Monday, November 29, 2010

Infinite Atonement

Thanks for sending that information about that one guy were looking for. That´ll make her happy a lot. But I'm glad you had a great Thanksgiving and its really true about what you said about Granny and Grandad and why she is still alive with all that cancer. I wish i can see them again. Probably will but we´ll see.

But we had a nice Thanksgiving here. We spent it with the family Boj and we had a true thanksgiving meal. And to tell you the truth i was so full that i had to room for the dessert. Crazy right? But anyways this week has gone by fine.

We ran into a lot of cool new people this week but then when we return with them its completely different. We have to find a family to baptize in December.That's the goal. Oh and i think that were having our Christmas party next Monday so if i don't write then you know why. But I'm reading the Infinite Atonement book you sent me and its really interesting. I just came across and learned a lot from the part where it explains that Jesus knew the pain, suffering, and sins he was going to pass through before he did it. He knew his plan and role of it all. But you can study and plan all you want but when you are actually in the moment of something those feelings cannot be felt or known to the complete affect beforehand. And that's why he asked if there's another way but we knew that there wasn't. I'm getting to know more of the person who canhelp me overcome my weaknesses and guide me to the eternal light that is most desirable. I love my area and there's a lot to do. I just hope we can help a lot more people come unto Christ right now because of this Christmas season. I love you all and have a great first week of December.

Erik Larson

Monday, November 22, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello mom-Just to mention a few things before i start.

1- Is there anyway of finding someone in the salt lake city area.There is a lady here who as an uncle there and wants to find him so they can get in touch. I think hes a member as well but I'm not sure.His name is Carlos Enrique Soto de Leon (i hope) and his son is Carlos Enrique Holl. If there is anyway way to find that out just let me know. She was pretty excited when i told her that i would see what i could do.

2- A couple things for Christmas or for when you come for a couple of latins that i know. One wanted the ¨Journey of Faith¨ DVD. I think its a DVD but I'm not 100 % sure. And they wanted 2-3 pair of the spandax garment shorts. Their sizes are 32 and 30. If there is a way you could pick those up that would be just amazing but if not i understand. I just want to help them out in whatever way i can to make them happy you know?

3- I would love to go to the Philippines if that is possible and to your parents house. I think it would be a great experience and if you want to we´ll go. There is no problem with me. Once in a life time experience. Well for me at least. You've already been there. haha.

4- Cheez-its would be amazing

But this week has been alright.

Like i said we live four in the house and i think we just all took turns being sick this week. But we are all better now and hope to stay healthy. We´re slowly getting to know the members and doing a lot of contacting. My companion is not a big fan but that's what we´ve done these past few days. We´ve found a couple families that we´ll be going back with in these next few days.Its hard but its worth it founding people that want to hear from us.Yes thanksgiving is coming up and i think we are going to have 3-4 Thanksgiving meals on different days with different people. This area is a lot different than san juan because it seems like everyone has a nice car and eats well and they have been to the states at least once.So they know a little about thanksgiving. It should be a lot of fun but at the same time i hope I'm healthy on Thursday. A weird kind of experience happened yesterday when we were going to church. We ran into a family that was looking for a different church asking us where it was. I said we had no idea and i asked why. They told us that on the radio that morning they said that today they were going to heal and cure everyone that was sic and needed help. I just was really shocked and really didn't know what to say after that to this man. We invited him to come with us to church but he said he would think about it. We left and i just kept thinking of how Satan works in mysterious ways. It caught me off guard and i tried my best to help them realize how they needed to come to church not just once to get ¨healed¨but to come to follow Christ and have his spirit with us during the week. But its just interesting how churches get out there messages here. I just hope one day this effect that has the radio can change with people so they can come to the truth of all righteousness. Well send my best to the family when your with them and HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Erik Larson

Monday, November 15, 2010

Transferred to El Bosque...Zone leader again

Hey mom and family-

Let me first start off by saying i got changed this past week. I'm truly going to miss San Juan. It was fun there. Basically starting from scratch and building that weak branch into a stronger one. I stayed here in Xela and I'm now in El Bosque. A new thing that president is doing right now that Elder Clark told him to do is to have the assistants and zone leaders train. Well I'm now a zone leader again and training Elder Claunch. He´s from Lyndon. I don't know if that's how you spell it by its right next to Orem which is right next to Provo. Not to mention how the members give us food everyday for lunch. I have never had an area like this before. Apparently we have lunch with the Boj Family every Sunday and i ate like a King. It reminded me when we went to the house of David Thomas. Lets just say they are very rich and go to the states whenever they want. But anyways the ward is really cool and they are all living a lot better physically than any other ward i have been assigned to. But we are 4missionaries here in El Bosque now. Ever since the mission split we have received a ton of missionaries. There are a lot of areas that have 4 missionaries and there are a few that have 6. Its kind of crazy right now if you ask me. And plus we opened up 3 areas here and just getting them houses, the things for the house, and making them happy has kept us a really busy. Not to mention that we are now living with the other 2 elders in the same house. There will be a lot to learn with living with 2 companionships in a small house that has never really happened before. But its fun. I'm happy where i am right now even though that a lot of the people we talk to are just passing through and live some where else near by. I just love Xela. But i don't love it that much that i would name one of my kids Xela. If i ever do,i give you the right to re-name her. haha. Hope all is well and that the family of David Thomas are doing good as well. Have a great week.

