02/25/2013

Dear Family. 

   I have so so so much to tell you, and so little time, so I will bullet point this letter.

1. I take back what i told you about my compañero last week. I have had the best and most successful week of my mission thanks to the companionship. He is one of my best friends. It's like having Dallin and Ricky as my companions. He told me that he gets frustrated fast with people who are lazy in the mission, and with his last companion he had had enough... and even though it was wrong, he gave him a reminder. I had the opportunity to meet his last companion, and I would have punched his lights out too.  jk. So don't worry about my compi, we are the best we've ever been. I gained a buddy and hope we can stay here another transfer.

2. Our mission is doing amazing, and like Emilee said, it will splitting into two missions. We will know June 1st what missiona I will be in. I am praying so hard to be in the Hauncayo mission. That has all of this province including cerro de pasco (the worlds highest city). But i know i will go where i should be.

3. I finally got my B-day package. Thanks so much for the cards and the cool pen from Jerusalem  You rock!!!! And Emilee, your Christmas package still hasn't arrived. I am just hoping it gets here before the missiona splits. hahahaha....

3. We had two baptisms last week and should have two sisters get baptized this week. The ward is chalk-full and i am dying every time I have to enter the chapel.

4. Congrats to Soren on the acceptation (?) to BYU. I yelled in english here in the computer lab, "my brother got into BYU!" I always yell important news. I don't even care the people that look at me.

5. I am thankful I haven't gotten any food sickness, but the rapid climate change gave me a pretty bad cough. I lost my voice, and a missionary without a voice is hardly a missionary (no disrespect to the sign language missions). So pray that I can kick this cough in the butt (or bum as mom says. haha)

6. I attached some fotos and you can see the dust bowl I am in, along with my comp and the baptisms we had.

7. I took some money out to get some boots so the sand doesn't keep entering my shoes.

8. i love you guys and hope that you are remembering that every member is a missionary. 

Love, Elder Larson

02/18/2013

My Dearest Family,

So much has happened these past two weeks and I will try to say it all in the little time i have.

1. Two weeks ago we had another two baptisms. One is Winnie. She is a girl that really has an amazing testimony. She has given us so many references to her friends and family, and we had so much to teach.

2. We also had a miracle. A lady who has been listening to the missionaries for a long time finally accepted last Thursday to be baptized THE VERY NEXT DAY, and she wanted me to baptize her.  BUTTTTTTTT the President called and you guessed it, I had emergency transfers. So mom, you were right. I didn't get to see her and her two kids get baptized which was hard for me.

3. The President wrote me and said that he had a special assignment. He said the companion that I was going to was having trouble wailing on his other companions.  The reason he put me with him is because I "could handle myself if a situation arose." I guess that means the president trusts me, and if I end up having to kick his butt I can. hahaha jk.

4. My new area is in Huaycan. It is outside of Lima, and if i could describe it in two words it would be hot and dusty. I feel like I am living in Palm Desert or Las Vegas because all of the roads are sand. I am burning up. The branch I meet in is small but nice. We rent a building to meet in and I can tell the president is feeling really tired. I have never sweated so much in a Sacrament meeting, and I am not even joking, I almost blacked out. Luckily we had a baptism but we are going to have to have the help of members because my area is gigantic.

5. The good part is that I am close to Lima so em your package should get here....

6. Also i never said happy birthday to John..... HAPPY BDAY JOHNªªª

7. I am so happy to be here. The fam bam enjoyed president's day. I honestly didn't even know or remember. haha.

8. I hope all the little chibolos "kids" of whit and Ian and Allison and Nate are fine.... 

9. Please pray that I can survive this heat.

10. I am sending a foto of my last zone and of my pensionista (the lady that feeds me) in my last zone.

02/04/2013

Dear Family.

    I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!! Man, the weeks without being able to write you are hard, but you know what? I am just grateful for this time that I have.

1. first i want to say that i am glad Em got to show you guys the pics that I sent home.  The guy on my shoulders is a member named Kevin. He has a brother on a mission in mexico and is a huge help to the work the guy on the ground is my companion who absolutely hates his face in pictures, even worse than Whitney at 15 years old.

2. After working hard all of January, I was about ready to accept to not have a baptism for that month.  BUT a man named Cezar who is 17 came up to us and said he wanted to be baptized. All of his family are members and I thought he was too. But they all got baptized about three years ago and he didn't because he didn't have a testimony. He had been attending church and said to us, "I want to be baptized tomorrow." Wow, how strong he is. I am so blessed that the Lord is preparing people way before I even get to talk to them.

3. We also had the baptism of Mama O. She insists that we call her that because she says that from now on the missionaries will be her children. Me and my companion baptized her because she can't walk, so we baptized her in a chair. She is a spiritual light also, and I honestly don't know how much time left she has on this earth. I love her like another grandma.

4. I will not be sending any more fotos from these computers because every time I do, I get a virus and end up having to erase them all. I will be buying another big memory card and keeping them until the end of my mission. sorry.

5. It is so cool to be a missionary. It is way tougher than any other thing. I am so tired and destroyed after every day that I shouldn't be happy, but I am the happiest I have ever been. These people are my brothers. Their names and faces are on my mind (like you guys) all the time.

6. I had the best food yesterday with a member. It was delicios, but it was a food in quechua so I don't remeber what it's called.

7. I am sorry to hear about the packages mom and Em. The good news is that I did get all the little pictures from primary. hahaha.

8. I am trying to upload another fotos so you guys can see the baptism of Cesar.

9. I have completely destroyed another pair of shoes too. I will be taking out money to buy a good pair because packages from home don't really get here. haha.

10. I really do miss you guys, and you better write me on dear elder because its free, fast and I can read your cards throughout the week!!!!

I love you guys sooo much and I will talk to you soon!

Love, Elder Larson