The Church is True, and the Book is Blue!

Wishing you all a FANG-tastic Halloween! :)  
Fangs courtesy of a care package she received...

Dear friends and family,

No snow and plenty of sunshine here in Susquehanna.  What a blessing!!

It's been another crazy but great week.  I've decided that on a mission there is no such thing as bad days, just hard ones.  But when we have faith and "try our best try," miracles are sure to follow!

A highlight from this past week was having half of our mission come up to visit the Priesthood Restoration Site. It was so, so fun to see so many missionaries together!  We had a devotional together before we took missionaries on a tour, and I wish every tour we have started off like that because the Spirit was so strong.  One of my favorite parts was the talk by Elder Walker, our visitor center director.  He talked about the importance of our site, but how it only makes a difference if we act upon what we feel, see and learn.  He invited two of the PRS sisters up to the front of the chapel and they began to sing ‘Abide With Me.’  As they sang, one companionship of PRS sisters got up from their seats and joined in until all 12 of us were singing together.

After we finished singing, Elder Walker invited all the missionaries to stand up and sing one of the verses again with us. That was one of those moments I wish I could replay over and over again because there is something so special about getting missionaries together to sing. Music is one of the best ways to invite the Spirit, and in that moment, the Spirit was so strong it was almost tangible. After we finished singing the hymn, Elder Walker explained how the Priesthood Restoration Site, how God's restored priesthood authority and The Book of Mormon can have a ripple effect on the lives of people who each of the missionaries come in contact with, their families, friends, eventually reaching out to every part of the world. Just like the ripple effect of a pebble on a pond, or the ripple effect of voices coming together in song, the Priesthood Restoration Site can have a spiritual ripple effect on millions. President Anderson (the Mission President) then announced that missionaries within 3 hours of the Priesthood Restoration Site are now allowed to treat the PRS like the temple, in that they are able to come once a month if they are bringing an investigator who has never gone with them.  Exciting news for the mission which will hopefully add to the ripple effect of our site on the PPM and the world!

When Joseph Smith first came to Harmony and was living here he was only 19  years old, and 20 years old when he began he translation of the Book of Mormon.... which makes me think of myself.  I am 19 years old, living in Harmony (now Susquehanna), Pennsylvania, trying to do the will of the Lord and teaching others about the Book of Mormon. 

Our home away from home... the PRS Visitor's Center

 There is so much comfort and joy that can come from the Book of Mormon that we can't find anywhere else.  Together with the Bible, it is another testament of Jesus Christ, and it truly is the keystone of our religion, what holds everything together.  I know that it is true and is something we shouldn't take for granted.  It gives us the "how to" on the way we should live our lives, in order to find true and lasting happiness in the life to come.  Not only can we read about our Savior, Jesus Christ, but the Book of Mormon teaches how to become like Him! When we had stake conference in September and President Nelson and his wife came to speak, Sister Nelson talked about the importance of the Book of Mormon, and how we should use it more fully in our lives by taking every opportunity we get to share it.  Sister Gomm and I have made it a goal to always share at least one scripture from the Book of Mormon when we take guests on tours.  It's one thing to talk about the book, to hold the book, to see the book, but real spiritual power comes when we read the book.  Whenever we read from the Book of Mormon with people come through, the spirit is invited and can witness to those who come through our door of its truthfulness.

This past week we had Thanksgiving dinner with the Slaters... Yes, a month early, but why only have it only once, right?

The dad asked if I'd like whipped cream with my pie.  I said "yes"...

Anyways, we talked about what we are grateful for and the Book of Mormon and family seemed to be a reoccurring blessing.  I thought about how those two things go hand in hand.  God loves us and wants to bless our families, so he gave us the Book of Mormon to teach us how to return to Him with those we love.  As families we love God and want to come closer in unity with Him and His son, Jesus Christ, so we read the Book of Mormon together.  Heavenly Father loves us each so, so much, and the Book of Mormon is just one sign of his love for us and our families, as we are part of His eternal family.

I can promise that when we seek out opportunities to share the Book of Mormon, blessings will come! It is a privilege to be a missionary and share my testimony of the restored gospel, especially The Book of Mormon, with everyone I meet and I wouldn't trade this time for anything else in the world.  Hurrah for Israel!!

Love,
Sister Larsen

A surprise email!

Dear friends and family,

We had our FIRST SNOW I can't even believe it!!! I was sitting in Relief Society during the lesson, looked out the window and saw a snow flurries EVERYWHERE. I just about had to pick my jaw up off the floor, but not to worry, nothing stuck. So while you all "enjoy" the 100 degree weather back in AZ, soak up a little extra sun for your sister over here getting ready for a long winter ahead!

First snow!!

