September 26, 2011

Hey Family!!!!!!!!!

Congradulations on the new baby in the family Nathan and Mindy!!!!!!! That is soo cool and the baby sounds like he is big and healthy!!

 

That story about the elk is way cool too!!! I am so happy that Matt was able to shoot an elk!! That is cool. I am also glad that Erik and Alesha are doing better!! Hans sounds good too.

 

To answer your question Hans, i am in a place called tolosa and there are almost 200 missionaries in my mission, or around that number. There are alot of missionaries here, so it is cool to be able to get to know so many people and to have such good friendships with them.

 

This week we were blessed with another baptism of a 9 year old boy named Hernan. It was a good baptism and his whole family is now a complete family of members, so the next step would have to be the temple!!! Other than that, i was able to do a service project painting a school and i also was able to do an exchange with an elder from Saint George. I also did like a mini exchange with an elder from El Salvador.

 

My companion is now with his parents and i got a new companion. However, he was already my companion before. His name is Elder Molina. He is from Saint George and he is a way cool kid. I think that i might end my mission as his companion. I think that we will have a great time together!!

 

 Other than that everything is well and in progress!! I love you all and i wish the best for you all!!!! Be safe and take care!!!! My prayers are with you!!!

 

Love Elder Shane Larson

 

 

September 20, 2011

Hey Family!!!!

Well, i hope that dad and matt  were able to get and elk. that would be super cool!!!!! I am glad that everybody is doing good there and that everything is calm and everything. I am gald to hear that you are doing good mom and that grandma will get a little vacation. I think that will be fun for grandma as well! That is also good that hans was able to send his message this week. I hope that Erik and Alesha can feel a little better as well that is kinda a bummer, but it is like that iin life.

 

This was a good week. We Had a baptism of a 52 year old woman. She fell down in her house right before her baptism and she was almost not going to make it but went at last and she was baptized, but she had a hard time walking around and a supporting herself in the water. She was baptized and she came to church on Sunday and was confirmed a member. It was really cool because she wasnt even hurting on sunday and it just proves that God watches over his children. That was very nice seeing her be baptized and we are happy about that.

 

We had zone conference this week too. It was great and the meeting was very sprirtual and inspiring. my mission president is really cool and he loves all the missionaries and you can really feel his love. I like to spend time with him and his wife because thay are such great people!!! We werent able to work a whole lot after that meeting, but we were trying to work during the week. We are having difficulties finding people, but we are still trying to find. My companion finishes his mission this week so that is pretty crazy. His parents are coming to pìck him up and visit so it should be a good experience for him.

 

I am glad that you are all doing good there at home. I cannot believe that Chloe goes to school now, that seems crazy to me. I can only imagine how the house is now. Not a whole lot more happend this week. I love you all and my prayers are alway with you !!!! Kepp being examples for those around you!!! Love you all very much!!!!!

 

Love Elder Shane Larson

 

Hans, how many missionaries are in your mission?

 

 

 

 

September 12, 2011

Hey Family!!!

That is a pretty cool story dad!! I hope that you will get an elk. I really want somebody to get an elk because it has been a while since anybody has gotten an elk and, well, matt has at least a week to practice so that is a good thing ;Pi hope that you all can get an elk!!!!!!!
Thank you all for the letters again.  they really help alot. I am glad to hear that erik got a job and that everything is going well with him. That is cool that his boss is his former teacher at the MTC, that should be a cool experience!!!! I loved the MTC so i can imagine htat he is loving it there. That is also cool that alesha is doing good. I didnt know that Mindi was pregnant... i am happy to hear about that becasue that means that i will have another nephew before i get home!! that is cool!! i am happy that the family is doing good there. I am also doing well here in the mission. this week alot of walking took place, but it was a good week. We are expecting a couple of baptism here this week and also next week so we are excited about that!!! My companions last week is the next so we are happy to  have these baptisms. my new assignment is pretty fun. there are more meetings that i have to go to and i am in more contact with the President so i am enjoying the time. I am hapy that i have the opportunity to serve other and i hope that i can become the leader that my Father in Heaven wants me to be.  It has been fun so far and i am excited to continue to serve like this!!

