CARTOS! March 15,2010

Well hola familia,

It was fun to hear from you all and see that you are all doing well. Im glad mom is off her leashed perch on the couch. Im excited to hear about the basketball results from Lars and Layne. Well im going to actually answer some of moms questions for once (im sorry i forget these things easily). Yes i boíl my wáter (its a rule). I try not to swallow when i brush my teeth but the Little toothpaste that the King Larson family gave me tastes so good that sometimes i do… just kidding. I dont need you all to send me shoes i found a zapatero who is going to sew a tire on the bottom of my shoes (a jeep tire at my request) so im pretty sure that should last, at least till i get home. Monteria is actually pretty big (well its big realitive to the other towns here) im just in the not too rich neighborhoods so it looks like a pueblo. In the nicer parts of Monteria (or whatever city in the coast) the adults have a colombian univeristy education (not the same as an american university education), but where im working the best educated are high school grads. Most times we have to reapeat things alot. All the little colombian kiddies go to school and have to wear uniforms. Because there arent many teachers there are two options of 6 hours clases from 6 in the morning until 12 or 1 in the tarde until 7 in the evening. Other fun colombian insight is that yesterday was election day for their versión of congress. What they do here to get people to vote is almost the same as what we do to get people to go to church, pass by 2 hours before and remind them, and then pass by again. But the politcal people do it in vans and them drive them to the voting polls. WE werent too happen when we got to a investigators house just in time to see him jump in a van and tell the driver to step on it so he had an excuse not to go to church but it happens.

Things are fun with my second hijo elder Diaz, He is from Chile and was a bit worried about his family due to the crazy earthquake down there but he Heard from them before he got here and they are fine. He is the oldest of 3 brothers and they live just with their mom. He got here with a charge from Pte. Roundy to baptize a future bishop and his family so we are gearing up for that (gearing up to find a bishop means contacting alot more, practicing the lessons, fasting, and trying to get members to help us among other things.) Its also funny how naive he his, one time we were talking to a group old kranky catholic men (who were hanging out in front of their houses without shirts) and they asked us not too kindly why we were there. Well i told them because we want to help people have all the blessing that God has for them, and my comps response was because he loved them…. It was a good answer and all but the men looked around kinda awakwardly and said ¨….ok well….neat…¨ i laughed. Or this morning when we were buying mango the guys wanted to sell them to us for the White person Price (higher) and im sick of paying the White person Price so i was talking him down to what they were really worth. Well i almost had him when i said ï all have is 2 mil pesos so thats i can pay¨but my comp said öh dont worry i have more money¨…. We ended up paying the White person Price. But he is excited to work and see miracles and he listens to me and more importantly the spirit so we are doin gerrrreat!

Thanks for everything (life, the chance to be here, helping me get a testimony etc. Etc. Etc.)

Love

ELDER LARSON