April 26, 2010

FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


How is everybody doing!!! It is funny, to see how Heavenly Father works at time...All we need to have at times is pacience. We have trials in ourlives for a reason, but as long as we have faith everything turns out good!!! :)

I cant believe Hans leaves tomoroow!!!!!!!!!! WOOOT!!!!!!!!! that is awesome!!!!!!!!!!! ahahahaha i cant believe that or that B-dog leaves for his mission soon!!!! crazy!

Time here is very good. We cleaned our nast pension today, wow it looks much better now!!! This week we have had some good experiences. We had interviews with the Pres. this week!!! I love him!!! he is awesome, you can really feel his love and his spirit when he talks to you. it is awesome. however that takes all day so we didnt get much work in. i havent had a baptism yet but there are a couple lined up for next month that i am excited for. The end of the transsfer is coming up. only 2 weeks left of this transfer. and tomorrow i will have been here for a month.

The day after interviews we had exchanges. This is the highlight of my week. It was with a friend of mine, Elder Hurtado he is from Neoken.. i dont know how to spell it but i am pretty sure that that is wrong. He has been out for the same amount of time as me. He roomed across the hall from Currin Smith from our stake in the mtc. We had a great time. We contacted over 20 people and we found a new investigator, Mariano. We havent been able to teach him much since the initail meeting but he seemed very interested. Other than that it has been a normal week.

The work has been good. I am learning alot and we are working hard. We have had some interesting experiences. We sang at a members house for her this week, like you dad in the choir!!! I feel the spirit the most when i am singing a hymn. The lyrics are soo touching.

Everything is going good.No problems yet. i avent been sick or robbed or anything so life here is good. It feels like a dream though, i dont know why but it does. It is going by fast. I cant believe that i have been here a month already, CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE you family!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry it is short this week. I will try for a longer one next week. I will also try sending pictures. I tried last week but the comp. didnt work!! so next week i will try because this comp cant take a usb.

my prayers are with you all LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

April 19, 2010

Hello Family!!!!!

I am not sure where to start writing. Last Monday we went and played futbol with the zone. That was fun, but i need alot of practice. Hahaha I am one of 3 in the district that could speak english fluently. so, in the zone it is hard to play right now because it is hard to tell others what i want to say.


Anyways, alot of the time here people will talk to us initially but not want more to do with us after that. Nothing giant happened this week... However we have set a baptismal date for a couple and their daughter to be baptized. Also, there is a recent convert that we visit. Her name is Carmen and is super funny!!!! I cant hardly understand half the stuff she says because of her accent- castellano. But a crazy number happened last week. We were passing by her house and she gladly welcomed us in. With a smile on her face she told us that "we are called of God" i didnt think to much of it. She then went on to say that she has a cousin or a friend of a cousin, im not sure which one but she lives close. She called her up, she came over this is her story for us.

"I went to the hospital because i had a really bad bloody nose. It ran for 2 (i think) hours and it was horrible. At the end of the whole ordeal the doctor told me that God kept me alive for a reason. then i felt teerrible like i would go to hell if i were to die." I think that was her story...

Anyway, Carmen told her she had to meet us. We met her and had the 1 lesson last week. We set a baptismal date for her for the 22 of may.

Not much else happened like that though throughout the week. It rained for 3 days and almost 2 nights. it was really muddy and the roades are not good here so many of them are dug out because of trucks driving through them. - a funny story. we were visiting a member family lastnight and it started to rain. It was dark too, about 7:30... s gueess what i did. I stepped in the mud, slipped and landed in the mud on my knees... HAHAHAH it was really funny!!!!! i laughed so hard, then we had to hurry home because my laundry was hanging outside to dry. We made it just in time to save my laundry. hahaha

Another funny story this week is i ate my first Guava. A member has a guava tree infront of her house and my companion askeed for some. we took one each and he started to eat it. so i started to eat it, however i didnt wash it, and though i didnt eat the skin, the skin went in my mouth. it tasted kinda like pumpkin smells and was pretty mild. the seeds are really hard ut i continued to eat. I think that caused some problems because last night was kinda harsh as well as this morning hahahahaha. I got my haircut for the first time in Argentina. It loooks buzzed but it isnt too bad. Other than that, the food here is good. I am not sure what alfajores i have ate, but i am currently trying all the taffy candies... sooo good.

To answer your questions McKell, Church is really fun. I like going to church. Sunday we wake up and get reeady and leave for church around 8:40. I usually try to study a little something before then. 1st is priesthood or relief society. there is about 7-10 brethren in the elders quorom that come. that is the average attendence. then it is sunday school. the missionaries teach the gosple principle classes. I havent taught one yet and i dont talk much a churrch so everyboody thinks i cant or that i dont understand. it is kinda funny, but i have a native speaker so i can bastante. hahaha anyways, last is sacrament. I introduced myself and bore my testimony. then my comp gave a 30 min talk!! he is a very good speaker!!!! He is the same one, in 2 weeks we might get transferred, i dont know yet. P-day, we ave alot of free time. we played futbol last week and the weeek before that we went bowling. this week we got haircuts and ordered empanadas. we can write emails and take a nap if we need to, do laundry and shop. By the way, the fruit here is good, like the stated, but it is really cheap. Ilove it. for 4 bananas 3 apples 4 plums 1 kilo of potatoes and 4 manadarinas is about 4 us dollars. manadarinas are fat orange things that are a little less mild than an orange.

