Dear Family,
Well it sound like you had a wonderful reunion. I wish i could have been there. I liked hearing about Spencer's baptism, that sounds like a neat experience. We had a good weekend too. I got to meet president perry. I like him alot, and he likes you alot dad. He told me to tell you he loves you. We had a really good mission conference and he spoke. I am really excited to have him as our president because I think he is going to do great. He is very smart, and also has a strong testimony. You probably know he is a first generation convert, but I thought that was very cool, and it obviously makes him very passionate about missionary work. He spoke alot about the importance of unity. He spoke on alot of things but his main focus was unity, and that if we are unified people will be able to recognize that we are sent by the Father. He seems to know quite abit about missionary work and how to be a good missionary. So a couple of changes that have come from the apostles are that pdays are going to switch to mondays, so i will email you again in 5 days! Also interviews are no longer every transfer, but every quarter.
Did you get my pictures? I hope so.
Anyway, we had a cool story on sunday. It was testimony meeting, and there is this old lady that I am guessing is in her 90's, but she is also a convert and has an amazing strong testimony. She has been sick, and so it is hard for her to make it to church. But on sunday she was there, which she usually is even though it is hard for her, and during the testimony meeting she was sitting on the back row. During the meeting though, after one of the testimonies, she stood up from the back row and said "excuse me, its hard for me to walk up there, but I told Sister peteresen if I had a pulse she could pick me up for church." and then she continued to bear her testimony from the back row. It was sweet.
Well our investigators are doing well but they were all out of town for the 4th of July. But we taught Joylyn the Word of Wisdom and she told us she would live it. It was a great lesson. Nicole has been out of town all week, and when we were going to see her she got in an accident, so it didnt happen. She is fine though, and we should be seeing her soon. She is still doing really well though and is reading from the book of mormon. James was also are waiting on because he told us he would call us. And Im not worried about it at all and I am sure he will call us, but I think he might be one of those people that takes some time. So we will see.
Oh I have another neat story. On Monday we went on exchanges with the Elders down in the Newport news branch, which was my very first area. It was probably still my favorite area. And I got to go there and one of there elders came up here. It was realy fun to be in my old area. I got to see most of my favorite people, particularly sister whitley who was a member that always fed us and gave us rides, and sister cherry who I got to help teach and who we baptized. Well sister cherry is an angel. We saw her and shared a lesson with her around one o clock, and from the time we left to about 4 oclock she spent all her time cooking food. She was cooking all this food for a cookout during dinner, and we asked her who was coming, and she said that she had not invited anyone, but she was cooking for anyone that passed by her house that evening. And by the way, she cooks incredible food. And its neat because the area she lives in is pretty poor, and there are alot of people down there without jobs or money, and so many of them spend there time walking around. There are so many just outside down in the ghetto, and its easy to judge them as people who maybe dont deserve much because they don't really do anything, but Sister Cherry didn't judge them at all but instead cooked dinner for them. She said loves making food for people. Anyway, I was really impressed when I saw what she was doing, and how charitable she is. Well I am out of time so I have to go. Talk to you on Monday.
Love,
Elder Larson
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
June 30, 2010
Hello,
Well things are going good in Hampton. I dont have much time because I just went through all the pictures. I got caught up with looking at all of them and laughing at some of them. I hope you enjoy them. I will send them to you today.
I have one story to tell you about though. First of all, all of our investigators are still doing well. They are slowly but surely progressing! But for our story: this week we contacted an SUV referral from the Gladys knight fireside. It took us awhile because James, the referral, sent the referral form to Salt Lake. So Salt lake had to figure out what to do with it and who to send it to you. So it took a little longer than the other referral cards. But we got it a couple weeks ago, and it was for this man named James. And we were able to see him last week and share the Restoration with him and it went wonderful. It was also very good because we were with our Ward Mission Leader, who was able to become good friends with James and share his testimony with him. It was a wonderful lesson.
Our ward mission leader, Bro. Sly, told us that he has never met someone who was so prepared to receive the Gospel. James understood all of what we said, agreed with it, and had great questions. It really just went perfect. And James found out about the Gladys Knight fireside through my last bishop in Kempsville, who he works with, who is very strong minded and a great person for James to be around while he learns the gospel. And I think my favorite part of the lesson was his the closing prayer. We asked James to say it and in his prayer he said that he set up this appointment not knowing what to expect but it turned out to be a beautiful experience and he thanked god that we were able to come over. The spirit was present there. It was neat.
Well it sounds like you had a great weekend. I am excited for Adam. I will say hi to President Perry. Have a good week.
Love,
Elder Larson
Well things are going good in Hampton. I dont have much time because I just went through all the pictures. I got caught up with looking at all of them and laughing at some of them. I hope you enjoy them. I will send them to you today.
