Tender Mercies at the Site

Dear friends and family,

I really want to start by saying, "What another great week at the site!" But when is it not another great week at the site?? Anyways, it was a good one! It's beginning to look like spring up here, with little green leaves starting to poke out on the trees, and flowers are beginning to pick their little heads up!

"Some surprise tulips popped up in front of our house... so cute!"

Home Sweet Home

It's a typical routine up here, no crazy big tour groups or general authorities this week, but the tours are beginning to come in fairly frequently now. I'd say we're averaging 2 tours a day per companionship, and the online stuff is still keeping us busy! But here's an awesome miracle story from this week...

Sister Brown, who is now one of the half-time proselyting sisters in Susquehanna, was going through their phone calling previous investigators. She happened to call Sandy at the exact moment she and her husband were driving on 171 by the site, so her husband slammed on the brakes, said they could come in to take a tour and turned into our parking lot. The Susquehanna sisters gave Sandy and her husband a tour and they loved it!

On Sunday, Sandy and her two boys, Travis and TJ came to church and stayed the whole three hours!!! After church Sandy wanted the boys to go on the full tour she had a few days prior, and the part time sisters were going to a lesson so they asked if Sister Francis and I could take the three of them on a tour. I was so excited!! The boys absolutely loved it and everything they were learning. They still remembered who Joseph Smith was and what he did, and where their copies of the Book of Mormon were at home, and they were asking questions and giving answers... Happy missionary heart!! Down in the Smith home where 70% of the Book of Mormon was translated we were able to recommit them to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and begin taking the lessons with the sisters again... And they are back on board!

This site was a place where miracles happened, and still is a place where miracles happen! I know that the things that happened here really did happen, and that the Book of Mormon was written for us and our day. The priesthood is a sacred gift from our Heavenly Father that allows us the blessings of eternity. His plan is one of lasting happiness and that's what people can come to understand when they come to this site.

One of my all time favorite scriptures from the Book of Mormon (thanks to the ah-mazing video shown here) talks about our happiness. Mosiah 2:41 says, "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

Be HAPPY. Be HOPEFUL. Be BELIEVING. Have a wonderful week everyone. Hurrah for Israel!

Love,
Sister Larsen

"A picture of Stephanie from West Philadelphia on her baptism day with Sis. Kartchner,
her friend who introduced her to the gospel, and Sis. K's new companion." 

The Music of the Gospel

Letter written 4/18/2016

Dear friends and family,

What an awesome week! We are busy, busy, busy at the site with tours coming through every day. Yesterday I think the longest Sister Francis and I waited between tours was 15 minutes. It's a good feeling to see the place alive again!

This week we tried out our first run of a system we will use for large groups and busy summer weeks, referred to by us sisters as "Code Battleship," and it went really well! We had our largest youth conference group come through the site on Saturday, with 140 youth plus leaders. They were such an amazing, and well behaved (woohoo!!) group of kids from New Jersey. 

Sharing music with a youth conference group

 They were so well prepared, having learned about the site at Mutual activities, read Ensign articles and having planned firesides on site. I love being around the youth! We were able to kick off their beginning devotional with a song, which we all have missed doing together since everyone left for winter.

Highlight of the week: meeting Bishop Causse, the Presiding Bishop of the church. He is so nice!!  

He came here to the site for business, looking at the building, etc. but we were all able to meet him and sing for him and the other men from the Seventy and church headquarters who came with him. We sang a new song we've recently put together since the new sisters came in; it's a really pretty arrangement of "The Lord is my Shepherd" with violin. After we finished our song Bishop Causse said it was inappropriate to clap, but they wanted to so badly they asked if we had an "encore" number, so we sang them our very favorite a capella number "Abide with Me." It was so funny seeing all these men with their phones out taking a video of us for their families back home. Afterwards Bishop Causse talked to us about how the talent was there, but even more important than that, the Spirit was there. He told us if continued to use every opportunity we could to begin our tours with singing to our guests, we would convert many people.

After talking to us, Bishop Causse took a few minutes to play the piano for us, and he can really play!! He is an amazing pianist, but the spirit was there and it helped me understand what it's like for our guests to be on the receiving end. 

After Bishop Causse had finished and left the site, Elder Walker called us all together. Brother Hinckley, who was with Bishop Causse, had approached Elder Walker and told him the meeting they had was the very best he had ever had with the Bishop, and he attributed it to us starting off their afternoon with our music. And in touring the buildings, chapel, grounds and talking with Elder Walker, there will be a lot of changes happening at the PRS. Bishop Causse is seeing that grounds will be bought to make a camp site, an amphitheater will be built, picnicking areas developed, missionary housing for senior and sister missionaries on site, and a remodel of the chapel to fit a grand piano so we can sing on the rostrum (we currently drag a piano in from a different room). Bishop Causse left saying he would remember this day with the PRS sisters for the rest of his life (we will too!), and many people will be able to appreciate what came from our meeting in years to come!