This week we met with Kim again and taught her about the restoration of the gospel. It went pretty well, and I know she felt the spirit because after I shared with her the First Vision in Joseph Smith's words, she couldn't stop smiling and said she got the goosebumps.  Everyone feels the Spirit differently, but we helped her understand that, and that the feelings she had were the Holy Ghost testifying of truth to her. But one of my favorite parts of the lesson was when she told us she loved a scripture we had her read-- Alma 32:21, which is all about faith. She said that she loved it so much, she wondered if she could get a tattoo of it. Sister Gomm and I were totally caught off guard, and said something along the lines of, "Oh... Yeah, isn't that scripture on faith so good?" Needless to say, we will probably be talking to her about how our body is a temple and gift from our Heavenly Father a little later on, but it gave us a good laugh! We will be meeting with her again is Wednesday and can't wait to see her!

So proselyting missionaries go on 24 hour exchanges with a different companion once a month, but we exchange between several PRS sisters once week because everyone gives tours a little differently and it helps us from getting in a rut of saying the same things.  We want our guests to have more than a "feel good" experience... We want them to have a "converting" experience. Our hope is that people will walk away a little better, a little closer to our Savior than when they came in.

During our exchange day Sister Simmons and I were companions and we started off a tour for a large family reunion group. Everything went well, they saw the video, the baptismal site, the homes, the cemetery, etc. But as their group was getting ready to leave, we were stopped by a man on the trail. He asked both of us if we would bear our testimonies on what we had learned or felt while serving at this site with the grandpa of the family, and 4 teenage cousins who were standing with him. We agreed, and Sister Simmons shared a story about how a less-active man decided he needed to get back to attended church while he visited. Then it was my turn. I initially started talking about the importance of faith, but then was impressed to talk about how we can experience change through the Atonement. I explained that because the priesthood was restored, we are able to partake of the Sacrament, and by doing so, access the Atonement of Jesus Christ. When we take the Sacrament each Sunday with a broken heart and contrite spirit, a willingness to change and become closer and more like our Savior, our sins can be forgiven, we can start anew and truly change through Him. And if we don't know if that really is true, if the Atonement really works, we can try it out and pray to know, just as we are directed in Moroni 10:5 to find truth. After talking to this group of high schoolers, the man who asked us to share stayed behind for a minute and thanked us for our testimonies, and they left to join the rest of their group and be on their way.

You never know whose heart you will touch! I've noticed as I seek for opportunities to share my testimony with others, those opportunities to do so are practically handed to me. I'm reminded of the painting of the Savior, knocking at a door without a door handle. It is our choice to let Christ into our lives. 

He waiting at our door, but we have to be the one to open it and let him in. When we do this we can experience change through His Atonement and become who He wants us to be!

Have a wonderful week! And hurrah for Israel!

Love,

Sister Larsen

Some pictures and a short update

Note from Alicia:  Tiffany sent some pictures and short letters to her Dad and me in response to questions we sent, but we didn't get a group email.  I am sure she drafted one but forgot to send, as she had a shortened Pday yesterday (not her normal day) and she was hurrying to get things done.  So I'll include some pics and a bit of what she wrote.  Next week I'm sure we'll get the rest of the story.  :)

This past week was INSANE at the PRS because everyone out west was on Fall Break. It was absolutely nuts!! I'm not sure when it will slow down.  Seeing the Ridings, the Kittlesons, and Bro. Snow’s parents is so crazy!  Sister Kittleson was so cute, I don't think I've ever gotten that big of a hug from such a petite lady!!

So my p-day is today because the mission is coming up to the PRS!!! Half of the missionaries from our mission will be here tomorrow. That will be weird/fun to take the missionaries in our mission on tours with us. We are excited!  

I don't know how long I'll be here... Transfers were last week, but we all knew the PRS sisters were staying put.  But out of the 6 companionships here, only 4 sisters will be staying through the winter, so everyone is really interested to see who will be going.  Sister Gomm and I think she's out of here because she's been in this area since June, but we can't decide whether I'll go or stay.  Oh well, it's a ways out, the day before Thanksgiving.

Love, Sis. Larsen

Instruments in His Hands

Fall has arrived.  Gorgeous, right?

Dear friends and family,

I've been out for two months as of yesterday, can you believe it?! Time is flying by!!! Something that has been on my mind this past week is how often the Lord uses us, ordinary people, to be the answers to others' prayers. As a missionary you pray A LOT. Looking back on my pre-mission life, it seems as if I hardly prayed at all. Now anytime we leave the house, go exercise, start and close our studies, eat, wake up and go to bed, get out the car to go to an appointment, we pray... And of course all the silent ones in between. But it is only when we are in tune with the Spirit and seeking out opportunities to serve others when we can be used as a instrument in the Lord's hand (Alma 26... Go read. Seriously good stuff.) just as Alma and his brethren were in days of old.