I have one story to tell you about though. First of all, all of our investigators are still doing well. They are slowly but surely progressing! But for our story: this week we contacted an SUV referral from the Gladys knight fireside. It took us awhile because James, the referral, sent the referral form to Salt Lake. So Salt lake had to figure out what to do with it and who to send it to you. So it took a little longer than the other referral cards. But we got it a couple weeks ago, and it was for this man named James. And we were able to see him last week and share the Restoration with him and it went wonderful. It was also very good because we were with our Ward Mission Leader, who was able to become good friends with James and share his testimony with him. It was a wonderful lesson.
Our ward mission leader, Bro. Sly, told us that he has never met someone who was so prepared to receive the Gospel. James understood all of what we said, agreed with it, and had great questions. It really just went perfect. And James found out about the Gladys Knight fireside through my last bishop in Kempsville, who he works with, who is very strong minded and a great person for James to be around while he learns the gospel. And I think my favorite part of the lesson was his the closing prayer. We asked James to say it and in his prayer he said that he set up this appointment not knowing what to expect but it turned out to be a beautiful experience and he thanked god that we were able to come over. The spirit was present there. It was neat.
Well it sounds like you had a great weekend. I am excited for Adam. I will say hi to President Perry. Have a good week.
Love,
Elder Larson
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
June 23, 2010
Hello,
Thank you for the email. We have had a pretty crazy week this week. I don't know if I told you before, but we actually don't live in our area. We live in a city called Yorktown and we serve in a city called Hampton. And every day we had to use a car to drive into our area and use a bike rack to carry in our bikes. Anyway, that wasn't a big deal at all, but on Thursday at about 1 o clock the office called us and told us they needed our car at about 4 o'clock that day and that we would be moving the next morning, which was Friday morning. So they didn't give us much notice at all, and we had to make time to pack all of our stuff among all of our appointments. We had to cancel some of them. And then Thursday evening after we dropped off the car we had to find rides for our evening appointments. So we found members that would be able to drive us into our area and then drive us to our appointments for that evening. And luckily there is a very nice member who has a truck and he was able to help us move on Friday. He came and picked up all of our stuff and then we went to our new apartment.
But the new apartment didn't have anything in it at all. No beds, desks, or any type of furniture. So we spent the day Friday using his truck to pick up beds and also kitchen stuff for the apartment. And wow, there are a lot of small items that you don't realize how much you take for granted because they are already inside an apartment when you get there. Like a vacuum, shower curtain, pillows, garbage cans, pans, plates, a spatula, seasonings for food, and there was no microwave. But we have been blessed. There was a member who had an extra microwave and he gave it to us, our ward mission leader bought us a vacuum and a lot of other small things, and there is a place called the needs network which is ran by a member of the church and they have tons of furniture and other house items that people donate and then the needs network gives it to those in need. They told us we could take anything we wanted. So we got our beds and desks from them. We also got a table and chairs from them too. We have been taken care of well.
Well our investigators are still doing good, but there is not a whole lot of news. No one came to church, which was a bummer but it was mostly because they were doing something for father's day, so it was a decent excuse. We also haven't been able to see them for a real good lesson because we have been so busy with moving. We are seeing Joylyn tomorrow though with our ward mission leader and that should be a good lesson. We are going to have him invite her over to his home for a lesson. Nicole has been out of town but we talked to her yesterday and she is doing well, and we set up a lesson with her for this coming Tuesday. We are also working with this investigator named Emma who went to the SUV fireside and she wants to come to church. We also finally got in contact with the Keaton's agains and we have a lesson with them tomorrow. So we have alot of good lessons coming up.
I have been careful on my bike and did not get into any crashes. Thats really cool that Spencer is going to be baptized in a river. I wish i could be there for it. That is going to be a lot of fun.
Oh and our new address now is 110 Litchfield close, Hampton, Va, 23669
Well thank you for the prayers and I am excited to meet President Perry. I think he gets here on the 28th. Take care and I will talk to you next week.
Love,
Elder Larson
Thank you for the email. We have had a pretty crazy week this week. I don't know if I told you before, but we actually don't live in our area. We live in a city called Yorktown and we serve in a city called Hampton. And every day we had to use a car to drive into our area and use a bike rack to carry in our bikes. Anyway, that wasn't a big deal at all, but on Thursday at about 1 o clock the office called us and told us they needed our car at about 4 o'clock that day and that we would be moving the next morning, which was Friday morning. So they didn't give us much notice at all, and we had to make time to pack all of our stuff among all of our appointments. We had to cancel some of them. And then Thursday evening after we dropped off the car we had to find rides for our evening appointments. So we found members that would be able to drive us into our area and then drive us to our appointments for that evening. And luckily there is a very nice member who has a truck and he was able to help us move on Friday. He came and picked up all of our stuff and then we went to our new apartment.
