Merry Merry Christmas!

Tis the season!!
So... Last week, I didn't write. SORRY!! Things got switched around and time got crunched... Anywho! We are so excited for Christmas!!! I haven't seen my family for 9 months now, and I was just starting to forget what they all looked like!! We have everything set up with a member in our ward, except for the time... My companion has a sister on a mission as well, and we are still trying to get everything worked out so that he will be able to Skype with her as well. The Christmas season has been strong in our little Hmong apartment this year, as we have our little 3 ft Christmas tree decked, lights put up, and Christmas cards tacked up along our hallway. There has been music playing almost constantly, snow falling heavily, and we even splurged and bought ourselves a nice little half gallon carton of eggnog! We were part of the ward Choir concert yesterday, and we had so much fun with it! Everyone in that choir had a good time, good voice, and good spirit, making it a very memorable Christmas Sabbath.
Along with the Christmas theme, last night we went caroling to all of the Hmong people that we could think of! We ended up staying out for over 4 hours singing the same 5 little carols that had been translated into Hmong. We came home and just CRASHED! But again, what a great memory of my first Christmas in the Missionfield! We went to somewhere near 15 people, and even stopped at a few investigators houses. We were thanked with hugs, and many many thank yous. We were more than happy to do it, and would be more than happy to do it again. I just want to share my testimony during this special time of year. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior. He came to this earth as a part of an Eternal Plan of Happiness, and by following that plan, I know that I will again live with my family and my Father in heaven. This is the greatest gift that I have ever been given, and it is a gift that I can never repay. I've heard it said that we don't spend Christmas, we keep it, and that the gifts Christ gave us were his life and his sacrifice. That is the best that we can give him as well, our lives, and our sacrifice.

LOVE YOU ALL
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Elder Larsen

Brr!!!

All I can say is -20 isn't very pleasant. I know I've started off the last couple of e-mails complaining about the cold... but come on now!! Other than that... Great week for us!! We had some very exciting things happen! Wednesday we met with some referrals that we got on sunday night. The referral was for someone named Choua (Chew-uh). When we went over to talk, it turns out that there was more than one coincidence (or should I say MIRACLE!! <a favorite word in every missionary's vocabulary>) We started teaching him, and his wife came in to sit in on the lesson, and immediately started offering feedback, and questions. We asked her if she wanted to learn as well, and she said absolutely! After introductions, we found out that she has relatives who are already members, and she had no idea! Elder Burgoyne had served in Sheboygan, where they lived, and somehow, we found out she is related to members there. After some more discussion, their brother, Kong, came and started listening... THEN after a little MORE discussion, their GRANDMA came and sat in on the lesson. We ended up teaching for about 2 whole hours, and we were invited back this next week... We are very hopeful for all of them, and as it turns out Kong and 2 OTHER siblings that weren't there had previously studied from the missionaries, and were even committed to baptism, until their father disallowed it... That means from 1 referral, we have 6 new investigators... And a partridge in a pear tree. We are blown away, and very thankful for this blessing! On friday, we went to the house of a way less active named Jessica. We REALLY enjoy our talks with her because she is not afraid to ask questions. We just know that they are personal questions that she wouldn't ask anyone else, and they are very deep, very spiritual questions. We are able to answer each one with scriptures, and we leave her house each week feeling very accomplished. This past week, she told us how much she enjoys the time we spend together. She doesn't know it yet, and hasn't been to church or in contact with anyone from the church for at least 10 years, but she will make a great relief society president when she returns to activity. Finally, last night we saw the Christmas devotional, and what a blessing that was! I encourage you to watch it if you weren't able to last night... That's about all I have time for this week, but I love you so much, and thank you all for your support!!!

Elder Larsen!

To All Y'All

Wooooow... Where to start with this week?? We'll start on Thursday (thanksgiving) We had two dinners with Hmong families --and when I say families, I mean FAMILIES!!! It was so crowded and so busy! The star of the first dinner was the deep fried turkey bits... Yes, nothing says "I'm thankful" like clogged arteries. We were so incredibly full after the first dinner, that we forgot that we had another dinner 3 hours later... woopsie... BUT we enjoyed the second one just as much. The star of that dinner would have to be the 2 turkeys that just gleamed. We were extremely thankful for the hospitality of these people, and made sure that they knew it! The talk turned to the gospel very quickly, and I heard many good testimonies born of how thankful they were. It was a pretty special experience for us... And as a side-note, we had 3 different types of rice along with our turkeys... Next, Saturday! Our radio broadcast went off without a hitch! We were so proud of how it turned out, and we are excited to get more and more confident every week. After all the hours of preparation, and worrying and planning, we were very proud of what we did. There is no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father helped us through everything. We felt so comfortable, and so fluent during the broadcast, and that couldn't have come from anybody else. We were stressed out the entire week, and were still able to perform. Thank you to all those who listened, I'll translate it for you all when I get back! And finally... A miraculous Sunday! First thing to note, 4 weeks ago we invited an investigator. named Lilly, and her family to church. Why did we invite them so long ago? Her schedule is absolutely INSANE, and as a single mom, she has a lot of obligations. She wasn't willing to come at first because she doesn't have a car, and didn't want to accept a ride from anyone, but we insisted that she come and try it once. We set everything up and her and her four kids came and stayed for all three hours!! She made friends and said she might even come next week! Miracle!! THEN, we had another investigator, Anthony, there. He hasn't come in months, and came all by himself AND stayed through all 3 hours AAAAAND a baptism that was happening afterward! Whew! Miracle!!!! THEN, we had a less active, Cheeta, who also hasn't been to church in months come for all 3 hours... After, he told us how much he misses church... MIRACLE!!! We are feeling extremely blessed, and again, I thank my Heavenly Father for everything. Also, I am very aware of the many prayers coming from family and friends at home, and for that I offer my sincere, deepest gratitude. I have to go and do other p-day things, so that's it for today... But I love you all!!

