8/22/16 Hey Hey Hey from the 684! ( My area code)

Hey hey hey!!! Sorry this weeks is gonna be kind of short cause there's heaps of things happening!! 

It was a crazy week!! This week Saturday we had our ward cricket game and primary slip n slide and it was such a bomb as turn out!!!!!! Heaps of less actives and ward members came! We had a few investigators turn up and they said they really enjoyed it!!! Hopefully we can get them started down a good path for the other elders!! Fetu is getting baptized later at the beginning of next month in September cause he couldn't get leave off for Saturday and Sunday, so hopefully at the beginning of the month next month!! Chris... we're still pushing him, he's getting better but we'll see where he goes! We're hoping we can push Esau to continue to help him to quit smoking! Holy smokes....so do you remember when I said a couple months ago that probably the coolest transfer would be to get called to Savaii with a native and where no one speaks english.....well, the transfer calls came last night.....and my comp and I are both getting transferred! E Faalogo is going to Lauli'i in Upolu with E Shwenke from my intake and I'm going to Faala in Savaii with E Taulolo, where E Faalogo's dad is from!! We're both stoked but at the same time we're both going to really miss this area! I'm going to miss the members, the investigators, and especially those who we were able to help bring into the gospel!!! George Tanoa, the family of 6, Keetch, Matt, Ray, Lilio!! They're all the BOMB and I'm going to miss them like crazy!!!! Tafuna is honestly might be my favorite erea of all time!! I've learned lessons here from comps, members, investigators, blessings, that I will NEVER trade for ANYTHING EVER!! It's helped me become a better person and come closer to my Savior and I will never forget those I met here!! I feel like I'm leaving home again cause I've been here so long, but it'll be for the better and the Lord needs me elsewhere. My work here in this erea is done. But hopefully my influence stays, but most importantly, all I really wish and pray is that all those I came in contact with and met stay true to the gospel and stay strong with the Lord!!

Anyways, sorry it's super short, theres quite a few things we need to get ready for when we leave but I love You and hope You have a bomb as week!!!(;

Love Elder Larson xoxo

No pictures this week. He forgot his camera...:(

8/15/16 Back at it again!!

Another week here in the mish and its been awesome!!!!!

How's the fam doing!?!? Mom no worries about last week, for real! It was totally fine!! Stuff like that is goning to happen...especially when I go to Upolu or Savaii...sometimes internet goes down and missionaries can't email...but anyways!!! 

Yeah got a couple of emails from Bishop the last couple weeks! I sent him an update last week and that's probably what he read during Sacrament meeting!! Haha right on with the Olympics!! Someone said they're goning to be in Tokyo in 2020!! Is that right!?! Wish we could have watched the rugby!! I'm craving it!!

We haven't had the ward cricket yet...its this Saturday! We're going to confirm things on Tues with our taitai misiona for Saturday so we'll see how it goes!!

Haha right on with Cade!! That's very cool!! What did he take his ie for!?? 

Yeah the one we did for the Shafermeyers is called the Tika Tonu....but that one isn't for like a football..that one is more of a respectful Haka...if you want a War haka, look up the haka the All Blacks do before international matches, then you'll find the one you are looking for!! Sorry I don't have a lot of history on it...all I know is that whenever there was a war in New Zealand, they would do the haka to scare there enemies, BEFORE there was bloodshed, but I think if they needed to fight, then they would...sorry I don't have a lot, all I know is there are heaps of Haka's, they all just have different words and actions! 

So this week was crazy!! In a good way!! We had a district meeting with the President and his wife with the ZL's!! we had to ask some families to help for lunch because it was here in our area at our falesa, but it went so welll and the families were so bomb!!! They helped heaps and we got them little thank yous afterwards!! So, for the actual meeting, we went over the Doctrine of Christ, which can be found in...

2 Nephi 31

Alma 7

3 Nephi 11

3 Nephi 27

And I think there's one more, but I can't remember for the life of me! Anyway, we were all given a lesson, the Restoration, Plan of Salvation, Gospel of Jesus Christ, Word of Wisdom or Law of Chastity, and we had to put in the Doctrine of Christ to each one!! It was phenomenal!!!

And then, this is actually a challenge for EVERYONE!!

We were challenged to take each principle of the Doctrine of Christ and find a scripture that not just has the word in it, but you could use as a definition or an example of someone using it, in EVERY 1 of the 15 books of the Book of Mormon!!!

So first one is Faith

then Repentance

Baptism

Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost

Endure to the End

And last but not least, the Atonement!

So one scripture to back up all of these in EVERY book of the Book of Mormon!! So 15 each!!

