August 31, 2015

Well its been interesting being out in the sticks/city area. We are given the same amount of miles as what i was getting in Omaha!!!

Its a bit tough with miles but it kinda seems that has been one of the biggest struggles of my whole mission miles and riding killer bikes that are out to get you!!!

So this last Saturday we had an adventure It started at 8 am and ended at 3:30ish! We butchered chickens/one turkey!!! Yes its was really interesting thing to do now i know how but i don't know if i would ever want to do it again! It was with two families from the ward, the sisters and us!!!! It was crazy fun!

We also Have been teaching this girl named Alyssa she is set to be baptized on the 12th of September at 12oclock. She is a very smart girl. her step mom is a less active her dad inst a member her mom inst a member her grandfather is anti but he is a member!! but she has solid fellow shippers!!! young men and young women of the ward are the best!!!!!!

Well trying to find new people to teach and trying to be a district leader and trying to learn what i need to do is a tough act to do but so far i havent dropped to much stuff. Delegation is a great new friend of mine!!!!

I sure do miss Omaha! But i am trying to plug in here and do what i need to do finish out strong!!!

 

August 17, 2015

Well Yeah I have been really good at sending email over the last little while sorry folks!!!

I guess I really don't feel like I have much to write about and share!!!

As of lately the biggest thing that is happening to this area is that we are constantly looking for less-active names and finding a few at a time!!!

Two weeks ago we found this amazing lady named crystal stidham. since we have found her she has been to church both sundays!!!!

She is 90% vegan. 

other then her we have found people that are not interested. number one line we hear o yeah I was a Mormon. but now Im not!! interesting how that works, most of them are very nice about it some are real jerks, but we still love them and offer to help them in any way possiable.

Over the last couple transfers I have had an increasing pain in my back, mother doctor Gardner has been receiving a lot of back calls so I am taking pain meds stretching and using heat and cold!! it does better until we help like three people move in three days then im shot for the next two days!!

So Elder marx and I have been doing really well together you don't think being a senior comp should be that different but it really feels that it is very different sometimes!! we have also had another set of elders living with us for the last transfer and so we haven't had much time to really get to know each other or have to big of issues, the other set has had more problems we have had to take care of but I guess that comes with the housing arrangements. however the other set is gone this week at some point.

Well I should send this thing off so we can go can finish our night with a bang!!!!

Well love yall

hopefully I will email again next week!!!

Love 

Elder Stephen James Larson

June 15, 2015

So this week was amazing tons of things happening. We had a baptism on saturday and man was it good! Only 15 people showed but the spirit was still there. So we showed up early to fill the font and about an hour of filling the hot water stopped so we turned off all the water and let it sit for about 15 minutes i was praying really hard cause i was the one filling it up. i turned it back on and the water was hot as hot could be!

I also have discovered my reason being in this area i have being struggling like mad to find a reason to be in the rockbrook ward. the members at first werent very kind to us cause we didnt do what the other elders in the past had done! But we have working hard! doing service for everyone we can! we have helped 15 people move 11 of those out off the ward!! on in to our ward and another that had nothing to do with our ward! also 3 the ward had no idea about!

So we are trying to the best we could!!

Last night Elder Olson and i went to go talk to a family that we have talking with for a while but nothing has really happened until last night. the husband is a member but doesnt really count himself as such. last night he was drunk and slurring his words i was talking with his wife when he approched me and started talking about how is wife had made him really mad and she was 10 feet from us. So they started talking about the issues with me right there! it was amazing to me to see the problems and hear the problems i really acted as a middle line judge.

This family i am going to love them with my whole heart cause i can see them as more then they are now!!

Well overtime again oops!!

Love yall

Love 

Elder Stephen J Larson

May 18, 2015

"And they did suffer much, both in the body and in the mind, such as hunger and thirst and fatigue and also much labor in the spirit"

Alma 17:5

 

"And it came to pas that that journeyed many days in the wilderness, and the fasted much and prayed much that the lord would grant unto them a portion of his spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of god to bring if it were possible their brethren to the knowledge of the truth!!"

Alma 17:9

 

"Go forth among ,thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them"

Alma 17:11  

 

So i am struggling once again and it seems to me there isn't an end. So i have decided i am going to be like the Sons of Mosiah and serve then preach and if i need to cut off some arms on the way i will.............. No im just kidding no arm cutting off. But i am trying so hard to turn over a new leaf and grow so much more then i already have and it just seems like i am not able to turn over that leaf. I have turned many over but there are just so many more to turn over. As i am writing this i have had a thought why just focus on one leaf there are still more then a few that i need to turn over and help grow!!

 

I am still recovering from the sickness which Elder Olson so lovingly shared with me. He is still very sick but claims to not be and boy howdy did i make him made yesterday!!! I did what i thought would be right and i was wrong i let sister Weston know he was still sick after 2 weeks. Then she started to text him he informed her that he had been throwing up and having the runs for about four days!!! 

 

He spoke barely 20 words to me yesterday O what joy that was!!!

We stayed home from church and stayed in opposite parts of the apartment I tried talking to him but he gave me one word answers so I went to my corner and stayed there all day listening to talks and playing with yarn!!!

