Hey,
Sounds like you had a busy weekend. Thats awesome you had so many people at your cottage meeting. Thats is really cool. Im sure they all felt the Spirit. We had a pretty good week.
On Sunday, Bro McCann and Kevin Anderson showed up to church again and it was a really good meeting. There was a return missionary that spoke and the spirit was really strong. We also had an investigator named Chris show up to church. He is another baptist. He is very nice though and very humble, and has an incredible faith in Christ. He has felt the Spirit as we have taught him, and as he has read the Book of Mormon, and as he has watched the Restoration DVD. Its great to see. And he is pretty strong in his own faith right now and his preachers or pastors have been writing him letters telling him that something great is about to happen in his life and that he is going to have this awesome experience. Well its perfect because he thinks they are talking about us. And Chris really enjoyed church, he said he wants to come back and said that it brought tears to his eyes. And unfortunately Mike has been gone for the week. He went to DC for his job so we havent been in contact with him for awhile. We are going to get back in contact with him though.
Thank you for Jared's address. I plan on staying in contact with him.
So james you are getting a bike? You need to send me a picture of it, please. Have you taken the Motorcycle training course?
Well it was good to hear from you. Im excited for tomorrow because it is another big mission conference. I will get to see Elder Comer and Elder Carter again who were my first companions. And I will also get to see Elder Pierce again. So I am very excited to do that. Its wonderful seeing those you have worked with before.
Have a good week.
Love
Elder Larson
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
feb 10th 2010
Hey,
Well its good to hear from you all. First of all we are safe, warm, we have food, and we have power. Besides slowing down missionary work the snow really hasnt been a problem at all. There is quite a bit of it, especially for Virginia. We got probably 4-5 inches this past weekend to add to the foot we got the previous weekend. And then it snowed another few inches this morning. Church was cancelled again and we had to stay inside for Friday and Saturday. And from what Ive heard its alot worse up in Washington DC. There was supposed to be a stake conference this weekend with a few stakes including some from Washington DC and it was going to be broadcast from Salt Lake but it got cancelled too. So i feel like i brought the snow from Spokane with me to the East.
And yeah our days inside arent too exciting. We have gone through the area book and spent alot of time looking up people that missionaries from the past have contacted and tried calling every single one of them. That was pretty interesting. Lots of them couldnt remember ever being contacted by missionaries, lol, so we got to do alot of explaining of why we were calling and it was somewhat successful. There were a few that said we could come by so we are going to do that soon.
Elder Terry and I also played quite a few games of Backgammon. Missionaries from the past have left that game behind so we have played a few games of that. I beat him just about every time though. We really dont have any news from any of our investigators. We tried stopping by Jennifer but she wasnt home. We havent seen David either but we will probably stop by and see him next week. We are planning on waiting until we know he has gotten Dad's letter. So if it gets sent out tomorrow he should for sure get it by the end of this week so we will probably stop by his home Sunday or Monday. Thanks alot for writing it. Im excited to see how it turns out.
With Kevin we have stopped by his home and met with him. Its hard though, he loves the church and he even has a Gospel principles book he has been reading. His kids enjoy learning as well. But his wife doesnt believe in Jesus Christ or in any organized religion and unfortunately she is pretty controlling and she has been pulling them down alot. So right now we are praying for them and we are going to continue to meet with them and stop by when we are in the area and help them out in any way we can. The kids all like us and the family does enjoy having us come over. So thats good.
Well thank you for the Valentines package. It came at a perfect time-on Friday when we were stuck inside. It was so nice to get a package and have something to do while we were stuck inside. I have already eaten just about all of the chocolates. They havent really helped my healthy eating habits.
And also, i had completely forgotten, time had gone by fast and with all the snow I hadnt really been thinking about it, but last night was transfers and Elder Terry and I are staying in Powhatan. We figured thats what would happen. So nothing really exciting there. I was hoping I would stay though. We know the area alot better now and most of the members now so its going to be a good transfer.
Also, could you please send me Kyle and Jared's addresses so I could write them. I guess I could probably just get Kyle's mtc address cause he is about to leave. Thanks
Well thanks again for the email and the package. I am out of time so I have to go. I will talk to you next week. I love you all.
Love,
Elder Larson
Well its good to hear from you all. First of all we are safe, warm, we have food, and we have power. Besides slowing down missionary work the snow really hasnt been a problem at all. There is quite a bit of it, especially for Virginia. We got probably 4-5 inches this past weekend to add to the foot we got the previous weekend. And then it snowed another few inches this morning. Church was cancelled again and we had to stay inside for Friday and Saturday. And from what Ive heard its alot worse up in Washington DC. There was supposed to be a stake conference this weekend with a few stakes including some from Washington DC and it was going to be broadcast from Salt Lake but it got cancelled too. So i feel like i brought the snow from Spokane with me to the East.
And yeah our days inside arent too exciting. We have gone through the area book and spent alot of time looking up people that missionaries from the past have contacted and tried calling every single one of them. That was pretty interesting. Lots of them couldnt remember ever being contacted by missionaries, lol, so we got to do alot of explaining of why we were calling and it was somewhat successful. There were a few that said we could come by so we are going to do that soon.
Elder Terry and I also played quite a few games of Backgammon. Missionaries from the past have left that game behind so we have played a few games of that. I beat him just about every time though. We really dont have any news from any of our investigators. We tried stopping by Jennifer but she wasnt home. We havent seen David either but we will probably stop by and see him next week. We are planning on waiting until we know he has gotten Dad's letter. So if it gets sent out tomorrow he should for sure get it by the end of this week so we will probably stop by his home Sunday or Monday. Thanks alot for writing it. Im excited to see how it turns out.
