Bonita Springs

Hey Fam,

I hope you all are doing well and enjoying your time day by day. I am having a pretty good time with Elder Gordon in Bonita Springs. We are having alot of success in tracting and finding people to teach. We found 5 new investigators and we had 4 investigators come to church with us this last Sunday. The apartment is a mess but it is a working progress each day. Our zone is pretty sweet and I am super excited to spend my p day with them playing basket ball and getting to know them.

One fun thing that we did for a lunch break was go to Armandos pizza place. I don't know how but we got hooked up from a brother of a member and now we make our own pizzas there and we eat there for free every Saturday. I think that the members brother likes us a lot.

One thing that I learned this week was about talents. In our Gospel Principles class they talked about talents, that we need to find out what our talents are by trying a whole bunch of things and when you find things that you are talented at use them. Practice and make your talent grow and use it to glorify God. I am more determined to find my talents and work on them until they become great. I also am more motivated to work on my weaknesses as well. I pray that I will have the patience and love and trust in the Savior that all my dreams and blessing my come true.

Take care and be happy.

-Elder Spencer Larson

Week 5

Hey everyone,

Its been a good week this week. Campus has been dead because of finals, well at least dead for us missionaries because their eternal Salvation is the last thing that is on their minds. And nobody is willing to talk with us. So far this week has sounded bad but I promise it gets better from here.
We taught Athena (investigator) last Monday and and we simply asked her if she was reading and praying and she said that she was. but she still hasn't gotten an answer. So we broke it down for her in Moroni 10: 3-5. We told her about the three things: sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ. I honestly think that she has gotten her answer and has just not accepted it yet. We are going to see her tomorrow at the church this time and I hope that the spirit will help her see and recognize the answer the lord has given her.

We had a barbecue in the front of the church and My comp Elder Cook stood out next to the streets and held up a free barbecue sign and was yelling at people to come and get it. So while he was reeling them in I was eating with them, talking with them and inviting them to see the inside of our church and learn more about the special message that we have for them. I taught two individuals and helped with a church tour. I had a lot of fun and it was a great success.

Right now we are working with Athena, Joseph M, Anthony Davis, Bassim and Jamie Karkees. All of them are progressing, Anthony wants to get baptized but he is leaving for his home this week and is really busy, so he said he is going to go to church up at his home and see the missionaries there. Joseph is struggling with reading the Book of Mormon, we have told him three time that the only way to know if our church is true is to read, ponder and pray about the Book of Mormon. We had a very good lesson with him last wee and he comes to church every week. Bassim came to church for the first time last week and he seemed to really enjoy it. I think he has a crush on someone in the ward but he still is sincere about meeting with us and learning about our church. Jamie Karkees came to church and really enjoyed it. She has a 6 yr old boy named Mike who is a real character, so she will in time be passed off to the other Elders in the family ward.

We went tracting in a college complex and two people let us in with out even knowing who we were and why we were there. They were very receptive and want to learn more.

So the lord is just pouring out his blessings upon us in this area and I am seeing his hand in my life more and more every day. Its amazing.

It makes me so happy to hear that My little brother David was baptized and confirmed a member of this church. I wish I could have been there. Congrats Davo!
I did get to see a baptism in our zone though. It was a family of four, three young kids and their Grandmother. They were so happy and unified as they came together to make covenants with their father in heaven. This Church is true, I know that for a fact.

Take care of your selves and remember to love the lord and serve him the very best that you can.

- Elder Spencer Larson

Conference

Hello Family and friends

Conference, it was great. When ´Lynn G. Robins´ which talked about ´´the difference between To Be and To Do´´, and he talked to the Fathers and mothers should to be grateful for there difficultest child, because he helped them to grow and to BE Better. Mom, I believe I was your hardest child, so Your welcome to have had me be a Trial. HaHa My shoes are wearing out. hears some pic of them.

- Elder Stephen Larson

Forgot how to speak english!

Hello everybody, This last week was interesting, but it was a good week also. We gave a blessing to a women that was really needing it. I was teaching a little bit of English to some recent converts. We had a division with our District leader. And on Sunday we had a family of Americans come to our ward to visit. So on Sunday, which was yesterday, we our morning meetings at the church and after I was sitting in the sacrament room reading the scriptures before church started. And as I was sitting there and a family of Americans walked in. I tried to talk to them but it was so difficult to not mix English with Portuguese. I couldn´t believe it, i had forgotten how to speak English. What a day. love you all have a good week. -Elder Stephen Larson

End of March

This is the last week of the transfer what a crazy time. I spent this last week from Monday to Wednesday in Tampa 1 my first area ever! It was a blast seeing a lot of the people that I had taught and got to know. Sadly some of them haven't been doing as good and they are struggling with living the gospel. I pray for them and will try to keep in contact as much as possible to keep encouraging them. I was with Elder Long, he is from Idaho and he absolutely loves it. he showed me all his family and all the fun things that he did while he was back home. I think that I am going to move to Idaho after the mission. It looks like a blast and you can shoot guns right in your back yard. while I was on exchange with Elder Long a member took us out to a steakhouse and I had the 20 ounce porter house steak. I was stuffed. Than we visited two other members houses and they also had dinner ready for us "hungry missionaries.'' I was so full I am still hurting from it, and you can't say no to Spanish people.

