05.30.11

Mom,
eesh, this last week was crazy with traveling to Eldoret and back.  We left Thursday morning and our Leadership Training was that afternoon.  It was a great meeting, I gave a training about how to improve our DDM's.  That night the B's took us out to a fabulous Chinese restaurant, i haven't had such good food in a while.  Sister B even made us a big chocolate cake, talk about good!  Friday morning we were suppose to return to Kisumu, but the transportation was on lock-down.  apparently the government was trying to improve the quality of vehicles on the road.  but what really happened was all the matatus and buses went and parked outside of town and took the day off.  so we were kinda trapped in Eldoret.  It worked out great though, cuz President Kogo (District President and counselor to Pres. B)  planned a big dinner for all the missionaries that night.  All the Sisters were there and then us and the Eldoret Elders.  Saturday morning we were able to find a little van headed to Kisumu so we jumped in and returned.  Well that was the excitement for the week. This week we have a huge baptismal service planned.  i think the count is up to 9 people getting baptized.  One sister, Agneta, is a referral from the B's.  She works at the local hotel where the couple's stay. Ever since she was introduced to the church in April she's been coming and we've been teaching her.  She's awesome and really prepared by the Lord.  President and Sister B were in town yesterday to visit with the Jorgensen's and Sister B called me this morning, she was so excited cuz she was able to talk with Agneta.  They visited last night and again this morning before they left. 
Oh i got one of the packages, the one with ranch dressing in it.  and i also got a birthday card from kim and cindy.  Thanks a ton, you guys are awesome. 
So I just thought for a second and this is what i can come up with.  I could share about all the wives and children I've been offered, but i lost count.....  so the thing that sticks out in my mind the most as i've reflected on the past few months is just about how i've been able to watch as people progress towards baptism.  as someone allows the spirit to teach them something and then to see that person act on what they've been taught.  that is the greatest joy that i've had in the mission field.  it could be a small change or it could be something big, but being there and helping someone to change their life for the better is a feeling that is hard to match.  Like Agneta for example, we had a powerful lesson on the word of wisdom, we committed her to stop drinking tea and she stopped, just like that, cold turkey.  seeing someone exercise faith on something that you testify of and the spirit has borne witness of, is just cool.  When i'm able to see the hand of the Lord in someone else's life then i'm able to see more clearly His hand in my own life.  I guess another thing that i've experienced a lot of is dealing with companions and working towards unity.  That isn't always easy.  Developing Christlike attributes has been the best way to improve the quality of a relationship between companions and myself.  It's a good thing that they're written down in preach my gospel or else it would've been harder to choose which one to work on :)  so pick one and work on it, see the difference that it makes in not only your actions but in your relationships with others.  Well i'm drawing a blank for anything else, but look through my past emails, i'm sure there are some more experiences in there, 21 months of emails should add up to something, right? I love you guys, take care and have a great week.
Elder Larsen

05.23.11

So this last week went by pretty quick, i don't know where time goes but all of the sudden it's monday again and here i am writting another email.  Let's see, we've spent some time with the new couple, Elder and Sister Jorgensen.  We've tried to show them around a little and help them to know the area.  We ended up not having a baptism this last week, the next baptismal service that we have planned is June 4th.  It should be a great day, I think we counted like nine candidates who should be ready by then.  We were suppose to have a baptismal service this saturday but this week we have a Leadership Training in Eldoret, so all baptisms have been pushed back to the 4th of June.  The training should be a good one.  They've asked me to give a training, so i need to do a little bit of preparing and planning before we make our way up there.  Elder Jackson won't be accompanying me to Eldoret, only the DL's, ZL's and trainers are going, so unfortunately i have to leave him behind for a couple of days.  He'll be with another Elder that is working in Busia while we're up there. 
So i don't know why everybody wants to get married right before i get home, but this is starting to become a little bit absurd.  I know that the Prophets have said to get hitched, but i didn't think that meant to do it right before Casey comes home.  I mean seriously, that just isn't cool. haha jk i know my personal presence doesn't really make a difference but hey, i just wanted to voice my opinion.  congrats all you newlyweds-to-be!!! 
Love ya all
Elder Larsen      

