CON FE

Reasons Why Serving a Mission is the BOMB

1. Members around the world are amazingly strong. I don´t want to say it feels like they appreciate it more than people home, but for many people here it is literally the ONLY THING THEY HAVE. their faith in Christ.

2. When someone walks up to you and says, ´´I am going to die if you have a change this week´´ (Chances that I will leave are likely this next monday)

3. When you lay in your bed and are able to sleep within 5 min. because you are so tired from working hard.

4. When you can be your complete self even in a different culture or language

5. Experiences like this happen: Your pastor of an investigar asks you if you have the priesthood. We explain that we have a different gift. I pulled a Jake Larsen from the baby blessing ´´We have the power to create something inside of us´´ We all start laughing super hard and then the pastor points at me and goes. ´´Oh Hermana Larsen I am never going to be able to forget you´´.  This made everything that is hard about the mission feel like it isn´t that big of a deal.  

6. Everyday I am reminded to teach, love, and serve more like Jesus Christ. What better thing could i be doing right now.

This week i am reminded of everyone has their own agency to choose for themselves. We had a great lesson with the PASTOR and he told us that he wanted 15 more days. We went through everything that he has felt and he said I know that the book or mormon is true. I know that joseph smith was a prophet called of god. I then asked him why he knows these things and he said because when he reads he feels peace. I shared the scripture that the fruits of the spirit are peace love ...etc. and then i asked him, what more could you ask for? What more of an answer do you want? He thought and goes you have a good point. we told him we would wait for him Saturday in the font. It was strange the whole day preparing for something we didnt know but i truly felt that he knew the answer. just needed a little pressure. well....he didnt show up. haha My comp. didnt really want to go visit him in the night, but i truly felt we needed to talk to him. When we went he said, I know for sure now. I am now asking you if i can be baptized thisnext week. Can you do it this next saturday? He wants to feel completely free of his past religion and went to tell his congregation. the pastor chose the date 24 of January and I am so excited to see this day. More than the acutal baptism, i am so thankful to have been here and truly feel that i needed to be in my area for him.  about a month ago we were just walking down the street. I stopped and got out some thigs from my backpack and a man told me that it is dangerous to leave things on the sidewalk cause someone might pick it up. I said thanks so much, that is nice of you to care for some strangers. I began talking to him, he wanted to buy us some chicken, my comp was scared out of her mind, but i set a day where we could talk. Now look at where we are only a month later. He has a testimony of the restored gospel. WAHOOO!! Pray for The Pastor for this saturday!!

I love you all, thanks for the prayers. It is hard but when I think of everyone praying for me it ain´t so bad haha 

Things i have done to keep me happy

Taught the following phrases to my comp in English

1. Why is it so hard president

2. You have no chill

Happy Half Birthday to Me!

You know what it is?????!! January 12th. Just hit 5 months. wut? Cuttin right to the chase.........basically the family that we gave the christmas too that has hardy anything has some new guests in their house. Her daughter and her family. so now there are 6 kids and 2 adults in 2 beds and not much space. The daughter is pregnant her spouse is in jail, and she hadnt been eating cause she didnt have enough money. We are trying to figure out if she can be baptized because the problem is she isnt married to her spouse, but he is going to be in jail for the next 20 years.  We have been visiting her alot and they just need a lot of support. Their mom is a rockstar and so faithful, i sat next to her during church and she was paying tithing. Their faith is what is helping them. 

Another heavy, is one of the recent converts has had a hard time again. We went to visit him, and he wasnt there but we were talking to his family and thought we would share a scripture and leave with a prayer anyway. At the end of the prayer the daughter broke down and then every member of the family spilled their sorrows.

Missionary work is hard because the people you teach unload problems on you and then we carry them. I am emotionally tired everyday, but everyones prayers keeps me going. At least they feel more relieved for a while about their struggles. I am learning so much of the Atonement every single day.

the pastor. #prayfor  He may or may not be baptized this week. He came to church and even cleaned the chapel the day before-ROCKSTAR. He told me ´´I think you have something different for me´´ Super true. 

Things with the comp were really picking up at the beginning of the week. I felt like we were on the same page, she shared with me her desire to be more obedient and to be better and that i was helping her. We were truly on fire and happy laughing.  Then saturday and yesterday it was like we were back to square one. All i can do is keep going. 

Love you all,  I am off to another hike. called. wait for it. SOGAY hahahahahahah 

your fav.. latina

Hna. Larsen

FELIZ AÑO NUEVO a todos

Hey hey hey. 

New year. New me. jk. same old me commin atcha from AREQUIPA PERU! Miracle of the week: It rained for the first time in about a year and this morning there is snow on MISTI!! unfortunately it is still about 78 degrees....haha JEALOUS of all the skiers and all that are playing with some real snow! 

Imma be brief today cause SO OUT OF TIME ALREADY! 

 THE PASTOR  This guy is more than a pastor in his church he is equal to our prophet for his christian orginization and.....he is awesome. One of the coolest lessons i have had so far in my mission.  The first lesson was good but when we were preparing for the second lesson we both said if he isnt going to change or something we need to spend our time doing something else. I felt the spirit so strong guiding me during our lesson and know it was because i had studied and prayed extra hard to have the support of the lord with me for tito. I asked him what he wouold do if he came to knowing that LDS churhc is true and he sat and thought and said. ¨¨I would ask forgiveness from the Lord and change my ways´´ I further asked him if he would be baptized when he comes to know that the book of mormon was true and promised he could know by a certain day and he said, Do you know how much I have to lose with this decision. In this new year I know the lord is preparing me for something better´´ I shared my experience of leaving for the mission and said i left a good life doing good things for something better and he said that he would be baptized if he got his answer. The next time we came, he told us he had a dream that the prophet joseph smith came to him and he woke up feeling a beating in his heart that he couldnt describe. pause. (I dont know what it is with peruvians and dreams but EVERYONE and their dogs are having them these days)  He then went off on how the book of mormon and bible are super similar and honestly i could tell you a million things that he said and tat i said but the coolest thing ever is that I truly felt the gift of tongues and after our lesson we cooked with him and his mom ROCO RELLENO! yummers. and then after we taught again cause he was really thinking it through and said i am going to have to find a new job and everything. He is really willing to change, just has fear of losing everything. I told him to read the story in alma 22 whwere the king said he would give up his whole kingodm to know the truth. He is awesome and i told him that I knew he felt the spirit when I asked him to be baptized and he goes, you felt that too?? AGHHH i love when they recognize it. 

The pastor is the only person we got going for us. 

I LOVE TEACHING. sometimes it is hard when i know my comp doesnt want to do it, but i know that is what we are called to do and by golly i am gonna do it! 

HAPPY NEW YEARS, we were in our rooms by 9 and woke up at 12 to the fireworks and went out to the street to watch them for a bit.  NEW YEARS we got an email saying that we would wake up new years day and start it off right. READING THE WHOLE BOOK OF MORMON. it was super hard focusing for more than 9 hours but i loved feeling edified and that i needed to share certain stories or scriptures for certain people, and read some scriptures that i needed to hear. I will send this page that is the Book of Mormon in 90 days that we are asking everyone to read. I encourage every single one of you to do it. it is not hard cause they are verses and chapters specifically super easy, not long. just a little erry day. 

30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

 31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us.

I needed to read this scripture. the fruits of this labor arent little, seeds are planted erry day. now go read this wonderful book yall.   

Luh u all wish you the worlds best week. Hit the gym for all of you who set the goal to lose your winter coat! haha 

ciau!

xoxo hna larsen