Week Twenty Five

Eric has big news this week!

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I don't know if the Gibbs have noticed this yet but I was shocked to find Elder Gibb in a church news article on lds.org: http://www.lds.org/church/news/elder-andersen-says-asia-members-faith-shines-like-light-on-hill?lang=eng

(Our next door neighbor serving a mission in India)

Big changes are going on in the mission right now.  And on Wednesday I found out that I was part of it.

Elder Scotto is now on a plane going home.  I got my last picture with him on Monday:

And I got to say goodbye to him last night too but I didn't get to see him this morning.  

On Monday when I got back to my zone from lunch, one of our Senior Elders came up to me and asked, "Are you Elder Larson?" I looked down at my name tag and said, "Yes."  Then he said someone called for me but he didn't know who I was so the person on the phone said they'd try another number.  When I asked him if he knew who it was [who had called] he said he didn't know.

So I went back into my staff area to use a phone and called Elder Davis to see if it was someone at the mission office.  He put me on hold. TWENTY minutes later he picked up, and while laughing really hard with the other APs laughing in the background (his phone is always on speaker), he asked if I was still there.  I was like, "...Yeah..." and that made them laugh even harder.  Apparently Elder Davis found out the answer real easily but then got distracted and forgot all about me being on hold so he apologized several times, but now it's a really funny story we like telling people.

Anyway, Elder and Sister Andersen were trying to reach me.  When they called the British Reference Desk "They're supposed to call my Zone Leader but whatever" and were told that they don't know me, they thought they did something wrong because they're still learning.

Anyway, anyway, not only did I have a cleaning appointment with the dentist on Tuesday that I had no idea about (Elder Andersen asked if I wanted a cleaning appointment and I said yes but I guess I should have made it clear that I thought we were talking in a couple of months here) but I was also told that President Peterson wanted to see me on Wednesday.

So on Tuesday I went to the dentist again and got a cleaning, and I found out I had two cavities because I need to floss better....sorry...but for the record Dr. Liddell says that every one of his patients gets cavities because they need to floss better.  He also gave me some prescribed fluoride toothpaste right there for no charge because he said I could use it, he's a really nice guy. So sorry about the random dentist bills you'll be getting.

AND NOW HERE'S THE BIG CHANGE PART

So I went and talked with President Peterson on Wednesday and guess what?  He made me a district leader!  I'm replacing Elder Peterson as a district leader because he leaves at the end of July (he's the one in the picture you sent me strangely enough.)  So yeah, I'm a district leader.  Here's my district:

The gist of what I have to do is conduct regular district meetings with my district on Mondays.  Assign elders in my district spiritual thoughts, ip talks, etc.  And I have to prepare a lesson myself every Monday.  I also have to go to everyone in my district at 9:00 PM every day, bring them their mail, makes sure they're all doing okay and that their apartments are clean, and to check them in.  (Not allowed to go outside after district leader checks you in.)  Then I report to the APs who report to the Brandons, well Andersens now because Elder and Sister Brandon are officially released from that position but they'll still be hanging around until about August though.  

As a district leader elders are also allowed to come to me for counsel, which is a little bit frightening, but I think I can handle it.  

Also as a last hurrah to our presidency the district leaders, aps, Brandons, Andersens, and President and Sister Peterson went to Olive Garden at 11:30 today.  (I became a district leader at the right time apparently.)  I got some pictures of that:

They wouldn't stop moving.

They're not forks, they're "threeks!"

This was the tip pile.

Anyway, so yes I'm quite excited and humbled by these changes.  I haven't met President Workman yet but he I heard him say that he's not going to change anything until he understands completely how this mission operates, so for now we're just going to be continuing with what we're doing until further notice.

The JSMB is indeed closed on Saturdays so I think the library wouldn't mind getting a package for me. 

Thank you about the story about the turtle and I hope Viktor is well.  Yes all reptiles can be carriers of disease but that's why you wash you hands after handling them, and I'm sure pet stores are much cleanlier than they were back then.

Love you too and have fun at the AquaBats,

(Note: The Larson family is going to see The Aquabats! at the Vans Warped Tour this Saturday -- Super Rad!)

Elder Larson

Week Twenty Four

Eric got his teeth this week and he's very proud of them.