Love,

Elder Erik Larson

Monday, November 8, 2010

What a week! (with pictures!)







Hello Family-

What a week if i do say so myself. Cutting down corn, having Elder Clark come to our mission, and helping one of our investigators come to church.

So as of 2 months ago Martina got baptized and she is just amazing.Comes to church with the attitude of what can i do to better my life.We asked her what we could do for her with the days coming up and she told us we could help her cut down her corn that she has. 2 things that maybe you don't know. There are a lot of corn fields here and it seems like everyone has a little property to a big property of cornfields and it is the month to cut them all down and start over. So she said she had a little but it was still pretty big. And the other thing is that here there are no machines to do it so you have to do it all by hand. So we went to help her and it took us 1 hour to cut the corn down with 3 people. To a lot of people here it is a great time (month)to have work because there are tons of fields to cut. But after doing this for 1 hour, under the sun, i just thought maybe i wont pursue that type of work in the future. I enjoyed helping her because she needed help and she deserves it you could say because she lives a little far away where she doesn't get a lot of visits. But i love her.

Secondly, Elder Clark came and talked to us and it was fun hearing from him. You wont fall asleep when he´s talking. Very animated and spiritual at the same time. Just a couple things that i found to enjoy was that he said that if we don't like missionary work we will never enjoy the celestial kingdom. So i stopped and thought, i have to be doing this type of work with this type of attitude my whole life to receive Gods blessings and guidance more. And something that i will enjoy my whole life. And the other thing he explained was how the people that we teach tend to forget very quickly and that we have the tendency to tell them what we talked about in the previous cita we had with them so they remember. So when we start asking them what they remember and learned in the previous cita we just need to be quiet and listen to see if they are really learning or not. Its just a tendency to tell them we talked about this and that and they say ¨oh ya, i remember now.¨ Just the small things to change to become better missionaries. And afterward everyone got a whole pizza and surprising can finish a whole pizza. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

And for right now we don't have a lot of investigators but the lady that we´re teaching is really cool. Her boyfriend is a member from a different branch, she has her own nice CTR ring, her family are less actives, but the only down side is that she works on Sunday. But can take the day off is she wants i believe but the family is in debt so she works because Sunday is the best day for gamers. (Its like a small arcade with 10 machines). But were working with them both. And we told them they need to go together and we got that arranged and that was perfect. And we put goals with her that she would come for one hour one week, the next week the 2 hours, and the next week the 2 hours and work half day until she can keep the sabbath day holy. Little by little are the words i learned from Elder Clark that are helping Natalie come to church with us. But it seems like she knows everything but just doesn't want to get baptized because ¨what if i stop going after one month¨ she says. And she doesn't want to do that. If you have any suggestions that would be nice.

But its been fun. Its getting cold but that doesn't matter right?Have a great week!And give my best to Aaron and Becca

Love,

Elder Erik Larson
p.s. And I'm craving Chees-its if there's anyway of getting them

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Day of the Dead in Guatemala

Hello a todos-

Yes i know i should have written yesterday but the good old day of the dead is quite the holiday here. A lot of things were closed so there was nothing open. But here i am, rocking like a hurricane. But since it was 5th Sunday the leaders talked a lot about what to do when there's earthquakes, floods, and all that jazz. But we are now having the visit of Elder Clark on Thursday. It should be a lot of fun. But i have now decided that i need to learn mam. More than half the people we talk to know mam better than Spanish. But alli vamos right? I feel like i´ll end here and at the same time, i want to. Its been fun here.But right now we´re teaching a lady named Natalie and basically she knows everything about the church but the only problem is is that she works on Sundays. She also has a boyfriend that is in a different ward. She is really cool and says all the right things but coming to church is that hardest thing. She has her own arcade and has to be there to give them the tokens and says that no one else can stay and watch it for her. So i have been thinking for a long time what can we do to get her to come to church. So yesterday we passed by expecting to see what time we could visit her with her bf the next day but when we walked in we saw him as well. So we talked to them both and really made it clear why we are here. And then we asked, in what way can we help you come to church? They didn't know and we talked about something else and then we asked the question again. And she smiled and said i have an idea. We can have my bf come to my house and pick me up so we can go to church together. And i was like, that's perfect! We just haven't thought about that, thinking that we just need to talk with the 2 of them together and see what we can do. It was a pretty funny lesson but I'm glad the spirit was there to guide us to the result we got. So hopefully she comes this next Sunday. But all we´re lacking is more people to come to church and teach. But other than that I'm doing great. I hope you all have a great week.

Love,Elder Erik Larson

PS- I also need to know what the name of the airport in Dallas and Sacis. And the full name of Pres Harrison and his phone number by next monday.

so im thinking.
Mon 31 jan- San Juan
Tues 1 Feb- Xela
Wed 2 Feb- Huehue
Thurs 3 Feb- Visit the coast if you want, and pass through Coatepeque and Reu
Fri 4 Feb- Whatever you guys have planned. Antigua, ruins, waters of mormon, etc