War in Armenia

 Hey Everyone!

Thank you for all of your messages and prayers the past couple of weeks. It has been crazy, but all of us missionaries are safe and well! For over two weeks now, Armenia has been at war with its neighbor, Azerbaijan. Living in a war-torn country has really put things into perspective for me. On the streets you can see crowds of men squeezing into buses, on their way to go join the fight on the border. Little boys are loading supplies into military trucks and propaganda is decorating the entire city of Yerevan. It doesn't feel real at times. The past week, my companion and I were able to help supply 10,000 lbs of supplies to local municipalities and city halls. We even had the opportunity to take kits to a refugee home, filled with women and children who had just fled their homes across the Armenian border. We have also hit the 2nd wave of COVID-19, so it is worse than it has ever been. The laws here have changed as well, so we are no longer able to identify as volunteers and obtain residency permits. To temporarily avoid this, all of the missionaries except 6 of us flew to Dubai for a couple days and then re-entered Armenian soil. This loophole gives everyone a 6 month cushion, but we are currently meeting with lawyers in order to find a permanent solution to this. My residency expires in December, so if no traction is made by then I may score a trip out of the country here soon! Despite all of these things, we are keeping focused and pushing the work forward. I know my life is in God's hands and we will continue to work hard and serve others!

Some Highlights:

• Hiking to a sweet waterfall

• Delivering supplies to refugees

• Saying goodbye to Stratty & Mandla

• Organizing voting ballots for the US missionaries

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT 

"We cannot become perfect beings of divine joy without experiences that test us."

- Matthew Holland 

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Turn Left Here

 Hey Everyone!

Well I hit my year mark last week! Pretty crazy. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers over this past year. I can feel them every day and I'm so grateful for the support system in my life. We have been in quarantine for the past 6 months but I have never been busier as a missionary. A lot of my time is spent doing assignments that I never thought I would be doing on my mission (e.g. working with the US embassy, meeting with Armenian lawyers, closing church branches), but I definitely find the most fulfillment in those moments I am able to teach and serve others. Something cool that happened this week was we had a visit from one of the Church's apostles, Elder David A. Bednar. HE IS THE MAN. I didn't write down a lot of the things that he said, but I remember the feelings that I had. I remember feeling like he was a man inspired by God-- a man I could follow. It made me even more excited to hear from our prophet, President Nelson, in a couple of weeks at General Conference. Now, since it has been a year, I'll give you all a quick language update: It's still hard! I am pretty comfortable with Armenian now, but there are definitely times when the Lord feels like I need a little humility check. Sometimes that humility comes in the form of Russian... like last week when I tried to ask a man about a word I heard. He immediately pointed at me and Elder Stratford and yelled at us in the middle of a busy street, "SOVIET UNION!!". I'm not sure what his deal was, but we sure got out of there fast!

Some Highlights:

• Morning workouts with the boys

• Area-wide Zoom meeting with Elder Bednar

• Road trip up to Gyumri

• Campfires outside of our apartment 

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT 

"Sometimes we can be so impatient with our progress that we mess up our progress."

- Elder David A. Bednar

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

The Ghana Miracle

Hey Everyone!

July was a crazy month for us. A lot has been going on and we are definitely keeping our hands full! Most of my time now is spent in meetings with SLC, the Area Presidency in Moscow, or doing administrational work. I am learning so much and just feel blessed to be here. We had a group of missionaries who ended their missions a couple weeks ago, so Elder Van and I spent 3 days straight (on little sleep) working with the US embassy to find them a way out of here. I never thought I would be doing that on my mission haha! Armenia is still in a state of emergency so our missionary force is getting pretty thin. We are now down to 22 missionaries here. Despite the difficulties, we are still working hard to move the work forward. The missionaries are teaching a LOT online and the Facebook page is growing by the day. Everyone is hanging in there and I am so proud of them! 

Some Highlights:

• Lover's Park (pictured below)

• Designing the Visitor's Center

• Receiving a referral from Afghanistan

• Giving the boys haircuts

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

Recently, I received a message from a boy in Africa. He found my Facebook and wanted to ask me about my mission. We talk every other day and now Gregory has become my little buddy. He is a member, but doesn't have a lot of positive influences around him. He sent me a frantic text the other day, that someone in his village had a bad leg infection and he didn't know what to do. Since he had the priesthood, I was able to walk him through how to give a blessing. Gregory said it was powerful and he was able to bring comfort to the man. It reminded me how personal God knows each one of us. If he is listening to little Gregory in Africa stumble through a prayer, he is listening to you to. All you have to do is reach out (:

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Surf's Up

Hey Everyone!