05.16.11

The last few days have been pretty fun for Elder Jackson and I.  We had the opportunity to pet two cheetahs at this park, so we did.  it was awesome.  their fur reminded me a lot of the drathar's, short and rough.  This morning we went into town to try and find a frisbee.  we didn't find one, but we found two mitts and a bat.  I had my base ball with me, so we bought the mitts, borrowed the bat and went to the park for a couple of hours.  Two little glue boys showed up and started playing with us and then later the other elders came.  it felt so good to throw a base ball and swing a bat.  we only paid 250 KSH for the mitts, that's a little more than $3 and they're in good shape!  That was our exercise for the day, cuz we were too tired to get out of bed and go running this morning.  on the 28th of this month I'll be going back to Eldoret for a leadership training.  Not sure why, but they asked me to give a training, so i'm gonna have to prepare that in the mean time.  oh yeah, Kisumu now has couple missionaries again.  they showed up on saturday, we didn't even know they were coming.  i think the other elders knew, they just didn't tell us.  Elder and Sister Jorgenson are from somewhere in Idaho, i don't remember the town right now, but it started with and "m" ..... i think.  i also found out that Arusha will be getting a couple.  I'm so excited for that.  that place will probably pick up and improve at a much faster rate with somebody there to guide those saints.  Well i guess on a more spiritual note.  if all goes well then we should have a baptism this saturday.  We just got to wait for the approval to come back.  I love watching people's testimonies grow as time goes on.  this one family that we've been teaching is just awesome.  they walk for about an hour and a half every sunday to come to church.  the kids don't really understand much english, but they love what they feel.  we've been working with them and we set a baptismal date for the three oldest kids, the mother is already a member and her husband past away a few years ago.  Their faithfulness is amazing in my eyes.  it makes me sad to think of how easy it is to go to church at home.  these people struggle and save and do all they can to do what the Lord would want them to do.  The blessings that they receive from the Lord are amazing.  The Lord hasn't blessed them with huge things, but with small and almost insignificant things.  It just goes to show that the Lord is bound when we do what he says.  So..... let's do what he says!!
Love you guys
Elder Larsen

05.09.11

It was so good to talk to you guys yesterday, you all sound pretty good.  it's hard to believe that was my last phone call, time has really flown by.  So this whole last week is just a blur to me now.  I can't even remember what happened or what we did, all i know is that it went by really fast.  although i do remember that we had a baptism on Saturday and that it went very well.  I'm starting to not like church so much cuz for the past few weeks i've been the pianist.  I've learned a lot about the difference between playing the piano and playing the piano while people are singing.  lets just say it's hard and i'm not excited to play every week.  but i'm getting better slowly and i've learned a lot..... like, life goes on, even if i do slaughter a hymn.  Well today was pretty fun, we bought a whole bunch of meat and had a little BBQ.  it was a fun little activity and i enjoyed it.  This week we don't have much planned other than teaching people so it'll just be a normal week. Well i hope that all you mothers had a great day yesterday and that this week is a continuation of the holiday.  i love you all! 
Love
Elder Larsen

05.02.11

Mom,
Hey guys, congrats on your kill.  It sounds like you all had a blast.  It almost sounds like a target shoot rather than a hunt, but hey, meat in the freezer is meat in the freezer, sindio?   
This last week was pretty sweet, on Thursday the black Elder Jackson and I went to the funeral of one of the primary kids in the branch.  I feel bad for the father, last year his wife died from the same disease that his daughter just died from. It was a sad event, I don't like children's funerals.  After the funeral we went and picked up Elder Jackson, my companion, and then Elder Olsen, the other Elder Jackson's companion.  They're both good guys, my district is just awesome.
We had a depressing lesson yesterday.  We showed up and the couple that we were teaching and preparing for baptism informed us that he's a polygamist.  It kinda put a damper on everything cuz the wife was suppose to be baptized this Saturday.  Not much we can do in that situation except encourage them to continue to come to church and to live the gospel in their home, just like any other member in the church.  I guess we will see what will happen, but I really hope that they stay active.   
On a happier note, I can't wait for this weekend to come, not only do we get to talk on the phone, but we also have a baptism planned on Saturday.  It should be a good service. oh and Elder and Sister Fox left us some root beer concentrate.  that stuff is amazing.  it was so nice to sit back and drink root beer.  i had forgotten how delightful that stuff is.   
Yesterday, or maybe it was Saturday I can't remember, I was reading in 1 Nephi.  And I realized something.... it seems like Laban and Lamuel were very prone to whining after some kind of physical affliction.  I kinda thought that there are times when we react the same way.  However, Nephi set a great example by remaining humble and submissive in spite of all that was happening.  Through his humility and desire to do something to better the situation, the Lord was able to bring prosperity back to Lehi's family, to guide them and to feed them.  Today it seems like the world is going nuts with tsunami's, tornado's, earth quakes and then all kinds of personal afflictions and trials, and maybe we are the only one who feels the pain in that situation.  Regardless of the cause of the trial, we can push through and be a tool in the Lord's hand as we reach out, serve other people, and do something to make things better, the same way that Nephi did.  It all starts with a little step of faith. Anyway I hope that you all have a great week and a wonderful Mother's Day.
Happy mother's day to all you mother's!  i love you all.
Elder Larsen

