Mi nombre es Elder Larsen y yo amo a mi familia mucho!

Hey Familia!

I'm 2 weeks old today haha.  my comp had his one year anniversary a few days ago.  so I forgot that we were coming emailing first, so i forgot your letter mom, so i'll do my best to remember what needed responding to.  i will try to get more pics of me, i honestly haven't taken that many since i've been here, i have no time for anything really.  but before i send the card home i'll make sure to take alot of my apartment thingy and room and stuff that would interest you.  there is a sidney and a larson street that i'm gonna try to get pictures of.  this week has gone by pretty fast.  we've taught alot of lessons and my spanish is improving slowly, i think my comprehension has finally passed up my speaking ability...oh well.  ah and i forgot to tell you guys in my last email, but i don't have a bike, mom and dad might have noticed cause my checking account hasn't dropped significantly...we have a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu! haha it's sweet, it's dark blue/steel grey.  the area that we cover is wayyy big cause it used to be split in half.  2 bike areas put into one i think...plus spanish work requires us to go all over cause there are different pockets of spanish population...hahah i feel racist sometimes cause whenever we're walking or driving down a street we're like..."that one is white...black...indian....mexican" and then we make a beeline for the mexican one hahah it's pretty funny, we call it spot tracting.  it's pretty cool to be able to tell more or less what kind of people live in a house by just looking at the surroundings...just like sherlock holmes eh jordan?   anywho, so i dunno what else to tell ya, this morning we played football with close to the whole zone. it was and is raining so it was more like mudball haha, fun and dirty...but it's ok cause we have a washer and an ancient dryer in our apt.  btw, it's so old that i don't think the dryer has a lint screen...either that or i just can't find it...probably the latter.  so it isn't very good at drying so someone has rigged it up to just dry forever, so we just put our clothes in and let it run for 3 or 4 hours haha.  i'm getting way in shape, still small old me, but with running every morning and working out for an hour-ish after i'm getting quite strong for my little frame.  we have a few really solid investigators.  Brenda is getting baptized this Saturday, the Hernandez family is getting baptized we hope the week after.  we have a family on Faith Ave and their name is Quie.  they weren't progressing very much and we didn't really know what to do, so we just stopped by one night and they had some time.  they had read the part in the LDM (Libro de Mormon) and loved it. they had all these questions that were like perfect...we thought they were joking with us.  they were "i've been wondering lately why Jesus was baptized if he was perfect". and "i don't agree with infant baptism and i don't like it that Catholics do it"...so we answered the 1st one and then the wife had the infant baptism question a few days earlier...sooooooo she figured out how to use the guide for studying (spanish version of the Topical Guide I think...it's better=])and she researched and found the answer all by her self in Moroni Chp 8...which is pretty much just about that...sooo basically the Libro De Mormon is awesome and it can answer pretty much any question ever asked. 

Life really is an open book test, we have all the answers we need for this life...and if you can't find the answer to something, and you've looked and searched everywhere...either use your faith...or we're not supposed to know the answer in this life.  I'm starting to understand the scriptures in spanish better, which is exciting...just gotta work on my speaking now.  mom when do you want your Book of Mormon back?  i'm done with it, but reading the BOM in that format (just paragraph format without verses and footnotes) is a completely different experiance...i have a suggestion for anyone who finds it hard to read the regular BOM because of the verses or footnotes or just has a hard time focusing on the words/message/doctrine...go buy an old restored version that is in book format, it is so much easier to focus on and understand if you're a bit scatterbrained like me.  the message is so much more powerful for me when i read it without footnotes/verses.  try it and i promise you that you will be able to feel the spirit of this book.  it can and will change your life.  it's changed mine and investigators, i've seen them just light up when they talk or read it...i don't always understand everything they say, but i do know that they are excited about it.

I was reading Moroni Chp 8-9 the other day and wow, what a powerful 2 chapters.  Moroni just pretty much goes over everything in the gospel (kinda) and shares his testimony and really hits hard on a few points.  you guys should read it, it's awesome.

anywho, i gotta get going, i have to shop and write alot of letters and clean....so i leave you all with my love, have a great week, you all are in my prayers.

Con Amor, Elder Larsen

PS: funny story...Elder Hawes got bit by a little anckle biter...we almost drop kicked the thing....everyone here has dogs...they are everywhere and they are usually less than friendly...i think by the time i come home i'll have a resentment for all dogs....minus spot of course =].

