Week 14 Merry Christmas from Armenia

Hey Everyone!

Sorry that I haven't written in a couple of weeks. Things have been really busy over here! I have been on a couple awesome splits since we last talked. My favorite place I visited was a little village called Tsaghkadzor because it reminds me a lot of Park City! There's a super nice ski resort there and if it wasn't against the white handbook I would definitely be spending a P-Day on the slopes. The language is clicking more and more everyday, allowing me to really express myself and be more bold on the streets. It sure is getting fun! Last week my companion and I met with one of the big leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church here to discuss service opportunities. I'm not sure how much I can say, but it was a super cool experience. Since life is about balance, now let me tell you about a not so cool experience I had. The other day my companion and I were cleaning our church building. I walked into the bathroom and bent down to open the toilet seat. Little did I know that this decision would deprive me many hours of sleep for days to come. To my surprise, someone had left their foot-long tape worm in the toilet for me, still swimming and all. It was one of the most upsetting moments of my life. You know how people always tell you that missions will help you narrow down your career path? Well I received confirmation in that moment that I am sticking to a business degree because I don't want to get close to anything like that ever again. Anyways, Christmas in Armenia is a little different. The date actually falls on January 6th and from what I have heard, gets a little overshadowed by the excitement of New Years. It will be interesting to see how that works out. Happy holidays everyone!

Some Highlights:

•Splits in Hrazdan & Charensavan

•3-Day split with Elder Stratford

•Spending the day in Yerevan (pictured)

•Visiting Kecharis Monastery (pictured)

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

Since Christmas is in a few days, I think it would be good to focus the thought this week on Jesus Christ. Most of us have heard that "charity is the pure love of Christ". In other words, charity is perfect love. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. If there is such a thing as perfect love, certainly that's something we should all be striving for. The past couple weeks I decided to read all I could find about charity. My search eventually lead me to the church's proclamation on families. The word love appears five times in the proclamation, and each time it is linked with action words such as “to love and care” or “to love and serve.” This is important because it implies that love is just as much a verb as it is a noun. Love is something we do, something we can choose everyday. If this wasn't the case, God couldn't command us to love one another! I know that Christ's love can change our hearts. I have felt it through His gospel as well as through the actions of others. Charity is the happiest, strongest, most enduring, perfect form of love. It is how Christ loves us, and it is how He hopes we will love one another. Have a merry Christmas!!

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Week 11 Man vs Wild Dog

Hey Everyone!

Things are moving along here in Armenia! There have only been 5 people at church the past 2 weeks (including the presidency), so we're still putting most of our focus on the branch. However, we have become good friends with these 2 brothers who live just a few kilometers out of Ashtarak. We found out the only way we can meet with them is if we help them work on some old cars they have in their garage while we talk. It's actually awesome! We'll go over there and talk about Jesus Christ while they teach us about engines. I kind of think they might be hustling us for free labor but I can't really blame them. Either way, it's nice to roll up the white sleeves for a little bit! Saturday night this awesome family had us over for a quick lesson and somehow the topic of music came up. My companion threw me under the bus and one of the kids handed me his guitar from the corner of the living room. I found out the teenagers actually knew some music from America so I started to play a little. It was one of the most precious moments from my mission so far. All of the other siblings came out of their bedrooms to listen and it was the first time we had everyone together for a lesson! There was a second when I looked up and just watched this little Armenian family all in a circle humming John Mayer together. I mean come on... that's what it's all about. 

Some Highlights:

• Speaking in church

• Going to some museums in Yerevan

• Sweeping our entire apt building

• Contacting in a rainstorm (pictured below)

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

On my mission I have really grown a love for the Book of Mormon. It's almost overwhelming for me to see the amount of help I have received through daily reading. Even if I think about the very best self-help book I have ever read, it couldn't even compare. It literally has the answer to every problem that we will ever face. When I receive guidance through reading the Book of Mormom, I am always reminded of something. God wants to help us become better every day. God WANTS us to be happy, successful, and have an amazing life! I mean it just makes sense. I'll probably talk about goals in another email, but when we combine righteous, personal goals with the guidance we receive from true doctrine, it's pretty crazy what we're able to achieve. We really can become so much more than we ever could by ourselves. Heavenly Father has a plan for us to be truly happy forever. It's important to remember that, "Forever—is composed of Nows."

 

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Week 10 Persimmon Coma

Hey Everyone!

It's been another great week in Armenia! Just so everyone knows, because of local laws, I'm not able to send any pictures of the people here or mention their names in my emails. I'll probably just use initials or maybe I'll refer to them by NFL quarterbacks. I haven't decided yet. Not too long ago, President Uchtdorf announced that Eastern Europe really needs to focus on the youth in the church. In my area especially, my companion and I have been spending almost all of our time organizing youth activities, YSA events, and doing what we can to strengthen the branch as a whole. When we're not doing that, we go street contacting or do service where we can find it. It's been awesome! We rake A LOT of leaves this time of year. They use homemade brooms over here so I took a picture of one for you guys... pretty funny. This week we've also been able to play a little soccer for our exercise time and it has been awesome. The only problem is I just get way too competitve with the Armenian kids. I'm starting to think that maybe it's not the best idea for me... I definitely do not have The Spirit with me when I'm playing sports. Anyways, everything really is going great! I hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving!

Some Highlights:

• Teaching English class

• Watching Russian Book of Mormon videos

• Playing soccer with the kids

• Having no running water for 2 days

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

The hardest part of the mission for me so far has been feeling unable to help the people to the extent that I would like to. It's hard because you love them SO MUCH and you want to serve them, but the language barrier is definitely a big obstacle at first. Yesterday night I was especially frustrated after a long day of church meetings. Afterwards, I asked my companion if we could just do SOMETHING that would help me to feel a little useful. So we baked brownies for our neighbors! The only thing is that nobody wanted our brownies. It made me so mad. I don't know why, I just really took this one personal. We went up and down our apartment building, trying to get rid of this plate of brownies. FINALLY, this girl opened the door and after talking for a minute, she smiled and accepted the plate. I CANNOT EXPLAIN TO YOU GUYS the joy that I felt. It was so weird but I really just felt Christ's love in that moment. I felt it so strong. I knew he was happy with my small effort to make a difference. It's just a testimony to me that no matter how down we feel, no matter what is going on in our lives, simple acts of service will always go a long way.

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Week 9 I'M OFF THE GRID

Hey Everyone!

My first 2 weeks in Armenia have been crazy. I can't understand what anyone is saying, but I did get bit by a chinchilla and learned how to crack a walnut with my bare hands so things are happening for sure. My companion is Elder Soderquist from Weber, Utah. He has told me his life story about 5 times now but it's always in Armenian so I really don't know what else to tell you. Just know that he is awesome! He's a good trainer because he loves to put me in super uncomfortable situations all day haha. Sorry I don't have a picture with him yet, I'll try and snag one this week. We're living in a city about 20 minutes out of Yerevan, called Ashtarak. The people here are SO AMAZING. They are hospitable to the point that it's a little agressive. Got to love them! We have about 15 people who come to our branch sacrament meeting every week. It's different, but makes me excited to see so much potential for growth. I will tell you that the food in Armenia is CRAZY good. We eat a ton of fresh fruit and bread because it's so cheap. Everything so far has been really tasty so I'm not complaining! Most of the products in the stores here are in Russian so I'm actually learning the Russian alphabet right now, which is pretty sweet. The other day our landlord was driving us to a village about an hour away from our apartment in Ashtarak. Everything was fine until all of a sudden the engine made this super loud explosion noise and our car broke down in the middle of the desert. I cannot make this up. Our driver got out of the car, broke off a piece of chain-link fence from the side of the road, wrapped it around his engine, punched the hood of the car a few times, started the car again, and drove us away. In that moment, the thought literally crossed my mind that I should write a note to my family in case things went south. Sometimes I really do feel like I'm in a movie.

Some Highlights:

• New Missinary Handbook

• Teaching the members

• Going on a scavenger hunt in Yerevan 

• Elder Hans T. Boom's talk

• Seeing Elder Van Gijsel <3

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

I'm not sure why, but this week I have been thinking a lot about families. I've been thinking about why they are such an important part of God's plan. I heard this quote yesterday in our zone conference, "Putting the Lord first also means putting your family first." I love that. No matter what, we always do what we can for our families. Sometimes we fight with them, but we always fight for them. We never give up on our loved ones in this church.

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Week 8 He Made It

Elder Larsen made it to Yerevan, Armenia!

Week 7 My Last Letter in the US

Hey Everyone!

The time is upon us! I can't believe we are actually heading out this week. I have loved the MTC but I am really excited to get out of here and get to work. Since being here, I feel like I have grown so much. I never want to change who I am, but I feel like God has allowed me to see potential in myself I have never seen before. He guides me in everything that I do. Really quick, I have a funny story to tell you guys. When we were teaching over Skype yesterday, I tried to tell this woman that I was SUPER excited to go to Armenia. Something was definitely up because after my comment, she didn't stop laughing for the rest of the lesson. I asked my teacher about the word afterwards and he told me that I used the word for "sexually excited" haha! That poor Armenian grandma... I'm still shook about it.

"But they fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight." (Mosiah 20:11) 

This scripture gets me pumped so it has been my motto throughout the MTC. I don't have a wife or any kids yet, but it makes me think about all the people that I love. It makes me think about you back home, as well as the people of Armenia. Everyday is a fight to be the absolute best missionary that I can be. I know that I wouldn't be where I am right now if it wasn't for all of you. Thinking of the people that mean the most to me is what pushes me everyday to be my best. Even on my hardest days, I feel so blessed to be able to serve! 

I think about all of the people out there that need to hear about the church. One of the most important things the gospel gives you is resiliency. I think that resiliency comes from perspective. Eternal perspective is what we need in this life to be happy. It gives us hope. It gives us comfort. I don't know how people can live without it, because life can be so dang hard. Everyone will go through trials that will completely stop them in their tracks and they won't know if they can carry on anymore. I know if you have the truth this church gives us, that you can get through anything. People think the gospel is complicated but it really is so simple. I can't wait to get out into the world now and share that with the people of Armenia. I know it is going to be a test, but God will strengthen me and I will continue to keep you in my heart always! 

MY TRAVEL ITINERARY

Tuesday - 11/05/2019:

•Salt Lake City - Los Angeles

•Los Angeles - Moscow, Russia

•Moscow, Russia - Yerevan, Armenia 

I'll probably get into Yerevan pretty late on Wednesday the 6th. It's game time baby!

ես դնում եմ իմ վստահությունը նրա վրա, և նա դեռ կազատի ինձ:

Week 6 My Battle with Frostbite

Hey Everyone!

The past 2 weeks have seriously been so awesome. We started to video chat with real Armenians and it has been THE COOLEST experience. I already feel so much love for the people. One of the men we talked to was completely blind and he was able to recite every scripture we shared from memory. Super cool. I still don't know what they are saying most of the time, but I feel like my language has really improved the past couple of weeks. I know that as I focus on my love for the people, everything else will fall into place. Last week I was able to sing for the special musical number in sacrament meeting and that was awesome! Something not as cool happened last week though. We were playing sand volleyball early in the morning and it was really cold outside. I didn't want to wear shoes because I feel like I don't play as well with them on. Anyways, in that short time my feet got really cold and they started burning like crazy once we got back to the dorm. It was so bad that I ended up going to the nurse here. She said that everything will heal okay but my feet were still super swollen and blistered all over. For a while I couldn't even fit in my shoes so I have just been wearing slippers for the past week haha! I have no idea how it happened, but I guess we just need extra trials sometimes. Not my best move. Anyways, everything else is going really well. We should get our travel plans this week! I am super pumped!

Some Highlights:

• Elder Quentin L. Cook's devotional

• New missionary orientation

• Pretty Utah mountains 

• Sister Mittens & Elder Van Gijsel's vlog (linked below)

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

A mission is awesome because you really try and forget about yourself, but it is also a great time to develop attributes that will lead to a better life after the mission. One of the biggest things I am trying to do is really pinpoint how we can have lasting joy in our lives. I am learning that there is a big difference between short term happiness and joy. I'm not always happy when my alarm goes off early in the morning, but I have joy when I look back and see how productive my day was. I'm not always happy when I say no to sugar, but I have joy when I wake up everyday feeling healthy. I'm not always happy to language study for 10 hours a day, but I am overwhelmed with joy when the person sitting across from me says "you have helped me". Following temporary pleasure is not the same as having lasting joy. The standards of the church are designed for this exact purpose. I know life is best when we are following all of God's commandments. I know that if we do the little things everyday that might seem hard, we will have an amazing life!

Elder Brennan Charles Larsen

NOV05  ARM-YER

2005 N 900 E Unit  95

Provo UT 84602

Week 5 Self-Worth for Dummies

Hey Everyone!

It was so fun to watch General Conference this weekend. All the missionaries get together in a big auditorium and the atmosphere is just awesome. For the first time, I was able to watch the women's session and that was definitely the cherry on top. This week, another Armenian teacher was hired! She is a neurology student at BYU and I can just tell that she is crazy smart. I'm really starting to doubt how much I'm contributing to the overall IQ of the classroom. My brother Chris sent me this quote a couple of weeks ago, "There's no growth in the comfort zone, and there's no comfort in the growth zone." That really is so true. All of the things that seemed hard a month ago are starting to become easier and easier. My weaknesses are becoming strengths through hard work and A LOT of failure. I love being a missionary!

Some Highlights:

• General Conference

• Meeting Sister Bingham, the General Relief Society President

• Choir

• FaceTiming Beckham & Aria 

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

Since being in the MTC, I've talked to a lot of missionaries who struggle with self-confidence. Because there are so many talented people in here, it is easy to catch yourself comparing to others. The important thing for missionaries to remember is that God called you to your mission for a reason. He knows that your specific personality is exactly what someone else needs to change their life. This doesn't just apply to missionaries though. I've been thinking a lot about the importance of authenticity this week. There are people out there that need YOU. There are people with whom you can connect better than anyone else. That's why God made you the way that you are. That's why focusing on others is the #1 way to feel happy. When you forget about yourself, you are reminded of your purpose here!

Elder Brennan Charles Larsen

NOV05  ARM-YER

2005 N 900 E Unit  95

Provo UT 84602    

Week 4 I Learned How to Twerk

Hey Everyone!

I can't believe it's already been a month! Time is flying by. Earlier this week, a new group of elders moved into our residency building and started pranking everyone. It was all fun and games until someone started throwing little fireworks into the showers. For those of you who have served a mission, you know the shower is a very sacred time. After that line was crossed, a few of us had a chat with the elders and we haven't heard a peep from them since haha. On Sunday I was able to meet with Dave LeSueur, the president of the MTC. I kept it low key but I was fangirling big time. Everyone in the presidency is so awesome. I'm bummed that I lost all my pictures from this week, but I tried to squeeze a few in last night for you guys. One of them is with my best friend in here, Elder Van Gijsel from Belgium. He is the man. He already speaks 4 languages fluently so he has been a big help with my Armenian. Anyways, everything is going great! Love you all!

Some Highlights:

• Watching the new Book of Mormon series 

• Ballroom dance lessons

• Going to the temple

• Volleyball of course 

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

This week I really tried to focus on stress management. Sometimes it's hard to stay positive & clear when you're feeling overwhelmed. I have been trying to find a way to minimize the negative effects of having a large work load. This week I made a promise to myself that I would say one gratitude prayer every single day. IT HAS BEEN A GAME CHANGER. Every day, whenever I feel like I need it, I say a quick prayer where all I do is tell God what I'm grateful for. It is such a simple thing but it has made an enormous difference to my week. It's so cool how the more gratitude you express, the more God blesses you in return. I hope everyone will try it out this week! 

Elder Brennan Charles Larsen

NOV05  ARM-YER

2005 N 900 E Unit  95

Provo UT 84602    

Week 3 Lead, Kindly Light

Hey Everyone!

Time goes by kind of crazy in here. You get so much done everyday that the weeks go by fast, but at the same time I feel like I've been in here for months. This week we had some native Armenians come in and let us teach them a lesson so that was super cool! The only problem was that I had no idea what they were saying. Literally no idea. I recognized the words "Jesus Christ" then decided just to respond "yes" to every question they asked. I really hope they weren't asking anything important. Anyways, nothing too crazy went down this week. Some days are super fulfilling while other days are more difficult. Either way, I love being a missionary. I love this gospel. I pray for all of you back home every day. I hope you are doing great! 

