Newletter Time!

Ethan is leaving this afternoon on a long airplane ride to Northern Romania.  He will begin a three year relationship with the pastors in that region teaching them and training them in Bible, theology and preaching.  As I am sitting down to write a newsletter, I realized there are several friends, relatives, and acquaintances who may not receive our email prayer requests.  We send these out every time Ethan travels and periodically throughout the year.

I invite you to sign up today with your most current email address  Please click this link and complete the simple form to sign up for our prayer newsletters.  Thank you!

Romania Monastery Building, 2015

He Drank All The Bitter

Several years ago out of obedience to what I believed God was telling me, I walked to the house of a neighbor for our planned meeting to talk about Jesus.  She and her children had prayed with my pastor and me to receive the Savior a few months before.  I tried to meet with her weekly in the chaos of her life and my life intersecting.  I often felt inadequate, but armed with the Word of God and prayer, God somehow helped me to love her.

The morning I arrived at her house was different from our previous meetings.  The female extended family had showed up at her house, and in the chaos of her three children, her nieces and nephews, mother, and sister, the noisy tv, and cigarette smoke, I tried to pray with her and talk, but my friend was obviously embarrassed by my presence.  I eventually realized it wasn't working and decided to leave.  Though I know I must go with the flow and trust God completely for circumstances, I felt the unloving sting of rejection. "And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved." the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:15.  When the love of God and the Gospel of Jesus is rejected by unbelievers, I am not surprised, but it is much more difficult to be rejected by brothers or sisters in Christ.  Though I must remember it is for Jesus' sake that I love, not for my own benefit.

Recently I made another move out of obedience to what I felt God wanted me to do to love someone.  I felt nervous, and I prayed fervently beforehand.  Because of circumstances, I was rejected again.  I had to pray over and over to God about the circumstances and trust Him in them.  I had to lean on Jesus to help me see my needy friend, and not my own sad sense of rejection.  The scene has been playing out in my head, and I remembered the wise words from Jim Wilson in his booklet, "How To Be Free From Bitterness." He wrote:

Before we can get rid of bitterness, we have to realize that we are bitter. How can we tell if we are bitter?  One good rule of thumb is this: Bitterness remembers details. You have had thousands of conversations in your life, most of which you have forgotten.  But this one took place five years ago, and you remember every single word, his intonation and the inflection of every part of his voice.  You know exactly what happened--which means you are bitter.  Someone might object and say that it is also possible to have a good memory of a wonderful conversation.  Is this possible?  Yes, but not likely.  Why is this? Because memory is helped by review, review, and more review.

Am I bitter when I am reviewing these troublesome details in my memory?  Probably.  This morning I prayed out loud: Lord, I choose to forgive __________.  Help me to forgive _______. I pray that you will break Satan's attempt to tear apart relationships in Your Body (the Church).  And I tell Satan, "Be gone, in Jesus' name. You have no power over me to destroy me. I am bought with the blood of Jesus, who has defeated you."  Thank You, Lord. Lord, have mercy. Amen.

That prayer shone the light into the darkness and sin of my heart.  Jesus took every sin and every bitter word and action upon Himself when He died on that cross.  He defeated sin and death and the devil when He rose again from death and walked around after the Resurrection.   By Jesus' power, we can walk in newness of life, and in forgiveness.

Sing to the Lord. Sing of His marvelous deeds.  Sing of His forgiveness. Sing praises to God.

Fear not, little flock, He goeth ahead,

your Shepherd selected the path you must tread;

the waters of Marah He'll sweeten for thee,

He drank all the bitter in Gethsemane.

Only believe, only believe;

all things are possible, only believe.

-Paul Rader, 1921.

Sowing Seeds 2014

I encourage you to watch this video. You will see where our ministry of teaching God's Word has taken Ethan this past year. We praise God for the privilege to work in His Kingdom.

Pray for Us

It was one year ago that Ethan sat among several pastors in Northeast Romania, teaching through God's word and ministering to them. Friday, he will return to this beloved country again, instructing them in the Old Testament books of Ruth and Jonah, as well as teaching and leading them in preaching from the Old Testament.  For the last couple of years, these men have been attending classes taught by TLI instructors and growing in knowledge and discernment.  It will be a privilege to return once again.

