"...going strong..."

Dearest family and friends,

 

The work in Melbourne is going strong!! We have seen bounteous miracles this week!

 

This week alone, six people came to the branch and asked us to teach them. That's right, six people found us. One of them, Bhadra, is a man from Nepal who was GQ-ed a few months ago by a missionary who has since gone home. He met with the elders once but was too busy to come back. He has more time now so he just came to the branch and wandered around for a few minutes until I talked to him. He wants to learn more about the gospel and about baptism!! He has been studying the Bible for months now and has a great background knowledge. He even asked us about how he can be baptized!! We've taught him about the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation, and he asks a lot of great questions. He has such an honest desire to learn. He won't agree to a specific date to be baptized yet, but he says he knows it's something he wants in the future. Another, Santiago, is from Colombia and studies English at the school that's above the branch. He came in because he knew there was a church on the first floor and he wanted somewhere to pray! We talked with him about the Book of Mormon and he said he has a good feeling with us. So fingers crossed that both of them will see the blessings of the gospel and keep wanting to come back!

Our biggest miracle though has been our friends from Iran. When I first arrived in the city, we had a special English class for Iranians and quite a few men would come. They kind of stopped coming after a while and it died down. A couple of them had stayed interested in the church and two of them have been baptized, which is such a huge miracle. But this week, four of them (four!!) came into the branch and asked us to teach them about Jesus Christ! Only one of them had been to the church before, but he had told his housemates about church and they were interested to know more! They talked about how they want a new life and they want to know God's commandments so they can follow him! We've had some wonderful lessons with them about the life of Jesus Christ and His atonement. They have such a desire to change. It's absolutely amazing. Two of them came to the baptism of another Iranian yesterday. The Spirit was so strong there. These men are so humble and willing to learn and it is such a privilege to know them.


I love you all!!


xoxo Sister Larsen