Onwards and Upwards

Dear friends and family,

It is fall time in the Susquehanna valley and I am in LOVE.  Half the trees have turned their fall colors. The mountains look like God is holding a paintbrush with yellow, orange and red on it, deciding on whether to paint the whole mountain with new colors or not, while the paint on his brush drips off and sets on a patch of trees. It is beautiful! Fall is a time for new beginnings, not like spring, but the leaves change and fall in order for a new season to begin. I feel this week like I have turned a new leaf in my own mission (no pun intended haha)!

I have taken so many different people from all over the world and many people with unique circumstances on tours at the Priesthood Restoration Site--Quite a few groups from Australia, Ireland, a deaf couple, just to name a few. And while everyone I meet is so different, one thing is always the same, and that is my small understanding of God's love for his children. I loved in the General Women's Conference this past Saturday how one woman described her friend saying, "She didn't have to get to know me to love me. She just loved me." How similar to our Savior, Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father does that sound? Their love for us is INFINITE and PERFECT, and that feeling is what I hope people get when we talk to them in their homes, on the streets or at the PRS.

When you truly put your heart into your work, and have true interest in listening to people, they open up to you. The Priesthood Restoration Site is so much more than a guided tour where you hear stories about Joseph Smith (while that is still so, so important) but it is a place where we help people understand how the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, how the priesthood and Book of Mormon, can help them as they continue to write their own life's journey.

In Doctrine and Covenants 18:10, 15-16 we read about the joy that will come when we bring one of God's children close unto him, and how great it will be. I had always read this scripture thinking, "Wow, it will be so awesome when I can be a missionary and help someone change in order to help them come unto our Savior." But for some reason this week I read this scripture with new eyes. These verses talk about how great our joy will be when we bring one soul unto Christ, and how much
greater it will be when we bring many unto him, but I think that "one soul" is me-- you and me. The greatest conversion I will experience on my mission is my own. All that is asked of us is that we put our heart, might, mind and strength into bringing ourselves closer to Christ.

Yesterday we went to zone conference, and it was so good! A recharge to my spiritual batteries!! President Anderson spoke to us and talked about fleas. Cool, huh? So fleas are actually quite talented. They can jump super, super high and far. If you catch fleas and put them in a jar with no lid overnight, when you wake up they won't be there anymore because they have jumped straight out of the jar even though the walls are hundreds of times its size. But if you put fleas in a jar covered with a lid overnight, they may bonk their little heads on the ceiling trying to jump out, but then learn to jump only so high as to not hit the jar of the lid. We are like fleas. We have the potential to jump higher and farther than what one would expect from us, but sometimes we put a lid on ourselves and we begin to jump only as high as is comfortable. President told that now is the time to take off the lid, and shoot for higher goals, stretch our legs and take a leap of faith. I loved in the General Women's Conference how President Utchdorf said, "As you skip down your own bright blue path of life, do
so with faith in every footstep, hope in your eyes, and a love of all men... Move forward with a spring in your step, onwards and upwards!"

So my challenge to each of you this week is to prepare and write down questions to take to General Conference this weekend that will help you move closer to Christ. We each have the potential to do great things, and the greatest thing we can do is become more converted to the Lord and recognize the good in all people. How will General Conference change you? Listen to the spirit with a willing heart, recognize your potential, don't cap yourself, and prepare for miracles because they will come! Hurrah for Israel, and happy Conference watching!

Love,
Sister Larsen

The most amazing weekend of my life

Dear friends and family,

It's dedicated!

Dedication weekend. WOW. I'm not even sure how to put the past few days into words! If you haven't watched the broadcast, go watch it now!! I don't know why I was chosen to serve in such a sacred area of church history and participate in such a special event. But I hope that with time the Lord will teach me why.