With Kevin we have stopped by his home and met with him. Its hard though, he loves the church and he even has a Gospel principles book he has been reading. His kids enjoy learning as well. But his wife doesnt believe in Jesus Christ or in any organized religion and unfortunately she is pretty controlling and she has been pulling them down alot. So right now we are praying for them and we are going to continue to meet with them and stop by when we are in the area and help them out in any way we can. The kids all like us and the family does enjoy having us come over. So thats good.
Well thank you for the Valentines package. It came at a perfect time-on Friday when we were stuck inside. It was so nice to get a package and have something to do while we were stuck inside. I have already eaten just about all of the chocolates. They havent really helped my healthy eating habits.
And also, i had completely forgotten, time had gone by fast and with all the snow I hadnt really been thinking about it, but last night was transfers and Elder Terry and I are staying in Powhatan. We figured thats what would happen. So nothing really exciting there. I was hoping I would stay though. We know the area alot better now and most of the members now so its going to be a good transfer.
Also, could you please send me Kyle and Jared's addresses so I could write them. I guess I could probably just get Kyle's mtc address cause he is about to leave. Thanks
Well thanks again for the email and the package. I am out of time so I have to go. I will talk to you next week. I love you all.
Love,
Elder Larson
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Jan 27th, 2010
Hey,
Well I got some good news and some bad news. The bad news is David actually dropped us. Unforunately he took what we taught him to his pastor. I dont know exactly what the pastor told him but as a result David says he cant meet with us anymore and he got rid of the book of mormon we gave him. I couldnt believe it, especially since he was so excited initially and I know he felt something when he had met with us. We asked him if he remembered the way he felt when he had met with us and he said yeah but I cant meet with you anymore. So that was pretty dissapointing. I didnt know what to think.
But the goodnews is Jennifer called us yesterday and set up an appointement with us for tomorrow. So we are praying that we can have a good lesson with her. I think she really wants to learn.
We are also still working with Kevin Anderson. He wasnt at church nor was his family but they still want to come. We usually stop by his house on the weekend so we will go meet with them soon.
So thats what is going on in Powhatan. Its seems like a roller caoster ride sometimes. One day things are going good and the next day they seem to backfire. But we are going to keep working hard and not get discouraged. We have still done alot of finding and we always find people who will accept a pamphlet and will give us their phone number but no one too solid yet. Its hard here because so far we have done all of the finding ourselves. And its difficult for people to make commitments when they dont have friends to help them and back them up. We are working on getting the members more involved and having them share the gospel. Its so much better if they share the gospel because the investigators have support. The members here are all nice and love feeding us and hopefully we can get them to do more missionary work.
James: Well that is interesting news! A motorcycle. lol. What makes you want a motorcycle? How much do you plan on spending? I could see you wanting a motorcycle you were always the daredevil in the family. Those are pretty dangerous though. You will have to let me know how it goes. And definitely send me pictures.
Kyle: Yeah finals week is always good. I liked it because we got out early. Thats the best part. Im sure you willl do good on your tests. Just dont worry about them and you will do fine. I will pray for you on Tuesday. So what else is going besides school? Do you still hang out with Matt alot? Or do you have any fun teacher quorum activities coming up?
Annette: Good job on getting the dog house done. Im sure Cubby will enjoy having his own house. So you are already planning your birthday? I think a hamster would be a great present. You should name it Freddie. Or Snowflake.
Spencer: How are you doing Spencer? So is there alot of snow in Spokane? I wish I could go ice skating with you. That would be alot of fun. After you go you should tell me about it.
Well thank you all for writing me. I enjoy finding out what is going on. And Dad your stories always inspire me.... And I too know that the church is true and that all the doctrines and principles it contains are true. Have a good week and I will talk to next Wednesday.
Love,
Elder Larson
Well I got some good news and some bad news. The bad news is David actually dropped us. Unforunately he took what we taught him to his pastor. I dont know exactly what the pastor told him but as a result David says he cant meet with us anymore and he got rid of the book of mormon we gave him. I couldnt believe it, especially since he was so excited initially and I know he felt something when he had met with us. We asked him if he remembered the way he felt when he had met with us and he said yeah but I cant meet with you anymore. So that was pretty dissapointing. I didnt know what to think.
But the goodnews is Jennifer called us yesterday and set up an appointement with us for tomorrow. So we are praying that we can have a good lesson with her. I think she really wants to learn.
We are also still working with Kevin Anderson. He wasnt at church nor was his family but they still want to come. We usually stop by his house on the weekend so we will go meet with them soon.
So thats what is going on in Powhatan. Its seems like a roller caoster ride sometimes. One day things are going good and the next day they seem to backfire. But we are going to keep working hard and not get discouraged. We have still done alot of finding and we always find people who will accept a pamphlet and will give us their phone number but no one too solid yet. Its hard here because so far we have done all of the finding ourselves. And its difficult for people to make commitments when they dont have friends to help them and back them up. We are working on getting the members more involved and having them share the gospel. Its so much better if they share the gospel because the investigators have support. The members here are all nice and love feeding us and hopefully we can get them to do more missionary work.
James: Well that is interesting news! A motorcycle. lol. What makes you want a motorcycle? How much do you plan on spending? I could see you wanting a motorcycle you were always the daredevil in the family. Those are pretty dangerous though. You will have to let me know how it goes. And definitely send me pictures.