All is well here in Armenia! We're coming up on our 4 month mark in quarantine so that's big time. About a month ago, we created a Facebook page to push our online teaching efforts and it has BLOWN UP. We actually had too many people reaching out to us to learn about the gospel, so we had to stop running advertisements for a little while. I can't think of a better problem to have haha. Now we're giving trainings to missions all around the world about how to grow their online presence. The Lord has really been helping us and it is so cool to see everyone's efforts paying off right before our eyes. I think if we continue to implement the right strategies online, this will change the church in Armenia. I can't wait to see what the future holds. On top of all the office work, Elder Van and I are also transforming our mission office into a visitor's center. We have been in the design process for a couple weeks now and I think we are about ready to begin putting things together. It's going to be awesome! Anyways, we had a monsoon the other day so us 4 elders had no choice but to run outside and go swimming in the street. Elder Mandla is from Australia so we tried surfing using some drift wood. It wasn't quite Hawaii but you gotta work with what you got (:

Some Highlights:

• Witnessing a street crowbar fight

• Designing the new visitor's center

• Buying a Russian gas mask

• Taking the boys through my old football workouts

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

“The mind in itself and in its own place can make a hell out of heaven or a heaven out of hell.”

I love this quote. It is never sufficient to believe in ourselves only when we feel enthusiastic or life is going well for us. It is never adequate to have FAITH sporadically. Tough times never last, but tough (faithful) people do.

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Weed Farming & Exploring Monasteries

Hey Everyone!

Even though Armenia is doing pretty bad with the spread of COVID-19, I've been able to go on a couple of awesome adventures the past few weeks! First, my companion and I went up north to close some more apartments in a city called Gyumri. When we got there, we found out that one of the neighbors received a key for the apartment somehow and was using the empty space to grow marijuana. Thankfully, we were able to get out of that contract pretty quick haha. I think after closing 10 apartments around Armenia, I will be more than prepared if I ever decide to go into real estate one day. Two weeks ago, the missionaries were really starting to get worn out from being inside for so long, so the Picards took our district down south to visit one of the most notorious attractions in Armenia, a monastery called Khor Virap. On the drive back, we drove up to the peak of this beautiful mountain where we could see the borders of Iran, Turkey, and Azerbaijan! It was absolutely crazy. The best part of the trip was that before we left that morning, I had a spiritual prompting to bring my football. Somehow we found the only grass field I have ever seen in the entire country of Armenia and all of us got to run around for an hour. I WAS SO DANG HAPPY. It's funny how you can be on the border of 4 Middle Eastern countries at the same time and want nothing more than just a grass field to throw the football on. I guess life is about the little things.

Some Highlights:

•Road trip down to Khor Virap

•Teaching a few youth from France

•Launching the church's FB & Instagram page

•Delivering hundreds of welfare packages

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

MIDDLE EAST ROAD TRIP

Hey Everyone!

Because of the economic pressure, Armenia was forced to lift their national quarantine about two weeks ago. Since then, the situation here has gotten a lot worse and now there is speculation that they will start to enforce a stay-at-home order again. Either way, us missionaries will probably be hunkered in until July at the earliest. Crazy times! Elder Van Gijsel and I are now the mission secretaries so this week we had to close a lot of the apartments because of how few missionaries are still in the country. It was actually awesome. On Thursday we took a trip with Sister Picard and the APs down to the far south of Armenia, right next to the Turkey and Iran border. The city is called Ararat because of how close it is to the famous Mount Ararat (pictured below). Even though we had to clean cockroaches out of the bathrooms, it was the first time we've done anything outside in two months so I felt on top of the world. It was sweet to see such a beautiful part of the country!

Some Highlights:

•Teaching our Dutch friends

•Making Grandma's crepes

•Playing a lot of guitar jazz music

•Diving into family history work

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

We will all need healing in our lives. Even the greatest among us, Jesus Christ, experienced betrayal, abandonment, heartbreak, and physical pain as part of His life on Earth. The most important thing to remember is that healing isn't a destination, it's a process. It takes time. In Japan, broken antiques are often repaired with a gold sealant. The flaw is seen as a unique piece of the object's history, adding to its beauty. Think about this the next time you feel broken. Because of the grace of Jesus Christ, eventually those cracks in our lives are going to be filled. It takes time and energy and struggle, but healing teaches us. No matter how bad you may think they are, those cracks are never going to belittle your worth in the eyes of God. In fact, you will reach a point when the blessings of healing will only attribute to your beauty and uniqueness of self. When you feel you are alone, shut down in fear or broken, find the courage to pray. I promise those prayers will be heard and help will come.

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Week 28 Mind Over Mattress

Hey Everyone!