Iasi is located in NE Romania near the border with Moldova

 PRAY FOR US

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the works of our hands for us. Ps.90:17

Off And Running in May

Ethan returned from Liberia Sunday, and he has had little jet lag to contend with.  Ethan was very blessed as he taught at the college in Ganta. He had twice as many students as originally expected and the classroom interaction and participation was outstanding. The weather was very hot and humid, as this is the hot season near the equator. He said the food and hospitality were amazing!!  All in all, the trip was a success, and we pray will bring lasting fruit in the lives of the believers being trained at the college.

Teachers l to r: Eric Alexander, Philemon Yong, Ethan Larson, Liberian hostess, Howard Foreman, Liberian host

The kids and I were well at home while Ethan was away.  It was very busy while he was gone as is usual.  Ethan's parents and sister were in town to clean out their house in order to move to Arizona.  We put on a last minute garage sale Saturday, and were completely blown away by the success of the sale.  They sold all the furniture except the pool table, and most of the smaller items went very quickly including the antiques and many of the household items they were selling.  God blessed them so much!  We were also very grateful for the Christian friends who helped us.

We are still praying about our future as we prepare for ministry with TLI.  We are very excited to serve God around the world through theological biblical education.  We are still in the support-raising process and have raised approximately 60% of our monthly budget.  This week Ethan and I went to Maple Grove to visit a classical school that is also a charter school (free public school education) that all four of our children have been accepted to. It appears God is opening up an opportunity for an excellent education for our children there for this coming year, surprisingly because many children remain on a waiting list in order to be accepted at this school.  We are waiting, however, on the finances and housing that would be necessary in order to make this move down to the Twin Cities possible.  This remains a matter of prayer for us as we wait on God to provide and direct our path.  A missionary friend reminded me yesterday of how God directed Paul in Acts 16 with the vision of the man from Macedonia and how God had stopped him from going another direction.  Also, he reminded me of Proverbs 19:21

There are many plans in a man’s heart,Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.

God has a plan! We continue to wait on God and trust in Him.  Please pray with us about these decisions.

Another noteworthy piece of news is that our church is moving into their remodeled building this weekend.  Ethan has been working hard all week getting the sound system up and running.  He is there now!  Gretchen, Lizzy, and I will be working in the nursery Sunday, and we are looking forward to having our own building after renting the YMCA for several years. I just hope my child with the stomach flu gets better by tomorrow!!!

The kids and I had a great time in Underwood yesterday for the 4H Jr. Garden Day. We scooped a lot of dirt for their potted plants, seeds, and terrariums.  I have cabin fever for summer! It has been so cold here! There is a chance of snow and rain today still! Haha!  But at least we are starting to get some green grass.

God bless you all!

Crashed

• Little dots and lines appeared on our computer screen as Gretchen was writing her science report. This was traumatic for an eleven-year-old who had been writing her paper for a month already!  A few weeks ago our computer crashed, so this update will be bare bones with no pictures. Fortunately Ethan often backs up our computer on an external hard drive, so all our files and photos were not lost!
• Liberia, West Africa is the next destination for teaching and raising up leaders. Ethan will be teaching with a team from Training Leaders International at a Christian College in Liberia  April 18-28.  Last week he got all of his vaccinations completed and sent in his visa application. Now he is preparing his Systematic Theology class and studying hard.
• Our church is remodeling a building downtown, so Ethan has been actively involved in that as a deacon of the church. this is the fourth time he has helped a church plan, order, and set up a sound system and speakers. What a niche! His gift has certainly been used to serve the Lord, though.
• Easter was great and we are SO grateful to know JESUS CHRIST, our RISEN LORD! I did manage to sew some dresses for the girls out of some wonderful old patterns that were given to me. It was exciting to help Gretchen sew her own skirt for the first time ever. She did most of the basic sewing and I finished up all the tricky parts and handwork. I wish I could show a picture here, but it will have to wait.
• Gretchen turned twelve on Saturday, and we bought her a guinea pig with peachy colored and white fur. She named him Mr. Peaches McGillicuddy. This animal has been so much fun so far and has kept the kids so occupied that they have no time to fight! A blessing indeed.
• School of Choice had their open house last week, and there was no lack of projects and writing displayed. Peter had built a wonderful model of Mount Everest with his dad for his project on the Himalayan Mountains. They built it out of cardboard and paper mâché, and it included the route that Hillary and Norgay took in 1953.
• I am still busy homeschooling, doing some periodic childcare, and teaching music lessons every week (piano and guitar). We have only a month and a half  left of school. how are we going to finish our math??? 