04.25.11

I'm happy to hear that you guys had such a great Easter Holiday.  We missionaries must be workaholics cuz we just had a normal weekend.  :)  Sylvester the branch missionary who i was working with went home yesterday so i'm back in a threesome with Elder Jackson and Elder Rapiya.  this week Elder Rapiya will be going down to Arusha to serve in my old area.  Elder Olsen, (from Young Ward)  will be coming to take his place and Elder Jackson ( from Farmington ) will be coming to be my companion.  they should both be here by thursday.  On saturday there was a baptism. it was a good service.  i had asked a couple of the Recent Converts who i taught to give talks and come and give support.  they did awesome and it is so cool to see them grow in the gospel and gain testimonies and then share the gospel with their friends and family.  Next month should be a good month, we have a few baptisms planned and our investigators are just progressing and doing great.  The next baptismal service that we have planned is on the 7th of May. 
So from what i hear you guys are turning into fishes.  i expected things to be different when i return, but i didn't think i'd return to Lake Bonneville and a school of fishes. :) haha i hope that things dry up a bit and that there isn't too much damage.  So i wrote a few letters a while ago, have you received any of them?  Let me know if ya do/did.
Well this week i've had an added appreciation for the restoration, simply because of the knowledge of the Apostasy.  we have one investigator who has done research and found out info about many different religions around the world and the knowledge of the apostasy helps all of it to make sense.  I'm so grateful of the knowledge the Savior has given us and the gift of the Spirit in my life.  I would honestly be a very confused person if i didn't know anything about the Church. we meet people everyday in that situation and it hurts when someone doesn't want to know more or doesn't care to find answers to his/her questions.  but then i've also realized that not everybody is going to gain a testimony immediately.  some things take time, We met a man the other day who met the missionaries back in 1996 in Kitale, Kenya.  he knew a little about the church, but only now does he have a desire to know more.  the Lord truly does work in His own time and in His own way.  but His way is the best, we just need to be our best and follow the guidance that we receive and all will be well. I love you guys, take care and have a great week killing pigs :) 
Love
Elder Larsen

04.18.11

So last tuesday we arranged for a branch missionary to work with me for a couple weeks.  Sylvester is his name, he's from the branch and stays in my area.  We're lucky that the schools are on break this month or else i don't think anyone would have been available and we would been in a threesome for the rest of the transfer.  On Thursday we were invited to a local hospital to teach some of the employee's about drug and substance abuse.  Although, we ended up just teaching them about the Word of Wisdom. :)  It was shocking to find out which drugs were being abused by the employee's there.  In the end I think that we were able to help a lot of people and at the same time introduce the church and let more people know about it's presence in Kisumu.  We were able to watch General Conference this weekend as well.  It was so good, i loved it.  But i don't think the members were so enthused by it.  The room was full Sunday morning when we started, but by the time we ended there were only a few troopers besides us missionaries.  I'll admit it was long, we watched both sessions back to back with only a 15 minute break in between.  We did the same thing on Saturday, I can't remember watching so much TV before.  I had a headache afterward. 
Sorry to hear about all the flood warnings that are bouncing around over there.  I hope that you guys stay warm and dry through everything that's happening.  On the bright side I do know that you won't be destroyed by water....just look for a rainbow :)  I hope you also enjoyed the conference, i know it was a couple weeks ago for you guys.  but it'd be good to review what was taught and strive to apply the things that the Holy Ghost taught each one of us.  It's an amazing blessing to know that we have a true and living prophet to lead and guide us today.  It's interesting to think about all the prophets that are being followed over here.  To hear the things that they teach and then to compare that to what President Monson says. It just strengthens my testimony of the reality that we do have the Lord's mouthpiece here on the earth today.  When we follow those who have been appointed by the Lord to lead us then we can not go astray.  Sometimes it won't be easy, popular, or attractive, but the Lord does things in His way.  When we choose to submit our will to His then the windows of Heaven are opened in our behalf and we will be able to see more clearly the Lord's hand in our lives.  Well i hope that you all have a great week, Love ya
Elder Larsen          

04.11.11

Well this last week was very interesting.  We did a lot of traveling.  Elder Msibi was in Nairobi so I was with the other Kisumu missionaries.  Wednesday we went with the Fox's up to Kitale.  We taught a few people along the way who stay very far from any branch of the church.  It was so nice to see my old area again, the guard at the gate still remembered my name, I was surprised cuz his english isn't all that great.  Once we got there we had a little shindig at the Watt's old house.  The Beecher's now live there.  They use to live in Wellsville at one point in time.  He's a patriarch and was recently approved by President Packer to give Patriarchal Blessings to a few people in the mission who are going on missions.  Wednesday evening we had a great braai (BBQ) with the Kitale elders.  Thursday we traveled down to Eldoret and played soccer all afternoon at one of the chapels.  We also made pizza's in a frying pan for dinner.  Friday was the Zone Conference for the Eldoret and Kisumu Zones.  Elder and Sister Scott were there, they're from southern Utah.  He is a physcolgist. and his calling is something about mental health for missionaries.  Anyway we all had an opportunity to visit with him if we wanted.  We had a really good zone conference, I have some nice pics, i'll try to send them next week.  

