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