Transfers

Dear Family and Friends,

This past week has been long but very exciting as well! Norman is a great area and I can already tell it's going to be a blast serving here. My new companion, Elder Vincent, is from Hawaii and he is a boss missionary!

Monday night we visited Laura and Ruby and I said goodbye to Bradley and Shyanne. I found out last night that they are getting married TODAY! And they are planning on being baptized this coming Saturday! Couldn't be more excited for them!! :)

Tuesday I got all my stuff packed up and said goodbye to Carl, Bessie, Laura, Ruby, Bishop, and others.

Wednesday we had transfers which was a blast as always :) It didn't take very long to get to my new area, Norman is like 20 minutes south of Mission HQ. The Norman 2nd Ward where I am serving is one of the geographically smallest wards in the mission. And it's split into two areas, the north area (where I serve) and the south area (which has a set of sister missionaries). We have a car that we share with the sisters but we don't have too many miles so we do a lot of biking. My first day we biked around a lot and were able to talk to a bunch of people which was awesome!

Thursday we did a lot of planning and organizing in the morning. In the afternoon we were able to teach a lesson to one of the investigators here. His name is J.D. and he is pretty cool. The struggle will be getting him to church because he works on Sundays. In the evening we visited a family who just got baptized last Saturday. They are so cool and I'm excited to be able to work with them :)

Friday was my 9 month mark which was really weird. Time flies when you're having fun :) Since the Norman zone is one of the smallest in the mission, all the missionaries in the zone go do sports every Friday morning at 6 at the church. So I'm pretty stoked for that :) District meeting was good and we found lots of potentials in the afternoon. At 5 we had a member come out with us so we decided to go visit a media referral we received early that day on the far side of our area. When we showed up to deliver the requested items, the guy said that he told the missionaries on temple square to send missionaries to him Friday at 5. We were shocked because we had no idea that he requested a specific time, the referral we received didn't say anything about it. So that was a pretty cool miracle even though he was just leaving with his daughters to go to softball practice. We're excited to be able to meet with them this next week :) 

Saturday we did about 7 miles of biking in the heat of the afternoon which was tiring but also fun! In the morning we were riding through a neighborhood and we accidentally missed a lady sitting in her front yard smoking because we saw her too late and were riding too fast. As we were heading back the other way after trying some other people, I felt prompted to ride back the same way we came in case the lady was still in her yard. She was and we were able to have a really good conversation with her and she accepted a Book of Mormon! #Miracle In the evening we had a lesson with an investigator named Rome. He came to church on Sunday and is looking for help with his smoking and drinking problems. Later we fixed a flat on one of the sisters bikes. After that we visited a single sister who just had her daughter baptized. We were able to dedicate her apartment and give her a blessing which was cool.

Sunday we had ward council at 7:30 and church at 9 so it was an early morning. It was weird being back in a regular church building with a regular ward. There were so many people I didn't know so I've got lots of names to learn. In the afternoon and evening we had members come out with us but we weren't able to teach any lessons unfortunately. Although we were able to help a member bury their dead cat which was older than I was so that was interesting ;)

The past couple of days have been absolutely exhausting with all the things I've had to do and with all of the changes and adjusting but when we rely upon the Lord, he blesses us with the strength we need. One of my all-time favorite quotes is by President Eyring. He says,

"We are to learn our duty from the Lord, and then we are to act in all diligence, never being lazy or slothful. The pattern is simple but not easy to follow. We are so easily distracted. Studying the daily news can appear more interesting than the priesthood lesson manual. Sitting down to rest can be more attractive than making appointments to visit those who need our priesthood service.
When I find myself drawn away from my priesthood duties by other interests and when my body begs for rest, I give to myself this rallying cry: “Remember Him.” The Lord is our perfect example of diligence in priesthood service. He is our captain. He called us. He goes before us. He chose us to follow Him and to bring others with us."

Let us all fulfill our callings and act in all diligence. With regards to home and visiting teaching, being a missionary has taught me how important it is. I see firsthand almost every day what happens when people don't do their home and visiting teaching. When we serve those around us we are able to experience the joy that comes from following the example of Jesus Christ.

Anyways, I hope yall have a wonderful week! 

Love, Elder Larsen

Helamen 5:30

P.S. My new address is

1850 W. Robinson Apt. C

Norman, OK 73069

1. Elder Vincent and I at transfers

2. Sister Leavitt and I at transfers

3. The golf course right next to our apartment

4. View from our balcony

Laura and Ruby get Baptized!!

Dear Family and Friends,

This past week has been absolutely fantastic! We got transfer doctrine last night and I am being transferred to the Norman 2nd Ward! I'm super sad to leave Clinton though, I love this little town and it will always have a special place in my heart.

Monday night we had dinner and a lesson with Bradley and Shyanne. We talked with them about all the blessings that come from baptism and reminded them of the revelation they received to get married on April 18th. They said they were praying about it a lot and they were still not quite sure when they were going to be married. But when we visited them again later in the week they said they were probably going to get married this Friday and then do the baptism on Saturday! So excited for them!