Kyle: Yeah finals week is always good. I liked it because we got out early. Thats the best part. Im sure you willl do good on your tests. Just dont worry about them and you will do fine. I will pray for you on Tuesday. So what else is going besides school? Do you still hang out with Matt alot? Or do you have any fun teacher quorum activities coming up?
Annette: Good job on getting the dog house done. Im sure Cubby will enjoy having his own house. So you are already planning your birthday? I think a hamster would be a great present. You should name it Freddie. Or Snowflake.
Spencer: How are you doing Spencer? So is there alot of snow in Spokane? I wish I could go ice skating with you. That would be alot of fun. After you go you should tell me about it.
Well thank you all for writing me. I enjoy finding out what is going on. And Dad your stories always inspire me.... And I too know that the church is true and that all the doctrines and principles it contains are true. Have a good week and I will talk to next Wednesday.
Love,
Elder Larson
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Jan 20th 2010
Hey,
Well this has been a good week. On Sunday we had a less active come to church that we have been working with. His name is Kevin Anderson and his family are all nonmembers, he has a wife and three kids. But we have been meeting with them and Kevin wants to start going back to church and all the kids want to come to church as well. They all said they liked it when they had come before. But none of them have come for a long time. So on Saturday we invited and committed them all to come and we were hoping they were all going to be there. Only Kevin showed up but still that is a great start. I think his family will soon follow as we continue to meet with them. The kids really like us and trust us so I think we should be able to get them to church this Sunday.
And on Monday we had probably the best first lesson on the Restoration I have ever been a part of. About two weeks ago we met this guy David. We gave him a Restoration pamphlet and he said he would read it. So we got his phone number and told him we would call him and see what he thought about it. So last week we were calling him and he never answered so we decided to stop by his house, cause there were some other people in the area we wanted to see too. So we went over there on Friday, and went to his house, and he was home. We asked him about the pamphlet and he hadnt touched it. We werent really surprised but we asked him again if he would read it. And he was like, "Yeah you're right, this is something I need in my life."
And so we were happy with that answer and I wanted to make sure he was serious so I said "Ok, well we''ll call you tomorrow and see what you think." And then he was like, "Tell you what, Ill have it read by Monday and then on Monday you can come by my house and Ill let you in and we can sit down and talk about it." :) So that made us very happy and worked great for our schedule so we said sure. So, Monday rolls around and during the day he calls us. And we were just like "Oh no...he's calling to cancel." We almost didnt answer but we did and instead he was calling to make sure we were coming over. So Monday night we went over and he was like alright go ahead. Usually we try to get to know people a little bit but he just said alright tell me. So we sat down and started teaching. We taught him the whole restoration, from God is our loving heavenly Father to praying to know if the Bom is true.
Usually we dont teach all of that in one lesson but it was going good and he was understanding so we just kept going. His wife was there as well and she was understanding it too. And so we explained everything and we asked them what they thought. And the wife went first and she asked if she could have a Book of Mormon so she could read and pray about it. She said it was something she wanted to pray about. That was a great answer to hear. And then we asked David what he thought. And he said, "Well, I dont know but I feel good." And he said, "You guys brought something good with you." It was so cool. He couldnt stop commenting on how as soon as we came in he had a good feeling. Obviously we explained to him the Holy Ghost and how it testifies of truth. And afterwards we were talking with him for a little bit and we invited him to come to church. And he said, "Well, you dont have to worry about me coming to your church. Im going to come. It might not be this week but Ill come."
So we said that was good but the sooner the better, and we explained the importance coming to church and why we go and what happens there. And he said he'll probably come. So we said ok and left. Well then that evening we were planning for the next day and the phone starts vibrating. And we looked at and he was calling us. So we answered it and he said "Hey guys I just decided, Im going to come to your church this week...Ill be there." Oh man, he is perfect. Prayers have definitely been answered. David and his wife and Heidi are going to be the next baptisms in Powhatan. We have another appointment with them on Friday so hopefully that one will go as well as this one did.
So thats story number one lol, here is story number two. One of the people we met near David that we wanted to see was this lady named Jennifer. She was kind of in the same boat. We had tracted into her, left her a pamphlet, and we were planning on seeing her Friday. Well we confirmed the appointment, and we had only just met her on her doorstep, but she said she was good for having us coming over on Friday and also she was inviting friends over and feeding us dinner. lol. So this was perfect. It was a great opportunity to teach her and her friends. Well, we got there, and he friend is a baptist preacher. Lol. And so we had dinner, and we were jsut talking together, and I could just tell, even though this preacher was very nice, he just didnt like our church and he was trying to hide it, but I knew the lesson afterwards was going to be interesting. So we sit down to start the lesson, and the first thing he says is "So the Book of Mormon, says that Christ was born in Jerusalem but we all know he was born in Bethlehem, so doesnt that contradict the Bible?" So we were like alright, we can explain that but lets start off with a prayer. So we prayed and tried explaining things to him but it was going nowhere. The whole time he just shook off our testimony and threw something else completely different at us. But, I have to give Elder Terry and I some credit. We did a good job of controlling the conversation by focusing on the Restoration and testifying of it as much as possible, instead of just trying to bible bash. And the whole time Jennifer was listening in. Well after like an hour and half of him trying to prove us wrong and us testifying back, we finally said we needed to go. But, there was some good that came from this. Afterwards, as we were about to leave, Jennifer asked us if she could have a Book of Mormon. She wanted to read and pray about it for herself. And we called her yesterday to follow up on giving her the Book of Mormon and we wanted to ask her if she would like us to come back and teach her more. Well she didnt answer the phone so we left a message saying that. And a little while later she called back and said sorry she missed our call and she said she had been meaning to tell us she wants us to come back and teach her more. We are planning on seeing her this weekend as well!