Regards,

Elysia

Go West Young Man

Ethan is fleeing the snow (hopefully) and negative temperatures tomorrow to drive to the West Coast from northern Idaho to Washington to Oregon to California.  He plans to be there for two weeks meeting with friends and family and sharing the vision of teaching and training leaders around the world.  The kids and I are always a bit jittery before he leaves on a long trip.  We will miss him, but know it is for an important purpose.

What Is Going On With The Larsons?

Some of you may be wondering what we are doing these days?

1.  Today we move into a different rental house here in Fergus Falls.  We will be renting a house about a mile from here until we are finished with our support-raising efforts for our mission work with Training Leaders International.  We have a lot to move still from this house and plenty to do to clean up around here.

2.  Some of us have the flu!  Peter, then Gretchen, now Ethan. Amy just got over a cold and Lizzy is starting up with a cold.  I guess that leaves just me who is currently healthy.

3.  Ethan has been traveling and continues to work hard building up our support in order to teach and train God's people around the world, so that they may lead and teach their churches with strength and trust from the Bible.

4.  We have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday and break from homeschool.  The kids start up at School of Choice on Thursday, but I think I will need to take a break from the homeschool part and start next week. The move continues to be quite consuming.

5.  Today begins a new year to grow in our relationship with God through our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We love God, and look forward to reading His word and delighting in Him and His goodness this year.  I love to share what reading the Bible has meant to me.  It has changed my life and given me daily hope and comfort.  I encourage everyone to seek God in the Bible and read it daily.  Here are some wonderful Bible reading plans that you can start the New Year in a great, fresh way:
http://www.esv.org/resources/reading-plans-devotions/

Happy New Year!

Keep On Praying...Ministry Prayer Requests

Iasi, Romania       September 30 - October 8

Wanted to share a quick update on what's happening in our ministry and family. Romania Bound I have been meeting with my Romania teaching team this month and am impressed at the great men I get to teach with. Take a minute to meet them on our website!  We will be in Romania Sept 29th to Oct 8th. We begin in a church in Brasov the first Sunday, then teach classes Monday to Friday in Iasi (say: “Yahsh”). Iasi is in the NE part of the country and is the second largest city in Romania. The city and surrounding area is strongly Orthodox, and Evangelicals are an even smaller minority here than in the rest of the country. We will be teaching pastors mostly from the Baptist Union. These students have already gone through a few TLI classes so we are excited to be teaching a Biblical Theology course and help them see the whole scope and story of scripture. We will be teaching in churches in Iasi the following weekend. Please pray for me as I prepare, and for our team as we travel and serve these pastors, and for the strengthening of churches in Romania.  TLI Staff Meeting TLI has one of our three anual staff meetings the week before I leave for Romania. I am blessed to work with a great group of brothers, and look forward to being together. We have lots of work to do, and there is a TLI board meeting as well, so it will be a busy time. Its an especially important week as the TLI board will be deciding on a future location for TLI headquarters. We are adding a number of staff in the next year, and our teaching opportunities are multiplying quickly, so this is a big decision for all involved. Please pray for the Lord's wisdom, guidance and blessing for TLI Board and Staff. Support Raising The summer has been a slower time for support raising, but God has been faithful, and brought us a number of new supporters this month! Praise the Lord with us! I will be traveling and sharing about TLI in the Midwest and out to Boise in October and November. Please pray for our continued Support Raising efforts, and praise God for the team He is building! Family School is back in session, and our kids are at a home-school coop two days a week and home with Elysia for three. Busy times, but good to be back in the saddle after a fun and active summer! We would love to hear from you and what you are up to! Drop us a line or find us on Facebook! Grace Mercy and Peace!  The Ethan Larson Family

June 2012 Ministry Update

Ethan returned June 16 from Athens, Greece where he was teaching for ten days recently. Here is an update from him:

Et I had a great teaching trip to Athens, Greece this month teaching Biblical Theology to Romanian Pastors and Leaders. What are Romanians doing in Athens? Thousands work here in the construction industry, just as they do all over Europe.  There are several large Romanian congregations, and we had people from four of them.   In front is David Kern, my teaching Partner. The boys in front came with their dads every night (there were usually four of them).  We gave them curriculum books just like the others and they followed along intensely for four hours a night!! Wow, what is God going to do with those boys? This was my first as an official TLI staff member, and I want to say Thank You so much for being one of our financial supporters. I told my students the first night that I am able to come and serve them because of a team of supporters who send me. I join the students in saying “Thank You” for sending me to serve!