Starting with Friday... we had a 5 hour meeting (which surprisingly is not totally abnormal out here when it comes to meetings with people from Salt Lake) with Brother Lusvardi, Sister Lund and Brother Olsen, church historians,  mainly about focusing on the key messages of our site. Each historical site in the church is built off of 5 key messages found in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and the 3 that we focus on at our site are restoration, priesthood and revelation. These three historians guided us through the homes and gave us additional insights and answered a lot of "what-was-this-object-used-for?" questions. We asked because of the questions we are asked by our guests. It was so helpful and an awesome experience to be learning with and from such spiritual giants. Brother Lusvardi heard us sing our song, the one we were hoping to sing for President Nelson, but still hadn't gotten an official "okay" to do so because President Nelson had a very timed out schedule for his weekend here. But after hearing us sing, and the feeling we put into our music, Brother Lusvardi arranged for a time for us to sing on the day of the dedication, which was so nice of him! And do you remember how we were told we wouldn't be giving any of the VIP tours? Well, we got a phone call just before bed that that plan was scratched and we would be giving tours to all the people working for the church who had been invited and traveled in, so that night we prayed we would be able to do our best, that the people in our group would overlook our mistakes or lack of knowledge and really focus in on the spirit of our message, because the Holy Ghost is the real teacher. Everyday I am reminded of the beatitude that Elder Walker, our director, made up and especially as a missionary is put into practice daily. It goes, "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape."

Saturday was the big day!! The PRS was crazy busy!! There were all sorts of security people and VIP's who work for the church everywhere. Having 12 sister missionaries on hand is like having a tiny work force always around. The minute we came inside we began preparing a breakfast for President Nelson and other general authorities which they would eat after their morning tour and before the dedication. Then we went outside to welcome in the general public for the dedication which was nice because we got to see a lot of our local branch members arrive. We also went inside the chapel and visited with visitors and branch members before the meeting.

View from inside the Visitor's Center

At 10:35 we were supposed to go back to the guide room to meet with the other sisters before we sang. Sister Gomm and I were walking back and saw President Nelson was standing in the hallway we usually take back to our room! It's very interesting seeing apostles in real life, and not just behind a pulpit. President Nelson is very thin, and not super tall, but so nice! He gave us a little wave!

In our guide room we have a TV screen which has live video of each of the rooms on site (so we can see where visitors and other sisters are on their tours) so all of us gathered around the screens and were watching President Nelson walk around our hallways and exhibits.

All the PRS sisters, anxiously waiting to sing

After what seemed like forever we were called out to sing in the front lobby, we lined up, and went out to gather around the bust of Christ statue. We sang "Consider the Lilies," and many people cried or mouthed the words along with us. The spirit was so strong, and we hope it helped those who would be speaking and taking care of the technology behind everything for the live broadcasting find calm and peace in the Savior.  We sisters could each feel it.

One of several behind the scenes.
Brother Anderson, church photographer, hard at work.  

After singing we were told to go directly to our seats in the chapel, and not to approach President Nelson. But as soon as we finished, President Nelson complimented us on how beautifully we sang, and said he'd like to shake our hands, and as he said that he walked right up to me!

Just after shaking hands with Pres. Nelson

I never needed to shake the hand of an apostle to know he was called of God, but that moment confirmed to me that he was. He was just so happy and calm and I could feel the Savior's love radiate from him. Sister Nelson is darling and she also shook our hands and asked me how I liked serving at the Priesthood Restoration Site, and of course I told her how much I loved it! Such a neat experience! How many people can say they sang to an apostle of the Lord with 11 other people and then shook his hand??

Then of course we attended the dedication, which was beautiful. Aren't the building and grounds beautiful? I love it here! Everything was so good-- the talk by Elder Snow, the Pennsylvania State legislator, President Nelson's remarks and the dedicatory prayer. It's amazing to think that literally every part of the site, everything from the chapel to the highway roads have been dedicated to God and his work. There is no question in my mind that our visitors will feel something "different" about this place. One thing that stuck out to me in President Nelson's talk is how he said that all that happened here in Harmony began with love. So simple, yet so true. Joseph and Emma loved each other, but they also loved the Lord. And something I've come to realize more about the Smiths as I've studied their lives and experiences here is that their love grew out of faith. That love they had for the gospel of Jesus Christ and God's latter-day work was so strong that it carried them through unbelievably hard trials, yet they continued to trust and love. So simple, yet so true.

