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

31 October 2011

Emergency Transfer to Petro

You will be surprised to hear that I am not in Nevsky Branch with Elder Ash anymore, but at this moment I am in Petrozavodsk. It is an 8 hour train ride to the north of St. Petersburg, and I am now serving with an Elder Rasmussen from St. George, Utah.(Lots of people from St. George here) I will be district leader here, with the other companionship in the city being Elder Ash and Elder Bradford. It will be a VERY FUN district, and I love the branch already. I received an early transfer call, as Elder Rasmussen was down in St. Petersburg for a visa trip and they wanted us to go up as soon as possible. His companion  is going to be branch president in Sesteretsk, so he had to leave early to go learn about the branch there and get everything straightened out. When I got the call, I was worried that I was going to be branch president, because they didn't tell us where I was going or who I was going to be with until Friday, just that I needed to pack and be ready to go early Saturday morning.

Petro is a really old Russian city, and has lots of cool looking buildings that look like old congress halls or lighthouses or something like that. Lots of small ponds and parks everywhere, and there is a huge lake right at the edge of the city. I just need mountains and I would feel just like home. :)

Well, this week was one of the more busy weeks of my mission, We tried to meet with a lot of people to say goodbye, but almost none of them went through... Between cleaning up the appartment a little, doing my exchange with Elder Andersen to talk about planning, and packing, along with Hermitage service and traveling to Petrozavodsk for my early transfer, it's been a busy week! But it is also a good thing.

I'm very excited to start working here in Petrozavodsk and with Elder Jake Rasmussen. The other Elders in my district will be Elders Bradford, and Ash. It will be a lot of fun and a lot of work at the same time. The branch is already very nice and I enjoy it a lot, and Petrozavodsk is a beautiful place... I like it a lot more than the city. Trees everywhere and fresh air! Elder Rasmussen has a great testimony and quiet dignity about him, and the branch loves him already. He really is focused on the investigators here and I know that we will see the success that the Lord wants us to see while we're here. I'll still be working along side Elder Ash very often so we will still see each other, and Elder Bradford seems like a really good guy even though I don't really know him yet. I'll probably stay here in Petro until the rest of my mission, since I only have 2 transfers left.


Today is Halloween, and hope that you are feeling okay Mom, especially thinking about Uncle Bob? Elder Rasmussen found the perfect place last night for a haunted house. We went to stop by some less active members and we found this area that is super scary looking at night, with a bunch of old wooden houses that look like they are from a horror film. I liked it a lot. You know me, I like Halloween and spooky things.

As far as the travel plans go, I say do it! I'm used to crazy travel now, and It would be totally worth it. Not a problem at all. Cody and I should come home on the same day I think. :) Truly. The travel plans don't sound bad at all. They are pretty much the same almost as me when I was flying from Salt Lake to Russia. And no matter what, it will be a long flight, so I say keep them as they are so we can come in together.

I'm still waiting for your cards/letters. I haven't gotten them yet. Elder Ash and Elder Bradford will bring them up on transfers when he comes up. So many Elders are going home and I won't be able to say "See ya" to them since I'm already up in Petro. But that's why God allowed facebook to be made, right? ha ha. To talk with people after your mission. :)

I would suggest not sending me a package for Christmas. I don't know if I will be coming down for a Christmas pary or anything, and it would be a long time before I got it maybe. If it was late getting to Russia, I might not even get it at all, seeing that I will be leaving a month later...

Oh. Look at the time. I've got to run. Today we are going to go out to lunch with Elder Beck, since it is his last P-day... He is with Elder Bradford right now... Weird to think that soon it will be like that for me. Love you all and miss you, but I couldn't be happier serving the Lord.

Keep Smiling. Be of Good Cheer.
Love,
Blake

24 October 2011

We Build Personal Testimony Through Prayer and Our Relationship With God



President Clark called me and told me that he is doing everything he can to get me on a flight with Cody. I told him that I appreciate it a lot, as he didn't really have to and I just put another thing on his plate, and hsaid "Well, it's because we love you, Elder Larsen."and it made me feel really good. I'm grateful for President Clark! I'm super excited to be able to maybe fly in with Cody!



You say we are great kids, but you can't have great kids without great parents! Tell Kallie that I jumped with fright when I saw her Jason costume ha ha. Sorry to say, but your cards and letters haven't come yet... but I'll be looking for them! 