I love the talk by Elder Andersen of the seventy, "The Music of the Gospel." In his talk he says, "The dance steps of the gospel are the things we do; the music of the gospel is the joyful spiritual feeling that comes from the Holy Ghost. It brings a change of heart and is the source of all righteous desires. The dance steps require discipline, but the joy of the dance will be experienced only when we come to hear the music." When we listen to the Holy Ghost and act on the promptings we receive, that is when we experience change growth. Just this Sunday, Brother Garrison, who Sister Robison and I met, blessed the Sacrament. It's amazing to see such big change in a person happen in such a short amount of time. But it only happened in him because he allowed the Spirit to touch his heart and excite him to act on the truths he was learning, and now he is blessing so many lives.

Hurrah for Israel! Until next week!

Love,
Sister Larsen

A few updates from Susquehanna

This is a bit of a different post.  Sis. Larsen (inadvertently, I'm sure) did not send a group email this week, but she did send Scott and I each a letter.  Here is some of what she wrote there, plus some pictures she sent:

How are you?  How has your week gone?  I'm so good! So happy to be here in Susquehanna. This week we met Bishop Causse... And he is SO nice!! I think he shook my hand 3 different times and told me I played the violin beautifully. It’s not everyday the Presiding Bishop tells you that!!  (Note from Alicia:  I guess we’ll hear the story behind that next week...)

Bishop Causse - talking with the missionaries

In response to a question I asked about what a normal day looks like, now that she is full time (no proselyting) at the Visitor’s Center:  Typical day? Normal exercise, then get ready. Then studies from 8-8:30. Then we drive the VC van to pick up another set of sisters on Washington Street, then to the PRS by 8:45 for our recitation. Tours, online stuff, quick lunch, back to work, quick dinner (occasionally dinner after 9:00 when we go home because we're busy), song practice from 8-9, drop off Washington sisters, then home. Read from the white handbook and plan goals for our upcoming day. Prep lunch and dinner for the next day to eat at the VC.  Get ready for bed and nighty-night! And we wake up for more. It's really weird not having actual studies in the morning, but we really try to read while we sit out front waiting for guests. During the summer that won't even happen though! 

I told her I’d been asked to teach a lesson on “Why We Need the Book of Mormon”, and asked for her perspective, because of her experiences serving at the location where much of it was translated:  That's such a fun lesson topic you get to teach!! But there are a million reasons why we need the Book of Mormon... Something neat I've learned is that without the Book of Mormon we wouldn't have priesthood authority. It was while translating and reading about the authority to baptize that Joseph wondered about that authority and went out into the grove of sugar maple trees here at the site and prayed. John the Baptist came, gave them that authority... And fast forward to today and think about all the blessings we can receive because of priesthood power... Everything!! And all because of the Book of Mormon. And because one person acted on what they read. 

And a few pictures... more to come next week:

All 12 PRS sisters

Hooray!  Backyard Ice Cream is open again
L-R:  Sisters Harvey, Brown, Larsen, Francis

SusqueHOME!

Dear friends and family,

Hello from my favorite spot on the planet... SUSQUEHANNA!!! It is SO GOOD to be home, and that's really what it feels like, coming home. We were all in tears and had plenty of hugs and handshakes going around.   Best feeling in the world to be reunited as one big, happy Priesthood Restoration Site family. After a full day of training and meetings, we jumped right back into the swing of things and it's so nice to have the site buzzing with missionaries again.

My new companion, Sister Francis, is so, so much fun!!   

In the parlor of the Hale home with Sis. Francis

We have been all giggles since being together! She came out 1 month before me and she left the site in November when most of the sisters did, so it was a happy reunion. I thought being full time at the visitor center would be a hard adjustment because I've always been proselyting at least part-time, but I actually really like being full-time VC. It's very different from the field, but there are some definite similarities!

Something I like is being able to adapt our tours to different people and their needs, just like how we adapt our lessons when we teach. We had a family come through the site and the mom absolutely loved Emma Hale Smith, so we were able to focus a lot on her and her story. Being at the site I've learned a lot more about her, and admire her so much.

This pic was texted to Alicia by a visitor to the site this week who wrote
how grateful she was to feel and hear Sis. Larsen and Sis. Francis' testimonies.
She may (?) have been the mother Sis. Larsen referred to her in her letter. 
(Emma Hale Smith is pictured above.) In any case, it was a sweet surprise! 

We shared a scripture I fell in love with a couple weeks ago. I think that Joseph must have read these verses in Alma 19 and thought of Emma. "And Ammon said unto her: Believest thou this? And she said unto him: I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said. And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites." I love being able to share a verse from the Book of Mormon with our guests in the room where 70% of the book was translated. It just brings a special spirit.

