Happy Anniversary!

Hey everyone!

Thanks for all the emails! I am glad to hear that everyone is doing well! It sounds like you all are crazy busy getting ready for Christmas.


Mom and Dad, Happy Anniversary! You guys are an amazing example to all of us of a truly happy couple! I love hearing about all of the things that you do for each other and for the love that you have for each other and for us! Congrats on getting all the neighbor gifts out so fast! It sounds like you are on the ball with everything this year, and you even have a few days until Christmas! I am happy that you had fun on your trip and that you got home safely. Dad, when you put it in terms of weeks and then Sundays I realized that my time is so short! I hope I can hold on a little longer and get everything in I want to!


Brynn, I know what you mean. I keep thinking, Oh I can just tell them these stories when I get home. But thanks for the email. It is still nice to open my mail and get letters! I am excited to hear the song that you did! I imagine that it is amazing. I am always telling people about your amazing voice. It also sounds like you did an amazing Christmas party for the firm. You always do great things like that!


Chase and Ashley, Hey how are you guys?? I am sure that things have been crazy since October, but I am wondering if I didn't get an email from you because Mom said that you were giving me advice but I haven't gotten an email in a while. How is the end of school looking? Are you excited to get to Utah? Let me know how things are going!


Sooo this week was pretty good, but I am still hurting from the cancelling of English. Sister Schmidt and I have been really trying to put ourselves out there and talk to everyone- literally! We have set some pretty high goals of how many people we want to talk to each day and we have been pretty good at keeping them! We have seen some small miracles and we have met a lot more people who are genuinely interested in the Gospel and not just wanting to talk to us because we can speak okay English. I have really liked the fact that they have cancelled English. Brynn asked why I thought they did it and here is my answer. We were spending most of our time talking to people in English about stuff that doesn't even matter. We didn't come to Ukraine to just improve people's English but we are here to help them improve their lives. It goes a lot faster when we don't sit and talk in English about useless things but we can just talk about the Gospel and about Jesus Christ. It makes sense and I don't know why we didn't stop it earlier. It is great. We still help people from time to time when they ask but we try to keep it focused on Christ!


This week was really good. We worked hard and I got sick :D. The first time on my mission that my body has really caught up with me. It is cold and we have been outside a lot more the usual. Also being in the Metro and touching things also took a toll. But Sister Schmidt is really taking care of me and we are still getting out and doing the work. I don't want my body stopping me from doing the work my last 2 weeks. How bad would that be! But we are hanging in there, and having fun while we do it.


I dont know if you remember about the grandma that didn't fully get baptized a few months ago? Well she decided yesterday to give it another go. We are helping her get ready for the 25th of December! She seemed pretty excited and so did the members. They are an interesting family and really great! She has been coming to church for a really long time and it was great to see the excitment of some of the members. Just say a little prayer that it goes better this time. One of the missionaries is going to baptize her so I hope it will be a little smoother, I hope! There are around 30 baptisms that should be happening on the 25th around the mission and we are all getting really excited! The work is exploding here and President is amazing and keeping us excited even when it is cold. We are starting to change all of the negitive ideas about the mission and all of the missionaries are starting to believe that miracles are possible, even in Ukraine. I was thinking about the scriptures in Moroni about how miracles only cease when we cease to believe. It really is so true. I haven't seen miracles when I have doubting that things will happen but when I put my faith in the Lord, say a pray, and go to work I have seen the Lord work His miracles! I love this work! I love this country and the people here. But most of all I love my Father in Heaven, my Lord and my Family! This season truly is the season of happiness and a time to remember our Lord and Redeemer and all that he has done for us!


Thank you for your support and love! I hope that you have an amazing week and that you get everything done that you need too. I love you all so so much and miss you!


Love, Sister Larsen