Week Twenty Nine

(To begin this week's message, Eric chastises us for missing the Pioneer Day Concert):

No comments on the Pioneer Day Concert? I guess you guys didn't watch it.  That makes me feel bad because I went to it and it was really good.  I even got a picture of Thomas S Monson:

(If Eric says he got a picture of President Monson, then I believe him...)

(Eric on the changes to missionary dress standards):

No I didn't hear anything about the new changes but when stuff like that usually happens we're just told that it doesn't apply to us usually.  Like when it was announced that all missionaries are allowed to e-mail friends, that doesn't apply to us.  That's probably why I haven't gotten any letters from friends since like the beginning of June.  Nobody seems to want to write to me anymore.  That or it just seems like that now because I have to hand everyone in my district their mail and it seems like everyone gets more mail than me.

Eric's mission address is:
Elder Eric Larson 
c/o FCHH Mission
JSMB-East 3rd Floor
Attn: Young Missionary Directors
15 E. South Temple St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84150-346

(Eric on being a district leader):

One of the most stressful parts of organizing a district meeting is that I do have to assign elders things to do.  One person needs to give a spiritual thought, another a doctrinal instruction, and then I give the district leader's instruction.  Oh and I have to assign prayers and stuff.  And I have to open the floor to testimonies at the end which means we usually just sit there for like 5 minutes not saying anything. 

(Eric on the information about the McBride family that she compiled and sent to him):

Thanks for all that info you sent.  I'm not trying to be rude but I knew all of that already.  In fact I posted all that stuff on FamilySearch in May but I guess nobody noticed.  It still worked out though because Elder Call really liked reading them.  And he couldn't believe how many books on my family are here at the library.

(Eric commenting on Eli Blair and Kyle Line's "farewell" talks last Sunday):

Also I didn't even know Eli and Kyle were going on missions let alone where they're going.  So hopefully that's included in the letter because I'd like to know.  And if you've told me already then I've already forgotten.

(Eric on the Pioneer Day Concert):

Anyway I told you about the Pioneer Day Concert.  Nathan Pacheo has an incredible voice and I enjoyed his songs. Lindsey Stirling is talented and I enjoyed watching her but as someone pointed out, watching a self-proclaimed "hip hop violinist" dance around the stage in strange garb in plumes of smoke doesn't really remind us of our pioneers...but it was still an excellent concert.

Here's some pictures of a feral kitten that's currently roaming around Temple Square:

The poor thing's terrified of humans so I had a really hard time trying to get him, and I never managed to.  I don't know what I would of done if I did manage to grab him though.

Also here's a picture of Elder Liddiard because I remember you asking if I had one:

I remembered yesterday evening that you were wondering if I had one and no I didn't but then I ran into him and said, "I'm going to take a picture of you okay Elder Liddiard?" and he smiled without asking any questions because that's how cool he is.

Oh and I got some cavities drilled by Dr. Liddell yesterday and will have some more done next Monday.  This is going to sound weird but he is the best dentist I've ever had.  I don't know how but he managed to numb me without giving me any excruciating pain.  He's also a pretty hilarious guy. When I braced as he put a q-tip in my mouth he was all like, "Don't worry this is just a q-tip, the harpoon comes next."  And instead of wandering off while the numbing sets in he just stayed and talked with me the whole time.

Anyway I think that's all I've got.  I had really bad indigestion last night so I didn't get much sleep so I'm kind of out of it today so hopefully this message is comprehensible.

Love, Elder Larson

Week Twenty Eight

Eric continues to adjust to life as a district leader.

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I'm still trying to fit into my groove.  Yesterday's district meeting didn't go very well.  It was like trying to calm down a group of primary children so that they would listen to my lesson, except I'm dealing with 20 something year old missionaries who should know better.  

I actually found out that if I really wanted to, I could gain permission to go out of mission boundaries and go to a zoo or a museum or something.  But here's what I did last Saturday.

