One Birthday down, One more to go!

Dear family Larson,
It was great to hear your letters. Thanks for writing me about snow, i definatly just had the warmest birthday so far in my 20 years of life. It was a fun birthday because i really saw real JOY in one of our investigators faces and he told us how he felt ¨something strange¨ when he prayed about the BoM after he read it TWICE!! We then read galatías 5-22-23 about fruits of the spirit and he told us that is what he felt, the spirit. This past week has been really great, alot of people read and recieved testimonies of the Bom, how marvelous it is that someone can talk to God and recieve a firm conviction of a book that they have just barely heard about. The Lord has been leading Elder Carrasco and i to ALOT of great ready people, our teaching pool is 32 people. and like Hna. Lavin said most of them are related one way or another, or related to someone who is a member already, it makes for great teaching with the members. E. Carrasco and i felt alot of responsibility drop on our shoulders yesterday when 18 people attended the church for sacrament (branch attendace broke 100). My responsibilty to teach by the spirit and with all my heart, might, mind and strength is really real and a wonderful oppurtunity. The best part is most of our investigators need to go get married which is pretty difficult/expensive so this week we´ll see who is ready to change and who just likes to listen to a gringo talk about Jesus. As always i´m excited to see how things play out here in Puerto. Unfortuantly no we do not baptize in the ocean here, maybe in another area, they have a little above ground font behind the meeting house were the righteous enter in the straight and narrow gate.
People are getting pumped up for carnival (its a month away) and yesterday was a big parade in the night time. E. Carrasco and i had an appointment at the top of the hill at the VERY LAST house (beats the heck out of Pres. Uchtdorf´s 4th floor last door story) so the hike was long but the view good. And the whole time we were teaching (on the porch) we could look down on puerto and see the parade and the music and noise of the town getting itself tanked up drifted up to us and it was so chaotic and worldy. But then the sun set and the stars came out and the contrast between the nosiey town and the silent stars was profound and obvious to us and to our investagator because we were looking. It made me think of how clear and calm the gospel is TO THOSE WHO ARE LOOKING. i always always feel like i´m searching and i´m always pleading to be lead to those who want to know. Those who are ready and willing listen, change, believe and recieve peace as the stars. And the others scoff and drink and get hit by cars (not really but cars rhymes with stars). Its just a great oppurtunity i have to be ¨the keeper of the stars¨if you will (ok i know that was pushing it but i couldnt help it, it sounds so cool). Thanks for your letters and your love.
Enjoy the snow and Mom your description of Maine in winter sounded like heaven.
Love,
Elder Larson