Beautiful Russia!

Beautiful Russia!


Our great friend, Roma made dinner for us!

Our great friend, Roma made dinner for us!

Elder Rasmussen is very excited to see real food!

Elder Rasmussen is very excited to see real food!


Companion and friend, Elder Jake Rasmussen

Companion and friend, Elder Jake Rasmussen


Trifecta's Last Time In Estonia

Trifecta's Last Time In Estonia

With my wonderful friend, Faik.

With my wonderful friend, Faik.

Sunrise, at One P.M.

Sunrise, at One P.M.

Petrozadovsk District

Petrozadovsk District

Lake at Petrozavodsk

Lake at Petrozavodsk


North Zone Conference Nov. 2011

North Zone Conference Nov. 2011

Thanksgiving Dinner 2011

Thanksgiving Dinner 2011

First Zone Conference with President Clark

First Zone Conference with President Clark

Neva River Fall 2011

Neva River Fall 2011

Visa trip, Oct 1st 2011

Visa trip, Oct 1st 2011

Oh my aching jaw...

Oh my aching jaw...

Hermitage Museum on P-day!

Hermitage Museum on P-day!

Me, Svetlana and Elder Loskutov

Me, Svetlana and Elder Loskutov

Birthday lunch with Kostya

Birthday lunch with Kostya

My friend, Grisha

My friend, Grisha

Service for Babushka

Service for Babushka

MTC Missionaries in Estonia

MTC Missionaries in Estonia

Waiting in Estonia...

Waiting in Estonia...


Visit from Elder Russell M. Nelson

Visit from Elder Russell M. Nelson

Elders Larsen and Anthony

Elders Larsen and Anthony

Our MTC teacher surprise visit!

Our MTC teacher surprise visit!


Podvodov family gave powerful talks!

Podvodov family gave powerful talks!
Pskov, Russia Branch


Vyborg Castle

Vyborg Castle

St Olaf's Castle Where We Do Service Work

St Olaf's Castle Where We Do Service Work

Beautiful Vyborg on the Sea of Finland

Beautiful Vyborg on the Sea of Finland

Vyborg

Vyborg

Misty day in Kaliningrad

Misty day in Kaliningrad

Kaliningrad District May 2010

Kaliningrad District May 2010

Russian MTC Group

Russian MTC Group

Russian MTC Zone at Provo Temple

Russian MTC Zone at Provo Temple

28 January 2011

This Week's Email...

Hello... I'd like to order a pizza please. Oh wait, this is an email...

Well, it sounds like you got the right Elder Bervan. Ha ha. He definitely has a big SMILE and is a happy guy!  He is already one of my favorite companions. Really good missionary, good with people, really fun and happy and doesn't take crap from people, etc. which is good! He speaks PERFECT Russian, I swear. Dadgummit, how did he get so good?  He's only a couple transfers older than I am too.  Don't worry Mom, we laugh alot! You ask me that every email.... We laugh and we are happy and having fun! Don't worry about me. :) Really. That's really cool that you talked to Sister LeBaron. I didn't know her very well, and that is probably why she thought that I was a quiet kid because we never really had a chance to talk to each other. From what I know about her though she is pretty nice and friendly though! Last transfer was my first transfer with sisters in my district, so I don't really know any of the sisters in the mission very well.

That picture of Cody was awesome! I didn't know that his companion is African American and when I saw him, I immediately thought about the wonderful Ghana Africans that we taught here and got jealous of Cody. I know it's not quite the same, but that's what I thought of. Good people. I know that Cody is having fun teaching with his companion.

That is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE what happened to Kelsey's mom! Tell her that she is in my prayers. How often do you talk with Kels? Truly, tell her from me that I know that everything will be okay.

