Super Good Week!

Hello everyone!!

This week was super good!

On Tuesday we had Zone Conference which went really well. Everyone learned a lot and hopefully will be able to implement what they learned. We were in front of 2 zones.  I had to conduct and I almost died because I was nervous haha!  After that we had 4 other companionships staying overnight with us so we then triple worked our area and sent the other companionship to the other Elders area. It was pretty crazy haha!

Elder Wells!  My Companion from the MTC!

 Thursday we went and did service. While we were at the Baptist church eating breakfast their Chaplin came and gave us a 10 minute sermon on how we weren't allowed to talk to people about God we were supposed to refer them to the Chaplin that was with us... It was interesting.   They don’t really like us talking to people about the gospel so that’s a little difficult.  Doing the service I always feel so bad. The house we were at had 6 feet of water in it. They lost pretty much everything. Its so sad to see that happen to families. They are always so grateful for our help.

Friday Brother Inman came out with me to visit an investigator. He ended up not being home so we just played basketball with his kids outside. It was pretty fun. I felt bad that Brother Inman was just there playing and that we didn't get to teach.

Sunday we had a super good church meeting and then we went to the Spanish Branch Easter party. I can always tell what they are talking about but never specifics hahaha. Then they fed us some authentic Mexican food. It was like this soup with rice, shrimp, fish, and a whole mini crab in it. I was looking at it like, you want me to eat this?????????????!  It was a sight to see haha but luckily it didn't taste bad!!

We are leaving to go get my haircut, then we are going to play basketball at the stake center.  I have been good!  Last week was hectic but it was good!  It was just busy, so much going on!  We did more service on Thursday and Friday.  We made it to Buffalo Wild Wings and bought 30 dollars of wings!  We got to watch the first half of the Oklahoma basketball game!  Sister Osburn was in the hospital because she had an infected toe and they had to cut part of it off!  This week we go to Jackson!  We have MLC again. 

How great is our God.  Something I have been working on is simply strengthening my faith.  I have gotten so caught up lately in the administrative part of things that I feel like I have started to lose focus.  This week I learned the importance of just focusing on the simple things of the Gospel. I love being able to serve and learn more and more.  I am grateful for the chance I have to serve and learn more of what the atonement really is and the role that it plays in life.

Love you all!

Elder Larsen

And Then There Were Three

Hey everyone!  

This week was extra hectic because I am now in a trio covering 2 areas. Elder Lovell got moved because of his leg so now he is traveling the mission and teaching missionaries. This will be a good thing for him!  I am with another set of Spanish missionaries. Elder Hernandez and Elder Rasmussen. The past few days have been crazy!!! I have been doing good though! We are set to do a lot of service because of all the flooding. There were 10,000 homes that were flooded and they weren’t done counting them. Some of them still have water in them! Its so crazy!!!:)  We will be helping with cleanup for a few more weeks!

Elder Rasmussen and Elder Hernandez!

Wednesday we had Zone Training meeting. It was good, we taught about how we can more effectively use the Book of Mormon with the members! It went really well. 

Shreveport Zone

Thursday we had to drive to Jackson and back because we had to drop off Elder Lovell. I am now with Elder Hernandez and Elder Rasmussen for the next 3 weeks. Elder Hernandez is acting as the Zone Leader and will be helping me out. He has been a Zone Leader before. The changes have been pretty crazy but its been good. It puts me in a position again to kind of do things the way I like which is good and to learn from Elder Hernandez, he likes to do things the way I do which is also good.  We are still living in the same place. They moved in with me!  I still have the same responsibility. That hasn’t changed at all!:)

Friday we were able to go and do service all day with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Crew. We met at their church which was full of drum sets, guitars, TVs, X-Box's, popcorn machines, soda, and coffee machines. It was so nice haha. Then they fed us breakfast and sent us to work. We were working on 1 house for 6 hours. It was so bad. In the house it just smelled like crap and was really gross. The flood water wasn’t even water. It was like oily and muddy. SO BAD. But we got to play with crow bars and destroy some stuff.

Saturday we were on exchanges so we had some good work done. In one appointment we were with a man named Kurt and his family. Last time we saw them we had them read 2 Nephi: 32-33 and he did and noticed exactly what we wanted him to about prayer. So we re-read the 2 chapters over with him again and at the end we had him say a prayer and ask if the Book of Mormon was true. It was so awesome. The spirit was super strong. At the end he asked us for more powerful chapters like that. It was super good!

Sunday we had church and then we also visited Sister Osburn in the hospital. It made me think of Granny, she reminds me a lot of her.  It was sad sitting in there and thinking back.  Its crazy that she has been gone for 1 year now.  Man, how grateful I am for the truth of eternal families, and how grateful for a family that lives worthy of this promise. It really puts into perspective what I want in my family when I grow up and how I want to live my life. I am thankful for those examples I have.

Osburn Family!

Thanks for everything! Hope you had a great week!

Elder Larsen

FLOODMANIA!!

Front Yard of The Osburns

                           

The Rain Came Down and The Floods Came Up!!

