The Jazzy Miracle

Dear friends and family,

What a crazy weekend we had with Labor Day here! We had a ton of people come to the site which was awesome!! Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday were back-to-back tour days... You take a tour, walk back in to another group ready to go, grab a drink if you can and walk back out the doors again. I LOVED it! It's crazy to think that this weekend could very well have been our last "crazy" time before things really die down for the winter.

Picture shared by guests below

Note from Alicia:  This couple is in Sis. Larsen's
Gramps' ward in Utah -- he serves as her Gramps' Bishop.
A few of the many visitors over Labor Day Weekend.

On Sunday we had a couple Primary teachers out of town, so I was asked to be charge of singing time. Usually we have 3 kids in Primary, a 10-year-old and 2 little Sunbeams (3-year-olds). Labor Day weekend we had 23 kids in Primary!!!... We ran out of little chairs.  :)  But we had a blast and I loved leading singing time. I love how the gospel is so simple a 8-year-old can understand it, and a lot of what we learn is through song. One of my all time favorite Primary songs is "A Child's Prayer".  "Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer ev’ry child’s prayer?..."  On Friday earlier in the week I had this song stuck in my head all morning.

With all the hustle and bustle later that Friday afternoon there was a woman who came into the site for a tour with some of her friends. I noticed she had a difficult time walking so I offered her the jazzy (our motorized wheelchair), which she quickly accepted! Her group began their tour, waiting by the front statues while I ran out to the shed to get the jazzy. When I got there, I took off the cover, unplugged the charging cord, hopped right onto the seat and put in the key to go. When the little screen lit up the battery showed it had just 1 of 6 bars. I turned around and saw that the charging cord had not been connected to the outlet in the wall. The jazzy had been sitting there in the shed for days, unplugged, left with hardly any battery to run on.

I didn't know what to do. I knew this woman needed the jazzy if she was going to take a tour. I knew there was no way she would be able to walk it all, and there was also no way any of the elderly people she came with would be able to push her in a regular wheelchair. I didn't know how far the jazzy would be able to go until it died, and I didn't know long it would take to charge. And I also knew there were people at the site who in minutes would be ready to go on a tour and I would be needed, so I couldn't take all day trying to decide what to do.  Amongst all these little thoughts running through my mind, one came strong and clear, "Say a prayer." So right then and there I folded my arms and said a quick prayer that somehow Heavenly Father would help me and that this woman would get the experience she needed and had come for. Like the primary song I had been singing all day, I knew Heavenly Father was listening and had faith he would answer. When I opened my eyes and looked down at the jazzy's screen again I could hardly believe it... all six bars on the battery were full. I didn't know how my prayer would be answered, but it was in an amazing way!

I drove the jazzy over to the woman where she and her group were waiting and sent them off on their tour, and said a gratitude prayer for this miracle that had just happened!! Later I happened to be in the building when she came to return the key and she thanked me for letting her use the jazzy and told me that it ran perfectly.

This little experience may seem small, but it definitely strengthened and solidified my testimony that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. We need to pray because He is there and speak because He is listening. It doesn't matter whether we are praying for a little jazzy to work, to know which job to take, or to even know that we are a child of God, He wants to hear from us and help us. And when we receive promptings from the Holy Ghost, we need to act on them without hesitation and miracles can happen!

Seek out your own daily miracles! Hurrah for Israel!

Love,
Sister Larsen

Also this week:

"Speaking of Primary, our (few) cute Primary kids wrote all of the 
PRS missionaries little notes!  I love being in Primary with them!"

"We found frozen yogurt!!  It's been over a year since I had fro yo and it was so good!!"

Happy 1st Birthday Priesthood Restoration Site!!!

Dear friends and family,

Exactly 1 year ago today (August 29th) the Priesthood Restoration Site opened for tours!!!  

Happy Birthday, PRS!!

It has been so weird thinking about what we were all doing in the few days leading up to the opening of the site... It feels like yesterday all of us were standing outside the building, ready to start our three days of on-site training, not knowing each other or what was to come and the excitement of being trusted to open this brand new historic visitor center. We've all grown, grown together, and closer to Christ throughout the past year.