This last week was a busy week, and an eventful week with a split with the Zone Leaders, meetings with President, and I got sick... I will explain in a minute. We had to go to St. Petersburg on Monday and it was super busy there with alot of people so we pretty much were at the office or traveling all day... I did get KB's card for Christmas while I was there though! Tell Kiddo thanks from me! We had a split, and I was in Petergof with Elder Beck from California. He is a really cool kid! I think I've told you about him already? He is quite a funny kid and good missionary. We had a meeting with a couple of older ladies who are investigating the church and we watched the movie about the Restoration with them. We shared our testimonies and read in the Book of Mormon with them. They are really nice, sweet little ladies but they don't really understand what we are trying to teach them. They really believe in God though and they are such wonderful people. Good lesson in general and I enjoyed it.

I got sick on Saturday with a migraine... first one in about a year. I jinxed myself last week when I was telling you that I had not got sick for a while. It quickly when away by the end of the day so I was up and doing missionary work on Sunday, but on Saturday we couldn't really do much. I think I will be fine, but please pray for me that they don't come back like they used to. I think I might have got sick from some anti-worm pills that they have us take every now and then, just incase our filters don't get everything out of the water. I've heard a few other missionaries had some side-effects too.

Tell Karl hi for me, and thanks for putting up with me, BP and Cody before we all went on missions! Also tell Cody P. and Heidi congratultions on the baby for me! BP is going to be an uncle again. That is crazy awesome!

I looked for a birthday card for dad, but I couldn't find one that I liked for him. I will be sending some letters soon. That makes me sad that you and Cole never got those two letters that I sent. I did sent them before I sent Lee's card, so I blame the mail systems. Haha.

Next week we will be in Peter for Zone Conference, so P-day will be on Friday next week,  just so you know and don't worry.

It's starting to get colder here after a period of a little bit warmer weather. Everyone says about now is when it is going to start getting really cold. I think these thermals I got will do the trick though. Thanks again for sending them.

Yesterday, Elder Bervan and I had a really cool meeting with Sergei. We planned on talking about the Plan of Salvation, but he just wanted to talk about baptism. He said he is still waiting for an answer if this church is true, but he wanted to know what he should do if (when, I say) he finds his answer, what he needs to do. We talked about how baptism is a promise with God, what it symbolizes, and what we get after baptism through the gift of the Holy Ghost. I KNOW someday that Sergei will find the answer that this is true. He is a good guy!

Don't worry about me at all. I'm happy and well. I promise. I love you and miss you all and know that Jesus is the Christ who died for our sins and through Him and Him only can we return to our Heavenly Father and enjoy the blessings of Exaltation.  

Keep Smiling! Peace be with you! Be of Good Cheer!
Love
Blake.

27 January 2011

~ Double click on the background to start music...

Last week's email...

Elder Bervan is feeling much better now, so I know that your prayers helped him. No I didn't get sick either. It's crazy, before my mission I used to get sick with migraines all the time, but when I got set apart, President Eckman blessed me to be healthy during my mission. In the MTC, I got a bad migraine and Elder Andersen blessed me to not have migraines on my mission, and now the only thing that I have had on my mission is a head cold that didn't really even make me feel sick, but was just a little annoying.

I'm glad Lee got my card! I wasn't sure if I had put enough postage on it. I will be sending one soon for Dad's birthday, too, so be ready! ha ha. Maybe this time I won't translate the Russian on it and that will be your Russian homework assignment. ha ha.

The weather here in Petergof is still pretty cold, but it's warmed up a little bit than it has been.  Everyone always says they get a warm spell, and then the coldest part of winter comes at end of Januray or early February, so we'll be looking to see that. I want to see it! Bring it on! Those thermals that you sent are really good, lots better than the Under Armour. They were made more for standing and walking and I think the Under Armour is more for running. I haven't been wearing the 180's because I need to wear a hat to cover my head, and if I wear both it's too hot. They will definitely be worn when it is warmer.

Elder Bervan is a sweet companion! We have alot in common, and he has a good sense of humor. He works hard, speaks Russian WAY good, and just is a good missionary/person in general. We like all the same kind of music, hobbies, movies etc, too. He is very easy to get a long with and we are having a good time.  We haven't really been able to meet with any investigators yet due to the Elder Bervan was sick, I had to go for visa trip, and we had a missionary training in Pete's on Tuesday. We have a meeting with Alexander tommorrow though, so pray for Alexander and for us to be able to help him.