Well, last week we called lots of people and set up appointments, but almost all of them fell through... Our efforts weren't wasted though, as we found a former investigator named Ivan. He lost contact with the missionaries 2 years ago and has read almost all of the Book of Mormon and wants to hear all the lessons. He is young, about 25 maybe, and really is searching for the truth. He has some concerns about Joseph Smith and about if the Book of Mormon is really from God, and we talked a lot about prayer and personal revelation, that we can talk with our Heavenly Father about this and He will talk back. Same story at our lessons with an investigators named Nikolai and Alexander. Nikolai belongs to a different church and has problems accepting anything other than the Bible, and we talked a lot about it with him. At our meeting with Alexander, he has problems with faith and understanding how to search spiritually. His words, not mine.


Thinking back on this last week, I've realized just really how important gaining a PERSONAL testimony through prayer and building your relationship with God. Once you do this, YOU WILL KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord lives and that His scriptures on the earth today are true.

We had a cool experience on our way back home on Preparation day. We stopped to look at some paintings that they sell on Nevsky Prospekt and a lady came up and noticed our tags and started talking with us. She asked us many questions about prayer and talked with us for a while. This whole time a man was staring at us from across the square and I noticed him. The lady left after taking an invitation, and this man ran over to Elder Ash and I and said," Do you have a book? I want your book." I said I had a Book of Mormon, and this man said,"That's the one! I want your book. I've heard about it." We gave him the Book of Mormon and started talking with him, but unfortunately, he was working and his boss told him to go back and try to sell paintings and we weren't able to get his name or number. I think that is the first time on my mission someone has come up to me and asked me for the Book of Mormon. 

Our best and coolest investigator is still Dasha. She feels like a good friend already. We haven't been able to meet with her for a long time, but she makes sure that we give her a commitment everyday so she can learn and grow. She loves studying the scriptures and she comes to Sacrament meeting. She promised this week will work out, and we know some more people in the branch that we can invite to meet with her this week. We are seeing success, slowly, but surely in the Nevsky Branch. I've redone the areas in my district so we can more effective work as a district, and this week we plan on really getting involved with the branch members now that it will be a little easier/ more effective to work with them.


Elder Ash is doing great and helping me out a lot. I really enjoy serving with him.  Weird to think that this transfer is almost over... It just started. I'll be home before you know it. AHHH! Just realized Elders Nelson, Berven, Anthony, and others leave in 2 weeks! That's crazy!

Well, I've got to run! I love you all and miss you. Do me a favor and email BP will you? Let him know how I'm doing. He sent me an email today and says he comes home the 20th of December! Miss BP.

Keep Smiling- aka Grandpa C.! Be of Good Cheer!
Love,
Blake

21 October 2011

Little more success this week.


We're seeing a little more success than we have been, after vamping up our efforts to talk with people. Working hard.This last week we sat down one evening and just called and called people. We made a list of the people we called and what happened with them. After calling about 100 people, we found 7 who agreed to meet with us, 4 of which we scheduled appointments right then. 2 of the appointments didn't show up, one had to go to the hospital and couldn't meet. We met with the last one though, Alexander a former investigator. He has read the Book of Mormon multiple times and loves it, but hasn't gotten an answer that it is from God. He said," I think it was written by great men, but I don't know if it was from God." To be honest, I think he has already received that answer, he just hasn't recognized it yet. We are studying on how we can help him understand and recognize the Spirit, so that he can recognize that he knows its true. Our other good investigator, Dasha, is progressing and continues to read the Book of Mormon. She even calls us to say that she read and she wants us to tell her a new chapter to read that will help her understand God's plan for her. I've never had an investigator who ASKS for commitments, so we are really excited. It's hard to meet with her though, because she usually can meet during the day when everyone else is working, and we can't seem to find a third male to come with us... But we will! Don't worry!

This week we are trying to focus on helping the branch do some home teaching. We'll see how it works out. We dropped our other investigator as he is from the J. W. church, and he flat out told us he is trying to convert us to his church, because we are wrong. He doesn't want to try to find out about the Book of Mormon too. Not much we can do for him if he won't find out for himself.

We had a split with Elders Wilde and Clarke this week and i was with Elder Clark. He is from St. George and knows Amanda Wignall. Small world. He is a quiet kid, and kind of nervous about his Russian right now, but that is understandable. I was the same way! It takes time and practice and I know it will come to him. Elder Clarke and Elder Wilde look like twins. It's funny because people all the time ask if they are brothers, since they are always with each other. Ha ha.
I'm Glad that Lee prayed about her trip and she got a definite answer. Prayer is real! Too bad she couldn't go though... :( Hawaii isn't that cool anyways, right? I hope she has some opportunity to have fun though. 

