Soer Larsen: Part XXIII

I had some really cool stories to tell you, but I don't seem to have gotten any letters this week...weird...and so now I'm feeling deflated.

Just kidding. For you guys, I guess I could muster up some energy.

So, without further ado, my first piece of big news, this Wednesday I'm packing my bags, waving goodbye to beautiful old Versailles, and heading waaaaaaaaaaaay up north to Strombeck, Brussels, Belgium. Where I will be serving with Sister Judd (a super tall blonde, of course:)), and I'm senior companion again. In a country I don't know. I'm kind of brokenhearted about leaving Versailles and I don't really want to think about it. But my little city and our (drumroll please) 11 amis who are fast approaching baptism are safe in the hands of Sister Reeves. Yes, that's right, there's 11 of them. Because our God is a God of miracles!! Hallelujah! Anyway I think she's glad to get rid of me, dad taught me to walk too fast and I think I gave her ankle problems...

Ok, super funny story that I have been waiting all week to tell. Last Sunday afternoon Sister Reeves and I were teaching Norbert, who I've told you about. Want to know a cool tidbit about him? So he's 24, and French, and atheist, and LIVING THE LAW OF CHASTITY all on his OWN. I know!! So cool. Ok anyway so he's very science-minded and we were trying to show him how living the gospel is just like any other science experiment: you follow the directions and get the promised results, and you start the experiment in the faith that results will come. And we were trying to commit him to read the Book of Mormon. We told him that if he would read, and pray in faith, the Lord would respond, and we explained that the Lord, being the loving father that he is, would show him in a way that he would recognize. In a mocking way he grabbed the Book of Mormon from my hands, flipped it open, and pointed randomly to a verse. He said, "so, the Lord knew I was going to be talking to you today, and he knew that I would flip open to this page and pick this verse, and so that's going to be his sign to me." I was thinking, ok, go for it. He starts reading, and starts to laugh, I look over, and this is the verse he had pointed to-- 3 Ne. 21:2 "and behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign..." NO WAY. We both looked at him and he saw our excitement and started going, no no no, that was a coincidence! Sure it was, Norbert. You flipped open a 600 page book and pointed to one line and THAT was the verse. Yeah, you're right, that happens all the time. Haha! I love witnessing miracles. Anyway so we committed him to read and to get baptized once he gets his response and we're seeing him tonight so I'll let you know how that goes. 

This was just such a good week. Such a crazy good week. Which is funny, now that I'm thinking back on it, because it was also a terrible week where everything went wrong. I'm talking EVERYTHING. Appointments fell through left and right, we kept forgetting nametags and train passes and the phone, we missed trains after running like half a mile up a hill to catch them... Weeks like this build character. 

Two nights ago Sister Reeves and I locked ourselves out of the apartment went we were taking out the trash, so everything, our phone, our bags, our train passes, were inside. Luckily we don't live too far from the mission home but we had to get President up to get us a spare key. 

Oh, other good news, I told you about Martha, our less active who had a vision? Well, she started going crazy and her daughter took away her phone, told us never to contact them again, threw away all of their church-related material, and put Martha in a temporary home for mentally unstable people. Then, this Monday, Martha called us from the home! She'd been searching for our number and finally got it from another member and she wanted us to come visit. We did, and it went really well! She'd told her daughter that it wasn't the church that made her crazy and so now the daughter's going to let us come over and she's going to come to church this Sunday to check it out and see for herself. So, fingers crossed...all the missionaries are singing in church tomorrow so hopefully we don't drive her away :) 

Ok, last story and then I'm outta here. So I told you in my last email that Sister Gappmaier was here with her parents. After we finished emailing last week, they took us out to dinner (Chinese food! yay!). We were sitting there and another family came in and sat next to us, and they were the most well-behaved family I've ever seen, and they all bowed their heads and prayed together before eating. Brother Gappmaier (ok, I interrupt this story to explain this man. He's like an apostle. He has just this serene calming presence. It was weird) said, "That family needs to have the gospel." We all nodded and agreed and then I realized he was looking at me and smiling. And I thought, oh goodness. I'm the missionary here, I guess that's my job. I think he saw my nervousness and he just said, "I'll pray for you." and bowed his head right then and there. Well then I REALLY had to do it. So I got up, turned to them, and started talking and handed them a proclamation on the family. Anyway, turns out they are super nice and religious, Protestant, and from Nigeria! And therefore speak English. My favorite. Moral of the story... Pray for the missionaries! Also never be afraid to share the gospel, even during dinner at a restaurant. Maybe especially then, because who doesn't feel happy and friendly while eating Chinese food? 

