May 23, 2011 - Teresina Brasil Week 11 - Mission Week 37

Querido Familia,

So this past week has also felt like several weeks, and also this keyboard is quite annoying!
There was an emergency transfer that happened so Elder Pearson is now in a different zone and I am now serving with 3 Brasilians in the house and am being forced to speak Portuguese if I want to communicate with anyone here, which is a blessing as well as a trial, but I will have increased language skills if I am diligent.

We also might be moving into a new house closer to the church. Our house is horrible,and I did take pictures, just so you know Mom, so you'll eventually be able to see what I mean, as soon as I get to sending pictures off. That is still a problematic situation.

The McFaddens are moving?! :( It is sad to hear about families moving in the ward. I didn't get to read your email until after I was done the emailing last time dad, so I didn't get to reply. When are they moving to California? Also it is sad to hear that the Farars are leaving as well for Texas, but Texas is cool. It is just sad to see, well to hear about so many people leaving the stake/ward. How many new families have moved in since I left?

We got to move a family. That was the same day that we found out about the emergency transfers happening. It is also the family who's old house we might be moving into, but that isn't for certain still or something. We'll know for certain next week.

And this computer just turned off because the connection to the wall is bad and I hit it with my foot by accident.

Church was good. I felt close to the ward and felt grateful that I have had the opportunity to serve in Uruguai, and was also grateful that I have 3 more weeks minimum serving here. When I woke up on Sunday it was just a calm day. The weather was really nice. It wasn't too hot, and there was a cool breeze that never happens that made it even more pleasant. It was just a very peaceful Sunday, and it made me grateful and ponder about the love that God has for us, his children, that he created this world for us to have our probationary experience of mortality!

Elder Pearson, before he left gave me a book "Preparation Precedes Power." It is about missionary work and it is by Randy L. Bott. I have really enjoyed reading from it, specifically his part about spiritual experiences. Throughout the scriptures and in modern days, when someone has a spiritual experience of great magnitude, they will have a temptation or trial from the adversary to match that experience. eg: Moses when he is transfigured on the mount, and then afterwards Satan comes and tempts him. He also talked about how if you are experiencing a lot of opposition, and trials without a spiritual experience, the opposite will come and you will have an equal and opposite. eg: Joseph Smith, he was praying, and he was getting overcome by opposition from the adversary but with continued faith and endurance, he had the first vision.

I love learning about the gospel, and I am trying to work on my ability to be able to receive answers to my own questions through means of the scriptures, pondering, and prayer, and I have been making more goals of what I want to accomplish on my mission in terms of skills like that.

This week felt so long, yet I don't feel like I had that much to write about. I'll make sure to have more for next week, and to write down just little cool things that happen throughout the week.

I love you all a lot, and I am grateful for all the blessings that the Lord has given me. This church truly is his kingdom on the Earth, and the Gospel is the way to exaltation: the greatest of all the gifts of God.

Talk to you next week!
Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

May 16, 2011 - Teresina Brasil Week 10 - Mission Week 36

Querido Familia,

Well this week has felt more like 3 weeks all crammed in one, and it has had some adventures. Elder Magalhães got dengue, and he wasn't able to work from Thursday-Sunday, but he seems to be better today. I worked a few times with a member of the ward but it was hard because I was the senior companion, can´t really speak Português still, and the member I worked with doesn't speak any English so it was a bit more difficult to communicate.

The city layout here in Teresina is organized, like it has blocks and streets, most of which are with out signs. The blocks are not really that organized though and I remember stuff by landmarks here.

It has been a bit of a challenge this week too because one of our investigators that has a baptismal date doesn't come to church and we will have to reset the baptismal date with her again if she really does want to be baptized, and then this other family that we are teaching doesn't want to come to church either and they also had a baptismal date, so it is a similar situation that Ricky is having with his investigators. Instances like this are definitely hard, and what adds more is that I cannot really resolve problems that well because of language skills, but that will come eventually.

Another animal sighting here, a gigantic turtle that an investigator owns.
Every day has been pretty hot here this past week too.

I enjoyed the Birthday Present Geoff, and now I understand the message you sent, with having the stuff said twice.

Heather, I also discovered where the apostrophe is on these keyboards, it is in a completely different spot than an English keyboard so I will try to use it correctly that way you don't get attacked by kanji.

Question Julia, what is the Earth Kingdom symbol in Avatar, or the symbol for Earth. I can remember air, water, and fire, but not what Earth looks like.

Also another question, was the companion of Elder Harmon Elder Bradley? I think it was but I wasn't sure.

This week has been a bit of a surprise with the completely different time, so I will try to make sure that it is more in the afternoon so that you have time to email before I get on so I can read them.

This week I have been reading in 1st Nephi since I started reading the Book of Mormon again during personal study. It has been a while since I had read the beginning books and I have really been enjoying them. I am grateful that our Heavenly Father is in charge of what is going on and that he knows what he is doing and what is best for us. One subject that I have studied a lot too is Prayer, and about the Holy Ghost. God will answer prayers at the time that it will most help us. I cannot remember exactly where, I think it was in the Gospel Principles Book where I read about one president of the church and when he didn't feel like he was receiving an answer to his prayers that he would have the patience to endure until he did receive an answer to his prayer. Also, that to get help from God, we just need to ask. Ask for help, ask for different Christlike attributes: patience, charity, love... and when we do that we will have his help and we are also more humble.

I really enjoy my personal study in the mornings, it is a time to learn, and to personally gain more knowledge about the gospel of salvation.

I am grateful that we have the scriptures, the word of God revealed to his past prophets, and I am also very grateful for modern day prophets. We have a prophet, and twelve apostles, just as the church was in the time of Christ, how lucky we are to have that direct guidance for all of us, all of God's children in our lives. I know that this church is true, and I am so grateful that I am a member of it. It has truly blessed my life.

I love you all, talk to you next week!
Love,

-Elder Phillip Larsen

May 9, 2011 - Teresina Brasil Week 9 - Mission Week 35

Querido Familia,

Well we talked last night on the phone which was awesome! but I do not have too much new stuff to say, and also I am a lot more rushed than usual today. I will remedy that next week. And guess what! Right after the phone call it started to rain, a lot again! But we made it home without requiring a canoe. :)

Today we started off with some basketball, which was all right. We were on our way to centro Teresina, and while waiting at the bus stop an old lady sitting next to me hawked a lugi.... (Don´t know how to spell that correctly) We went to Riverside shopping, which is a mall, Shopping is the word for Mall in Portuguese. Then we spent more time in the center of the city, really the whole day until P-day ended.

Saw a smart car here for the first time. The cars here are already small as it is, but Smart Car still is smaller.

I sent 4 letters, but I don´t know how long they will take, and I also managed to get a CD of pictures, but it could only hold 211 pictures of mine. The person didn´t understand that I wanted a DVD for more space but oh well I still have a backup. But it is spread out throughout my entire mission so far. The next few that I will make will be a more thorough backup.

Happy Mother´s Day! Again! I really enjoyed talking with you all! But it is sad that the phone call is already over. Next one though I will be able to speak Portuguese! I am glad for the opportunity to email, and that blessing of technology.

Tomorrow we have a Zone Conference here in Teresina, and hopefully then I will get my mission bag. I wonder what the conference will be about too. That is exciting though, first one since entering Brasil.

Sorry this email is shorter, I didn´t get an opportunity to read well the longer emails that were sent. Also Dad, the Facebook email that you sent about the different birthday greetings got messed up I think because it doesn´t have what people say for a lot of them, but thanks for sending it! I will also figure out a way to send more pictures, I will send that CD when I get the chance too.

The address for packages is this:

Mario Aparicido Dias
a/c Elder Phillip Edward Larsen
R:Tersandro Paz, No 2129, Salas 105-108
Centro Teresina, PI
64001-380
Brasil

I love you all very much, thank you for your support and love. I am glad that I got to call you and that you are doing well. Next week I will make sure to have more time to email. (Radio Show Host Voice) Tune in next week!

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

(Sorry for not having time to read all the emails, only had 30ish minutes I printed off the ones I didn´t get to read thoroughly, and will respond to them next week.)

May 2, 2011 - Teresina Brasil Week 8 - Mission Week 34

Querido Familia,

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

So, I will be calling home for Mother´s day because I don´t really know where we will be making the call. Will that mean you pay for it if I call or what exactly happens... I won´t know though because Mother´s day is next Sunday so I guess we´ll find out? I just hope everything works out. This is different having Mother´s day the 8th day of May, and having transfers, (I am not transferred, I think... Pretty sure I am not) but this has been an eventful week.