I LOVE you family SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! Be Safe and i hope you are all doing well!!!!! My prayers are with you!!!! Thank you for the letters and your support!!!!!

April 12, 2010

Dear My Family!!!! I want to first start of by explaining here a little bit. I live in a little pension. It has 3 rooms and a bathroom. one room is the living room and the kitchen combined, the next is the closet room, which is the size of our bedroom. it contains two open closet things for our clothes and our siutcases are in there. The next room is our bedroom. 2 beds with sleeping bags on them and that is it. hahahaa the bathroom has a toilet and one of those things that you can wash your bum on. the sink is pretty nast as well and the shower is really old, but we have a heating tank so that is good.

I live in a part of town that is not too bad, but i have not seen anything like this in the US except on the reservation. With all means of respect to the natives. I love it though. the people are usually humble and willing to talk. The weirdest things about the neighborhoods here are that they dont really have streets. they are half dirt half concrete. some people have horses in the front and others have cars. Almost every house here is unfinished in one way or another, or they want to add onto their house that they have already and the second floor is only half done. There are dogs on every street. lots of them too. all different kinds and all different sizes. I guess robery is common, which is really sad, becasue everybody has these hughs gates with sharp points in front of there house. so, instead of knocking, we clap. Also, i dont know if you remember, dad, but bro. brice from 2nd ward, talked about the sewer in the street. it is true. it is very sad because you would see dogs and cats and horses (i havent seen cats do this yet) drinking this water that comes from the housees. i am not sure the toilet water goes in there but for sure from the sinks and from the showers and stuff. It doesnt smell good at times but oh well.. its not that bad. there is grafffiti on almost every wall and smoking is allowed everywhere here. it is strange. the last thing that i think is strange is there is almost no traffic laws. or nobody obeys the traffic laws except for stop on red and at times they dont follow that one.But dont get me wrong, I love it here, it is really something else. and the roaches, i think they made a home and 2 best friends! hahahaha we kill like 50 a day, very small little guys though.hahahaha

The food here is good. I like to eat the fruit and whatever the members make is always good. this week we had Malanesa twice. that is thinkly sliced meat, we have chicken and beef, then it is breaded and fried. it is really good. Also, i am relatively big to many people here, or at least they think that i am, so they give me alot to eat. the bread here is really good and they have empanadas- so good!!!! i love the carne!!! they also have these pastries called facturas that are soo delicios!!! they are a pastry with either dulce de leche or sugar and cinnnamon or dehydrated appples!!!! sooo goood!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am playing futbol alot and learning alot. The gospel is coming alive more than it has ever done before. I love it it is great. Castellano is coming along well and i think i have an exchange this week so it will be interesting. It will be with Elder Hurtado. He is from Neocan Arg. He is cool, he came the same day as i did and he roomed across from Currin at the mtc in Agrentina.

Thank you all for writing!!!!! it really gives me strength!!!! I love Conference. It was about the families and I love when they talk about families becausei know that it is esential to Gods eternal plan for all of us. It was amazing. I am glad i was able to listen to it in english so that i could understand it as well!!!!! My prayers are with you family!!!!! Always, may the Lord be with you!!!!!! Tell Hung I say Congradulations

McKell!!!!
HAPPY ANNEVERSARY!!!!!!!!!!! i hope that you are doing good!!!! I heard that you had an interview!!!! that is amazing!!!!! i hope that you get the scholarship!!!!!!!! I know that you will you are the BEST!!!!!! Seriously!!!! You have given me soo much inspiration and you are such a great example!!!!!! How is the end of the school year treating you?? good i hope!!!! I ove to hear about the spiritual experiences that you have had!!!! Those give me strength to keep moving forward and focus on what is most important!!!! The plan we have is sooo perfect!!  How is lacrosse going?? is it almost over? not much more of school left and you will be at ASU woot woot!!!! I LOVE YOU MCKELL!!!! My prayers are with you and your family. Happy Anneversary again!!!! sorry this was soo short but i dont have much time to write.:( Tell your family that i love them. May the Lord bless you!!!!

The 1st Email From Another Continent!!!! Elder Larson is in Argentina!!!! April 5, 2010

Hola familia!!!!!