Over the Airwaves and a Very Hmong Thanksgivi​ng

Salutations! Nyob zoo! We have had a very very interesting week. I'll start with some of the stuff that doesn't really matter... First and foremost, our thermometer has been gloomily low this past week. It hit as low as 2 degrees, and for those of you who would LIKE to know... With the windchill that is a bone-chilling -10 degrees. And its only November. Honestly, I'm pretty excited for this winter though. I KNOW that it will be a cold like nothing that I've ever experienced, but that's part of the excitement I think. I feel fairly adequately prepared, but to make sure, I'm going to walmart today for a few last second preparations (some sort of facemask, and gloves that are rated for this kind of cold). For Thanksgiving this year, we get to go to a member's house, Gilbert and Lilly Yang. All the Hmong members in the ward are invited, and while we were planning this yesterday (Sunday) almost everyone there chipped in saying that they would bring some sort of food. To be honest, I'm not sure if we'll be having turkey, or white rice, but I honestly don't care all that much. (here comes the cheese) Thanksgiving is really the best time of year to remember what you are thankful for. What a unique opportunity for me to share this special day with the people that I am here to serve, and more importantly, the people that I love so much. While I won't be at home, I certainly will be with family 1200 miles away from Utah. My dad told me this last week in his letter that he spent his thanksgiving with a hotdog and a coke in Caceras Spain in 1990... While mine might not be THAT different, I feel like this will be a very unique, very Hmong Thanksgiving.

And finally... The most exciting news of the week! About 4 weeks ago, my companion and his companion at the time were told that the local Hmong radio station was interested in anybody who wanted to come in and have a show. They went in and applied, but didn't hear back. Fast forward to this week. We decided to go in and re-apply if needed. We went in and were rushed around their office and to keep a long story short... We will be on the radio every Saturday from 11-12 talking about "What Mormons Believe"... Wait... What?! What an opportunity this is for us and for the Lord. This radio station is broadcasted to all of the major Hmong populations across the USA, and every Saturdy eleven to noon we will be able to explain the beliefs of our church and we will be bearing testimony over the airwaves. The main portion of our broadcast will be discussions about the Articles of Faith, 1 every week. All I can say is that we have been so blessed with this chance, and I would ask for your special prayers for myself and my companion. I'm still not quite sure if you will be able to listen online or not. But if I remember correctly (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) the station is 93.3 FM WNRB-LP wausau... Love you all, Happy Holidays, and tune in next time!! ;)

Elder Larsen

Hey Everyone!!

Good morning! A cold, windy, and yes, SNOWY morning! Elder Burgoyne and I woke up this morning to the sound of wind rocking our apartment, and that can only mean one thing.... Winter is coming! It's practically here!! Funny enough though, that means good news for us Hmong elders. One of the biggest struggles for us is catching people at home. Most of the time they are either at work or farming... Now that it's gotten cold enough, and the season really is over, we have been catching people at the right time and have seen much more success trying to contact people without having appointments already set up.

We have been working long and hard to get enough people together for a Hmong party, and finally our hard work has payed off. After cancelling it for what we thought was for good on Friday, we were able to align everyone's schedules for tonight! We are cooking for them, and we decided on carne asada tacos. We thought about making them American food, but decided that we should cook something that is similar to their style of cooking and also something that was easy for them to remember should they ever want to make it again. I can't wait to give you all an update on how it all goes. I can't express how big this will be for our ward. This will bring everyone together and give them the opportunity to express their testimonies with their friends in a totally relaxed environment.

