. Getting letters really is great when you are a missionary. Tell everyone that asks about me that I am doing great, and thanks for thinking about me. Well my time is up. I love you all. Thanks again for the letters and everything. Have a good day week and enjoy this email. Bye
Love,Elder Larson
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