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Yes I finally got my teeth.  Which means 20 years of work is finally done, and I don't have to worry about orthodontic work ever again.  (Hopefully.)

I have no explanation as to why I move so much either.  I even asked Elder Davis why I move so much and he was surprised at how much I moved and I said, "But you're the one making the decisions to move me around! What do you mean you don't know why I'm moving around so much?"  And his only answer is that's just how things turn out.

Yes I already have 4 tickets for the Pioneer Day concert.  (Just walked across the street from where I live to the ticket office and requested the tickets right there.)  I got 4 tickets to be considerate for any other elders that may want to come but apparently that's what every elder did because we all have way too many tickets. I might have to do some scalping. (Brian's Note: Eric means he will give extra tickets away. No money will be exchanged.)

And believe it or not, yes my hair does have to be that short because that's how President Peterson likes it.

And I don't know how you guys are managing to keep track of our cars but somehow things always work with them.  And maybe you should have Becca hang out at Grandma's house and Grandpa can take her to Lehi High.  Now there's an idea.

I'm trying really hard to write a proper e-mail but I can't think of anything to say.  Elder and Sister Brandon are leaving next week and that's really sad for us.  Elder Scotto is also leaving too.  I already told you about my teeth....What else can I say?!

Umm, Temple Square is swarming with tourists.  You know those tour bus things filled with old people as they tour the country or whatever?  One of the stops is Temple Square and because of that we let them have a quick activity where we help them with FamilySearch.  I usually have to deal with people who have never touched a computer before in their lives.  I had to deal with this one guy who was so paranoid of computers he wouldn't touch it and kept yelling, "It's nobody's business to know who my ancestors are!  Nothing's private anymore thanks to computers!"  and super long rants like that.  Yeah it's fun.

I had to get my prescription, again.  And the co-pay was too expensive, again.  So I had to withdraw from my savings, again.  "Radioactive" by "Imagine Dragons" started playing at the Pharmacy and that was really hard to ignore.

Pictures:

Yep, it's officially summer.
(Brian's Note: This picture was taken from North Temple looking west. I work just one block on the other side of LDS Business College at Fidelity Investments. That is how close I am to Eric every day, but I can't visit him while he's on his mission...)

These signs are all over Temple Square.  There's going to be volunteers everywhere once the falcon attempts to fly.

And I guess I already gave you the teeth picture...

A certificate dated September 18, 1901 showing that Lehi Larson Sr. (Eric's great, great, great, grandpa) was ordained and set apart as Bishop of the Matthews ward in Graham county, Arizona. Peter McBride (Eric's great, great grandpa) was his second counselor.

So I know it's a little early to be thinking about this, but I want to go to LDS Business College when I get home from my misison.  Once I get my two years done there, hopefully I can transfer over to BYU.  If not then I'll go to UVU I guess, or maybe one of the other BYUs.  

Okay that's all I've got.  Talk to you next week,

Elder Larson

Week Twenty Three

Latest update from Eric:

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I sent a letter with a card for Janetta (and Becca, and Dad.) But I don't know if you got it yet or not.  So now it's my turn to spoil something before it gets there.

No I didn't take any pictures of the demonstration, because is specifically says that we are not supposed to do that in the mission handbook: "Avoid situations that could lead to confrontations.  Stay away from public demonstrations and from locations where those seeking to cause trouble might target you."  "Do not take pictures of civil unrest or demonstrations."  If we had known that was going on we wouldn't have gone, but we did.  My sandwich is a flatbread footlong with steak, pepperjack cheese, green peppers, onions, and chipolte sauce.

I'm glad Janetta had a good birthday and that you were able to go despite them working you to death.  It's also cool that Becca's birthday and Father's Day is on the same day.  Again I sent some stuff.

This week was also very eventful.  I've gotten a lot better at remembering stuff because I carry my journal with me everywhere now and just write things as it happens.

THURSDAY: At the end of the day I went to a MoTab concert.  They're going on tour and they always show their concert at the Tabernacle before leaving.  It was free but there were a lot of people wanting to get in:

But we got in anyway and it was fun.  They'll played a lot of cool songs that you wouldn't see in Music and the Spoken Word.  And they played a lot of songs from their CDs.

