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

12.27.10

Mom,
Hey it was so good to talk to you all and to hear your voices. It's hard to believe that this was my last Christmas phone call, sometimes it feels like serving a mission just doesn't end. On Friday we went
to a local orphanage and took some cookies and stuffed dolls for the kids. It was a pretty cool little place, they mostly handle babies from 0-3 so we got to play with the babies and feed them. It was
pretty cool, it's been a long time since I've fed a baby. Saturday we went to the couple's flat and exchanged gifts with each other and then we ate food. We bought a turkey and Sister Fox cooked it for us. It was good, we still have the beard, it's only about 2 1/2 inches long, not a trophy, but it did taste good! :) Sister Fox also made a couple pumpkin pies, not quite like your's mom, but it was pretty good. it's been the only one that i've had since i got here, so i enjoyed it. Sunday was good as well, some members got together and fed all four of us dinner. haha they had a bowl of chicken, cut up in chunks. I
pulled out what i thought was a drumstick, but it was hard like a bone, haha it took me a minute but i finally realized that it wasn't a drumstick, it was the head. kinda funny, but it tasted pretty good.
Today i finally got a hair cut, Elder Bakker helped me out. My hair was getting long, so now my head feels pretty light. i hope that you all have a Happy New year. Don't forget to make some good new year's goals/resolutions. I was reading Pres. Uchtdorf's talk, "of things that matter most" this morning. it was really good, it inspired me to focus on those small, simple and basic things that will help us to get
through difficult times. If we don't do the little things then the big things that we all wish to accomplish in our lives will be next to impossible. It's funny how simple and yet intracrit the gospel is. But i do know that this gospel is true and that if we will do the things that the Lord has asked us to do through his prophets, then we will be blessed. There is always a way to be obedient. Well i love you all, and i hope that you have a great week. until next year,
love
Elder Larsen

this is me pretending to kill christmas dinner. it would've been cool to slaughter a turkey with a panga ( the thing in my hands) but i think it would've made a
huge mess!

12.20.10

Thanks for the pictures that you sent. Brody looks like a cute little kid.  He'll be a tough nut with all this stuff he's going through.  I can't believe that I guessed right with the weight. So when do     they plan on releasing him from the hospital? any time soon? Well  there has been a lot of changes for me over here.  I'm now in   Kisumu, it's right at the top of Lake Victoria and it is HOT.  It feels a lot like Phoenix. I now have a white companion, Elder Herr is    his name, he's from Tucson, AZ.  He's been out for about three   months.  This is now his third transfer in the field.  I replaced his    trainer and now I'm the District Leader.  It seems like these leadership callings never end.  The people here all speak english, its amazing. I'm gonna miss all the swahili.  We had two baptisms on Saturday along with the branch christmas party.  there was a ton of new people who i don't know, but i figure that i'll learn all of     there names eventually.  We have another baptism planned for a  little bit after christmas, this area is doing really good.  there is    plenty on work to do. So for Christmas I was thinking that it would be best for me in the evening sometime, which would make it   morning for you.  Maybe about 6 or 7 my time.  I'm not sure what   time that'll be for you.  but I hope that'll work out.  I know every  body will probably be all stung out at the hospital, so don't worry about it too much, May is just around the corner.  I've been thinking a lot about service and gratitude lately.  It's an amazing feeling to give a little and help someone else out.  It seems like when we do that then all of the things that are wrong or not going right are taken away and our burdens are lifted.  And showing gratitude has a similar effect.  I'm so grateful for all that you guys back there at home have done for me and for your support and help.  Thanks again and i hope that you all have a very merry christmas!!
Love ya
Elder Larsen

12.13.10

Well my time in Arusha has hit the end, wednesday morning i'm heading to Nairobi and Thursday i should be in Kisumu.  yippeeee i'm gonna get some fresh fish!!!  I'm going to be serving with a white guy for a change, not sure how that'll be but i'm looking forward to it.  His name is Elder Herr and I'm not sure where he's from exactly.  This last week was just fantasticly spiritual.  We had three baptisms.  Nahum asked me to baptize and confirm him.  Elder Ndhlovu baptized and confirmed Neema, and Brother Chinunda baptized and i confirmed Amos Kibanda.  It's been such a joy to watch these people progress in the gospel and make it to the waters of baptism.  There has been struggles all along the way, but they all pressed forward with His help.  This last week we've been doing our best to offer any kind of service available.  we were able to cut down a tree with an axe for Japhet, Elder Ndhlovu and I had it down in about ten minutes but I was really disappointed with my soft hands.  A little bit of manual labor killed my hands and gave me blisters.  It kinda made me feel like a little girl.  So i don't know about you guys, but i'm excited for these babies to get there.  whit asked me to guess how much he'll weigh, so i'm thinkin he's gonna be about 5lbs, 11 oz.  let me know how close i get, i'm not to good with babies but who knows, maybe i'll get close...... is there a prize for the winner? haha jk  today we went to the other guys' house and had lunch.  we all brought 1/2 kg ( 1 lb ) of meat each and cooked it over charcoal. it was good.  well not sure what else to say so i better get moving, we still have to hit the store before our Pday ends and i have to pack and get all my stuff organized.  this whole moving around and living out of a suit case is no fun at all.  Well take care and have a good week!  I love you all.
Love
Elder Larsen

