Hello Family!
I had a great week this past week. I had the opportunity to do some exchanges with some younger, less experiences missionaries, but it was great. They were very excited about the work, loving missionary life, and looking for any way in which they could improve. Missionary work truly is great, and I love how we had such a joyful time while we were together. I got to take a look back at them, and sometimes they worry or maybe doubt themselves because of language skills, but I have seen that the Lord really watches out for missionaries and as long as we are doing his will we can be confident that our effort counts but is also effective, no matter our skills or abilities. The Spirit is great and directs us to what we need to do. I have an experience with the Spirit that happened this week when I actually didn't act on a spiritual prompting to grab a letter for a less active member. I was to pass it on, but I did not bring it seeing that I would not have a chance to give to the desired person. I thought that it would not be necessary, really on my wisdom, but a sister missionary from the other branch came, and I could have given it to her. In conference, President Monson talked more about the necessity to follow the spiritual promptings, and I want to better follow them. Oftentimes we get no second chance, but I was given another chance. The same prompting came again this morning to take the letter, and I had no idea how I would pass it on or to who, but I knew I needed to take it. Here at internet, the sisters came, although I have never seen them here before at this place, and I was able to pass the letter off. The Lord gave me another chance at a small opportunity to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost and I was very grateful for it.
Right now in Ekat, there has been a turn to warmer weather. Today is sunny and nice, and I am actually just in my suit top, but it has not gotten cold yet, but everything is yellow and brown looking. I am interested to see the winter and cold, but I think more towards the beginning of November there will be snow, but we will see. It is really nice, and winter is pretty until it starts getting very cold.
That's wonderful how Shane's companion came over and that you had an opportunity to talk with him and learn about Shane and his mission. He sounds like a very nice young man. I really enjoyed conference here, and I felt like it was very associated with missionary work, and a sharp call to moral cleanliness and daily study of the Book of Mormon. That was nice how you got to see some of our friends and see how they are doing a little bit. I wonder how Davis looks? I wonder how Shane Sorenson is. Hopefully those friends may be interested more in the Gospel. It is also great to hear about Hung.
I will try to answer the questions about school, but unfortunately we might have to discuss some things over the phone at Christmas about it. If I can get a scholarship that will cover tuition, then I think I would like to go to school in April, and hopefully I can find work in Utah so that I will be able to pay for the other items and housing, unless Erik really would be fine for me to live there with him for a while, but I would not want to burden any other person financially. I think that since I will go to school at BYU, I should probably go to Utah as soon as possible to get my life moving forward. It would be a good think for me to work in the summer though, because then everything would be fairly sure, and if I had tuition scholarship, things would go very smoothly. But I actually haven't thought a whole lot about this. I will think some more (but of course not too much as to distract me from the work), and I think next week maybe make a more sure decision, but also I am not sure which classes that I would take as well so I would need to figure that out. Do you know if the scholarship is likely, because that will be a large factor in deciding? Thanks Mom and Dad for keeping an eye after this. It is an important decision. I love you all. I received a nice letter from Jenny and it is interesting how Ryan is forging. I hope you all will continue to be worthy of the Spirit. I am grateful for all that you have given me. Good bye. Love you. -Elder Larson
