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.