Coincidences are When God Chooses to Remain Anonymous

Dear friends and family,

Hello, hello, hello! I can't believe how fast July is going by; it's crazy!! We are experiencing a bit of a "monsoon season," except it will downpour for 20 minutes and then you look out the window again and would never know it. Humidity at its finest! :)

A little "Backyard Ice Cream" hits the spot on humid p-days!

I took a tour with a couple a while ago, and the woman and I had a wonderful discussion as we talked about those who lived here in Harmony. How there is no coincidence that they met people, went to places, or had experiences that would shape them into who Heavenly Father needed them to become. She told me that as young person she had heard, "Coincidences are when God chooses to remain anonymous." I thought that was just so cute!! And this week I definitely have felt of Heavenly Father's awareness for me.

On Tuesday night Sister Francis and I were able to take a family on a tour; the Buckners, who live in the heart of New York City. We doodled around the visitor center with them for a while (they were SO excited to see all of the interactive stuff we have) and we got to talking. Brother Buckner mentioned that he and Sister Buckner have been EFY session directors for the past 10 years, primarily for BYU-Provo, and were actually on their way there to be session directors again. Naturally, I was super, super excited to hear that a) because I absolutely love EFY and b) because my sister, Heather, was going to be there when they were!

As we sat in the film I was thought about my own EFY session directors and honestly couldn't remember any of them except for my very first one. The film ended and we made our way down to the homes and as we walked I couldn't help but wonder if I was taking my very first EFY session director from 2011 and his family on a tour. I remembered that director had five kids and was from New York City, and I still very distinctly remember a fireside he did with us. When this man was a teenager he made a list. It was a list of things he wanted to accomplish in his life, but better than the wishy-washy stuff you write on a bucket list and more specific. Every Sunday night for years he would look at his list and add, take away, or check things off. But he would prayerfully consider his goals, and make plans for achieving them (which sounds a lot like what missionary work is). One of the things on his list was to work for Broadway. He prayed about it, felt it was a good thing, and then took the steps he needed to, and in a matter of months found himself helping direct Broadway musicals. He challenged all of us sitting in that auditorium to create our own lists, review them often, and with Heavenly Father's guidance, achieve what would help us grow and reach our potential as a son or daughter of God.

When I asked if Brother Buckner was the same man I was thinking of, it turned out that he was!! I was shocked and he was relieved. He said, "I worry about the kids who come to EFY with us, and if they turn out to be firm in the gospel. But we know we did our job right because we've got at least one on a mission!"

The first time I really became interested in serving a mission was at EFY, and it was through an EFY counselor I received the confirmation that I was making the right choice in serving a mission. The first time I really remember feeling my Savior's love strongly for me was at EFY, and now I have the special opportunity to share that love I feel with others every single day. Are all of these experiences mere coincidence? Of course not! Sometimes Heavenly Father allows us to see a small part of what He does, of His perfect plan to help us guide us in our decisions and even everyday actions. When we look for His hand in our lives we will always find it.

Look for those tender mercies and the little "coincidences" Heavenly Father gives us because they come daily.  Hurrah for Israel!!

Love, Sister Larsen

Picture highlights this week:

Ran into the Petersons at the river.  They are the senior couple
who served in the Philly 4th Ward with me!

Tree climbing... in a dress!

Goodbye Lingmanns!  
(A senior couple serving at the PRS who were released)

The before and after of a haircut

With  friends the Holmes family 

We are Survivors!!

Dear friends and family,

We survived the last week of pageant!!! In the past 10 days we've had 6,400 people come through and this past Sunday was our busiest day, hour for hour, with pageant visitors and cast members coming to see the site. It's crazy that the two weeks we have been talking about for the past six months has come and gone... And we did it!