Us at the concert:

SATURDAY:

I helped set up the swap meet today, because I was assigned.  I didn't get anything of particular mention except for this guy:

Why did I get this little figure?  No reason other than it was free and frivolous.  I call him Captain Seaman Man, and he watches over my books.

MONDAY:  

At the morning devotional the fire alarm went off.  The alarm just said "There has been an emergency reported in the building, please evacuate."  So all 200+ Senior Missionaries started to slowly shuffle out of the chapel.  Because we weren't allowed to use the elevators, we were all jammed right at the entrance in front of the stairs.  I was with Elder Smith and I said "Let's try getting out a different way." But when we turned around we were stuck because for some reason everyone wanted to go out through the same door, so we were surrounded by dozens of old people trying to slowly shuffle their way down the stairs.  I looked at Elder Smith and said, "If there truly is a fire then we are going to die."  Anyway it turns out the alarm went off because somebody burnt the bacon in the Nauvoo Cafe.  But it's still good to know that in the case of an emergency with 200+ old people that need to go down the stairs, that it's going to take awhile.  

TUESDAY:  So I got tickets for the Pioneer Day concert because we were allowed.  And that's about it.

WEDNESDAY:  We had our last missionary conference (and this is just the young elders) with President Peterson and the Brandons, so it was pretty emotional.  I got some pictures taken with them:

President and Sister Petersen

Elder and Sister Brandon

We were also surprised to hear a pretty big announcement.  We now have 78 young elders, so because of that it was decided to have a 3rd Assistant to the President.  Elder Jensen, who was a District Leader, is now an AP.  And Elder Liddiard (one of the elders that came in with my January group) replaced his position as a District Leader.  

And I don't know if this has anything to do with these changes but they put my apartment in a different district.  I was in Elder McCarty's district but for some reason now I'm in Elder Fish's district.  That means I was in Elder McCarty's district for a grand total of a whopping literal week.  (June 5 to June 12.)  Yeah I don't get it either but whatever.  

Other Pictures:

This is the scary dolphin on my shower curtain.  No matter where or what I'm doing in the bathroom, he is always watching.  It's really starting to freak me out.  

This is a picture I took while walking home yesterday.  I thought the sky looked pretty.

Did I tell you that I have a flower mode on my camera?  And that it makes flowers look awesome? 

I mean seriously, look at that!

I'm always ready to help.  Also I swear I'm going bald.

Okay I think that's all.  I helped many patrons this week and someone told me that I'm the best genealogist they've worked with, and I'm just a missionary.  It's good I'm still in a great zone like the British Zone.  Yes my mission may change a lot but I'm staying obedient to the end.  See you next week,

Elder Larson

Week Twenty Two

I can't stop laughing!!  Eric is in good form for this message.  (It helps that he had a lot to talk about.)

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I received the package on Friday and it made me feel bad because I was so whiny in my last e-mail.  *still wants a pull-up bar though and then I promise I'll shut up about wanting stuff forever*  But yes thank you very much.  Last e-mail you told me you found something called "Manga Magic" not "Manga Mania."  I know what that is, and yeah I'm glad you didn't send it to me because I didn't ask for it for a reason.  (I kind of don't like that book I bought it because I thought it would help but it didn't help me at all.)

Thank you so much for the camera, and yes it works beautifully.  It's the nicest camera I've ever had the privilege of messing around with.  So yes you made a good decision and it works.  I don't think I'll be able to fit all the pictures into one e-mail.  (I've been taking a lot of pictures.)

Yes my moving strategy so far has been to stuff everything into a grocery bag (I keep every grocery bag) and haul it over to my next apartment as quickly as possible, and then once all the bags are in my apartment I spend quite some time trying to figure out what's what.  But I did pretty good this time.  (Don't worry I don't stuff my clothes into grocery bags, those I carry over carefully with their hangers.)  I moved into a different building right next to my old one.  It's a two man apartment on the basement, and Elder Call is my companion.

I'm sorry Becca damaged the car I'm sure that wasn't a nice experience for her.  I learned how to park by just confidently (yet cautiously) pulling into whatever spot was needed.  Take her to empty parking lots and just have her pull into spots and maybe put up some cones or something to represent other cars.  I don't know.  But yeah battle scar family vans are always fun to have I guess.

