Dad,
I hope you’re having fun with the fireworks. I really appreciate your last letter, it really helped me. There are a lot of people that I am working with and I have grown to love all of them; even the crazy ones. But I know what you mean about the people rejecting our invitation, after coming so close. Joyfully after a while many of them have made it back to church.
This week has been a very interesting week. On p-day the 28th, we had our whole zone in the gym playing dodge ball and Steal the Flag with tennis balls and it was a blast; until I beamed my companion, Elder Welch, in the eye. It was a very hard throw and I felt horrible. It got a little better, but Thursday morning at 1am he woke me up and said he was in a lot of pain and he couldn’t see out of his eye. I thought “oh crap.” So we went to Tampa General Hospital to the emergency room and stayed there until 8:30 am. So while Elder Welch was stuck in bed I went out with Elder Gate my district leader. It was a new experience for me to take over my area for awhile, but I had a blast. I even set a baptismal date with a man named Steve Morris. All of this stuff happened while we were getting a new mission president, President Summerhays. His wife about had a heart attack when I called her 1 am in the morning, but everything is alright. Elder Welch is turning back into his usual charming self. Everyone in our ward and in our mission knows about what happened. Word spreads fast.
Well, I am loving it out here and I am learning so much . . .
-Elder Spencer D Larson
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
My First Area :D
Hey Everybody,
I hope you're all doing well. Well this is my first area and it is hard to tell direction but I'm sure that will change in a couple of weeks. My area is a very poor area, the streets are pretty dirty, but the people are mostly nice and friendly. Our apartment is small but it fits our needs. We have about 17 investigators and we have a baptism marked for this weekend, his name is Silvio and he is about 30 years old. Me and my comp try to find new investigators every week. My comp does most of the talking but I´m learning more each day. We teach about 6 lessons everyday so we stay busy. Our area is about an hour drive south of the CTM but its still in SAO PAULO. I love you all, I´ll write more next Monday.
-Elder Stephen Larson
I hope you're all doing well. Well this is my first area and it is hard to tell direction but I'm sure that will change in a couple of weeks. My area is a very poor area, the streets are pretty dirty, but the people are mostly nice and friendly. Our apartment is small but it fits our needs. We have about 17 investigators and we have a baptism marked for this weekend, his name is Silvio and he is about 30 years old. Me and my comp try to find new investigators every week. My comp does most of the talking but I´m learning more each day. We teach about 6 lessons everyday so we stay busy. Our area is about an hour drive south of the CTM but its still in SAO PAULO. I love you all, I´ll write more next Monday.
-Elder Stephen Larson
Busy July!
Mom,
It is so satisfying to hear from you. I don't think I have ever missed you like I have right now. I keep having dreams that I am home with you and with my friends. In the dream you are always surprised to see me back early from my mission. I am not really home sick but I really miss you.
Elder Welch's eye is practically perfect now but the Opthamologists say that he still has some white and red blood cells floating around in his eye so he needs to take it easy for a while. I did have the chance to meet President Summerhays face to face. He is so cool and he is going to be a great mission president. It is a bit weird to see an experienced mission president leave and then a new one come in. He came to my ward this sunday and met all my investigators that came to church. It was very nice and they all liked him a lot. I could tell that he and his wife are still in shock about being out here as mission Presidents.
I haven't had any baptisms this transfer but I know that I was working as hard as I could and I did my part. I did set a baptismal date with a man named Steve Morris. He is a big Black guy who looks like Bubba off of Forest Gump. He is so awesome and willing to repent and come unto Christ. He has stopped drinking Tea and is trying his hardest to be worthy of the blessings of the Holy Ghost.
One thing I have learned since I have been out here is that this mission that the Lord has called me to do is more than just the people I teach and baptize. I found that if the Lord wanted baptisms he would have called more experienced men to do his work. But he called 19 year old young men to do his work. That is because he wants us to learn and grow as well. This mission is also for me to prepare me for the rest of my life and to help me become the man that I want to become. It hasn't been a walk in the park, I have had a lot of experiences that have made me ponder and struggle to become better and trust more in the Lord.
