Happy Day!

Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:08:11 +0300
Subject: Happy Day!


It really is a happy day!  And I have had a fabulous week!  Thanks first off for the many Birthday Greetings!  I'm so glad that I have such a wonderful family to support me and send me their love.  Thanks for the awesome Birthday cards too, I have recieved them all and also that hand delivered package mom so thanks so much for thinking of me.  I'm going to take Elder Hinkson out to lunch to celebrate so that should be fun.  So now to my fabulous week.

First I'm working with Elder Hinkson which is like working with one of my best friends!  It really is just amazing!  We were great friends in the MTC spending everyday for 3 months together and now we get to serve together and it is great!  We both want to work hard, be obedient, and just go have fun doing the work of the Lord so that is what we have done.  We are running everyother morning which has been fantastic and praying the snow holds off so we can keep doing that even though it is crazy cold already in the morning.  The cold won't stop us though, haha.  So serving with Elder Hinkson is just grand and it makes the work so much fun!

My Branch (international) and Ward are sweet!  I love the members and the leaders we get to work with, they have just been awesome!  Jeremy thanks for the connection to Brother Luschin, everyone in the mission knows he is the one from President Uchtdorf's talk but that is way cool your family new them in Germany, I'll be sure to pass a hello.  We have had some great interactions with members and I'm way excited to be working with them.

So last Thursday I got to go to the temple with Elder Oldham and it was so nice!  It was so peaceful and just what I needed.  I had such a enjoyable time there and it just felt familiar even though it was my first time for a session there and there were many things in Russian.  They did have head sets for English which was at least nice.  It'll probably be January before I make it back to the temple but I can't wait.  The temple is what it is all about.  I'm so grateful for the covenants we make with the Lord.  I also ran into Elder Mark Larsen's old companion Elder Grover who was here for a visa trip so that was cool.  Hopefully this week I might be able to see Elder Larsen himself.

Okay the best part of the week was working with the Boyko family.  I first met them last Monday and they are such an awesome family.  The dad Pavlo is wanting the truth for his family and they are just the greatest family.  We had some really sweet lessons with them where the spirit was so powerful.  They have three kids a 14year old boy, 12 year old girl and a 2 year old girl.  The kids are great and so happy to learn about the gospel.  The highlight was seeing them walk into Stake Conference.  They hadn't come to church yet and that has been holding back their progress but they loved Stake Conference.  We actually went to their apartment this morning to read the Book of Mormon with them and it all went well.  We should be re-extending a baptismal date with them on Wednesday, so I'll be praying that I'll goes well.  I'm so happy to be working with a family and seeing them progress in the Gospel.  It is the most rewarding thing and I just can't wait to see them baptized and then eventually sealed in the temple.  That is where my focus is now.

Alright so yeseterday was Stake Conference.  It was really good!  Most of it was in Russian but I suprisingly understood most everything (at least the jist of it).  My favourite talk was President Galbraith the Temple President.  He is just wonderful to listen to.  He reminds me a lot of Uncle Fred, which is just fun.  He was in a temple president's conference last week with the first presidency and the 9 of the 12.  He was eating with Elder Bednar and asked him to teach him something, so Elder Bednar did.  He told him to read the scriptures through "temple eyes" he then admonished us to do the same.

Alright well it was just a great week!  I'm happy, I love the gospel and it is true!  Thanks for your love and support family you mean the world to me!

Love,

Elder Alexander Larsen

Elder Cook Visits

From: Elder Andrushka Pearce Dated: 05.04.09

Dear family I am very grateful for a kind dear mom and dad that i have it means a lot to me to get a letter from you each week. I have come to realize that my English has bin very lost. I also realized that i am old on the mission.

The experience about Elder Cook is. I was all ready to give my part so nervous as i got there i found out at the last minute the plans changed and that he had very little time so he took his time on giving us a very good training that i loved. So i was very grateful and i was ready for such and experience.

Then that night we went to his talk to all Managua that he did. As i was there i saw many of the people that i taught and the wards that i worked in. I saw family Martinez from my first area i was up on the bleachers as i saw them i was nervous to see and so happy at the same time. As i got down the dad i gave a big hug i was so happy to see them he is president of elders quorum and she is president of the women. I was so happy to see the small efforts of mine and the greater of our Heavenly Father.

This week we went out on a camp out with the elders de Mateares by the permission of President. It was a great experience many ideas came to me what we need to do and how we need to work. Very good experience it reminded me how much i miss the mountains.

OH by the way i cant believe how close i am getting to being done with my mission the comments of mom about the plans made me think wow it has come and gone. I am a little bit sad because i want to end with all i have. I am looking, praying, studying, fasting and learning how i can finish my mission with all i have that i can give a great last punch that i have in the army of the lord here in this place. I know that i will have all my life to server the lord. I pray that i may give all i have to this work.

Today president was talking about giving your whole soul and i want to give so much more to the lord. I have come to realize that the only thing i can give the lord is my will my heart that he will mold me and that i can be willing to serve him in all time in all place. So i will be buckling down on giving all i have. I love the lord and i know it is his will. I wish there was a way to recharge your batteries quickly and return to the work.

This Sunday i was a little down. Well my body was hurting from hiking up the mountain playing baseball and other moving activity and sleeping in a hammock well the little sleep that i got. Then getting up hiking down in the sun tired as i could be to take a shower put my clothes on and go out to work the zone leaders came over to do a visit to some families. The camp out went great as we got to know one another better.

So in the meeting Vladimir had a meeting so i was directing and i was tired as it came my turn to be my testimony. Then one by one the new converts got up to share there testimony oh how my heart was filled with love to know i had a little part helping them. They expressed their love and thanked us the missionaries in this area. How i love this area how i love the people here they have grown so much. I am so thankful with my Father IN Heaven for opening doors and helping us with so much. To finish got up the daughter of Vladimir and gave her testimony i was so happy to be there. The meeting got done with lots of joy and feeling of a great family that we are Mateares. So i have bin thinking about the plans and what we can do here.

I pray and hope all is well there. May Dad get better and feel better. May all my sisters find their husbands. To be ready to get married when i get home. May they that are inactive find a testimony of Jesus Christ.

Love you Mom and Dad i will let you know my plans for when i will be coming home. Elder Pearce.