Arlindo

Hey everybody,

Here are some of the poeple that we are teaching. Arlindo that youguys already know is a boyfriend to a member. They were livingtogether and then they felt the desire to come back to church andfollow christ. The only problem was that they weren´t married so theygot married on the 17th of December, but then 3 weeks later the civilmarriage office called them and said that the marriage wasn´t valid because she was still married with x-husband. And now we have to wait for them to cancel the marriage with Arlindo to get the divorcefinalized with her x-husband. What a crazy mess. But Arlindo will getbaptized sooner or later. Cicero and Sara said that they don´t want to get baptized anymore. Antônio, we can never find him at home. We have a couple that we arereally excited about, there names are Claudiono and Joice, they´remarried, so we´re not going to have any problems with that stuff. Our week was good, we had interviews with our mission President ontuesday which were great, we helped a member move into another houseon thursday which was a pain, and we did an activity on friday whichwas realy awsome.

I know that god loves us, Have a good week.

Elder stephen Larson

Awesome pic

I found this picture of Ben in the MTC at my Dads house when I was there for New Years and I just had to put it up.

He's crazy!!

Hey Everyone,

On Saturday the 14th of January Gildásio was baptized. And then on the next day he was confirmed a member and then he received the Holy Ghost. At Gildásio´s Baptism his mom, brother, sister were there and we had some other non-members that whached the Baptism. Erivaldo was choosen to baptized his friend Gildásio, erivaldo was so nervous I thought that he was going to faint in the font. Erivaldo had to repeat the baptism 3 times, the frist time he forgot to say ´Amem´ then the second time Gildásio´s elbow didn´t go under the water.
We are teach Arlindo(39), Cicero(26) and Sara(30), Antônio(34) and Mariana(19), Antônio(20), Claudiono(about49) and his wife Joice(about33). These are the people we focusing on.
I love you guys, I hope you all have a great week. and everything is going great here in brasil.

Elder stephen larson

Trio Still

Hey Everyone,

We had a very good week, but it seemed like it was very slow. We have been working a lot on trying to find some new investigators and we are starting to find them along with all the other crazy people. Since last week we have seen Big Jo a lot. She has a case of short term memory loss so every time we go over she says the same phrases like, "I am short but I make up for it with my big mouth and my left hook." She is from new jersey so she has an accent that makes her sound like a tough old grandma. I love her a lot and was very excited that she was coming to church this week but she forgot that we were coming and went to church with her other friend. I am just glad that she is still a live and well, It made me nervous when we knocked on the door and nobody answered.

Nothing has happened with Donnell last week but we are seeing him today. We have net with Mia a lot as well and she came to church. She brought her son and her nephew with her. They are both primary age and after church i asked them if they would like to come back next week. Mia's nephew replied," I want to come back every day!" That made me giggle inside. Mia is doing so good, she is really being serious about baptism and really looking for the truth. I asked her how the Book of Mormon has made her fell as she read it. She said that it made her spirit or heart feel good and expand from with in her. She knows.

Jannett is another investigator we have.She is from the virgin Islands, has four kids and lives in a trailer with her mom Rosa. She was taught before but she really didn't get anything of what the missionaries taught her. She has a hard time understanding gospel concepts the way we would usually teach it. so we are working on teaching her with pictures and movies. I think she likes me a little too much. She calls me "sweet" because I guess I say "sweet!" all the time.

I went on exchange with Elder Glover this past week and it was so much fun. He is a very good guy. We also had an experience with a non-active Lady who was looking to leave the church. Elder Glover and I convinced her to let us come back and teach her what she doesn't understand. When we went back she had her son with her who was very anti to our church. He showed us a video about why we are wrong in our religion and he told us how we don't believe in the same Jesus. it was Really sad to listen to this Former member speak this way to us. But through it all I was very calm and i felt inspired to bear my heart felt testimony about the gospel and the plan of Salvation. The spirit was strong as i did so. He wouldn't listen to the spirit or my words and continued to deny what was true. That experience really strengthened my testimony of the plan of Salvation and Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that we have the gift of choice to choose eternal life through Christ or to choose captivity and death. And it is never to late to turn to the savior. Never. He loves us all and pleads all the time for us to come to him.

I love you all and wish that you all have a happy week.

[Elder Spencer Larson]

P.S. i am staying with Elder Elizondo and Elder Ryan Larson for another transfer. Yeah!!!!!!!!!

I saw David Archuletta at church

Hey Dad Kris Kids. and all you other wonderful people.

I am doing good her in Philippines, It is still very much hot. and I sweat a lot of the times. Tell Grandma Martin I got her christmas letter, and that it was good to hear how she was doing.

So nothing really cool happened this week, pretty normal. Oh yeah, yesterday at church we had a bunch of people attend, mostly from the other wards, then David Archuletta showed up too. Ha what a coincidence. I never thought I would see a famous person at church in the Philippines.............. He bore his testimony.

Also I taught the Gospel principles class all by myself, it is the class for the Investigators/Less actives, but it was only less actives who were there. I had to teach, because the usual teacher was in another class and my comp had to interview someone for baptism, so with out a plan, during the opening prayer I felt like I should teach about sacrament meeting, so I did. I opened a scripture about the sabbath and asked everyone why church is so important to them, and then with their answers I guided the lesson towards Sacrament, then I sang the song, Nearer my God to thee, I was only going to read it, but then they made me sing it. I liked it, I don't know if they did. But the coolest part is that I really felt the lord helping me, especially with the language. I didn't really have any brain farts or anything, it went surprisingly smooth. Man, God is very nice to me!