The scriptures you sent for Noble got here, but another missionary's mom sent some too, so the one's you sent are being given to another African here. (I think his name is Cheapo. no joke that is his name) Either way, they are being given to someone who needs them and will use them. :)

Poor Forest! Why is the surgery so expensive for his hip?  Forest is a tough dog, so he will be okay. Who knows, it might get better on it's own soon. Just gotta have faith to heal! (I hope you can teach a dog to have faith. The Gospel is for every creature you know)

That's crazy to think that Elders Poulson and McCleary are going home so soon! Elder Poulson trained me and Elder McCleary trained Elder Andersen... I remember being with him and him saying that is was his year mark, and I thought that was so long still to go and now he's already going home... Crazy. Are you going to go to Washington to hear Elder McCleary?

Time sure is flying by, and I will be home before you know it!  Soon it will be my year mark on my mission... What is going on? ha ha.  Time sure is a precious gift that we need to learn how to use while we are here on this earth. I don't think I realized that until I came on my mission.

 I've learned a lot of things on my mission, but it would take to long to write them, but all the things I have learned stems from the facts that God is our Heavenly Father and He loves us! He made a plan to learn and grow on this earth, He never does anything to hinder us, but only to help us grow. He knows everything and He is always there, even when we feel like we are far from Him. He loves us so much! He gave us the agency and ability to chose for ourselves, which means we have the ability in participating in our own creation... WE get to choose who we will become.  If we want to become a Son or  Daughter of God. If we follow His teachings, we talk with our Father through prayer, and we apply the things He tells us in our lives, just like a father here on earth teaches his kid to ride a bike or helps a baby learn to walk. I hope that someday I will learn to walk like God. Sin makes us crawl though, and we need to everyday repent of our sins, and ask our Father to help us stand, and to support us as we walk.


 Keep Smiling! Peace be with you! Be of Good Cheer!


Love,
Blake.

15 January 2011

Crazy Busy Week!

Hello!!
Ha ha. I thought you'd like that video, mom. I don't know why but for some reason while Sister Luna was recording me, I thought that it might not be allowed. After she did it though, I thought about it and now I realized that it is okay, but that is why I didn't really talk during the video. Nervous I guess. It just caught me off guard for a minute. Sorry, Mom! How on earth does Elder Andersen send so many pictures home?? I don't know how I can with this camera. I know you miss getting pictures. 


Well, this week started off pretty crazy! We got our transfers, and Elder Gerard is now Zone Leader in Center Zone! (Not surprised he went zone leader) We met with some branch members and with Sergei, Vladimir, and Alexander to say good-bye. They were all really good lessons, and they all were reluctant to see Elder Gerard leave. He is a really good missionary, and I think they all really saw that he just wanted to help them all find happiness in life. It was good serving with Elder Gerard. I will really miss him.Elder Berven from Florida is now my senior companion here in Petergof. He knows Russian really well, and he is really funny. I think he will be a good companion. Nice guy!

On Thursday, we had a visa trip again, so that is why P-day wasn't the usual and is now Saturday. We just walked around Estonia and got some food and stuff. We even made a snowman. ha ha. We got back from Estonia really late because the roads were really backed up due to accidents and snow. It was too far for both me and Elder Andersen to make it back to our areas so we had to stay the night in Peter with the South Zone Leaders. Our companions were on a split too in Elder Andersen's area. On Friday I was stuck in Peter waiting for my registration to be completed, so Elder Andersen and I did some contacting  and had lunch with the zone leaders. I would like to serve with Elder Andersen some time again. He is a really hard working missionary, and I laughed so much with him! Elder Berven got sick on Friday with a really bad sore thought and cold, and can barely talk right now. So Friday night he just went to bed about 7, and I just studied and worked on the area book and did all the phone calls for Elder Berven. He still is feeling kind of miserable today... Elder Luna and I gave him a blessing and that helped though.

