Transfer Ten

G'day!

 

 

Sorry for the late letter! We only had thirty minutes to email on Monday because it was sisters p-day for all the sisters in the mission! We were running around like crazy making sure everything was organized and everyone had a ride and a place to stay for the night and wow. Just craziness. Today was sisters conference and it was wonderful! We had a lot of great trainings from various sisters, all centered on the theme "Be Loyal to the Royal Within." We talked about taking charge of your physical well-being (a la Elder Klebingat) by taking care of your flat, your physical fitness, and your eating habits. We had some other good trainings about dealing with anti-Mormon literature and overcoming feelings of inadequacy. Some interesting and maybe unconventional missionary topics, but we all left really uplifted. Least of all because it was great to see all the sisters. :)

 

 

We said goodbye to Sister Vermeulen last Tuesday! She's landed safely in South Africa, as some of the members who have talked to her on Facebook have let me know. And I got my new companion, Sister Hatch! She's from Arizona and is the bomb.com. She just came from serving in the city so we talk about the city branch all the time and all our favourite people, like Masaru. She has all these videos of him doing funny things and we just watch them and laugh.

 

 

We've started teaching this guy from Dubai named Adeel. We met him when I was with Sister Vermeulen and Sister Vakalahi still. We tracted into him and he invited us in and we had the most amazing lesson. He is so sincerely wanting to change his life and be a better person. We taught him at the chapel this week with Sister Hatch and invited him to be baptized! He said yes! We're aiming for April 25, but he works from 5am to 5pm every Sunday, so we'll see if that date works out. But he is so cool. I'm really excited to teach him, and to introduce him to Jorge. I think they will be great friends and Jorge will help him a lot to find the truth he is seeking.

 

 

On a random note, we had a crazy experience with this freaky super loud breathing noise that we heard outside our bathroom window in the middle of the night. We heard it on three separate occasions and we were super scared. Well, I was super scared. Sister Hatch is tougher than me. The third time we heard it we called the APs even though it was definitely past our bedtime and because they're the best APs ever they came and looked in our backyard. There was nothing. Then they said there's a possum that lives in the tree. So most likely it was just a possum and I freaked out for nothing. Now Elder Woodruff teases me about possums. It's fine.

 

 

And that's our adventures in Dandenong for this week. All is well in the land down under.

 

 

xo Sister Larsen

 

 

G'day g'day!

G'day g'day!

We had the wonderful privilege this week of witnesses Jorge's baptism!!! He was so prepared and so very excited to be baptized and make this covenant with Heavenly Father. Our wonderful bishop baptized and confirmed him. Jorge cried when he came up out of the water, the softie. He's been crying for the last two weeks or so because he's been feeling the Spirit a lot and been so happy to be a part of the gospel. We tease him a bit but really we're thrilled.

 

Jorge received the Aaronic priesthood yesterday, and is planning to attend the temple on Saturday to do baptisms for the dead! If all goes well, Samantha and Jancy will be coming too. It will be a blessed day.

 

Samantha and Jancy's mom, Shanti, has been so interested in the gospel. She doesn't speak much English, so after we leave Samantha and Jancy tell her everything we taught in Tamil. We saw a total miracle with their dad, who is Buddhist and doesn't really like Christians. He noticed that ever since Samantha and Jancy started coming to church, everything with their visa application has gone without a hitch. Normally it can take up to 2-3 years to get a visa here, but they got theirs in about 3 months! Their dad took that as a sign, and has since started coming to church! He even bought some nice shirts especially for church! :) We're so hoping to be able to teach them properly soon. If only I spoke Tamil!

 

I love you all!

xo Sister Larsen

 Sister Larsen with her beautiful companions from South Africa and Tonga teaching a man from Afghanistan. She is loving every minute of her mission! (Caption written by Kathy Larsen :-))

Elder Bednar and a Baptism!

Our mission had the priceless opportunity of spending three hours with Elder David A. Benar this week!! It was the most amazing learning experience! He asked us to study three of his articles beforehand, "Ask in Faith," "Converted Unto the Lord," and "Seek Learning By Faith." They were all spectacular and I learned so much from them. When we met with him I was expecting a three hour talk of amazingness and inspiration, but instead Elder Bednar chose to spend his time talking with us, not to us. He set some expectations, cracked some jokes to make everyone feel comfortable, and then asked us what we learned. Missionary after missionary answered with insights they had from studying the articles. After each insight was shared, Elder Bednar asked, "Elder, may I ask you a question?" and then would ask another question to help deepend the missionary's understanding and help him dig a little deeper and learn more. It was amazing to watch. After a few minutes of that, he asked us all, "What are you learning from the comments being shared?" And later, "What are you learning from this teaching pattern?" I honestly learned so much about teaching from his example, not from his words. He taught us about listening and discerning and understanding and loving, all by doing it himself. He showed us how agency is so important in the learning process, and how we must act in order for the Spirit to carry the message not only unto but into our hearts. He showed us how the Savior would teach by walking with us and helping us to truly understand and find answers for ourselves. It was so valuable. I want to always teach like the Savior does.