 

Thisweek we had a good meeting with the president on the faith and the changes that we need to make. Faith is really a principle of power. if we have faith then we have to do something to show that faith and then we gain power, or maybe better worder, the power is given to us to do the things that our Father in Heaven wants us to do. I thought that is was a cool meeting and everything!!

 

I am glad to hear that everybody is doing good!!!! I love you all and i hope that you are all safe and are enjoying the companionship of the Holy Ghost. My prayers are always with you all. I am sorry that my letters are getting shorter... it just seems like there isnt really anything new happening in the mission. The work goes on  and that is the most important thing, right? I am safe and happy. I love you all so very much and hope that you all have a great week!!!!!!!

 

con amor

 

Elder Shane LARSON

 

September 5, 2011

Hey Fmaily!!!!!

I am glad to hear that everybody is doing good there at home!! I am doing just fine here in tolosa. This week there wasnt much going on. I had to do exchanges with an elder that is from Brazil, so that was pretty cool as well. I had a good time and i got to try and learn a little bit of Portuguese while i was with him. He has 6 months in the mission so her is relativley  newer.

Otherthan that, we had a little fiest in the house of a member becasue it was my comps b-day on Monday. so that was fun and we had a good time. As for the work, we had a lieelt rougher week. We had set alot of appointments, but we had a hard time because the people either werent in their houses or they couldnt have the lessons. We need to find more people to teach because alot of our investigators arent progressing and we are coming to a stand still. But we will have to keep moving forward and never backward. I do think that i got the patient personality and endurance from both of you mom and dad becasue at times we walk and walk without any success, but there is always hope of finding somebody!

I thoug that i had a good experience in a bus. I saw a girl/ young lady and felt the impression to talk with her about the gospel. I went to talk to her on the bus and i gave her a pamphlet about the restoration. She seemed really interested in the message and i thought that she was going to be a baptismal candidate. I really had a strong impression to tlak to here about the gospel. Then we passed by  later on in the week and we taught her the restoration and that we invited her to be baptized. Sadly she didnt accept and we lost contact with her. Maybe it isnt her time... but i learned that we need to always listen to the Holy Ghost and our Father in Heaven will continue to guide us.

I love you all and i alwyas pray for you all!!!! You are always in my thoughts!! Be Safe and have a great week!!!

Love Elder Shane Larson

August 28, 2011

Hey Family!!!!

First of all, my companion says Hi, and that he is excited to meet all of you. He says that he will try to visit the 2nd or the 3rd.


Well, this week has gone well. We have been teaching some kids that have a baptismal date now and we are hoping that they will get baptized the 24 of Sep. They are really cool, but there living conditions arent the best, so i really hope that they can have the blessings from the Gospel in their lives. The family seems like it is struggling economically, so i hope that they can have the blessings of the gospel in their lives because i know that it would help them alot!  We continue to work here in Tolosa and we are walking quite a bit as well, but all is well. We are trying to find people to baptize and trying to help people find the truth so all is well.

 

 

We have had some funny experiences as well in my time here.My comp and i are always laughing and haveing a good time, and yesterday was a really funny day. we were in sacrament and they asked a new convert to give the last prayer. She is an older lady and she got a little confused becasue when she got up there she started to talk as if she was bearing her testimony. There was still many people in the reverent praying position, but she kept talking and talking, mainly about how she loed the misisonaries that had come before. Then she gave pretty much a shout out to my companion because his brithday is today. It was a good laugh that we had and today we have an appointment with that lady to celebrate my comps birthday.

Another good story is that we were in the bus and i had a feeling to talk to a lady. She looked at us as if she wanted to talk to us and so i went and talked to here and she is studying theology and philosofy. We set up another day to go talk to her about the gosple, but i felt really good afterward and i could feel the spirit. it was way cool!!!

