01.24.11

So this last week was good, we had two baptisms on Saturday.   Pamella and Isack were baptized by Elder Herr. it was a good little service, i liked it.  We also did exchanges with the other Elders    last week.   I went with Elder Bakker.  It was pretty fun,  that was   the first time that I was able to serve with someone else from my MTC group.  It was only a day, but i liked it.  This morning Elder  Herr and I got crazy and cleaned out our water tanks.  they were  dirty and in desperate need of a good scrub.    We had to climb    inside them and scrub them with a little brush and some JIK ( ble-ach stuff )  now the only problem is that we turned the water back  on so they could fill up and nothing came out..... so we wait.      eventually the water will come and they'll fill up.....eventually.  i    just hope it's by tonight.   Tomorrow we'll be going on exchanges again.  this time i'll be with Elder Rapiya  (make the sound like    your gonna spit a lugie and then add PEE-YA,  he's from south    africa) anywho, it'll be fun, i like the guy.  So i was memorizing a  scripture in Isaiah 53: 3-5 and i was so impressed with it. not sure why, i've read it before. but it's amazing how Isaiah speaks about the Savior.  it never ceases to amaze me how much the Lord has done for each one of us.  It's through him that we are healed from our flaws.  I love studying about the atonement, maybe because there are so many people here who don't know very much about  it.  The scriptures open up the life of the savior to us.  If we took away all the scriptures that we've received through modern revelation then i guess we'd be as lost and confused as the rest of the world.  I'm so grateful for this church and the knowledge that we have here.  i think for much of my life i took all of these things for granted.  The scriptures truly testify of our Savior Jesus Christ. If we are willing to read them and pray to our Heavenly Father,       daily, then the Spirit will have a place with us throughout each    day.  We can receive guidance and inspiration for our personal     lives and responsibilities. I hope that each of you do all within    your power to invite the Spirit into your life and to truly receive    the Holy Ghost.  i love you and hope you have a great week.

love
Elder Larsen

Casey with Elder Taffera. He is from Ethiopia.  
He is a good guy, funny as can be.  He is serving in Eldoret 
with a kid from Laketown.

01.17.11

This last week we traveled a little bit.    We went up to Eldoret on  thursday and had interviews with President Broadbent.   Mom,    he's from somewhere between ogden and salt lake.... i think, i don't know i can't remember at the moment.  I was able to meet Elder and Sister Lurf, those two are a great couple.   Sister Lurf gave  me a hug that she said was " a long time coming"  haha,  it was  good, i could feel the motherly love in it.   Zone conference was  good, it was uplifting and fun.  we played a lot of soccer.   i was  even able to wrestle Elder Bakker and make my white shirt brown and green, haha i kinda feel bad for Morice cuz he's gonna have  to wash it today.    but it was good,  we got back on saturday in   time to teach our piano class at the church.    we have a few  people who we are just starting to teach.  but in order to teach it ya   gotta know it so Elder Herr and I are teaching ourselves to play   again.  he's way better than me, but usijali, i'll get it.   It's fun to   play, do you remember that guitar book you sent?  we're using it to play the songs on the piano.  thanks for all the pictures.  you  guys look  good, did you get all the ones that i sent last week?  i hope so, there was a bunch.   Well i hope that you guys have a   great week.  don't forget to do the little everyday things to invite  the spirit into your lives.  As you pray and search the scriptures  and surround yourselves  with good things then the spirit will     have the ability to be your companion and lead you in all you do. We will always receive his blessings when we do as he asks us to do.

i love you
Elder Larsen

Pictures from Zone Conference in Eldoret with Elder & Sister Lurf

Elder Rapiya- ZL Kisumu

Elder Olsen- ZL  Eldoret, resides Young Ward

Sister Broadbent- Mission President's wife

Elder Mdlasose- ZL Eldoret

Elder Larsen- DL Kisumu

Elder Joe and Sister Lurf at their home in Eldoret.

Ant hill in the Rift Valley.

01.10.11

Hey so Christmas finally came!! i got the package and then a thing from the dentist ( tell him thanks for me )   it got here quicker than i thought it would.  Elder Herr and I had a fun time with the gingerbread nini.  His family sent him some gingerbread people and i got the village, so we created the village and the people, it was an interesting site.  I gave the village to our branch mission leader, morice, so he could take it to his school and give it to the pupils.  That guy is so funny.  i don't know what i'd do with out him around, he lives just next to us. so we cook and eat together every night.  He's a good cook so i don't mind.  He also washes our clothes for us, haha i haven't washed since i left Arusha.  it's almost like having a washing machine.  Today we had a good time. we went to the local Impala Sanctuary.  it was pretty sweet, the impala were just roaming everywhere and then there was other animals, almost like a zoo.  We petted and played with the cheetah, those things are just like a big house cat.  then they had lions and a hyena.  them lions are HUGE.  that is one kitty that i wouldn't want to mess with.  and the hyena is one ugly puppy, its all mis proportioned and goofy lookin.  but it's big, thats for sure.  the park is right on the shore of lake victoria so it was cool to see the lake.  granted, it ain't that pretty.  but it smelled good.  oh they also had some monkeys and baboons. the baboons were grabbing our hands and trying to pull us closer to the cage and then still our rings and watches.  they're smart thats for sure.  then they had a couple buffalo, those ones were stout.  they were just thick all over.  So this week we'll be headed to Eldoret for zone conference.  We'll be headed up there on thursday and then returning on Saturday.  hopefully we'll have a couple baptisms the following week.  Well its good to hear about all these healthy babies at home.  I'm glad that they all left the hospital and that all is well.  take care and good luck with all the long nights a head of you guys.  

love ya 

Elder Larsen

      

01.03.11

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!  Wow i can't believe that it's 2011.  Kinda weird to think about that..... but its a good thing.  This last week was really good.  its amazing how fast the days go by here.  I wake up and before i know it, it's time for bed already.  I'm finally getting this new area down.  It's still hard to speak english sometimes, i've gotten into this line of thinking while in Arusha that nobody speaks english, but here it's the opposite....everybody speaks english.  I found out this week that the rules changed in Tanzania, now they can teach in Swahili and conduct sacrament in Swahili.  It's crazy, i wish that would have come into effect while i was still down there, life would've been so much easier.  i think the church will grow much faster now that they've changed things.  This week i've been studying a lot in the book of Ether.  It's crazy how much people suffer cuz they won't just live the gospel and follow the prophet.  It's hard for me to believe that a whole nation could destroy it's self.  I've been trying to compare it to today's life.  There are times when I seem to get so caught up in the daily tasks of life that it's hard for me to ponder on the beauty of the plan of salvation and the atonement.  One thing that I've noticed as i've tried to take the time to think about those things is that the thought always comes, "how does this affect me?"  I've noticed that when i put myself and those around me in the picture then i get an eternal perspective on things.  Its easier for me to understand my role and what i need to do to be obedient to God's will and to lift those around me.  I was thinking about the primary song "search, ponder and pray"  the pondering step is so very important in our learning process.  it really opens our mind and broadens our view.  it has hleped me a lot as a son of God to understand the scriptures and how they apply to me.  The only bad thing is that when i sit and ponder then my mind tends to wander and i get a little sleepy ..... gotta work on that.  :)  haha  Well i hope that you all have a great and wonderful happy new year!!  i love you all.

Elder Larsen