I know I mentioned Kim in my previous letter, who was a referral given to us by other sisters at the Visitor Center. This weekend was Homecoming and Kim got put in charge of making decorations for the parade floats that go through town on Saturday morning, so we offered to help her paint signs. On Wednesday we went over, painting together and getting to know her. She is one of the nicest people I have ever met! She and her husband Mike have two little boys, Mason who is 9 and loves football, and Connor who is 4 but has learning disabilities and can't communicate. They are the cutest family! 

After we finished our painting projects, we sat down and talked about what our role is as missionaries and what she wanted to get out of meeting with us. We shared the "He Lives" Mormon message with her, and introduced the Book of Mormon, which she had never heard of. At first she was just telling us that she was mostly interested in seeing the differences between our religion and Catholicism, which is the religion she grew up in. As we were talking and bearing testimony to her, out of the blue she said, "You know, a few weeks ago I was having a really hard time with Connor and couldn't figure out what to do. I was so frustrated and lost on what to do that I just prayed to God and asked him to give me help. The next day two of your sister missionaries came knocking on my door to introduce themselves and told me they would send other sisters to come teach me, and now here you are." She told us she didn't believe in coincidences and that she knew that God had answered her prayer, so she felt that rather than pushing away what we might have to tell her, she would let it in. Kim agreed to read and ask God if the Book of Mormon was true, and we will be meeting with her again tomorrow! I am SO excited for all that Heavenly Father has in store for her and her family!

This week Sister Agado's (my MTC companion) dad got baptized and we all got special permission from President to be a part of it via Skype!! Sister Agado's dad had been wanting to be baptized for several years, but was waiting for confirmation from Heavenly Father. He believed everything about the church was true, he had been attended church with his wife since they were married, but was waiting for a big spiritual "a-ha" kind of moment. He kept saying things to himself like, "I'll get baptized before Hope (Sister Agado's younger sister) turns 8 so that I can baptize her." Or "I'll get baptized before Destiny (Sister Agado) goes off to BYU-I," which came and went, and then the time for Sister Agado to go on her mission came and went as well. Brother Agado was so upset after she left because it seemed to him that he let every big milestone or reason to be baptized pass him by. But in his anger he prayed. He told Heavenly Father that now he would never join the church. Not if his wife asked him to, not if his friends asked him to, no way was he ever going to join because he had never received an "answer." Except he left Heavenly Father one condition, that being, he would only ever join if his daughter asked him to be baptized.

Now flip to the side of the story I was part of. At the MTC one of the teachers Sister Agado and I had, Brother Anderson, had us practice the invitation to be baptized on one another. He had us all think of someone back home that we could invite to be baptized, and Sister

Agado thought of her dad. So on our P-day she wrote him a letter asking him to be baptized so that their family could be one step closer to becoming an eternal family. That letter ended up being delayed from Provo to Pocatello, ID for 8 days, making it arrive the day after Brother Agado prayed. Brother Agado contacted his bishop, the missionaries, and wrote Sister Agado he was going to be baptized on October 7th.

Heavenly Father is so aware of each and every one of us. When we turn to him, and try to become more like him and our Savior, Jesus Christ, he can help guide us in a way that allows us to be the answer to someone else's prayer. Did the sisters who live by Kim knock on her door thinking about much more than introducing themselves as neighbors? No. Did Sister Agado really think her dad would accept her invitation to be baptized? No. But in both of these cases, those involved were seeking out opportunities to lift those around them and bring them one step closer to Christ. Like it says in Alma 37:6, "...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..."

When we turn our hearts to the Lord, he trusts us and can use us as a way to answer prayers and bring about miracles. Look for opportunities to be a extension of the Lord's hands in someone's life this week, and I can promise that it will bring added joy to your life!

Love,

Sister Larsen

Last time at the "Old church on the hill" since we are now meeting
at the newly-dedicated Visitor's Center/Church building

10/6/15 - Tender Mercies

Forward from Alicia:  Tiffany apologized for forgetting to send her group email last week.  She said. "Every other week we go to Walmart and because it so far and we go with/have to wait for 2 other sets of sisters, our shopping trip can take anywhere between 3-4 hours... So it can be hard to get everything done on Pday. But now you get double duty" :)  So here's last week's letter which was still on her iPad:

(10/6/15) Dear friends and family,

What a wonderful week it has been, and watching General Conference was like the cherry on top! Ups and downs of course, but it is amazing what you are capable of when you put complete trust in the Savior. Like it is says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do ALL THINGS through Christ which strengtheneth me."

So I have made a conscious effort to "uncap" myself, and quit holding myself back. It doesn't matter that nobody listens, is interested or opens their doors, I am determined to talk to people because that is what I have been set apart to do as a missionary. I have been called to represent Jesus Christ and invite people to come unto him through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and His doctrine.

