Spring and New Beginnings

Dear friends and family,

I am one happy sister to be outside in the sunshine in my skirt and shirt (no jacket or boots required woohoo!) talking to everyone I possibly can. It feels like spring has officially sprung! I love this time of year... And  Easter is just around the corner-- a time for new beginnings!

I love Arizona citrus blossoms and "popcorn trees" all around VVL, 
but I'll gladly take these beautiful pink things!!

Gorgeous (and huge!) pink blossoms

This week we had a couple lessons with Stephanie as usual. We had one of the lessons in our Relief Society President's home with her, which was wonderful. Being able to have members as a part of the teaching process has been a huge blessing because Stephanie talks about the ward really being her ward family. She has quite a bit of difficulty in her personal life, trying to make big decisions, etc...Lots of things young single adults struggle with, but I know she has a solid testimony. As things have been getting harder for her to deal with, she has been turning to the Book of Mormon, prayer and even fasting. She constantly is relating herself and her situations to people in the Book of Mormon and how they feel; really "likening the scriptures." She decided not to travel over the weekend for a planned trip because she wanted to be at church so badly. There is no other way to say it -- she absolutely just lights up when we talk about the gospel! We were talking one night at a lesson, and she said, "I don't want my baptism to be about me... Can we make it all about Christ??" She is ah-mazing, and is making her way towards her April baptism date when her friend who originally introduced her to the church will be in town. May the baptism countdown begin! :)

We went to Sister Tuesday's for dinner this week, and boy oh boy do I love that sweet lady! She says she has no idea why her mother named her Tuesday, but she'll keep it and calls us Wednesday, Thursday and Friday... She's a funny one! As we were talking she talked about how she has been a member of the church for 20 years this past January, and how much that has blessed her life. Whether she was active or not, the church was always there for her. There was a time when the gospel was not an active part of her life, but Christ's hand was always outstretched to her through the hand of someone else seeking her out.  She has such a sweet testimony.

The highlight of my day today was getting an email from Elder Walker at the Priesthood Restoration Site. We email every week sending updates on the latest with the site and Philly. Here is a piece of something he sent this week that put me in tears, "The highlight of the week was yesterday when Tim Garrison was baptized here at the site. It was a wonderful baptismal service and Tim bore his testimony at the end.  He expressed how he felt about the church, the Prophet Joseph, and how blessed he felt that the Sisters found him while out walking his dog and introduced him to the gospel.  It was great.  He is also a great example of how effective the stop smoking program is when one follows the steps to exactness. He says even the smell of smoke now bothers him and he doesn’t have any cravings. It took a lot of grapefruit juice to get there, but it works!"

Sis. Robison sent me a picture of Tim's baptism program --

more tears of joy!

I know the restored gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives, and am so grateful to be a witness to that every single day! I can't put into words how happy I am for Tim and his decision to be baptized, and for those who I get to help prepare for baptism and help keep their baptismal covenants while being here in Philly. I know that Christ's Atonement works, and am a living witness of it! Christ takes imperfect people and makes them stronger, better people through and in Him. I love my Savior and I love being a missionary for Him!

Love, Sister Larsen

Enjoying picnic weather!

Valley Forge East Zone