My count for weird foods has gone up too... In Texas I ate Cow Stomach, Rattle Snake, and Frog Legs, and since entering Brasil I have had some pretty weird foods as well. The food here though is really really good!

This past week we had another Baptism, Sandra, Carlos´s cousin. She has already been doing missionary work too. She invited her friend to her baptism, who now also has a date to be baptised and she received an answer to her prayers about the book of Mormon. It is amazing to see the changes that the gospel brings in people.

So where were the Tornados that were in the United States? I heard about those, and also that Osama Bin Laden finally got caught and killed. That is a pretty surreal event to have happen. I keep thinking though about what it says in the Book of Mormon that secret combinations destroyed the people of Nephi, and just how secret combinations would be around all the time and would be the cause of destruction among various countries in the world.

Cool thing Dad, I met a guy from France here, and he lives near Toulouse (I hope I spelled that right.) He spoke French, (Obviously), Portuguese, Spanish, and English. At first I only knew that he spoke French and Portuguese, but then I asked him about his Portuguese and he named the other languages and started speaking in English. It was a really cool experience, although we didn't get to talk about the gospel. It was neat though that he lives probably in the area that your mission covers!

I saw a huge turtle this past week too at an investigator´s house. It was cool, but I didn´t have my camera on me. I also still have not managed to get a picture of that monkey!

Did you watch Ben-Hur on Easter? I forgot to ask about that. That was kind of a movie that we would watch every Easter. We got to watch the Lamb of God with some people which was nice, and occasionally we get to watch the Testaments, or another church movie with some people that we are teaching here, but not too often.

I got Oma and Papa´s letter on Friday. Our Zone Leaders came to our area and we got mail that day! Hooray! First letter in Brasil! I really appreciated it, and I will send a reply when I get a chance to. The postal system is very very different here than in the states.

This past week has been especially hot. Differently here, than where my cousin Ricky is serving. I think all of our areas have a washer-like thing. But I have washed things by hand here too. That sounds like a time taking p-day activity though! O_o sounds like a cool area that Ricky is serving in. Literally cooler too than Teresina! Hah.

Well I don´t have as much to say this week, I am excited for the Mother´s day call next Sunday! I´ll get stuff ready to say for that! :D

Love you lots, I miss you all, and thank you for your prayers and support.

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

Apr 25, 2011 - Teresina Brasil Week 7 - Mission Week 33

Querido Familia,

I can never keep the number of weeks straight, but oh well. This on the 25th of April.

I was going to ask how Easter was but it looked like it was filled with the usual awesomeness. Here in Brasil we didn't do too much if not anything for Easter. Lots of people were gone visiting family, so we got to see no one in the streets! :P Although one different thing here is that people hang Judas Iscariots over the city. I saw 2 during the weekend. Didn't get to take a picture of one, but they were pretty weird.

I got to use the Plan of Salvation puzzle last week! I made sure of it. We taught the Plan of Salvation to Carlos's cousin Sandra. She has a baptismal date for this upcoming Saturday which is exciting.

It looks like Dad and Brad had an awesome bike trip. We'll have to go biking when I get back. I did 12 weeks of biking in Texas, and that was really fun. Here, its all walking. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am in Brasil, another country. It has been a rough experience with the language. Eventually I'll get it.

The weather here the past 2 weeks has been absolutely crazy. Every single day it has thunderstormed, and it's been pretty overcast a lot of the time too which is a bummer... Also, the carnival that is nearby our house, with a ferris wheel and other rides is leaving. It's a bit sad that they are moving to a new location now. It was cool to see the Ferris Wheel every night from the street walking home. Also there have been a lot of rainbows all the time which is pretty cool too. ``Double Rainbow!!"

I had another experience where I spoke and after I had said what I wanted to, the people said ``N鉶 entendi, desculpe, o que ele falou?" That is somewhat frustrating, but it happens. O_o

Sandra, one of our investigators told us a story about how she was having a lot of headaches and couldn't focus, but then she thought to say a prayer and when she had done that, the headaches went away instantly and she didn't have any more problems with that. I have been studying prayer a lot, and God truly does answer all sincere prayers. It may not be in the time frame you are expecting, but it is going to be in the manner that is going to be best for you. From her experience her testimony about prayer had been strengthened, and she no longer tries to get out of saying prayers in lessons. It is awesome to be able to witness the changes that occur in people and the blessings that they receive as they accept the Gospel.

It's pretty crazy to think that in a week I will no longer be a teenager. Weird. 20 Years old...

As for this past week, it has been quite the roller coaster. It has been a struggle with homesickness still. Not being able to communicate with the people I am around, combined with not receiving mail and hearing from home as easily are big contributors. I am trying to make the best of this trial. I've had quite the welcome to Brasil.

One thing that I have noticed is the difference between the 2 missions. I have thought that God wanted me to have many experiences that I had in Texas, and that I should apply the things that I learned and all the lessons and things to my work here in Brasil. I have learned so much though about so many things these past 7 months. It has been quite the adventure.

One thing that I am learning more is relying on the Lord through this experience. That is the only way I'll be able to do his work.

Jesus Christ is our savior and redeemer. I have really enjoyed reading Jesus the Christ lately. He lives, and he and our Heavenly Father love us.

I also finished reading the Book of Mormon again this past week. So I started it again. I am so grateful that we have the scriptures today to study and learn from, and to be taught by the Holy Ghost while reading them.

Thanks for everything, I love you guys! miss you too!

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

Apr 18, 2011 - Teresina Brasil Week 6 - Mission Week 32

Querido Familia,

This has been quite the week, and I almost didn´t get to send an email today because I don´t have any cash on me and LAN houses are only cash but we were able to go to a members house and there we were able to do emails.

I forgot my planner today, and that is where I wrote my notes down for my email. No problems from my last email were there? The computer was very ghetto. Hopefully not.

That´s sad to hear about changes in the ward with people moving out, but it is inevitable I guess. That is going to be strange when I get back and there will be a lot of new faces.

I got another haircut, but it was a mistake on my part because now it is way shorter than I like, but in a few weeks it´ll be back to the way it was. Already been a month here in Brasil, and lately I have been having more instances with culture-shock things, (just etiquette and other details. Some phrases are rude in Portuguese that aren´t rude in English and vice-versa)

This past week we had a baptism! My first one since coming to Brasil. His name is Carlos, and he´s almost the age of a deacon. When we had fast and testimony meeting here, he bore his testimony about how he knows that the Book of Mormon is true and that the church is true. This was before he was baptized. He´s a really cool kid. We also started teaching his cousin and she is progressing towards baptism too! (I also bore my testimony on Fast and Testimony meeting in Portuguese. I have a horrible accent, but that´ll come with time. Carlos thinks its hilarious sometimes when I talk to him.)

Every day this past week has been pouring and thunder storming. I´ve been having troubles with not knowing what is going on each day. Not being able to communicate with my companion 100% is difficult in many ways but it has been a good growing experience for my Portuguese. It's been a little stressful but hopefully it will improve.

Today I saw a Monkey! A real live monkey, and a wild one at that. It was just sitting on a wall of one of our neighbor´s, and then jumped into a mango tree that is in their front yard. It was funny because Elder Pearson, another American Elder in our house said, ``Woah! What is that!?`` We looked and at first I thought it was some strange cat, but it was a monkey! Just a funny thing that happened today.

I remember Bradford talking about seeing monkeys in Brasil, and when I saw the monkey today I thought about that. I wish I had my camera with me at the time. Also I have seen many parrots, today at lunch, we saw a parrot that could talk but it didn´t say anything. Eventually I´ll get a picture of one. Reminds me of our constant quest to get a picture of Winston yawning.

I have been keeping a detailed journal for a while now and have gotten into the habit of writing often. It is fun, and it´ll be a treasure in future years when I´ll be able to recall different experiences. I wish I had been more diligent with my journal-writing before the mission.

I miss being able to listen to music. I really enjoyed the music classes in High School, Jazz Improv, and Choir. One of the Elders in the apartment has an mp3 player with lots of church music on it and we sing along to some of the songs every once in a while.

Study has become a very important time for me. Also, during the time that we go to the gym and other times too now, I have been reading Jesus the Christ. At first it was a little hard but I really enjoy it now. Study is such an important thing to do. In order to better be able to teach the things that missionaries teach, I have been strengthening my testimony by getting to know the lessons better and develop more faith in them. Also I have been trying better to use all the materials that I have because they won´t help me if I don´t use them.