We couldn't get a hold of Chris this week, but Fetu got a bapismal date for the 27th of this month!!! We're super pumped for him!! He and his family will be able to go to the temple next year around this time, so go to the temple!!! Super excited for them!!! And then we have the ward cricket day and Saturday and hopefully help bring in heaps of less actives and non members!!

Love You so much and hope You have a beautiful week!!!(:

Elda Laason

Took a little break after our weekly planning and got some sweet shots!

haha got a pic with Leonardo!! hahah this little guys name is Jerome and is OBSESSED with Ninja Turtles!!!! I'm Rafael to him haha!! He's the man!!!

08/08/16 Famalay!!

What's the haps fam!?!? 

Well, sounds like you have been very busy lately haha!! Props to you all!! Hope you're enjoying the sun, and how dry it is over there. haha!! 

Well, we saw Sister Anandan on Tuesday with her dad! We're gonna have feed with them on Thursday this week and talk more! But she filled me in on what the haps has been lately!! More on Thursday! 

Then we went and no one was really moving this week, so Elder Faalogo and I decided to take matters into our own hands. President is always quoting from Elder Christopherson, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." So we're doing something different! We're setting up a ward cricket game for 2nd ward where the leaders are most willing to help and the bishop just got changed so he's super willing to help with missionary work cause he and his wife both served missions in the Phillipines (sp?)!! Super stoked cause our aim for this is for next Saturday and we're going to do breakfast and lunch and we're hoping to bring all the less actives and nonmember friends for more people to teach!! It's gonna be very exciting and we're really hoping if it goes well, we're going to do it for the other wards! 

And on another subject....there's something I want to talk about to future missionaries, missionaries, and RM's....To the RM's and the missionaries now, I think we can all agree that as soon as you are called as a missionary, you are also called as a psychiatrist, wedding councilor, addiction councilor, parent, and problem solver of anything ever imaginable!! Haha I learned that this week with Patrick, active member from Upolu who is trying to get his family back to church because of a situation that happened years ago with the prior bishop, and they're all going to Assembly of God now. So we ended up talking with him almost all night Saturday night and he was concerned because the family doesn't allow him to go to our church on Sundays, and forces him to go to Assembly. But he know is giving a lauga (speech) in their church like 3 Fridays in a row and he kept asking us for help with the lauga, because he wants to share our doctrine in their church, but he doesn't want anyone to help him but us. We tried the bishop, taitai misiona, councelors, isi taitai, anybody, but he won't take any help from anyone else but us. We ended up just telling him to share his testimony for all 3. We can't really help him a ton cause he doesn't come to church on Sundays, but all we could really tell him was talk about repentance and faith in Christ. No one in their church is going to be willing to anything else because their hearts won't be open. It taught me a lot talking with him, because he served a mission, he's an RM, and his heart is in the right place, but the family is just pulling him away from the church. I honestly just wanted to tell him to go back to Upolu, he had a stake calling and everything, and here he's just getting pulled farther and farther away. His family here drinks and smokes now and we think he's even getting into that now from one of his calls earlier. All we could do was bear testimony to him and hope he makes the right decision. It's almost like being a parent. We see all these people who are moving into the gospel and we're VERY HAPPY for them!! Then, on the other end, we see members fall away because of family in other churches and its sad...all you want for them is the happiness they can feel in the gospel and the Pure Love of Christ...but they have their agency, they have their choice, all we can do is love and set examples for them to come back! A scripture for those who feel like they are being hit at every which way with temptations, I have a scripture for you about our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ and His Atonement...

"The Savior hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted" Heb 2:18

And then as the Savior helps you along take this from a popular hymn, sang often...

"Doubt not the Lord nor His goodness [for] we've proved Him in days that are past"

Love you all and hope you have a bomb as week!!! LOVE YOUS!

Elder Larson

Elder Faalago and I this morning. Getting ready to paint a roof. We'll see how that goes...hmmm!

08/01/16 - FAMILAY!!!!!! HOWS GOES IT!??!

What's the haps fam?!??

Holy tow....this week Ben got baptized!!!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!!! It's been an amazing journey with him and it was so sweet to see him baptized!!! I'll send pics! Haha he never said this to us but he asked about serving a mission when the zone leaders were doing his interview, that he wants to serve a mission!! This guy's 24 years old! Haha, the Lord works in mysterious ways!! 