The last couple of weeks have been great! We have started to gain some momentum with the whole online teaching thing. A few of the members here have asked to call with Elder Van Gijsel and I throughout the week, so we are getting some good language practice in as well. We still have our one hour of exercise time in the morning so I am soaking that in. We have this abandoned soviet park right outside of our apartment that we call our gym. I do box jumps on a tree stump and pull ups on an old swing set bar. Our workouts look like a really bad, out-of-shape version of the Rocky 4 movie. 

Some Highlights:

•Cooking a lot out of boredom

•Finishing the Armenian Book of Mormon

•Teaching the Belgium youth

•Teaching a man from the African Congo

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

In his General Conference talk, Elder Bednar talked about the construction of the Salt Lake City temple, extending the invitation for us to analyze the foundations of our own lives. The past week I have tried to do this, honestly considering what my motivations are in life-- why I do the things that I do. As I identified the things in life that truly make me most happy, I realized that the underlying motivation for those things was the same. Thomas à Kempis said, “Without love, the outward work is of no value; but whatever is done out of love, be it never so little, is wholly fruitful." I know that this is true. The aspects of our lives that are grounded in love are the same things that are filling our lives with worth. Being motivated in this way does not make life easier, but it makes life worth living. In the words of Christina Franco, "Love is made sacred through sacrifice." 

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Week 26 Armenia's Finest

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to send out a quick update to you all. We're still hunkered down here in Armenia. We had a mission conference call on Saturday and it sounds like we are waiting to see how the government here responds to the rapid increase of Coronavirus cases. For now, the game plan is still to tough it out for a projected 3 months in quarantine. My only worry is how the missionaries are going to handle being stuck inside for that period of time, especially if our one hour of exercise time gets removed. We just have to stay positive and trust in God's timing!

All things considered, I am doing super well. Elder Van Gijsel and I are still meeting with a few people over the phone and are doing a youth fireside for the stake in Belgium/Netherlands here soon. I am trying hard to be productive but living with 3 other guys sparks a lot of sporadic wrestling matches throughout the day. I have also written an entire album about Armenia's escape from communism and have a trending account on a cooking app. If any of you know people that would like to talk to a few missionaries please reach out to me!

"In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something." 

-Dallin H. Oaks

Week 24 Quick Update

Hey Everyone!

The past week a big portion of our missionaries have gone home. Between both Armenia and Georgia, there's only about 30 of us left. For those of us who chose to stay, we've heard that our projected quarantine time is around 3-4 months. The Armenian government announced a state of emergency so the whole country is supposed to be on lock down. We get an hour each day to be outside for exercise or to run errands so that's a huge blessing. All the Armenian missionaries have been moved to the capitol, so it will be easier to keep track of everyone now that we're all in Yerevan. My new companion is my best Belgian friend Elder Van Gijsel! We moved in with the two APs, Elder Mandla from Australia and Elder Stratford from Arizona. There are a lot of different accents going on in here haha. These guys are some of my best mates so life is good. We just have to be diligent and find ways to keep everyone's moral high during this time. I think now more than ever, we have to take control over our lives and choose to be positive. I pretty much just try to stay busy by studying and playing a lot of guitar. I will keep you all updated if any changes take place. No matter what happens, we will bounce back!

Other than that, I'm happy and healthy. Here is a pic of me on a run the other day:

Week 22 Cherry Blossoms

Hey Everyone!

Armenia is finally starting to melt a little so things are looking up! For my birthday on Friday, we spent the entire day moving bricks and bags of concrete to help build a children's school. It was definitely the most rewarding, yet exhausting birthday I've ever had. My companion took a picture of me afterwards caked in dirt so I will make sure and attach that below haha. I truly think I've learned just as much about home rennovation so far this mission as I have about the gospel. Anyways, sometimes for language study my companion and I will go to the university here in hopes to contact more people. The librarians are very adamant that we are only there to study, and are not to draw any extra attention to ourselves. Well, last week I accidently drew a lot of attention to myself. As a missionary, you work so hard that you learn to fall alseep just about anywhere. I will seriously catch myself napping while standing up on the metro sometimes. The other day while we were in the library, I fell asleep while reading my book and had a full on spaz sleep-attack. I scared the crap out of everyone sitting next to me, so when I opened my eyes half of the library was staring at me. I was so embarrassed that I just packed up my things and asked my companion if we could go. Way to represent the church man!