This past month has been very difficult overall. Trying to learn Portuguese, and getting used to Brasil. I´m on a completely different continent! Woah! But beyond all the trials it has been making me and helping me rely more on my Savior Jesus Christ and God. This is the Lord´s work, and he is going to help me do the things he needs me to do.

One quote from an older member from the Hobbs ward said these quotes that I read in one of my books that I have. - ``Learn to love what you do, otherwise you´ll be miserable.`` and ``Always look at the good points, never let the devil let you look at all the bad.`` Also, another quote that Irmão Call from the MTC said, ``When you give Christ your all, he gives you his all.``There have been a few things that have really tried my patience, and have been hard to ignore, or look at the good and all the blessings that I have. I´m no where near perfect, but I am trying. Just some quotes that really stood out to me.

I am glad I had that book for people to write little notes in it. I have been having people sign things in it too since going on the mission, and I am really glad I have it. One of the notes someone wrote said ``This will be your greatest adventure yet!`` It has been quite the adventure, but I am truly grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord. I just need to get Portuguese down and then I´ll feel more like I am working as hard as I was in Texas. I can´t say exactly what I want to say sometimes and that is frustrating.

This church truly is led by a prophet called of God. Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ in the sacred grove. Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer. These things I know to be true, and have further witnesses every day of the importance of this Gospel and this message that I have the responsibility to share.

I love you very much, thank you for your prayers and support. You´re awesome! I miss you,

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

Apr 11, 2011 - Teresina Brasil Week 5 - Mission Week 31

Querido Familia,

So this week has also not been too normal, but its getting there. I
actually got to go to church yesterday at the Uruguai, Ward. It is a
smaller ward, but there is a lot of love there and its cool.

The language is going to be a roller coaster for quite some time.
Already I´ve been in Brasil for a month! Time really does fly. The
language will come with time, and patience. I can tell improvement
from where I was when I arrived, but I am far from fluent.

The food here is great, although I am still getting used to how
everything works. To answer your question about dinner, we are
actually not allowed to eat dinner with members, because we eat lunch
every day with a member. The food here is delicious. Usually we go to
a bakery as well, they are everywhere. Buy about 1-2 reais of bread,
and eat that for breakfast. I also eat noodles with pizza sauce, and
cookies. I bought chocolate milk a couple of days ago, however, the
price was deceiving and it said R$1,20 but that was per container in
the 3 container package. Food is pretty expensive here, well it seems
like it anyways.

This computer is so ghetto... I hope you don´t get a virus or
something. It does have Mozilla Firefox though which is nice.

Can´t think right now... Grrr... This email is a little shorter than
others. This week has been good though. A little tough at times. Elder
Magalhães likes to go work out at a gym every morning which is
different. I take the time to study and have been reading Jesus the
Christ. In Preach my Gospel it says to increase your desire to share
the gospel, you need to learn more about the atonement. So that is
what I am trying to do.

I also had a great experience during personal study yesterday. I was
studying and felt like I should read from the book about preparing to
go to the temple that I had in my suitcase. Many times I have wished
that I could go to the temple but we do not have on in our mission.
Just reading about the temple and just the blessings of eternal
families that come from it filled me with a powerful feeling of peace.
I am glad that I had listened to that very subtle prompting that
normally I would dismiss to be nothing.

I know that God loves each and every one of us. He truly is mindful of
us all and desires to bless us and help us. Prayer is a very important
part of everyday life. The promise of ´´Ask and you shall receive,
knock and it shall be opened unto you´´ is a very true promise. I am
grateful for the scriptures and the words of the prophets of the Lord.
I know that we have a prophet called by God today, and that he holds
all the keys of the priesthood. Jesus Christ lives. He is our Savior
and Redeemer, and his arms are open to us. It is strange, often times
when we serve, or receive a calling, the person who seems to have the
largest change is the one called. We can never repay God for the love,
and help that he gives us.

I´m serving my mission. Sometimes when I think that, it hits me! (I
thought it a few times while walking to an appointment and then looked
around at the tropical trees, and the brush on the sides of the dirt
road while sweat is dripping down my face then thought of some of the
pictures at the MTC in the hallways there. I´m serving my mission! And
when I get back, depending on my mindset and what I do now will
determine my memories of my missionary service.) I thought that was a
cool thought though.

Every day is hot, it has been raining a lot lately, every night. The
thunderstorms on the horizon are awesome. The people are friendly, and
I am still adjusting to the culture, and speaking Portuguese.

I love you all and miss you. I´m glad you´re doing well. Thanks for
your emails and support!

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

Apr 4, 2011 - Teresina Brasil Week 4 - Mission Week 30

Boa Tarde,

I did not get to listen to conference in English, but I guess that was good in many ways. Every day I feel a little more accustomed to Portuguese, although no where near fluent. Some days are harder than others, but I am learning quick especially with Elder Magalhães. I would appreciate a conference ensign in english though when it comes out.

Conference in Brasil is really nice because all the members go to the church to watch it. I am so glad that we went with the Wilsons for all those many years and watched it there. Those are great memories.

Lately I have felt very separated from home. Being a missionary, you are separated from the world. Mail here is a lot different than in the states. All the mail gets sent to the mission office and then you pick it up when you get the chance, so I don´t know how many letters I´ll be sending, but I´ll appreciate letters that people send, so please encourage people to write!

How are you all doing? What have you all been up to?

This past week has still been unusual with conference and all. Since entering Brasil I have not had a normal week of missionary work. Today and Yesterday I have been having side pains while walking which really sucks. Hopefully that will get better. Elder Magalhães will be going to the hospital tomorrow to check on a stomach acid problem he has been having... Not a normal mission in the slightest! No mission is normal, but my mission has been incredibly abnormal. O_o

Thank you for your prayers and for your support. Serving the Lord is definitely not a cakewalk and I am grateful for all that you do for me!

Lately I have been having longings to go swimming. The weather feels exactly like it would in Nashua when it was the perfect day to go swimming. Its hot every day. ´´Its Hot in Tampico!´´

It's weird, every once in a while it hits me pretty hard. I am on my mission. I really didn´t know what to expect before the mission as to what a mission would be like. Lately it has been hard because I have not been able to feel like a missionary completely because I can´t teach that much but that will come in time. I have been trying more to show my love for the people and to bring them closer to Jesus Christ that way. I reflect a lot on how I am representing Jesus Christ right now. I have his name on my tag. It is humbling. I hope that I am able to be a good example for the people that I serve around.

Jesus Christ is the son of God. He atoned for our sins so that we can return with our families to our Heavenly Father. This message needs to be shared, and I am thankful for the opportunity to participate in this grand work of the Lord.

Have a great week! I love you and miss you all,

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

Pictures took forever to load, only could load 2. Teresina downtown, and I think the church picture got uploaded.

Mar 28, 2011 - Teresina Brasil Week 3 - Mission Week 29

Querido Familia,

This week has been quite the eventful one. I have my trainer, Elder Magalhães, a Brasilian missionary who is a transfer younger than me. I always thought that would be funny if my "Mission father" was younger than me, and turns out he is! He is an awesome missionary though and I am glad I have the opportunity to serve with him. We are serving in an area, Uruguaí, in Teresina. Last week the ward split so now there are 2 wards meeting in the chapel here. The members are awesome, however I don't really know the ward yet because of some events that happened this week.

I am going to try to put this in the best way possible, and to reassure you right now I am doing fine, and a lot better.

Last Thursday, I had an allergic reaction, probably to a bug that made my legs get terrible rashes. Throughout the day it got more and more difficult to walk and we called Sister Dias. On Friday I went to the Hospital to get the condition I had checked out by a doctor, and he said it was an allergic reaction and gave me several prescriptions for medicine to help me get better. After that check up, I had an experience that was highly undesired and unusual. A shot in my backside that was not at all pleasant. I stayed at the Secretaries house for a night which was really hard to sleep, and then President Dias came by the following morning, got me another medicine, and then Sister Dias came and cleaned my left foot. The past few days I have been spending at the Dias's home, and it has been an incredible blessing to be able to get to know their family more. I have had great opportunities to speak Português and I can tell some improvement in my language skills with that. This has just been a rare experience though I feel, and I am incredibly grateful that I have been able to have it. Some questions that I have had during these past few days is "What has got wanted me to learn from this experience, and why has he given me this opportunity." One thing that President Dias said on Sunday when we were on the way to Church was that it is amazing how the spirit works. Elder Yorgason, and Elder Thiessen, (another missionary who was waiting for his visa) both got transfered to a place 14 hours away, yet I remained here in Teresina. The Lord knew that this was going to happen to me, and President Dias felt inspired to keep me here in the city. I am incredibly grateful for inspiration and this experience has strengthed my testimony.