 

After our amazing afternoon with Elder Bednar, we sped off to Samantha and Jancy's baptism!! They were so beautiful in there white dresses. They were baptized by Bishop Lavaka, who is the most gentle, kind, Christlike man. There was such a special spirit during their baptisms and confirmations, and especially when they shared their testimonies with us. There bore testimony of the Savior, of the Book of Mormon, and of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was so amazing to hear them bear testimony of the things that the Spirit has witnessed to them are true. Samantha and Jancy were so filled with joy after their baptism, and are even more excited for their next step: going to the temple! <3

 

I love this work! I know it is the Lord's work. I have felt His hand so tangibly in my life. I have felt Him lift me and strengthen me and give me power and peace beyond my own. I love Him with all my heart! It is my greatest desire to be with Him again once my work here on earth is finished. And I'm taking everyone I can with me. :)

xo Sister Larsen

"I am a disciple of Jesus Christ"

We read about the prophets being persecuted. We know that they were cast out and stoned and killed for what they preached to the people. We admire the early saints for their resilience in the face of the adversary. But it isn't until we stand up on the wall and cry repentance ourselves that we can begin to understand the kind of faith we need to have to resist the arrows of the adversary.

 

The people of Dandenong threw me some interesting arrows this week. Person after person used the same one. I would tell them about how the truth was lost and brought back through a prophet named Joseph Smith, and how the proof of that is in a book called the Book of Mormon. They all told me, "That's not true." I've had people say they don't believe it, or people question the message of the restoration, but never have I had people tell me outright, "That's not true." And then this week, person after person after person, angrily told me that I have it wrong, that my convictions are false, that I have been deceived. People have told me to go away and cursed me in unkown languages and offered to sit down with me and tell me the "truth" because I am confused and what I believe won't get me to heaven. They told me I should be afraid of hellfire. I told them they cannot tell me what I know and do not know. I shook their hands and walked away.

 

But what they don't know is that what they are reviling against is the way, the truth, and the life. They don't know that they are following in the footsteps of many before them in rejecting the fruit of the tree of life and feeling their way towards the great and spacious building. It doesn't matter that they reject me; I'm just a 20 year old who still has a lot to learn. But it does matter that they reject the message that I have been sent to deliver. "For behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life." His word is the truth. His word is the way to everlasting life. That truth and that way does not change with the opinions of men. They can deny the truth all they want, but that does not change universal, eternal truth.

And though men rebel against it, I know with a surety that the truth is on the earth again. I know that I have been called to share it with the world. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the way. And I come to cry repentance. Let men say what they will. I will just be grateful that they no longer use stones.

We Are All Laborers in His Vineyard

G'day friends and family! (And a special hello to my friends from the Melbourne 2nd Branch! I just realized I had your emails so I could send you a weekly hello. I hope this gets through to all of you. :) )

 

This week has been so incredible in so many ways! We had the privilege of having a visit from Elder Pearson of the Seventy. He did a few zone conferences around the mission as well as a special mission leadership council session. It's really an amazing opportunity to hear directly from one of the Lord's ordained servants as to how we can better our mission and ourselves. He talked a lot about change and forgetting ourselves so that we can be fully devoted disciples of Jesus Christ. A notable catchphrase of the meeting: "Things that don't change stay the same." Or in other words, if we never make the effort to change and better ourselves, then we will always be the same person we have always been, and we will always get the same results that we have always gotten. It seems like such a simple and obvious principle, but I am constantly surprised by how often I need to relearn it.

 

Since then I have been striving focus completely on the Lord and be as in tune with the Spirit as possible. I certainly have a long way to go and it seems like every time I think I'm good at something I find something else that I need to work on, but hey, eternal progression wouldn't be eternal if there weren't always something more to work on.