Following the dedication we guided VIP tours. The people in the group Sister Gomm and I led were made up of stake presidents in the area, patriarchs and our Area Seventy, Elder Coons and his wife (the nicest people on the planet). It was one of my most memorable tours to date because the spirit was so strong. I loved taking them to the Smith home especially and talking about the importance of the Book of Mormon in our lives as we stood in the room where 70% of the Book of Mormon was translated. I asked them to think about Emma and how she never saw the plates, yet believed that her husband's work was real and that the Book of Mormon was a true testament of Jesus Christ, but how we too have a similar experience. Just like Emma, we have never seen the gold plates, yet we can come to gain a witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon each and every day as we read. The Book of Mormon can serve as an anchor in our lives because it's teachings are anchored in Christ. The spirit was so strong, and I know that it confirmed to me and each person in that room that what happened there really did happen, and that the Book of Mormon is true.

Pic taken from the Deseret News; giving VIP tours

On Sunday we were lucky enough to be chosen as one companionship out of three to go to stake conference where all of the general authorities would be speaking. It was awesome!!! In the talk Sister Nelson gave she described her experience at the PRS as "awesome" because she was in awe of the amazing events that happened there and the special spirit that they felt... So I figure that "awesome" is acceptable vocabulary to use for describing my mission experiences now haha. But really, that was a great meeting. So many powerful witnesses and promises were given. Following his comments, President Nelson closed the meeting with an apostolic blessing. Something that he said, which of course stood out to me as a missionary, is that the missionary efforts and work would go rolling forth in this area due to the Priesthood Restoration Site, which was such a comfort to Sister Gomm and I. Our area has really been struggling, and it has been very hard to find people to teach, so that promise was like music to our ears. We hope to see some of the fruits of our labor soon!

Every week I am out I realize just how important the restored gospel of Jesus Christ really is, and this dedicatory weekend was only a confirmation to me that this is best kind of work I could be doing. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and love sharing that with people everyday. I know that the priesthood is the authority to act in God's name, and that we are all entitled to the blessings that come from it. I love being a missionary and helping others discover these truths for themselves! What a beautiful work we have all been called to, members and missionaries alike! Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Sister Larsen

One good thing

Dear friends and family,

I hit my one month mark this past week and boy oh boy has it flown by! I'm already half way through the transfer, which is sad for Sister Gomm and I, but really makes me aware that I have to make time count while I'm here!

This pic was sent to us by a random visitor at the PRS who said 

she enjoyed her tour with Sis. Larsen and Sis. Gomm.  

It certainly made my heart happy!!  - Alicia

This past week I learned that missionary work and illness do not mix, haha. Both Sister Gomm and I have been very sick this past week, but are on our way to getting back to being healthy again. Elder and Sister Walker have been so good to us and we are blessed to have them as our visitor center directors! They have tried their best not to have us sick sisters give tours out in the rain, and Elder Walker dismissed us early one night if we promised to get medicine and extra sleep in order to get better and help our voices heal. It's hard to give 100% when you definitely don't feel 100%, but I know we were blessed for our efforts.

We taught a grand total of 1 lesson this week to a recent convert family. I guess it's comforting to know that I'm starting my mission in a really tough area, because things can only get better and the Lord must trust those of us who are here to work diligently without getting too discouraged. So with all the things that didn't go the way we planned, and with us being sick, every time we would get more bad news I would ask Sister Gomm, "What is one good thing happening right now?" Sometimes it takes us a minute to think of something positive, but we always do. Anything from remembering a little kid from an tour we had just given say "This is the best day of my life!" when we "revealed" the replica of the gold plates in the Joseph Smith home, to something as simple as realizing how pretty and calm the woods are when there is rain falling on the leaves kept us staying positive.  Or remembering the fact that when our Stake President comes in, he brings each of us a donut, has really helped us. I remembered Elder Henry B. Eyring give a talk about journaling years ago and how each day he would record how he saw the hand of the Lord in his life that day, whether big or small. That piece of advice came in handy this past week when I reflected back on my day. So here's a challenge to all of you, to 1. Journal everyday and to 2. Not only record the events of the day and your feelings, but how you saw God's hand in your life. I know that doing that, paired with scripture study, will make you a happier person who finds it easier to see good in all circumstances.

