Week # 27

Hey everybody!! 

I hope everyone is doing really well! Hard to believe July is coming to an end. School here in Mesa, Arizona, begins August 7th (SO early)   So it's already back to school in the stores and the kids are starting to get ready for it. Every July the Maricopa North Stake has a "My Relief Society Closet Exchange" activity right before school starts. The whole stake goes through their closets and donates things they don't wear that are still in good condition. The relief society goes through them to make sure they are still good, sorts them, and a month later they set up the cultural center like a store where everything is sorted in sizes, genders, etc. Well it was this past Saturday morning! We had a couple investigators that went, so we went too! And I found a couple of things for myself that I actually quite like. I wore this white button up shirt with black polka dots yesterday. I wish I had taken a picture for everyone to see because it's super cute... and was free! haha those are the best huh?? 

This morning Hermana Falcon and I went across to the East side of Mesa because there is a member that cuts all the sister missionaries hair! And I was definitely in need of a hair cut (hadn't done it since the MTC... eek!) It feels fresh and nice.

Last night we had a Spanish Mission President's Fireside. The beginning of this month President came out with a new rule that you absolutely cannot go unless you have an investigator there. The rule used to be that you can't go unless you have an investigator OR you have a part in the program. But in the past there were WAY too many missionaries there because they would have big musical numbers. With this new rule it really had us focused on making sure we had investigators there... and it helped everyone do the same. It was awesome. We had five investigators there, and the chapel was FILLED with nonmembers. There were a decent number of missionaries there, but because all of them had investigators there, they were focused on them and there was weren't  packs of missionaries being loud and irreverent. So it was really awesome. I sang in a quartet, Joseph Smith's first prayer to the tune of Come Thou Font. It was also fun because there were some members from my last area there that I got to say "Hi" to.

Saturday afternoon we were working in the Visitors' Center. We were assigned to the art exhibit so I was in there talking to some guests when Sister Falcon came in and said, grab your camera and come to the front greet!!! So I did! I saw my first reallll dust storm. Apparently they are called huboobs. At first the wind was just picking up, and then it started getting kind of dusty out there. Everyone came in from outside, and congregated in the front where the huge glass windows are. It was actually really cool to be there and be able to have a cool view of the storm (maybe not the safest thing now that I think about it... haha). Then everything just turned brown. For like 20 minutes. I got some cool pictures and hopefully I can figure out how to email them today--it's been way too long since I've sent pictures! It was a fun experience though because everyone is always talking about the huboob from last Summer! 

Earlier last week we were trying to contact some former investigators in hopes of have new people to teach. We knocked on the door of a house in search of a Maria. But a different lady answered the door. She looked pretty hard. Lots of piercings, lots of tattoos. We asked her how long she had been living there, and asked if we could send missionaries to talk to her. She told us that she was actually a member. And is looking to go back to church, but is afraid and doesn't know exactly how to go back. It was so amazing to see how God works. I know we went there for a reason. We didn't find Maria, but we found Stephanie, who is a daughter of God. God works in many different ways. 

We had a lot of disappointments in our area this week. It's really easy to get frustrated and ask what we're doing wrong and why things aren't working out. Of course there are always things that we can improve on, and we're working on it. But people have their agency. And we're here to invite them to follow Jesus Christ, make changes in their life, and make covenants with our Heavenly Father. If they reject us, it's heartbreaking, but we still are doing what we are supposed to. And God is blessing us in different ways. We received two referrals this week for people that are really prepared. So we are excited to begin teaching them.

I love you all and am so grateful for all the support and prayers. My testimony is growing each day. I know Jesus Christ lives and that he loves each and everyone of us. Life isn't easy, but we each have incredible potential. Never lose sight of the end goal. 

Love y'all (can't start losing my roots now can I? :] ),

Hermana Larson 

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Week #26

Hey Family,

 

I feel like maybe I've gotten into a little bit of a routine in this area, and that I haven't had a ton to tell you in all of my letters.... but don't worry. We had some really.. interesting things happen this week. No worries. Haha.