But the new apartment didn't have anything in it at all. No beds, desks, or any type of furniture. So we spent the day Friday using his truck to pick up beds and also kitchen stuff for the apartment. And wow, there are a lot of small items that you don't realize how much you take for granted because they are already inside an apartment when you get there. Like a vacuum, shower curtain, pillows, garbage cans, pans, plates, a spatula, seasonings for food, and there was no microwave. But we have been blessed. There was a member who had an extra microwave and he gave it to us, our ward mission leader bought us a vacuum and a lot of other small things, and there is a place called the needs network which is ran by a member of the church and they have tons of furniture and other house items that people donate and then the needs network gives it to those in need. They told us we could take anything we wanted. So we got our beds and desks from them. We also got a table and chairs from them too. We have been taken care of well.
Well our investigators are still doing good, but there is not a whole lot of news. No one came to church, which was a bummer but it was mostly because they were doing something for father's day, so it was a decent excuse. We also haven't been able to see them for a real good lesson because we have been so busy with moving. We are seeing Joylyn tomorrow though with our ward mission leader and that should be a good lesson. We are going to have him invite her over to his home for a lesson. Nicole has been out of town but we talked to her yesterday and she is doing well, and we set up a lesson with her for this coming Tuesday. We are also working with this investigator named Emma who went to the SUV fireside and she wants to come to church. We also finally got in contact with the Keaton's agains and we have a lesson with them tomorrow. So we have alot of good lessons coming up.
I have been careful on my bike and did not get into any crashes. Thats really cool that Spencer is going to be baptized in a river. I wish i could be there for it. That is going to be a lot of fun.
Oh and our new address now is 110 Litchfield close, Hampton, Va, 23669
Well thank you for the prayers and I am excited to meet President Perry. I think he gets here on the 28th. Take care and I will talk to you next week.
Love,
Elder Larson
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
June 16th 2010
Hello Family,
Well things are going well in Hampton. We had a really good mission conference. It started at 10 oclock and went until 4. The Spirit was very strong there. We had the opportunity to hear the testimony of a recent convert, and also President Millburn read us notes and impressions from his study journal that he gathered throughout his time as a mission president and that he had selected to share. So those were fun to write down. And then at the end there was a testimony meeting which lasted longer than it was planned to go. But it was really good, and of course everyone was crying. Well, I wasnt, but lots of people were. President Millburn bore his testimony at the end, and then we sang God be with you til we meet again, and then when that song ended all you could hear were sniffs from people crying. Lol. i guess it was a good bittersweet moment. I think one of the biggest lessons a mission teaches is how to get used to change. I was also very joyed to see Elder Shelley and Elder White again. They are doing good, and it was fun to talk to them. Also, we did have transfer calls last night and Elder Haley and I are staying, which I am happy about.
Well Joylyn and Nicole are both doing great still. Joylyn came to church with her kids, and she liked it again and wants to keep coming. She really likes us and the church alot but I dont think she quite has a testimony yet. It is hard for her when she comes to church because she has three kids that are pretty roudy. She has a 5 month old baby, a 5 year old, and a 9 year old and the two younger ones dont sit still. I tried to really help her out with the kids though, luckily I have some practice doing that. :) She sat with us, so I felt like I was back at home being the one in charge to keep the kids busy and quiet. I gave them papers from our area book to draw on and also gave them my planner to draw on and to look at and to beat up to try to keep them occupied. It worked, but Joylyn still has a handful with her little baby. I wish I could help out with the baby but we arent allowed to hold kids, so I cant do much. It was funny I wanted them to come to sacrament meeting so much but then I just wanted it to end so the kids could be taken to primary, which they really enjoy. So I think it is hard for her to focus and enjoy the Spirit as much as she could. But she is still doing really well, and we had another lesson with her yesterday where we were able to take over a member and have them meet each other. Nicole is also doing wonderful. she is out of town this week but she remembered that there were transfers so she wants us to call her and tell her whats happening. But we had a really good lesson with her last week. We actually taught her the Law of Chastity. It was kind of a skip ahead and Elder Haley and I were pretty nervous to teach it but it was what we felt she needed and what we thought would help her out the most. So we taught it. And it went so good. I said a couple silent prayers as we were getting ready to teach it, I dont know why I was so nervous, but my heart was pounding, but then we taught it and it basically went perfect. She accepted all of it, and was so happy we taught it to her. She started thanking us for teaching it to her because she realizes it will help her become better. So I guess thats our little miracle for the week. And we were also with Brian who was doing the mini mission with us and Im pretty sure he didnt say a word the whole lesson. So Nicole is just wonderful, she hasnt come to church yet but she definitely has the light of Christ in her because she recognizes what is right and wrong. We are fortunate to be able to teach her. And thank you for your prayers because I am sure they helped.
Dad, happy birthday. Im trying to picture you with an Ipod touch. :) I cant believe there is an app for a stake. Thats pretty neat. I guess there really is an app for everything. And what kind of car did you get?
