Greetings from Great Bend!

Dear friends and family,

It's been quite a while since I sent a letter from the part-time proselyting world! I am now in the Great Bend area, which is the other proselyting area in our sweet, little Susquehanna Branch. I'm feeling like a “golden” (a newbie) all over again, but all is well. I've been blessed with Sister Martinez as a wonderful companion who is incredibly patient and I have already learned so much from her... and the first couple of days we've had together were full of tiny miracles! 

Since proselyting in the Susquehanna area last year, the boundaries between our two areas have been changed, so there are a few people who used to be in the Susquehanna area who are now in the Great Bend area (hopefully you were able to follow that). The Davis family is a family is a darling family who I worked with in the past, who I get to work with again, which I'm super, super excited about! This past summer they had a baby, so we are just waiting on the family van to get fixed so all 7 of them can come to church. They have strong testimonies of the gospel and we are excited to help them strengthen them and get their family on the road to the temple!

The sisters here a couple weeks ago found a woman from Liberia, Etta, who takes care of a cute elderly woman, Ollie. They started teaching Etta, but when they invited her to be baptized they came to find out that she was already a member! Haha.  So now we are just teaching her, helping her remember gospel principles and finding her records in Philadelphia. But needless to say, it is a good time, I'm getting a throwback to my days in Philly, and Etta and Ollie are the funniest duo here in Great Bend.

We were also invited to a banquet put on by the Susquehanna County Conservation Council at the VFW in Montrose, because the church was being presented an award for the great conservation efforts we've done at the site. (There's a stream bed and wetlands that we worked with). 

On our way to dinner

The man presenting awards had gone to the site the first month or so of us being open, and we sang while he was visiting, so he asked that we sing at the award banquet. We sang "Abide with Me" and "I Am a Child of God." They spoke very highly of the Church, everyone loved the singing and when Elder Walker got to give a little thank you speech he invited everyone to come out the site. Building bridges with the community!

Every Friday we volunteer at the food pantry at the Methodist church. It is great little place where families in need can come in and get a week's work of basic groceries, and thanks to all the previous sisters who have served here, we have a wonderful relationship with everyone there. We walked in and they were all excited to "adopt in" the new sister! One of the women who we serve with there, named Mary, we were able to work on family history with Sister Edwards earlier in the week. When we saw her on Friday she said she just loves "the glow" about us and how we so happily live our religion. She said she loves talking with us, so we gave her a call later and she said she there is just something we have that she doesn't so she wants to learn about our religion. So stayed tuned for next week because our lesson is tonight! (And fun back story, a few weeks ago our zone had a competition to see who could get the most phone numbers on a Pday. While Sister Anderson and I were at the grocery store we saw Mary, started talking family history, gave her number to the Great Bend sisters... and now here I am in Great Bend, teaching Mary with Sister Martinez!  Blessings!)

I'm grateful for the opportunity to be proselyting and serving at the Priesthood Restoration Site, sharing the message of the restored gospel with the people everywhere! I know, and have found especially in the past few days, that we may not always feel like we are enough, but when we step forward in faith and put forth whatever is our best, our older brother and Savior Jesus Christ is there for us to rely on. 

I'm reminded of these verses in Jacob 5:71-72, which talks about the allegory of the olive trees. "And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come.  And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights, and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things."  

Christ is beside us always, if we just put our trust in him and are exactly obedient we will see miracles come. Hurrah for Israel!!

Love,

Sister Larsen

A few random pictures from the last 2 weeks:

When you thought you'd finished seeing Emma's Garden pictures...
fall brought us potatoes and carrots which made the best stew ever (thanks to Sis. VanOrden)

That plan we had to go for a run?  Changed thanks to snow.

Halloween party!  Can you tell the sisters are Disney princesses?  
See if you can find Mulan, Cinderella, Belle, Anna, Ariel, Muana, Pocahontas,
Rapunzel, Snow White, Jasmine, Merida, and Aurora.