 

Well this week has had it's up and downs... as always right? We were supposed to be having 4 baptisms this coming Saturday. As of right now it looks like we will only be having 2 of them. But we are just fasting and praying that those two will happen. One was supposed to be Ruperto, but he wasn't able to make it to church this past Sunday and so he needs to wait one more week. (In this mission we have a requirement that investigators have to attend church three times before baptism). But he will be ready next week. The other was a family. There are three of them that were going to be baptized together. They have been coming to church very regularly together and so when they didn't come this past Sunday we were really concerned. Apparently there are a lot of family issues that we didn't know about.   Hermana Falcon and I are heartbroken for the family.   We're going to be working with the family a lot this week and hopefully they will be baptized this coming Saturday; To be able to make this covenant with God and show him that they are relying on him through this hard time. 

We have an investigator, Juana, the wife of a recent convert in the branch that is doing so well. She's really starting to open up to us and I can feel the trust that she has in us growing. She's starting to read on her own and has been to church the past two weeks. We are really excited about her and know that she can be ready to be baptized in the month of August. When we first began to teach her her husband was pretty impatient and just had such an urgency that she accept the gospel. But as he has began to pray for her, we have seen his patience grow and I can see that their relationship is better. So it's been an awesome week with her.

 

We went to go visit one of our investigators at his house. He's not a progressing investigator or anything--we've only met with him like one time. He's like 30ish... and lives with a 50 year old women that he is not related to. It's kind of a weird situation. They are just friends? I don't know. It was in Spanish and I didn't understand completely. Well we went back to visit him and a different guy answered the door. He was pretty young  (like 20s). We asked to see Carlos. And the guy that answered the door was like he's not here... he's in jail--for hitting my mom. The lady that Carlos had been living with was sitting on the couch... and you could tell she had been beat up. We didn't even know what to say. We were just like wow... we're so sorry. Can we help you with anything. He said no... and we left. Eek. The crazy things missionaries see... right?

We got a new ward mission leader this week and we are SO stoked. He is like the best member missionary ever and helps us out so much. So we are so excited that he will now have the authority and everything to really help us out.

 

I'm doing really well. It was a weird week weather-wise. It was raining dreary for a couple of days. Which is not normal... but everyone keeps telling me that it is normal because it is monsoon season? Who knew. Well I'll take it over the heat any day!

 

Well I love you all--have a good week!!!

 

Love, Holly

 

 

Week #25

Hey Everybody!!

Well... I got transfer news last night! President has decided to try giving transfer news out a little differently. On Saturday night (or Sunday for our zone!) you find out if you are getting transferred or not, but you don't find out where or with who until Tuesday night. (Transfers are on Wednesday morning!) He has decided to do that because he wants to cut down on gossip and other people giving you preconceived notions about your new companion or your new area. He just doesn't want people talking bad about other people. Which I totally understand. But I don't have to worry about any of that this transfer because Sister Falcon and I are going to be staying together in Mesa Grade. I'm really excited to be staying with Sister Falcon for another transfer. I was getting worried that we would be split up and was like oh no! I have so much left to learn from her!! We have a lot of investigators that are progressing and are almost ready, so I'm glad that we are both able to stay in Mesa Grande to help get these people to baptism! We really have so many that are so close. We had eight people at church yesterday and our members are so good at sitting with them and making them feel welcome. The branch is so tiny that practically every member was with an investigator! haha.

 

This transfer we have two new sisters coming into the Visitors' Center. One is from Mexico and one from Utah! Tomorrow we are going to pick up Hermana Aquino (the one from Mexico) and she will get to spend the first night in the mission with us! It gives us a little variety in all that goes on so we are excited! haha.

 

Something that we have really been lacking the past transfer is referrals! We had only gotten one our entire first 5 weeks together. In my last area we got referrals almost daily whether from members, or from the English Elders in our area. I don't know what it is with this area... but we never get referrals. So we have been focusing a lot on what we need to do and need to change to get more referrals. We decided that we need to start including it in all of our prayers. How can we expect particular blessing from God if we are not specifically asking for them. That's something that I am learning here on the mission--you need to be specific with God. If you ask a specific question, you will get a specific answer. But if you just ask God to bless you... I think that is a little less effective :] It's something we have had to stress a lot with investigators... pray specifically to know that the Book of Mormon is true. Because they always just say oh yeah... I pray all the time! That's good... but you have to pray specifically to have an answer. And I think that is the same thing with us in our lives. We need to pray for specific blessings. And if we are praying in each of our prayers for this thing, that means it is on our minds more often and God knows where our desires are.