NATE is coming home next month?! Holy cow! That is crazy! I remember that I went to the temple the day he went into the MTC. Now he's coming home! Tell him a BIG hello from me and tell him I expect a letter from the states, as it didn't really work for us to write letters between Russia and Chile, as they would get to me or him 4 months later...

Nope, Sister Brishtel and Elders Anthony and Berven are still here, but it is their last transfer... I will miss them all. Weird to think about. Its weird because after them it's Elder Wilde, and then ME!  I'm glad that Sister Ash thinks I'm a good missionary. It's fun to serve with Elder Ash too! He is happy, works hard, deals with stress well, and just keeps things fun!


I truly have no idea what you could send me for Christmas... i've been thinking about it all transfer with you asking me, and still can't think of anything. Maybe some Big Hunks... i don't know. ha ha. Costco trailmix? No idea.

I love you all alot and I'm very grateful for all that has happened in my life. I've quoted it before, but I thought of a song this morning while reading about the Savior and what he did for us so we could learn and grow and return to Him. "If I had a chance for another try, I wouldn't change a thing, it's made me all of who I am inside. And if I could thank God that I am here and that I am alive. And everyday I wake, I tell myself a little harmless lie. The whole wide world is mine." God made this for us! Let's follow Him to receive fully of His blessings.
Be of Good Cheer. Keep Smiling!
Love,
Blake, aka Elder Larsen



10 October 2011

Loved General Conference.


Dear Everyone!
I'm doing good here in Nevskiy Branch with Elder Ash, and we are slowly seeing more and more success. My jaw is alright. Don't worry. I just have a scab on the inside of my cheek now, and it doesn't hurt anymore. We did have a little bit more of the story happen to me on my birthday though. We looked around the Center Reenok (like an outside store sort of thing) I bought a big Russian Shopka (hat) and we went to lunch with some other missionaries where Elder Andersen paid for me and they gave me a tie and a birthday card. I'm pretty sure it was all Elder Andersen's idea. I'm grateful to have him in my district right now. He is a good friend. 


While at dinner, President Clark called and asked if I could come to the office, because the mother of the person who punched me called the phone that he dropped. Sergey, who helps with legal stuff in our mission, had the phone and talked with her and explained we would like to meet and tell her what really happened. She said okay and Sergey, Elder Ash, me and President Clark, went to talk with them. It was in a town outside of St. Petersburg. Sergey talked to the father and explained what happened and said that we want to talk with the son so he can say that he was sorry, and I could say that I forgive him. The father said he would come out and talk with me because his son wasn't home. But he didn't really believe Sergey and you could tell. He came out, but changed his mind when he was at the car and said that he didn't believe us and this would be better if we just went through the police... We were all sad that they didn't want to talk with us or listen to us, so I had to write out a testimony about what had happened so they could work on it with the police. Let's just say it was one of my most interesting birthdays yet.

Elder Ash and I get along really good. No problems whatsoever. He is really funny and hard working. The only thing that I'm not used to is that he doesn't speak much Russian, so I have to translate a lot when he doesn't understand and I have to talk a lot more than usual. But he is learning really quickly, so thats okay. He is positve and really tries to get to know everyone the best he can.

We are seeing more success if finding situations and having some cool experiences on the street. We found a couple people with whom we could share the message of the Restoration and give them Books of Mormon. We would sit down and just start talking with them, not really about our message necessarily, but just talking and they would open up. We met a lady named Ina who was really sad, as she was having problems with work and housing. She had been living in France, but had problems with her visas and was forced to come back home and she was really sad, actually crying. We came and talked with her when we saw it and testified that God loves her and is helping her. He wants to help her.

I loved General Conference! It was really uplifting and probably the best one I've ever heard. I really like the talk by Elder Russell M. Nelson, especially because I WAS AT THE EVENT THAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, AND KNOW SISTER EFIMOVA. She works with the missionaries to get us apartments, and all the mission apartments are under her name. If they talked about it earlier in conferences, I never noticed that they talk about Russia so much. Maybe Russia is the next "Brazil" ha ha. I also got a really strong desire to do more temple and family history work when I get home. It is really interesting to me right now, but we just can't really do it on our missions...


When is Lee's Hawaii trip (potentially) Sister Hazelwood told me yesterday at General Conference that she won that. ha ha.
Hope she will be alright to fly? This is a conern. 