Becca hit a car while trying to park at Walmart. It caused quite a scene. On the positive side, the door opens and closes better now than it did when we got it fixed after Andrew's accident several years ago.

 We will probably hike to the cemetery again NEXT Memorial Day so I guess you'll have to wait until then.  But on Pioneer Day (Or July 4th, can't remember) we'll be hiking to Ensign Peak so I'll have my camera with me then.

This was a pretty big week.

SATURDAY: So I got out of bed just in time to get the announcement that the library is going to be closed all day due to unforeseen circumstances.  Apparently security discovered an "object" overnight on Friday that caused them great concern.  I guess that warranted them to close down the library all day.  Details are sketchy(by the way, an artist was found dead in his apartment.  Details are sketchy) , so we don't really know what happened exactly.  All we know was that security closed down the entire library all Saturday.  Since most elders have their p day on Saturday they had to go to the JSMB to do their e-mails.  But since it wasn't my p day I just had nothing to do all day.  (Except draw since a certain package arrived.  Thank you again.)

During the evening some Elders including Elder Hurd wanted to go to D.I. and they invited me. I didn't really want to go to D.I. but I was really craving Subway for some reason that night, so I agreed to go and they said they'd stop at City Creek on the way back for me.  To get to D.I. we have to get on trax and then we get off at the courthouse because that's freefare.  Then we walk to D.I. from there and it's about a 10 minute walk.

Anyway to make a long story short apparently June 1st is Gay Pride Day.  And there was a big "Pride" festival going on right where we were walking.  So yeah that was a fun crowd to walk through.  We got lots of taunts and boos as we were walking through but most people just ignored us, thankfully.  But it was still kind of traumatizing.

The good news is that I still got my sandwich:

MONDAY: So Elder Hurd invited me to a Japanese class that's taught by a missionary in our mission (Sister Ejima, the one that invited us to dinner) and so I guess I'm going to try and learn Japanese. Again.

WEDNESDAY: That was the day I moved, and it went well.  I didn't lose any stuff and I had plenty of boxes. That's not why this day was exciting though.  Our new Mission President was getting announced this day.  And because President Peterson has connections, he was able to make it a huge devotional with the apostles Elder Scott and Elder Bednar to speak briefly...Yeah pretty big.

Anyway our new President effective starting July 1st is going to be H. Ross Workman, an ex general authority just like President Peterson.  In fact, I looked it up and he gave a talk right after President Peterson during the October 2001 General Conference.

See look:

Current Mission President: http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/our-actions-determine-our-character?lang=eng

New Mission President: http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/beware-of-murmuring?lang=eng

Elder Bednar spoke briefly and told us that missionary work is about turning peoples hearts so that they can do ordinances, therefore we shouldn't think that we're just "Family History Missionaries" but that we are actual missionaries, which was pretty comforting to hear.  Elder Scott pretty much said the same thing to, although it was pretty hysterical when he said "Hey do you guys want to know something about Elder Bednar that you don't know?"  We all though he was going to reveal some embarrassing secret or something but he just ended up saying, "Well, did you know that Elder Bednar's shoes are so shiny, that you can comb your hair by looking at them?" He also gave his coat hanger joke again which never gets old.  No one got to shake their hands because as soon as it was over security escorted them out pretty quickly.  Oh and this was all done in the chapel at the JSMB by the way.

So yes, we're getting a new Mission President, and he seems like a pretty cool guy.  I don't know how much he'll change this mission but I'll let you know if does anything drastic.

Elder Call is a very nice guy with a good heart, he works at the vault too and he'll be leaving at the end of July.  He's from Gilbert, Arizona, and a temple is currently being built there which he's excited about.  Here's a picture I took of him as he was walking home from working at the vault with Elder Scotto, notice the uniforms they get to wear:

Elder Call is on the right in case you forgot what Elder Scotto looks like.

THURSDAY(TODAY):  Umm, well nothing much happened but we did have a pretty funny experience at Walmart today.  While we were waiting at the checkout line there was a couple and an infant child in the grocery cart behind us.  The mother picked up a lighter on the display next to the magazines, light it, and then started waving it in front of the baby real close saying "Touch it!  Come on, touch it!"  We were looking at them with complete shock and when we turned around Elder Simpson said whispered, "And the Mother of the Year Award goes to..."  And we think he said it to loud because it looked like the father heard us and he was giving us a real dirty look the rest of the time.  Which scared us because based on his tattoos we're pretty sure he was a gangster.  