 

On Saturday night we went to a members house, The Hernanadez, to watch the Testaments with some of our investigators, The Baez Family. It was a really fun night. Sister Falcon and I brought popcorn and drinks and The entire Baez Family came (there are six of them so it can be really difficult to have lessons with all of them!) But they all came and I could see how their dispositions and attitudes changed from the beginning of the movie to the end. They are progressing... but very slowly. But we are working with them and their testimonies. The Father has been having a hard with gaining a testimony of Joseph Smith, but as he has taken the initiative to read on his own in the Book of Mormon his doubts are disappearing. It's been wonderful to see!

 

I love you all and miss you! I loved seeing all of Mom's pictures of Neil and Meredith's kids! They are adorable! And I'm excited to see some of Chad and Amy's kids next week :]

 

Love,  Holly

Week #24

Hey Everyone!!

This week has been pretty good. I saw rain for the second time here in Arizona! haha. It wasn't very hard or for very long but it was something! I feel like this past week has gone by so fast that I don't even know what to talk about!! Last week we had a lot of specialized trainings. It was like every morning we had a training to go to! We had district meeting, and then a Spanish Missionary Specialized Training, and then a Sister's Specialized Training! Just a lot of meetings. But they were all really good and I learned a lot!

Yesterday morning all the Visitors' Center missionaries got together at 6 AM to do a service project on the grounds of the temple! It seemed really early... but I'm glad we did it that early because the heat wasn't near as bad that early! (it got down to like 90! hahaha) Even though we just weeded the gardens, it was fun to do a service project together and for it to be at the beautiful temple we work at every day!

It's so hard to believe that transfer news will come this Saturday. I can definitely feel time starting to pick up. I can't believe that it is already July! I hit 6 months this past week which is weird. I still feel really new. I am still really new! haha. My Spanish is SLOWLY improving. My understanding improves everyday, but I still am having difficulty saying what I want to. It's frustrating, but I am just doing all that I can to learn it, praying for it and hope it will get there eventually.

Well... as far as our area goes, we have been very blessed this week. Very. We've had some really incredible lessons. The Vega Family had a date for this coming Saturday, but they are not going to be ready for it because Maribel drank coffee yesterday morning. She says that she just forgot (and we probably should have taught the word of wisdom a little sooner). But they are setting a new date, and I know that they will be ready. They are really changing and I can see how much their marriage has been strengthened through this process. It's been awesome to see.

The wife of a recent convert, Santiago, just moved down here to be with her husband. We have taught her a couple of lessons. Her husband is very strong in the church, and is very very excited for her to learn. But he is a little over excited for her. Anytime she doesn't answer the question the way that he thinks she should, or doesn't show interest like he wants her to... he gets upset. So we are really trying to get the men in the ward to work with him and help him to understand patience. Because it isn't going to come overnight and I honestly think one of the best things that he can do is to show her the change that the gospel has brought to him. It's a hard situation but we are really trying to work with him.

We also met last night with the Baez Family. They have been meeting with the missionaries for about 10 months now. They know a lot, but are having a lot of doubts. So we are trying to work with them to help them strengthen their testimonies. They both are struggling with a testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith. They are reading in the book of Mormon and praying and say that they haven't received an answer :[ So we talked about how it doesn't always come the first time we pray and that if they keep doing what they are doing, and keep the commandments they will receive an answer. So we are just praying for them to receive an answer, and also to help us know what we can to do help them understand and have more faith.

On Saturday I taught a lesson to the current Miss Colorado. She was down here for her best friend's wedding and couldn't go in the temple. So I was able to talk to her about it and she was really receptive and interested to learn about our beliefs because she didn't know anything. I got her phone number and email address and will hopefully be able to keep in touch with her and teach her over the phone. She was really nice.

Well I need to get going... but I love you all so much and am so grateful for all the prayers and support.

Love,
Hermana Larson

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