CARTAGENA TE QUIERO

Well family a new day here in Cartagena. This place is soooo cool!! Being a Zone leader here is so sweet because we have to go downtown to the old walled city to pay bills and look for birth certificates (so the people can get married) and it super pretty. It has Old buildings and old HUGE almendros trees and mango trees. I haven’t seen a city this pretty my whole time in Colombia. The chapel is an older colonial house that the church converted and its way cool, they have a terrible keyboard so im playing sacramento meeting (first time playing in 10 months I was a bit rusty to say the least). My comp is named Elder Vega and he is really great, he is from a few groups ahead to me and his group isn’t really know to be super hard working and he isn’t an exception but its good because we can work together to improve. But Elder Vega knows what hes doing and he is really efficient in getting things done once he gets started. im just the excitable sunburnt gringo who wants to baptize everybody. He is from the really cold mountain part of Peru and going up to about just my shoulder. Our Area is really big and most of it not too fruitful because its full of tourists and beaches Lots of high rises with guards (with big guns) who are paied not to let us talk to anyone. The main Colombian navy base is here (in our area) which is fun I guess (cant get in there either and we aren’t going to try). But we also have another part which is a little bit easier to work in and its all good. The Zone here has the richest part of Cartagena (and the mission) which is my area and the poorest (ironically called Ezperanza). We are a small zone of 12 elders and no sisters (thank goodness….. just KIDDING… it just because they don’t let sisters work in this zone). Im haven’t felt realy overwhelmed exactly I just know two things with very clearly 1) im the least of these my brethren here in this Zone and 2) the only way ill do any good is if I humble myself and let the lord work though me, because he can lead the zone very easily…. So heres to HUMILITY!!! Next week we´re going to go to the old castle they have here so i´ll send photos or maybe the week after (yeah there is a castle to keep pirates out way cool). Also the house we live in has a kitchen that works and a balcony and doenst loss power everyother day.
All in all with the pretty old city, a cool chapel with a ward and key board, nice house, if I just had more money i´d be serving a pampered European mission!!!

Thanks for the letters love and prayers
Elder Larson