Anyway, I have a lot of pictures and they won't fit so I'll send them in a different e-mail. 

Love, Elder Larson

Pictures:

This is me messing around with the panorama mode.  This is my old room.

And this is my new one.

This is a horse.

This is me.

This is Elder McCarty.

This is a really cool picture of the Temple that I took.

These are my shiny shoes.

I took one last picture of my old roommates before leaving the next day.  Elder Farrell, Elder Stringham, and Elder Hurd.

Week Twenty One

The way it works around here is you always get released on the last Friday of the month before you came on this mission, and all new elders come in on the first Friday of the next month.  But on December they have mercy and let you leave on the Friday before Christmas,  which just so happens to be Dad's Birthday.  I would have firgured it out eventually even if I didn't look at the chart.

Also what the heck is Manga Magic and why is it in my room?  I recall having no such thing.  I want my Mastering Manga!  If it's not in that white box though then I have no idea where it is, it might even be on my bookshelf somewhere.  I should mention, though, that there are several pages missing from it too.  Did you find those giant stacks of drawing paper though? Because I want those too.  And since I'm so demandind, I've also been looking into getting myself an at home pull up bar but maybe you can get me one.  And I can see you're still working on the camera situation which is good.  I would use the first one you gave me (Andrew's one) despite the bluriness but that one is kind of broken too.  Everytime I turn it off it makes this horrible grinding noise and the lens gets stuck in the out posistion and the screen says "Lens Error" and then I can't get it to work again.

Yes there's a Sister Andersen too.  The Brandons are leaving at the end of  this month, and we're getting a new mission President in at the end of July I think.  Pretty much the whole mission leadership is being changed soon.

No I never shook Elder Holland's hand.  But during Priesthood Session he looked right at me and gave me a thumbs up and a fist of power.

And yes fine I guess you beat the wall of puns.

I already told Andrew that I can't remember anything anymore, so I don't know if I already told you that I officially passed off all my British training, FINALLY.  (Except for Australia, but that's optional, working at it slowly.)  I even got a little Union Jack pin to prove it.  And if I pass Australia training I get a Koala.

On Memorial Day we were all excused from our zones and we got in our pday clothes and hiked up to the Salt Lake Cemetery.  I found several prophets and other prominent people in the church, and it was really awesome to wander around such a huge cemetery.  The Masoleum was open too and I've never been in one of those before, that was fun too.  The highlight, though, is our group found where Sister Monson was buried even though the headstone isn't up yet (obviously.)  We just found a mass of flowers about the size of a casket covering newly dug ground, and sure enough there was a not in the flowers that said it was Sister Monson.  To double confirm it a lady came over to lay some more flowers on it and she said she was Sister Monson's niece.  Anyway yeah cool stuff too bad I don't have a camera.

Nothing else to report except for having no money because of stupidly expensive medication even with co-pay.  I withdrew some money but I still came up short this week so I didn't go shopping today.  That's okay though because I have more than enough food and should probably start eating it before it spoils.

Oh and moving sheets came out yesterday and it looks like I'm moving into a new apartment (AGAIN) and that I'm getting a new companion, Elder Call.  I don't know much about him other than he only has a couple months left on his mission and that he works at the vault, so you won't know until next week about him.  And I'm moving into another two man apartment which I'm excited about.  They're so much nicer than the four man's because they have a bigger bathroom and more fridge space.

Love, Elder Larson

Oh and since I hate to leave without pictures, here's a some pictures way back from January (or February, I can't remember) when we visited the Bishop's Storehouse.  I think Elder Brandon took these on his phone and sent it to all of us.  I've been meaning to give you them for a while but I just now remembered so here you go.  I'm right at the front in case you couldn't tell.

He told us all to wave so sorry if it looks like some of us are "Sieg Heiling."

Week Twenty

Yes the dentist went well.  He just unscrewed my implants. put bigger ones in, made a mold, screwed them back in, and now the crowns can be made. Surprisingly it didn't hurt at all.