We have been teaching Dhalia a lot, she is the Investigator we are focussing on really. And on sunday, we taught her, and her sister was with her. They are both the religion Iglesia Ni Cristo, and her sister is very firm. I guess they don't believe in having pictures of Jesus Christ in their church, because Dhalia's sister brought up the picture subject. At first she was asking (well stating really) that we worship the pictures not Jesus, then we told her, that we know that pictures are just pictures and we only worship God the father and his son. Then she went on this whole thing, of "why do we have pictures of christ?" "Did the artist see him to know what he looks like, or how do you know what he looks like, how do you know the pictures are right." I was a little frustrated with her, (Dhalia's sister) because she wasn't asking the question to learn, she was asking it to stump us and make us feel like retards. We did our best, and we gave our testimonies that We know Jesus has shown himself to many prophets in history, including Joseph Smith, (we were trying to focus on him). As I was baring my testimony, and as I looked at her face, I noticed she was laughing a little. During my testimony I really felt the spirit, I was a little emotional too, as I told how this Gospel has blessed my family, and she was just laughing at me. I quickly closed at that point and then stayed quiet. I was trying not to dislike her very much. I just hope Sister Dhalia is still having a good spiritual experience and desire to learn this gospel.

So I am having very many growing and learning experiences here. The lord is helping me through them all, I think he always has, and always will, as long as I do my best to follow and love him.

Anni and Davo, I miss you guys a lot, have fun in school, and in your sports, and remember your big bro Ben loves you and is praying for you. Dad and Kris, I love you guys, thanks for your e mails, and support to me in the mission. it is good to feel it like this.

I love you all, and know that this church is true. It is Christ's church, and he is LEADING it.

Love

Elder Benjamin L. Larson

Teaching sister Dhalia Garcia

Hey Dad Kris Anni and Davo, and family,

This week has been good, and a little hard too but mostly good. I am good, by the way, I am going well, here in Philippines.

We have been teaching Sister Dhalia Garcia, we found her through a less active family that we have been visiting. She lives with them and when we came over, she had so much questions for us. I don't remember really if I had told this to you so I guess I will tell again.

She is belongs to the Iglesia Ni Cristo church, it is HUGE here. Anyway, we taught first a part of the Plan of Salvation because her sister had died, and she had questions which was wonderful. And then the word of wisdom came up, and she really had questions there. She doesn't have a problem really at all with the WOW, she doesn't drink smoke or drink. She is great.

We gave her a pamphlet of the Restoration, as well as the Plan of Salvation, she read them both!! Ha this is a cool thing because many times the people we give the pamflets to don't read them, but she did. And she has like a freeking true desire to learn and know the truth! I Have never felt the spirit so much as I do when we teach her and her husband, with the Less Active family. This last lesson, she Prayed! I have never heard a more sincere prayer. We didn't even have to teach her how to pray, (which we do a lot actually) she read 'how to pray' in the Restoration pamflet, and she really has an understanding that prayer is communication with our father in heaven.

When she was praying, I remember she asked to know of the truth, and she expressed thanks for us being sent to her. And as she prayed these thing, her voice began to crack and the tears began to poor, and the spirit flowed through all who was in the room. When she was done she burried her face in the neck of her 2 year old baby girl to hide her tear wetted face from us. We expressed our great thanks and left, with tears also in our eyes!

Holy Crap the spirit ROCKS!! Nothing like it!! With the spirit all things are possible, through the spirit people change, and in the spirit we become stronger. So that is a good quote I think we should all remember. And I Just made it up so, the spirit is sweet. Moral of the story is that.

Also I realized this week while riding on a Jeep-nee that the lanes here, are pretty much just for looks, the cars don't even fit in them, but its ok, cause they don't use them, they just drive where ever there is space. Also a drunk man thanked me for Jesus this week. Like those were his exact words. "Hey Joe" he said, "thank you for Jesus" What a nice drunk man. Also there is this old guy in our ward who bares his testimony 3 times usually, in fast and testimony meeting. He is my favorite! He always, talks about the BOM and Joseph smith, and he has the most passion in his voice than a usual old man can have.

So this week, was good. And the Language is a still little bit harder, but I can see a growth in my learning and understanding. Speaking is the harder one.

I love you all and hope you are all so happy. You are so great, and I am grateful for you very much.

Love

Elder Benjamin L. Larson

hey family,

This week was a learning week. we didn't have a lot going on because everything kept falling through. The good thing is that we prayerfully studied out in our minds how we can improve and make our efforts more effective. One thing that i learned to improve on was talking to people at the door. I have done it a lot on my mission in the heat of the sun and I had had a lot of good experiences like when I found scott and margie. but it seemed to not be working. I learned to seek the lords way instead of my way, but we still had to try on our part. We were one day driving around in an area that we thought would be a good place then a street stood out to us and we started talking to people who were in their drive way. The next door down this 91 year old lady opened up to talk with us. she said she had a church but that she was some what interested in what we had to say. As we walked away she called us back and said that she would like to come to church tomorrow with us. I was very happy and surprised and she expressed greater desires to meet with us. she didn't end up coming to church because her ride fell through and she went to the hospital.

The next day we had more experiences like it and it is the greatest experience to meet someone who is genuinely open to hear what we have to say. We also talked to a Born again Christian and that was a long conversation. hehe. But he was a very nice guy.

We also got in contact with a guy named Donnell who we taught the first lesson a month ago. When we read the promise in Moroni he was touched by the spirit. We had given him a Book Of Mormon and he by himself has read about a third of it and is very positive about it. I am so excited to teach donnell again.
I guess that is all for now. Take care guys.

[Elder Spencer Larson]