Something we've been doing since the site opened is singing together as sisters, which has added so much to my mission experience. Sister Walker and I have been working hard at getting music together for our upcoming fall concert, which will be called, "Come Unto Christ." We wanted to do a duet together like we have in the past, but couldn't find anything we really liked, so we decided to write music ourselves! Sister Walker had a piano solo for "Beautiful Savior," and we wrote a violin part to it. It is fun being able to work together on something we both love, but even better to be sharing our testimony of Christ through music. Although our song is instrumental, I love the message the lyrics this little Primary song shares too:

Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer the moonlight
And all the stars in heav’n above;
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
And brings to all the world his love.

Fair are the meadows,
Fairer the woodlands,
Robed in the flowers of blooming spring;
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer.
He makes the sorrowing spirit sing.

Beautiful Savior!
Lord of the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Thee will I honor, praise, and give glory,
Give praise and glory evermore!
Evermore!

I remember in our days of training a year ago we talked about our role as visitor center sisters being no different than any other proselyting missionary in that our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ. At the site we always like to begin our tours at a statue, the bust of Jesus Christ. 

  

It is a reminder to us and our guests that everything we talk about comes back to Jesus Christ. All that was restored, revealed and translated here in what was once Harmony, Pennsylvania helps us strengthen our relationship and testimony of Him. The Book of Mormon, revelations in modern day and the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchezidek Priesthood all help us to know Christ more, and become more like Him as we use and learn from these gifts we've been given.

Waxing the statues

Feeling like a pro climbing on scaffolding

With Sis. Walker and our freshly waxed statues

Even though school has started and we aren't getting as many visitors and families, we are still getting guests fairly steadily coming in because of the Philadelphia Temple Open House. It has been so neat to meet so many wonderful people and couples who grew up in this part of the country coming back here to see the new temple and site. I love hearing of others converting experiences, whether it be through meeting with missionaries or discovering different pieces of testimony throughout their lives. Something that unifies everyone and their individual experiences is Jesus Christ because this is His restored church on the earth, and He is at the head of it. When we are actively exercising our faith in His restored gospel, our confidence in Him and his teachings will grow the most.

I know that I have a loving Savior who knows me perfectly. He set the perfect example for the way we should live our lives, and wants us to do our best to become like Him so that we can live with Him and our Heavenly Father again. There is a Mormon message for youth I recently rediscovered that I really love. It talks all about Christ and the attributes he possesses. (Here's a link if you like to watch: https://www.lds.org/youth/video/christlike-attributes?lang=eng) We can become like Jesus Christ as we learn, study and act on his teachings, and how grateful I am to be living at a time when all of the truths we need to do this have been restored.

"Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am." -3 Nephi 27:27

Love,
Sister Larsen

So fun to see the Wettsteins!

This Week in Sunny Susquehanna

Dear friends and family,

Another beautiful week here in Susquehanna, and I was able to meet more amazing people! That's something I absolutely love about being here, is hearing so many people's stories and how the restored gospel has blessed them. I realize just how amazing Heavenly Father's plan is for each and every one of us.

On Thursday we had our district meeting and we were talking about how the Bible and Book of Mormon complete each other and work together to testify of Jesus Christ. After district meeting Sister Walker and I went to make confirmation calls for people who request a Book of Mormon or Bible through mormon.org. I called a very sweet lady in Florida who had requested a copy of the Bible, and confirmed that we had the correct contact information to pass along to her local missionaries so they could deliver her Bible. I asked her if she would also like a copy of the Book of Mormon, and she said she’d never heard of it before. I explained that it is another book of ancient scripture we study from that testifies of Jesus Christ just like the Bible, and it also help clarify and add to the teachings we find in the Bible. She said that she wanted a copy because there were certain things in the Bible she doesn't quite understand and another book of scripture to help her further deepen her already existing faith is what she would love. So within just a few days missionaries will be meeting with her and sharing a Bible as well as the Book of Mormon with her.

Sister Walker and I went on a tour with a husband and wife, and the wife's mother. The husband had had 2 strokes in the past year leaving him with the right side of his body paralyzed and very limited speech. The wife currently has cancer and is going through cancer treatments. And the wife's elderly mother was a World War II nurse, so she was a tough little lady, and has terrible arthritis, and she is also not a member.  The wife was so cute and happy and jokingly said, "Yeah, we're quite the trio!" This couple has been taking her mother to church and visitor centers for years, and the mother has missionaries over for dinner regularly, she just hasn't committed to becoming a member. But the couple knows she will develop her own testimony and have the desire to be baptized someday, but in the meantime they continue to bear testimony and give her experiences that will help her feel the Spirit. They keep in mind an eternal perspective, knowing this life is just a small piece of the picture, and trusting that their Heavenly Father will help them with their struggles and desires to do good.