12.6.10

So no i haven't gotten a package yet, and if you sent macaroni then i hope the cheese is still in there.  The burgenders came up this week so if it was in the office then i would've gotten it along with any letters, but i didn't get anything.  and i'm pretty sure that Elder Lipengah would have told me that they got a package for me.  So for chistmas, i'm not sure what time we'll be talking.  cuz transfers are next week and i might get moved, so i could be in a completely different part of east africa with a new companion by the time christmas rolls around.  but maybe plan on the morning sometime and then i'll plan on the evening sometime....that otta get us close to the right time. :)  haha its funny that the tree is covered with lights.  i told my companion that we need to cut down the tree in front of the gas station near our house.  then we can set it up and have a christmas tree.  :)  but he didn't like the idea, so we won't be stealing the tree in the middle of the night.  on friday we went and dug some holes for Nahum's banana trees.  Nahum is planning on getting baptized on saturday.  he is building a house and working like crazy to get it done, so it felt good to help him. Bro. chinunda's daughter Neema should also be getting baptized this weekend. we're gonna do the interviews this week to make sure that everything is good, but i don't expect any challenges.  it's been a joy to watch and help these two progress toward baptism.  it has been a roller coaster at times, but i one thing that i've learned is that even when we hit a low spot, the roller coaster still moves forward.  and with the Lord's help, we go up.  Well take care and have a good week.  i love you all
Elder Larsen

11.29.10

Thanks for the pics of the pies.... it made me remember how bad my own cooking ability is. :) it seems like you guys got dumped on with snow, well if you look at the bright side then the ski season will be longer this year. beaver should almost be able to open up. :) Well this week was pretty good, nothing exciting happened. we've gotten into the habit of going to the park in town and playing something on mondays. today we played basketball, i thought i was kinda in shape.... but i'm not. i got so tired and worn out. i should start running every morning again. that would be a good thing. so my thanksgiving was awesome, it was so good that i forgot about it until friday. then i remembered, but by that time it was over, so i didn't miss much. i'm gonna buy a chicken today so maybe that'll be my thanksgiving dinner. We have two baptisms coming up, one might be pushed back for a polygamy interview but i think it'll go through almost on time. they're planned for a week from saturday. Well everybody, i love you tons and i hope you have a great week.
love ya
Elder Larsen

11.22.10

Thanks for the pics, you guys all look good.  mom, you have some very prego daughters.  Earlier this week we were able to help one of our investigators with his chickens.  we left early friday morning and headed up to his home above arusha.  it takes about 1.5 hours to walk up there.  and then we had to eat something first, that's like a tradition here, you always have to eat something, even if you don't want to.  so we drank some milk.  then we went to work with the chickens, there was about 100 of them.  we had to catch and vaccinate each one individually.  it was pretty fun, i haven't been able to do much with animals since i came out, but it was fun and enjoyable.  after we finished with the chickens we taught him the plan of salvation and set a baptismal date for dec 11.  I love this guy, he is an older gentleman, a retired veterinarian, and he is humble and has lots of soul searching questions.  he says he likes the church because he can ask a question and get an answer.  apparently that isn't possible in any other church.  who would have thought that Christ's true church helps us all to learn and progress?  its amazing isn't it?  i love being able to learn and find answers to questions.  
today we played some soccer in the park.  it was fun, as always there was kids hanging around waiting to play with somebody that had a ball so we formed a couple teams and had a good time.  
if i remember right then thanksgiving is this week, so enjoy!  i get sick everytime i think about pies and other good food.  haha next year i'll be there!  But remember to be grateful, just like pres Monson counseled us to be in his talk.  gratitude is a great way to show love and appreciation.   I know i'm so grateful for all that i've received in my life.  if it wasn't for all the good people who have helped me on my way then i know i wouldn't be in tanzania right now, sharing the joy that the gospel can bring.  I love you all and i hope that you all doing well. take care and be careful on them cold snowy roads!
love ya
Elder Larsen