I am so happy that you are not bored. Beckett must be doing his job. I miss Beckett so much. There are so many dogs here and every time I see I think of Beckett. Tell me how Beckett is doing.
I do have access to a CD player and we have a car that we listen to music in all the time.
There was a scripture in the Book Of Mormon that is one of my favorites. It is in Alma when Helaman and his stripling warriors are off to fight the Lamanites. They are few in number but they say that they trust in God and have faith that God will deliver them. They said this because that is what their Mothers told them. I don't know if you have read the ensign last month but there is a talk that is titled "mother told me" or something to that effect. I read these things and I immediately thought of you and all the things that you have taught me. I love you mom. keep doing good stuff too.
-Elder Spencer Larson
It is so satisfying to hear from you. I don't think I have ever missed you like I have right now. I keep having dreams that I am home with you and with my friends. In the dream you are always surprised to see me back early from my mission. I am not really home sick but I really miss you.
Elder Welch's eye is practically perfect now but the Opthamologists say that he still has some white and red blood cells floating around in his eye so he needs to take it easy for a while. I did have the chance to meet President Summerhays face to face. He is so cool and he is going to be a great mission president. It is a bit weird to see an experienced mission president leave and then a new one come in. He came to my ward this sunday and met all my investigators that came to church. It was very nice and they all liked him a lot. I could tell that he and his wife are still in shock about being out here as mission Presidents.
I haven't had any baptisms this transfer but I know that I was working as hard as I could and I did my part. I did set a baptismal date with a man named Steve Morris. He is a big Black guy who looks like Bubba off of Forest Gump. He is so awesome and willing to repent and come unto Christ. He has stopped drinking Tea and is trying his hardest to be worthy of the blessings of the Holy Ghost.
One thing I have learned since I have been out here is that this mission that the Lord has called me to do is more than just the people I teach and baptize. I found that if the Lord wanted baptisms he would have called more experienced men to do his work. But he called 19 year old young men to do his work. That is because he wants us to learn and grow as well. This mission is also for me to prepare me for the rest of my life and to help me become the man that I want to become. It hasn't been a walk in the park, I have had a lot of experiences that have made me ponder and struggle to become better and trust more in the Lord.
I am so happy that you are not bored. Beckett must be doing his job. I miss Beckett so much. There are so many dogs here and every time I see I think of Beckett. Tell me how Beckett is doing.
I do have access to a CD player and we have a car that we listen to music in all the time.
There was a scripture in the Book Of Mormon that is one of my favorites. It is in Alma when Helaman and his stripling warriors are off to fight the Lamanites. They are few in number but they say that they trust in God and have faith that God will deliver them. They said this because that is what their Mothers told them. I don't know if you have read the ensign last month but there is a talk that is titled "mother told me" or something to that effect. I read these things and I immediately thought of you and all the things that you have taught me. I love you mom. keep doing good stuff too.
-Elder Spencer Larson
First Area
Hey Everybody,
I´m doing good here in my first area. It´s just me and my companion in the apartment. We´ve already taught some lessons together, the people like me (or at least that’s what my comp says) but I think that’s only because I can´t speak the language very well and they think it´s funny and laugh. My comp is from UT and a cool guy; he speaks very well and is a very good teacher. I feel lucky to have him as my comp. I love the Lord, and even though I can’t speak very well I am enjoying talking with people and talking with them about the gospel. I can only bear a simple testimony to them but it’s true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it was translated by the prophet Joseph Smith. And that we are happier when we are serving Gods children and doing what is right, and he will bless us. I don´t have a perfect knowledge of these things but I do know them by the feelings that the Spirit gives me, and that is how I know these things. I love you all and am grateful for the impact each of you have had on my life and I thank you for all of them, they have shaped the person I am today. Always do what you know to be good and true.
Sincerely Elder Stephen Larson.