Ok wrapping up. You all have a fantastic Easter! And remember the reason we celebrate it :) Also, go spread the good news! Or do your visiting teaching! (Which, ps, counts as missionary work. Because if you don't do it, then missionaries have to. Boo.) 

I love you! I had a funny dream about Chris the other night, he was being a nutball. As usual. 

Pray for me in Strombeck! I'm nervous. And excited. Mostly nervous. 

Love love love love love going on forever times infinity at the speed of light (remember when Mark used to say that all the time?)

--Soeur Mighty Mouse Levi Strauss Larsen

( I have stories about those names....) 

Samuel

This is to let you know that a member of Chelsie's ward in Versailles was featured on mormon.org.  Go to mormon.org, our people, I'm a mormon to watch the video about Samuel Babin and his family.  Just a little french culture for you. :0

P.s. make sure to read Chelsie's last letter below

Soer Larsen: Part XXII

Spring fever in France is the worst, let me tell  you. Haha, just kidding. But really. People are feeling the LOVE. And men hit on us like never before. But it's fun, we just give them the family proclamation and the elder's phone number. But it's officially spring here and it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Nowhere on earth is spring as beautiful as it is here in Versailles. There are flowers absolutely everywhere and everything is green, this morning all the missionaries went on a hike with the Shepherds, the Utahn family that had us over for Christmas, and we hiked through these beautiful woods and found some old castle ruins and it was so so fun. Guess what else? My MOM is here! Well, my other mom, Sister Gappmaier. She came back to visit with her parents and came on the hike with us and it's been so much fun to see her and hear boy stories and have the elders tease her incessantly. I missed her.

This week I was actually ordered by Sister Staheli to stay in bed and sleep unless absolutely necessary. I was mostly obedient. (Don't worry, I'm fine) So whenever we didn't have a lesson I was at the apartment. Also I just can't sleep that much without drugging myself so I got a LOT of studying done and it was SO good! I finished Jesus the Christ, I can't believe I've never read that before, that book is the best. And I read the easter story in all of the gospels. I especially love the way you see the apostles change between the time before the crucifixion and then all the stories happening in Acts. Because beforehand the Savior talks multiple times about his crucifixion and resurrection but they really just don't understand what's going on, and then when he actually dies they just go to pieces. He was everything to them, he was their Savior and their teacher and their friend, and then suddenly he's gone. But seeing him again three days later changes absolutely everything and then all throughout the book of Acts their just testifying and baptizing like crazy. The thing that changed was the absolute knowledge they had that Jesus Christ really had done everything he had said he would do, he had overcome even death. Then later nothing anyone says or does can dissuade them. It's the best. I feel like one day I'll see the Savior and I'll realize that I could've been a lot more fearless about testifying; I know I need to be. The more fearless about our testimony we are now, the more triumphant it will feel when he comes! Then we can turn to those who never knew or listened and say, "See! I told you he would come!" I can't wait for that day. One of our amis, Claudin (the atheist chain smoker) wants so badly to believe in God but just doesn't see how we can do it. She kept asking it last week over and over, "how do you believe? How can you believe in someone you can't see?" And I can't wait for her to see Him, to have Him just love her. I hope she learns how to see Him before he actually comes :) 

My favorite quote I found this week is from Spencer W. Kimball, he was talking to a man about forgiveness and the man commented about how sometimes forgiveness can seem to require a superhuman effort. President Kimball replied, " We are commanded to be supermen. Said the Lord, 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.' We are gods in embryo, and the Lord demands perfection of us." We are gods in embryo! I love it! I love the constant striving to be better! I like that amidst all that striving, we are also commanded to rejoice! It's possible to do both, I'm learning. Mostly my companion and the Spirit have been teaching me, since I have a tendency to be hard on myself... haha. It was fun teaching this to Norbert, we were talking about the kingdoms of glory and he was like, I don't think the celestial kingdom sounds like the place for me. And I said, look Norbert, do you want to be with your wife forever? And he nodded. And then I said, do you want to continue forever to learn and grow and create and be awesome? And he said yes, and I said, then the celestial kingdom is the ONLY place for you, my friend. What a great plan! Booyah. 

Other sweet quote, "In the next generation, Heavenly Father will be sending His priesthood army to the earth and wants to send them to mothers who have been properly trained and taught in the gospel. What better training can a young woman have than a mission?" --President Gordon B. Hinckley

So booyah, I'm being trained. I think it's just the sisters who need extra training who get sent on missions. Some of us just started out rougher than others, haha. 

Wow, my brain hurts from trying to be so uplifting. 