11.15.10

Well I didn't get moved, Elder Ndhlovu and I will be staying together for a third transfer.  Elder Frost and Jackson are also staying together, so all of Arusha stayed the same.  Those two had a baptism on Saturday and then after that we finally started to watch General Conference. We watched the sat morning session on saturday and the sunday morning session on sunday.  hopefully soon we'll get to see the other sessions.  Elder Harris who just finished his two years had his family come and pick him up. He took them down here to Arusha and they went on safari's and stuff.  but saturday night they invited us to dinner at their hotel, wow, talk about good food. I haven't ate that good for a long time.  I think i'll count that as my thanksgiving diner, cuz i don't see another meal like that in the near future.  While we were watching general conference, right at the beginning, the power went out.  So we started singing "onward chistian soldiers" and before the song finished, the power came back.  I leaned over and whispered to my companion " a song of the righteous is a prayer unto me "  haha he just laughed.  but it's true, we needed the power so it returned.  John, the kid i baptized two weeks ago passed the sacrament this week.  I was so excited and happy for him.  He was all dressed up with his white shirt and tie and he did a great job. He kinda reminds me about connor and mason, only, john is quiet and shy and .... well, connor and mason aren't, last time i checked.  :)
So where did you get this wild boar that you ate?  I didn't know that was on the hunting list this year? 
Today we played a little basketball with some kids in the park.  it was four Elders on eleven kids.  needless to say that we got worn out really quick, but we still won. :) 
This week Elder Ndhlovu hits his year mark.  I think we're gonna buy a couple chickens and burn one of his shirts to celebrate.  It should be a good day, i'm excited for him. 
Well not sure what else to write about, so enjoy the snow and i hope that you all have a great week.  I love you and pray for you. 
Love
Elder Larsen

11.08.10

Well this last week went pretty good.  It was the last week of the transfer so tonight we find out transfer news.  Last week we went on exchanges and I went to be with Elder Frost.  but unfortunately he was sick as a dog so i got a lot of reading done while he went from his bed to the toilet.  It wasn't the funnest exchange i've had, but i sure did learn a lot.  Yesterday at church we found out that the branch finally got their copies of General Conference, so if i don't get transferred then we'll be watching them this saturday and sunday.   I'm excited for it.  I've heard about a few of the different talks so i'll be happy to watch and listen.  But if i get transferred somewhere where they have already watched it then i'm not gonna be to happy.  If thats the case then i'll have to borrow the disks and watch it on my pday or something.  So lately I've been thinking about how we worship a God of the fourth watch.  I don't know if i can explain it very well, but pretty much the help that we receive comes at the last minute, or in the last watch of the night.  Just like when Christ came to his disciples in the fourth watch of the night, it was the last one.  He could have came earlier but he didn't, their patience was exercised to the fullest and then he provided the help that was needed.  Its the same with us, as we are patient and long suffering and we hold out to the end and then just about when we're gonna give up, he comes.  So if your at the end of your rope then hold on a little longer and He will come.  When our faith is exercised to the fullest possible, further than we thought we possible, that's when we grow and change into the disciple that he wants us to be.  That is when we reap the blessings that we've sown.
Well have a great week
Love ya
Elder Larsen  

11.01.10

This week was great!  We had a baptism on Saturday.  We had originally planned on the father doing the baptism, but Saturday afternoon, we were informed that John (our member-to-be) had changed his mind and now he wanted me to baptize him.  So with out a change of clothes I changed into white and baptized the feller.  It was awesome, it seems like that happens a lot where i get  wet at the last minute and i don't have a change of        clothes.  But i'm not complaining, it was a great exper-   ience  and I enjoyed it.  I've enjoyed teaching this kid    from the beginning. We also got the confirmation taken care of in sacrament, and right after sacrament, he was ordain to the office of a priest. so now he can help with  the sacrament.  I think that makes about 3 young men in the branch.  Nothing else exciting really happened this week, just work like normal, oh we did go on exchanges with the other Arusha Elders.  I was with Elder Jackson he's from Zim.  He is a funny guy and i really enjoyed  serving with him for a day.  I think we're gonna do exchanges again this week and then i'll be with Elder Frost, not sure yet, but i think it'll happen.  Haha thats funny    that Landen missed his plane, if I did that when i go       home then it might be like 2 or 3 days before i get on another one. Transfers are next week, not sure what will   happen, but it's pretty likely that i might get moved.  We shall see what happens.  Well, i should probably get     going so i love you all and i hope that all is well.  Remember to keep the Lord bound in all that you do and the  promised blessings will be yours.

Love

Elder Larsen