I´m doing good here in my first area. It´s just me and my companion in the apartment. We´ve already taught some lessons together, the people like me (or at least that’s what my comp says) but I think that’s only because I can´t speak the language very well and they think it´s funny and laugh. My comp is from UT and a cool guy; he speaks very well and is a very good teacher. I feel lucky to have him as my comp. I love the Lord, and even though I can’t speak very well I am enjoying talking with people and talking with them about the gospel. I can only bear a simple testimony to them but it’s true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that it was translated by the prophet Joseph Smith. And that we are happier when we are serving Gods children and doing what is right, and he will bless us. I don´t have a perfect knowledge of these things but I do know them by the feelings that the Spirit gives me, and that is how I know these things. I love you all and am grateful for the impact each of you have had on my life and I thank you for all of them, they have shaped the person I am today. Always do what you know to be good and true.
Sincerely Elder Stephen Larson.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Stephen left the CTM!!!
Stephen left the CTM today and is now in the mission field!!! We are so excited for him and know that the experiences that he will have in the mission field will be the hardest and the best experiences that he will ever have! We love him and miss him but know that this is were he is needed!
Here are some pictures that were sent to us from his mission president.
His mission president and his wife
His mission
His companion Elder Field
Happy Independence Day
Hey Mom,
I am using a mall store computer so it is really loud and it is kind of hard to concentrate. Things are going really good for me but not so much for my companion. On Monday, our p-day, we were with our whole zone in the church gym and we were playing dodgeball/steal the flag. The only problem was that we were using tennis balls to play. It was way fun for the first 10 times we played but the 11th time I pegged elder Welch in the eye with a tennis ball. We went to a doctor and he said that we needed to watch it if it gets worse. Then Thursday at 1:00 am Elder Welch woke me up telling me that his eye hurt and he couldn't see out of it. We went to the ER at Tampa General Hospital and were there until 8:30 am. So I had the great opportunity to run the Tampa area by myself. My district leader Elder Gates was with me to help so that was nice. We had the best time doing the Lords work. I feel more like a missionary than ever.
Elder Welch's eye is doing so much better now. so the work will continue to move on. He still has to wear an eye patch, so now everyone we see asks about it or makes a pirate joke about it.
I do have a new mission President; his name is President Summerhays. He was a pro golf player and is pretty well known. I haven't met him yet but I will this next week.
This week I set a baptismal date with a man named Steve Morris. He is a big black guy and he looks like Bubba off of Forrest Gump. hehe. But he is really excited to become a member of the church. There are a whole lot of people that we are working with so I am always busy teaching people how to be happy. Sometimes it is hard because they think they know better than God does. hopefully they will learn to trust in him and let go of the things that are holding them back from baptism.
There is one thing that I would really love to have sent to me. Tell Jessica to make a copy of her choir music from her years in choir. I love you mom. Take care.
-Elder Spencer Larson
I am using a mall store computer so it is really loud and it is kind of hard to concentrate. Things are going really good for me but not so much for my companion. On Monday, our p-day, we were with our whole zone in the church gym and we were playing dodgeball/steal the flag. The only problem was that we were using tennis balls to play. It was way fun for the first 10 times we played but the 11th time I pegged elder Welch in the eye with a tennis ball. We went to a doctor and he said that we needed to watch it if it gets worse. Then Thursday at 1:00 am Elder Welch woke me up telling me that his eye hurt and he couldn't see out of it. We went to the ER at Tampa General Hospital and were there until 8:30 am. So I had the great opportunity to run the Tampa area by myself. My district leader Elder Gates was with me to help so that was nice. We had the best time doing the Lords work. I feel more like a missionary than ever.
Elder Welch's eye is doing so much better now. so the work will continue to move on. He still has to wear an eye patch, so now everyone we see asks about it or makes a pirate joke about it.
I do have a new mission President; his name is President Summerhays. He was a pro golf player and is pretty well known. I haven't met him yet but I will this next week.