Are you all excited for Easter? Guess what! I'm giving a talk next sunday! Easter Sunday, no pressure. Wish me luck! 

Have an awesome week! 

I love you all! Mostly :) 

Peace, 

Soeur Larsen

Soer Larsen: Part XXI

Yo, yo wassup?
Like the subject? I was trying to be cool like Daryl.

HOW ARE YOU ALL???

Was this as big a week for you as it was for me? Jaime you turned 20! What the heck?! When was that allowed to happen? You're so old, you're going to pass me up one of these days. 

So yeah, that was last Saturday.... Did you guys love conference? Haha. It was broadcast to only a few chapels around France so we had a big giant party here in Versailles with all the members from Paris and everywhere. They broadcast it in the chapel in French and in the Relief Society room in english so the RS room was just full of missionaries and I just have to say that all the marriage talks, as well as the talk by Elder Cook, (which I loved, of course) were kinda funny to watch when surrounded by elders. Conference was bittersweet, as opposition abounds when we're trying to accomplish so much good, so only one of our amis ended up making it to church to watch it. She loved it though, she just sat there after the saturday afternoon session with her hand over her mouth. LOVED the choir. She's so funny though, she's 70 ish and from Madagascar and my favorite was her comment about the prophet, "oh la la, comme il a grossi, lui!" (translation: oh my, he's gotten fat!) Granted, I think the only picture we've shown her of him was about 10 years old, but still, you don't have anything else to say about him? Afterwards we were riding the bus home together and I asked her if she believed he was really a prophet of God and she looked at me funny and said, what, you don't believe? I said no no no, I believe, I just wanted to know if you did. She looked at me sternly and said, "of course he is. We don't call him a prophet unless he's a prophet." Silly me. 

Manna I feel gross. We've spent the last five hours just walking around Paris, we were supposed to meet a couple amis at Notre Dame (a bunch of english speaking, agnostic, au pairs who are super cute) and I was super excited because there is just nothing like teaching young adults, they're super open and have really good questions, and they believe your testimony and don't just tell us that we're too young to know better. But then one of them got lost on the way so we never met up. But then we walked all over the Luxembourg gardens with an ami named Norbert (doesn't that name make you happy? me too) and gave him the first lesson and it was the BEST. Because he was funny and again, young adult and therefore awesome, and atheist as of about five years ago but willing to experiment, and I just love how the story of the first vision never fails to frappe them with the spirit, even when you're just meandering through a park with about 4 thousand scantily clad french people. So it was hot and sweaty and dusty but beautiful and I got sunburned on my nose. I LOVE talking to people about the gospel. It was funny because Norbert offered to just give us a tour and tell us about all the lovely things around us because he said, it's your p-day and I'll let you take a break from doing what you do. And I said, in all honesty, nothing would fill my heart with more joy than to be able to tell these things that I feel so strongly about to someone who is actually willing to hear them. So he let us talk. And it was WONDERFUL. 

I love the people we meet, there's so many good ones and not enought time to tell about all of them. I'll just talk your ears off when I get home, k? Anyway, must be off now. Off to teach an atheist chain-smoker about life after death. Haha! The work is going wonderfully here in Versailles, we've been super blessed, and I'm excited for the weeks to come, we should have several baptisms, if faith and prayer and endless walking can bring it about. It usually works.... 

Love you all! I like all the stories about Daryl, he's the bomb. And Christian's a nut. And Mark is the bomb too. And Kari's an angel. And Jaime is 20! Don't enjoy finals too much, k? K.  And mom and dad, I love you to death, thank you for the letters and prayers! They're needed. 

The church is true!! 

Oh, I had a good quote to send you, remind me next time. Ok bye. 

Love love love love

Soeur Larsen

Soer Larsen: Part XX

I know. Are you bored of hearing from me yet? I'm bored of coming up with exciting things to write about. Haha, just kidding. Missionary life is always exciting. You may have noticed, it is not Saturday. Sorry to throw you guys off, but this Saturday we just had too many people who wanted to see us so now suddenly today is p-day. Don't worry, in my next area p-day will only be on monday. We just like to mess things up when President's around, so he can look at me weird everytime he sees me in the office to write my emails. Also I just like to keep you guys on your toes and make you feel guilty for waiting til the end of the week to write me. Except then I remember I can't make you feel guilty because you send a regular stream of snail mail letters, which are even better! So thanks for those, you guys are the best. 

Also mom and dad, President says hello and good job raising the best missionary in the France Paris Mission! Haha, just kidding. He only said the first part. But I saw the last part in his eyes.

