May 2, 2011

Fernandas baptism!

Dearest Family!

Wow it's really great to hear from all of you guys! I love this but I gotta tell the good news right now.  I have permission to use SKYPE!!!  Cool huh! So I was thinking... we could use skype or  I have a better idea. A member here who was the former bishop has a Mac and I thought you guys could give me an acount to use for the web chat on the Mac. Maybe I could use Nick's and then you guys can use Blake's or moms or Bry's... or all of them at once! hahaha. But just let me know. Plus I can do it Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. (because Mothers Day is Tuesday in Mexico) but I figure Sunday is the best so how about... like 7pm... I cant remember if you guys are an hour ahead or behind but I will go based on 7pm on Sunday unless you tell me different. I will check my email before then to find out. Cool!

Well now about the mission. So we did it! We had another baptism!  And she is really awesome. (I cant send pics right now because this computer is wierd) Her name is Maria Fernanda Torres Olvera.  I don't think I have told you but the names here in Mexico are usually 4 different names. 2 first names and then the 2 last names from there parents.  But she is really cool. She is 20 years old and when we knocked on her door she and her family invited us in. Then she started telling us how she doesn't believe in God because He doesn't answer her prayers.  We took that as a challenge. We sang and taught an awesome first lesson.  It was so filled with the spirit. They loved it and she was glued throughout the whole lesson.Then in the end the she told us "I think you guys were supposed to come here because I never answer the door!  I  don't know why I answered this time."  I know the Spirit totally guided us. The family is still taking lessons but they haven't gone to church yet, so we will figure  all that out and then hopefully baptize them too. :D   Maria loved her baptism and she told us that she felt peace and loved church. This ward is awesome! All the young single adults helped us out so much so she would feel at home.   We are really happy. 

We also have another person who is getting baptized this week on saturday.  It's the Michelle's brother, Lalo and the son of Yadira, who we baptized a little while ago. We are still helping the dad stop smoking. It looks like  we are going to complete our goal to baptize every week. it's hard work but it's really awesome how the Lord blesses us. That is why I love this mission!!  I am hoping that we will have a few more baptisms after this.

Well I gotta go. I love you all and I will talk to on Sunday!!!! Whooooo Web cam! This will sure be fun! I love you guys sooooo much! See you all soon! haha Really SEE  not just hear. haha Cool! bye! peace out!

Elder Sean Larson

P.s. Blake I haven't told you but  FELICIDADES POR LOGRAR ESTA META! La escuela esta bien dificil pero sabia yo que tu podias hacerlo.  Te amo mucho y sigue estudiando! hahah You will have to translate it. Well CONGRATS!!! Bye!!!

April 28, 2011

Michelle's Baptism  

Fam.,
Sorry! I really have been sucking at letter writing lately, but I dont have a lot of time again! haha Sorry, but I sent some pics and you can read my newsletter entry if you´d like. Things are going good. I didn't read your letter mom but I am going to print it and read it later. Yes, we are very busy and we are working really hard! I really do like to being a ZL but sometimes it's hard to make decisions. I have learned so much, especially from my companions here. Elder Bylund has taught me a lot on how I to really be a good leader and teach the missionaries. And now I have Elder Aguila...he really is awesome. He really makes me want to work hard and really enjoy the mission too. He will end his mission at the end of May, so I am guessing I will stay here and that's great! I really do love it! We have some other crazy goals in the mission and I really think we can accomplish them. We are to baptize every week and we have a new goal to activate a family every month and send a young man on a mission. That is a lot ! But I really think it is possible because well... it's revelation sent from God. So we are really going to try and do our best and I know the Lord will bless us.

I got your Easter package, I dont know if I told you, but we loved it! Thanks! We also had a baptism! Her name is Maribel Cardoso. She is visiting here while her mom is in the hospital. Her mom is very sick. We thought she wasn't going to be here for very long but then we found out she is going to be here longer. So we were able to teach her and she then told us she wanted to get baptized. I think it's because her mom isn't doing too well and she has learned that families can live together forever when everyone is baptized. Her mom and other family members are already baptized, so it was perfect. She really is awesome and has so much faith. I hope that we will be able to baptize her this Sunday. I will let you know.

Sorry but I gotta go! I love you all sooooooo much! I hope everything is well. Thank you for all your love and support! I still don't know how we are going to call you guys Mothers Day but I will find out . Maybe we can skype! I love you all sooooo much!

Elder $ean Larson

Michelle's mom

Elders Quorum in Santa Cecillia

 Our zone and another zone eating at Wendys.

 This is my comp Elder Aguilar preparing
a really "sweet" lesson!

Maribel's baptism.  And that's right... our convert
Arturo baptized her!  He is progressing so much! I am so excited!

April 18, 2011

Family,

Wow. Today was crazy and now I don't have any time. Sorry, but I just want to tell you that I got my changes and I am now with a new comp named Elder Aguilar from Sinaloa Mexico. He is awesome! We are super excited. We also was the old assistant to the President and will end his mission here with me. So I am guessing that i will be here for a while haha.  Bylund was sent to way far away. He is now in Michoacan... a whole other state. This zone he is going to use to part of another mission but now is going to be part of our mission. He went there alone to meet up with his comp.  Crazy! Ummm i got your package and Bylund got his candy. Thank you soooo much. It's starting to rain here like crazy, the other day it hailed! Crazy but we are good. I am sooo sorry that I don't have time to write more but I love you all so much and thank you for you letters and pics from Cali and the Grand Prix.  I cant wait for next year! :D I love you guys I will see you all soon!"

