Hello everyone!
Okay. This has been like the most incredible week of my life. We were excited all week that Elder Bednar was going to come on Saturday morning and speak to us... but to be honest I wasn't just jumping out of my seat. I was excited... but not like crazy (like some other people haha.) I had been to meetings before with apostles and knew it would be edifying... but I had the most incredible experience. I felt the spirit like I never had before. I would love to share with all of you all of the things that I've learned this week--in the meeting, and since then as I have tried implementing those things into my life and the lives of my investigators--but I can't even begin to explain. I can't give you all that experience. But I can just bear my testimony that I know that Elder Bednar has been called to be an apostle, that this church is the church of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ is the head of this church. I learned so much about faith--that it's a principle of action. And so much about the Holy Ghost. It was so cool to be in such a small group talking to him. I was able to stand up and tell him about how easy it is sometimes to feel like we are not directed by the spirit as we go throughout our days doing everything we have learned. And he helped me to realize that a lot of times we are prompted by the spirit... but most of the time we don't recognize it. But as we have enough faith to act, we then will later be able to see the evidence that we were directed by the spirit as we see the fruit of our actions--which increases our faith, helping us to act again. It's just a big cycle. After we had a big discussion on faith and being guided by the spirit he opened it up to questions. It was indescribable the spirit that was there as he answered questions from "What is a priesthood key" to "You were in the room when Thomas S. Monson was ordained as a prophet--what can you tell us about your experience?" to "What can I do to better understand the temple endowment?" It was so cool. He told us a little bit about his upcoming conference talk and it got me super excited for general conference in TWO WEEKS! haha. I'm just hoping that I won't be in the visitors' center too much and will be able to watch most of it.
So I feel like my life has completely changed since the meeting we had with Elder Bednar. And it was exactly what I needed. It helped me to realize that I'm doing okay here. It was awesome for me to be able to feel at such peace in that meeting. I'm at such a good place. I still have SO much to improve and so many things that I want to learn, here on my mission and just in general for the rest of my life. I finally feel like I know who I am as a missionary. I still don't always know what my investigators need or what I need to do, but I am not afraid to talk, or afraid of doing something wrong. I'm doing everything I know how to to have the spirit and help our investigators. And I trust that God will help me with the rest because that's all I can do.
We have had an incredible week and have seen so many miracles. All day Saturday and Sunday we were trying to implement the things that we learned into our everyday teaching. On Sunday night we had a lesson with Jesus. He's 19 years old and we've been meeting with him for like 3 weeks. And he's come to church every week. Everything we are teaching him is really new for him, but he has taken such an interest in the book and see it changing his life. Well when we came for the lesson on Sunday his cousin was over visiting, and we invited him to come and join us. And that was a miracle. Because it completely changed the dynamics of the lesson to where Jesus began to teach his cousin everything that he has learned with us. It was the coolest lesson I have ever been in. And it was exactly one of this things Elder Bednar taught us--helping our investigators have those experiences for themselves. I know he felt the spirit when he was teaching his cousin everything he's learned, and it was SO cool for us to be able to hear his excitement about the book of mormon. His cousin lives in our area too and we are excited to go back and teach him again.
It's also been really cool to be in the visitors' center since we have had that meeting and just see how I can implement the things I learned there as well. It's not just about finding new people to teach, but about stregthening members. And I love being able to ask members "What do you think you can learn about this painting? How has this movie helped you to think about the scriptures in a different way?" I don't know what I'm going to do when I am a normal person and can't do that in the same way anymore!
We're starting to see our investigators start progressing and it's exciting. I love working with Sister Sordes and feel like I have so much to learn from her and am just so excited that we have had this time together. It's so insane to me that transfer news will come this saturday!! It's not possible!!! I feel like sister sordes and I will stay together just because we have so much left to learn from each other, and also because I've still never had the experience of being with a companion for only a transfer, but it happens a lot and I wouldn't be super suprised if one of us leaves. Who knows. But I'm up for anything. I was thinking last night how desvestated I would be to leave this area and our investigators that I finally started to progress and understand! But I know that the Lord always does things for a reason.
Also I will hit my nine months this Friday! It's hard to believe. I hope that everyone is doing really well. I love you all!
Love,
Sister Larson