Well thank you for the email and support and prayers. We are doing really well in Hampton and are excited for another transfer here.
Love,
Elder Larson
Well things are going well in Hampton. We had a really good mission conference. It started at 10 oclock and went until 4. The Spirit was very strong there. We had the opportunity to hear the testimony of a recent convert, and also President Millburn read us notes and impressions from his study journal that he gathered throughout his time as a mission president and that he had selected to share. So those were fun to write down. And then at the end there was a testimony meeting which lasted longer than it was planned to go. But it was really good, and of course everyone was crying. Well, I wasnt, but lots of people were. President Millburn bore his testimony at the end, and then we sang God be with you til we meet again, and then when that song ended all you could hear were sniffs from people crying. Lol. i guess it was a good bittersweet moment. I think one of the biggest lessons a mission teaches is how to get used to change. I was also very joyed to see Elder Shelley and Elder White again. They are doing good, and it was fun to talk to them. Also, we did have transfer calls last night and Elder Haley and I are staying, which I am happy about.
Well Joylyn and Nicole are both doing great still. Joylyn came to church with her kids, and she liked it again and wants to keep coming. She really likes us and the church alot but I dont think she quite has a testimony yet. It is hard for her when she comes to church because she has three kids that are pretty roudy. She has a 5 month old baby, a 5 year old, and a 9 year old and the two younger ones dont sit still. I tried to really help her out with the kids though, luckily I have some practice doing that. :) She sat with us, so I felt like I was back at home being the one in charge to keep the kids busy and quiet. I gave them papers from our area book to draw on and also gave them my planner to draw on and to look at and to beat up to try to keep them occupied. It worked, but Joylyn still has a handful with her little baby. I wish I could help out with the baby but we arent allowed to hold kids, so I cant do much. It was funny I wanted them to come to sacrament meeting so much but then I just wanted it to end so the kids could be taken to primary, which they really enjoy. So I think it is hard for her to focus and enjoy the Spirit as much as she could. But she is still doing really well, and we had another lesson with her yesterday where we were able to take over a member and have them meet each other. Nicole is also doing wonderful. she is out of town this week but she remembered that there were transfers so she wants us to call her and tell her whats happening. But we had a really good lesson with her last week. We actually taught her the Law of Chastity. It was kind of a skip ahead and Elder Haley and I were pretty nervous to teach it but it was what we felt she needed and what we thought would help her out the most. So we taught it. And it went so good. I said a couple silent prayers as we were getting ready to teach it, I dont know why I was so nervous, but my heart was pounding, but then we taught it and it basically went perfect. She accepted all of it, and was so happy we taught it to her. She started thanking us for teaching it to her because she realizes it will help her become better. So I guess thats our little miracle for the week. And we were also with Brian who was doing the mini mission with us and Im pretty sure he didnt say a word the whole lesson. So Nicole is just wonderful, she hasnt come to church yet but she definitely has the light of Christ in her because she recognizes what is right and wrong. We are fortunate to be able to teach her. And thank you for your prayers because I am sure they helped.
Dad, happy birthday. Im trying to picture you with an Ipod touch. :) I cant believe there is an app for a stake. Thats pretty neat. I guess there really is an app for everything. And what kind of car did you get?
Well thank you for the email and support and prayers. We are doing really well in Hampton and are excited for another transfer here.
Love,
Elder Larson
June 9th, 2010
Hey,
This week has been great so far. Everyone is doing awesome. Although no one came to church on sunday, but thats ok, because everyone is doing great. Last week on Thursday we had great lessons with Nicole and Joylyn. Nicole told us she knows the Book of Mormon was true, and we asked her what that meant to her, and she told us that it means this is where she needs to be. And before we asked her that we reviewed the Restoration, and we were very clear about the apostasy of the Priesthood and how it has been restored and exists only in the church of Jesus Christ, and she agreed. She is golden. I think she wants to come to church and she definitely knows we want her to, but hasnt been able to because of something with her family. I dont really know. We also taught Joylyn and she is wonderful. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and drew out the three kingdoms with sidewalk chalk, cause we teach her on her porch. And she understood well, and she told us she wants to go to the celestial kingdom. She is a really fun investigator too. We visit her alot and she likes talking to us. She gives us a hard time about our wrecks, and she has a strong accent so sometimes we dont understand her, and she makes fun of us for not being able to understand her. And in resonse we gave her a hard time about not coming to church, so she is going to come this week. She is fun, and she is from Grenadia, which is an island somewhere. And its been great being able to take members over there and to go on exchanges with them. Because they get to become involved with the missionary work and then they always ask us about the people we are teaching on sunday, which is good.
