Email of Dec. 7, 2009

Dear Mom and Dad,

Jwaye Nwel! I'm glad to hear that you were able to watch the Christmas devotional. I was able to watch it as well. It just turned out that we didn't really have any thing to do from eight until nine. You're right, it was a great way to start off the Holiday season.

This past week was pretty good. I spent a few days in Immokalee on exchanges with Elder Welch. I think it was really good for Elder Arrieus. He got to spread his wings and fly by himself. I enjoyed teaching alot of lessons in Immokalee. They have a really unique situation. They teach alot of people and they have a couple of youth that just go and help them with all of their lessons. Both days I was there we picked up a member named Ozanadieu Charles. He goes by Jay. He is a really funny kid, and he loves helping the missionaries. They are trying to motivate him to go on a mission.

Then on Friday, Elder Arrieus was on exchanges again. I went up to Sarasota with the zone leaders for ZLDLC. It was a good meeting. In November we broke our glass ceiling for baptisms. We got 76 baptisms. Our zone also broke our glass ceiling with 15 baptisms. We talked alot about what we have been doing good and what we could do better.

The work is going pretty well. We have quite a few people that we're working with right now, we're just struggling to get them to progress. Sylla and Carmel want to be baptized but they aren't coming to church for some reason. But this week while I was on exchanges, Elder Arrieus and Elder Tremblay found a couple of positive people. One we taught yesterday. His name is Renae. He goes by Ray. He is about 20 and he is pretty sweet. He has lots of good questions and is excited to read the Book of Mormon. They also met a family who we are going to teach tonight.

This week we have another trip up north. We are going to Port Charlotte for Christmas conference. I'm excited. Then we were invited to go out to eat with our branch's high councilor who has his office up there. So it should be a good day.

Christmas this year we are only allowed to watch one movie. We are trying to decide which one. My votes were Rudy or Oh brother, where art thou? But we are trying to decide what we are going to do with the rest of the day. We will probably end up doing something for the branch, making cookies or gingerbread men maybe. Speaking of which, could you send me a recipe for ginger bread men? Then I will probably call at around 5 or 6 Idaho time since we get free night time calls after 7.

If packages are mailed to the mission home before tomorrow then they will save them until tomorrow at zone conference and give them to me then. But I think if they get them after tomorrow they will just forward them right away (if it is sent USPS, not UPS, FedEx or anything else). If it is sent through any company but USPS then they just have to wait until the next time I see them, which I'm not sure when that will be. It might be easier to send it directly to my address on Central, as long as it gets here before the 20th or 21st it should get to me with no problem.

As for dad's question about scouting, I'm sure that scouting has helped me alot. Scouting was such a huge part of my earlier years that I don't know how it couldn't have helped me become who I am. It's hard for me to think of specific ways that it has helped me. One thing I can remember just off the top of my head is something we talked about at Timberline. It was the S.M.A.R.T. goals acronym. It's something I think of pretty much every time I set a goal.

But everything is going well, thanks for all you do. I love you tons!
Elder Larson