Email Excerpts from Elder Larsen

We had another baptism on Saturday. It was the first time I actually got to perform the ordinance. It was the experience of a lifetime. You mentioned your studying the adversity of the sons of Mosiah. I have not suffered everything they did, but I have experienced days full of closed doors and lots of walking, days full of rejection and blind people, days full of frustration and dropped investigators, and I see it is for my good. I thank Heavenly Father for the opportunity to see that I am not enough. It is only when I see that clearly that I can sufficiently lean on the Lord in faith. With those hard days come beautiful ones when lives change, testimonies grow, and everything falls into place. The way I look at is, the hard days are for me, and the beautiful days are for them. I’m glad I can do all I can when those days come.

I didn't get to watch the inauguration, but it was on in the background during a lesson we taught.

I’m staying in this area for three more months. I’ve been here 4½ months, so that’s a total of 7½ months in this area. That is a total of 11 months out before my third area. Ask me how I know it will be three more months? I’ll tell you. My companion is going home at the end of this transfer. I’ll have to show the next Elder the area the transfer after that. A transfer is six weeks. Two transfers are three months. So I’m going to know this ward real well before I get moved again.

Elder Isaac Larsen – Email Excerpt

We delivered a Book of Mormon the other day that a lady had ordered. The lady wasn't in a position to talk with us. She was fixing her hair, or something silly like that. However, we talked to her husband who didn't know anything about her ordering the book. We taught him a mini lesson just on the Book of Mormon, and he committed to reading and praying about it. When I read Moroni 10:3-5 he said, "Wow that’s powerful!" He was 66 years old and Baptist, but he was prepared to hear about the Book of Mormon! Next time we go I’m definitely giving him a baptismal date and he will accept it.

I’ve experienced something very interesting lately. The spirit prompted me to say something I had never learned. Later I found it in the scriptures when I was studying. That was an interesting experience, and I’m really starting to enjoy studying. I’ve been out almost 5 months, but I’m just starting to really enjoy it. LOL.

I started reading Jesus the Christ before my mission. I couldn't get into it. Now I can't put it down, and somehow the vocabulary is not an obstacle. I understand it! The Lord has blessed me. I had been praying that I would have my understanding expanded and my mind enlightened. Although when I prayed, the words I used were, “Help me to be smarter,” but it’s the same thing essentially.

I love the lord with all of my heart!

First Transfer-Elder Isaac Larsen

My area is the Tanglewood area. Sounds pretty gangster, huh? Paige got switched fast. I was only with my trainer three months, and four ½ months is standard. I love it here. I’ve already grown, and my comp is the coolest! We’ve already decided to become samurai after the mission and battle. I’m a little bummed I left my last area so soon because we had 17 baptismal dates, and I didn't get to see any of them.

Oh, I need new pants! Tear…tear. I badly destroyed a pair of pants from my blue suit when I had a bike accident. My knees hurt pretty badly, but it will go away. I’m tough. I kept tapping my Comp’s back wheel when we were riding, and I said, “Stop! Stop!” I didn't stop. Then I went over my handle bars, and rolled down a hill. It was pretty hilarious. We still laugh about it. Then later I crashed in the street on the curb somehow. I don’t know how that one happened. It was really fast, but long story short, I need new pants.