Happy thanksgibing

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Hay all you guys. I love you and am grateful for you!!!!

Happy Thanksgibing!!!!!!!!! ha I spelled it with a 'b' because everyone here in the philippines say's their 'V's like a 'B'. Ha thought that was pretty fun. ha

So this week was alright. I completely forgot it was Thanksgiving until the following day. Ha I didn't eat any big meals, actually kind of little ones actually. But it was good. I like the food here. We did have a big lunch on Sunday at a part members house. Brother Ivan and sister Ivan. ha the one from brazil. ha he cooked us ' Pancit Canton' with eggs in it. It is basically ramen noodels in a different sauce, and then he added the eegs. The only thing is, is he made 10 packages, and 6 eggs mixed in, and there was only 3 of us!! We were full for the rest of the day.

Elder Ulanday my comp. is still doing ok, he is different from my first comp. Elder Samson and I am learning a Lot about myself at this time, and also growing a lot. It might sound wierd, but I think I am a little more patient now. Ha what a good thing that I needed.

So nothing too exciting happened this week. We have still been focusing on Less active members and Recent Converts. Also teaching the investigators who are really progressing. This transfer is very different from last transfer. Because where as last transfer my comp. would teach the majority of the lesson and I would teach a principle and testify, I feel like the roles have switched completely!!! Now I am starting the teaching and teaching the majority of the Lessons, which is good and I am grateful for it, and my comp. is the one testifying. I sometimes can't tell if it is just cause he doesn't want to do it, or what, but whatever the reason, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow.

Tagalog is still a pain in the smacker, but I have to admit it is getting a little tiny incey wincy bit easier. I am better at understanding now I feel, and speaking still is hard, especially cause I have an american accent and hard for them to understand to me. But I know that the lord is helping me with this cause I couldn't do it without him.

I love the scripture in ether 12:27, god gives men weakness so we may be made humble, and if we humble ourselves and bring our weaknesses to god, he will make weak things become strong. I love that, and I have seen the truth of it countless times in my mission now. I have also learned something about myself. I am selfish. I noticed that when I have come to god in prayer in the past, asking for help, I was really asking for him to take away my trials. That is so wrong, I am dumb. ha But now I have learned and been able to know that we pray for help, and then we go and DO the work the lord commands, and as we do it, it is somehow made easier, or we are somehow able to accomplish it. That is a freaking SWEET thing, and the key to that blessing is the DO part. God gives us these trials in our lives to better us. To make us stronger, and more like him. Wow I can't believe it has taken me this freaking long to learn this huh, I mean our whole purpose on this earth is to experience and grow so we can become like god. Ha and of course we must experience and faith in him to do and become like him No? ha wow what an oPpiffany. (I have no Idea how to spell that word.)

So how are all you guys? still shaking off the turkey that you all ate on Thanksgiving! ha man Jealous! No not really, I am so excited to be here, holy smokes! This is like My time you know, I feel selfish saying that, but as I have been serving the lord, I have recieved the most help and felt the closest to him than I ever have before. Wow, I wouldn't trade this for the world! Yeah it's hard at times, harder than I could have ever imagined, but the lord is there with me, at every turn, every step, every bump in the rode! And with that guy on your side, you can't fail! But of course, we have to be worthy for his companionship. Which is another great blessing. Wow the things the lord asks us to do is blessings in itself. I never really thought about it that way before but they are.

So I love you all, and I am grateful for you all. The thing I am grateful for this year, is definately my Mom! All the help she gives me through her support and stuff, you are great mom, and I will always be in debt to you! You freakin rock! Also Jess, I am so grateful for the time we had together to grow and have fun before I left. Even though I worked a lot, I am grateful for our relationship and you as my big sister. And of course my bro's who are great examples to me. They give me so much strength that they don't even know. Did you know, that every week here on my mission, I ask my self if I am doing as good as my brothers, and if not what would they be doing so I can be better.

One last thing. There is a family in our ward here, who are divorced, kinda like ours. the only difference is they are all in the same ward, the mom, and the husband, and the husbands family, the mother is alone, which is hard, but she is so strong from it. Any way, yesterday they were having a "FHE" and we were invited, they asked me to share an experience that was hard for me to overcome or understand, but I am grateful for. I told them our story, I hope that is ok, I felt inspired to. And it was good. I am actually grateful for that experience. for the divorce, if it had not happened, I know that my relationship with my Brother's and my sister and my Mom would not have been the same. Especially through all the traveling alone as siblings and all the confusion, we relied on each other, and that has given us the greatest and strongest relationship, and I told this family, that the kids have a hard time in these situations, and that they need to remember to be careful about what is said, while the kids are there, because they love both sides, they are family to both sides, and it is hard to hear one side, criticize those they love. And the spirit came into that room, and then I had the opportunity to testify of this wonderful gospel and the binding effect it has on families. I know that without this gospel, definitely our relationships wouldn't be as they are now, and we wouldn't be who we are. I love this gospel and I love you all!

I love you all, sory i have to go i know this gospel is true. ha thats all.

Elder Benjamin L larson