Change; it's because of Jesus Christ - Week 73 - May 23, 2022

Hola, this week our water heater went out! The past few days we have been taking ice cold showers. It's a reminder of how blessed we are to have hot water. 

On Friday, we had a general authority named Jose Alonso come and speak to us. He was really good, I felt like the words he was speaking were directed towards me. He spoke about how we know if we are doing enough as a missionary. That is something I needed to hear. 

Saturday, we volunteered at a golf charity event. We watched to see if people hit a hole in one, because if they hit one they got $10,000. No one got close though. We got free tee shirts and had a couple good conversations about Jesus Christ with others. 

Today I hit 6 month to sexy, haha. I only have 6 months left which is crazy. As I have been on my mission especially now, I relieve how much missions can change us if we let it. I know missionaries that can't let go of things from the "world". Now they can still grow, however it's not as much as it could be if they sacrificed more. Here is a thought I had the other day: 

"Sunday (5/1/22): The Atonement of Jesus Christ will change lives. His great sacrifice is infinite to all those who have a broken heart and a true desire to change. His grace changes us as we lean on Him; it helps us become like HIM! We can lean on Him through reading the scriptures, praying, going to church--especially partaking of sacred ordinances, and lastly going to the temple. The temple blessings endow us with power beyond our own. It has the power to change our characters."

Let the Atonement of Jesus Christ change your life. Sacrifice things to be molded to what the Lord wants you to be! Don't be afraid to do so, exercise your faith in Him. Believe he can change you and make your weaknesses become strengths. 

Love y'all! 

Elder Larsen 

Angry member🤨🤔🥴😲- Week 72 - May 16, 2022

Hello everyone! This was a good week. With all of the hard past weeks this one made up for it. 

We had zone conference which was really good. I feel like I knew everything they talked about, however it was a good reminder of what to do.  

We had some amazing lessons this week. We did a lot of stop bys while we were in certain areas. All of them went super well and everyone we stopped by answered too! One member couple in particular were interesting. The husband was a photographer and showed us all his photos. Apparently he's the head of photography for Dell computers, so he's high up. However, his wife must hate the church or something. She wasn't very nice while we were over there. I then asked if we could share a quick message and she rolls her eyes and the husband says yes. She didn't talk the whole time. One time she made a noise and I said "sorry, were you going to say something." She then proceeds to say "NOPE NOT AT ALL." Geez, I was tripping why she was so mad. 

Other than that Greg didn't get baptized because of some health issues. So we will try again for this next week if not then the next. 

Love y'all!

Elder Larsen

Pigs can fly 🐖- Week 71 - May 9, 2022

Hello everyone, this week was a good one. I got to go on exchanges with Elder Laloni. He is super cool, he is from West Valley, Utah and has been on his mission for 15 months. We helped someone move into their house Saturday morning; a lot of the things we were moving were super heavy. So it was hard.

Honestly, everyday out here on the mission is a blurr. So I don't remember anything else that happened. We did have a couple lessons with our friend Greg, he is getting baptized this Saturday and then I'm confirming him on Sunday. I'm pretty nervous about that!

Lastly, one of my goals for this transfer is to read the whole Book of Mormon this transfer. It is a lot of reading, but I enjoy it a lot and I feel like it is giving me something to work towards. Everytime I read the Book of Mormon I really come to understand who our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are. I feel peace as I read the Book of Mormon and it's a peace I want to have with me all the time.

Love,

Elder Larsen

16 months🤯🧐😤 - Week 70 - May 2, 2022

I got my new companion, Elder Priest. He is super sweet, he is from San Diego, California. He's the classic surfer Californian stereotype. I love him so far!

We had a BBQ at our friend Richard's house. We played a lot of horse shoes and darts. We chilled at his house for like 2 hours just talking with him before Elder Clark got transfered the next day. We also brought a member with us and Richard loves the member. So we hope to keep bringing this member to lessons with Richard. 

We met with Greg a couple times this week and finalized his baptismal date for May 14th. We have gotten everything prepared including the speakers, music, etc. Greg also came to the stake activity we had on Saturday, and absolutely loved it!

Other than that we've just been having a good time helping others come closer to Jesus Christ. We found 6 people this week which is crazy! One man named Corry seems elect. He was a grey dot (someone taught in the past) in our area book and we called him a week or so ago and set up a time to call him today. Turns out his wife is a less active member--her records aren't in our area book. So we found a less active member and her husband (Corry) who is interested in learning more. We are really excited about him. 

That's it for this week! Love y'all! 

Elder Larsen 

TRANSFERS!😲- Week 69 - April 25, 2022

Last preparation day I rolled my ankle. I didn't think much of it and then woke up the next day. I was walking to the kitchen and it was hurting so bad I couldn't put any weight on it. I thought I broke it, so we went to the doctors. The doctor said that she might see a break but didn't know for sure. So the next day I get a call from the hospital and they said it wasn't broken. So that's a blessing. 

As I was having that experience, it made me dwell a lot. For the past transfer I've been homesick and feel like I've been in a stand still; I still feel this way. I still try to work hard, however it's hard when I don't exactly have a reason for being out here. I feel like I'm going through the motions. Let me tell you this has been the hardest 6 weeks of my life probably. I still don't see an end, however I will keep moving forward with faith. 

Nevertheless, it was a pretty good week. I went on exchanges in the Spanish area and had some amazing tacos. Next, we had another youth with us the whole weekend. This youth was an interesting person; it would be hard to be companions with him. 

We also got our transfer news and I'm staying in Canyon Lake. I'm getting a new companion named Elder Priest. I've heard that's he's cool. That's it for this week. I love y'all. I'd really love to hear from y'all. Shoot me an email. 

Elder Larsen