It's hard for me to even think of specific experiences this week... It's all a blur of lots of guests and rain and tours and hats and buses! But there was one day this week when Sister Francis and I were the only two in the building on a half staff day and everyone else on a tour. A father and his children walked in, and the kids were so cute!! One of the little boys told us, "I have been waiting my whole life to come here!" Darling!!! But because it was just a man and children we couldn't take them on a tour to the homes. So we figured we could buy ourselves 25 minutes and start them in the film. We said a prayer that everything would work out so this man and his children could go on a tour to homes without waiting around for forever. The movie was coming to an end and nobody was back. We didn't want the dad to feel awkward or the kids to get impatient if we couldn't take them. We went in to end the film and the dad asked if they could look around the visitor center before going to the homes. As they were looking around and playing with everything Elder Richardson came up from a tour and was able to take them to the homes! Our prayer was answered and all worked out perfectly! Obedience brings blessings and exact obedience brings miracles... Even the littlest ones :)

I also did my fair share of fan-girling (I was actually keeping pretty cool and collected) this week because Hank Smith and John Bytheway both came through on a tour with their families! And if you know my family (mostly my sisters) you know we especially love John Bytheway. I talked to him for a little bit as he and his family waited to go into the house, and he had come here about two years ago before the highway was moved for the site. He thought everything the church was able to do in such a short amount of time was amazing, and it really is!! Heavenly Father really had a perfect plan for this site in when the land needed to be purchased, when the permits for the road relocation would be given, when the community attitude would change and they would be ready to welcome us. It all worked out just as it needed to!

Summer flowers on site

I'm so glad I get to serve in this beautiful place with such wonderful people,

A special district meeting -- the AP's, zone leaders, district leaders, and us sisters

and share the glorious news of Christ's restored gospel with literally thousands. Whether those who come through our doors be members or not, my missionary purpose does not change because I have been called to "invite others to come unto Christ." I know Heavenly Father prepares everyone I talk to to learn new truths or deepen their testimony of things they already do know. And He is doing the same for me, and all of us as we have new experiences and grow to become more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Love, Sister Larsen


And a few of the creatures we've seen on site as of late:

How cute is this little guy?  So close to him, too!

Sign me up for National Geographic -- I caught it's tongue in the picture!

Not the clearest shot, but we weren't going closer to try again.  A bear.  :)

Hello from the Happiest Place on Earth!

Dear friends and family,

And the craziness has begun!! This week the Palmyra pageant started this week and lots of visitors have been coming to our site on their way to or from there, and even cast members who visited on their p-day. In the past few days we've had about 800 people every day—It is like a Mormon Disneyland here!!! So many people from all over the country and all over the world, and even at times lines to get into the homes! Crazy crazy fun!!

I LOVE meeting people from all over the world! It is so neat to me how many people from all over the world come to church history sites because of their conviction that this is truly the restored church of Jesus Christ. There is so much power in the gathering of saints whoever they are, or wherever they may be from.

With a cute family from Seoul, South Korea and Sis.Agado

This week Elder Hamilton from the Seventy came in for a tour and I was able to meet him, and he was so kind. Elder Brent K. Nielson of the Seventy who is head of the missionary department also came in with his family for vacation, and I was able to meet him! He went on a tour and he and his wife spoke in sacrament meeting. Elder Nielson told about an experience he had recently with one of the head directors from the United States Peace Corps. She asked to meet with whoever was in charge of our church's 75 thousand missionaries so Elder Nielson met with her. He said she had several different questions for him. "How do you get so many young men and women to voluntarily do this and pay their own way?" "How do your young men and women learn to speak the the languages they are assigned so well?" "And how to you get that many young men and woman to be so obedient?" Elder Nielson said he then was able to have a very interesting discussion with this woman about the Spirit, and what our work is really about. She then concluded, "This is a very spiritual work." What a neat opportunity for Elder Nielson to bear his testimony of the restored gospel to this woman!

Here at the site we usually reach our peak of visitors in the afternoon and then have to continue to giving single tours (without a companion) because we still have plenty of visitors in the evenings. This past week on a single tour I took one of my hands-down favorite tours EVER!!    It was several Tahitian families from the same extended family that have been traveling in the States for the past couple of weeks. In total there were 17 of them and it was such a fun group. 

One big happy family with my very favorite Tahitians!

Only one lady in the entire group was able to speak English well enough that she could translate for the rest of the group who spoke French. I said everything a lot more simply and sometimes it took a little bit of time to figure out what word to use in French but it all worked out!  They loved being able to lift up the box which is weighted as if the plates were inside and laughed over the size of the empty cradle in Joseph and Emma's home because their 1 year old was huge! They taught me how to say a few words and phrases in French and got to practice their broken English on me as they asked about home and serving a mission.  In the Smith summer kitchen I told the sister translating that she and her group could have a few minutes to talk about the things that they learned or share testimonies rather than listening to my English for even longer. They talked amongst themselves for a minute and then turned to me and said they would like to sing a song instead. They chose to sing, "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet." Everyone in the room knew the words, even the little kids, all of them singing in French and me in English. Everyone sat there quietly for a minute after we finished singing. The spirit was so strong. I simply said the Spirit is a universal language and everyone in the room nodded their heads in agreement. That little experience reconfirmed to me that the Spirit has no boundaries and can touch the hearts of those from different places, those with different backgrounds, those who speak different languages--anyone and everyone because we are all part of God's family.