Welp, like I said we started over last week with a clean slate besides those moving forward, and we're moving towards Fetu and Chris!! Chris slipped up a little bit this week but he's back at church and his recruiter is helping him with the smoking as well!! haha You can't really smoke while you're in the marines I guess! And Fetu, the old man, he's back on the ball and we're going to finish his lessons on Tuesday so hopefully he'll be ready to get baptized next week!! He wants to get baptized, but didn't want to pick the date til after his lessons were done, so we'll see hopefully for next week!! We also found Eli, a newly wed with his wife, who's not a member, but his wife is and we're hoping to be able to catch them tomorrow!! We taught them the Plan of Salvation, and he loved it from what his wife told us how families can be together forever and how after we die, it's not the end!! They've been busy all week and couldn't make it to church so tomorrow we'll maua se kala from him! 

Welp, year mark last Friday. Haha, earlier in my mission I thought it would be this big day, have a big celebration, ice cream...haha the only thing out of the ordinary we did for my year mark was a burned a shirt when we got back to the house! I've been thinking as the first year of my mission finished, did I do enough to be able to help those people come unto Christ?? It's been a roller coaster of emotions, experiences, comps, investigators, members....but I wouldn't give it up for ANYTHING! I know I still have a LONG way to go spiritually, but I have learned more from the Lord, the Spirit, investigators, members, kids, that has forever changed my life! I've had experiences that have solidified Doctrine of Christ that I will NEVER forget! I've had comps that we've had ups, downs, lefts, rights, but at the end of the day, he's still my brother! He's still someone who's imperfect, JUST LIKE ME. The line "Patience is a Virtue" will be forever burned in my mind as a reminder of all those times I've needed to understand where others are coming from, from what they've gone through, what trials they may have had, what experiences they may have had...I've learned that I can't change the past, no matter how much I ponder on it, it will never change...but what is fully dependent on me is my decision of today and tomorrow. Because that's what eternity is build upon...what I choose today. Tomorrow, today will be my past. My future is fully dependent on today, and my future is eternity. "Choose ye THIS DAY, whom ye will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." I've learned that God does not always come when we call him, but he will always come on time and to live near to God so that all things will appear small in comparison with eternal realities. I love this gospel and it's been a journey that will stay with me for eternity. Spiritually, I've been knocked down knocked down, trampled, screamed at for Christ....because he did the exact thing for me, and more. As a disciple of Christ, we live, breathe, think Christ. That's what missions are for. That's what our life after missions should be. Walking a thousand miles, begins with one step. Making it to eternity begins with our choices today.

Love Elder Larson

Ben's baptism!!

Miti, my soa, me, and  Clarence

Funny photo haha!

07/25/16 - HEY HEY HEY FAM!!!!!!

HOWS THE LIFE!?!? How's the 208??

Welp, this weeks been another one for the books!! Loving it!!! Haha we did weekly planning and had a really awesome talk with Alex Willis about his mission and questions we had and we went through our weekly planning and are going to keep those who really have a desire to move forward! It was cool cause we talked with Alex and he was explaining to us a talk that Brad Wilcox gave them about how the people they find really starts with when we as missionaries explain the First Vision and Joseph Smith...THAT is when Satan attacks the investigators once we begin to share and if they are receptive to the message of Joseph Smith, You have a sweet building block to go off of...if not, they'll go and start attacking Joseph Smith as a prophet....you'll know where to go from there, following the Spirit, You can't go wrong! 

Ben, from first ward, is getting baptized this Saturday!! He's way excited for it and we're way excited for him!! He's 24 and took lessons ages ago, but then lost contact with the elders, but we found him again, finished and he's ready to be baptized! Hopefully it will bring the less active family back to church as well!! We'll see how it goes!! Chris is still working on smoking almost done, he hasn't smoked for 4 days but the only problem is everyone around him...mom, friends, they all smoke... But he's sticking to it! We've just got to stay with him and keep in close contact during the week! 

Other than that, we're pretty much starting from scratch! We cleared everyone that was just moving in a circle, with no real intent to change, and we're going to start fresh!! It's giving us a new sense of hope that we'll prayerfully be able to find some people ready to go, prepared by the Lord!!!

And to finish...here's a quote that I JUST LOVE!!!!!(;

"Everything will work out in the end. If it does not work out...it's not the end." -Pres Gordon B Hinckley

You's have a great one this week!!! 

Love ya....Elder Larson

Paul Nielson and I on a split

Dabbing...I guess

This is after our split with Paul Nielsen and Taulelei Masima

07/18/16 - O Lo'u Aiga Fiafia e Faavavau!!!!

How's everyone doing!!??

