A Beautiful Morning in Odessa!

Hello fam!

So it is a beautiful morning in Odessa! The sun is shining, the dogs are barking and the streets are busy with people! It is starting to feel like summer. Thanks for the emails and it sounds like you had another eventful week!

Dad, Happy Birthday again! I hope that your day is filled with lots of Birthday fun! It sounds like you have the ideal day planned out except for the whole work thing. The streets are celebrating St. Mike Day... Well at least one of my Less Actives! She loves you! We are going to go to the Burger Club to celebrate your birthday today! You will have to tell everyone that I say hi and that I miss them! It sounds like you should have a really fun weekend!

Mom, Thanks for telling dad not to say anything about November. He may have left a few hints throughout the letter though! That is really cool about Ryan Roundy! That will be an awesome experience for him! I don't know if I want to live in a really small room! I think I might have enough of that by the end of this! It would be nice to live with someone that I knew though. It sounds like you all have a packed week coming up! I bet St. George will be so much fun! That book sounds really interesting! You might need to pass me some of your knowledge through email so that I don't come back a huge sister missionary!

Brynn, I am so happy that your procedure went well and that things are looking good! I was worried about you on Wednesday and Thursday but it is good to hear that all is well! It sounds like you guys had a great time in St. George! I bet it is really hot down there! By the way, thanks for that last little piece of info, I was kinda starting to stress out this week, wondering what I should do. I will talk to President and see what he thinks and then let you know.

Chase and Ashley, I am glad to hear that you had a pretty good start to your Birthday Ashley! That is cool that Adam and Erin get to come down this weekend to spend some time! I bet you are really excited! How is your summer starting off? Chase how are you liking your new job? What do you really do?

So this week was one of our slowest weeks in a while. We have some meetings but we have been having a hard time finding new people to teach. We have been working with this lady Katya and she is really cool. She didn't come to church yesterday which was a bummer but we will be meeting with her this week and she has shown some interest in getting baptised. She really wants to go to a baptism this weekend and she what it is like. I am excited to meet with her this week. I guess we will see. This last meeting with her was really good. She said that whenever she reads anything that we give her she really feels so peaceful and happy. We told her that it was the spirit and she seemed kinda surprised. She has liked everything that we have told her and she really likes the feeling in our meetings. She is really great and I could really see her being a really great member of the church!

This week we were on exchanges with the sisters in center Odessa. Sister Movsisyan came here with me and Sister Ethington went to center with sister Navasyardyan. It was an interesting exchange and my head really hurt after because Sister Movsisyan doesn't know very much English so it was all Russian all day, which is not bad but my Russian is better than hers... I felt bad for everyone that we met with ha! she is a really great missionary though! We worked hard and we had a lot of fun! She is a really sweet girl! Quick funny story... We were gluing up fliers for English and a guy was walking behind us pulling them down. A little boy came up and told me and I turned back and started walked back to where we had just been. The guy saw me and I yell HEY and starting running after him. He took off running away from this little girl in a mid-calf skirt! He ran away with a lot of our fliers but at least some of the stayed up! The best part was that he ran from ME! haha

Well I should probably get going but I wanted to show you all a clip from dad's letter and how he is "not" mentioning November!!!! I would hate to crush his hopes on his birthday but I don't even know how possible November is... I love you dad haha! I don't think he ever got the award for being subtle.

Dad's email read: "So, I was thinking about you this week and just thought (November) that whatever you decide to do (November) about coming home will be fine by us (November). Mom has told me to stay out of it and not mention (November) the release date (November) so as not to influence your decision. (November). I assured her I wouldn't say another word (November) about when you should consider coming home (November). So if you want to wait through the cold and dreary, miserable winter, we'd be happy to welcome you home in January. I just can't say to you: You should come home in ___________. See I didn't say it!"

Can you say subliminal messages!?!? haha Well I love you all and I hope that you have a wonderful week! Dad have an amazing Birthday! Thanks for the letters, updates, support and love! You are all amazing! I love and miss you!

Love,
Sister Larsen