I got your package! Thank you for the new thermals and the cereal! The soup will come in handy too because it also helps to keep us warm. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I also got your Christmas card and one from the Hammond's and a Christmas letter from Kels. It was all a great post Christmas surprise for me! I also enjoyed the Ensign in English that you sent from Oct. General Conference. I really liked the talk by Elder Uchtdorf about slowing down and focusing on the things that are truly important in life. I think I needed to hear that because sometimes I just try to stretch myself too thin here on my mission and I forget why I'm here in Russia. I don't remember what the message it is called you I think you should read it. I enjoyed it alot and took it to heart.

Lately I've realized just how Almighty God is. I don't know how to fully describe it, but I feel it. It's amazing for me to think about how we sin so easily, and when we repent God forgives us everytime, as long as we sincerely repent. It's amazing that He provided a way to return and live with Him, receiving the blessings of exaltation and glory that we can receive by living in His presence. All sinners and all indebted to Him, always. We can try all we can to do our best to repay God back, but we will always be indebted because He continually blesses us... And that is what love is. It's continually giving to others. It's focusing on others. It's sharing your time and your energy for others. Service for others.

Sounds like Cody is having fun in Conneticut. Tell him good luck for me! One year?!!!!!

Can you please do me a favor and contact B.P. for me somehow and tell him a little how I'm doing? Ask Karl to read my blog and pass along to B.P.? He emails me sometimes like today and tries to talk to me, I feel bad but I'm not allowed to email him back. I don't want him to think that I forgot about him though as I miss B.P.!

Well, gotta run. 
Love you all. Miss ya! Keep smiling. Be of Good Cheer!

From Russia with Love,
Blake

09 January 2011

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06 January 2011

Happy Russian Christmas!


Happy Russian Christmas!!!
Today is when the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas here.

Well, since New Year's is the biggest Russian holiday and they pretty much celebrate it for 2 weeks, transfers have been messed up and this transfer is going to be a week longer, next transfer will be a week shorter, so I will be finding out on Monday if I'm transfered. I truly hope that I can maybe stay here with Elder Gerard, because I feel like I just finally know the area and love it. It has been great being companions with him! We will see though...

All the kids loved the stickers, rings, bracelets, cool rubber bands, etc. that you sent, Mom! They thought I was the coolest missionary ever... I told them that you sent me all this stuff to give to them, and they said, well she is the coolest missionary mom ever then! Thank you!

New Year's was really fun here, but REALLY weird. We were allowed to stay up and watch the fireworks that EVERYONE does here at midnight, so pretty much everywhere around the apartment of the Z.L.'s we heard fireworks ALL night. We played Phase 10, and made ourselves sick on Christmas candy. Elder Gerard and I found out how to make a really good homemade pizza at the Z.L's, so we had homemade pizza too like you did back home!

New Year's day we went to one of the buildings the church owns here with our whole district, including Elder Punderson!! Happy he is back! The sisters made lots of food, and we just watched movies until 5, when we had to be back home. That was fun. The streets were EMPTY on New Year's, and I didn't feel like a missionary, for a minute. I then wrote Lee a letter, and I finally will be able to send it off today. (And I HAVE sent more than 3 letters... Probably didn't get to you?)

This week was pretty hard as far as meeting with investigators. Sergei said he didn't want to meet again just yet... He said he is still thinking things over and we gave him alot of information to think about. He said he wasn't meeting but just not right now, especially during the holiday season. Vladimir and Alexander both said no or didn't show when we set up appointments, so we did a LOT of contacting... ONE day we probably walked about 10 miles just for contacting....

I sure hope that K.B. is COMPLETELY over her croup!! That's awful! I'm very glad to hear that she is okay. I'll pray for her as I always do. Miss her!

Glad to hear that Lee had a fun birthday! Dance at the U.? Cool, cool! Who did she go with to dinner and the dance? I found a funny b-day card here in Russian, and translated it for her. HOPE SHE GETS THIS LETTER.

