phillip.larsen@myldsmail.net
Date: Thu, Dec 23, 2010 at 12:38 PM
Subject: Another Week in Texas
12-23-2010
Minha Querido Familia,
So these past few weeks have really flown by. Last week on Tuesday was
when Transfers occurred and its already almost 2 weeks into this
Transfer and I have already come to love the ward here. The members
are very helpful and it is nice to be able to understand Sacrament
meeting and classes fully. Elder Yorgason, Elder Thode, and I have
been enjoying biking as well. Elder Thode has been in this area for 6
months already so he knows all the members pretty well and that has
been a great help because Elder Yorgason and I have only been in Texas
a little over a month! The time really flies by though. Time is always
ticking even during those long hours of tracting and its pretty crazy
that we're coming up on 4 months on our missions already.
We're officially not labelled as greenies anymore, well I don't feel
like a greeny really. We participate a lot in the lessons that we
teach. Right now we have a few investigators and end up needing to go
finding a lot but that has been unfruitful because of the time of year
it is. We are teaching a 40ish (Not sure of his age) year old man
named James, he has had a problem with smoking for some time but a
couple days ago, I think it was Sunday, we had him smash his last
cigarettes on his front porch. We asked him how he felt and he said:
James - "Embarrassed"
Us - "Why?"
James - "Because it had to come to that. I felt like a child"
He overall though felt very happy that he was able to do that and he
has a strong testimony. Right now he has a baptismal date for the 1st
of the year, I hope everything works out for that to happen.
Matt and Teresa are our other solid investigators who we have regular
lessons with. Elder Thode wasn't able to visit them for about a month
because they just had a baby and she was a premie (Don't know if that
is spelled correctly) but she's a month and a half old now and we've
been able to visit them and teach them. They have been accepting the
different things that we have taught them and they understand the
doctrine behind a lot of the principles of the gospel. They also have
a strong desire to turn their lives around and they have stuff to
change before baptism but we're working with them for January 8th.
We are back in our apartment now too. Well we actually live with a
member, but they have a small apartment-like house behind their house
that the missionaries stay in. It was already crammed with Elder Thode
and his previous companion but now we have 3 missionaries in there,
but it is pretty awesome. Right now it is a mess because we officially
moved in there yesterday and we've been organizing it but we'll
eventually get settled completely.
One less active part member family had given Elder Thode a Christmas
tree replica of the tree in Charlie Brown Christmas. I'll be sure to
take pictures of it and send them next week. Also I will take pictures
of the apartment and a couple of houses. Also speaking of houses to
answer your question Heather, and also something pretty different
about houses here than in NH Brad, more than half of the houses here
in Texas are brick houses, although I think that it is just a layer of
brick around the entire house, but they look pretty cool. Houses here
do not have basements or second floors usually, (of course with a few
exceptions on the second floor) There are a lot of huge houses here
too, some of them have gigantic castle-like walls around them too.
I got the package yesterday that you sent and thanks a bunch! Also
thank you a lot for the 12 days of Christmas, that has been very fun
being able to open a thing each day. We did have a slinky race today
right before studies and I've enjoyed the candy as well!
We had a Christmas party here, a ward breakfast and it went really
well. It was on the same day as our ward (Nashua 1st) too I think.
They had breakfast and then we had a talent show. Elder Yorgason is
really good at playing piano and played a carol of the bells
rendition. I didn't do anything but I watched. Also there was the
silent choir of the monks and they were all dressed like the monks
from Monty Python and they had boards with different syllables and
words from the Hallelujah Chorus. It was very funny to watch, I have
it recorded on my camera but I can't email those files. They're too
big. I'll have to make a disc and mail that home eventually.
Another Brasilian-going Elder came to the Texas Lubbock Mission (TLM)
and he brought some news that could very well be just rumors about
visa situations. Apparently there are 3 members from the Quorum of the
Seventy there trying to fix the problems with the Brasilian government
and they're expecting a lot of visas to come by the middle of January.
It could be longer or shorter but I don't know.
I had more Menudo (Cow Stomach) soup. In fact, last Friday we went to
the Spanish Branch's ward Christmas dinner and earlier that day at
Matt and Teresa's we were also fed Menudo. It is still weird to me but
it wasn't as shocking as the first time I had it. We have also been
eating at a lot of members houses which was nice. The people here in
Texas are really nice as well.
At the Jones when we were staying there, it reminded me of home
because their bathroom has the same tile stuff we have on the upstairs
bathroom and they had the same glasses that were used for the prayer
cup until it broke. It was very nice staying there though because we
were with other missionaries as well which is always fun. That is
something that was nice in the MTC is that you always would see your
district, and we had a good district too. Some of the missionaries had
really bad experiences in the MTC but I loved my district.
Midland 2nd Ward just recently had 3 baptisms that we were able to
attend. One of them was a younger man who came to church on his own
alone and then took the lessons from the missionaries. The service for
that one was very cool. The other 2 baptisms were 2 members of a
family and the mom is still working towards baptism. Attending those
services is so nice because you see the amazing happiness that people
recieve.
Today and yesterday have been quite cold compared to other weeks. It
hasn't rained still but the sky is very cloudy. We won't have a white
Christmas here I'm sure.
What is new in the Ward now? How is everybody doing? The Christmas
party and the Christmas Sacrament meeting sounded like they went well.
We had a sacrament meeting program as well but I miss the cantata that
we do in Nashua. How was the Pageant? Do you have any pictures from
it? Has it snowed yet?
That makes sense for the origin of the word. Trunky in this mission
means that you've packed your bags, thinking of home, and losing focus
and having a hard time working. I am not that trunky, my district
leader right now who has 1 transfer after this one left is pretty
trunky though, well that is what I heard but he is working hard and
doing well with that.
I feel bad asking for stuff as well and I really appreciate the
letters and packages you have sent me too, could you send pictures of
family and friends every once in a while as well? I really like the
pictures you sent with one of those packages at the MTC. Pictures are
just really nice to have.
Every day my Testimony grows stronger for the importance of this work.
When I teach people and see their lives improve as they start living
the principles of the Gospel, I find that I can relate more with Ammon
and the Sons of Mosiah. Bringing this message brings people happiness
and being able to do that is such a blessing and privilege. I don't
know if I expressed my experience when Mike came to the MTC but when
we met each other I felt like Alma and the Sons of Mosiah when they
met on the road and rejoiced because they were still strong in the
Gospel. I think I did say this in a previous email but it will be an
awesome time coming home and being able to see you all again after my
mission and the ward and friends.
I love you guys very much. This season is hard as a missionary even
though we get to call home for an hour because Christmas is a time
that you spend with family, but I am going to be gone for it :( But,
I really enjoy the packages you sent, and don't worry I'm waiting for
Christmas to open it. :D Love you a lot, and miss you guys. I hope you
have an enjoyable Christmas and that this month has been great and
enjoyable for you all! Talk to you on Saturday!!!
Love,
Elder Phillip Larsen
(or for Julia, Elder Brother Phillip Edward Larsen the First.) ;P
Quote for the week - "You become what you want to be when you are
being what you want to become" - Richard G. Scott
Picture Information:
That car we saw just in a parking lot here in Midland. It didn't look
like it was unintentional either O_o Carbomb? I don't really know.
Brad, I saw this "SAS Factory" sign near the mall in Midland. I found
the source of all Sas(s)! :P I thought you'd enjoy that.
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