 

Love you,

Elder Sean Larson

April 11, 2011

Ines and Karen at their baptism

Dear Fam,

Wow. I have no time but I am going to try. I just finished sending a lot of pics because I figured that is a lot better haha!   2nd. Dude Tessa is going to be the hottest thing in Bountiful. haha She is so dang cute!  And Steele. ..I still can't believe how big he is getting.  It's nuts!

Mom, you and grandma have a very big problem. I dont know if you know but I can see at what time you are sending your emails to me! 2:18 am! Mom go  to bed.

Well, we had a baptism this week! :D Their names are Ines, ( the mom ) and Karen. We contacted them so it was way cool to baptize them. I love baptizing the people we contact because it really inspires you to work harder and talk to everyone. I love it.  They are really awesome and I am excited for them to find the truth and receive  more blessings in their life. I love missionary work!  I would write more but I have no time, sorry.

Umm, this is the last week before  transfers and I don't know what will happen but I'll  let you know. Probably Elder  Bylund will go. :( but maybe not. I'm pretty sure i will stay here.

I  really can't think of much else right now. I am sorry that this is one of my shortest letters, but I love you guys so much. I am so sorry, but we were really busy today.  I am so happy that you guys are doing so well and that the family is happy. I cant wait to see you all again. Please continue to pray for me ... continue to pray for my Spanish and for our success. I need help with them both!  I love you guys sooo much! ADIOS

Elder $ean Larson

Playing the "shocking" game!

This is the art Museum here.  It's really pretty!

Remains of a Pyramid here in Mexico 

Monument in the city

April 4, 2011

Elder Bylund and I in the Cathedral 

Family!

Sorry, I don't have a lot of time but I was trying to send pictures today but the computer sucks here and it's  so slow!  So I'll just send pics next week. Sorry. It stinks because I have a lot I want to share! But you´ll have to wait!  

O ya I'm  pretty sure you told me that you sold the Caliber. i just didn't remember haha. Thanks! 

Thanks for the Japan update. We heard a lot of stuff here and we found quite a lot  about it. Pretty crazy stuff. But it was cool to hear that all the missionaries there are just fine! It's crazy that random things can happen like that. but maybe we will get a huge earthquake here.

General Conference was really awesome!  but sadly... I only got to go to the Sunday sessions. :( o well. The pres wanted us to work and it was tough to not go, but then we all realized that we are here because we are missionaries and we are called to teach!  it's not our duty to assit the conference but the good thing is we went sunday. We actually were planning on bringing a bunch of people to the conference but none of them could goat the last minute. It sucked..... but we tried! We did bring 2 new people and they liked, it so that was cool.

I loved the talks! A lot of the brethren talked about family and marriage so lots of elders were saying they were getting "trunky" to go home after hahaha. It was really cool. In fact, Elder Bednar gave the same talk that he gave here in Mexico in our area conference.  It was funny. Word for word. but it was cool to hear again. (MOM remember you dated him! Man I could`ve been an apostles son... o man. But my dads a guy that tucks in his shirt!!.....) hahah jk jk! I love you dad and would never trade you! (not even for the prophet!)  It was cool to hear Benjamìn de Hoyos because he was the authority that came to our mission and talked to us. He is a really cool guy and it was weird to hear him speak in English. He did a great job. I just loved conference. I guess I  am going to have to wait for the Liahona (ensign) to come out so I can read the other talks. 

ummmm o ya! We had 2 baptisms this week!  They are the mom and daughter of the Torres Mora family.  Yadira and Michelle. Both really awesome. We were actually only going to baptize Michell (the daughter) because the mom was still not sure... but when we had the baptismal service, Yadira saw her daughter get baptized so we asked her if she wanted to get baptized and she said "Yes! " Whooo hooo! Go spirit!  The dad wanted to get baptized too but he couldn't because he is still trying to quit smoking. I am hoping we can baptize him and their other son. We just need to really focus on them.  Michelle is awesome and she is totally going to be a sister missionary!  That would be so awesome because she has really changed so much! I love this family and I hope that all will get baptized before I have to leave this area.

We didnt play soccer today because no one really wanted to. So Elder Bylund and I decided to ask permission to see if we could go to the "time square" of Mexico!  It's called Zocalo and we went today, that's why I have a lot of pics I want to share and cant. :(  It was really awesome. We went with 2 other elders and thier investigator and he showed us around. We went in the Cathedral there and saw a medical museum. It was really cool and such a beautiful place. It's really different over there than it is here, but I'll talk and share more next time.

Baptismal in Cathedral 

Zocalo! This is the famous Catholic
cathedral here. It's so pretty!

This is top of the "Templo Mayor" It's a big pyramid that broke.
They keep digging and finding more stuff!

Glass floor looking into old pyramid

Beautiful gold inside the Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral

Sean and the boys

Cadaver inside the Medical Museum

I better get going, but I want to tell Bry that I got a Book of Mormon in Portuguese! I totally want to see if i can learn it because I can read it and understand it. i just don't have any idea how to pronounce it haha. Hey the pics were awesome. I can't believe how big the twins are! Thats nuts! Well I love you guys and I'll talk to you again soon! Thanks soooo much!

Elder $ean Larson