Hey Mom! I am alive!:)

What a crazy week!!  Hahahahaha I have probably never seen more rain fall in my life!  It was pretty crazy. It was just a constant down pour.  There were some places where it was feet deep and people were in boats and stuff.  The Osburns (in our ward) had to evacuate their house and when they left they drove out in Brother Osburns truck and the water was almost up to the door handles in it!

Elder Lovell and I in the Downpour!

Yummy Pie with the Osburns!

Tuesday we were heading to an appointment and we were about 2 streets away from it and all of a sudden there was about a foot of water on the road. We slowed down and went through it and then towards the other side Elder Lovell sped up and our dust pan got ripped off and was then dragging on the ground. Luckily we didn't flood the car because after us there were a few cars that went through and died because of the water. It was pretty crazy!!

The rest of the week we were told to stay inside until Friday when we were able to get our car and get it fixed.  It just rained the whole week and there was a ton of flooding.  I read and worked out and sat in a chair.  It was pretty boring and I got pretty sick of it. But that's ok I am alive!  I only got really wet one time haha. Luckily there wasn't to much damage done by our area, there is still quite a bit of water around, it will be a good way to get out and do some service! The Zone is good and yes everyone survived.

Friday we went and filled a whole bunch of sand bags. It was crazy how many we filled up. Then on Saturday we went and did some service for some members and helped them remove some dead bushes and debris!

Filling SOOOO many Sandbags!

Sunday was a good day. We taught 2 lessons(tied the amount we have taught all transfer) and we also taught a less active lady.  It was a good day!  Hopefully we can continue with that!

We had to reschedule most of our stuff to this week! Hopefully they don't get cancelled again!  We have our Zone training meeting that we will do and we are going on exchanges this week.  We are going to have a lot to do. President Olsen called us and talked to us about it.  The stake and the gov. leaders are meeting today to talk about how we can help!

Elder Lovell and his Boot!

I have thought about Granny and its kind of crazy that it has been a year. I wish I could be there to go to the temple with you guys and to hear Grandads, yours, and everyone else's testimony. I always enjoyed talking to you about the gospel and hearing your testimonies of things. Its sad to know that she is gone but its great to know we can be together again!  Im lucky to have so much going on around me but I definitely still feel her presence. I probably need to take more time to just sit and reflect on things.

NCAA.... Dang I am jealous, make sure to send some pics!  Don't have to much fun without me!  I’m looking forward to hear what kind of craziness happens this year at the tournament!

Thanks again for everything!

Love you!

-Elder Larsen

4 States in a Day!

Hey everyone!

This week was pretty good!

Thursday we began our adventures haha! We drove 1.5 hours to Texarkana to a doctors appointment for Elder Lovell and they just told him there was nothing they could do for him so. .. After that we drove home, then to Monroe, LA to pick up the other Zone Leaders, then all the way to Jackson, MS for our leadership conference.  It was a day full of driving.  When we got to the mission home we sat down and discussed a lot of policies and what we need to do about them. We did that for about 2 hours and then we ate some dinner.  After that we went to the AP's new apartment that has bunkbeds and futons. They live in a super nice apartment now.  Elder Hill went to high school with Justin Coburn!  He lives in Tetonia. 

Headed to Mission Leadership Conference!  Elder Hill(the driver), Elder Cobb, Elder Lovell and I

                           

Covering a lot of ground!  We actually hit 4 states in one day!  missing photo…Mississippi!

Friday morning we woke up and went to the mission home to eat breakfast. Then we went to the church building to learn more about what we are going to do here and what we can do to help the work progress.  It was a long day of meetings but now I feel more in the loop of what is going on and know what we are trying to accomplish!  The drive was no fun haha. The training was good and it was good to see some familiar faces!

Saturday we made some progress from where we were. We were able to at least talk to a few of our potentials and set up return appointments.  I feel bad cause Elder Lovell is trying his hardest hobbling on his leg and we aren't seeing a lot come from the work that we can do.  That's alright though we will keep trying!

Sunday was very interesting.  We went to church and there were some very interesting testimonies haha.  There was a non member girl that got up and said that she was baptized by her Grandpa because he is a pastor.  Then there was a guy who got up there and sounded like a Baptist preacher at the pulpit and some of the stuff he was saying definitely didn't line up with church doctrine haha.  It was a very interesting day.  We went to see a less active and her 17 year old son had a pack of cigarettes.  Is that even legal??? Then we went and met with the Sisters to plan for Zone training meeting.  It was a week full of interesting.

I am doing good!  I am starting to get the hang of things. They kinda just move slowly but its ok! 

This week was good. We do hardly any proselyting. We only taught 1 lesson this week, which is pretty different from Canton. That's ok though, we had a lot going on, hopefully this week we can start to find some new people!  We plan a lot and this week we were in Jackson for 2 days for meetings. This next week we will be planning for more meetings and then having to teach the Zone.  Mainly we don't do a lot of proselyting because of his leg. We just try potentials and don't see any success from it.  Its been kind of a rough transfer.

We have a few exchanges planned and we have a Zone Training meeting to plan for this week!

I love you all!  Thanks for everything!

The church is true.

Love,

Elder Larsen