So this was an interesting week and things are going great. The Lord is helping us out alot especially by helping those we teach feel the Spirit. And another cool thing is starting tomorrow we have dinner with a member every night for like the next two weeks! Lol. Today when we buy food we are not really going to have to buy anything. The members here are great. Thank you for all your prayers. They have been answered. Have a good week.
Love,
Elder Larson
Well this has been a good week. On Sunday we had a less active come to church that we have been working with. His name is Kevin Anderson and his family are all nonmembers, he has a wife and three kids. But we have been meeting with them and Kevin wants to start going back to church and all the kids want to come to church as well. They all said they liked it when they had come before. But none of them have come for a long time. So on Saturday we invited and committed them all to come and we were hoping they were all going to be there. Only Kevin showed up but still that is a great start. I think his family will soon follow as we continue to meet with them. The kids really like us and trust us so I think we should be able to get them to church this Sunday.
And on Monday we had probably the best first lesson on the Restoration I have ever been a part of. About two weeks ago we met this guy David. We gave him a Restoration pamphlet and he said he would read it. So we got his phone number and told him we would call him and see what he thought about it. So last week we were calling him and he never answered so we decided to stop by his house, cause there were some other people in the area we wanted to see too. So we went over there on Friday, and went to his house, and he was home. We asked him about the pamphlet and he hadnt touched it. We werent really surprised but we asked him again if he would read it. And he was like, "Yeah you're right, this is something I need in my life."
And so we were happy with that answer and I wanted to make sure he was serious so I said "Ok, well we''ll call you tomorrow and see what you think." And then he was like, "Tell you what, Ill have it read by Monday and then on Monday you can come by my house and Ill let you in and we can sit down and talk about it." :) So that made us very happy and worked great for our schedule so we said sure. So, Monday rolls around and during the day he calls us. And we were just like "Oh no...he's calling to cancel." We almost didnt answer but we did and instead he was calling to make sure we were coming over. So Monday night we went over and he was like alright go ahead. Usually we try to get to know people a little bit but he just said alright tell me. So we sat down and started teaching. We taught him the whole restoration, from God is our loving heavenly Father to praying to know if the Bom is true.
Usually we dont teach all of that in one lesson but it was going good and he was understanding so we just kept going. His wife was there as well and she was understanding it too. And so we explained everything and we asked them what they thought. And the wife went first and she asked if she could have a Book of Mormon so she could read and pray about it. She said it was something she wanted to pray about. That was a great answer to hear. And then we asked David what he thought. And he said, "Well, I dont know but I feel good." And he said, "You guys brought something good with you." It was so cool. He couldnt stop commenting on how as soon as we came in he had a good feeling. Obviously we explained to him the Holy Ghost and how it testifies of truth. And afterwards we were talking with him for a little bit and we invited him to come to church. And he said, "Well, you dont have to worry about me coming to your church. Im going to come. It might not be this week but Ill come."
So we said that was good but the sooner the better, and we explained the importance coming to church and why we go and what happens there. And he said he'll probably come. So we said ok and left. Well then that evening we were planning for the next day and the phone starts vibrating. And we looked at and he was calling us. So we answered it and he said "Hey guys I just decided, Im going to come to your church this week...Ill be there." Oh man, he is perfect. Prayers have definitely been answered. David and his wife and Heidi are going to be the next baptisms in Powhatan. We have another appointment with them on Friday so hopefully that one will go as well as this one did.
So thats story number one lol, here is story number two. One of the people we met near David that we wanted to see was this lady named Jennifer. She was kind of in the same boat. We had tracted into her, left her a pamphlet, and we were planning on seeing her Friday. Well we confirmed the appointment, and we had only just met her on her doorstep, but she said she was good for having us coming over on Friday and also she was inviting friends over and feeding us dinner. lol. So this was perfect. It was a great opportunity to teach her and her friends. Well, we got there, and he friend is a baptist preacher. Lol. And so we had dinner, and we were jsut talking together, and I could just tell, even though this preacher was very nice, he just didnt like our church and he was trying to hide it, but I knew the lesson afterwards was going to be interesting. So we sit down to start the lesson, and the first thing he says is "So the Book of Mormon, says that Christ was born in Jerusalem but we all know he was born in Bethlehem, so doesnt that contradict the Bible?" So we were like alright, we can explain that but lets start off with a prayer. So we prayed and tried explaining things to him but it was going nowhere. The whole time he just shook off our testimony and threw something else completely different at us. But, I have to give Elder Terry and I some credit. We did a good job of controlling the conversation by focusing on the Restoration and testifying of it as much as possible, instead of just trying to bible bash. And the whole time Jennifer was listening in. Well after like an hour and half of him trying to prove us wrong and us testifying back, we finally said we needed to go. But, there was some good that came from this. Afterwards, as we were about to leave, Jennifer asked us if she could have a Book of Mormon. She wanted to read and pray about it for herself. And we called her yesterday to follow up on giving her the Book of Mormon and we wanted to ask her if she would like us to come back and teach her more. Well she didnt answer the phone so we left a message saying that. And a little while later she called back and said sorry she missed our call and she said she had been meaning to tell us she wants us to come back and teach her more. We are planning on seeing her this weekend as well!