But on a different note, since I split my time proselyting with being a VC sister...  T-minus 5 days until the PRS dedication!!! We are SO excited over here!! Flowers have been planted, the long awaited organ arrived (which wouldn't fit through the doors haha) and technicians have been in all week to get started on attaching wires to ceiling for the live streaming set up.  It's a happening place! And we've been very busy this week because those big greyhound church tour buses have started making a stop at our site, so everyone is kept busy giving tours. 

All of the missionaries serving at the PRS

As for an agenda for the big weekend... The site will actually be closed to the public on Friday and Saturday, due to the General Authorities who will be coming.  President Russell M. Nelson, Presiding Bishop Stevenson, and 6 others who are church historians or in the Quorums of the Seventy, and all of their wives.  On Friday morning we will be having a church history meeting with all of them, and the rest of our day will be finding, service, and additional p-day time.  On Saturday morning we will be holding a breakfast for them and will be singing "Consider the Lilies," there, which I'm so excited for. Following breakfast will be, of course, the dedication which we are so lucky to be at considering there are people in our branch who aren't going.  After the dedication we will be going on VIP tours of the site given by church historians (and driven in golf carts by none other than yours truly, the PRS sister missionaries), and on Sunday Sister Gomm and I will be the only sisters who get to attend Stake Conference with all the General Authorities because we are not scheduled to be at the PRS during that same time. It will definitely be a weekend to remember and it SO awesome that you will be able to watch the live broadcast!! For more information on the broadcast, go to lds.org and look for the link on the homepage. 

 

Remember to look for the Lord's hand in your life! It is always there, but sometimes we have to look for it. I love 1 Nephi 7:11-12 where Nephi teaches his brothers who so often only focus on the negative: "Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?  Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him?  Wherefore, let us be faithful to him."   So long as we have faith and trust in the Lord, we can do all things, but it is our job to take that first step in placing our trust in the Lord. Don't forget all the seemingly small things He does for us, because when we take notice of those things and are grateful for them, we will be blessed even more. When things look down, always look up! Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Love,
Sister Larsen

One of the trails at the PRS

Days of Harmony

Dear family and friends,

Not going to lie, this past week was a pretty rough one. Every one of our appointments we had planned and scheduled for our week fell through, except the appointment we had with Mark and Kate. And to make a long story short, they kindly told us they were no longer interested and did not want to meet with us anymore. But we made it, tried to stay positive and did all we could to ensure that there was no reason not for things to start looking up. I love 2 Nephi 31:20 and how it teaches us that we must "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ" and "with a perfect brightness of hope," and I found that to be so helpful this past week. Nothing is easy, but with Christ, anything is possible.

Even hard days are better with ice cream!  
The best (and only) place in town to get ice cream.

So...positive things from this week! Yesterday we finally got totals of the number of people who have come through the Priesthood Restoration Site in the 9 days since the center has been open, with a grand total of 661!!!! Monday was an insanely busy day due to the holiday and we are expecting several large groups, including a tour bus of 55 people this next week. Talk about crazy! 

Sundays are the best day of the week. Hands down. It's a little different as a missionary (no Sunday naps, no watching The Best 2 Years haha, etc.) because we do all of the same things we do every other day of the week-- serving at the PRS, teaching, and finding. But it is so cool to think that the work we do everyday is so sacred that we can continue to do it on Sundays. 

