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