Week 16 Italian Boy

Hey Everyone!

The dogs here are insane. I am literally terrified of them. I don't know what it is, but their barks sound like the Dolby Atmos surround sound at the movie theater. The weirdest part is that they usually hate me and completely ignore my companion. The other day I heard this dog bark behind me and I instantly sensed a high agression level. I knew it was time to book it. I tried to get out of there but the dog was literally Usain Bolt. As I was running away, it didn't even try to bite me, instead it just hurled it's body at the back of my legs and totally took me out. What kind of dog even does that? Anyways, I guess it makes a good story! My trainer really loves Russian so he's still teaching me a little bit of that everyday. Sometimes we'll even read the Russian Book of Mormon for our companionship study. Of course, I'm still completely focused on Armenian, but a lot of people here speak both languages so it's fun to mix it up! Something funny about Armenians is when they ask you where you're from, they don't really accept America as a nationality-- they want to know what your ethnicity is. For some reason, I get asked this question an insane amount of times everyday. People will come up to me in museums, stores, on the streets, just about anywhere, and honestly it was pretty weird at first. Anyways, they get really excited about it and this one family even refers to me as the "Italian boy". Pretty funny!

Some Highlights:

• Armenia's week-long New Year's celebration

• Split with Elder Butterfield in Hrazdan 

• Going to an Apostolic Church service

• English being prohibited for us in public

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

Sometimes I look back at my life and I think about all of the moments that got me to where I am today. I think about how blessed I have been. There are a lot of things I didn't fully appreciate until I came out on my mission, and I am sure that's partly why the Lord sent me to this little village in Armenia. Seeing this part of the world has only made me want to work harder and take advantage of the opportunites that we have. Being apart from my loved ones has made me realize just how important they really are to me. I have grown to value the things I have in my life and I have learned to be awe-full. All of us are so blessed in ways we don't always realize, and we benefit even more when we recognize the Lord's hand in our lives. In today's world it's not always easy to be awed by ordinary things. I know as we make an extra effort to find the beauty and blessings in the everyday aspects of our lives, we will be happier and feel closer to our Heavenly Father. This life is such a gift and we can't take it for granted. 

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia

Week 15 Blu

Hey Everyone!

We had mission conference this week and it was so fun to get all the missionaries together again! It just feels like a big family reunion. The conference was amazing and afterwards we all went caroling in Yerevan! I made sure to take a sneaky video for you guys. I love Yerevan so much that I'm starting to catch myself looking for excuses to go to the mission office haha. Honestly, this week was filled with a lot of meetings so there's nothing too crazy to update you on. We didn't do anything for Christmas but it was definitely nice to talk to the fam for a little! Also, I'm going to throw in a random picture of my brother and his kids this week because it's the cutest thing ever. I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Some Highlights:

• Went to my first Armenian funeral

• Chopped A LOT of wood

• The teenage boys at the park always giving me baci

• My one-eyed cat named Captain Hook

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

This last week has been pretty rough. I've been sick for a little while and it seemed like I hit my peak of exhaustion right before the mission conference. During the conference I was pretty much in survival mode, just trying to tough it out one hour at a time. When the time came to go caroling outside, I wasn't super stoked about going out to sing Christmas songs in the rain. I thought about staying inside, but instead I said a quick prayer and decided to just hope for the best. As soon as we got outside I felt this burst of energy. It was crazy. I felt so good that my Georgian friend and I decided to ditch the caroling and go street contacting. We stood out there in the pouring rain for about 2 hours and somehow we were able to get multiple contacts out of it. I seriously couldn't believe it! I know that the Lord helped me for those few hours because I chose to put in the work. Those little moments are what make the hard ones worth it. Even after difficult weeks, I am so grateful for my mission. I would do them over and over again if it meant sharing the happiness of this gospel with just one person. That's how important this work is!

Elder Brennan Larsen

Vratsakan # 5

0051 Yerevan

Armenia