I was planning on going to Sister Monson's funeral but I didn't find out about my appointment until yesterday.  Elder Andersen drove me because Elder Brandon went to the funeral.  Elder Andersen is going to be the new young elder director because the Brandons are leaving in June (which is really depressing.)  Elder Andersen is still learning but I think he'll do a good job. There's a picture of him in the latest Ensign. Look at page 54 during "The Power of the Priesthood in a Boy" talk and you can see him hugging his grandson.

Yes I got the stamps, thank you very much they must have been expensive.  I only have the tiny envelopes and I've been meaning to buy the bigger ones but I keep forgetting.  The only paper I need is my art paper, which should be in the box next to my desk in my room because I forgot to bring it.  (Send me 'Mastering Manga' as well.  I want to see if I can get it approved.  Because Elder Brandon keeps telling me I should practice my drawing and that should help.)

I'm glad Becca is doing well and glad that Janetta is still...Janetta...I guess.  Wish I could have seen it.

Yeah Katie would have something like that happen to her and not tell you about it.  Any dog that bites someone needs to be reported and I think they put them on the vicious dog list.  At worst he can end up losing his dog.  It's sad but if the dog goes nuts again what if he attacks a little girl or something?

Well if that's what you meant than yes, elders can and do serve in more than one zone.  All elders have a nightzone if they aren't in a fulltime zone (like mine.)  Elder McCarty who is in my zone goes and helps the youth conferences that are held at the JSMB in the afternoons, that zone is called the Family Search Center zone.  And even Elder Davis who is now an AP comes back to his original zone (my zone) in the evening.

They don't tell the missionaries when they'll be released I just happened to look at the chart.  Everything is well organized around here so we have to know when elders are leaving so we can fill in the spots for next month for the new elders.  I'll go ahead and tell you though because this news seems to upset you and I'll go ahead and explain:  Ever elder knows that they are released at the end of the month, before the month they came into the mission.  And you can find the exact date just by looking at the chart in the mission office.  I'm set to be released on December 19, 2014.  So umm yeah, surprise!  Happy Birthday in 2014 Dad I hope you find that a good present!  January elders are always considered the luckiest because they only have to miss one Christmas away from the family while on their mission.

My week went well.  On Monday in District Meeting I prepared a talk that the other elders said was really good.  I can attach the talk if you want, it's called "You Are Who You Choose To Be."

On Tuesday I went to the annual Family and Church History Department Devotional which is held in the Conference Center Theater, the speaker is always an apostle and this year it was Elder Richard G. Scott. I got in there real early and was told I can sit anywhere I want so I sat right in front of the podium, so I was like 5 feet away from him the whole time he was talking.  I don't remember much what he talked about (he talked about how sacred temple ordinances are and quoted from D&C 132 a lot) but I do remember he told the funniest joke at the beginning.  He says, "Let me tell you all a secret.  Do you want to know a guaranteed way to wake up with a smile on your face every morning?  You go to bed with a coat hanger in your mouth the night before."  Once the talk was over he passed by me and I shook his hand.  He asked me where I was from and I said, "The distant land of American Fork, Utah."  He told me that that's a great place and then asked me what part of town and I said, "On the border of Highland near Legacy Elementary if you know where that is."  And he said that he does know where that is.  So let it be known that an apostle knows what part of American Fork I live in.

On Wednesday I scanned every page of every book that Grandma sent to me regarding her family history.  So I got it all digitized and I can send it back to her now, if I knew how to send a package properly.  I've been adding stories and pictures on FamilySearch if you've been noticing.

Also I don't know if you've been watching the falcons lately but one of the eggs hatched!  I even got pictures of the parents feeding the baby!

Cute little baby falcon

Daddy brought in food and Mommy is taking it from him

Elder Sy randomly sent these pictures to me.  It's from January at my first hail and farewell.  I really like the look on my face in this picture.

I can't remember what I was saying, but it was probably funny because Elder Smith and Elder Ungerman are laughing.

Here are all the young elders in the British Zone from L to R: Elder Davis, Elder McCarty, Some Dork With a Union Jack in His Pocket, and Elder Menke who just recently joined us in April.  This wasn't taken by my camera, I had to get it sent to me and I finally got it.

My next appointment for the dentist is on June 18, so I guess I'll finally have a smile then.  I already told everyone that I'd have teeth today but like always I got confused and didn't know which appoint was doing what to me.