So this was an interesting week and things are going great. The Lord is helping us out alot especially by helping those we teach feel the Spirit. And another cool thing is starting tomorrow we have dinner with a member every night for like the next two weeks! Lol. Today when we buy food we are not really going to have to buy anything. The members here are great. Thank you for all your prayers. They have been answered. Have a good week.
Love,
Elder Larson
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Jan 6th 2010 letter
Hey,
Well thanks for your letters and your prayers. I am sure they have helped. This new area has definitely been a new experience. It was strange coming into an area and knowing nothing. The previous missionaries left us some notes on some of the people they were teaching but we have to figure almost everything out for ouselves. We did go see the Bishop. We did that the first night. It was interesting the planes with the new missionaries coming in from Salt Lake actually got held up a couple days cause Salt Lake had a big snowstorm. Transfers were supposed to take place on Thursday but ended up not happening until Saturday. So we got to Powhatan Saturday afternoon and then Saturday night we saw our new Bishop-Bishop Hugo. He is nice and seems to be pretty missionary minded. I think he will be a good person to work with. We also spent most of Saturday just going through all of the people in the area book and unpacking and getting organized. On Sunday we met our Ward Mission leader and talked with him for awhile. He is a great man and very excited about the work. I am not sure why they took both of the missionaries that were here before us out. They seemed to be doing a good job but for some reason President put new ones in. I am thinking they were good missionaries but they were kind of in a rut where they couldnt find anyone to teach. We dont have many investigators. I think President wanted this area to have a fresh start. So on Monday and Tuesday we did alot of knocking. We selected lots of former investigators and less actives to go see and then knocked the area around them. We have been able to talk to alot of people and some have set appointments for us to come back so we will see how solid they are when we return. Its pretty hard to tract here though. I really like this area because it is all country. It reminds me alot of Grandma and Grandpa's area, except there are more trees here. But there is lots of land and not too many businesses. It makes it hard to find places to tract though sometimes because lots of time there is like a half mile between houses. But we have been able to find places that have more houses and have talked to everyone we could around there. And just about everyone that we have met has been very nice. The people here are so friendly. I kind of thought country people might be a little rough around the edges but everyone we have talked to has been kind. And the members here are great too. We have had two member dinners already, and one member offered to buy our groceries today when we go shopping. Many of them introduced themselves to us at church and they have all been very nice excited to have us. The ward has been very welcoming and I am sure I will begin to enjoy this area much more when we find some more people to teach and once I begin to better know the members. My companion is Elder Terry. He is a great missionary. He has a strong testimony and is very motivated as I am to get the work going in this area. Sometimes he doesnt talk as much as I would like though, so I have gotten alot of practice talking on doorsteps. I told him he should talk more but he says he always freezes up. lol, But we get along great and have had enjoyed working together thinking of ways to best help out the area. And yeah this area does have alot of history from what I have heard. Alot of people have talked to us about it telling us about all these places we need to go check out. So once I get the area figured out I will try to find out what they are talking about and go see some places. Right now I am not too worried about it. And yeah it has been so cold here. Its been quite a bit below freezing and the wind has made it really bad. Especially when we first got here. Thank you for all the clothing you sent me because i have had it all on, and as long as I have had all of it on I stay pretty warm.
Thanks alot for your letter mom. I really enjoyed reading it and it helped me stayed motivated to keep working hard. Its funny how people say we should always pray with real intent even when times are easy because one day we will be in a hard time and we will have to pray with full intent. Well I think I have fallen victim to that because my prayers have definitely become much more meaningful as I have realized now how much more we needs Heavens help. But I feel like the Lord is working through us and this area is slowly going to improve as we find more people to teach.
Well things are going good. I still miss Meadowbrook a little bit, but nothing to worry about. It was weird going from so many people to teach to almost no one but its been a good new experience. Normally each night we planned for what we were going to teach each person but now we have to plan who we are going to try and see and where we are going to try and find new people. Its alot different. But its fun and Im happy. Thanks again for your letters and prayers. Talk to you next week.
Love,
Elder Larson
Well thanks for your letters and your prayers. I am sure they have helped. This new area has definitely been a new experience. It was strange coming into an area and knowing nothing. The previous missionaries left us some notes on some of the people they were teaching but we have to figure almost everything out for ouselves. We did go see the Bishop. We did that the first night. It was interesting the planes with the new missionaries coming in from Salt Lake actually got held up a couple days cause Salt Lake had a big snowstorm. Transfers were supposed to take place on Thursday but ended up not happening until Saturday. So we got to Powhatan Saturday afternoon and then Saturday night we saw our new Bishop-Bishop Hugo. He is nice and seems to be pretty missionary minded. I think he will be a good person to work with. We also spent most of Saturday just going through all of the people in the area book and unpacking and getting organized. On Sunday we met our Ward Mission leader and talked with him for awhile. He is a great man and very excited about the work. I am not sure why they took both of the missionaries that were here before us out. They seemed to be doing a good job but for some reason President put new ones in. I am thinking they were good missionaries but they were kind of in a rut where they couldnt find anyone to teach. We dont have many investigators. I think President wanted this area to have a fresh start. So on Monday and Tuesday we did alot of knocking. We selected lots of former investigators and less actives to go see and then knocked the area around them. We have been able to talk to alot of people and some have set appointments for us to come back so we will see how solid they are when we return. Its pretty hard to tract here though. I really like this area because it is all country. It reminds me alot of Grandma and Grandpa's area, except there are more trees here. But there is lots of land and not too many businesses. It makes it hard to find places to tract though sometimes because lots of time there is like a half mile between houses. But we have been able to find places that have more houses and have talked to everyone we could around there. And just about everyone that we have met has been very nice. The people here are so friendly. I kind of thought country people might be a little rough around the edges but everyone we have talked to has been kind. And the members here are great too. We have had two member dinners already, and one member offered to buy our groceries today when we go shopping. Many of them introduced themselves to us at church and they have all been very nice excited to have us. The ward has been very welcoming and I am sure I will begin to enjoy this area much more when we find some more people to teach and once I begin to better know the members. My companion is Elder Terry. He is a great missionary. He has a strong testimony and is very motivated as I am to get the work going in this area. Sometimes he doesnt talk as much as I would like though, so I have gotten alot of practice talking on doorsteps. I told him he should talk more but he says he always freezes up. lol, But we get along great and have had enjoyed working together thinking of ways to best help out the area. And yeah this area does have alot of history from what I have heard. Alot of people have talked to us about it telling us about all these places we need to go check out. So once I get the area figured out I will try to find out what they are talking about and go see some places. Right now I am not too worried about it. And yeah it has been so cold here. Its been quite a bit below freezing and the wind has made it really bad. Especially when we first got here. Thank you for all the clothing you sent me because i have had it all on, and as long as I have had all of it on I stay pretty warm.