First California Email!

hey guys, sorry for not emailing Monday.  we email at one of the family history centers here and since monday was a holiday, it was closed.  then on tuesday we had our zone conference that went from 9 to 4, so that took up that day.  so i'm doing it today, sorry, i hope you aren't mad or anything.  sooooooooo where is elder larsen?  IN BAKERSFIELD CA haha, the coldest place in the winter (which honestly is not cold...tropical weather) and the hottest place in the summer.  it's about 2 hours inland from Ventura, there are mountains and snow around us, but it isn't cold here.  I live in a little apartment thingy...it's a house, but it's stuck to another house...i dunno how to explain it...i guess its an apartment, it's slightly on the ghetto side, but all is well, i don't spend all that much time there anyway.  my companion's name is Elder Joseph Hawes.  he is from Minnesota and speaks pretty much perfect castashano spanish (don't know how to spell it).  the elementary school he went to taught both spanish and english...so he has always been somewhat fluent, even more here.  he's been out almost exactly a year and i am his first trainy.  i'm a verdacito haha greenie.  we run 2.2 miles every morning and workout with weights and other such exercises, he has lost 20lbs of muscle, he used to be huge, he played baseball for BYU Provo...entonces, we work out and i'm constantly sore cause i'm out of shape, but i'm getting a little bit bigger haha, when this transfer is done i will be in shape and quite strong for my size i believe haha.  

thanks so much for the V-day package!  the candy is awesome, even the fish thing, and the cards made me smile.  the pictures are now up on my walls, it's awesome. thank you so much for everything.  and the Tie is awesome, i really really like the Chaps ties, they're solid and basically perfect for me haha. not to meantion they're cheap, or you got them cheap.  

just have my friends and people send mail to the mission home and then they will forward it to wherever i am.  I'll most likely be with E Hawes for 2 transfers (transfers are possible every 6 weeks) and then someone else. but i'll most likely be in Bakersfield for 6 ish months.  there are alot alot alot of spanish people here, thats why i am here.  

my spanish is improving very slowly, we teach alot of lessons and contact alot of people.  i can usually speak better than i can comprehend, but i am getting better.  we have a few really good investigators:  Brenda who is getting baptized, Luiz Donge who is progressing good, Brian who is 14 and his mother.  and we have a ton of potential investigators.  My ward is the Buena Vista Ward.  totally in Spanish...quite interesting haha.  and it's backwards compared to our ward at home - priesthood, sunday school and then sacrament meeting.  it's cool, lots and lots of little kids.  all the kids can speak english and spanish, but the majority of the adults speak only spanish.   

so we were tocando puertas and we saw this guy, so we asked him...sir, did you know that Christ came to the americas?  and he flipped and started saying "No He Didn't he didn't put one foot here"  he called us liars and told us to not spreak lies...hahaha he was totally wasted out of his mind...so we realized this and left and he started laughing at us...for like 5 mins we could hear him laughing at us from down the street.  it was quite funny, oh well.  haven't gotten any doors slammed in my face yet or any threats, so esta bien haha.  no preoccuparles.

alright, i hope that will satisfy your craving for knowledge.  i will be emailing again on monday no worries.  i love you all, please respond with any questions.  hope you had fun on monday at the temple.  i need pics of BHL and his girlfriend and....i dunno what else.  have a great week.

love you!

hasta luego.

Elder Larsen

I'm Alive and Well!

We received a letter from Chris with this picture of

him and President and Sister Murri today!  Yeah!

Hey family!  I'm alive and well, I got here safe with no problems.  We were on a little 50 seater puddle jumper - Gma M's favorite (they flew into Santa Barbara).  Talked with President Murri about Cache Valley and stuff, it was cool.  He laughed that he taught Dad math at North Cache.  So as far as I know the only thing I need is my Driving Record from the DLD in Logan ... It should be blank of course I haven't had my Utah license for that long, but in order to drive they need it.  It sounds like their are a lot of missionaries who get to use cars.  The people here at the Mission office are nice.  I hope you enjoyed my messy planner (he sent his planner home from the MTC) - the new one I got today is in Spanish ... ha ha ha ... I'm in trouble ha ha.  One of the AP's (Assistant to the President) is Elder Basset from San Antonio.  He is cool.  I don't remember him but I remember his name.  The weather is awesome today.  It rained like 2 hours before we got here, but it's all sunny and windy now.  Both the President and his wife speak fluent Spanish!  Isn't that cool?  I think we are going to go trackting soon, initiation ha ha.  I hope all is well.

Love you all,

Elder Christopher Larsen

Airport PHONE CALL!