I have never been more tired or more happy in my entire life! Best feeling ever!! I feel so lucky to share my testimony of latter-day prophets and Jesus Christ everyday with people from all over. The gospel is where we find everlasting JOY. This is where we can find the most happiness on earth! Hurrah for Israel!

Love,
Sister Larsen

And this is what humidity looks like!

11 months of MTC tripanionship fun with these cuties!

Let's Celebrate!!! 🎉🎁🎂🇺🇸💥

Dear friends and family,

What a crazy-fun week!!! Lots of guests and seeing people I know,  

Large groups are now a regular sight.  This is one youth group.

With friends from Gilbert, the Cavenees

birthday and 4th of July celebrations, welcoming President Randall and his family, 

Pres. Randall and fam meet the PRS fam
(they have 3 children ages 8, 13, and 15 with them on their mission)

and commemorating the completion of the Book of Mormon translation 187 years ago!! Good stuff!

This week on our exchange day I was with Sister Anderson, bringing it back to our MTC days together. I saw a woman walk in who looked so familiar, so I said "hello!" and asked if she had been in before and she said she had been there in October and then we both realized that I had taken them on a tour in October!!... And that sure wasn't a family I could ever forget as I watched all the kids walk in. The Boswell family has 11 children, 2 of which have left on missions since October! 
 

The Boswells

The Spirit really is amazing because I remembered where their two kids are serving and all of their names after they did a basic "refresher" and ran through them all! The Holy Ghost can bring things to our remembrance. It was an awesome tour and we shared our favorite Book of Mormon stories in the Smith home, which was especially neat because they were on their way to Palmyra to be part of the cast in the Hill Cumorah Pageant!! Such a neat family, so closely knit and centered in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I loved them!

I turned 20 on Sunday (2 whole decades old!! Woohoo!) and had a great birthday!! Thank you to everyone who sent an email, card or package... I felt so loved!! :) The sisters decorated the back room for me and our house which was so cute!  

The big 2-0!!

It was a super-busy day at the site and so good!! It slowed down for just a little bit so Sister Walker had me help her decorate cakes for our Sunday dinner/birthday party because she knows I love that kind of stuff.  Dinner with site fam was so much fun!! It was a great weekend of service, celebrations & yummy 4th of July picnic food! I'm so grateful to be serving with the people I do, and know part of the reason I was called to the Priesthood Restoration Site is because I needed them in my life.

Being at the site has made me so grateful for the way Heavenly Father works in our lives, often times without us even realizing it. For example, Isaac Hale was raised by his grandparents in Wells, Vermont after his mother died. It was there he met Elizabeth as early as age 12, and later they would marry in Wells. Hunting brought him to the Susquehanna Valley in 1788 where he and Elizabeth would raise all 9 of their children, Emma being their 7th. In 1825, when Joseph Smith was 19, Joseph would come to the area for work boarding with the Hale family as he worked for Josiah Stowell, and after a little over a year of knowing and courting Emma Hale, they would be married... And together, supporting each other, they were able to do so much! I think it is amazing how the Lord was able to get each of these people in the right place at the right time so that the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ would be able to roll forth!

Something else that is cool to think about is that the Book of Mormon is considered the "keystone of our religion," because everything we believe is supported by the Book of Mormon-- Joseph Smith, modern day prophets, our beliefs, etc. Pennsylvania is also considered the keystone state because Philadelphia is birthplace of the nation where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Constitution was made! Heavenly Father knew there needed to be a place where freedom of religion could be, where men could worship how, where or what they may.

We love being the Keystone State!

Make the Book of Mormon your own personal keystone! When we rely on our Savior and his prophet's teachings, we will never fall and the adversary will have no power over us. Have a wonderful week everyone! Hurrah for Israel!

Love,
Sister Larsen