This week I set a baptismal date with a man named Steve Morris. He is a big black guy and he looks like Bubba off of Forrest Gump. hehe. But he is really excited to become a member of the church. There are a whole lot of people that we are working with so I am always busy teaching people how to be happy. Sometimes it is hard because they think they know better than God does. hopefully they will learn to trust in him and let go of the things that are holding them back from baptism.
There is one thing that I would really love to have sent to me. Tell Jessica to make a copy of her choir music from her years in choir. I love you mom. Take care.
-Elder Spencer Larson
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Prostelyting
Hey everybody,
I’m still doing well; the people are going a little crazy here because of soccer. The weather is still good here, and I’m still enjoying the CTM. I don’t think I’ll be ready to leave on July 6th, because I still don’t know enough Portuguese.
So, this last week has been normally busy, the Brazilians in our room left today, but I think we’ll get 2 new ones on Friday so that will help our Portuguese. We have a member of the Twelve Apostles coming to the CTM on this Thursday the 17th; it will be a good experience.
We went proselytizing on Friday the 11th, it was good even though I didn’t understand very much, but my comp. Elder Christensen did understand. We gave out 4 Books of Mormon(s) and got 2 addresses, Elder Christensen was so happy, he was going crazy and being very spazy. It was humorous. We tried to talk to about 30 people. Our whole District was successful. My perspective and the way I feel has changed a lot in a month. It’s funny, the Gospel is almost perfectly parallel to being healthy. Well that’s all, love you guys, may the lord bless you.
Sincerely Elder Stephen Larson.
I’m still doing well; the people are going a little crazy here because of soccer. The weather is still good here, and I’m still enjoying the CTM. I don’t think I’ll be ready to leave on July 6th, because I still don’t know enough Portuguese.
So, this last week has been normally busy, the Brazilians in our room left today, but I think we’ll get 2 new ones on Friday so that will help our Portuguese. We have a member of the Twelve Apostles coming to the CTM on this Thursday the 17th; it will be a good experience.
We went proselytizing on Friday the 11th, it was good even though I didn’t understand very much, but my comp. Elder Christensen did understand. We gave out 4 Books of Mormon(s) and got 2 addresses, Elder Christensen was so happy, he was going crazy and being very spazy. It was humorous. We tried to talk to about 30 people. Our whole District was successful. My perspective and the way I feel has changed a lot in a month. It’s funny, the Gospel is almost perfectly parallel to being healthy. Well that’s all, love you guys, may the lord bless you.
Sincerely Elder Stephen Larson.
Bodily functions?!
Hey everybody,
O.K. so one thing I´ve heard from a lot of people is that every American missionary that goes to South America will poo their pants at least once. I didn´t really think that was true until one new missionary in our District did. It was a couple of days ago when it happened, after dinner our District was hanging around outside. Elder Farley a new missionary that got here from Provo 2 weeks ago was running around when he jumped up to fart on one of the other missionaries when all of the sudden he stopped and started to walk funny, he pooped his pants. It was very funny and very unexpected. Everything is good here I am doing good and the Lord is blessing me. I wish I could write more but I can´t. I hope everyone got the letters I sent them. Love you all and everything is crazy here because of the World Cup.
O.K. so one thing I´ve heard from a lot of people is that every American missionary that goes to South America will poo their pants at least once. I didn´t really think that was true until one new missionary in our District did. It was a couple of days ago when it happened, after dinner our District was hanging around outside. Elder Farley a new missionary that got here from Provo 2 weeks ago was running around when he jumped up to fart on one of the other missionaries when all of the sudden he stopped and started to walk funny, he pooped his pants. It was very funny and very unexpected. Everything is good here I am doing good and the Lord is blessing me. I wish I could write more but I can´t. I hope everyone got the letters I sent them. Love you all and everything is crazy here because of the World Cup.
A tutorial on transfers for Mom :)
Hi Mom,
It sounds like your having a good time yourself. I'm glad. Tell Ben to keep praying for an opportunity to work and faithfully keep looking. The way I found the job I got was by talking to people in the ward and also my friends. If he isn't talking to people then tell him to get the word out that he is looking for a job.
