Hola Familia and Amigos :)
The mission field is truly an incredible place and I am so happy for the oppurtunity I have to help the people of Argentina come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. Argentina is an amazing place with amazing people, this week I was actually able to understand and communicate with them..
Cha-Hoo! :) I know that the gift of tongues is real and am so grateful for the Spirit and his influence in helping me learn a new language.
A normal day out here consists of waking up at 650.. I know kinda crazy but our Mission President allows to sleep in until 7 during the winter months to help relieve some stress.
Then 30 Minutes of excercise. These minutes have been critical in helping me regain confidence and helping my mind become more at ease, also kind of cool to push your body to the limits without the help of a weight room. My companion has some suprising really good excersizes.
Preparation for the day starts at 730, here we take showers and make some breakfast. Yes we actually do have showers down here in Argentina, and the biggest problem with ours is fighting with the water heater to make the shower cold enough to step in. My companion loves to cook so we have had a lot of fun in the kitchen, as you can see from the pictures we eat well :)
At 8:30 we have our personal studies, for the beginning part of my mission I have chosen to mainly study the lessons outlined in Preach My Gospel chapter 3. It has been amazing to find new treasures every time I study the same material. I know that PMG is an inspired text focused on helping the missionaries bring others closer to our Savior. In 1 Nephi we read that Nephi's whole countenance and drive in life was to 'Persuade men to come unto Christ' I hope that through continued diligence and studying of the works missionaries are given I too can inherite a similiar desire for why I am on this Earth.
At 9:30 we have Comp study. It is an awesome part of the day where we share what we learned and then practice teaching the lessons to our friend Pablo the Water Jug. Elder Ashby and I have a great time practicing a real lesson to our friend Pablo.. I know that just like in sports we need to be prepared for all things and preparation only comes through practice :)
10:30 We head out into the streets of La Emilia walking briskly with our eyes up focused on loving the people. All of course while avoiding crazy dogs and vehicles moving at unsafe speeds. While we walk we practice alot of memorazation especially in helping me learn Spanish. Grateful for a comp that knows both Spanish and English helping me translate as we go :)
12:30-2 we have an hour for lunch and more studying depending on where we have lunch. For being in a small branch we have some amazing members who are constantly asking to have us over for lunch! Something missionaries are extrememly grateful for :) The food is amazing ranging from a lot of pasta to fried chicken called Milinasa to potatoes to rice to more pasta. (another reason I'm thankful for the excersizing in the morning, never eaten this much starch in my life!)
From 2-430 The Town of La Emilia literally shuts down due to the Siesta, it is loco.. During this time we head back to the pench and prepare another hour of comp study this time focusing more on 'The 12 Week Program" designed for new missionaries. And we also have an hour of language study where I do 30 minutes of grammar study and read aloud from El Libro De Mormon. My language has significantly improved while here in the mission and I am ever grateful for the baptism by fire of Espanol :) It sucks at the beginning but worth it in the end..
From 4:30 to 9 We are out and about helping bring others closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. We return and plan tomorrown and eat some snacks. Kind of a different culture where most families choose to eat dinner at 11, after the missionaries are in bed....
This week has been amazing and filled with many miracles, and I am so grateful for our loving Heavenly Father, I know he watches out for his servants the missionaries. This week Elder Ashby and I have been working diligently at improving our strict obedience, I can remeber a quote from the MTC that says something along the lines of "if a rule seems dumb at first, try living it first before chastizing the blessings you could be recieving"
My motto for the week is "Do not murmur. Do not stray. Stay focused. And go the Lords way" grateful for the oppurtunity I have to be here in the mission field and for the love and support of those around me. May we all continually come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ every day!
time to put on my Grandpa Clyde hat and go back to work :)
Le quiero mucho,
Elder Larsen