Der Munster and cute bunnies

Hey Family!

I'm glad to hear things are going good at home :) thank you for your amazing words. I take them to heart and they always make me smile.

Our Hungarian friend is doing well! He has some problems he is working on, but he's coming into the lessons so well. He loves everything we talk about.

The English man... Well, that was a very good lesson. But he has been ignoring us every day since our last visit. No phone calls. His appointment fell through. We saw him in the window when we were last there, but he didn't answer the door. But we keep praying about him.  It'll be ok!

Oh Rachel is coming home for a break? She'll love that. She talks about how much she misses you :) send me pics!  It sounds like you'll have lots of fun :) I wish you well.

We're about to go to the top of the tallest church in the world today. Wish me luck! I might faint... xD

Tallest church in the world...Der Munster

Okay, here we go!! Adventure number 1!
I got thrown out of my first house this week! Whoo! Now I REALLY feel like a prophet of old. We were dooring this apartment building, and no one was answering the doors. Then out of the blue,  everyone in the apartment building came out of their rooms at the same time and starting yelling at us. They were very threatening. We kept our cool. We said: "We are called of God to preach the word of Christ to his people. Will you throw out servants of the Lord?" They kept telling us to leave, so we started to leave. We pretty much got thrown out the door. Right before it shut my companion said: Do you hate Jesus? It was totally uncalled for, and all we did was knock on their doors, one time each. Then I realized I had just been a part of fulfilled prophecy. In the scriptures it says that the wicked take the truth to be hard, and cast out the servants of the Lord, and his prophets. So... HAH! Thank you for the spiritual experience... It was great.

Inside Der Munster

View from the top

Adventure number 2!

I had my first exchange this week! I got to go to a different area with a different companion for a whole day. I went to a city called Ulm. Ulm is fantastic. It has the tallest church in the WORLD. It's called... Der Münster... It literally means: the monster. Great name for a church, guys. Anyway, I took some picts with it. I got to work with Elder Stahle, who's a great guy. He's a little shy, so I ended up talking with everyone on the street. It was great! We found one potential investigator, and she was from New Jersey! Weird, right? She tried getting us to sign a petition against animal abuse, and we ended up talking about the gospel! We exchanged information, and the elders in Ulm have already set up an appointment with her. Hope it works out. Anyway, that happened and it was cool.:)

Beautiful and big church.

Der Munster

Climbing all those stairs almost killed me.

What a view from the top.

More from the top.

With Elder Stahle.

With Elder Stahle.

Experience 3!

Friday was the hardest day of my mission so far. Nothing went right. All of our appointments fell through, and no one listened to us whatsoever. I felt utterly defeated, and I felt weak. I felt like a fool. I felt like I couldn't go on any more. Like it was already time to give up. That's when I said a prayer. I was sobbing. The prayer was simply: Heavenly Father, I can't do this alone. Please. Help me. I am too weak. I'm giving my best, but I have nothing to show for it. Then I received a  blessing from my companion. (He didn't know what I was feeling) These were some of his words: "Tanner, your Heavenly Father recognizes the things holding you back. He forgives you for your shortcomings. Not everyone is prepared to hear your message. But The Lord trusts you to find them. Don't give up. As you preach, many will believe on your words. I bless you with strength. You will overcome these things and be a powerful missionary." Those were just some of
his words. From that time forward I have felt nothing but strength and love and enthusiasm. I have been given strength. I have received an answer to my plea for help. It was a huge turning point not only for my mission, but my life.

Getting to work.

Helping with the yard.

We got it!

We met this family from Romania, and they are the coolest people ever. We help him work on their house and then we teach his family something about the church. They read everything we give them, and they're already reading the Book of Mormon! Like, whoa! They're so cool. They had us over for dinner last night too. Romanian food is so good!!

Anyway, the point is: God is good. The refiners fire is real. But afterwards, we come out stronger. In the words of Shia Lebeouf: "Do it."

So cute!!!

I love you mom and family.  So much. I love you all. I hope you enjoy your week. I'll be safe, and I'll preach the gospel. I'll do it with power and authority. I'll fight for the salvation of all men. And I'll see you in less than 22 months :) stay safe, and have fun.
Till next week.

Love, your missionary son. Elder Larson