Tuesday, June 14, 2011

June 13, 2011

Hello family,
I am doing well, and I was glad to hear from all of you. I am doing well. We had Zone leader Council, and I learned a lot about planning and how I can better plan and goal set in order to get things accomplished. It has already had a good effect on our attititude, and we have a good week coming up her. We also think that we will have a baptismal date with a woman today. Her friend invited her to church, she has been  3 times, she is very nice, we have met with her once, and we feel like she is ready for that challenge. It is weird to hear that Brad will be going home soon, but from the sound  of his leaders, it seems like he had a great time, and was able to make a difference in many people's lives. It is sad to hear about all those fires. My companion is from Donetsk Ukraine, and he lives with his mother at home and also has a sister who is 2-3 years older than him, but he is 23. This is the last week of the transfer, but I feel like there is a likelihood that I will stay here, and I am glad, because I feel that there are some good things going on, but we will see. I did not ask directly if he had been to the castle, but I am pretty sure that he has not.
There are a lot of people divorced in Russia, and it makes it difficult for the Church a lot. It makes me grateful for my family, and I see that it is a stability and a foundation in a literal sense. I am grateful and love my family, and a strong family is centered on love for God, Christ, and each other. If we follow the commandments and follow the prophets, we can have a lot of happiness in our families. I suggest you two for family home evening to read together proclamation to the family. I don't think that there are secrets to becoming a happy family, but a lot of times we forget, which is why reading scriptures and words of the prophet is important to help us remember the commandments. A lot of problems also occur if we start thinking about ourselves more than our companions or others. It is interesting to see that sometimes amongst companions on the mission, but it is also great to remember that Christ is here for us and repentance works, and no matter what goes wrong, we can always make it on the right path with his help.
It would be cool to see Erik and Alesha near me if he goes to school at BYU. Bye. I love you all. -Elder Larson