How is everyone? Are you all excited for General Conference? I'm so excited I cry tears of joy every time I think about it. I'm mostly excited to watch our investigators see it for the first time! They're so excited! It's going to be the best. 

Have I told you about Julia and Rui? I think I've talked about them before. I love them with all my heart and soul. If we can get this family baptized my whole mission will have been worth it, even if I didn't teach a single other soul. This family is elect. Julia is from Portugal and Rui is from Cape Verde and they have 2 kids, Louis-Phillipe who is 14 and super cool, and Bruna who is 6 and super sweet and loves singing hymns with us and looking at pictures of you guys :) Julia's had a really hard life and she and Rui just got married last August and they are still so in love, she said she just prayed and prayed to find a man who would treat her right and she says the first time she saw Rui something in her head went, "he's yours, he's made for you". He's such a good man, and will do anything for his family. The night we talked about temple marriage and being together for eternity they both just lit up. And we talked to Rui about the priesthood and how he can use it to bless his family and you could just see that that's all he wants in the world. I love teaching the gospel and seeing it change families and homes, it makes me appreciate what an incredible home and family I was raised in! People dream of having families like mine, about having the assurance of being together and there for each other forever. And the gospel provides that! Anyway we met with Julia and Rui last night and it was so good, we talked about General Conference. We had a hard time getting Rui to get to church but he came last week and grudgingly admitted that he liked it, so I was praying and praying that he wouldn't balk when he saw how many hours conference was, but we talked about it and they're coming to EVERY session! I could cry, I could hug the whole world. I just love this family! I'm excited for you to meet them someday. 

What else.... this week was a good learning week :) It was one of those weeks where it was almost as if the Lord was physically leading me by the hand and I was just kind of following. I've been praying and studying to try and learn how the spirit works with me personally so I can learn to better follow promptings and have the spirit when we teach, and this week I got answers in the coolest ways. It was as if my head was just totally clear, I didn't have any question in my mind what I was supposed to do. It was cool, I wish it was always like that. 

It's such a privilege to be here on a mission and feel like the Lord takes so much time teaching me personally. He points out scriptures to me, he places thoughts in my head and hymns in my heart. He even gave me a thunderstorm this week! I LOVE thunderstorms and they don't happen often here, so I've heard. But the other day the sky just went crazy and my companion and I just sat on the porch at one of our ami's apartments and watched it all come down. Then we had to head out into it to go teach english class and I got soaked, even with an umbrella. It was fun. 

Other funny story from this week, my companion and I were walking along when this man started talking to us and he was just saying all sorts of nonsense but he was funny so we talked to him. He was telling my companion to stop being so American and start trying to speak French without an accent. He was going off about how arrogant Americans are and how they don't think they have to learn any other languages and then he points to me and was like, you need to be more like the Europeans, she doesn't have an accent, she speaks four languages perfectly (haha, I'm not sure where he got that, also I had said like ten words at that point) so I was feeling cool that apparently I seem European and don't have an American accent, but then he started picking leaves off the bush next to him and trying to get us to eat them so I'm not sure how valid his opinion is. 

Being a missionary is a party, we get funny and scary and sad and spiritual and amazing experiences packed into every single day. I had impressed on my mind this week the importance of this work and how much the Lord is there helping us out and how we really are making a difference, even if it doesn't always feel like it. There are ripples being felt all over the world, thanks to the small and simple things little missionaries like me do every day. I'm so grateful for the eternal perspective the gospel gives us, if it weren't for that I don't know how any missionary would make it for two years. 

It has also been amazing to see how really little the missionaries actually do. It's the Lord who does it all, if we can just get ourselves out of the way. 

Anyway, good stuff. Be so excited for General Conference!! I can't even get over how excited I am, to watch it with the perspective of someone who's never seen it before. The Church is true!! I can't wait to see the truth and the joy of it all just pierce my amis to their very soul, the way it has mine. It may not even happen this weekend, but someday it will, and that moment will make it all worth it. There's nothing like that feeling. 

Haha, I get to the end of these and realize I'm telling you all things you already know. I feel like such a slow learner! Or that I'm just learning everything again and it has a whole new magic to it. But you didn't know about Julia and Rui, or the leaf man, so there you go. Haha. My job is done. 

You all are the best, thank you SO much for the big family letter this week, I loved it. Daryl, you're such a genius. And Kari is a sweetheart and the best most golden sister ever, and Mark and Christian are just a hoot, and Jaime you know how I love you. And of course mom and dad :) Thank you infinitely for everything. Thanks for all the patience and work it took to get me out here. 

Love love love love, 

Soeur Larsen