Out "finding" (knocking on doors)

One night this week we were scheduled to go out finding for a couple hours, it was 7pm, and getting darker, but that's one of the best times to go out because people are typically home during that time. Right before we left I said a prayer, practically pleading, that we would be able to find someone to talk to, so we set out.

But first we needed to get gas, so we made a stop at the gas station in town. Brother Westbroook, our elders quorum president works there, so every time we get gas we pop in to say hi. We needed to schedule a time to meet with him, but neither Sister Gomm or I made any mention of it. When we walked back out asking each other why we didn't feel like that was the right time to ask him, we saw another car at the pump next to us and said hi to whoever was standing there. As it turned out, it was actually a lady named Stephanie, who we had lost contact with because the phone number she gave us was invalid. She said she was in a hurry to get home, but gave us both her cell and home number and told us to come by soon. Had we talked to Brother Westbrook any longer we would have missed seeing her completely!

Then we went to the home of Kim, who was referred to us from one of the other sisters. She is very sweet and invited us back the next day. Long story short, she had to miss our appointment, but left us a note on her door apologizing for not being home. We will definitely be going back this week!

That same night we still had a little time and decided to go knock a couple doors. One of the doors we knocked on was of a cute 20-something-year-old woman named Ashley, who Sister Gomm had met in July. We knocked and she said she was busy getting her little boy ready for bed, but we could come back the next day, so we did. We talked about how our church is the same church that Christ organized while he was on the earth, and some of the ways we can learn more about how we can become like him and our Heavenly Father is through the Book of Mormon and through listening to the counsel of living prophets and apostles on the earth today. We committed her to come learn more about our beliefs at General Conference, and she came for the Sunday morning session. She said it was a lot more "touchy feely" (obviously feeling the Spirit) that she was thinking it was going to be. But she will be coming back to the site this week to go on a tour with us, and we are hoping to continue teaching her. Miracles happen, prayers are answered and Christ is so real in our lives today!!

It was so neat to watch all of General Conference at the Priesthood Restoration Site. You may be wondering which talk was my favorite, but it is so hard for me to choose! But I will say that I loved Larry R. Lawrence's question, "Ask the Lord tonight, 'What is keeping me from progressing?'" What goals will you set for yourself after having watched General Conference, and what can you improve? I've already heard from several people about how they are going to begin "Ponderizing." (P.S. Mine this week is Alma 37:36)  But what will you do? Put more thought into taking the sacrament? Better withstand temptation? Refocus your life on the simple truths of the gospel? Whatever it may be, write it down so you won't forget, pray for help as you make changes and trust in the Lord!

I know that when we put our complete and full trust in Jesus Christ, he will help us in all aspects of our lives. I'm so grateful to be a missionary and wearing his name right next to mine everyday! I couldn't think of anything better to be doing with my time. Have a great week everyone, and hurrah for Israel!!

Love,
Sister Larsen

Another week!

**Note from Alicia - I'm guessing Sis. Larsen must have had limited time yesterday.  She did not send a group email, but did send a brief email to me in response to a few questions I asked her.  I'll paste a portion of that letter below.**

Conference was so awesome!!! Did you have a favorite talk? I'm still trying to decide, but I don't think I've ever appreciated General Conference more in my life.  I instantly thought of you, Mom, when Neill F. Marriott started talking about, "it will all work out." And it will, when we submit our will to Heavenly Father's :)    Note from Alicia:  I often refer to one of my favorite quotes by Gordon B. Hinckley when things are difficult, and for many years had this quote laminated and posted on my shower wall so I could start the day with a good perspective:  




You asked about my daily schedule.  A typical day goes like this:

Anywhere between 6:00-6:30 wake up (prayer, exercise, shower, get dressed, breakfast)
8-8:30 study
9:00 PRS
3:00 leave PRS
3-5:00 finding/teaching
5:00 dinner
6:00-9:00 finding/teaching
9-9:30 planning
Praying by 10:30

OR

Anywhere between 6:00-6:30 wake up
8-11:00 study (extra because new missionaries have to do an extra program called "12 week")
11:00-12:00 lunch
12-3:00 finding/teaching
3-9:00 PRS
9-9:30 planning
Praying by 10:30

From Alicia:  Due to various circumstances, Sis. Larsen related that although she and her companion haven't been able to go find and teach people as much as they would like, they are getting practice in "learning to cope with difficulties.... and (those are) small in comparison to all the good things happening".  



And a few pictures:

Some members of her branch (congregation) made them caramel apples

Crazy PRS Sisters (I've decided Sis. Larsen and the missionary
on the far right must have the same sweater) :)