 

We have been able to see so many miracles this week.On that I'd like to share was with a lady named Selena. We had been going through the records of some former investigators and found a couple that we wanted to try to contact again, but their address only had a street name, not a house number. So we decided to do what missionaries do best and knock on all the doors on that street to try to find them. We parked and walked up to the closest house. As we were approaching the door, I had a feeling that this house was going to be a good one. An Aussie lady in a tank top and long shorts answered and said, "Hey guys! How are you?" We were a bit taken aback; the typical response from Aussies is certainly not that friendly. We introduced ourselves and she invited us in. She told us about how she had had missionaries over every now and then before, but that she and her partner were Christian and not looking to change. She knew that missionaries do a good job and she likes to have them around. As we talked with her more, she told us that she and her partner had had a fight earlier that day and that she was having a hard time, but that every time she struggled, the elders showed up. And now she was struggling and here we were! She started to cry and we shared with her Helaman 5:12 and asked her to replace "my sons" with her own name. We talked about how families founded on the rock of Jesus Christ will be strong through whatever storms Satan throws at us. Selena was so grateful. She knew that verse was just for her. We offered to bring her a copy of the Book of Mormon later that week and she gladly accepted. A couple days later we stopped by with a nice new Book of Mormon for her with Helaman 5:12 highlighted. She said she was expecting people over in a few minutes, but asked if we could arrange another time that we could come by and have a proper chat! Sister Vermeulen and I were thrilled! We set up a time to meet and she said she would try to get some reading done before then. I know it's not an accident that we met her, and that we met her now when she is prepared and ready to hear about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I can't wait to teach her and her family!

 

I know that the Lord prepares people to hear the gospel and He prepares His servants to be able to share it. His hand is so evident in this work!! I simply cannot deny that this is the Lord's vineyard and that He is laboring alongside us. There is so much value in aligning completely with the Lord and consecrating everything to Him, and then letting Him take care of everything else. He is infinitely wiser and more powerful that we are, and sometimes I think we forget that. I hope we never forget just how much He loves us, too. What better Person to hand everything over to than Him who loves us with an infinite and eternal love?

 

I love you all so much! I know Heavenly Father does too.

 

xoxox Sister Larsen

 

Helaman 5:12

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

 

 

G'Day

G'day g'day!

 

This week I think I learned a bit about what it may have been like to be a prophet in Bible times who was ridiculed and rejected (though I haven't been stoned or thrown into prison, so that's a plus). It seemed like everyone we talked to just wanted to tell us how wrong we were about everything, whether it was our belief that Jesus is the Christ or the fact that we observe Sunday as the Sabbath. But whatever people threw at us, it was a neat opportunity to defend my faith in Christ.

I learned a lot from other people about:

• how the Sabbath day was originally Saturday but was changed to Sunday. True, but less important that the observance of the Sabbath itself.
• how there are six universes all stacked inside each other, each one unimaginably larger than the next. Also how vast, poetic, intimidating doctrine doesn't always indicate truth.
• how the scriptures can prove a point, but only when used in a spirit of love.
• how testifying of the Father and the Son and their infinite love for us is infinitely more powerful than contending and quibbling over poins of doctrine.

The moments I felt the Spirit the strongest this week was when we were able to testify of truth with the love of Christ. We taught a man named Mohammed who is Muslim by birth and also, after much research into other religions, Muslim by choice. We sat on the floor of his living room and he asked us questions about our belief in God and why we need Jesus Christ to be our Savior. We were able to teach simply of the necessity of a Redeemer, and the great love of God that led Him to sacrifice His Only Begotten Son for the welfare of all of His children. We taught of the condescension of God, and how the Savior descended below them all so that He could lift us up with Him. We testified how He knows and understands us because He has actually been where we have been. He experienced mortality so He could save us from it. While we testified, Mohammed listened. He didn't argue, he didn't try to counter with points from his docrtine, but he listened with a humble heart. The Spirit of contention was completely absent, so the Spirit of Christ could be completely present.
I learned a lot this week about humility and listening to the Spirit, and the power that a pure testimony of Christ can have. I know that He lives and that we are truly about His work! It is a privilege to serve him, however imperfect and incapable I may be.


xo Sister Larsen

Greetings from Dandenong

G'day g'day!

 

Greetings from Dandenong!! My new area is about half an hour away from the city, close to the Dandenong mountains! My new companion, Sister Vermeulen, is from South Africa and she is the coolest. We're doubling in to an area that some elders left about a transfer and a half ago, and we're starting pretty much from scratch. We've done a lot of tracting, street contacting, and tracking down former investigators to find some people to teach. We've had pretty good success so far! The Lord is definitely lending us a hand.

 

The ward here is amazing and so supportive! We've called heaps of random people from the ward list and asked if we can come introduce ourselves, and everyone has been so welcoming! There haven't been sisters in this area for ages so the ward is pretty excited to see us, which is definitely encouraging. :)

 

We've been doing heaps of GQing at the Dandenong Plaza, and one day we ran into some other sisters... nuns, that is. :) They've spent the last 50 years living and serving in Paupa New Guinea. They were so great!

 

Dandenong is nearly as multicultural as the city, which is thrilling! We've met heaps of Sri Lankans, Cambodians, Sudanese, and the occasional Malaysian and Vietnamese and Chinese. And they say America is the mixing bowl!

 

Love you all!!

xo Sister Larsen