Comps doing great!! We're putting in work, like I said this week FLEW BY!! Haha yeah my year mark is coming up, but honestly I'm not as pumped as I thought I was...it'll probs just pass and go and then that'll be it haha! Haha yeah we've been exercising heaps! I'm just getting bigger though, but bulky haha! We haven't had heaps of Samoan food lately which is a bummer, but we had lasagna for our toonai yesterday after church and salad!! IT WAS BOMB AS!!!
This week FLEW by!!! And it was wonderful!! We contacted Tui, a referral from E Tuimauga, a man from Manu'a whose wife and daughter got baptized just recently a few weeks ago!! Tui and his son, Tui, are both going out of town for 2 weeks for a surgery, but will be back by the end of the month!! We talked with him and he really liked the teachings of the church, and has a desire to be baptized....the only problem that still stands in the way is that he holds a really high position in a church over there in Manu'a. BUT, the faifeau has left to the states and he doesn't know if he'll be coming back soon. If not, he'll get baptized! So we're praying and hoping that we can get his lessons and things done before, or even if, the faifeau comes back!
And then we contacted Salele'a, another older man that Pres Lotulelei knows and he used to take discussions years ago, and as a kid, he grew up with his best friends as Mormons, the only thing that held him back was that his dad was a faifeau. BUT, we hope to continue with his kids and hopefully if his kids begin to be baptized, then he will have more support and leeway to come to the gospel!!!
We're working with Fetu and hopefully going to set a date for him for next week!! The bishopric just got changed in 2nd ward, so we don't have a ward mission leader now, but that's all goods, we'll make it work! But anyways!! Chris is doing really good, he's almost stopped smoking completely!!! He's getting help from his recruiter too cause he's going into the marines once he graduates so hopefully he'll be able to get baptized at the beginning of next month!! And Ben, from 1st ward, is doing phenomenal, we're onto lesson 3 with him, and he's loving it! He remembered the Plan of Salvation on Sunday, when we taught it and it totally on board!! Moving the work, seeing blessings in the lives of investigators and members, couldn't ask for a more blessed place to be right now!!
Lovin the work, and pushin it forward!! There are a couple quotes from conference and from a Thomas S Monson quote book we borrowed from a  member!!
"Decision is of little account unless it is followed by action"
"No one is proud of what he intends to do"
"Through the Holy Ghost, we experience "the multitude of [Christ's] tender mercies and miracles that do not cease"-E Robert D Hales
"Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble"-Alma
Love Yous all and have a bomb as week!!
Elder Laason!!!

This was last p-day after service at Maliu Mai

Me, Josie, Hariet and Amataga....they got baptized in June

07/11/16 - July 11th!

HEY HEY HEY!!! How's the fam?!?!

So sorry this weeks is gonna be really short, we're low on time, but know I love yous!!!!

So this week, we met with President on Tuesday and E Tuimauga was there!!!! It was sweet as to see him!! Haha and he's still losing weight!! Haha but the training with President was way amazing!!! I learned so much, and this is one of the coolest things I learned.....each companion had to teach 3 principles from a chapter of the doctrine of Christ we were given! E Faalogo and I got 3 Nephi 27 and our 3 principles were Faith, Prayer and Repentance. But one of the coolest things I wanted to share was what I was pondering while another companionship was teaching! I was thinking about Prayer......and I am so guilty of it, at night and in the mornings, we are so tired that we just get up on our knees, say the same prayer we always say, and then pass out or get and get ready for the day...but I want to give to those, including me, a little way that I was thinking of prayer that day. 

Every time you kneel and close Your eyes, I want You to picture You're in a perfectly white room kneeling, You haven't' begun Your prayer yet though....a door opens to Your right and a Perfect Someone, in a Shining White Robe, and  walks into the room beaming. Neither of you say a word yet...You watch as He comes and kneels down in front of You, still beaming, like a proud father of his son...yet no words are still said. Then You begin and address Him as Your Father In Heaven, Your Creator. You thank Him for all that He has given You and blessed You with and You give an accounting of Your day. He stays sitting there, yet to speak a word, still smiling, as You also ask for help in the coming days for those around You, family, friends, and THEN for Yourself. And then You close in Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten, Amen. He never utters a word but as You finish, You feel His embrace around You as You finish and it's just a warm comforting feeling that everything is going to be OK. And then You open Your eyes and Your Prayer is finished. Now I don't give this as a must, but I've found that as we really picture what we are praying for and what Prayer actually is...Prayer is our ONLY COMMUNICATION with our Loving Father in Heaven and He desires to help us, but it's all according to us. He has every means to help us, but if we don't ask, we will never receive. "Ask and Ye shall Receive, Knock and it shall be Opened unto You"!!!!

LOVE YOUS FOREVER,

Elder Larson!!

Sorry this is way short, we're short on time but I love Yous!!

This one is for you Mom! (Papa used to call her "Famous Amos")