No I don't think that the hat, and scarf are dorky. They are plenty warm too. Thank you! You don't need to send more.  I usually were the scarf only wrapped around once and tucked in my coat, because since I'm already wearing a tie and the coat is also big, if I wrap it arond more than once it looks like I have a goiter or something! Ha ha.

Congratulations on a year mark, Cody!!! Mine will be in a month! That is so crazy!?

Don't worry Mom. I'm healthy, happy, and SMILING like Grandpa used to say to you! My letters are probably getting shorter just because I don't have as many things going on like I did, and also because President has been asking us to write more to him about our areas and investigators, so he can know how to help us better, so my letters to him have been a bit bigger.

Well, I love you all back home! I know that things get tough, but they just make me appreciate the small things in life more. Like when someone gives you a smile, or just realizing that I'm ME, and the Lord LOVES ME just the way I am. And since He loves me the way I am, I just want to make myself better and help others do this too, so we are more worthy of the Heavenly Love that He gives us! We will always owe him for this love, and I will always be grateful for that.

Peace be with you! Be of Good Cheer! Keep SMILING!!
LOVE,
Blake


02 January 2011

Appreciate all the letters and support on my mission!

Yellow!! It was great to talk to you on Saturday. Everything is a blur, as our day was pretty busy on Christmas. I feel like I talked about nothing with you guys... Ha ha. Hope you liked talking with me anyway... Code said that you think I have an accent?... I don't believe it. ha ha. Often here people ask Elder Gerard and I if we are from Estonia or the Baltics, and say our accents are alike like their accents.  They think that my face looks like someone from the Baltics too... I still think I look very American and sound very American.

Please tell Grandma, Grandpa, and Liz "Spa-si-bah" for the Christmas cards. They came on Monday and were both very nice. I really appriciate their support for me on my mission, along with my family's of course. I don't know if I told that Paige Andersen also sent me a card? Tell her thanks too! That was really nice of her. Still waiting on your card you sent?

On Tuesday we had a really good meeting with Sergei. We FINALLY taught him all of the first lesson, as he is the kind of guy that asks a lot of questions. That's a good thing though. That means he wants to find the truth and wants to understand what we are saying. He really liked when we read the story of Jospeh Smith, and how he read in James 1:5 that you can ask God directly if something is true, or if you lack wisdom, that if we ask with real intent, we can all find the truth. He said he believes that our message is true, but he isn't sure if it is the only true church on the earth. We told him that we both have received this knowledge, and felt the power of the Holy Ghost testify that it is true, and that he can too. He said that he will definitely ask God if it is true. We haven't been able to talk to him since that meeting, but it was a really good.

Today we have a meeting with Vladimir, a long time investigator who can't give up smoking/drinking. He has a good testimony and accepts everything, just needs help with his addiction. I admire people who are trying to give addictions up. I've never really realized how hard it was until I came on my mission and saw peolple struggle with that kind of thing. I never was around that stuff before my mission, and I realized how much of a blessing that was. We know Vladimir can do it, and we know that the Lord will help him.

Tomorrow and the day after we will be staying with the zone leaders, as New Years here gets pretty crazy. We aren't allowed to be on the streets, so it will be a day of studying, writing letters, etc.

Just barely got your letter and only have 10 minutes left to type. Don't worry mom, I'm staying warm as I can be. I'm usually hot from all the layers, except my legs. They usually are still pretty cold!! Thank you for the other package, and I know you like to do that for me, but really you don't need to send me lots of stuff. I'm okay.

Well. Gotta run. Tell Lee HHHHHHAAAAPPPPPYYYY BBBBBBIIIIIIRRRRTTTTHHDDDDDAAAAYYYY!!!! on New Years!!! Remember, you are all in my prayers, and that the Lord is always around. I love you all alot and miss you! We'll see each other again before you know it.

Love,
Blake
aka....
Elder Blake T. Larsen