Thanks alot for your letter mom. I really enjoyed reading it and it helped me stayed motivated to keep working hard. Its funny how people say we should always pray with real intent even when times are easy because one day we will be in a hard time and we will have to pray with full intent. Well I think I have fallen victim to that because my prayers have definitely become much more meaningful as I have realized now how much more we needs Heavens help. But I feel like the Lord is working through us and this area is slowly going to improve as we find more people to teach.
Well things are going good. I still miss Meadowbrook a little bit, but nothing to worry about. It was weird going from so many people to teach to almost no one but its been a good new experience. Normally each night we planned for what we were going to teach each person but now we have to plan who we are going to try and see and where we are going to try and find new people. Its alot different. But its fun and Im happy. Thanks again for your letters and prayers. Talk to you next week.
Love,
Elder Larson
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Dec 9th letter
Hey,
Thanks for the email. Sounds like its getting pretty cold up there. Its gotten alot colder here too. This past week it has cooled down alot. We have started seeing frost on the ground for the first time. Im sure its alot colder in Spokane though, but it still feels pretty cold here, especially when you are out in it all day. And I have been told the humidity makes it seem alot colder.
Anyway, we have had a really good week. Obviously the highlight of our week was on Sunday when we baptized Tequila and Mikila! Everything at the baptism went well. It was great. It was Sunday evening so everyone had a chance to go home and break their fast and then come back for the baptism. There were alot of people there which was great. The ward did a good job of supporting them. The talks were also good. They were short and too the point and the Spirit was strong as they spoke. And then we had the baptisms. I baptized Tequila and Elder Pierce baptized Mikila. That went good too, excpet for some reason the water had gotten cold. lol. It was warm when we finished filling the font up but that was about a half hour before the baptism started, so I guess by the time the actual baptism occured the water had cooled down. I was kind of shocked when I stepped in. I was glad we werent in it for too long. But other than that everything went well.
And then they were confirmed and welcomed into the ward. The Young womens president bought a bunch of little gifts for Tequila to welcome her into the Young womens. She bought her a journal and some other small stuff. Like one thing she bought her was a candle which she said was to remind her to always focus on the light of Christ. So it was good. And during church the bishop was able to meet with Tonya and talk to her about a calling. So the ward is doing a great job of fellowshipping them and integrating them into the ward. We are going to try and have a member invite them over for Family Home Evening this Monday to continue to "nourish them with the good word of God."
Our other investigators our doing well too. We had a lesson with James and we taught him the Plan of Salvation. He says he likes and agrees with everything about the church and that it all makes sense but he just doesnt have the spiritual confirmation yet. He told us he really wants to come to church and said he would try really hard to come this week. I think he will be there.
We also taught Marie this week and she still wants to get baptized. Marie is such a great lady. I think she has more faith than anyone I have ever met. She has dialysis three times a week, she can barely see and she can barely walk cause her legs hurt really bad, yet she still manages to come to church every week simply because she knows its true and she acknowledges the Spirit she has felt there. And at one point we found out she drinks tea so we decided to teach her the Word of Wisdom. And once we were done teaching it we asked her to live it and she said, "You know what, Im not supposed to drink tea anyway because of my health, and now that I know its a commandment I wont drink it anymore at all." :) I was impressed. Shes a great investigator to have. We are still aiming to have her baptized on Jan 2nd.
Well everything else is going good. We had interviews with our mission president yesterday. He is pleased with how the work is going. He asked me about a lot of things too, like my health, he asked how my family was doing, if I was happy. I told him everything was going great. He told me to cherish my time as a missionary even if times are hard or its cold. So I will try to do that.
Spencer, good job winning the PE player of the day award. Im sure you are getting really good at PE. Annette good job getting a spot for the concert on Monday. Good luck with it, I will be thinking about you on Monday. And James, good job getting rid of your ticket. lol Kyle, I hope you guys get to go to Oregon. Im sure I would want to go too if i was there. Hopefully you can convince everyone to go.
Well just over two weeks and we'll all be talking on the phone. Times gone by fast. Talk to you later.
Love Elder Larson
Thanks for the email. Sounds like its getting pretty cold up there. Its gotten alot colder here too. This past week it has cooled down alot. We have started seeing frost on the ground for the first time. Im sure its alot colder in Spokane though, but it still feels pretty cold here, especially when you are out in it all day. And I have been told the humidity makes it seem alot colder.
Anyway, we have had a really good week. Obviously the highlight of our week was on Sunday when we baptized Tequila and Mikila! Everything at the baptism went well. It was great. It was Sunday evening so everyone had a chance to go home and break their fast and then come back for the baptism. There were alot of people there which was great. The ward did a good job of supporting them. The talks were also good. They were short and too the point and the Spirit was strong as they spoke. And then we had the baptisms. I baptized Tequila and Elder Pierce baptized Mikila. That went good too, excpet for some reason the water had gotten cold. lol. It was warm when we finished filling the font up but that was about a half hour before the baptism started, so I guess by the time the actual baptism occured the water had cooled down. I was kind of shocked when I stepped in. I was glad we werent in it for too long. But other than that everything went well.
And then they were confirmed and welcomed into the ward. The Young womens president bought a bunch of little gifts for Tequila to welcome her into the Young womens. She bought her a journal and some other small stuff. Like one thing she bought her was a candle which she said was to remind her to always focus on the light of Christ. So it was good. And during church the bishop was able to meet with Tonya and talk to her about a calling. So the ward is doing a great job of fellowshipping them and integrating them into the ward. We are going to try and have a member invite them over for Family Home Evening this Monday to continue to "nourish them with the good word of God."
Our other investigators our doing well too. We had a lesson with James and we taught him the Plan of Salvation. He says he likes and agrees with everything about the church and that it all makes sense but he just doesnt have the spiritual confirmation yet. He told us he really wants to come to church and said he would try really hard to come this week. I think he will be there.
We also taught Marie this week and she still wants to get baptized. Marie is such a great lady. I think she has more faith than anyone I have ever met. She has dialysis three times a week, she can barely see and she can barely walk cause her legs hurt really bad, yet she still manages to come to church every week simply because she knows its true and she acknowledges the Spirit she has felt there. And at one point we found out she drinks tea so we decided to teach her the Word of Wisdom. And once we were done teaching it we asked her to live it and she said, "You know what, Im not supposed to drink tea anyway because of my health, and now that I know its a commandment I wont drink it anymore at all." :) I was impressed. Shes a great investigator to have. We are still aiming to have her baptized on Jan 2nd.
Well everything else is going good. We had interviews with our mission president yesterday. He is pleased with how the work is going. He asked me about a lot of things too, like my health, he asked how my family was doing, if I was happy. I told him everything was going great. He told me to cherish my time as a missionary even if times are hard or its cold. So I will try to do that.
Spencer, good job winning the PE player of the day award. Im sure you are getting really good at PE. Annette good job getting a spot for the concert on Monday. Good luck with it, I will be thinking about you on Monday. And James, good job getting rid of your ticket. lol Kyle, I hope you guys get to go to Oregon. Im sure I would want to go too if i was there. Hopefully you can convince everyone to go.
Well just over two weeks and we'll all be talking on the phone. Times gone by fast. Talk to you later.
Love Elder Larson
Monday, December 7, 2009
Dec 2nd Letter
Hey,
This has been a good week. First of all on Wednesday evening after P-day ended we were able to set a date for Marie to be baptized. We had to push it back a little ways because she is going to be gone for the Holidays and also because we still have alot to teach her. So we set her date for Jan. 2nd. But that will be a good date because it will give her lots of time to make sure she understands everything and also to build her testimony. And I also think it is a good date because there is a high probability she will be able to keep it and we wont have to push it back any farther. So that will be good.
And then on Thursday we had our turkey bowl. It was lots of fun. I wished I had cleats because of all the mud and sliding around but it was still alot of fun. I got pretty dirty. They're were a few guys that had some good faceplants into the mud which made it pretty entertaining. And then for thanksgiving we had dinner with the Hill family and they were alot of fun as well. They had a pretty big family so there were alot of people there and we played Apples to Apples and another fun game called the Last Word. They were both really fun with alot of people and brought lots of laughter.
And then on Friday we had a good day as well. We taught Tonya's daughters-Taquila and Mikayla, and they both want to get baptized. We asked them if they wanted to and they said yes, and then we asked them if they if they knew of a good day and they said Sunday the 6th. So we have another baptism coming on Sunday! And yesterday we went over the baptismal program with them so they could pick all the speakers and all the other people who would have a part in it and Mikayla wants Elder Pierce to baptize her and Taquila wants me to baptize her so I am alao excited about that. It was pretty fun too they want the opening song to be Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and the closing song to be Joy to the World. Lol. So Sunday is going to be a very good day. Especially since it is fast Sunday, the Spirit is always strong on Fast Sundays.
And then we had a neat lesson on Saturday as well. We met this guy named Calvin Roberts. He was a media referral for a Bible. And so we took him the Bible and usually when we get media referrals we ask them what made want to order whatever item they ordered. So we asked him what made him want to order the Bible and he gave a good answer, he said he wanted to change himself and make things right with God. And so after talking with him for a little while we started to teach him the Restoration. And we just started on the first section which talks about God and who he is and thats what we were teaching him and we taught him about the Godhead. And now that I think about it I am not sure why we were talking about the Holy Ghost and the godhead that in-depthly on the first lesson but for whatever reason thats what we were talking about.