I am doing well, a lot better than Thursday. I still have healing to do but I have enjoyed the time that I have been given to learn and I, being in this mindset have noticed many things that I have learned.

I don't want you to worry too much, I am doing much better than before, and I have been taken care of. I am so grateful for President Dias, and Sister Dias, and their hospitality and love that they have had for me. I have learned so many things that I would not have been able to learn had I not had this experience. Thank you so much Mom and Dad for raising us in the Gospel. Thank you for having us pray every meal, eat together, read the scriptures together, and raise us with good spiritual habits. The Dias family prays together and reads the scriptures together, and I have been able to participate with their family in all of these activities.

I am excited for General Conference this weekend and to hear from the general authorities of the church. The Prophet and the Apostles, special witnesses of Jesus Christ. I have been able to watch several documentaries while here at the Dias's house about the presidents of the church and I have learned an incredible amount.

Brasil is amazing, I love it here and I am glad to be able to serve the Lord. This church is God's Church. It was restored by a Prophet of God. Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ. Prayer is important, and so is daily scripture study. This is a great and marvelous work, and I know that it is led by God.

I love you all very much and love hearing from you. You're in my prayers, and I thank you for your prayers for me.

Love,

Elder Phillip Edward Larsen

P.S. Remember when sending packages to have pictures of Jesus on it. Also, mail here is ridiculous. Elder Wheat sent a package that cost R$120.00 Each letter also costs R$2.00 So I'll figure out how to budget that better and everything. No pictures again this week but I'll try as best as I can. Love you!

Mar 21, 2011 - Teresina Brasil Week 2 - Mission Week 28

Querido Familia,

Boy has this past week been interesting in many ways...

So some interesting things I´ve seen lately: On motorcycles, I saw 3 people with a flat screen HD Television in the box driving down the road. People manage to transport stuff like that all the time. Almost every day I´ll see something weird on a motorcycle. Also I´ve seen some people with 3 and a baby on a motorcycle which is a little scary to think about.

Serving with the APs this past week has had its ups and downs... This whole week has had its ups and downs really. So the reason why we have been with the APs this past week is because transfers never happened because the mission was toured by Elder Godoy of the Seventy. He spoke at conference last. I needed someone to translate for me because the conference we had in Teresina was in Português and I am nowhere near fluent. After the conference he interviewed Elder Yorgason because we are the newest missionaries not native to Brasil that have entered the field. I also saw Elder Iverson, one of the Elders in my MTC district on Thursday. He has been here since January.

Serving with the APs though, I never really get to know what we´re doing until it happens. I just hate this feeling of not being able to know anything and also not knowing where I´m going to be going. Still haven´t found out where I am going for my first area. Something tells me that I´ll be staying with the APs for another week too, they won´t let us know about transfers.

I have learned many many times that I need to rely on the Lord to help me. This past week has been very difficult, specifically with the language. I haven´t been able to participate in lessons nearly as much as I would in Texas and that is really annoying to me about myself. I felt like I was improving but then lately I´ve felt like I can´t even understand people that easily. I was told to talk slower because someone couldn´t understand me, but I was thinking the same thing about them. The language here is quite different from how my MTC teachers spoke, and also how Curtis Brown spoke. I´m hoping that I´ll see improvement soon though. Its disconcerting not being able to communicate when what I am supposed to do is talk to people.

This is very hard though, although while typing this email, I have had some Português grammar with English which is a little comforting. I just don´t see how I´ll get improvement anytime soon but I guess that is how everyone felt.

To answer your questions mom, I have not done the actual baptizing. But I participated in the teaching and in the program in other ways. Missionaries here seem to be a little more laidback, as in they don´t number crunch as much and they still work hard. Also we have 6 missionaries living in our apartment with the APs and we don´t really get distracted as much as the missionaries in Texas would, which I find is strange. Thanks for the brief genealogy too! That was cool! I do laundry at the house here, we have a washing machine thing, not exactly a normal washing machine, then we hang up our clothes to dry. The iron gets a lot of use here on white shirts and pants. I eat a lot of beans and rice, and fruit. I have drunk a lot of juice here, and I have eaten a lot of meat as well. We eat a lot of bread here too. There are bakeries everywhere. Padaria´s are what they are called I think. We do our email at Lan Houses. There are a lot of Lan houses here in the city.

I have been trying to get a lot of pictures of Brasil, but I have no way of sending them as of right now but I´ll figure it out though. Its pretty incredible here though.

Animals I´ve seen in Brasil so far, Vultures, Lizards, Horses, Roosters and Chickens, and last night I saw an Owl which was really cool. There are a lot of bugs in Brasil too. Fun fun! Giant spiders at the church in a bush, Elder Wheat showed me those, and he fed one of them an ant.

We ride a lot of buses here which is fun. To get the bus to stop at a place you have to do something similar to Harry Potter which is funny I think.

Everyone here has walls around their houses, or a lot of the houses in the more populated areas of the city anyways. The tops of the walls are lined with spikes, or broken glass, and every street has at least one house with an electric fence. Home Security is your own responsibility here.

This past week I have been asked why I have blue eyes, and then some people in a bakery asked me where I was from because I have blue eyes. The first question was funny. ´´why do you have blue eyes?´´

This week has been a bit hard but I hope next week will feel easier. Mail stuff to the mission home, I don´t even know my address here. I´ll get the mail that you send when I see the Office Elders. Also, if you could mail some things: More pen refills for zebra f-301 pen, or just more of those pens. Can´t get anything like that here in Brasil. Some more American Candy, and pictures of friends. Thanks!

The people here in Brasil are ready to hear the Gospel. This is a special place for missionary work. I was told that the goal for baptisms per month is 120, and the standard of excellence for each missionary is 4 per month. I guess this is fulfilling prophecies in the Book of Mormon. Its amazing to see that happening now.

I love you guys, and love hearing from you. Thank you for your uplifting words and prayers. I know that this church is true. This really is the church that Jesus Christ established while he was on the Earth, and through the Prophets he leads the church today. Joseph Smith truly saw God, our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I am so grateful to have knowledge of the Plan of Salvation.

I hope you have a good week. Happy Birthday Dad! Love you all,

Love

Elder Phillip Larsen

Mar 3, 2011 - Hobbs New Mexico Week 9 - Mission Week 25

Querido Familia,

So this week has been pretty interesting, and I am a little sad too... I'll expound on that later though... First off I need to say stuff that I have written down.

One of the bishopric members here dad served in the Toulouse, France mission, well it had the city in it. I guess the boundaries have changed since you served?

I have taught some people the missionary handshake that the missionaries at home taught us, so I am carrying on that tradition.

We are teaching a British Lady named Lesley. She is from Liverpool, and they are actually moving back there this May which is a shame. She doesn't want to go. Its been nice to be able to talk to someone with a thick British Accent. She's hilarious too.

What qualities did you see in missionaries that came to our ward? I want to be a missionary just as good as them, was just curious as to what really made missionaries like Elder De Oliveira, Elder Householder, Elder Onken, Elder Koerper, Elder Branch Elder Mataele, all of them. What made them really good missionaries?

I have also been thinking about Stanford lately, and January 23rd, and just was curious as to what other people remember from that whole experience. During personal study a couple of days ago I took the time to write down that experience and how it strengthed my testimony in the restored gospel. (A Preach my Gospel activity) It was quite the recollection of events and I am surprised at how much detail I remember from that experience, but at the same time I am not surprised.

Last Sunday was really windy with winds of 65+ mph. During Sacrament meeting, more than 104 tumble weed blew past the window... Yes I counted... O_o

Also Mom and Dad, I was curious as to what led you to move to New Hampshire.

So on to the rest of the email now.

Happy Birthday Brad!!! I hope you enjoy the card I sent you. :P I thought it was funny.

So we had a moving day this past week, and I think I have made a mistake in staying at the house. Before, every time I was transferred from an area, I didn't have a choice I had to move and then this one time that I do have a choice in the matter I still moved... It is different situation here in Hobbs since the Spanish Branch is dependent, but I feel like I need to remain in English for several people specifically. The Rodriguez family, the Ponders, the Prietos... I am going to see if I can still switch back so I can remain there but I am a little nervous as to what Elder Kenyon and Elder Olvera will think.... I really love the area.