My comp has decided to go home, that's why he was in Nairobi.  He joined us for zone conference but i believe he'll be headed home this week.  currently i'm still in a threesome, tomorrow we've arranged for a branch missionary to work with me for a couple of weeks until transfers.  It looks like i'll be in Kisumu for a little while longer.  On a happier note, we had a baptism on Saturday. I baptized Jeremiah and then i assisted Dennis (physically disabled) to baptize his wife, bethseba (also disabled).  It was a very touching thing to be in the font while he performed the ordinance.  Both of them use crutches to walk, but they are an awesome couple.  they stay quite a distance from the church and it is a large sacrifice for them to come to church every week.  The sacrifices that some of the people here make just so that they can have the gospel in their lives is amazing.  They see the blessings that come from the church and they face incredible opposition as a member.  It makes me grateful to have grown up in an enviroment where there is a church, the true church, on almost every corner.  I think i really took that for granted before i came to the mission field.  The people here are such an example to me as far as their desire to be apart of and live this great gospel that the Lord has given us.  Such desire is hard to achieve unless there is a burning in our hearts to truely love the Lord and do what He has asked of us.  When we do have that burning desire then He can really work in our lives and help us to become more like Him, one decision at a time.  i love you guys and i hope you have a great week.

Love 

Elder Larsen   

04.04.11

hey guys, this week we've been pretty busy teaching people preparing them for baptism.  We have one along with the other Elder's this coming weekend and they had two last week as well.  It was a good service and we had a good turn out from the branch, many people came to support them.  this weekend the service will be interesting because of some other activities that are going on.  There is a combined seminary activity for the Kisumu and Busia branches that day, then our baptism and then the branch wants to throw a party for the Fox's who will be leaving on the 13th of this month.  They'll take a group to the temple in SA and then head home from there.  They have a blog, i think it's "foxafricansafari.blogspot."  so also this week we'll be heading to Eldoret for Zone Conference on Thursday, we're planning on coming back on saturday just in time for the baptism in the afternoon. 
This whole week i've been trying to jump rope for about 15 minutes every night and then work out after that.  the other night after about ten minutes, i was drenched in sweat and my comp just looked at me and told me that i was crazy.  I told him that i know, but i have a goal, so i'm gonna reach it. :)  this morning Elder Msibi went to Nairobi so i'll be with Elders Jackson and Rapiya for a little while.  they have a pull up bar so it'll be nice to work on that for a little bit.
I sure do hope that all of you enjoyed conference, we'll get to see it on the 16th and 17th.  I'm looking forward to it.  I'm sure all of you took great notes and are going to review them too. ;)  well have a great week, i love you all.
Love
Elder Larsen

03.28.11

This week was good, we had a baptism on saturday.  Memory was baptized by Brother Eliud.  We've been teaching Memory ever since i got here so it's been a long time coming.  We had a nice little service and it was a good day.  Elder and Sister Fox will be returning to Arkansas in a few weeks.  We're gonna miss them around here.  On sunday they both gave great talks and we had a great sacrament meeting.  You know i remember when they came into the mission field, i was up in Kitale.  now they're leaving and i'm still here, funny how that works.  Today they showed me a good place to buy material and a good tailor, i'm gonna have a suit made.  I thought about doing like the pastors do here, a really shiny suit or a brightly colored one.  but then i'd just be wasting my money, cuz i'd never wear the thing.  I'm gonna go back next week and see if i can find some nice gray material, we'll see what'll happen.  We found out that we'll be watching general conference on the 16 and 17 of April.  I don't know when it is for you guys, but i hope that you take the time to pay attention and listen to what the spirit has to tell you.  on that weekend we had 7 baptisms planned, but now we're gonna have to reschedule them cuz they don't want any other activities on that weekend.  I think we might end up splitting them, putting some a week before and others, if not all of them the week after.  there will also be a group of members going to the temple that weekend.  this is the first group to go from Kisumu branch.  the branch was organized in may 2009, almost two years now.  i think there are three families that will be going, it'll be a great week for them to be sealed together and to be able to do work for their ancestors.  Well i hope that you have a great week, love you tons.
Elder Larsen