Rain or Shine...

Dear friends and family,


We have had our fair share of ups and downs here this week, but always are looking on the bright side!

Out finding - rain or shine!

The truck she and her companion drive.
An unusual mission vehicle 
(at least compared to AZ) but it's a rural area.

In this past week, Sister Gomm and I have been trying really hard to find (a.k.a. knocking doors) new people to teach.  We want to meet and talk to people who are ready and willing to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ, because we know the happiness it has brought to our lives.  While we haven't been too successful, we have experienced many tender mercies this past week!

Tender Mercy #1: We finally got in contact with a member of our branch, Cody.  He is a great guy and we are excited to meet with him and his girlfriend, Shauna, who is not a member.  We know that the Lord blesses families and has so much in store for them!

Tender Mercy #2:  We have also been meeting with a family from our branch regularly, and while we have seen good and not-so-good with them, they are finally committed to getting back on track!  We have been texting them a scripture everyday to read because they have been having a difficult time finding time to read from the Book of Mormon with kids, work, etc.  But they have been reading since we have done that, and they have also been praying!  Just yesterday, the father texted us and said that he had been doing a lot of thinking, and while he had not been doing what he should be doing, he was back and ready to be committed to the church and continuing his personal conversion 100%!   Best. Text. Ever.  It may seem like a small thing, but it is moments like these that make us feel like successful missionaries!!!  For even one person to have the desire to change and apply the atonement of Jesus Christ is something that makes us, as well as our Heavenly Father so, so happy.  It is one thing to understand what the atonement can do, but another to act upon it in faith.

Tender Mercy #3: On Thursday the second half of our mission came, and it was an amazing day! I loved seeing all the missionaries in our mission. There is something so special about uniting so many people together in their faith and love of the Savior, Jesus Christ. One of my very favorite things about being here at the Priesthood Restoration Site is hearing people's stories and testimonies, and that is no exception with the missionaries. We have already been getting stories back from missionaries who attended saying how that closer they got to our site, the stronger they felt the Spirit and how their testimonies were strengthened and deepened. The Holy Ghost is real, and the ultimate teacher. When we listen, and act upon the promptings we receive, that is when change and miracles come about.

Tender Mercy #4: The Priesthood Restoration Site sisters are putting on a "Music and the Spoken Word" Thanksgiving tribute to our Savior, and it might bring in so many people we won't have enough room for them.  It sounds more like a problem, but it is such a good problem to have!  When we have been out finding we have been inviting people to the musical event and every person we have talked to has been so excited to come, member and non-member alike! Sister Gomm and I attend a Bible study class at the Methodist church in town and Sister Hurley from our branch also attends. Before we could say anything, she piped up and invited everyone in the room to come and hear "the girls down at the new church on 171" put on a musical performance, and everyone got so excited and wrote down the date and the time! It should be a great opportunity for the whole community to come together!

I don't have enough time for them all, but I invite each of you to look for the tender mercies in your life! I have been thinking a lot about a quote from Dieter F. Uchtfdorf, which says, "We sometimes think that being grateful is what we do after our problems are solved, but how terribly shortsighted that is. How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain? Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges. This is not a gratitude of the lips but of the soul. It is a gratitude that heals the heart and expands the mind." Remember to look to the Lord in all times, and He will help you! 

Love, Sister Larsen

Nearing the end of the Fall colors