Elder Menke and I got permission to leave the mission boundaries so we could go to...Staples.  They sell fountain pens there and he wanted one.  I figured I'd be nice and go along (I ended up buying one too because they were cheap.)  The green-line Trax allows three free zone stops from City Creek to the Matheson Court House.  From there we had to walk 10 blocks to our local Staples on 400 S.  It was a very interesting walk.  Virtually every car that drove by us honked and waved at us.  We even had a car roll down their window and a bunch of screaming girls yelling about how much they loved us as they drove past.  When we got our pens it started raining really hard on our way back and we got soaked.  But when we finally got home the rain stopped and the sun was out and shining because it's Utah.  So yes I walked about 20 blocks to buy a pen and I got my suit soaked during it.

(Brian's note: A round trip pass to ride TRAX is $5.00. I suppose that walking 20 blocks and getting soaked in the rain was worth saving five bucks.)

Umm yes I already knew that Robert McBride was baptized by the first missionaries that arrived in England and the McBride family was very close to Orson Hyde and Heber C. Kimball.  Robert McBride III was baptized in the River Ribble and was one of the first converts in all of Britain.  At the time they lived in Churchtown which is a town in the parish in North Meols which is now basically the modern Southport area which is close to Preston.  Church history says that a minister in Preston who was a relative of Heber C. Kimball knew that all the churches had gone astray and he and his congregation had been praying and fasting for many months for true messengers from God to give them the answer.  We don't have evidence but  I think they went to Preston to go to church because they didn't really agree with any of the churches and were looking for an answer...and they got it. 

They moved back to Robert McBride III's hometown in Scotland when Janetta was born because she was very sick.  They had already lost two children at very young ages before Janetta and they thought being in the quiet town of Rothesay next to the ocean would be good for her health.  It evidently was because she got better.  I don't know any of the details of Janetta's baptism either but I do know she was blessed and named by Brigham Young.  

Also you have been asking for some journals.  I found a giant family history book about all of the McBrides called "Against Great Odds."  I found it on the internet as well here:

History of the McBrides

Heber McBride gives the longest and best account of their journey to Utah. So there you go.

Elder Liddiard is from Springville, Utah.  I don't think I have any pictures of us yet but I'll fix that next week.  In fact I'll take a bunch of pictures next week because I haven't sent any in forever.

I know I said I'd shut up about wanting stuff forever but can I request for some Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein Powder? I bought some at Walmart the other day and it helped me gain a ton of weight when I was working out.  I now weigh 140 pounds.  I want to buy some more but I can't afford it.

(Brian's note: This reminds of the following exchange between Jerry Seinfeld and Bania:

BANIA: I've been working out. Went from a size 40 to a 42. 

JERRY: No kidding. 

BANIA: Yeah, I'm huge.)

Thanks for the letter of encouragement.  Being a district leader is still hard and stressful but everyone says I'm doing a good job.  So I'll keep doing what I'm doing.  

Love, Elder Larson

Week Twenty Seven

Brian's Note: Eric's p-day was changed from Thursdays to Tuesdays. We got his email this past Tuesday afternoon when we were wandering around Hogle Zoo. Then I forgot to update the blog until today because I'm dumb.

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I realized on (Friday I think it was) that I forgot to tell everyone that my p-day was changed.  So I went to ask Elder Andersen if I he could notify my family because I forgot to tell him and he's all like, "Okay...how am I supposed to do that?"  And I say, "Uhh, don't you have my mom's e-mail or number or something?"  He says, "What's your mom's phone number." and he picks up the phone with me still standing there.  And so I say, "I can only remember my home phone number."  And I gave it to him right there.  So he calls home and Katie answers and he tells her, all while I was standing awkwardly in the office with him.  So yeah he's still a little bit new but he's getting better.

My p-day was changed because Tuesday is the easiest p-day to deal with when you're a district leader because it's right after when you give your district meeting on Monday and you can cool down and take care of your weekly district leader report while taking care of other p-day things right after.  So they were doing it to be nice to me.  I just forgot to tell you about the change is all.