Other than that i am doing good here. there isnt that much news because the days go by really fast and we are doing pretty much the same things everyday. We havent had much service projects or anything so we just kep walking and talking with the people. I am thankful for all that you all do for me and for the prayers and for the letters. Time is really flying!! Keep up the good work at home and i love you all very much!!! Be saafe!!! My prayers are with you all!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Love Elder Shane Larson

August 22, 2011

Hey Family!!!
I am glad that you are all doingwell there at home and i can hardly imagine what the house is like without any children nor anybody pretty much.... thst is super crazy!! This week went pretty good, it was pretty calm and a whole lot didnt go on. The time is flying by pretty fast, i can hardly beleive it. My companion is from Queen Creek- his name is Levi Combs and he end the mission in 5 weeks, but will be home in 6. He also served in Las Flores a couple of months before i was there. He wants to go and visit you all after he arrives so be prepared for a visit from him. To answer your question mom, i am pretty close to the ocean but i cannot go to it becasue my area is on the interior and my zone doesnt reach to the coast. But it wouldprobably take 45 minutes to get there in the bus.

Today for P-day we went to visit a soccer stadium and we also went to vist the governors house. It is a big building that is really old, but it is in pretty good shape. I took some pictures and i will try to send some nexy week becasue i cannot really send them this week due to me forgetting the things that lets me transfer them from my card to the computer.  It is pretty cool here in la plata and it is very different from my other areas that i have been in. It seems like this place is a little richer than all the other areas that i have been in because this is the capital of Buenos Aires and there are alot of universities here. Another thing that my companion and i have started doing everyday is we go out to run every morning. I am feeling pretty good running every morning and i am enjoying the good exercises. Also, it is a good start for the marathon.

I am happy that everybody is doing well. I hope that Erik can get a job soonand i hope that everybody in the family is doing good!!! I dont write too much becasue everything happens soo fast and sometimes it seems like i do much of the some things everyday. I am doing good and i am very thankful for all of your prayers and the letters and eveything that you all do for me!!! I keep you all in my prayers and in my thoughts!!! Love you all!!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Elder Shane Larson

Keep up the good work Hans!!! I know that you will... and everybody thinks that you are a stud- they know it- kepp it up hans!!! 

August 15, 2011

Hey Family!!!!
That sounds like everybody is doing great there at home!! i am happy to hear that Erik and Alesha are doing good and that they have completed a happy first year as a married couple!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!!!!! that is awesome to hear and i am happy for them. Hans sounds like he is doing good, so that is good. I hope that everybody is doing good and i hope that the grandparents are also doing well!!!

This week for me has been a good week. I have been thinking alot of time lately. Maybe it isnt a good thing, but i have been thinking that the time is just flying by. I can hardly believe. Half of the missionaries that i have had as companions have completed the mission and i am reaching the point to where i am almost one of the oldest missionaries. there are still other missionaries that are older, but i cannot beleive how fast time is flying by. It also makes me think of how important time is. We onle have a certain amount of time whether it be in the mission, school, or in life, and we shall be judged for what we did in the time that wwe have been given. There isnt enough time in the life, so you cannot waste not even a minute.

The news for this last week is that my companion were able to baptize a man that is half paralyzed from a stroke that he had. He can not move the right part of his body. He also has a hard time speaking and remembering. He had the desire to be baptized and was keeping the commandments. His wife is a member and she also had helped him. We were able to teach him and got baptized on Saturday. It was special because my companion and i were both in the baptismal font baptisming him. He didnt make it in all the way the 1st time so we had to do it another time, but before we did it officially we did some practices becasue we had to lift him off a chair that he was sitting on and then put him in the water and then take him out. It was a great service and the first time that i was able to baptize a person with a handicap like that. It was really special for him and for us.

Other than that, i have been transferred again. I am with an Elder from Queen Creek named Elder Combs. He is about to finish his mission. I am in a place called tolosa that is in the capital of the Buenos Aires. I have never been in this zone before so i am really excited to be here and get to know the people and everything.

I am doing well here and i am thankful for the opportunity to serve as a missionary of the Lord. I thank you all for the love that you express and for writing me. I love you all and i hope that you all have a good week!!! I hope that you all can have the great influence of the Holy Ghost in your lives!!! My prayers are with you!!!

Love Elder Shane Larson