Some Highlights:

• New senior couple from Idaho! (pic below)

• Soccer finding

• Building a children's school

• Entire sacrament meeting in Russian

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

Last week this man asked us if we could give his new grandson a blessing. When we got to their house, it became obvious that there was something wrong with the baby. He could hardly make any noise and barely managed to grab onto my little finger. My heart started to break as the family explained to us that the child had no strength in his body and that he wasn't expected to live much longer. Out of options, they reached out to us in hopes that we could save the child's life. I was asked to give the Priesthood blessing and it was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Even though I couldn't promise that the baby would live, I felt confidence as I held his tiny head in my hands, that God had a plan for him. After the blessing, this non-member family told us they felt peace in their hearts. We explained to them that what they were feeling was God's love. When life feels too confusing and overwhelming to handle on our own, Heavenly Father is always there. Just like this family, we can lean on that knowledge. God is always there! 

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Week 21 Dear Winter

Hey Everyone!

Life in the city is going well. My companion and I have been assigned by our mission president to spend most of our time contacting, so it's hard work but really rewarding. A lot of the people we meet are studying internationally so I've started to make a little contact book of all the countries I a place to stay in one day. For example, this past weekend we met these guys from Greece. They said they didn't want to learn about our church right now but they added us on Facebook and insisted that we visit their home after our missions. This scenario happens quite a bit so that's a little perk of serving in the captiol! This week we also made new friends from Dubai and Australia. Hopefully these people will remember our church and one day be willing to accept the gospel. When we can, we also refer their contact to the missionaries serving in their home countries. Anyways, something super funny happened last week. My companion and I went to visit this referral someone had given us. When we got there, the man was absolutely hammered. He said he had been drinking all day and it looked like a tornado went through his house. Anyways, he grabbed a liter of milk from his cupboard and started to chug it straight from the bottle. I just sat there, watching half of his drink go from his mouth back into the bottle. I genuinely had never seen anyone backwash so effectively before. After that, he handed the bottle straight to me and told me to drink it. By the way, Armenians are really aggressive about their hospitality. After I said no, he got mad so I just took the bottle from him and decided to take one for the team. It was my worst nightmare. It smelled like rotten potatoes and tasted like warm, old, Armenian goat milk. Having no choice, I went bottoms up and threw a few gulps back. The rest of the meeting, I sat there with full-body chills while this man yelled at us about how he is the only one who has God's cell phone number. Pretty interesting day!

Some Highlights:

•Playing volleyball 

•Visit from Elder Kearon of the Seventy

•Organizing youth activities

•The first sunny day in 3 weeks

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

This week I have been studying a lot about receiving answers to our prayers. We will all have times when it feels like our prayers are going unanswered, which is totally normal. The Lord promises that, "Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it." (Enos 1:15) I've been thinking about this verse a lot. Faith is asking for something and expecting that your prayer will be answered, not asking for something and stressing about it afterwards. We don't need to pray to Heavenly Father the same way we used to timidly ask our parents for sleepovers when we were little. Faith is confidence in God's plan. We have to be smart, do all that we can do, then be assured that the Lord will provide. This week I have tried to express my faith to this extent, and I have noticed a big change in my mindset. As I did this, I had zero feelings of fear, anxiety, or self-doubt. Instead, I was filled with patience, hope, and gratitude because I was absolutely confident that God was going to guide me every step I took.

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Week 19 John Lennon

Hey Everyone!

This has been the craziest teaching week of my mission. On Wednesday, Elder Crook and I were running into the metro to catch our train. We noticed a man standing right outside the door of the station so we waved to him and he smiled at us. We took that as a green light so we hit the breaks and decided to talk to this guy. We found out he came here from one of Armenian's neighboring countries (probably shouldn't specify which one) and is now a vagabond musician, traveling all over the Middle East. He speaks Farsi and learned English from the lyrics of his idol, John Lennon. I'll just refer to him as John. We got his Facebook and I ended up messaging him that night. He replied to me saying that he wants to be baptized because he wants to follow the example of Jesus Christ. He told us that the day before we met him, he wandered into a random Armenian church and poured his heart out in prayer, asking for guidance in his life. I'm telling you... this guy is ELECT. We have been meeting every day since and he is accepting everything amazingly. My companion and I have never taught in English before so it's been a great experience. If it was possible, we already would have a baptismal date set. However, there is one big problem with John. The country where he is from doesn't like Christians very much. In fact, if John was to be baptized, he would be killed if he ever returned home to his family. They have spies all over Armenia so we are being very careful and John has said he wants to continue meeting despite these risks. His visa expires in a couple of days and we are praying the Lord will provide a way for him to stay here. We have been dealing with a lot of serious situations but John just keeps telling us, "God has a plan for me!" 

Some Highlights:

•Schawarma restaurant rating

•English classes

•Speaking in Sacrament

•Learning a little Persian

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

"Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him." 

--1 Nephi 7:12

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia