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

Greetings from Vinnigrader

Date: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:48:10 +0300
Subject: Greetings from Vinnigrader


Hi Family,


There is so much to say today, we'll see if I can remember to say it all.  Well I got transferred sure enough and I'm now serving in Kyiv.  I'm in northern Kyiv in the Vinnigrader ward.  I also cover the international branch (more about that in a bit).  I'm serving with Elder Hinkson who was one of my roommates in the MTC so needless to say we are compeletly stoked to be serving with eachother.  I'm sad to have left Vinnytsya but I'm so excited for what is ahead.  And as you said dad change is a part of our Heavenly Father's plan for us as we grow in the gospel.  


So there is so much potential in this area right now it is crazy!  We are working with a family, the B-----, who are temple refferals and way close to being baptized.  That is right a family!  I get to meet them for the first time tonight and I'm so excited, just pretty much giddy with anticipation to teach them tonight.  The only thing really holding them back from baptism is coming to Church so that will be a big focus this week, I'm going to be praying none stop for them to come to church this week.  We also have a few other people who are progressing.


So I'm serving in a ward!  It was the coolest thing ever on Sunday to have a bishop!  And to have everything run without the missionaries help (ya we are willing to help but it was nice to watch the church run how it is designed to).  There are so many strong sweet members and I can't wait to get to know them all.  Because of this months primary theme we were invited to visit primary which was a blast and really just made me so happy to see the real importance of this gospel in uniting and building strong families.  It was great to reflect back to my primary days and everything I learned there and share with the kids what helped me want to be a missionary.  I sat down on the piano and sang "I hope they call me on a Mission" with them, it was so great!


In addition to the ward that I'm serving in we also go to the international branch Sacrament Meeting.  It was so awesome to be in an English Sacrament meeting and was just way comfort feeling.  The Branch is filled with girls here for the International Language Program just like cousins M--- and B---- did and they went to the same branch.  Sacrament meeting was great as we got to hear from the L-------, he was in charge of building the Kyiv temple (so they'll be moving soon) but it was just a sweet meeting.  


It is strange to once again live in a big city, been over 2 years since living in London, but I love it.  We live at the northern part of the city so I think it is comparable to living in Camden Town (but don't worry too much mom, it's way safe).  I'm excited to just get straight to work here and do all we can.  Elder H------ and I have already started off with fire and I know this transfer will be one to remember.  We also had some sweet planning training this week.  President feels like he let some things go the past 6 months with so much focus on the temple, so with his help we are working hard to get things really going.


Also I'll be going to the temple this week most likely.  And then after this transfer the policy will be that we can go once every 2 transfers, so another 4 or 5 times while on my mission.  I'm so excited to be able to go to the temple, it will be such a blessing to me.  Well family I love you all and this gospel is true!  I have come to reallization after reallization of what I need to do and I just love this gospel.  Glad everything is going well with everyone at home and that you had an enjoyable visit to M-----'s house.  Thanks for your love and support!


Love
Elder Alexander Larsen

First Week

From Elder Matthew Courtright, dated October 13, 2008 (edited for punctuation, capitalization, and sacred or personal third-person content)

Hello Sister Freeman!

If you haven't assumed as such yet, this is Matt, or Elder Courtright, as I have been called lately. This has been one crazy week since I left Houston 1 week and 2 days ago. Uh, I got to Salt Lake at 3:30 on Friday afternoon and [a couple newly affianced] picked me up. Awkward! I have never had such a desire to scream and explode. We picked up Bro. Steward at the Church offices and drove home.

Saturday was [General] Conference. so we just watched that and that's it. Sunday, [a brother and sister and their respective fiances] and [the female fiance's] brother and I went to the Sunday morning session of Conference at the Conference Center. We had the most amazing seats. We sat on the floor 50 feet from the prophet. If I had sniffed hard enough, I could have smelled him. It was amazing. We also saw [Elder Groberg] (or however you spell it), the missionary from the movie The Other Side of Heaven. He's old now, as you might assume, but I saw him.

Then Monday and Tuesday happened. And Wednesday, Sis. Steward and Daina brought me to the MTC. I met my companion, Elder ----, who, outside of being super weird, is a great man. He is really passionate about this work. He encourages me to do things I wouldn't normally do because I am too prideful. My other 2 roommates are Elder Hiatt and Elder Albino. Elder Albino is from Hawaii, so we are learning lots of Hawaiian words, and Elder Hiatt is from N. Carolina.

We met the rest of our district Wednesday night. Only 3 out of the 12 people in our district are from Utah, 0 from Idaho. Pretty amazing huh? We have a really close, spiritual district. We bonded closely within 2 days. Unfortunately, 7 of us are going to Denver, 3 to Washington, D.C. and 2 to New Zealand. It's gonna be a really hard day when they split us up.

Uhh, what else? The lessons have been amazingly spiritual. I remember everyone telling me that, but I never would have imagined the magnitude of it. It's incredible. I love it. I have learned more in 1 week and felt the Spirit more than I did probably the entire time I was home this summer.

Today we went to the temple and that was a really good experience. I [participated in a prayer] and the lady [next to me] was bawling throughout the entire prayer. I felt such a love for her and when we were in the Celestial Room, I was impressed to thank her for her faith and testimony. I dunno why, but I was. Also, turns out in the MTC rules, elders aren't supposed to [participate because] it's holding a lady's hand. I plead ignorance this time.

I have been super lucky here because I forgot some things at the Stewards' house, but Hannah has brought them to me. If you think of it, ask Sis. Lyon for a Houston Temple Recommend holder. I asked Hannah to call her, but I forgot. My box number is 120 in case Daina didn't give that to you. It's great having friends work at the MTC.

Also, I think I am the only one in my district who hasn't been homesick. I don't think I can be since I have already lived away from home for so long. I am the 3rd oldest, and older than most of the missionaries here. It's weird cause I graduated a whole year before them.

Well, time is almost out. Just so you know, THE GOSPEL IS STILL TRUE! I WOULD KNOW! Send my love out :)

--Elder Courtright