I also just remembered that I finally passed off Ireland in my training, which means I am now fully certified to help all patrons on the floor.  Let it be known that that's how long it took to complete my training, the British Zone is tough.  (Also there's optional Australia training that I'll do in a couple of months.)

I've run out of time, see you later,

Elder Larson

Week Nineteen

We had a nice visit with Eric last Sunday when he called home for Mother's Day.

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It was fun to talk on Sunday too, but it was the quickest hour ever and I don't remember a thing I talked about.  I think I pretty much just babbled the whole time about...whatever.

I do feel like I need to clarify how zones work in our mission a little bit better since you guys asked.  Because of the special nature of our mission, think of the zone you are put in as the place you are called to serve.  So basically if you are put in a zone you're expected to serve in that zone for your whole mission because that is your calling.  But like I said, if a higher position is needed you can be called to a different zone, but that rarely happens.  Getting put in a zone isn't just a pick and choose thing.  The APs and the Brandons spend all the two weeks of training when you first arrive analyzing and praying about all the new elders and looking at their interests and abilities and when they've thought it over thoroughly and prayed about it (thoroughly) they send it to the president.  Then he does the same thing.  If he feels differently, he'll tell the Brandons and they'll start the process over.  So me being put in British Services was a calling from God and that's why I'm flourishing in it.

We do change companions as often as other missions, as well as districts.  Like I said, a district leader still serves in his zone, but he has some special leadership over his district and he reports to the APs, who report to the Brandons, who report to the President.  Like you've probably noticed I've already moved apartments 4 times and have been through 3 district leaders, the newest one being my companion.

Anyway, I know Grandma is already getting me stories about her ancestors and such, but I was wondering if Dad could talk to Grandpa and see if we can [get] info on his dad, grandparents and so forth.  And I also want to know a lot more about the Crockett line because I really don't know much.

Becca singing a solo is wonderful news, I'm surprised she didn't tell me about that.  Well actually I'm not really surprised because she doesn't make her reply close to Thursday.  But I'm happy for her, she sounds like she's doing so much better.

I've never heard of a Temple walk but I would totally do that.  Good for Katie for going on that.

Janetta doing softball is also really amazing.  Thanks for those pictures and tell her I'm happy for her.

Janetta plays catcher

You'll be shocked to know that every pun you told me is already on the wall.  We got some pretty good ones up there some of my favorite ones are:

• I was wondering why the baseball was getting bigger, and then it hit me.  
• England doesn't have a kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.  
• Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.  
• The frustrated cannibal threw up his hands.  
• Someone stole all the toilets in the police station, the police say they have nothing to go on.

Yeah and we have a lot more if you can comprehend that.

This week was pretty awesome.  Did you know that I got to call home on Sunday?  Oh wait...

I got a new mattress and it's awesome, all the mattresses in the apartment complex were replaced and they're all new and comfortable now.

I spent a lot of time in the Temple yesterday (about 3 1/2 hours).  I was sealed to Kenneth Harbert's parents in behalf of him, and I did a session for another guy...forgot his name.  And I did a lot of research on the Larson line.  I got a baptism record for Mons Larsson:

And I got a baptism record for Lehi Larson Sr.:

And I got a household record for Mons Larsson's family in 1857:

What I found cool about this is that it says that they're moving to North America soon.  On the very far right they're listed as "Mormoners."  And the consultant that was helping had a hard time reading a lot of the other stuff, but she said that she thinks it says something about them not offering tithes to the Lutheran church because they're part of some crazy new church, which I find pretty hilarious.

Today I'm teaching a class to my zone about Ireland Maps and Gazetteers.  And I'll teach it again tomorrow.  I'll attach a copy of the handout I'm giving them while I teach.  

I'm still serving well, and helping many people.  It's always a good feeling to help people discover their ancestors, and they always see me as their hero.  (Yes I am letting all the I love yous get to my head sorry.)  Like I said on Sunday, my mission is starting to wiz by in a horrible blur and I'll probably be home before I know it because I'm enjoying it so much.  Although it probably won't feel like that to you.

Love, Elder Larson

P.S.- I forgot to tell you on Sunday that I've known when my release date will be since January, but I'm not going to tell you yet because you'll be really surprised by the day.  Have fun wondering when it will be.