Most Pure Mission

Dear Family,

Here are the answers to your questions.

Question #1: You said you worked at the church farm in your area. What do they grow there?

I'm not too sure what they grow in that church farm. We were just breaking stuff. The fields didn't seem to have anything growing in them.

Question #2: Now that you have a car, are you able to stay out of the elements more?

I suppose having a car helps a bit to stay warm although I'm not sure it makes much of a difference. In old areas we had to take a bus to get places which took a lot longer which meant more time out of the weather.

Question #3: What is something funny that happened last week?

Last week we helped the Northampton sister missionaries move. They had someone in their ward coordinating it for them. The day before the move we got a call asking to try to arrange with a Duston ward member for a moving van last minute. Haha. In the end, we and the member with the moving van did all the moving for them. I thought it was quite funny. Duston ward is the greatest.

Amos 3:7 (Mom's note: This is Andy's response to Matt's weekly scripture quiz. The scripture was "Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants, the prophets.")

This was an exciting week. We had our Zone Meeting which went well, went to T.G.I.Fridays, and I got a hair cut.

Teaching Roger has been great so far. He is the investigator with cancer. We gave him a blessing the other day and he will be going into the hospital for a few days this week. His commitment is amazing. He has made some big changes in his life during the short time we have been teaching him. In our tracting this last week we met a few people who knew members. Knowing a member moves someone a bit closer to accepting us as missionaries.

In the most recent meeting we had with President Jordan he talked about improving the personal worthiness of the mission. He told us of a previous mission president of the Manchester Mission. Before his service they had 300 baptisms the previous year. His last year they had 3000. Wow. President Jordan asked him what things he did. The mission president told his missionaries, "We may not be the highest baptizing mission in the church but we can be the most pure mission in the church." As a mission we are trying to become more pure so the spirit can work with us more freely. I am excited to make changes in myself that will help me be a better instrument for Heavenly Father.

This Wednesday we have a Missionary Conference. We will be meeting with 4 other Zones. Elder Teixeira, our Area Authority, will be coming. He has asked us all to study Chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel before we go. I am excited to learn more about how the Spirit can come into our work even more. Being a missionary is full of meeting amazing people.

Marty is talking now, huh? Those little ones are not going to be quite as little are they? Being a missionary is funny that way. I like kids so much but I can't really do much with them. For example, if they sit on my lap I have to get them off. Haha.

I hope your "bored" game stand goes well, Joey.

Mom, I'll definitely make an effort to take more pictures to send to you. That will be part of my Purification.

Have a great week. It isn't snow cold here yet.

Elder Larsen