Our team in Minneapolis before the trip. Our team taught 5 different groups: Romanians, Albanians, Farsi speakers from sensitive nations, Arabic speakers from nations in Africa and the Middle East, and a group of English speakers from Africa and the Phillipines; a dozen or so nations in all!  Most of our students were extremely well read in the Scripture but few had ever seen or studied the themes of the Bible in a macroscopic view, or the story of the Bible from start to finish. So, the Biblical Theology curriculum was very exciting and helpful for them in understanding Scripture as whole. All in all, the trip was very intense, and the teaching both challenging and fruitful. For me it is a taste of things to come and I am so amazed that God has given me the opportunity to serve with TLI! TLI staff & wives in Colorado Springs. Speaking of TLI, and amazing, I had a great staff meeting in Colorado Springs! I can't say enough how thankful I am to work in such a well organized ministry with such smart and experienced guys. I love their passion for the Lord and His glory in our lives, ministry, and in the nations! Despite my jump directly from Athens to Colorado, I didn't really jet lag. Thanks for your prayers!! We had three intense days working through a lot of planning and decisions. One of the decisions was for TLI to co-locate our staff in one city… but we are not yet sure if that will be Minneapolis or Colorado Springs. That will be settled in October. Either way, we will be moving, probably next spring. We also planned most of our TLI trips for the coming year and I will be heading to Kenya in November, Greece again in January, then some locations in South Asia. It will be a busy year, and I am very excited to get in the field and teach, as well as start writing curriculum! Job # 1 Now that I am back from Greece I am back on the support raising trail! I will be meeting with many in the local area, and will probably take a trip out west again as well. Please pray that we can get our budget raised by this fall and begin teaching and traveling. Prayer for this month:  1. Praise God for the good trip to Greece, and pray for the pastors we trained as they serve Him in that city! 2. Praise God for the ministry of TLI and a great staff meeting. The needs and vision continue to grow which is exciting and sometimes overwhelming. We have more opportunites than we can serve, and we need wisdom to serve well.    TLI needs 200+ pastors and students to travel as volunteer teachers next year.    TLI needs 12 additional staff    TLI needs at least 10 fulltime missionaries to staff positions at schools in Africa.    3. Pray for my family as we wait to hear where TLI, and our family will be moving. We will have to make some housing decisions so please pray for wisdom here. 4. Pray for our family as we enter a season of change. It is exciting and we know God is leading us to green pastures! Pray for us to lean on and rejoice in the Lord, and lead our children joyfully and faithfully in this transition. 5. Pray for our support raising efforts and that God would bring all He calls, to partner with us!

Ministry News by Elysia

Our road to serving God through Training Leaders International is moving forward. Ethan is preparing to serve in Athens, Greece in June 2012. He will be teaching along with a team of other teachers the subject of Biblical Theology to pastors and church leaders congregating in Athens. This short-term trip will be about ten days long.

In order to prepare for these teaching trips, Ethan is currently support raising for his yearly salary and mission trip costs for TLI. So far this spring, Ethan has traveled by car to Idaho (twice), Arizona, and Colorado to meet with friends and relatives sharing the vision God has given us to teach and minister to church leaders around the world.  In fact, today he will be returning from Idaho where he spent a week meeting with friends there to share about our mission work.

Are you interested in joining us in our team of prayer and financial supporters?  If so, please contact Ethan or visit the Training Leaders International support page in order to receive more information about supporting us.  Please let Ethan know if you would like him to meet with you to talk about TLI and our vision for teaching and training Biblical, Christ-centered leaders throughout the world.

