January 26th- Super Sick but it's okay, still a great week!

This has been the most wonderful week ever! Well kind of. I'm not super sick, but I guess it's time to admit that there really is something wrong with my body. We just spent 5 hours at the hospital doing some tests. The paper work took longer than the actual tests but all I can say is, I never want to go back there. It's hard for me to admit that there's a problem because it's not something that really keeps me from being able to go out and work...it just makes it very difficult to work. There were a few days this week that we came home, planned, and I went right to sleep, in my proselyting clothes and everything. My body is just not cooperating with my heart. I'm dizzy, have fevers on and off, and headaches. Aint no thang. It's no secret that I'm nearing the end of my mission, and I just want to run! I have learned the lessons in Preach My Gospel, I know Tagalog well, and I just want to give my very best and forget the rest. But my body is holding me back right now. Hopefully these tests will help us figure out what we need to do so that I can sprint to the finish line. Just pray for me, okay? :)

This week we've had a lot of disappointments. It's amazing, but no matter how many times people say they're going to do something we, as missionaries, usually believe them. Maybe it's the hope and faith that we are working on developing. But over and over people commit to do something...and then don't. I thought I would get to the point where I would have a hard time believing people when they said that they were going to do something; But, no, I still believe them. And it still hurts when they don't do what they say they're going to do.  Those are the thoughts that overwhelmed me as we sat in church and our investigators, once again, didn't show up. Then we started the sacrament. We sang "fill our hearts with sweet forgiving, teach us tolerance and love" and I began to think about my Heavenly Father who loves me no matter what and forgives me no matter how many times I don't do what I say I'm going to do. I thought about how He would never get frustrated with me. I really am trying to be like Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. It's a process and I love those moments when I get a little glimpse of our Father's love for us. That's what I'm going to work on this week, really feeling true charity for those around me (even if they don't do what they say they're going to do). Because that's what Jesus did.

I love being a missionary, and I love having a companion that loves being a missionary. I love that I'm not just going to be a missionary for 18 months, but for FOREVER! 

Sister Larson

January 19th-Busy Day!

I'm sorry i had to finish too many reports and change things over for the new year i don't have time to finish a beautiful letter for you, but here's a part of my letter to president Clark...

Since you and Sister Clark introduced the Real Growth theme for the year I have felt that it is exactly what I need. I love getting to dig deeper into the Atonement. There is still so much that I don't understand, but I know that the Atonement is real and there is a real power that comes from that sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Sister Davis and I have had many beautiful conversations about the Atonement and the reality of the love our Savior has for us. She has a deep and powerful testimony and is truly converted to the gospel. She is a fantastic missionary with so many gifts and talents. Sometimes Satan is too good at blinding us and not letting us see what Heavenly Father sees in us. But as we have been able to study about the love the Savior and His great sacrifice for us, it has helped us see and have mpre faith in God's perfect plan. 

I love being a missionary, President Clark. I really love it. 

...

and I know that I will always be a full-time representative of Jesus Christ no matter where I am, no matter if I have a black name tag or not. I love my Savior and I live for Him. 

Sister Larson

January 11-A great and funny week

Hello! How is things? Things over here are still great. Everyone thinks that Sister Davis and I are sisters..even though we look nothing alike. It's a Filipino thing, if you are white, you're all the same in their eyes. But it makes us happy. This week was great. and funny. A lot of little funny things happened this week. Like a goat following us up and down the street. And when we were teaching Roger about the Law of Chastity and I said, "Our ____ need to always be clean" while pointing to my mouth and Rayu (that little boy I told you about on skype) screaming "TEETH!" Yes, Rayu teeth...and also our words. :) And just a bunch of other little things. It's been a fun time. 

Lemme tell you a story...

A few months ago one of our less-active members that we were teaching asked us to help put together a funeral service for one of his employees. We talked to the Bishopric about it and they felt that this would be a great opportunity to help. So we, along with the elders in our ward, and the 1st Counselor held a little funeral service for a young couple whose 4 month old baby had passed away. We really, really wanted to teach that couple about the Plan of Salvation, but they didn't live in our area.  But then a few months ago they moved to our area! But...we didn't go into the neighborhood where they lived because it was so far away from the church. Then at the beginning of December they moved right into our focus area! So of course, we started teaching them. The husband is somewhat alcoholic, but the wife is so golden. She doesn't even know it! She helped clean the church on Saturday (even though there was only one other relief society sister there helping) and then went to visit her mom about 3 hours away. She didn't think she would be able to come to church but to our great surprise she came! Then after church she tried to pay tithing. We had to explain to her that she's not a member and tithing isn't yet applicable for her so we helped her pay a "fast offering" instead. We asked her if she had fasted, but she said not yet. (She's planning on fasting on the day she has her interview for baptism.) It wasn't until later that night when we stopped by her house that we figured out where that money came from. She doesn't have a job. She told us that her husband had given her money to go buy some things at the market. She came back with only handkerchiefs for him. Her husband asked where the alcohol was, she replied there wasn't any. We have a pretty good idea where that 20 pesos for her "tithing" came from. :)

I love being a missionary! 

Sister Larson

us at MLC(mission leadership council)

us with pres clark

do you see what liezel's shirt says!? :) I told her my nickname was bacon and then she started calling me Sister Bacon. Hope that doesn't stick!  

Adorlena's Baptism

January 4, 2015- Another Wonderful Week and Happy New Year!!

Happy New Years! I think I spent my New Years a lot like Dad. Sick. But it was a different kind of sick than I have been. I don't know if that should be reassuring mom, but I just feel like ..."she turned me into a newt! But you don't look like a newt. I got better!" Name that movie. :) Sister Davis and I were both sick. Maybe it was something that we ate. She got better a lot faster than me. Which I was grateful for because she took care of me..again. I call her Doctor Davis. With a British accent of course. It was like food poisoning mixed with a cold/flu so.. that was fun. Now I'm almost 100% better...just that I have a little cold. Maybe it's because of the weather? I know it's hard to believe, but it's gotten a little chilly here on my tropical island. It's actually like perfect weather right now. I'm loving it. 

This week Sister Adorlena was baptized! She had to have an interview with President Clark and it was really cool to be able to be a part of it. Sister Davis and I were the "translators" but she did pretty well with English. Anyways, I learned a lot. I felt the Spirit testify that repentance is real and that our Heavenly Father understands that we make mistakes, sometimes big ones. But that's why He prepared a way. He sent His son Jesus Christ so that when we make those mistakes we have a way to repent and be clean. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that the Atonement is real and that power that comes from true repentance is real. I know that Sister Adorlena felt that power. 

Her baptism was so awesome. A lot of the ward members were there, despite a last minute time change, and some of our ward missionaries even came. She was so happy. My favorite part was seeing her son there with her in the baptismal font as he called her by name and baptized her by the priesthood authority that he holds. It was powerful. There is a corny quote that I heard before I became a missionary. It says,  "a missionary is someone who leaves her family for 1 year and a half so that other families can be together forever"  I really feel that I saw that this week. Sister Adorlena will be with her family forever and that makes leaving my family worth it.  Her 13 year old daughter bore her testimony in sacrament meeting yesterday about how she was so happy and couldn't hardly wait to be sealed to her mom and her father, who passed away, in the temple in a year. I know this gospel is true and that the priesthood is real and that in a year that family will really be sealed together for eternity. 

I love you all!! 

Sister Larson

Sick Sisters!!