Some Highlights:

• Listening to the BYU game 

• Korean Elders singing us goodbye (link at the bottom)

• Patrick Kearon's devotional

• Choir 

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

This week I've been thinking a lot about loneliness. The type of loneliness where you feel like God isn't a part of your life. I know many people feel this way and it is hard. I've been thinking about why it's so difficult for many to believe in the Church. I think it's completely natural to wait for some impactful, spiritual moment before you believe in something. What I have learned is that often times YOU have to take the first step. God can't catch you unless you jump first. He can't help you speak until you open your mouth. You may even have to take a few steps in the water before He parts the sea. Sometimes all it takes is a small expression of faith to feel His love. Choosing to serve a mission was my step in the water. Now I feel God's love every day. Now I know that we are never alone. 

Elder Brennan Charles Larsen

NOV05  ARM-YER

2005 N 900 E Unit  95

Provo UT 84602    

Week 2 The Indiana Jones of the MTC

Hey Everyone!

This week was great! I started collecting ties and dealing Dr. Pepper so you could say I'm getting in the groove. My companion and I were invited to do a Q&A in front of a big MTC tour group so that was super cool. Elder Cox always sounds like he's speaking medieval English so we create a pretty interesting dynamic for the audience haha. Two nights ago I had my first dream with Armenian in it so that got me pumped. It may have just been PTSD from studying so much but either way. I also found out this week that my new mission president has made the mission 100% SYL (speak your language). This means that there is no speaking English with any of your companions once you get to Armenia. It sounds crazy but I know it will be a blessing in the long run. When I was giving a lesson in Armenian this week I accidentally said something in Japanese so that was pretty funny. Besides that, I feel like things are going pretty awesome! I really can feel God's hand in my studies every single day. Something I have learned in here is that He doesn't put limits on us, so it doesn't make sense to put them on ourselves. Every night I just try to go to bed a little better than I was the day before.

Some Highlights:

• Ukraine vs Armenia volleyball tournament

• Singing lessons from my companion 

• Caught a wild cat

• Teaching the Priesthood lesson

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

The other day I was waiting for my companion outside of the bathroom when this significantly handicapped elder walked up to me. He had the biggest smile on his face and started asking me a few questions about myself. After talking for a while, he told me how excited he was to get out to the mission field and serve the Lord. It was a simple conversation but it had a huge impact on me. Here is this 18-year-old boy who can barely walk and struggles to even articulate a sentence, yet he loves this church so much that he decided to dedicate 2 years of his life to share it with others. It made me realize how grateful I am for what I have in my life. I know all that I have is because of God and I am so lucky to be able to serve a mission. God gives all of us special talents and He wants us to use them. We need to use these gifts that we have been blessed with to help others. The coolest part is that when we do this, we grow and we grow and we grow. 

Elder Brennan Charles Larsen
NOV05  ARM-YER
2005 N 900 E Unit  95
Provo UT 84602    

Week 1 Just Flush It

Hey Everyone!

My first week in the MTC has been so amazing. It took me a while to get over the fact that we can't play football in here, but that wound is slowly healing. My companion, Elder Cox, is an interesting guy. He was home schooled in California his whole life until the age of 16, when he moved out of the house to study cello performance at BYU. We are very different but I am learning to love him. He's the one in the picture with the cool glasses. Everyone in my district is wicked smart and obedient so it creates a great atmosphere to learn. When I walked into the MTC, I promised myself that I would work my butt off every single day. Because of this, and by God's mercy, my spirit has become so strong. The expectations I have for myself are higher than I ever thought possible. It is insane how much you can accomplish when you have The Spirit with you. Sometimes I get so exhausted from the long days and inadequacies start to creep into my head. When this happens, I just think of you guys back home and I am always filled with love! Thank you for that. My purpose here is so clear and I am going to be the best missionary that I can be. 

Some Highlights:

• Taught a lesson & gave a talk in Armenian

• Gave my first Priesthood blessing 

• Joined the choir

• Playing volleyball/basketball

• Blisters (pictured below)

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

Being a missionary is hard. Some days we spend 12 hours solely on studying Armenian and I feel like I'm at my breaking point. When this happens, it's natural for me to focus on myself. I have found the only thing that brings me relief from my own trials is helping those around me who are in the same boat. I think this can apply outside of a mission as well. 

*Side Note- I can only send emails on Wednesdays (my P-days) but I can look at my email everyday. So if there's anything you want me to see, I check every night! You can also reach me on Google Hangouts. I know I didn't get a chance to reach out to everyone before I left, so if anyone wants to be added to my weekly email list just let me know!