So this week has also been fun. There is a young man named Brian Stant in the ward about to go on a mission, and he is going on a mini mission with us for a week. For this week he is basically a third companion. He is with us all day, but stays at his own house at night. It is a very good experience for him to see what missionaries do all day, and to be involved with teaching people and seeing them understand and progress in the gospel and it has also been great for us having him with us. It was our Ward Mission Leader's idea, and he told us about how when he was on a mission he did that with some of the young men he was serving around, and he told us that during those mini missions it seemed like everything went really well and they had alot of success. Well so far that has been true this week. We have found new investigators, and we have tried to see people that we found earlier that said they were interested but we kind of lost contact with them just because they were never home when we went back, well we have gone and seen those people with Brian and we have been seeing lots of people.
We have two great new investigators, which we taught the Restoration to, and they told us they want us to come back before we even asked and they want to come to church sometime soon. And all of our scheduled appointments this week have held, which is not common in missionary work. So Brian has really been a boost to us, and when things are going well thats when missionary work is the funnest, so it has been alot fo fun for all three of us.
I still have both of my suits I am just down a pair of pants for each of them. And its unlucky because back when I was in Newport News I bought a cheap walmart pair of black and blue pants that I could where while biking. That way I could just save my suit pants for days when we have meetings or church etc. Well that has worked out well except this wreck and my dog bite just happened to be on days that I was wearing my suit pants, so those are the pants that got ruined. But I still have another pair for the green and black as well as my two cheap pairs so I am fine.
Yes the pavement comes very fast. This time I didnt even have time to think or to try and fall in way that might do less damage to my body. All I remember thinking while i was falling was a simple "no, not again."
I enjoyed reading Spencers story about repentance. Everytime we teach repentance I start off the lesson by saying ok today we are going to teach one of the greatest ways we can feel joy. It usually gets them interested. I am excited to see your baptism pictures.
Another thing I am excited about is tomorrow is Mission Conference. It is President Millburn's last transfer so we are having a mission conference. I am really excited for it, mostly because I get to see Elder Shelley and Elder White, and talk to them and ask them how everyone is doing in Kempsville. And then next tuesday is transfers, which is crazy because this transfer has flown by, but I am pretty sure I am staying here, which is what I am very much hoping for. I really like it here and we have found alot of people who are ready for the Gospel.
Another interesting item is my lifelong pursuit of trying to figure out how to throw a curveball has been fulfilled. Elder Haley was a high school baseball player so he taught me how. And it was funny he brought his glove and baseball hoping that there would be other missionaries for him to play catch with, but no one brought a baseball glove except him. Well he wanted to play catch really bad, and he asked me if he bought another glove if I would play with him. So I said yeah cause I really like playing catch, and so he bought himself a glove so he can play catch with whoever his companion is. So anyway, we were playing catch a few p-days ago and he taught me the curveball. It was fun, I was throwing it to the right of him and then watching it curve back to being in front if him! Its really easy too, and it all depends on how you rotate your wrist.
Well thank you for your prayers. They are working. Please keep them up, as I know you always do. We are doing great here in Hampton.
Love,
Elder Larson
This week has been great so far. Everyone is doing awesome. Although no one came to church on sunday, but thats ok, because everyone is doing great. Last week on Thursday we had great lessons with Nicole and Joylyn. Nicole told us she knows the Book of Mormon was true, and we asked her what that meant to her, and she told us that it means this is where she needs to be. And before we asked her that we reviewed the Restoration, and we were very clear about the apostasy of the Priesthood and how it has been restored and exists only in the church of Jesus Christ, and she agreed. She is golden. I think she wants to come to church and she definitely knows we want her to, but hasnt been able to because of something with her family. I dont really know. We also taught Joylyn and she is wonderful. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and drew out the three kingdoms with sidewalk chalk, cause we teach her on her porch. And she understood well, and she told us she wants to go to the celestial kingdom. She is a really fun investigator too. We visit her alot and she likes talking to us. She gives us a hard time about our wrecks, and she has a strong accent so sometimes we dont understand her, and she makes fun of us for not being able to understand her. And in resonse we gave her a hard time about not coming to church, so she is going to come this week. She is fun, and she is from Grenadia, which is an island somewhere. And its been great being able to take members over there and to go on exchanges with them. Because they get to become involved with the missionary work and then they always ask us about the people we are teaching on sunday, which is good.
So this week has also been fun. There is a young man named Brian Stant in the ward about to go on a mission, and he is going on a mini mission with us for a week. For this week he is basically a third companion. He is with us all day, but stays at his own house at night. It is a very good experience for him to see what missionaries do all day, and to be involved with teaching people and seeing them understand and progress in the gospel and it has also been great for us having him with us. It was our Ward Mission Leader's idea, and he told us about how when he was on a mission he did that with some of the young men he was serving around, and he told us that during those mini missions it seemed like everything went really well and they had alot of success. Well so far that has been true this week. We have found new investigators, and we have tried to see people that we found earlier that said they were interested but we kind of lost contact with them just because they were never home when we went back, well we have gone and seen those people with Brian and we have been seeing lots of people.
We have two great new investigators, which we taught the Restoration to, and they told us they want us to come back before we even asked and they want to come to church sometime soon. And all of our scheduled appointments this week have held, which is not common in missionary work. So Brian has really been a boost to us, and when things are going well thats when missionary work is the funnest, so it has been alot fo fun for all three of us.
I still have both of my suits I am just down a pair of pants for each of them. And its unlucky because back when I was in Newport News I bought a cheap walmart pair of black and blue pants that I could where while biking. That way I could just save my suit pants for days when we have meetings or church etc. Well that has worked out well except this wreck and my dog bite just happened to be on days that I was wearing my suit pants, so those are the pants that got ruined. But I still have another pair for the green and black as well as my two cheap pairs so I am fine.
Yes the pavement comes very fast. This time I didnt even have time to think or to try and fall in way that might do less damage to my body. All I remember thinking while i was falling was a simple "no, not again."
I enjoyed reading Spencers story about repentance. Everytime we teach repentance I start off the lesson by saying ok today we are going to teach one of the greatest ways we can feel joy. It usually gets them interested. I am excited to see your baptism pictures.
Another thing I am excited about is tomorrow is Mission Conference. It is President Millburn's last transfer so we are having a mission conference. I am really excited for it, mostly because I get to see Elder Shelley and Elder White, and talk to them and ask them how everyone is doing in Kempsville. And then next tuesday is transfers, which is crazy because this transfer has flown by, but I am pretty sure I am staying here, which is what I am very much hoping for. I really like it here and we have found alot of people who are ready for the Gospel.
Another interesting item is my lifelong pursuit of trying to figure out how to throw a curveball has been fulfilled. Elder Haley was a high school baseball player so he taught me how. And it was funny he brought his glove and baseball hoping that there would be other missionaries for him to play catch with, but no one brought a baseball glove except him. Well he wanted to play catch really bad, and he asked me if he bought another glove if I would play with him. So I said yeah cause I really like playing catch, and so he bought himself a glove so he can play catch with whoever his companion is. So anyway, we were playing catch a few p-days ago and he taught me the curveball. It was fun, I was throwing it to the right of him and then watching it curve back to being in front if him! Its really easy too, and it all depends on how you rotate your wrist.
Well thank you for your prayers. They are working. Please keep them up, as I know you always do. We are doing great here in Hampton.
Love,
Elder Larson
Sunday, May 30, 2010
May 26th 2010
Hey,
Well I am glad you are all doing well. It sounds like everyone is busy. We have had a pretty good week too. We another good lesson with Nicole, and she basically knows the book of mormon is true. She told us she was feeling very worried and stressed (i dont know why) and then she thought that she should read the Book of mormon, so she did. And then she said it all went away and she felt much better. It was cool to hear her tell us that. We didnt even ask her about it either she just brought it up to us because she was excited to tell us about it. She wants to come to church too and she is a firefighter, and but right now she doesnt have a job but she wants to get one, and she was asking us if it is ok if she had to come to church in her work clothes in case she didnt have time to change after work once she gets a job. We told her of course. :) So she is doing well. The Keatons are still sick. The parasite thing apparently has gotten worse, and we havent even talked to Sis keaton this past week, because when we went over there on friday she was actually in the hospital, I think just to make sure they had gotten rid of the parasite. But when we went over there the husband was home and he told us they still want us to come over. I think sister keaton forgot we were coming over, but thats ok. So we are giving them a little time right now. The Whisler family is doing pretty good. We talked to them about church and they are going to try and come this Sunday. So we will see if they do.
For lunch we been having to eat out at fast food places, which stinks. We got in kind of a pickle. Our baptist friends are not serving their food anymore and so we were going to pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but then we ran out of jam, and we really didnt have any other food that we could pack, so we have had to eat out. Its weird as a missionary you almost feel like you are getting jipped when you have to pay for your own food. You get so used to people feeding you that having to spend money seems like a ripoff. I guess thats probably an attitude I should change. Anyway, after today though we will be able to pack lunches.
Well dad, I am glad you are getting some opposition to your changes. If you didnt it wouldnt have been the right decision.
Well I am happy here in Hampton and Elder Haley and I are working hard. The Lord has continued to lead us to new investigators and I am excited to teach them. Thank you for your faith and your prayers.