Tuesday my bike got a flat tire (Only 2 flats in 6 months!). We visited Bessie again. She totally knows that the gospel is true but is still resisting baptism which is really frustrating and sad. Hopefully someday she'll come around. In the evening we went with Bishop to help Laura's friend Maria with some of her tree trimming which was fun :) Afterwards we tried some of our potentials. The very last one we tried told us that they were busy and we could come back later. So we started walking away but when we were almost around the corner they opened the door and told us they would give us a few minutes. So we were able to share a quick video and talk a lot about the Book of Mormon which was awesome!

Wednesday we were able to have a lesson with a new investigator we found a little while back. She is the sister in law of a less-active Spanish member. We also had a lesson with Maria, Laura, and Ruby and went to the church to do some family history with Carl :)

Thursday we went and visited one of our newer investigators. We taught her the plan of salvation and she is a lot more committed to her baptism now :) We also found lots of solid potential investigators and finalized the programs and stuff for Laura and Ruby's baptism.

Friday we had a bunch of appointments set up but they all fell through. In the evening we went to Cordell for dinner and a lesson with Karie and Beth which was super awesome :)

Saturday was the baptism of Laura and Ruby!! Me and Elder Quinones street contacted Laura back in December and it's been so cool to see how the gospel has changed their lives. The baptism went smoothly and lots of people showed up. I was able to baptize Laura in Spanish which was really cool, I've never done an ordinance in another language before :) A simply wonderful day :)

Sunday Laura and Ruby were confirmed by the Spanish group leader and Bishop. They were definitely the most spiritual confirmations I've ever been apart of. One of the coolest experiences I've had on my mission thus far :) After lunch we went on splits in Clinton. We were able to teach a few people and found some potentials in the rain which was good.

Serving in Clinton, Oklahoma has been an amazing experience. At times it was definitely a refiners fire but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. I love the people here so much and I will be forever grateful for the tender mercies and baptisms I've been able to experience :) I feel just like Ammon in Alma 26:11-12, 

"But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.
Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

Anyways, I hope y'all have a wonderful week. Thank you so much for all of your love and support!

Love, Elder Larsen

Helamen 3:35

1. Me and Bessie

2. Us at the baptism

3. Me and my new haircut (Do you like it Emily? ;))

Baptism of Beth!!

Dear Family and Friends,

This past week was absolutely fantastic! I love being a missionary and being able to witness the miracle of people changing their lives to follow Jesus Christ!

Tuesday we went over the baptismal interview questions with Laura and Ruby which went well. We read the Book of Mormon with an investigator and visited Bradley and Shyanne in the evening.

Wednesday morning we visited Carl and found out that he got some pills from his doctor so that he doesn't think he has to drink coffee anymore. It's a really weird dilemma because he thinks that he has to drink coffee in order to be healthy. But he's not drinking it anymore so that's good. Hopefully he can receive the Priesthood next Sunday since he's living the Word of Wisdom now. In the afternoon we found a new investigator named Jose while tracting which was awesome! We had the baptismal interviews for Laura, Ruby, and Beth, and they all went well :)

Thursday we helped a less-active fix the brakes on his bike. We visited Bessie and retaught her the Restoration which was really helpful. We think her understanding gap is in the fact that she probably thinks she can get to the celestial kingdom without joining Christ's church. So we'll see if we can get that point across somehow. 

Friday we were planning on going to Cordell for a lesson and a dinner with Beth and Karie but they had to cancel on us because they had to go to the city for the day. But the member who was giving us a ride to Cordell offered to take us to dinner and go teaching which was awesome!

Saturday morning we had the baptism of Beth. Everything went really smoothly and Beth said she had a really good spiritual time :) It was my first time actually baptizing someone but I wasn't that nervous because of all the baptisms for the dead I did before I came out on my mission.

Sunday Elder Knight confirmed Beth and we had a really cool fast and testimony meeting :) In the afternoon we ended up doing some tracting. One guy came to the door and said, "Can't talk right now, I'm watching the Masters." I had no idea it was the Masters and would've preferred to have gone the whole day without knowing because it definitely distracted my thoughts for the rest of the day. Anyways, we started walking to the next house and this guy walks outside with a bucket of golf balls and a golf club. He sets them down on the grass, sees us, and walks back inside. I started laughing because it made me really miss playing golf ;) In the evening we had a Stake General Priesthood Meeting that was broadcast to our Church building in Clinton which was really good :)

Laura and Ruby will be baptized this Saturday! We had to push it back a week because the hispanic family in Weatherford was out of town this past weekend. So we're pretty excited for that :) Bradley and Shyanne are still doing really well but they're thinking of pushing their baptism/marriage back to May so hopefully that doesn't end up happening. 