Something else we are very busy with is our online teaching. After the church put out an Easter initiative video, lots of people visited Mormon.org and saw a pop up for a free Bible provided by the church. They leave their contact information, which is then passed into us. So our job is to call them, confirm their contact information, and that they will be okay with missionaries delivering the Bible to their door. If they are okay with that, we send their information to local missionaries and they are supposed to contact them within 24 hours. It's a long process, but it has completely changed the online referral system. Elder Walker talked to Salt Lake and they told him after changing the system to have missionaries and MTC workers call to ask if missionaries can come deliver their requested items, the number of people taught has been increased by 500% which is insane!!! What's neat for me is I can see when the people I refer to missionaries have been contacted, and when they have agreed to take the lessons and be taught. It is so cool!!

And one more highlight of the week... Seeing the investigator I found with Sister Robison, Tim!! He came into the site to say hello, and I was just so, so happy! He introduced himself to all the sisters as "Brother Garrison", (how sweet is that?!) and told them all his story.  Right now he is preparing names to take to the temple, loves church and learning, and I couldn't be more excited for him! He has this light about him, that wasn't quite there before and I know it's because he was baptized and now has the Gift of the Holy Ghost. He is an absolutely amazing person that I feel so blessed Heavenly Father allowed me to have met while out.

I'm so grateful to be serving in such a wonderful place, with such wonderful people, and be serving such wonderful people! So many blessings! Hurrah for Israel!

Love,
Sister Larsen

Bagpipes?  What??  Pictured far in the background is
Sis. Larsen's district leader who is playing the bagpipes
at the Hale graves along with his companion.

Book of Mormon, Baptism & Braids

Dear friends and family,

What a wonderful last week here in West Philadelphia! We doubled the number of lessons we taught last week (YAY for people holding lessons!!), the weather was beautiful and drizzly, and of course General Conference was just the cherry on top to a great transfer!

I just love Stephanie.  

With Stephanie

We weren't able to really meet the week before last because she was sick, but she got better and her trip to NY was cancelled so she got to stay in town all week and spend General Conference weekend with us! She is so excited and so prepared for her baptism in 2 weeks. We started talking details at one of our lessons with her this past week, and she wants the baptism to be all about Christ, not just her decision to become a member of the church. So we started brainstorming ideas of how we could help her keep her focus and came up with this cute idea. She wants everyone to put their painted handprint on a blanket and write their testimony of Christ next to it as a keepsake of her baptism. In our morning studies we had shared some highlights from Book of Mormon verses we had read and read 1 Nephi 21:15-16 which we shared with Stephanie. "For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." She knows that her baptism is so much more than just becoming a member of the church and enjoying the fellowship that comes along with that, but that she is choosing to remember Jesus Christ and take upon herself His name, just as He has taken upon Himself a reminder of her and everyone who has, does and will live.

We were finally able to get in contact with a young woman named Mai who we had met several weeks ago and set up an appointment to see her.  She gave us an address to meet at... And it turned out to be an African Hair braiding salon. So we walk in to women in African dress braiding and sewing weaves into people's hair and Mai calling us over to some chairs. It was awesome, and now I am considering corn rows or something haha! But we did our thing despite the atypical environment...sang a hymn, had a prayer, and read from the Book of Mormon. It was actually a really great lesson! Mai really came to understand that while there are many people who may say different things about the church, and there are lots of different opinions floating around out there, the only way to know what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is all about is by learning about it yourself and asking God if what is taught is true. I'm really excited for Sister Kartchner to continue teaching her because she has a lot of potential!

Sisters Roesch, Kartchner, and Larsen out finding
during Sis. Roesch's final week on her mission

General Conference weekend is the best!!! I don't think I've ever looked as forward to it as I have since serving! How to choose a favorite?? I will say Jeffrey R. Holland always knows how to lay it down. Stephanie (who watched 3 sessions with us, how awesome is that?!?), my companions and I were invited over to the Bartons', a young couple in the P4 Ward, for the afternoon session on Sunday. We were all waiting for Elder Holland to speak so when they finally announced him as the concluding speaker there was "exceedingly great joy," and everyone sat up a little straighter :) I really loved his comments on how the Lord will bless, and wants to bless, those who desire to improve. Just like in the Book of Mormon, He takes weak things and makes them strong, we just have to try and put forth our best effort.  Sometimes all we can offer is our "seeking to do good," but as long as we are trying our best, the Lord will help lift us the rest of the way. I think one of my favorite things he said was, "Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow and forever." And it's so true! I've learned a lot from serving here in West Philly. And not just how to say "Book of Mormon" in Hindi, or understand Liberians over the phone, or how to drive like the locals, but how much Heavenly Father loves each of His children. He is cheering us on with every step we take forward, and helping kindly correct us when we start to falter back.  His love is unconditional and will always be there for us no matter what. What a beautiful promise!

Love,
Sister Larsen

The awesome Sis. Tuesday with Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (as she calls us)

One final goodbye at the mission office.
Good luck, Sis. Roesch!