I really hope my Visa comes soon. I have been praying for it, and I know that there have been mission wide fasts going on in Brasil for Visas. It could potentially come any day! Thank you Mom for including that in your fast this Sunday. Hopefully it'll come today or next week.

I'm so pumped for General Conference!!! I'm extremely excited for it! Its going to be awesome!

We're having a baptism tonight! Sara Powell will finally be baptized! It'll be awesome. I'm giving a talk on the Holy Ghost. She has such a strong testimony in the priesthood and in the restored church and the Book of Mormon. Seeing her faith and testimony has been a great experience, and I am glad that I have had the opportunity to be a part of her conversion.

Israel Perez, Sister Rodriguez's husband, is another person we are hoping to be able to baptise soon. Their family loves us. We are extremely great friends and they love having us over. I am so glad that they started coming to church as well, and I hope they continue to come even after we all leave Hobbs. I'm going to have to visit Hobbs after my mission, there are so many amazing people here.

Love you all very much and I am so glad to be able to serve the Lord as a missionary. This is a great and marvelous work, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Missionary work is a blessing to be a part of.

I hope everything is going well with y'all (heheh) back at home. Maybe my visa will come soon and I'll be able to call you then! Hopefully!

Love you,

Love Elder Phillip Larsen

P.S. Sorry about the lack of pictures this time... I'll send some next week!

Feb 24, 2011 - Hobbs New Mexico Week 8 - Mission Week 24

Querdio Familia,

This week has been pretty great too. Missionary service has been going well, although we have still been having slow days with a lot of finding that appears to be unfruitful. But we are trying to find more people to teach.

Yesterday we went on exchanges with the Spanish Elders, Elder Olvera, Elder Miller, and I went in Spanish's area, and Elder Kenyon and Elder Walker went to English's area. It was a good experience, however, we knocked on a door with a lady from the Church of Christ who really only wanted to bash with us. We would listen to her when she would speak, but then when we tried to speak she would interrupt us and start getting angry... It was rather funny after the whole thing ended, but it got me rather mad at how closed she was and how deaf she was to what we were saying. Needless to say, she is not ready to hear the gospel yet in her life but it is sad to know that she rejected it when we were giving it to her. I have often read about Alma, or Ammon, and other missionaries in the Book of Mormon that were rejected by a city and how they were distraught and angered but were comforted by the Lord that they had been doing their job and the agency of those they teach was the reason they didn't listen.

We cleaned our apartment! Well the living room. At Zone Conference, President Robison was talking about how we need to get rid of our couches and comfy chairs because they are a distraction in the apartment. So we did! Now our apartment is Hobbs HQ and it looks awesome! We have a glass table with a map of Hobbs in the glass so during planning and stuf we can see it.

This week has had several similar days where we have gone looking for hours so there haven't been too many new things happening. We got chased by 4 gigantic dogs while we were on our bikes. It was awesome! We were riding down the street, Elder Miller and Elder Walker, were on one side, and I was on the other side because I had just turned or something, well I see 4 dogs and Elders Miller and Walker rode past them and then the dogs started barking and chasing them. I sped up and past them and we were riding towards the Rodriguez's. It was really funny because it was like the stuff you hear about or see in the movies about missionary work. None of us got bit and we are all okay.

I have been getting better at journal writing since being on my mission. I need to work on working out in the morning, I have gained a tad bit of weight and it is really bothering me! O_o I'm such a baby, but I don't want my metabolism to slow down... haha... but I have been working on exersizing more regularly in the morning.

Well I'm doing great here in Hobbs. Transfers are coming up in a few weeks. I hope my visa comes before then though. I'm getting a little anxious, I know I'm still serving the Lord, but I really want to go where I was called to serve. Elder Olvera has a sweet version of Praise to the Man which has become one of my favorite songs, it is a very majestic rendition by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Sorry, this email is shorter than the other ones.

I love you all and love hearing from you every week. The weeks fly by, its pretty crazy! The work is amazing, and bringing other people closer to Christ is a blessing and a privilege.

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

Pictures:

First one, Katamari Tree! The Prince is in Hobbs!

Second one, cleaned Living Room!

Third One, Aliens in Roswell! Oh noes!

Feb 17, 2011 - Hobbs New Mexico Week 7 - Mission Week 23

Wow! I have been in an area for an entire Transfer Finally!!! Yahoo!

Woah, the time flies! I'm already 5 months through...

Querido Familia,

Thanks for all the emails and thank you so much for the package! I read the article about visas and that was nice to be able to know what more was going on, and the candy was very much enjoyed and the tie is awesome! I have quite the collection of ties now.. I left with how many? Like 10ish? I have about 18, maybe more. I'll have to count sometime. And the Thermal clothes did bring the warm weather. Yesterday it was 86 degrees out, and today it is supposed to be hot too. The whole week is supposed to be over 70 degrees so we don't have to wear our coats while working which is nice.

We're still riding our bikes. On Tuesday my bike chain just fell apart when we first started to work. Luckily the Zone Leaders were here on splits with us and I was able to use Elder White's bike while he was with the Spanish Elders here in Hobbs in Lovington. Elder White (My mission father), and Elder Densley, come on splits with us in Hobbs. It is quite the drive from Roswell too, 2 hours!

We had zone conference on Friday, and that was really good. I got to meet the zone, and finally saw Elder White for the first time since serving with him in Midland, and we got good instruction. I enjoy learning how to become a better missionary, and how to better apply the things I learn in my teaching.

On the way back from Roswell, our car had a phantom flat. It was kind of weird. We were going down a highway and then all of a sudden it sounded like we had a flat. Not only sounded, but felt like it too. We were pulled over for about 15 minutes trying to figure out what had happened. There wasn't a flat. There wasn't anything visibly wrong that we could see. There wasn't any outer damage to the car and we didn't know what happened, but whatever it was, it stopped us from being in a place at a certain time. We'll probably never know. It was quite the adventure though going to Roswell (Alien Town!)

An awesome thing happened this weekend at Church. The Rodriguez family, the ones who are inactive and we haven't been able to get come to church, came! We were greeting people in the hallway and then I saw Sam, their 10 year old son waving at us from the other end of the hallway. Then I saw their two daughters Abby and Emily, and Priscilla. Israel was working so he couldn't go, but we'll be working with him. Turns out he has not been baptized and we had some misunderstanding going on when they said their kids were baptized December of 2009. We thought they said Israel was also baptized, but... well... you know what thought did. :D

They came to church though, all 3 hours, and it was great! I really enjoyed being able to see them there! We had dinner at their house that night too and it was a much more different environment since they came to church.

The work has been going slowly this week. We haven't been able to teach too many people and have spent a lot of time looking for people to teach, knocking doors and talking to people that are outside. It is rather annoying because we aren't having too much luck. We have some potential people we'll be teaching, but it is never a convenient time to teach them right when we meet them.

I got an email from President Dias, of the Brasil Teresina Mission. I could mostly read it too without assistance! I hope my visa comes soon though because I will greatly increase in my language skills then and it will be nice to serve where I got called to serve!

To answer your question Mom about visas coming to missionaries in the TLM, only a sister going to Spain has received hers. We have four of us waiting for Brasilian visas. Hopefully they'll come soon!

Also, I am in a tripanionship with Elder Miller and Elder Walker. I am the youngest in "mission age" in Hobbs, 3 months in the field, and 5 months overall. Elder Olvera is the youngest when it comes to total mission age, but he went straight to the mission.

Well this past week overall hasn't been too eventful. I'll talk to you next week. Sorry about the shorter email!

Hopefully I'll get my visa this week.

I love you all very much and I appreciate the support you give me while serving the Lord! I know that the gospel is true and that this church is Christ's church restored on the Earth again. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and Thomas S. Monson is the prophet on the Earth today.

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

Feb 10, 2011 - Hobbs New Mexico Week 6 - Mission Week 22

Querido Familia,

I can never remember the number of weeks I've been here off hand.

This week has been pretty good, better than last weeks weather for sure. Took some getting used to doing missionary work again, well having a busy schedule. Those days off were unusual.