Praise and Prayer Requests

1. PRAISE: We are already building a team of supporters who are interested in seeing the Gospel taught and leaders built up to advance the ministry of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
2. PRAISE: Ethan will be joining a team of teachers in June to Athens, Greece!
3. PRAYER NEED: Ethan's studies as he prepares to teach Biblical Theology.
4. PRAYER NEED: Spirit-filled and Gospel-centered teaching that glorifies God and builds up the Church throughout the world.
5. PRAYER NEED: Financial provision and prayer support.
6. PRAYER NEED: A long-term base for the Larsons to work from. Strength and provision for family life. Spiritual growth and fellowship for the Larsons.

"That Your way may be known on earth, 

Your salvation among all nations." Psalm 67:2

Blessed Are All Who Wait For Him

We are so excited to announce an opportunity Ethan has to teach once again within the context of missions. He will be joining the staff of Training Leaders International as an International Trainer. This position will involve teaching and training church leaders throughout the world who desire to be taught the Scriptures and built up through theological training. Ethan will be traveling several times a year on short-term trips teaching classes to pastors, lay leaders, Bible college students, and congregations. Ethan will also be writing curriculum for classes. These elements of the job, teaching biblical theology and writing, as well as leading teams, are all areas in which God has used him before, therefore, we are excited and very humbled by God's grace in leading us to such an excellent fit with such a wonderful organization. We look forward to seeing how God will work as the Gospel is carried to many peoples.

The Lord has opened up the door for us to continue to serve Jesus in the calling in which He has called us: to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you..." and lest I forget the most comforting promise from Jesus, "'...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen." Matthew 28:19-20

REJOICE WITH US!

Hi from a Busy Mom

Since starting homeschool this month, I have had very little time to do anything other than the basics. That is beginning to change as we have established more of a routine. My three oldest kids are in Kindergarten, Second, and Fourth Grade this year. I am teaching them at home three days a week, and they attend a Christian homeschool co-op that meets at Adams School twice a week. The School of Choice has been a great time for them to be in a classroom and interact with other children and teachers. They enjoy the hands-on, creative environment, and we are very thankful for this gift to our family.

Lizzy is really taking off with kindergarten! She is really learning her numbers and reading, so I am thrilled. I think she enjoys the other kids, and drawing too. The other kids are getting adjusted to this new experience. It is very hard some days, and at least every day we have our very difficult moments, but I am reminded of God's strength and help as I come to Him in faith. He gives grace every day. My two-and-a-half year old child, Amy, is taking this really well. She is so good at entertaining herself (hours of mom busy gardening, canning, and cleaning this summer put her in that position pretty easily) so she is taking my involvement with the other kids during homeschool very well. Plus, I get to spend some one-on-one time with her every Tuesday and Thursday when the other kids are in School. I just signed her up for the library story hour on Thursday mornings, so that will be fun for her.

Ethan is back at seminary for this year. He is a "senior" this year, meaning that if he completes the right number of credits, he will be able to graduate with a Master's in Theological Studies this upcoming spring. This is both thrilling and terrifying as we continue to seek an answer for a job for Ethan. This would be even more terrifying if we didn't have Jesus Christ in our lives. He has promised, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." He has also said that "He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young." (Isaiah 40:11) We are held by a big God who will guide us into this next step. Until then, we have a LOT of work ahead of us this year. Meanwhile, the kids and I are studying Russian using Rosetta Stone and putting forth a language effort while we study many other things! It has been thrilling to study Early American History this year as well. We are enjoying studying Life Science with an emphasis on plants, as well as improving our skills in reading and math. My kids never cease to amaze me in their artistic, creative abilities, so they are continually pouring forth art projects. It has been fun in that way this year.

This weekend we are excited to renew friendships with Danny Foote, Olya Velichko, Jake and Anya Knotts. My children are staying with my parents, and Ethan and I will be meeting our missionary friends at the Desiring God conference in Minneapolis, MN. These missionaries from Ukraine will be hosting a booth for In Lumine, their Ukrainian publishing company. Ethan will also be helping out with the Training Leaders International booth at the conference. Please pray for these ministries as they are impacting the world for Christ. I pray that they will make great connections with people and increase their financial support through this conference. May God's great name be proclaimed and His fame go throughout the earth.

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of his grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! The name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
‘Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, listening to his voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf, His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.

(Charles Wesley)