About Transfers. Every six weeks we have them and President Colton or soon to be President Summerhays and his assistants go in his office and look at this big wall with all the missionaries picture on it. I am on it right next to my companion Elder Welch, and we are separated into Zones. With transfers they prayerfully are guided by the Holy Ghost to decide who needs to be where and with what companion. The President has a whole lot of ways of deciding as well such as how long a missionary has been in the area or how well have the missionaries been getting along and a whole lot of other reasons. This last transfer was my first, and I stayed in the same area with the same companion. Next transfer I think that Elder Welch will be leaving me and going somewhere else. I will probably stay because I then can introduce the next Elder into the area and show him all the things that we do, and how things are different. I hope that makes sense. If it doesn't then you will see in time.
I am doing excellent! This week also like yours has been a hard one, but a whole lot better than last week. A lot of the people we are working with are not as sincere as those who we baptized last month. So we have to find out who is sincere and who is just looking for money. But this week we have made a lot of progress with a lot of people. We had 12 of our investigators come to church and 2 others that we need to get in contact with.
There is this one family that we have been trying for the past two weeks to contact. The fathers' name is Robert and his wife Karla and his son Sunshine. They are so cool and I love them so much. I met them at church and I immediately connected with them. I have taught them 2 lessons and we had a baptismal date with Robert. Then he missed church and our appointment fell through with him. After that no matter what we did to try and reach him or his family it was useless. I was so sad and depressed about it. I prayed every night for two weeks that I could just talk to him for one minute. This past Saturday my prayers were answered and we finally talked with him and had a joyful time in his home. That visit brought me so much joy and on top of that they all made it to church.
I have no time left to write all that I would like but know that I am doing good and I am having a lot of good growing experiences. I miss you so much. I love your guts.
-Elder Spencer D. Larson
It sounds like your having a good time yourself. I'm glad. Tell Ben to keep praying for an opportunity to work and faithfully keep looking. The way I found the job I got was by talking to people in the ward and also my friends. If he isn't talking to people then tell him to get the word out that he is looking for a job.
About Transfers. Every six weeks we have them and President Colton or soon to be President Summerhays and his assistants go in his office and look at this big wall with all the missionaries picture on it. I am on it right next to my companion Elder Welch, and we are separated into Zones. With transfers they prayerfully are guided by the Holy Ghost to decide who needs to be where and with what companion. The President has a whole lot of ways of deciding as well such as how long a missionary has been in the area or how well have the missionaries been getting along and a whole lot of other reasons. This last transfer was my first, and I stayed in the same area with the same companion. Next transfer I think that Elder Welch will be leaving me and going somewhere else. I will probably stay because I then can introduce the next Elder into the area and show him all the things that we do, and how things are different. I hope that makes sense. If it doesn't then you will see in time.
I am doing excellent! This week also like yours has been a hard one, but a whole lot better than last week. A lot of the people we are working with are not as sincere as those who we baptized last month. So we have to find out who is sincere and who is just looking for money. But this week we have made a lot of progress with a lot of people. We had 12 of our investigators come to church and 2 others that we need to get in contact with.
There is this one family that we have been trying for the past two weeks to contact. The fathers' name is Robert and his wife Karla and his son Sunshine. They are so cool and I love them so much. I met them at church and I immediately connected with them. I have taught them 2 lessons and we had a baptismal date with Robert. Then he missed church and our appointment fell through with him. After that no matter what we did to try and reach him or his family it was useless. I was so sad and depressed about it. I prayed every night for two weeks that I could just talk to him for one minute. This past Saturday my prayers were answered and we finally talked with him and had a joyful time in his home. That visit brought me so much joy and on top of that they all made it to church.
I have no time left to write all that I would like but know that I am doing good and I am having a lot of good growing experiences. I miss you so much. I love your guts.
-Elder Spencer D. Larson
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