Now, updates on teaching successes and heartaches... First, John and Elizabeth, our most promising investigators dropped us early this week. We don't even know why,and it kind of threw us into a little bit of a whirlwind spiral-y funk. We were able to overcome it just by recognizing that the only way we could have more people to teach was if we got out and got to work. This little remedy cured us of our sadness, and we truly lost ourselves in the work. We were even able to find a new investigator who has a LOT of potential! That brings us to the greatest success of the week. Elder Burgoyne and Elder Cook (his last companion) tracted into Anna and set up a return appointment. She said she wanted to know more, and was searching for a church to join to strengthen her faith. But when they went back, she had been called into work and they weren't able to see her until Elder Burgoyne and I went back. We taught her about everything that we could in our short meeting, and this time she gave us her number to call her before our next visit to check to see if she is there. She (along with everyone in the world!) would benefit from the gospel in her life. Her father passed away, and he was a BIG figure in her life. She always quoted her dad, and seemed excited to know more about the plan of salvation.

So, missionary work is hard, and it always has been. BUT, with a concerted effort to move forward, and with faith in our Heavenly Father, we can overcome the trials that we face. That is the biggest lesson I've learned this week.

LOVE you all! Stay warm....

Wausau!!

Good afternoon everyone!! Greetings from Wausau Wisconsin!! In this issue of Elder Albert, I'm going to basically be giving a big juicy overview of how everything is in Wausau! First of all, I love it already. Honestly, I might already like it better than Appleton, which I thought was IMPOSSIBLE! The hills and "Mountain" (really just a mound of dirt they call Rib Mountain) make it feel just like home here. Wausau is kind of in a little valley and is surrounded by pretty dense woodland. Its also (for lack of a better word) kind of quaint. In Appleton we lived in downtown, a 2 minute walk from everything, but here, where everything is more spread out, we are on the very fringe of the town itself. Funny enough we live right accross the street from the Kraft Mac'n Cheese factory, so with any luck I might get to have some farm fresh pasta... The apartment is smaller than Appleton's, but I like it a lot. It feels more like home than the one in Appleton did. The ward so far has been great. There are just about as many Hmong people as in Appleton, and there are some really strong Priesthood holders. As for everyone else, they are great so far. They have only one ward in Wausau, so we have the whole building to ourselves. Everyone was so nice in introducing themselves, and I really look forward to working with everyone. My companion has already identified the ward "missionary Mom" for me. She's already offered haircuts, and has already had us over for spaghetti... MMM!! Just like home! As far as the work, it is definitely started to pick up here. Within the last 5 or 6 weeks the district has gone from only 14 "reportable key indicators" (basically lessons and baptism dates) to yesterday up to 24. That is more than any week that my new companion Elder Burgoyne has seen in his two transfers here. I'm very glad to be part of this hastening of the work. I came in and on my first day met our 2 most promising investigators. They are recently married, and her mom converted only a couple months ago. They have a tentative date set for November 30th, and we are so excited for them. Elder Burgoyne met them only a month ago, and he feels that they have grown a lot in that time. I can't wait to give more of an update next week, but alas, duty calls. I will leave you all with a thought. Our heavenly Father created everything. We know that everything that has existed, exists now, and will exist in the future is numbered to him. Considering all of this, he knows you. He loves you. He will give you as many opportunities as you need until you come back to him. That is truly a loving Father, and I want to let you all know of my knowledge of Him and His infinite love. My love to you all! My new address is 1220 Townline Road #2 in Wausau WI, 54403.

LOVE your Elder,
ELDER LARSEN!!

Short....again....

So sorry, it feels like all of my letters to the family are so short! But at least for good reason this week.... TRANSFERS!! And the big news.... I'm going to WAUSAU!!! I'm so excited! I've only heard good things about this area, and both of my companions came to appleton from wausau, so I have some good insights on the area from missionary points of view. I'm so sad that I have to leave the "promised land" of Appleton, but I am truly blessed and know that I'm going to Wausau because that is where the Lord needs me. As soon as I can I will let everyone know about my new address, and as for anything that has been sent to my apartment here, I will be getting it up to a week or two late. I haven't forgotten to write back, the mail just has to be forwarded :)

Very cool, very quick experience last night. We have an investigator who is going through the repentance process and is trying his best to quit smoking. Yesterday was day #2 without a cigarrette. We are so proud of him for how well he is doing. Last night, however, he texted us that he was having a very strong craving. We made our way over as fast as we could with a talk that was given to us by our Mission President. The talk talks about our agency and how we have control over our thoughts, not Satan. We went over and talked to him and by the end he told us that his craving was almost completely gone. His entire countenance changed over the course of our short 10 minute lesson. He has been my favorite investigator so far BY far, and as we got up to leave, he stopped us and grabbed one of his many hats (he's a sort of collector) and gave it to me. I was COMPLETELY taken off guard, but COMPLETELY honored. Something so small to him meant the world to me. If nothing else, I will remember Mathinoe for his humility, kindness, and his true love for the gospel.

I'm surviving the first bits of winter, but it is getting colder... My winter gear has held out well so far, but I can't wait for my first -20 degree day... (NOT!!) Pray for me, and I pray for you too!! LOVE YOU!!!