Zone Conference is this week in Roswell. It was going to be yesterday but because of potential bad weather, it got postponed to tomorrow (Friday the 11th)

The weather has been pretty cold here though. I was with Elder Kenyon and Elder Olvera in Lovington on Tuesday. (Lovington is like a suburb of Hobbs) When we were there, the wind really picked up and it got very very cold. The wind chill was awful. It has been quite the adventure though. Wednesday, yesterday, was pretty cold too and we didn't get to complete too much work which stunk, but we got to watch the Testaments with the Rodriquez's. That was cool. Still trying to figure out how to reactivate them. It's hard to talk about the gospel when we're there. The mom isn't too open to talking we think, even though she's been a member for her whole life. The rest of the family was baptized only a year ago, but God let us find them so we will figure it out. We just need to rely on him.

Sara's baptism was postponed to this Saturday (12th) and we're hoping that everything will all work out. She got pneumonia this week though and we haven't been able to teach her since Monday. She really has a desire to be baptized and have her son Jacob be baptized as well.

President Robison has been wanting the Hobbs house to have one of the companionships to move out so that we can be more focused. Right now 5 of us live there, and it is understandable why President wants us to move out, but it stinks. I don't know what is going to happen about all this because they found an apartment in the area, but I don't know who is moving out. We'll find out eventually. I might end up switching areas to Spanish/English for the time being... I don't know.

We had Stake Conference this last Sunday and it was really cool. It was a broadcast from Salt Lake City, and we heard from Thomas S. Monson, Elder Jensen of the Seventy, Elder Ballard, and Thomas S. Monson's daughter (Ann Dibb). After the broadcast I had the opportunity to be in the circle for Joe Ponder's ordination to the Melchezideck priesthood. I didn't know that that was happening, but it was really exciting. Also what added even more to my excitement that Sunday was that the entire Prieto family, except their oldest son who isn't a member, was at church on Sunday! Keith finally was able to get off of work and it was so cool to see them.

We also had some really awesome lessons on Sunday with those that we were teaching as well. It was a very cool day.

We had some house trouble this past week. Heh funny story actually: We went to do email and our pipes at home were frozen and so we had it on so that it would thaw out. Well, we didn't know that our drains were frozen as well. When we got back from emailing, the kitchen and nearby bathroom were covered in water and we had a waterfall coming out of our sink! Then the next day outside we had a pipe burst and had to get water shut off. Then a member came out and did the plumbing job. It was an easy fix which was convenient and we haven't had trouble since. We had to borrow Milla's shopvac to clean up the water though.

Mom, I guess even if I ask this I'll find out soon enough but did you send something last week then? Or did you wait and send it today instead? Just wondering, here in Hobbs we've been having a mail famine :/ I also thought your comment that dad emailed me about the gym was funny. "It's like a playground for adults, just without the bullies!" I'm glad you're enjoying doing that. I am not the best with keeping up with morning exersizes. I ride a bike though so that counts right? I am eating better too. I have been working on my stirfry skills and I've been experimenting with various foods too and making dishes with what I had. I've been staying healthy though so don't you worry! Milla takes care of us too.

Love you all, and thanks for all the emails! I miss you but I'm glad to be able to serve God in this noble work of bringing salvation to his children. Have a good week and I'll hear from you soon!

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

Milla and her dog

Feb 3, 2011 - Hobbs New Mexico Week 5 - Mission Week 21

Well since Ricky (Phillip's cousin serving in a mission in Brazil) said he doesn't have time to read books, I'll write a short summary that people can read, then I'll write a longer section as well.

So this week has been pretty... uneventful, yet very eventful. We set a baptismal date with a lady named Sara Powell, she also had us start teaching her son which was really cool. It is so exciting to have people you are teaching, and people with a baptismal date. Unfortunately we'll have to reschedule her baptismal date because this past Monday we started getting... SNOW! So we have been parked Tuesday, Wednesday, and today (Thursday) is P-Day. We haven't been able to teach her all the lessons and she was going to be baptized on Saturday. The weather has been pretty crazy though. Last night was -5 and the night before -2. During the day with the windchill it was -15 outside so we have been staying at Milla, our land lady's house. She has been enjoying the company. I didn't think I'd be seeing snow in Hobbs New Mexico. It has been really awesome to see snow though.

-Elder Phillip Larsen

----------

Okay, so here is the long version. :P

This last Monday before the storm started, I went on splits with the Spanish elders. We biked a total of 18 miles, I was a little tired because I realized that we go a lot less miles in our area than they do in theirs, we also went to the middle of nowhere, which had a few streets with a house on each one. Haha. The countryside is kind of weird!

We met someone to teach though out there and had a first lesson with her. She spoke only spanish though, and me with my small vocabulary of Portuguese could understand the conversation but I couldn't contribute at all. It's a little intimidating to see little children speak a language that sounds like the language I am trying to speak. The person we were teaching had a little daughter who would say stuff in Spanish to us. Being with the Spanish Elders reminded me of my first area with Elder White and Elder Simmons. Funny thing too, Elder White is now my Zone Leader because I'm in the Roswell Zone.

So like the short summary has been, we have a lot of snow... Well not a lot of snow for New England, but we're getting a lot of snow for New Mexico. I wonder if the Wilsons (in Albuquerque) have been getting this too... Perhaps. We have got about 6 inches maybe? We don't have a reliable way to find out the weather. We use this number called Tellme and it says the "Weather" for the area or whatever city we want. When we would check the past few days it would say "Clear, and it's 54 degrees with no wind." we would then go outside and know what the weather really was. We're supposed to get another storm next week too.

We've been going to Milla's house the past few days and we listened to some German folk music. The wind and the temperature are what is dangerous for us since I'm in a biking area and the Spanish Elders have a car. It was cold even to be standing outside, let alone going 10-15 mph on a bike. Not a smart idea!

So overall it hasn't been too eventful. Just staying warm. Don't worry Mom, we're warm enough at night despite the dangerous temperatures. I got 2 fleece blankets since entering the TLM and have been using those, and a comforter as well, with a scarf wrapped around my feet, a sweat shirt, long sleeved shirt as well so we're good.

Sorry. This one is a shorter email too. Nothing really to write about. I got pictures though! So I hope you enjoy those.

Love you very much, hope you're staying warm, I'm trying. Miss you, love hearing from you. You're in my prayers.

-Elder Phillip Larsen

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Picture Information:

001, Hobbs New Mexico Sign. They have one at each of the four entrances to the city.

002, In the Jehovah's Witnesses New World Translation of the Bible, they talk about slimy juices of marshmallow! Hmmm, I didn't know that is what the scripture meant! :P

003, We exited a member's house we were staying at and that is what we found so we got a ride back and its been doing that ever since.

004, The Hobbs house.

005, Our street. Snow!

006, Decepticons in Hobbs! There are Aliens in New Mexico!!! O_o

007, Self explanatory. Thought it was funny. Excuse my crude humor.

008, Hobbs District, pre-Elder Walker

Jan 27, 2011 - Hobbs New Mexico Week 4 - Mission Week 20

Querido Familia,

Not sure if I sent "New Mexico Week 4" last week, but this week is finishing up the 4th week of being here in Hobbs. I've come to really like the area, its kind of funny. 2 months out and I've been in 3 areas, and have had 6 companions. Its pretty crazy. I actually just recently got a new companion Elder Walker. He arrived yesterday, transfers were this week and all of us in Hobbs are still here. (Me, Elder Miller, Elder Kenyon, and Elder Olvera)

This week has been quite an eventful week and it's been pretty crazy. Transfers here in the TLM are by a bus run by a baptist minister I think. It is a big coach bus that takes people all across the mission and drops them off at their specific spots. I have not actually gone on that bus though. When I arrived, I got brought down to Midland from Lubbock with the AP's. I then went from Midland 4th Branch, to Midland 3rd Ward, which was a drive down the street with the Zone Leaders. Then to go to Hobbs mid-transfer, I was driven there from Midland with the AP's again. So I haven't been on the Transfer bus before, and hopefully won't because I'm hoping to get my Visa before this transfer ends. President Robison said that anyways. Not that I don't like the TLM, but I'd like to go to my assigned area soon.

This past week we worked our tails off doing as much as we could and we had great improvements. However, when Elder Kenyon reported the numbers of the week's accomplishments, the zone leaders didn't even notice the improvement from the weeks before and just focused on the bad. It is so annoying how numbers don't show how much work we do in a week. I was pretty annoyed, but whatever. I know I worked hard and was trying. Numbers don't always show the amount of work in a week.