I've seen [a picture of] the storage shed.  I told Dad that it's cool that we have one because, "I've always wanted to be a storage shed kind of family.  I have no idea what I mean by that but I'm just saying."

Here is the shed Eric is talking about. This was my father's day present that I had to put together myself. It took Andrew, Andrew's friend Kendall, and me several hours to finish it.

And here is the shed with some stuff in it, including the shelves I put together.

And Elder Liddiard has forbidden me to talk to him about my family combined with The Aquabats! because of how jealous and envious you made him, and he says those aren't healthy emotions for a missionary.

Yes, the Larson family loves The Aquabats!

(Just so you're aware, Elder Liddiard is probably one of the funniest, friendliest, and coolest persons I've ever met. He was made a district leader about 2 weeks before me. So that's 2 newly assigned district leaders after only being out for 6 months.  Which is pretty crazy now that I think about it.)

Speaking of the Zions Bank building (see Salt Lake City Falcons for more info), that's where I go to cash my checks. They also have foreign currency exchange in case Andrew is still wishing to exchange that yen he's been carrying around with him since he got home from Japan. It's also a very shiny building so I can see why a newly flying falcon can get confused and fly right into it. And no I haven't seen any rescuers yet but I still see the signs everywhere that they're on patrol.

Have fun redecorating and stuff (Note: Molly and I have been doing some painting). I don't have much to talk about either because we pretty much just barely talked. I conducted and taught my first district meeting yesterday. It went well I guess, I just wish I could get my elders to participate more. If Elder Davis wasn't in my district I don't know if anyone would say anything.

And we watched a movie on 4th of July. "The Ultimate Gift" it's called. You should watch it for family home evening or something because it's pretty good.

Love,
Elder Larson

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Brian's Note: Here are a couple of things Eric said in his email to me:

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I told Mom what's up with the new p-day and I don't feel like retyping it because I have like no time.

You know what else is stressful about this job?  Having one of the elders in your very district read your e-mail from behind your shoulder out loud telling everyone that "Elder Larson finds his job as district leader very hard and stressful!"  Luckily I do realize how important it is to be compassionate so I managed to keep my cool, and tell him why that wasn't a good thing to do.

So far I've had about 5 elders come up to me and say, "Hey my mom reads your blog."  And I'm always like, "It's not my blog!  It's my dad's blog about me!" So yeah apparently everyone is going to find it at some point.

I don't know what else to talk to you about either.

Love,
Elder Larson

Week Twenty Six

Molly had an unintentional encounter with Eric on Saturday, June 29. The whole family was on the way to the Vans Warped Tour, but we stopped at the Family History Library to drop off a package (a pull-up bar that fits in a doorway) for Eric. Molly had told Eric in a previous email that we would leave it at the front desk for him. But a senior missionary didn't seem to understand what Molly was doing and here is how she describes what happened:

Please forgive me for breaking the rules and delivering a package in person.  I had no intention of doing that, but Elder Harris at the front desk didn't seem to understand what I was asking him to do.  I said I had a package for Elder Larson, who works in British Services.  I asked if they at the desk could hold on to the package until Elder Larson, who knows the package will be there, can take it home.
Elder Harris:  "Oh, are you part of his family?"
Me:  "Yes.  I'm his mom."
Elder Harris:  "Well I'm sure he's working down there.  Just take the elevator on down."
Me:  "But . . . um . . . then I might . . . see him."
Elder Harris:  "Yes, yes.  I'm sure he's there.  Just take it on down."
Me:  Looking confused, then looking at the other senior missionaries standing around the desk and smiling at me.  "Uh . . . ok."
So I warily approached the elevator, thinking security was going to tackle me any second.  On the ride down, I wondered if you might be busy somewhere with your back turned and I could just leave the box on the desk.  Nope.  The elevator dinged, I stepped out, and the surprised look on your face was priceless!  Your teeth look fabulous.  I hope you didn't get in trouble and get demoted.  And I hope the other missionaries aren't upset, either.