Love,
Elder Larson
Well I am glad you are all doing well. It sounds like everyone is busy. We have had a pretty good week too. We another good lesson with Nicole, and she basically knows the book of mormon is true. She told us she was feeling very worried and stressed (i dont know why) and then she thought that she should read the Book of mormon, so she did. And then she said it all went away and she felt much better. It was cool to hear her tell us that. We didnt even ask her about it either she just brought it up to us because she was excited to tell us about it. She wants to come to church too and she is a firefighter, and but right now she doesnt have a job but she wants to get one, and she was asking us if it is ok if she had to come to church in her work clothes in case she didnt have time to change after work once she gets a job. We told her of course. :) So she is doing well. The Keatons are still sick. The parasite thing apparently has gotten worse, and we havent even talked to Sis keaton this past week, because when we went over there on friday she was actually in the hospital, I think just to make sure they had gotten rid of the parasite. But when we went over there the husband was home and he told us they still want us to come over. I think sister keaton forgot we were coming over, but thats ok. So we are giving them a little time right now. The Whisler family is doing pretty good. We talked to them about church and they are going to try and come this Sunday. So we will see if they do.
For lunch we been having to eat out at fast food places, which stinks. We got in kind of a pickle. Our baptist friends are not serving their food anymore and so we were going to pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but then we ran out of jam, and we really didnt have any other food that we could pack, so we have had to eat out. Its weird as a missionary you almost feel like you are getting jipped when you have to pay for your own food. You get so used to people feeding you that having to spend money seems like a ripoff. I guess thats probably an attitude I should change. Anyway, after today though we will be able to pack lunches.
Well dad, I am glad you are getting some opposition to your changes. If you didnt it wouldnt have been the right decision.
Well I am happy here in Hampton and Elder Haley and I are working hard. The Lord has continued to lead us to new investigators and I am excited to teach them. Thank you for your faith and your prayers.
Love,
Elder Larson
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
May 19th 2010
Hey,
Well it has been another good week in Hampton. We have had some good and bad things happen. I guess I will start with the good. We have continued to see small little miracles where it is evident the lord has placed us in a spot where he needed us at that moment. On friday, we picked out some part member familes to go and see. And so far it hadnt been a super good day. Nobody had really been home and it just seemed like it we were as successful as some days. So we were going to see this part member family that we had picked out the night before, and we went to the street that she was supposed to be on. And we went up and down the street but her address didnt exist. So we decided that we were here, and that we should do some finding around this area. I even said maybe this is a divine place for us to be. I was just joking. Well, the second door we knocked on we found this girl named nichole. She is a very nice girl and she was very receptive. We taught her the Restoration and she liked everything we taught. Then after our lesson we were jsut talking and as we were talking she told us that the night before she could not sleep because she was uncomfortable with where she was in life and she didnt really know what to do. And then the next day we showed up. :) She was so grateful that we came by, and on Monday we taught her the Plan of Salvation and she liked all of that as well. She has read the first 8 chapters of the Book of Mormon, too, and right now she believes it could be true. But she has been prepared, and the Lord lead us right to her. Our next lesson with her is on Friday. Then that night, we were riding home, and a less active stopped us on the side of the road. He told us he wants us to come over, and have lessons with his family. So we went over there and taught them the Restoration. It was a good lesson, and we rescheduled with them to go over there again on Sunday, so hopefully then we can talk to them about church and see if they want to come back, and resolve whatever concerns they may have. But it was another little experience where the Lord put us right where he needed us at the time. We didnt do anything. That family's name is the Whistlers. Sister Keaton, Bianca 's mom, is a great lady. We got to meet her on Thursday and she talks alot. We werent actually able to have dinner with them though, or a lesson. On the day we were supposed to go over for dinner, her kids got sick, and it was some 48 hr parasite that is super contagious, basically a perfect ploy by satan to keep us away. But thats ok because when we went over there we got to meet and talk to Sis keaton alot, and become friends with her, and we also got to reschedule for this Friday. And on Thursday she did make us dinner though to take home with us, because she felt bad we couldnt come over, so that was nice of her. And it was good food.
And also Victor, he is not doing so well. On Saturday we had a lesson scheduled with him but he called us and told us that he couldnt meet with us that day or the next week. He told us that his neighbor "shared some scriptures" with him and now he wants to try his neighbors church before ours. I was not happy at all. So we gave him a couple days and then on Monday we went over there. I asked him if his neighbor told him he should not visit with us and he said no, that he still wants to meet with us but he is too busy right now. So its not quite as bad as I thought at first, but its not going the way it was initially. I really dont think he is too busy to meet with us, especially because his he is without a car right now, but I will keep my hopes and faith up.
So thats the update on Hampton. We have still been eating out at the Baptist churches, and its continued to be delicious. Yesterday was definitely the most awkward one, the farthest out of my comfort zone. So yesterday we went to this baptist church. and it was the same as before, we just felt awkward, its like being on enemy territory, except they just look at you. And so we were still outside and we were wondering if we should even go inside, A because it is awkward and B because the lunches are more for poorer people anyway. Well finally this guy walked outside and said to us go in there and eat, dont be shy. So we followed his advice and we went in. And then the leader came over to talk to us and he asked, are you guys here for food? and I just kind of hesitated and then said yeah, and I didnt say anything else because honestly there wasnt any other reason that we were there. But then he said ok and told us where to go. And it was delicious, and then once they saw we were just there to eat and not convert them all they started talking to us and they were very nice to us and one lady even told us that she admires us so much because of the work we do and she said that there is a godliness to us that she see in us. It was a very nice compliment and made us happy. I thought to myself thats called the Holy Ghost. And as usual I was really glad we went.