There was another tour I took this week with a man from Italy and his family. As I told the story of Emma's childhood experience with prayer, and how she prayed that her father's heart would be open to religion, he had tears in his eyes. He said that like Emma he would attend church with his mother and siblings, but his father didn't want anything to do with the Mormon religion. When he was a little boy he was caught praying aloud by his father, and he had been praying specifically that his father would come to church with their family. He told his dad that the things he was saying were the things of his heart. After that, his father began to be softened towards their activity in the church. A few years later, his father was among the first to be baptized in Italy and has been a faithful member ever since.

The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is for all people, all over the world living in any circumstance. Many are prepared or are being prepared to receive it right now! I love a promise given in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, "As you [act on the gospel of Jesus Christ], the Lord will make much more out of your life than you can by yourself. He will increase your opportunities, expand your vision, and strengthen you.  He will give you the help you need to meet your trials and challenges. You will gain a stronger testimony and find true joy as you come to know your Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, and feel Their love for you.” Look unto Christ, act on His teachings, and blessings will come!

Love,
Sister Larsen

Pics from this week:

Emma's garden continues to grow!

Playing with our garden food...

Tell me this little guy isn't just the cutest!?!

Racing Elder VanOrden on the Jazzy (we won!)

Happy little guy who gets to hop on sacred ground!

    

Meet the Mormons

Dear friends and family,

This week has been a great start to a new transfer with Sister Walker! 

At our house... the "Hobbit House".  It's missionary legend here in the PPM.
Missionaries have been living here since the beginning of time,
and the house seems like it's been around that long too haha :)

...hence the nickname.  Ceilings throughout are low enough for a hobbit!
I'm 5'2 (and a half), so how Elders ever lived in this house I have no idea!!

Everyone calls us the "Musical Duo," since she is our amazing pianist and I play violin. So among the tours and online teaching center, we are happily planning, writing parts and practicing for our next concert in October. She is a wonderful companion!

This week we were able to watch the new "Meet the Mormon" segments the church has released exclusively to visitor centers. There is "The Artist," which is on DVD, but "The Horseman" and "The Entertainers" are completely new and amazing! They tell such inspiring stories and motivate you to want to be better. (If you have the opportunity, go to a visitor center and make a family home evening out of it!)

This week we were able to take a very neat woman, LaJean Carruth, on a tour. Sister Carruth is the woman who wove the cloth the gold plates (replica of course) are wrapped up in on the translation table in the Smith home. She was explaining how intricate the historic pattern is and how difficult. She had spent 60 hours weaving on her loom and had less than one inch of fabric to show for her work because of the difficulties and all kinds of bumps in the road she seemed to hit. But she had the strong impression that the work she was doing was sacred and if she gave it her best and her all everything would work out, so she continued to try. And after just 50 hours later she had several feet of fabric woven for the gold plate covering. Sometimes we struggle, but with patience and a little bit of effort on our part, we can reach righteous and worthy goals. In the new Meet the Mormons segment, "The Horseman," (which is definitely one of my very favorites!) the man quotes a rodeo cowboy who said, "If you're not winning, you're learning." And it is so true! Heavenly Father won't let us fail, but he does let us learn. The stumbling blocks we come across in life are all part of the journey.

Me, Sis. Martinez, and our little Peruvian friends

I've also been going on lots of Spanish tours with Sister Martinez in the past week which has been super fun! Can I speak Spanish? Barely. Luckily I can pick out what our Spanish speakers are saying because I know the key points we talk about in each room, and there's only so much they could be talking about. Sister Martinez usually does the talking and I keep the little kids occupied by pointing out "un pato y las manzanas" in the pantry and other exciting things to look at :) I was walking to the homes with a little boy who was telling me all about how Jesus loves children, so I asked if Jesus loved him and said, "of course he does!" I loved how he responded doubting absolutely nothing, but confidently knowing that he was a child of God, and he was loved. There is another Meet the Mormons segment called "The Entertainers," which is all about 4 Japanese siblings who are a famous pop music group. While one of the brothers is serving a mission, they make a recording of "I Am a Child of God." It is one of those truths that is so simple, yet incredibly powerful! Elder Hallstrom, in his most recent conference address said this about being children of God, "This doctrine is so basic, so oft stated, and so instinctively simple that it can seem to be ordinary, when in reality it is among the most extraordinary knowledge we can obtain."

