Black Mountain--the Pearl of the Ore Mountain Range

Yep, Schwarzenberg is just a hop, skip and a jump away from Werdau, Mom. There's a car in my new area so I suppose sneaking off wouldn't be all that difficult. If President Fingerle finds out I'll just tell him my mom told me to do it. That's a pretty weird fact (that all of my siblings have graduated from college before I've even begun)...I guess I'm still just the family baby. But that'll change when I get married before Andy. Don't worry Lisa I'll find that crook in Turkey. With the 5 or so sentences I still know in Turkish I'm sure there's something I can do. Boy those chillun are a lot more focused on the tv than most of the members here were focused during testimony meeting. Not bad. Guatemala seems pretty appealing Andy, unless you feel like going somewhere where you'll freeze your nalgas off. Boy Heidi, only in the world of missionaries can a 7 year old be infinitely more excited about Valentine's day than a devilishly handsome 19 year old. 5.67 hours in the temple, Joey? That's pretty precise. I'll be sure to update you in terms of my progress toward becoming a true missionary. Elder Christofferson has been out about 13 months, Pops. He's from Wyoming. There are 40ish active members in the Schwarzenberg branch.

Yeah..."Schwarzenberg--die Perle des Erzgebirges" sounds a bit better than its English counterpart (Black Mountain - the Pearl of the Ore Mountain Range). Schwarzenberg is a nice city, though it's even smaller than Werdau. In terms of landscape and nature this is probably the nicest area I've served in so far.

St Georgen Kirche and Palace

Things are going great with the new comp, Elder Christoffersen. We have the same birthday, were trained by the same missionary (shout out to Elder Anderson) and have both served as the other's district leader. I was his district leader in Werdau while he was serving in Zwickau and now he's my district leader here in Schwarzenberg. He's got a solid head on his shoulders and you can trust him with anything...aside from directions. He really gives his all to the work and doesn't let anything get between him and serving the Lord. We're going to have a fun time.

In terms of investigators we don't have a ton to work with at the moment. Unfortunately in my first 4 days here we had 7 appointments fall through, so more than anything we're searching for a solid, reliable investigator. Not too easy, but we're pressing forward. I finished and started over reading the Book of Mormon this week and it's surprising how much of the first few chapters is comparable to missionary work. Just as God commanded Lehi's family to get the brass plates, God has commanded us to proclaim His Gospel to the world. Just as it did for Nephi it takes more than just a couple tries and more than just a couple ideas, but God always provides a way. It's not too easy; despite the efforts of members and missionaries the prophecy of Germany being spotted with Stakes still feels like a long ways away. But with faith, patience and work it will happen.

It's great to be able to participate in this awesome work and I'm grateful for your prayers and efforts :). Have a great week!

Elder Larsen