But unfortunately those lunches are not served over the Summer, so that was our last meal from the baptists. So I am not sure what we will do in the future, probably eat out or pack a lunch. Well figure it out.
Thank you very much for the package. It has been great. I really enjoy the snacks and I liked the program from Stake Conference. I enjoyed seeing that. And thank you for your prayers because I believe they are working. Keep them up.
Love
Elder Larson
Well it has been another good week in Hampton. We have had some good and bad things happen. I guess I will start with the good. We have continued to see small little miracles where it is evident the lord has placed us in a spot where he needed us at that moment. On friday, we picked out some part member familes to go and see. And so far it hadnt been a super good day. Nobody had really been home and it just seemed like it we were as successful as some days. So we were going to see this part member family that we had picked out the night before, and we went to the street that she was supposed to be on. And we went up and down the street but her address didnt exist. So we decided that we were here, and that we should do some finding around this area. I even said maybe this is a divine place for us to be. I was just joking. Well, the second door we knocked on we found this girl named nichole. She is a very nice girl and she was very receptive. We taught her the Restoration and she liked everything we taught. Then after our lesson we were jsut talking and as we were talking she told us that the night before she could not sleep because she was uncomfortable with where she was in life and she didnt really know what to do. And then the next day we showed up. :) She was so grateful that we came by, and on Monday we taught her the Plan of Salvation and she liked all of that as well. She has read the first 8 chapters of the Book of Mormon, too, and right now she believes it could be true. But she has been prepared, and the Lord lead us right to her. Our next lesson with her is on Friday. Then that night, we were riding home, and a less active stopped us on the side of the road. He told us he wants us to come over, and have lessons with his family. So we went over there and taught them the Restoration. It was a good lesson, and we rescheduled with them to go over there again on Sunday, so hopefully then we can talk to them about church and see if they want to come back, and resolve whatever concerns they may have. But it was another little experience where the Lord put us right where he needed us at the time. We didnt do anything. That family's name is the Whistlers. Sister Keaton, Bianca 's mom, is a great lady. We got to meet her on Thursday and she talks alot. We werent actually able to have dinner with them though, or a lesson. On the day we were supposed to go over for dinner, her kids got sick, and it was some 48 hr parasite that is super contagious, basically a perfect ploy by satan to keep us away. But thats ok because when we went over there we got to meet and talk to Sis keaton alot, and become friends with her, and we also got to reschedule for this Friday. And on Thursday she did make us dinner though to take home with us, because she felt bad we couldnt come over, so that was nice of her. And it was good food.
And also Victor, he is not doing so well. On Saturday we had a lesson scheduled with him but he called us and told us that he couldnt meet with us that day or the next week. He told us that his neighbor "shared some scriptures" with him and now he wants to try his neighbors church before ours. I was not happy at all. So we gave him a couple days and then on Monday we went over there. I asked him if his neighbor told him he should not visit with us and he said no, that he still wants to meet with us but he is too busy right now. So its not quite as bad as I thought at first, but its not going the way it was initially. I really dont think he is too busy to meet with us, especially because his he is without a car right now, but I will keep my hopes and faith up.
So thats the update on Hampton. We have still been eating out at the Baptist churches, and its continued to be delicious. Yesterday was definitely the most awkward one, the farthest out of my comfort zone. So yesterday we went to this baptist church. and it was the same as before, we just felt awkward, its like being on enemy territory, except they just look at you. And so we were still outside and we were wondering if we should even go inside, A because it is awkward and B because the lunches are more for poorer people anyway. Well finally this guy walked outside and said to us go in there and eat, dont be shy. So we followed his advice and we went in. And then the leader came over to talk to us and he asked, are you guys here for food? and I just kind of hesitated and then said yeah, and I didnt say anything else because honestly there wasnt any other reason that we were there. But then he said ok and told us where to go. And it was delicious, and then once they saw we were just there to eat and not convert them all they started talking to us and they were very nice to us and one lady even told us that she admires us so much because of the work we do and she said that there is a godliness to us that she see in us. It was a very nice compliment and made us happy. I thought to myself thats called the Holy Ghost. And as usual I was really glad we went.
But unfortunately those lunches are not served over the Summer, so that was our last meal from the baptists. So I am not sure what we will do in the future, probably eat out or pack a lunch. Well figure it out.
Thank you very much for the package. It has been great. I really enjoy the snacks and I liked the program from Stake Conference. I enjoyed seeing that. And thank you for your prayers because I believe they are working. Keep them up.
Love
Elder Larson
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