Being at a visitor center, I've been able to meet so many people, and so many amazing members! I love getting to know them and hear of their experiences and testimonies. I get to meet people from all walks of life and what I share with all of them is the same. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone! The message of living prophets, a loving Heavenly Father and Savior, the Book of Mormon, and priesthood authority once again restored to the earth is for everyone. That knowledge is what helps us to improve and become better, and how grateful I am for it!

Love,
Sister Larsen

This is the surprise we walked into the other day.  We have the sweetest branch ever!
They found out about our birthdays after the fact, so they decided to celebrate all
of our birthdays together! 

Note from Alicia - the only mention of a milestone this week:
"Has it seriously been a year already?"

Stories of Faith

Dear friends and family,

It's the end of another transfer and this has been my last week with Sister Francis as my companion. I'm so glad I've been able to serve the last three transfers with her. She's incredible! We've had some wonderful experiences with amazing people!

Final selfie with Sis. Francis

Sister Francis, Sister Walker, the Elders, and I got to take two wonderful men on a tour, Brother Higginson and Brother Klopfer from Salt Lake. They are part of the music board of the church, dealing particularly with musical instrument selection, which was super cool! They shared with us amazing stories about their lives and loved ones, experiences that have helped shape them into who they are.

Brother Higginson told us a story of when he was a young father. He and his wife had a small apartment in the basement of their home they were trying to rent out. One day a very rough, tattooed, disheveled man carrying nothing but an army bag knocked on their door. He told Brother Higginson that he had nothing, but was looking for a small place to rent and asked if he could rent out his space.Brother Higginson was hesitant to allow the man to stay, especially with his young children at home, but decided to take the man to the basement to show him the space. As the man looked around, Brother Higginson felt a very clear impression to rent his basement to this man. Against what he thought was his "better judgment," he rented out the apartment to him. Nine years later, Brother Higginson and his family watched this man as he entered into the waters of baptism where he could have a clean start to his life.

Brother Klopfer is originally from Germany. His father was called to be the mission president of the East German Mission during World War II. While serving as mission president he was drafted into the war--serving as a soldier and mission president at the same time. As a soldier, Brother Klopfer's father was captured and placed into a concentration hospital where he was left to starve to death. The church has since recognized this mission president and father as a martyr for the church. After hearing of his father's death, Brother Klopfer's mother wanted to leave for America with her two young sons, Brother Klopfer and his younger brother who was 12 ½.  She decided they needed to split up to cross the border out of East Germany at two different locations. She sent 14-year-old Brother Klopfer alone on a bicycle to cross. He has absolutely no recollection of how he did it or what happened, which his mother told him was truly a blessing from our Heavenly Father. Brother Klopfer's mother and younger brother decided to ride in the car of the new mission president who had permission to cross the border. He told them that when they got to the border guards would surround them and floodlights would be shined on the vehicle, but he left them a promise through the priesthood which he held that if they remained as still and quiet as they could, the guards would not see them. And that's exactly what happened. At the border the floodlights shined right in their faces as they sat in the back seat and the guards looked in but did not see them and allowed the new president to cross. The family found each other on the other side of the border and made their way safely to America. Later Brother Klopfer was part of the hymn selection committee for the last revision of the LDS hymn book in 1985. He and his wife wrote the hymn "Home Can Be a Heaven on Earth."

These men both shared incredible stories of faith--putting their faith in the Lord in times of hardship and decision, trusting that He would guide, help and heal them. Faith in Christ and His Atonement is an active thing! Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ all things can be made right. Everything bad, good and in-between! We just have to keep trusting and relying on Him. Through Him we can have fresh starts and return to live in our Heavenly Father's presence like Brother Klopfer's hymn, "Father, help us find the way, leading to our home in heaven, where we want to stay."

Love,
Sister Larsen

Other fun happenings this week:

Sis. Roesch!!!  (former companion in Philly 4th Ward)  Or Sydney? :) 
She made a surprise visit to the site with her family who came for the Philly Temple Open House

Check out "Emma's Garden"!  Only in PA can you plant a garden in July and have it look this good!

I LOVE to See the Temple (and apostles who come to visit!)

Dear friends and family,

What a week of spiritual highlights!!!! I can't even begin to write everything down, there are so many neat things that happened this week. All I know is that Heavenly Father has been showering me with blessings, almost as much has He has been making it rain around here :)

Playing for Elder Dallin H. and Sis. Kristen Oaks

Best day ever shared with, and thanks to, the Walkers!!

