Feb 14 2011

Hey,

Time is definitely flying by. I still feel like Elder P*hillips and I just became companions. I geuss compared to how long I had been with Elder H*aley we are still very new together. But it is amazing that the transfer is already almost over, and this coming sunday we find out what is happening for transfers. So I will let you know next week if i will be staying or going. Its also starting to warm up some so it feels like spring, which seems to make time seem like it is moving even more.

Well I have some very exciting news. The napalese investigators that the sisters have been teaching, and we have been able to help work with, are getting baptized this coming saturday. Well not all of them but 8 of them are. Which is a good chunk of them and hopefully will open the door to many more. So we were correlating with the sisters this past week and we were talking about the baptism and who should do it. And then they told us that everytime they pictured the napalese people getting baptized, they pictured me being the one to baptize them. So they asked if I would be willing to do it on Saturday, and I am so excited to do it, to baptize 8 people. It is going to be so cool. They also asked if I would be willing to learn the baptismal prayer in napalese so that I can say the prayer in their language when they get baptized. I said of course, and I think that would make it even cooler. So the sisters are calling salt lake to speak with someone who speaks Napalese so they can write the prayer down and how to pronounce it so i can learn it. I also decided that if this has to be the way I end my time in Hampton, it would be a great way to end. But I still think I want to stay, because there are more people that are going to be baptized soon. So that is the highlight of the week.

But some more cool things have happened. One person that we have been working with is John C**ox, and youll have to read my past emails to catch up with him if you have forgotten about him, but he is so excited about mormonism it is so cool to see. He just talks on and on about how much of a brotherhood it is, and how it has enlightened him about Christ, and all these cool things. And so he was asking us how he can share it with the "younger generation" cause he says that everyone needs to hear about mormonism. :) Well we told him that the best first step would be to get baptized and receive the Holy Ghost to be a companion in his missionary efforts. He wants to be baptized but his only holdup is getting married and the difficulty there is he has a previous wife that he needs to officially divorce, which costs money. But anyway, during our lesson he talked about how he wants to get a group of younger people together and he asked if it was ok for us to come and teach them the things we have taught him. :) We very reluctantly said yes. Just kidding, we said of course. Then he was like ok, and I got one of them who is going to come to church with me this sunday, and some more next sunday! He brought a friend named M*iguel this sunday and it was such a good sacrament meeting, it was fast and testimony meeting and there was such a strong spirit, and the meeting went like ten minutes past, it was just a great meeting for investigators to come to. And M*iguel said he was coming back next week and he is going to come to our next lesson with J*ohn which is tomorrow. So the work of God continues.

R*obert and N*atalie also came to church, and loved it. I dont know how you couldnt have. They are now moved in and so we are going to be seeing them this thursday in their new apartment. We havent been able to see them for a couple weeks from moving and they got sick, but we are now good to go. Also K*elton kind of dissappeared on us this weekened so we are not sure what happened to him. I know during the week he had someone in his family get in a bad car wreck so he was spending time with that person.

On Saturday me and Elder P*hillips got permission to play on our elders quorum team for church basketball. The Eqp was always asking for people to come play because they never had enough. so we got permission to play with them. We had alot of fun and it felt good to play again and do some running, but we got beat pretty good. the team we played apparently one of the toughest teams in the stake. Our team just had no flunecy and none of the guys were in too good of shape, including me and elder P*hillips. Being in good shape biking just isnt the same as running. But at the end of first half I had scored twenty points and our team was only down six, so i thought we could win but the other team pulled away in the second half. It was alot of fun and I really enjoyed playing again.

Well my bike and my clothes are still holding up. I lost a pair of pants the other day because just from wearing them so much a hole developed on the back side. but it is ok, I still have enough. Thank you very much for the valentines day things. And Happy Valentines day to everyone back in Spokane. I enjoyed the notes and the chocolate you sent me in the package. Sister P*hillipy's card was my favorite. You all seemed to say something to the effect of "see you soon". Lol, I guess my mission really is getting close to being done. I only have three more transfers left after this one, and if they go as fast as this one has I am definitely really close. I am very excited to see everyone too. Well I love you and have a good week. The church is true.

Love
Elder Larson