This week I've been studying a lot about prayer and I really love the Bible Dictionary entry on prayer. It says, "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings." Prayer is one of the most basic acts of faith but yet it is one of the most powerful. Through diligent thoughtful prayer we can be sure that we are on the right path. We can continuously develop a stronger relationship with our father in Heaven and remember our divine identity. One of my favorite quotes from this last conference in by Elder Hallstrom. "When difficult things occur in our lives, what is our immediate response? Is it confusion or doubt or spiritual withdrawal? Is it a blow to our faith? Do we blame God or others for our circumstances? Or is our first response to remember who we are—that we are children of a loving God? Is that coupled with an absolute trust that He allows some earthly suffering because He knows it will bless us, like a refiner’s fire, to become like Him and to gain our eternal inheritance?" 

Anyways, things are going great in Clinton and I couldn't be happier! Hope y'all have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder Larsen

Alma 57:21

1. Elder Knight, Beth, Magdelyn (Her granddaughter), and Me before the baptism

2. Elder Whetten, Elder Knight, Karie, Beth, Me, and Elder Burt

3. The awesome taco truck trailer thing we went to for lunch!

General Conference!

Dear Family and Friends,

This past week was pretty busy with Zone Conference and General Conference, and we're pumped for this coming week!

Monday night we had a lesson with Laura and Ruby. Ruby told us that she is excited for baptism now which is super exciting! We taught them about obeying and honoring the law of the land which was interesting because Laura strongly dislikes the government and our english to spanish translation was creating some confusion as well. But towards the end we were finally able to clearly communicate the principle which was good :)

Tuesday we had zone conference in the city for most of the day which was fun and very instructive. In the evening we ended up going to the church to help set up for a funeral and then afterwards we visited Carl. He's doing a lot better and the only thing holding him back from receiving the priesthood is coffee but he's meeting with his doctor today in order to find an alternative :)

Wednesday was pretty slow. We went to a funeral in the afternoon for a less-active member who lived out by Elk City. I knew him pretty well because we helped him move his daughter to her new home my first week in Clinton. I also visited him in his house a couple of times on exchanges. It was sad to see him go but he lived in a lot of pain and is now at rest. After the funeral we had our last official lesson with Bessie. She has decided not to be baptized. But it was still a really cool and spiritual lesson, one of the best I've had on my mission. Many tears were shed on both sides and I hope and pray that someday she will come to the waters of baptism so that she can receive the full blessings of the gospel and priesthood into her life. In the evening we visited Laura and Ruby and planned out their baptismal service.

Thursday was awesome! We taught one of our new investigators the plan of salvation and set a baptismal date with her! After that we had another lesson with Laura's friend Maria. We read 1 Nephi 1 and she is now a lot more committed and interested in reading and praying more about the Book of Mormon. In the evening we had a member come out teaching with us. Earlier in the day when we were doing weekly planning we felt prompted to change our nightly plans and go visit one of our media referrals who we have had a hard time contacting. So we went there with the member and they invited us in. We were able to teach the whole family the restoration and they seem pretty interested and open :) They were asking some really good questions and so we will see what ends up happening with them.

Friday afternoon was pretty slow. In the evening we visited Bradley and Shyanne and taught them more about the priesthood. After the lesson, Bradley gave us a ride down to Cordell so we could teach Beth. We had a 2 hour lesson in which we covered most of lesson 4, went over the baptismal interview questions, and planned out the baptismal service. Bradley was a super solid member present even though he's not technically a member yet :)

Saturday we were at the church all day watching conference with the other missionaries. The one family who did come to the church made us lunch in between the morning and afternoon sessions which was really nice of them :) Before the priesthood session we had a chili dinner with all the men in the ward, which included a Jalepeno eating contest. So much fun!

Sunday evening we visited Carl and made the programs for Laura, Ruby, and Beth's baptisms :)

Yesterday we went to the city for a zone pday and standard training meeting which was a blast as usual! :) (Hence why I'm finishing emailing on a Tuesday)

So if everything goes as planned, Beth, Laura, and Ruby will all be baptized this Saturday!! So excited for them :)

General Conference was super awesome (as always) and one of my favorite talks was the one by Bonnie L. Oscarson. As missionaries, it's pretty easy to know the gospel. We spend hours studying and teaching it every day. But when we face opposition we're forced to ask ourselves, "I know it but do I really believe it?" Strengthening our conviction, conversion, faith, and testimony is a daily process. We are never safe from opposition until our trial here on Earth is complete. We must choose everyday to believe the gospel and to draw nearer to Christ because if we aren't drawing nearer, we falling farther and farther away (2 Nephi 28:30). This gospel is so true and I don't know what I would do without the fruits of it in my life :)

Well I've got to get going now but I hope y'all have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder Larsen

2 Nephi 31:19-20

P.S. We have transfers on April 20 (and I'll probably be leaving Clinton) so if you're going to send me mail, make sure it gets here before that date. The mission office address is

416 SW 79th St Ste 210
Oklahoma City, OK 73139