Anyways, we are still meeting in our teeny, tiny, white school house church building on the hill until after conference. There are about 150 members in our branch, but on an average Sunday only 45-50 attend... That is, until the site opened. We have had so many less active members, visitors and investigators attend services with us since the PRS opening. To give you a frame of reference, this branch used to only use 3 sacrament trays of bread and water and always had leftovers... Until this past Sunday. I never thought that running out of sacrament cups would be the greatest thing ever, but it was! We had 93 people in sacrament meeting! Fast and testimony meeting was so wonderful, and I love how everyone in church, young or old, has something to offer. 2 recent converts who have never shared their testimonies before bore theirs, which was so neat to listen to.

Sister Gomm and I also taught our Gospel Principles class on the Sabbath Day, and it went pretty well. I love teaching, but am so excited to use our new building that has real classrooms! Right now we just go down to the basement and there are partitions and chalk boards set up to create "walls," so it's pretty easy to hear the priesthood lesson, or primary kids singing, or nursery kids playing with toys, etc. And when members of our branch come to the PRS I love taking them to the church side of the visitor's center to show them the chapel, classrooms and baptismal font (fun fact, the Priesthood Restoration Site is one of three visitor centers in the world with a meeting house attached and which has a baptismal font). Lots of the members tear up or are at a loss of words when they see the place, it's so sweet. 

Sister Gomm and I helped in Primary for the 3rd hour, and it felt like I was right at home. We did sharing time, and I taught our primary the sign language to the chorus of "I Know That My Savior Loves Me." Oh, I loved it! And speaking of singing, the 12 of us PRS sisters will be singing a three part women's chorus of "Consider the Lilies" at a breakfast on Sunday morning for President Russell M. Nelson when we comes for the dedication, so we've been practicing each night when we typically don't have any visitors coming in after 8 or so. I love it!! And Sister Gomm and I sing in the car and around our apartment all the time. 

Now for the BEST PART of this entire week... Jessi! On Sunday, one of our converts of 1 year, Alyssa, who is now a high school senior, brought her friend Jessi with her to church. She stayed for all three hours and we got to know her pretty well in our Gospel Principles class. Alyssa and Jessi also came to the PRS in the afternoon and Sister Gomm and I took them on a tour. I just had this feeling that we should ask Jessi if we could start teaching her more and I told that to Sister Gomm when I had the chance. We sat down in a room of the Joseph Smith home and asked Jessi if she'd like to start taking the lessons. She said, "I hadn't really thought about that... But yeah, I think I'd really like that!" We asked her if we could she could meet with us this week and she said Thursday would be great. She said "couldn't wait! :)" when we texted her today. *insert a seriously happy missionary dance*

At the PRS we show a special 25 minute film about the history and events that took place here in the area which is only available for viewing at the site, and it's so powerful. In it, following some scenes of hardship and trial, there is a scene of normal everyday things where they are working and laughing together. During this scene, one of my favorite narrated lines goes, "These were days never to be forgotten. Days of harmony, days of gratitude, days of hope." And isn't that exactly what life is all about? Isn't that what serving a mission is all about? We will all have lows, Joseph Smith seemed to have had a lot of them, but there will always be good times if we look to Christ. 

Have a wonderful week everyone! Thanks for all the love and a special thanks to all of you who sent me letters! Hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Sister Larsen

End of summer on the Susquehanna

Dear family and friends,

Get ready for a novel (sorry) because I had the most AMAZING week of my life!!!  Hard days, yes.  But bad days, no.  I can't get over this beautiful place and  feel so blessed to be here.    So much has happened

I don't even know where to begin, so please excuse my scatter-brained email!  On a side note, because we always need sisters in the visitor's center my P-day is officially changed to Tuesdays.

I know you're all probably wondering about the opening of the Priesthood Restoration Site! Wow. I can't even think of words to describe this truly sacred place. I think all of us sisters got teary just walking around the site, myself included... Which is saying a lot because I'm not much of a crier! I can't begin to describe how beautiful the site is and how strong the Spirit is, even just on the grounds. But I'd like to share a few highlights since the tours officially began on Saturday.