Well, sorry that this letter doesn't have a lot in it, as it is hard to chat online with you, write this letter, and a letter to President all at the same time, but I want you all to know that I love you very much and I love my Savior. He is the reason we have hope in this world and hope for a better life in the world to come. He gives us the strength to overcome all obstacles in life, help others to overcome theirs, and to see the divine potential in every single son and daughter of Heavenly Father. He helps you to focus on the good, until you've focused on it so much, that the bad disappears from your life.

Be of Good Cheer! Keep Smiling!
Love
Blake!


03 October 2011

Happy Birthday to the Twins!

I turned 21 before Code! Ha ha!


Well, Today is my Birthday and I'm finally an adult of 21... What doest that mean? Nothing really, since I don't drink or smoke or do any of that crazy stuff, but at least I can say I'm an adult now, right?  


On Friday I got "an early Birthday Present" from a stranger in the metro... I got a nice tasty knuckle sandwich. I had my Visa Trip on Saturday, so I was on a split with Elder Andersen heading to the AP's house at night, and we were also with Elders Wilde and Clark. Elder Andersen saw this African man and we started talking with him and rode on the same bus with him. Really nice and cool guy. He is a doctor! Anyway, so while we were talking with him, this young guy just comes up and gets up in Elder Andersen's face and says "Get out of here" and threatens him. He then goes and sits down. I started talking with the African guy and I was the closest one to this young punk who threatened Elder Andersen. He started making fun of us and saying things like "you better be scared." and stuff. This happens a lot, but usually no one does anything so we ignored him. The African man suggested that we just get out on the next stop and ride a different train. But right before we come to the next stop, this punk runs over from the side and rocks me square in the jaw, upwards toward my cheek. I saw spots and Elder Wilde was behind me and supported me from falling while Elder Andersen pushed the guy out of the wagon. While Elder Andersen pushed him out of the wagon, he dropped his phone and didn't notice. He then tried to hit Elder Clark through the wagon door, but missed. I was the only one that noticed that he dropped his phone and I picked up the pieces and turned it on and found out his home phone number and that his name was Yuri. We called Gennady from our Visa Department and told him what happened, and he said in Russia to get a cell phone you have to give your passport, so if we bring that phone into him, he can find out who this guy is... 

I was really kind of mad when it all happened, but something held me back from doing something about it. I am really grateful for my friends that I made here though! The other missionaries that were with me were ready to do anything to help, and everyone who heard about it has shown support and said stuff like " You can't do that to my friend!" 

My jaw is okay. It didn't swell up and I don't think that anything is broken, it's just really achy and stiff. I really feel sorry for the guy that punched me... The next day I was thinking about how he was filled with so much hate against us, not even knowing who we are or what we are doing and I read in 1 John 4:7-9. We just want to help people find out what love is.

Estonia was fun as usual, and my next visa trip will be my final one for my mission. We actually had a few people in Estonia ask us about the Gospel, and we were able to do some missionary work there. Weather here is getting colder. It's cloudy and windy all the time now. You can feel winter coming. Today for P-day we are going to get Elder Ash some winter clothes, and I'm going to see what souvenirs I can start buying. Haven't bought any yet. Maybe go out to lunch too. 

The work in this area is going really slow... There are not a lot of people and the branch doesn't really help much to be honest... But we are slowly seeing success more and more. We have made contact with lots of less actives that haven't been heard from in a long time, and we have a really cool investigator but since she is a girl it's hard to find another male to meet with us, which is also hard considering we are working in the sister's old area, and our area books are filled with almost only girls... We are having fun serving in this district though and slowly and surely seeing more and more success.

Just barely President Clark called to wish me a Happy Birthday and said he knows that this branch is full of "goofies" but he says just keep doing what we are doing and we will see success. He also wanted to check to see how my jaw is. He said that they will talk with the police today about the telephone tooWell, I need to run. Sorry my emails don't have much detail... When I try to do a lot of detail, I end up only talking about one topic. Seems like it today.

I love you all! I'm happy to be on my mission and to feel the love of our Heavenly Father so strong and also to be able to share this with other people, offer it and let them take it.

Love you a lot! Keep Smiling, and Be of Good Cheer!
Blake!


*Tammy had an opportunity to stay up and email Blake to say Happy Birthday, so I was online when his email came in~  On Mon, Oct 3, 2011 Tammy Larsen wrote:

Still hurts me more than you, and and that is saying a lot! 


Blake's email reply~ I know. Thanks. :) That's what Moms do! But really I am okay. I promise. If Apostles and Prophets could go through what they did, and Christ could accomplish the Atonement and go through the death and persecution He did, then I can at least take a fist to the face... It hurts more to think about how sad that guy's life probably is.