 

I think im going to let him bring it up in his own time.

 

Its rough week a lot of sleeping and a lot of meds!!! yuck :P

 

Well i am going to wrap this up by saying that i love you guys and you and your family's are in my prayers!!!

 

Love the big red headed missionary

Elder Stephen J Larson

May 4, 2015

Well matters of life I have no idea why i gave it that title!!!

So what a week it was and by the looks of it this week will be be a shower!! idk

Rain most of the week!!

Well so Saturday this week Elder Olson and my self went on a bit of an adventure we went to the California st. building and got to see a little girl get baptized whom i had worked with up in the deer creek ward. It was amazing i had the chance to be part of the baptism i conducted the music well Elder Olson played the piano!!

We got to take one of our investigators from Rockbrook this kid is very smart i feel he is to smart!! he is over thinking a lot of things and by kid i mean a 10 year old boy. We  are teaching a guy who has been taught for about 5 to 6 years already and hasn't joined the church....... yet and also a guy who is married to a member and they just had a baby yesterday!! A little girl named pipper!!!

But all these people are slowly plugging along which is good.

So i have decided that i am going to be finishing my mission in this ward!! Its something that kinda came to me the other day!! 

I am really in a toss up about it!!

If its the lords will its his will who am i to kick against the pricks?

I really dont want to finish my 24 month mission serving 22 months in omaha.

So we just had interviews about two or so weeks ago and i brought up this concern and this fact to President Weston and man did i feel like a fool.

Elder Larson- President so i have been in Omaha a long time!

President Weston- Elder What mission were you called to?

Elder Larson- the Nebraska Omaha mission! At this moment i started feeling really sheepish!!!

President Weston-your right elder were you expecting to go any where else?

Elder Larson- Deer in the head lights look!!

President Weston- Weren't you just in Shenandoah?

Elder Larson- Yes president but i was there for only two months.

President Weston- see you were outside Omaha!!!

Elder Larson- Its was for two months.

President Weston- Elder i put the elders that are 100% obedient out in the farther areas elder there are lots of good and bad things about going to the sticks!! If you go out there you cant go to the temple and its only you and your companion so p-day days are harder.

That conversion stop at that point and President Weston asked if he could close us with a pray.

After the prayer he looks me right in the eyes and ask if i remember the first time we talk i said yes and  tells me how much he has seen me grow and how proud he is of me he is.

Right at that moment i had a few tears shed i realized that President Weston is leaving and we are getting a new President!

President Weston is my hero!!

I just want you all to know that i have a ton of respect and love for this man he has been very tough and very fair he has taught me so much!!!

Love 

Elder Stephen J Larson

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April 27, 2015

So they quotes are amazing.

I guess i have devolved an attitude on my mission that has really increased in this area. Right now trying everyday to try and rebuild the relationship with the ward as we are being told we are not doing what we need to be good missionaries.

It wasnt until yesterday at lunch with a few members after stake conference that we found out that there are members that love us and feel that we are doing good work. Sad to say but right now we are fighting a clic of our ward that has had elders over at there houses with no males there and the elders would stay there for 2 or 3 hours. the families have told us we are social weird and we make them very strange.

So i guess i am feeling a bit beaten back in to a corner with elder Olson in the corner as well and most of you have seen him and he isnt the biggest or most frightening person. I guess what i am trying to say he is very soft and very easily offended.

I think one thing i am learning here is that i can be a leader and if i want to be a leader i need to choose i battles carefully and when to retreat.

As a country song says know when to hold em know when to fold em!!

Well love you all!!

Live to fight another day!! Continue to pray and look forward with a steadfast faith in Christ!!!

Love

Elder Stephen J Larson 

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March 23, 2015

So this week has amazing!!! Numbers wise this area hasn't seen numbers this good from elders in a while!! We are at least once a week going out with the bishop for team ups and by we i mean one of us so the two can go out and work as well!! double dipping numbers.

Shenandoah is still here the town still doesnt have much going on but things should pick up in the summer is my guess or its going to just die out. there are at least three companies that we have found that are only summer time. One is a driving range, batting cage and mini golf course!!! Its a tiny place. The other companies are an ice cream place and the other is a burger and fries place. the burger place is right next door to where we live so if i am still here when it opens i will have to go and try it.

Its crazy how warn out you can get as a missionary spiritually, mentally and physically. The last few days my body has been worn down i have been able to take a nap at lunch and still be able to go to sleep at 10pm.

I am not really looking forward to the hot humid weather but that just means i am getting closer to the end of being a full-time missionary.

The trio thing is still really interesting!!!! There isn't ever a dull moment!!!!!!

Teaching is a bit more difficult, serves projects get done tons fast and every once in a while when you ride in the back on the long rides you get to take a nap!!!

I was asked by Brother Green (First or Second Councilor) to give a short little talk yesterday in church and i did i really had no idea what specifically to talk about so i decided to follow what i felt i should at the moment i stood. Obedience was what i was prompted to kinda talk about it was very interesting to just say what i felt guided to say. Hopefully it helped someone.

Well I have nothing else i can think of so love ya'll  have an amazing week!!

Love 

Elder Stephen Larson