On Friday Sister Francis and I got to go to Philadelphia with Elder and Sister Walker for the temple open house. Once we figured out what we were going to be doing and went outside to look around, Sister Francis and I saw Sister Gomm and her new companions walking down the street!!

Reunited with FAVORITES!!  Oh happy heart!
Sister Robison and Sister Gomm (with Sis. Francis and I)

We talked and caught up for a minute and I turned around and Sister Robison was coming our direction too!!! I felt like my heart was about to overflow! I'm so lucky that we were able to run into them, and take tours with them, especially since they both go home in a week. There was no better place to see my sisters for the last time for a while!

We took some senior citizens in wheelchairs through the temple open house on a VIP tour, and because there were so many of them, we got to go through twice! The Philly temple is so, so beautiful. It is colonial looking inside, and everything is muted red, blue, green, and gold.  (Pictures available here:  http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/open-house-begins-philadelphia-pennsylvania-temple)   In the baptistry the mural walls are of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery baptizing each other in the Susquehanna River (and done by the same artist who did our pieces at the site), which was so fun for all of us from the PRS to see! The celestial room is amazing, with a huge chandelier much like Gilbert's. We walked through all of the rooms occasionally stopping as Elder or Sister Coons (our Area Seventy) explained what the room was used for, but we were able to stop for a couple of minutes and sit in the Celestial Room. The spirit was there and I know there were several who felt of that peace as we were there because of a little Q&A we were able to do in one of the sealing rooms which is actually on the top floor. I know that this temple will be the start to a lot of miracles here in the PPM because people were asking great questions and continued to comment on the peace they felt. One woman who was very touched asked a question that made every missionary in the room just beam ear to ear, "So how do you become a member of this church?" :) There are so many prepared people who have gone and will go through the open house. I'm so excited to hear about all of the miracles that come of it!

After the temple we and the Walkers went to Reading Terminal Market for Elder and Sister Walker's first taste of an actual Philly Cheesesteak (which they really liked!), and we got Amish donuts which were absolutely divine!!

Note to Dad:  This beats all chocolate donuts you've ever eaten!

Then the almost-4 hour drive back home, chatting all the way. They are seriously the best site directors we could have ever, ever asked for!!!

We came back to the site, but the spiritual experiences kept on happening!! Sister Francis and I met former General Young Men's President, Brother Charles Dalqhuist, and took Elder Clay, an Area Seventy, and his family and all his little grandkids on a tour of the site after Elder Clay spoke in our sacrament meeting. Elder Clay's grandkids all had so many cute questions and were a ton of fun!

We also got a call early in the week that Elder Dallin H. Oaks and his wife would be coming to visit while they were on vacation here in the east. His flight was delayed yesterday, and the rained slowed things down, but he and his wife, Kristin, made it here safe and sound last night to watch the film, and we were able to sing a few numbers for them. Talk about intimidating! Playing violin for an apostle, but also the apostle who raised Jenny Oaks Baker!?! (For those who don’t know who she is, she is a Grammy-nominated violinist who is amazingly talented.) But something I've noticed with all of the general authorities who have come through is they have this feeling about them, it's kind of like a great calm feeling. You just feel it when they are in the room with you--it just fills the whole space, I don't really know how to describe how strong the spirit is, you just know it's there!

The PRS Sisters with Elder and Sister Oaks

Elder Oaks reading his favorite Book of Mormon scripture
in the Smith home.  2 Nephi 2:2

With all of the PRS missionaries

But Elder and Sister Oaks are the most darling couple I have ever seen!! Sister Oaks is so sweet and real, and Elder Oaks' shoulders shake up and down when he laughs! They did our VC training meeting this morning and talked about a couple of things, but something I loved was when he talked to us about our calls, that there was absolutely nothing "random" about us all being here together at this time. He said there are 10 of the 12 who assign missionaries their calls, so technically speaking it's likely he assigned at least one of us here to this mission and historic site. He said there is absolutely nothing random about it, and we all need to know that we were called by servants of the Lord to labor where Heavenly Father needed us. As missionaries we hear that, but how often does an apostle tell you something like that face to face?!

I know that we are children of a Heavenly Father who loves us all so deeply he provides each of us with opportunities and experiences that help us remember how aware He is of each of us. We can feel that love and recognition as we go to the holy temple and feel of the spirit there, or listen to the words of living prophets and apostles who are so incredibly close to Him. How grateful I am for this gospel! Hurrah for Israel!

Love, Sister Larsen

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