Miguel is doing good, we were able to teach not only him this week but we had a great lesson with his wife. Her Name is Kolipie she is from the Philippines. I told her about Ben's Mission call and she thought that was pretty cool. She said that there was no way that she would ever join the church but that she was alright with Miguel to join. I know that if and when she goes to church she will want to be baptized.

We have been blessed with more people to work with this week. While we were biking up to our house we stopped a lady who was just about to light up a cigarette. She told us of all the bad stuff that has been going on in her life. Her and her kids are going to be homeless, no father, no work, and an unhelpful mother. We asked her if we could teach her this message that would bless her life. She said no and that God hasn't answered any of her prayers. We told her," We are Gods answer to your prayers, he has sent us to you." she was taken back and thought for a minute than agreed to meet with us. I know that she is going to be blessed and her life will do a complete 180.

Two days ago on Saturday was transfer calls, President Summerhays called us, and when he calls it either means someone is training or someone is becoming a Zone leader. Well Elder Taylor talked with him first and he is going to be staying and have an Elder Jenki take my place. I am the one that is getting the surprise. I was called as a Zone Leader in the Brandon zone and I will be serving in the Tampa 3rd ward. The special thing about the Tampa 3 area is that it only covers the USF campus and is the Young single Adult ward. I didn't know what to think at the time. I am really sad to have stayed such a short time in the best ward in the mission and to leave Elder Taylor. I have gotten more excited for the move as I have talked with Elder Cook, My next Companion. I have herd that Tampa 3 is the most coveted area in the mission and it is not hard to guess the reason, if you know what I mean. It will surely be a stretch in a good way.

Take care everybody.

-Elder Spencer Larson

K so these pictures are form Christmas but I forgot to put them up untill now. This is us talking with Spencer through Skype. It was such a big blessing to be able to take to him face to face, well sort of! love you Spencer

- Jessica

A poor wayfaring man of grief

This week was a very colorful week. I Went on an exchange with my zone leader elder Fadely and had a great time helping him in his area.

When I came back to my area with Elder Taylor we just worked and worked and worked as hard as we could. It is bike week and the temperature was really nice for us. We decided that we would do our best not to let anyone in our path go without talking to them. President challenged us to do this and it just made it even more fun and more affective to be a missionary. We stopped everyone we could, from crazy people to some people simply walking their dog. A lot of people didn't want anything to do with us but there were a good few blessed souls that would listen. I found one thing prevalent with all who wouldn't listen, pride. there are so many people that are so prideful. We talked with this youth pastor and he said he had a relationship with the holy ghost and god. So we asked him if he would ask god if the Book of Mormon is true; and he wouldn't even ask. Seek and ye shall find, Knock and it shall be opened unto you.

There was another man named Roy Spivey who is a less active member. We went to go and visit with him. He lived in a Broken down shack that smelled bad. He let us teach him. He was struggling to make it to church because his wife was ill and on bed rest and she also couldn't walk. So he was constantly taking care of his dear wife. Roy also had a hard time reading, it took him weeks to figure out what a slip of paper said. So instead of reading with him out of the Book of Mormon we just told him a story about a man named Nephi. We told him how Nephi was commanded to build a ship and how his brothers mocked him and said that It couldn't be done. Then nephi said this," I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them, that they may accomplish the thing which he hath commanded them." 1 nephi 3 :7
We testified to Roy that God will and already has provided a way for him to keep every single commandment that he has given him. Roy felt the spirit and said that he would do the best that he could.

What I remembered most of all from that visit is what he did after Elder Taylor prayed for him. Roy asked us if we had something to eat. We said no. Then Roy Spivey, a poor wayfaring man of grief and pain, who cares for his sick wife day and night. who lives in a shack, whose kids don't come to visit him or call. Who is poor and has no source of income, flips through the ones in his wallet until he found the one and only ten and held it out humbly to us. At that moment we both shed tears of joy and love for the kindness of this man who barely knows us. We embraced Roy and thanked him for the greatest gift he gave us. Roy was a great example to me and It humbled me greatly. "He hath No greater love than this, than he that layeth his life down for his friends". That is what I felt Roy did for us and the savior is so happy that Roy is the man he is today.

I hope that I can be a man as loving as Roy. I love this mission and I know that God is leading and guiding us to where we need to go and to what we need to say. I love you all.

-Elder Spencer Larson

Hello family and everybody less, ( he meant else)
I was transferred to a new area last week, and my new comp Elder Justino da Silva. Our area is area Educandário. The ward here is a good strong ward.
I know that the lord loves us and we are here to have joy and happiness by being obedient.
Love you all and have a good week.

Elder Stephen Larson