And when we taught him about the Holy Ghost he asked what does the Holy Ghost feel like. And so we read form Galatians 5 about the Holy Ghost and then we moved on with the lesson and taught all the way through Joseph Smith. We really covered alot with him now that I think about it. But at the end we asked him what how he felt about what we had taught him. And he thought about it for a moment and then he replied, I kind of feel the way that scripture says the Holy Ghost feels. :) So what a great answer, he is going to be baptized... I hope. We have a lesson with him tonight and we are going to watch the Restoration Video to help reinforce his knowledge of the Restoration and hopefully help him feel the Spirit again. He should be coming to church on Sunday too.
So thats what is going on in Virginia. We have alot of investigators with alot of potential. Last night we taught an investigator who probably knows more about the church than I do. His name is James Robinson. We called him Monday night to confirm our appointment for yesterday and he told us he had just got done reading the book of Abraham. Lol. And he had some questions about that. And obviously we didnt leave that for him to read but he loves studying religion and so he decided to read Abraham. So we talked about that a little yesterday and taught him the Plan of Salvation. And he is really nice too and is very open to learning, and not contentious at all. He loves missionaries. For some reason though he just doesnt want to come to church yet though but sooner or later he will come and then hopefully he will be able to gain a testimony.
Actually he sounds alot like the guy you talked about Dad who spoke in church. He is a very logical guy and thinks the church makes sense in every way he just doesnt have a testimony of it yet.
Well it sounds like you had a fun Thanksgiving break. So Kyle how did you become friends with Chad? Thats cool. I really liked Chad. You guys are both really smart.
Anyway, Spencer, Annette and everyone, I am excited to talk to you all in a few weeks. Christmas is coming up! I need to go home and eat the chocolate from my calendar. :) Well talk to later.
Love
Elder Larson
This has been a good week. First of all on Wednesday evening after P-day ended we were able to set a date for Marie to be baptized. We had to push it back a little ways because she is going to be gone for the Holidays and also because we still have alot to teach her. So we set her date for Jan. 2nd. But that will be a good date because it will give her lots of time to make sure she understands everything and also to build her testimony. And I also think it is a good date because there is a high probability she will be able to keep it and we wont have to push it back any farther. So that will be good.
And then on Thursday we had our turkey bowl. It was lots of fun. I wished I had cleats because of all the mud and sliding around but it was still alot of fun. I got pretty dirty. They're were a few guys that had some good faceplants into the mud which made it pretty entertaining. And then for thanksgiving we had dinner with the Hill family and they were alot of fun as well. They had a pretty big family so there were alot of people there and we played Apples to Apples and another fun game called the Last Word. They were both really fun with alot of people and brought lots of laughter.
And then on Friday we had a good day as well. We taught Tonya's daughters-Taquila and Mikayla, and they both want to get baptized. We asked them if they wanted to and they said yes, and then we asked them if they if they knew of a good day and they said Sunday the 6th. So we have another baptism coming on Sunday! And yesterday we went over the baptismal program with them so they could pick all the speakers and all the other people who would have a part in it and Mikayla wants Elder Pierce to baptize her and Taquila wants me to baptize her so I am alao excited about that. It was pretty fun too they want the opening song to be Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and the closing song to be Joy to the World. Lol. So Sunday is going to be a very good day. Especially since it is fast Sunday, the Spirit is always strong on Fast Sundays.
And then we had a neat lesson on Saturday as well. We met this guy named Calvin Roberts. He was a media referral for a Bible. And so we took him the Bible and usually when we get media referrals we ask them what made want to order whatever item they ordered. So we asked him what made him want to order the Bible and he gave a good answer, he said he wanted to change himself and make things right with God. And so after talking with him for a little while we started to teach him the Restoration. And we just started on the first section which talks about God and who he is and thats what we were teaching him and we taught him about the Godhead. And now that I think about it I am not sure why we were talking about the Holy Ghost and the godhead that in-depthly on the first lesson but for whatever reason thats what we were talking about.
And when we taught him about the Holy Ghost he asked what does the Holy Ghost feel like. And so we read form Galatians 5 about the Holy Ghost and then we moved on with the lesson and taught all the way through Joseph Smith. We really covered alot with him now that I think about it. But at the end we asked him what how he felt about what we had taught him. And he thought about it for a moment and then he replied, I kind of feel the way that scripture says the Holy Ghost feels. :) So what a great answer, he is going to be baptized... I hope. We have a lesson with him tonight and we are going to watch the Restoration Video to help reinforce his knowledge of the Restoration and hopefully help him feel the Spirit again. He should be coming to church on Sunday too.
So thats what is going on in Virginia. We have alot of investigators with alot of potential. Last night we taught an investigator who probably knows more about the church than I do. His name is James Robinson. We called him Monday night to confirm our appointment for yesterday and he told us he had just got done reading the book of Abraham. Lol. And he had some questions about that. And obviously we didnt leave that for him to read but he loves studying religion and so he decided to read Abraham. So we talked about that a little yesterday and taught him the Plan of Salvation. And he is really nice too and is very open to learning, and not contentious at all. He loves missionaries. For some reason though he just doesnt want to come to church yet though but sooner or later he will come and then hopefully he will be able to gain a testimony.
Actually he sounds alot like the guy you talked about Dad who spoke in church. He is a very logical guy and thinks the church makes sense in every way he just doesnt have a testimony of it yet.
Well it sounds like you had a fun Thanksgiving break. So Kyle how did you become friends with Chad? Thats cool. I really liked Chad. You guys are both really smart.
Anyway, Spencer, Annette and everyone, I am excited to talk to you all in a few weeks. Christmas is coming up! I need to go home and eat the chocolate from my calendar. :) Well talk to later.
Love
Elder Larson
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