Going to a New Home

Dear Family,

Answers to your questions:

Question #1: Have you received our package yet?

I have not, it should be at the office, where I will pick it up tomorrow. Thank you so much.

Question #2: How many stakes are there in your mission?

I believe there are 8 which makes 8 zones in our mission.

Question #3: What is your favorite English food?

I am a big fan of ........ ______ rolls. Take a wild guess. Sausage! If we don't go to McDonalds for lunch, we go to a place called Greggs where I get 1 or 2 sausage rolls. Lately I get 1 sausage roll and 1 sausage, bean, and cheese bake.

I'm goin' out goin' out of Cambridge
I'm goin' out goin' out for good
I'm goin' out goin' out of Cambridge
Goin' to a new Neighborhood
South End on Sea
Is the new place for me
Deep in the sea
Is where I'll be

I jinxed myself, haha, they are shipping me out to South End on Sea. Interestingly enough, that is where Elder Biondi spent his first transfer in the mission before coming here. And Elder Biondi's trainer trained this last transfer and I will be going to his area to follow up train his companion again. Haha.

The work is really starting to pick up in Cambridge, which is a bit hard to leave, but hey, "I'll go where you want me to go". I hear that it's a biking area, that should be pretty fun. It is in an area filled with what are called "chavs", haha, that will be funny. Isn't = in it, water = wah uh, bruv. From totally safe Provo to pretty safe Cambridge to South End. Haha. Wu eva, bruv.

I have grown to love the people of Cambridge, it is going to be hard to leave behind the people I have taught, but they are in good hands. At the end of it all this past 4 1/2 months may be the best time of growth for me in my life. I have had companions from many different places, none of them white. That has given me a love of other cultures (especially Italian food). I can barely remember what home was like back in Provo. Cambridge has been all I know for so long, but I suppose it may be the same.

The new experience of going to a different city will really help me to grow. I am excited to go work with another Brazilian, Elder Biano. That makes 3 companions in a row that have Italian surnames and 3 in a row that that are "lian"s (Brazilian, Italian). To be honest, their culture is much different than Provo culture, which makes it fun sometimes.

Miracle

This past Saturday, we had just finished lunch and were out finding, I really wanted to find someone that would be baptized next transfer. I said a prayer in my heart that we would find someone whose circumstances in life make them ready to receive the gospel.

After 30 minutes of finding, were right in front of Anglia Ruskin University and I stopped a man from India. As we talked, we learned that he is Christian and that something is making him question God a little bit. We sat down and started talking and I asked questions to try and figure out what was going on in his life. It came out that his girlfriend wasn't talking with him for 2 weeks. For some reason his girlfriend just cut everything off, which made him very sad. He hadn't eaten since then. When we stopped him he wasn't actually walking anywhere, he was just walking. As we explained the love that God has for us and that God won't force his girlfriend to get back with him he really felt that we cared about him and accepted the invitation to come to church with us the next day.

To finish the lesson, I said a prayer. I prayed that God would soften the heart of his girlfriend. That night, when I called to arrange how he would get to church, he said that his girlfriend sent him a text and they would meet to talk about it. At church he was fellowshipped by so many members and had a great time. He is so thankful to us for all our help, and is now eating! We'll see what happens from now, but one thing I know is that God does answer prayers.

I love you, all of you, Dad, Mom, Joey, Michelle, Marty, Heidi, Steve, Nunners, Lisa, and Matt. Thank you for being part of my life and helping me to be better. Other missionaries can't believe that I'm kind of a rebel in our family, haha. How great you are.

Elder Larsen