Christopher's flight left SLC today at 11:10 AM!  He reported to the MTC Travel Office at 8:00 AM and was taken to the airport with the other Missionaries who were leaving.  After he checked his bags and got through security, he called us.  We spoke to him for about an hour and it was GREAT!!!  He sounds wonderful and was very upbeat and funny as usual.  There were 12 missionaries flying to the Ventura Mission.  They flew into Santa Barbara.  We had fun talking to him and hearing his voice.  He's had a great time at the MTC but was really ready to get out into the field.  One of the missionaries was designated as a trip leader and also each missionary was assigned to look out for another one - Christopher was supposed to watch out for Sister Hanson (the sister missionary speaking Spanish), which he said was funny because she was the one who took care of all the Elders in their district.  Chris managed very well with his packing and checked two 50 pound bags and had a carry-on and his backpack.  His companion Elder Stewart was leaving tomorrow for Tempe, Arizona.  Sid and I and Taylor, Jordan, Kenidee, and Grandma all were on a phone so we all could hear the call.  We asked him what was the most important thing he learned at the MTC and he said "follow the rules - it just makes everything so much easier."  Wise counsel I would say!

I'm ALMOST OUT!

Hola Familia!

How are you all doing?  I haven't heard much from you this week, i hope all is well.  so guess what?  I GOT MY FLIGHT PLANS LAST WEEK!!! i'm leaving for CA on monday at 8:00..well i report to the travel office at 8:00, i can't remember when my flight is scheduled to leave, so I don't know exactly how long or what time i will be able to call you guys.  i'll get on later tonight when i have my flight plans with me and i'll let you all know times and such, i forgot to bring them with me today, lo siento.  and as for phone cards i will find out, but i can buy them here, so you guys don't need to send me one...and i don't know what collect call fee's are or even really what a phone card is...haha so i guess we'll find out soon enough if i'm old enough to handle one of these phone cards haha.  quick question for mom though...as this is the first time i will have ever prepared for a solo flight...packing wise and all...is the rule no liquids at all?  and I check the 2 big pieces of luggage and then i can take the third small one and my backpack on with me right?  haha this is so hard to not be able to ask mis padres questions. haha  entonces....thanks for your emails last week.  I didn't know that TRL and JPL were playing baloncesto, thats awesome.  Bien Hecho for derek getting his bear.  and i have seen and talked with both Rachel Bernet and Ricky.  Ricky just got in yesterday, Rachel has been here for a 2 weeks, i've seen her a few times.  it was really cool to see them again.  rachel's companion is gabby cunningham, isn't that crazy?  haha gabby was one of rachel's good friends in san antonio.  elder stewart and i taught our last trc lesson ayer.  it was crazy cause we thought it was at 8 p.m. like it usually is, but then the guy came in at like 7:05 and told us that we were late and that it had started at 7.  it was crazy, we had to teach lesson 2 and the law of tithing in spanish and tell about the ward mission leader who was sick...and we hadn't prepared real well on the sick part cause we were counting on the extra hour to study. so we all ran down there to teach and there was a lack of volunteers, so we started teaching this teacher that was just in the room.  so we started teaching and stuff, but whenever she would respond or talk to us she would talk slow and not use hard words...so i was like "well she is just being nice and speaking slow and using easy words on purpose" haha but then she asked us how to say something in spanish haha, she spoke italian, hahahahahaha she didnt' even speak spanish hahah so we got a kick out of that and it helped us to relax and we continued the lesson as normal and it was great.  we taught to her needs and really used the scriptures, better than we ever have before, so it was cool.  she could understand us cause spanish and italian are very very similar...she could also speak it just as well as us cause she said that she taught a bunch of spanish people on her mission.  it was very cool.  i'm glad to be done with the trc.  this place is awesome and all, but i'm ready to get out.  the food is going to kill me....i have my good days and bad days.  

(for some reason this computer won't let me do any capitals or exclamation points, so thats why there aren't any, i haven't just forgotten to use them haha, although spanish continues to kill my spelling and speaking.  haha i accidentally mix spanish and english words now...it's pretty cool ha)

jordan thanks for your letter, the envelope was cool haha.  thats awesome that you are learning french....although i must say that spanish is cooler...but i'm bias (spelling?). mom let you watch what?  i couldn't make out your writing...probably my fault more than your on the account that i can't read cursive very well for some odd reason, cursive and me don't mix.  haha you got a hair cut?  thats good, no more hippy hair, bien hecho.  my hair has grown back just fine, it's long enough to wear it normal now, but i had to get a hair cut today and i told the lady to not cut alot off....but she did, so it's not as short as it was when i came in here...but i think it's too short to put up normal-like...i give up on hair cuts and stuff...i'll just learn to never be satisfied haha.  thats awesome about scouts, keep on going towards your eagle, i have no doubt you will, just don't do what i did and be lazy.  thats cool that we are related to the mack park guy, it doesn't surprise me cause the larsen's helped to start smithfield i think. keep up the piano lessons, you will regret it if you don't.

anywho, if you could give me advice for packing and stuff and trying to get out of here in one piece i'd be grateful haha, i'm kinda new at the whole flying alone thing.

love you all so much, thank you for all your love and prayers, california here i come(pretend its at exclamation point haha)

love,

elder larsen