Meri Kerihimete!!!!

Meri Kerihimete whanau! I hope you have all had a great week and an even better Christmas!


Christmas out here in NZ was way different than I'm used to. But it was really good. It didn't really seem like Christmas because it's 75 degrees outside and there is palm trees and paradise. I basically forgot it was Christmas season until like a couple days before. They don't really celebrate it out here very much, there's no lights or anything really. The tradition out here is to just have a massive feed on Christmas day. That's about it really. So, on Christmas day we had 4 massive meals. We had a family bring us half the McDonald's breakfast menu in the morning. Then, we had a lunch/dinner at noon. It was basically a massive feast and some dessert. Then literally right after dessert, we had to go to another meal appointment, where we had an even bigger feast. At this point i looked like I was 8 months pregnant and I was sweating like I just played a basketball game with every bite. Aunty just kept throwing more and more food at me. It was unreal. Then, after that meal, we went to a little potluck where I did my best to avoid all food. It was a day full of eating. Now I'm scared to step on the weight scale.

Anyways, the work is still going really good out here. Things are slowing down right now because all of our friends are out of town for the holidays. But, in a few weeks things should pick back up. Our friend Dante is still getting baptized on the 6th of January which is awesome. Other than that nothing much is new.

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas with lots of fun and presents. But most importantly, I hope we were all able to take some time to reflect on the Savior and his birth. The story of the wise men is found in Matthew 2. I would recommend you all read it. But, the wise men were men that traveled a long distance to see Jesus Christ. They followed a bright star in the wilderness to make their way there. When they arrived to the Savior they brought him gifts such as frankincense, gold, and myrrh. These were the best things that these men could offer to the Savior. So, I would invite you all to think about what kind of gifts you could give to the Savior this holiday season just like the wise men! For me, I am going to try to offer him a humble heart. 

Meri Kerihimete everybody!! Have a good week and I'll see you all in 2024.

Aroha Elder Larson


                                                                    playing with new Christmas present


                                                                        me and my little Christmas tree

zone white elephant game

christmas in paradise



me and my companion teaching Dante and Denzel

the elders caroling



pics from zone conference



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