And now, Eric's latest message to the family:

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Being a district leader is very hard, and very stressful.  There are a lot of elders here with problems that I now have to try and help fix.  For example there is one elder who will go to Temple Square by himself and just flirt with the sister missionaries all day.  He's been caught and scolded so many times that they've actually banned him from Temple Square.  Yet there I see him walking over there to talk to some sisters.  I had to drag him away and it was really awkward for all of us.  Then I had to report him of course.

Last Thursday and Friday were really hard days.  On Friday, two elders were sent home early with a dishonorable release because they continued to disobey the rules.  One of them and I were actually really good friends.  Seeing him sent home early was really hard to see and I was pretty depressed on Friday.  So when you came down [on Saturday] and accidentally saw me I probably looked pretty burned out.

Let me tell you something about our mission.  The old people are not aware of how we young elders operate...like at all.  Which is why the night before I told all the young elders in hosting services (the guys that work on the main floor) to look out for you because they'll know you're not supposed to see me.  Elder Tabor, a young elder, actually saw you and thought about interfering because he knew that he was supposed to be looking out for you.  But he thought to himself, "That lady looks too young to be Elder Larson's mom."  So take that as a compliment I guess.  Anyway once you left I went upstairs to complain to him and he was all like "Aww man that was your mom?!"  and then we talked to Elder Harris about how he wasn't supposed to do that and he apologized and admitted he was in the wrong.  So no I didn't get in trouble and when I told the APs they just laughed and rolled their eyes with me when it came to our dear seniors working here.  You didn't do anything wrong don't worry.

My pull-up thingy works fine and I got it together well.  It's good to hear Andrew had a good birthday, I guess.

Dad sent me a very vivid report of your trip [to the Vans Warped Tour] and it sounded very exciting.  Elder Liddiard is a huge fan of the Aquabats (and has been since he was like 8, and he's currently 24) and when I showed them all the pictures of the girls with the Aquabats! he nearly strangled me with excitement   (He basically rocked me back and forth in my office chair telling me how cool that was but he wanted me to send you an e-mail saying he almost strangled me because he found that so exciting.)  He also said he's a fan of Reel Big Fish and got even more excited when he saw that. He also said that he couldn't believe that everyone in our family likes bands like that (bands like The Aquabats!).  He says he wishes he was born in our family (jokingly). 

It's been a long week.  I'm still a district leader obviously but everyone says I'm doing fine.

Today we're doing a big indexing extravaganza and we as young missionaries are trying our best to get in as many names as we can. (woo.)  Tonight we're going to be watching the movie "The Ultimate Gift" and we're having a big dinner.  And I think that's about it.  

It took me forever to type this because I'm so busy right now but I enjoyed hearing about your week.

Love, Elder Larson

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Eric didn't send any pictures this week, so I'll just post a couple of pictures of our "Super Rad" encounter with The Aquabats! at Vans Warped Tour:

After waiting and waiting in the 105 degree heat, The Aquabats! finally take the stage (left to right: Ricky Fitness, MC Bat Commander, Crash McLarson, and Jimmy the Robot)

Eagle "Bones" Falconhawk plays guitar while the MC Bat Commander sings.

MC Bat Commander battles a giant cactus while Janetta, Becca, and Andrew watch from the front row (the rest of us were there too, but we are hidden behind the Commander).

This is how close we were to the stage. That's Katie, Janetta, and friend Miah on the front row. Becca, Andrew, and Brian are behind on the second row. This picture was taken by a Salt Lake Tribune photographer. You can find the original at The Salt Lake Tribune. This picture is number 29 in the slideshow.

Janetta was so overcome to finally meet her idols that she could barely speak. She gave each member of the band a picture that she drew of them. In this picture, Ricky Fitness has the picture Janetta drew of him and Crash McLarson is signing her helmet. MC Bat Commander said that they would put Janetta's drawings on their Instagram page. 

It was a dream come true for Janetta to have her picture taken with the band.

Katie also had a picture taken with the band.

And Becca too.