We had the opportunity to be the Mormon movers last Friday. A family here in Hobbs is moving back to Utah, and so we helped load the moving truck. They gave us their food storage and the mother of the husband of the family gave us money enough to go out to eat. We ate at a Chinese Buffet, and one thing I thought was funny was the waitress at our table complimented me on my chopstick skills. Heather, you have taught me well. :P

Getting used to a new Elder in the companionship is always an experience, and I wish I wasn't the bottom of the food chain, still quite green, I feel like a greeny sometimes but not that often. Elder Walker is our senior companion here now. He's a pretty funny guy but I still don't know much about him yet. We have 5 people living in our house now and it's quite fun, always an adventure here at the Hobbs house!

Milla's birthday is tomorrow and we're going to go over there and have a party with her and have cake and we are working on a present for her. She loves having the missionaries over and I enjoy going over there. Lately Elder Olvera and I have been improving on our German skills which is quite fun. We also learned the name of Milla's hometown. It is, "In Ulm, um Ulm, und um Ulm Herum."

I don't know how cold it is in Austin where Bradford has been for a week, but since finding out about the crazy weather that New England has been having, I feel like a pansy for feeling cold here in 40 degree weather. I saw the weather at a member's house on how it was -80 degrees with a wind chill in some areas and that boiling water when thrown into the air instantly froze! Yikes!

Weird, I've felt like so much more has happened in the past week, yet this email seems to be shorter than the other ones.

Tomorrow we're going back to the assisted living home to do service again. They are having birthdays for the residents there, and we might be cleaning up the rock piles again :) that'll be fun.

Dinner appointments happen quite often. We are over at the Ponders often and they love having us over and we eat dinner there sometimes, same with the Rodriguez's who fed us yesterday with Wendy's. The Prieto's also feed us and love having us over. The members are really good though with the missionaries here. If we don't have a dinner appointment, we don't take dinner till after we get home around 9ish because it is a hassle riding back to the house then back to our area.

Laundry is done at the apartment, we have laundry machines here in our house so that is really convenient and nice. In other areas we use laundrymats or member's who we stay with.

I love you guys a lot, and pray for you. I'm glad you're staying warm and hope you're enjoying all that you're doing. Definitely being at the apartment is the hardest part of missionary work because that is when I get the most "Trunky/Homesick" I love going out and teaching people and visiting with the people here. Missionary work is a great thing!

I hope I addressed everything, out of time now. Love you, miss you!

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

P.S. I was quite frustrated in the car ride over here again because I forgot my camera yet again! I will make a note so I can remember to bring it next time.

I had the opportunity to watch 'Mountain of the Lord' again. Watching that movie greatly increased my appreciation of temples all around the world. The early saints struggled to have that blessing and I am so grateful for the blessings that we all recieve in the house of the Lord.

Jan 20, 2011 - Hobbs New Mexico Week 3 - Mission Week 19

Querido Familia,

So it has been quite an eventful last week, lots of stuff has been happening and the work has really sped up.

This past Monday, President Robison and Sister Robison came for District meeting and to perform interviews with the district here in Hobbs. We now have texting to text members and other missionaries in leadership and President and Sister Robison. That was a surprise, and also being able to use the internet for more than Email. We can now use Mormon.org and there is a reason for that.

They completely redid passalong cards for the website, they look pretty cool and kind of remind me of the posters in Citizens Bank which I thought was funny. The new Mormon.org site has a lot of profiles and videos and information on it that we are supposed to study 2 hours a week not during proselyting time and that is not supposed to be used during P-day. Its pretty exciting though, and kind of funny how that is exciting for missionaries but the new cards are cool. You can read up on it in the newest Ensign.

In my interview with President he said that they estimate a maximum of one more transfer until visas start coming faster. But he said that it is also somewhat of a rumor too, so I don't really know, but he said he feels very blessed for my service here in the TLM and that every day is another blessing. He said that my planner was very good for how young I am in the mission. I'm glad that my MTC teachers and the missionaries I have been with since coming here have taught me well.

Something you'll be glad to hear mom is that Sister Robison talked to us about the Word of Wisdom, specifically eating right and she scolded us for our diets and told us of several meals that we could make that were cheap that would allow us to be eating enough food in all the food groups according to a food pyramid. It was rather funny that she talked to us on that but it was good and I thought of how you'd be comforted to know that I have a mom telling me what to do here as well :P Also Milla looks out for us as well and has us come over for food too.

We did service last week and this past Tuesday. We went to an assisted living home here in Hobbs and we had to knock down piles of rocks that this one old man named Bob will make all around the building. They don't want them there but for some reason he just went crazy in the last month so he has been making those. We knocked down several hundred of them and we went back the following Tuesday and there were even more than the first time we knocked them down.

We went to sing on Tuesday to the older people and when we had sung about 15 songs from the Hymn book an old lady said, "I think it's about time that you leave." We asked if she wanted us to sing one more song before we left, but she replied quickly, "Nope. I think you should just march on out of here!" At first it came across as a little rude being told off by an old lady like that, but she thought that we were going to leave sooner like other visitors that come there. They all have a special condition there, I don't remember what it is though.

The weather here has been a little crazy! It has been freezing cold to the point where we had to stop biking because it was too cold, to being warm enough that we didn't have to wear suit coats. Last night was very warm even after the sun went down. There have also been some awesome sunsets as well.

We had a really cool experience the other day. We went to this one potential investigator, Tara, who said to come by at 5:30 that night. We went over, and they didn't answer the door even though their cars were there and we saw some of the neighbors walk in to the house. We ended up going to try another person, and eventually ran out of things to do. Elder Miller and I stopped at a corner and said a prayer asking for us to be guided on where we should go. We decided that we should go try visiting Tara again. We started riding in the direction of her house again and we went through this one intersection when someone yelled at us from her Truck. She said "Hey. You're Mormons, right? Come to my house, it's on 1417 Brecken Road."

We went over to her house and we met this awesome family that loves the missionaries. They had moved to Hobbs in about August. They are less active recent converts who lost contact with the church since moving to Hobbs. She said that she saw us the past 4 days riding. When we told her that we had prayed where we were to go, she laughed. We have visited their house several times this week and it's been fun, although it has been more "getting to know you" visits, but it has been nice to end on a good note each day.

The work has really sped up these past few days. We got some new investigators and we taught a first lesson to a lady that we met on Sunday while tracting. Then we were able to see this one person that the missionaries before us had been teaching, but then we didn't get to contact her for a while.

Everyday builds my testimony of this Gospel and that this is Jesus Christ's church established again on the Earth. This message that we are sharing is very important for all to hear, and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this wonderful work.

Sorry that this email is shorter than the others, I need to figure out how to budget my time with email reading and writing. I print out some too.

I love you lots and miss you all but I'm glad that you've been enjoying the new year,

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

Sunset


Rock piles from Bob the Builder



Me being cold, (I packed for Brasil!) :P (It hasn't been too bad.)


Elder Olvera looking at a brick pillar made by Bob as well.

Jan 13, 2011 - Hobbs New Mexico Week 2 - Mission Week 18

Dear Familia,

So this has been quite an eventful past week... well I guess uneventful depending on how you look at it. This last Monday I got sick, so did Elder Miller. We think it was something that we ate, but I woke up feeling really bad and gross. We didn't do anything that day and just to say the least it was not a pleasant experience at all. Didn't think I'd be getting this sick in New Mexico, Brasil maybe, but not Hobbs.

Hobbs is a nice little town though. The ward here is really nice and they really look after us. We had dinner last Saturday with some recent converts who we were visiting. They took us to Subway and the next day the dad wasn't able to go to church so we went to their house that evening and watched Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration.

Those movies are on the new Church Doctrine and Covenants DvD that was released, however, mine doesn't seem to work on a few of the videos. Some bug in the assembly line I guess but we haven't heard about any recall or anything. Maybe it was the DvD player we were using because, who knows. But It was fun watching that.

The work here in Hobbs is really slow, it is hard in several ways because the last 2 areas that I was in I had a companion who had been their for at least 2 months, (in Midland 3rd he had been there for 6 Months) and so with 5 weeks combined in Hobbs, it has been quite the adventure. This week I have felt really lazy too because I was sick which was a bummer, but we'll work as hard as we can for the rest of it.

Portuguese Language study has been very difficult. I saw the wisdom that President had in placing me with Elder Yorgason and Elder Thode for those 3 weeks, especially in that ward where Curtis Brown, an RM from Brasil lived. We were able to practice our Portuguese a lot, but not so much now. I am starting to lose stuff because it is really difficult to keep it up and practice alone. I hope I get my visa soon, I heard middle of January but who knows if it was a rumor or not. We'll see. Need to keep working hard here though.

