Hello Family!
I was glad to hear from you this week, and I was also glad to hear from Shane and Madison. It sounds like Madison is happy, doing well in school, and I had actually never seen that feather thing, but it looked pretty cool in her hair like that. Madison, I hope you are reading your scriptures, and then your days will be even more happy and fun filled. Be a good example and help out your brothers and sisters, and I know you can even be a great example for your family. A miracle we had in the work is we were able to help someone do a renovation in his home. His wife is against the church, but since we've been going over and helping she has become friendly, kind, and she is actually quite funny, although she still doesn't let us pray in front of her. We are putting up some dry wall ceilings, and it has been fun to learn how to do a few new things. It is also fun to help this member. He is really a gentle man, and we are preparing the room for their new baby that comes in less than a month. This was the last Sunday that our Mission President would attend our ward and also a 70 quorum member was there at church. He is from Russia, but he is a nice man. Also, a sister from the church invited a friend, and we set up a meeting with her and her friend next week, and it showed me that the Lord really does soften people's hearts, and that we all can play a key role in missionary work with the help of the Spirit.
So you watched Andrew zimmern in Russia, it sounds cool. I haven't been to a huge market, but there are quite a bit of markets that are just in the streets, and actually next to our home, there is a market that had a variety of vegetables at a really good price. A lot of the -stani people are involved in shipping and trading of produce, so you have a lot of darker skinned people that don't speak russian, there are a lot of grandmothers on the streets that sell things. I have not been to a big market in Ekat for food, but I have been to a big market for clothes and it is interesting. A lot of times you will even see chinese or vietnam markets where they sell those items.
I have tried tongue here, and I don't really like it a whole lot, but all of the pastries are really good. In the Urals, there are I believe nearly all natural resources and many minerals, stones and ores. I don't know if they have a rock museum, but it would be good to know. It sounds like everyone from the ward is getting married or leaving. It seems like a lot is changing. Thanks for the package. The weather is nice today, and it has been cloudy and rainy all last week, and it was disappointing to hear it will rain again. Last summer it was so hot and sunny, but so far this summer has been very wet. It will be good for produce and the price of food. I know that serving the Lord we can really be blessed and be happy. I know that he knows our needs and only through him can we find the answers to our needs. We get our new President the 1 of July, and that is when the Alcott's go home. They have been really great. I hope you are all doing well, working hard, counting your blessings, reading your scriptures, saying your prayers, and following the commandments. If not, you can always change, and through Christ, he will help you get through anything. I love you all. Good bye- Elder Larson
For Alex. -Charity has really helped me on my mission, and I especially realize how much it can bless our lives. I have a few examples of charity. Between our loved ones, we should have a great amount of charity, although we take them for granted a lot of times. It is like a companion. You need to work on loving the ones around you and serving them, and thinking about them at the same time thinking about Christ, and it helps you become more humble. It helps you become happier and think about others more than yourself.
We need to not judge those that we do not know. We do not know their circumstances, why they do what they do exactly, but we must love and serve them. Sometimes we cut them down, sometimes we act better than them. If they truly do have an inadequacy, we should help them up, not beat them down, and we should never act like we are better than them. (You can refer to the story a wrote probably in Feb about the drunk man by the church.
Through charity we become like Christ and we become humble ourselves, although through our talents, abilities, and skills that we have been blessed with, we can make a difference in the lives of others.
I ran out of time. COuld you please remind me next letter, and I can write some more.