I am in Argentina now. I dont have much time to write so it will be bad at spelling and stuff. i am running out of time because p day is already over and i am not suppose to be wirting right now but my companion and i were late from gettting from the other aside of town. it is strange here. Nothing like the pictures were i live. But i do love it. i live in a small pension that is visited by roaches every night. it is funny to hear my companion talk about them. he hates them!!! but i seee why. He is from Nicuragua. He doesnt know any english. in fact all those in my zone dont know any english but 2,and only one knows a little buit. the other is from the US. I havent got robbed yet, thankfully. It is hard to hear the people hear because those who speak spanish sound very different than those who speak castillano even though there is no difference than in a couple words.

Conference was geat though last week and we did get 5 investigators to come to the chapel and watch Gen. Con. The food here is really good. I have had pizza and i have also had soup stufff from members. reeally good. they have these little cookie things called alfojores. they are little cookies that have dulce de leche between them and like powdered sugar on the outsiude.

I will write alot next weeek!!!! I really have to go right now because we have appointments. I am soo sorry it is sooo short. I want everybody to know that i love you and i hope that you are safe. I pray for you everyday!!!!Thank you for writing11!!!!!!!

McKell- I love you!!!, thank you for all emails. I will write more next week because i have no more time. the hardest thing about spanish here is the castillano and the use sh for y and for ll. they also dont say s sometimes in words. I love you!!!! you are in my prayers!!!!!

The Arrival March 30, 2010

Shane has arrived safely in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is standing in this picture with President and Sister Asay and his new companion Elder Estrada. The adventure is just begining!

Shane in the MTC Before Leaving For Argentina

Here are some pictures of Shane at the MTC before he left for Argentina.

On His Way to Argentina!!! The Adventure Begins!!! March 29, 2010

Yesterday was the last day at the MTC. I don't know what to say. I have learned so much while I have been here that it is amazing. Por ejemplo, I now study better and have greater knowledge of the gospel, I can speak Spanish (a little :) )and I have made great friends. all of my district has been great. there ends with 8 of us: Elder Schultz (my comp.) Elder Bryan, elder McGary, Elder Taylor, Elder Jackman, Elder West, and Elder Livingston. It has been fun to see how we have grown and how we have become so close over these past 9 weeks.


During my time here I have only seen 1 apostle. it is sad but the very first day Prs.Uchdorf came to greet us!! That was sooo exciting and he seemed to glow. it was awesome, I think that I was only about 50 ft away... give or take a couple feet. I have gotten to know our branch presidency here quite a bit. their names are Pres. Olsen and Sister Olsen - she is one of the sweetest ladies that I have ever met!! she is so nice and she is so strong. she loves the missionaries and her spirit is so sweet. Then we had Pres.Vernon, however he moved to Alaska for business therefore he was released from that position a couple of weeks ago. Next is Pres. Born. he got released and is now the branch president of the American sign lang. branch. He served in the states on a sign language mission and now has a company here that signs. His wife's parents are deaf I believe so he met her and it worked. He was awesome. You could definitely tell that he loved us all. Next we have Brother Brathwaite . He was very nice and very sensitive to the missionaries. then Brother Taylor, I didn't know him very much because he was just called and I didn't spend a lot of time with him.

It has been fun to have leadership positions here. I served as zone leader and district leader. I liked how I was able to be a help to others through the calling that I have been given. as well as I really got to know all the elders and sisters in my zone because of it, so that was fun. Nothing much more to say about that other than it has been a blessing in my life to be able to serve the people in my zone.

My teachers- I don't think I could have got any better ones!!! their names- Hermana Rizley and Hermano Hellewell. Hermana Rizley was best friends with Tiffany Howe if anybody can believe that. she went to Horizon and had talked to aunt terry over the e-mail. She is an amazing teacher. she always had a smile on her face and her testimony of the gospel was obviously shown through her actions. she is very smart and wanted the best for all of us. She will be going to Cambridge this summer to do a semester. she is very serious and is a very hard worker. Hermano Hellewell is pretty much different than her. first of all- where do you get a name like that?? He was super funny. and actually he served in the Mesa mission. it is interesting how both of my teachers have connections to Arizona. He just got off his mission last year, I think 8 months ago or something of the nature. He has great stories of his mission and he is a very powerful speaker. he can be quite a goof sometimes however, really funny!!!

I have seen Hans a couple time while being here. I have seen Gabe more than has I think. last night was the last time that I will see Hans for 2 years. it is sooo crazy!!! anyway I cannot wait to leave and get to Argentina. I leave in 45 minutes to the airport which I will travel to Georgia. I will get there at around 5 45 and I will call home around 3 your time!!!I will leave for Argentina at 8 45 and arrive around 8 tomorrow morning.

I love you all soo very much!!! I want to thank all of you for all you time and effort and confidence in me. all of the prayers have definitely helped me while I have been here. I pray from all of you every day and I hope that everything is well there!!! Sorry that me emails have been short and not descriptive but we only have 30 minutes to write and read and it is hard to remember what goes on. Thank you family!!! I love you!!!

McKell- Thank you for all that you have done for me while I have been here!!! You are a blessing in my life. I love you soo much!!!!

God Bless all of you

I shall talk to you later today