We went to the Ponder's for dinner last night and had enchilladas. Reminded me of Fast Sunday back at home! :D They were really good, and it's fun being with the Ponders. They have 2 Dogs, Jackson, and Lady Bug. We go to their house every day and I get a lot of Jackson hair all over my suit. He is a puppy so he is pretty crazy and full of energy, but its fun going over there. After dinner we watched 'The Mountain of the Lord' - it is a great movie. I loved it. I like it more than Legacy despite that it is older too. It was really educational about the construction of the Salt Lake City Temple. It's so cool that the stonework isn't held together at all by mortar, and how the persecution that the saints had when they were beginning construction on it led them to find the cracking granite from the mortar. It is just so cool learning about the Temple, and the journal accounts from Wilford Woodruff were incredible and just gave me more appreciation for temples. The next time I go back to Utah, I am going to visit the Salt Lake City Temple. That movie was just really cool. If you ever get the chance to see it, watch it!

Also yesterday we got pulled over by a police officer while walking... well we were walking and he pulled over and we stopped... so I guess that is the same thing? He comes up to us and asks "Are you the guys on the bikes?" When he said that we both thought What happened to our bikes... Turns out there have been a lot of robberies going on in Hobbs so we were asked to be another set of eyes.

I also went to the dentist yesterday too, was a little worried about my teeth and wanted to get a quick check up before I get sent to Brasil so I didn't have to get teeth pulled or whatever they do down there. Nice thing is that it was a member's orthodontist practice that I went to and even though it wasn't a dentist office, he said he'd look at my teeth and he said they looked fine and he did a little sealent on one tooth and fixed a filling that had chipped on another tooth. I was very thankful that I was able to do that.

So to answer your question Mom, Elder Smart is in a car area and I am using his bike because I don't have one of my own in this mission. He will use his bike when I leave for Brasil but in the meantime I am using his. Except for yesterday, we stopped riding our bikes and locked them up for the day at a busy street because it was freezing cold! "I'm so cold... I'm shivering!" We walked yesterday and got rides from members when we could.

Also I have said a few things to Milla in German, she likes that. I told her where you were born in Germany and she grew up near there in a town called... Ulm? It is like 20 words long but if you know about Germany you know where it is. We went over here house yesterday and she gave us German Christmas cookies she got from her cousin in Germany. They were tasty although very different from American cookies. They had apricots in the middle and I don't remember what else. Here in Hobbs, the Elders have a joke "You remember that one time at Milla's house..." The visits that we have there are hilarious! She had a duel of words with Elder Olvera, one of the spanish Elders here. It was really funny.

That's crazy the amount of snow that you got this past week! We had flurries one day for like 5 minutes in Texas. It was quite exciting :P It has been overcast the past few days here in Hobbs but today is sunny and that is good. Lots of snow though. That is good that you're getting more now.

I love you all and have been missing home a bit more lately but don't worry I'm still enjoying doing missionary work. I wonder when I'll get my visa :( I hope it is soon! I hope you're all enjoying the New Year.

Sorry if this email was shorter than other ones.

Love you all (Y'all) a lot; love hearing from you!

Love Elder Phillip Larsen

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P.S. Sorry, I forgot my Camera this week I'll email more pictures next week. Whoops! O_o

Quote of the Week - "You do not know how you can affect the lives of those you interact with."

I may not see those I meet and teach get baptized but I won't know what happens to them down the road if they will join the church but in every mission you bring people closer to Christ. That is the missionary Purpose.

Help people come closer to Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.

Jan 6, 2011 - Hobbs New Mexico Week 1 - Mission Week 17

From: Phillip Larsen phillip.larsen@myldsmail.net
Date: Thu, Jan 6, 2011 at 1:22 PM
Subject: New Years Greetings from... New Mexico?!

Oi Familia!

That's right! I got transferred in the middle of the transfer and now I'm in Hobbs New Mexico family!Because of that I will not be able to pick up mail/packages that you may have sent to the previous address that I was at. :( But its pretty crazy that now I'm in New Mexico!

The town is about 30,000 people in all. How many people live in Nashua New Hampshire? I feel like it was bigger than Midland but at the same time not. Do you know what it is? We have a lot more Walmarts, Targets, Home Depots, and stuff like that than Midland did or Hobbs does so I think it has more people. I know Nashua is bigger than Hobbs.

The people here in Hobbs are really nice. The ward is pretty awesome, although I haven't met too many of them. I'm with another Elder, Elder Miller who has been in Hobbs for 3 weeks and I have been in for almost a week now so it is quite the adventure finding people and getting around the town. We live in a house that is owned by "The Sweetest Old German Lady" as Elder Urry, my last district leader said. (He served in Hobbs in his first area.) Her name is Milla, and she has a pretty heavy German accent and she has a dog that is part German Shepard and part Wolf named Baron. We go over there every once in a while and she likes to feed us Chicken nuggets and french fries. She is a very funny person.

Well I'm on a bike again, I took Elder Smart's bike, the one I have been using in Midland, to Hobbs NM and I am using it here now. I also forgot my gloves in Midland so I'm borrowing Elder Olvera's, a spanish Elder here in Hobbs. 2 Companionships live in the house we are at and it is quite the adventure.

My new address is:

Elder Phillip Larsen

1520 San Andres Dr.

Hobbs, NM 88240

So there that one is. I don't know how long I'll be here either.

To answer questions about Visas, I don't know much if anything about it. Another Brasilian Elder came to the TLM and said that 3 members of the quorum of the Seventy are down in Brasil trying to sort it out, and more visas should be coming in, in the middle of January. I don't know how legit that is but we'll find out.

New Years eve was spent packing and playing Settlers of Catan. It really sucked having to pack, I really loved the area I was in but despite that this area is pretty awesome too. Moving around is not my favorite aspect of being a missionary but I'm going to have to live with it. It just stinks having to leave investigators and members that you get attached to and like being around but in every area you find people that you like visiting and teaching. The work though in Hobbs is off to a slow start because we don't really know the area at all.

I was reading in the Book of Mormon about Christ coming to the Americas or being born and how the people were going through many cycles of extreme righteousness and extreme wickedness. Alma 48-49 talks about being watchful of how we act. We need to fortify the weaknesses we have and always prepare. Moroni fortified the weak cities of the Nephite nation so when Amalakiah sent his armies, they were surprised to find that the areas that were the weakest are now strong and formidable. We always need to be working on ourselves. Ether 12 is one of my favorite chapters, specifically verses 4, 6, 12, and 27. In verse 4, Faith creates hope for a better world and makes an anchor in the storms of the world that we are in. In verse 6, we need to take that first step of faith to receive an answer or a witness on things like praying about the Book of Mormon, attending church, anything that we commit investigators to do requires faith and action before they'll receive a witness. Verse 12 talks on how miracles are dependant on the faith of the people. God will not perform a miracle if you have no faith. Verse 27 is a scripture mastery and talks about weaknesses becoming strengths through the help of the Lord.

I am going to be asked to talk again in Sacrament meeting this next week I think. Not the same though as speaking at Stake Conference! O_o I spoke on Missionary work and having members speak. I only really got to speak for about 2 minutes which I was pretty thankful for because I woke up to Elder Thode saying that I was speaking in Sacrament meeting that day. It is really cool though speaking by the Holy Ghost in any setting. When that happens everyone is edified and learns something new, and the person you are teaching feels the spirit because listening to promptings and acting on it makes it so you say the things that people need to hear that specific moment in a lesson or in whatever setting it is.

As for new years goals... I haven't really though about it. We make a lot of Goals as missionaries, daily, weekly, monthly, the mission has yearly goals and we made 400 baptisms last year. I just want to learn Portuguese better and be the best missionary I can be. As for Portuguese studies, it is a lot harder again to keep up with that diligently since Elder Yorgason is still in Midland and I don't see Curtis Brown anymore. That was the most practice I got in my last area. I do hope I get my visa soon.

Sorry, out of time now. I'll have to update you on more next week. I started getting emails from Brasil, already told you that but I don't know what that means. In Hobbs now, love you guys and miss you. That is awesome that you got to talk to the Wilsons for New Years eve. I did get the package that they sent and did M&M fortunes with my Companions. Fun stuff! :D Talk to you all later, miss you! Love you!

Love,

Elder Phillip Larsen

P.S. Personal Study picture! :P We take some silly pictures sometimes.