Typically, if our guests are able to stay for a full tour (which usually takes about an hour and a half) we start with a 25 minute video. It is beautifully done and you can only see it here at the center, so that's pretty neat. It is narrated by a person who portrays Oliver Cowdery, describing the events that occurred during his time in (then Harmony) Susquehanna, PA with Joseph and Emma Smith. Then we take them to the homes of Isaac and Elizabeth Hale and Joseph and Emma, and tell them about significant dates and events, the time period, the families, and stories of faith.  After going through the homes the guests come back to the center where there are a TON of super cool and interactive stations, as well as artifact displays. Also available are walking trails in the area where John the Baptist appeared to restore the Aaronic Priesthood (we don't have an exact location), as well as the original headstones of Isaac and Elizabeth Hale and the first infant Joseph and Emma lost. Just 3 minutes from the center is a little road that leads down to the river where Joseph and Oliver were baptized.

If you can't tell, there is so much to do here!  For more information on the PRS, click here: 

https://www.lds.org/church/events/priesthood-restoration-site-dedication?lang=eng


We see miracles happening here everyday and it is amazing! On Saturday morning Sister Gomm and I were packing up study materials when 2 sisters came running to back to tell us one of our investigators, Felicity, walked in the door, so of course we ran out to give her a tour. She hasn't been attending church and has cancelled all her appointments because one thing or another comes up during her week. We were so surprised to see her there with two of her kids. She said she felt like she needed to come here and her husband even helped her get the kids ready, which he usually doesn't. As we walked with her she kept saying how she felt so at peace here, her children weren't fighting and she felt like God had led her to this place. She said she knew she needed to start attending church to find out if this was best for her family. I know she was feeling the spirit so strongly, because I was, so hopefully we can get an appointment with her again soon.

Miracle #2 was with a convert of 1 year in our branch, who is 20 years old and BYU-I student! (Woot woot!)  She brought her mom, dad, aunt, uncle and grandma, who all had LOTS of questions about
everything.  But it was really great and helped strengthen my knowledge and testimony of what I knew to have happened here. The whole tour went very well, but I think one of the most powerful
moments was when we had her share her testimony of the Book of Mormon with her family in the room where Joseph would have done most of the translating. And to make a long story short, her aunt, uncle, dad and grandma all took a Book of Mormon to read for themselves. Her parents also came to church with her on Sunday, which was so exciting for us and their daughter! I hope they all come to know that the Book of Mormon is true and another testament of Jesus Christ, just as their daughter has.

I'm also one of the two companionships here who do both the VC and proselyting... Which is AWESOME! I feel so lucky to have best of both worlds! So every day Sister Gomm and I go to the PRS everyday for 6 hours (9-3pm or 3-9pm) and then spend the rest of our day finding and teaching. And can I just say how awesome Sister Gomm is? I seriously got the best companion in the entire mission and I love her to pieces!! We have even started finishing each other's sentences... Haha.  Anyways, woohoo for proselyting!!

Basically, every single appointment we had scheduled this past week fell through which was a little frustrating... except for one! We met with Kate and Mark, who are these super cool grandparents that are hard core bikers and have a strong belief in God. They have gone through a lot of hard things including the loss of their 19 year old daughter to cancer and overcoming drug addictions. They are just the coolest people. We taught them the Restoration, gave them a Book of Mormon and pamphlet, and they were very open to us and our message. I asked them if they would be baptized on October 17th if they came to know what we were teaching was true... And they said yes!! So now we have a goal, and a return appointment on Thursday to teach them about the Plan of Salvation. They even offered to feed us next time, which was so kind of them, and Kate put the appointment in her phone as "Pizza & Mormons" haha. I love them! As a missionary you really come to see people through Christ's eyes, and want for them the very best--which of course is the lasting happiness they can receive through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

It was a wonderful week, which I owe all to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The only reason missionaries are able to do what they do is because of them. I've never prayed so much, learned so much or loved so much.  I'm so grateful to part of such an amazing work! Much love to you all and hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Sister Larsen

P.S.  On a side note, we found civilization!! Haha.  All of us sisters were so excited to get permission to go here (note from Alicia: apparently out of their normal boundaries) rather than the town store where potatoes are $6 a pound... This is the face of a happy money-saving girl!