What does a puppy grow to be?

Hey family!

My email probably isn't going to be as long as last week. however, hopefully I can share some more uplifting experiences with you all!

You asked some questions, so maybe I will respond to those first. I don't know if Elder Bednar will bring iPad's. That would be pretty cool! I personally think he is coming to set the missionaries straight, for reasons I won't include herein. Elder Pearson seemed to come with that intent... Haha he did a great job! Non-missionaries can ride in our car, but it has to be members of the church of the same gender, riding to or from teaching appointments. So we sometimes will take members with us.

Elder Wu's back is much better! He is almost healed! he has another treatment tonight, so hopefully he will be all fixed afterwards! My back is great! I didn't get the treatment:)

My comp was nowhere in sight!

A recent prank: Some of the funniest moments in missionary work are when a missionary thinks that he/she is alone (but isn't). For those of you who don't know, missionaries are to be within sight and sound of their companions 24/7, with the exception of when one or the other is in the bathroom. So, when missionaries cannot see their comps, they freak out! hahaha!

Last week, when we went to the library, Elder Wu decided to pull a prank on me. We got out of the car, and grabbed some stuff in the back seat, closed the door, and started walking to the elevator. Before I got far, I did my normal "head count" to make sure my comp was just behind me. I was quite surprised to find that my comp, Elder Wu, was nowhere in sight!! Of course, I did a couple back flips. Ran circles around the car, until out stepped Elder Wu from behind a pillar, laughing his head off at me! Sigh.... Hahahaha

Elder Larsen on Alma Avenue!

And Elder Wu on Alma Avenue!

I feel good when you come and teach me

A favorite teaching moment: Last week, we taught M*rtha (M*sui's partner) again, after last week's really positive teaching appointment. We followed up on reading and prayer, sounds like she was very busy this week, so she was unable to read. We could fix that! We decided to read from Alma 32 in the Book of Mormon. We wanted her to understand how her faith could take root and grow. We talked about verse 21, faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things. We discussed and taught how faith can only be based on truth. We also helped her to understand the role of the Holy Ghost in her conversion.

When asked about how she feels about the things we had shared, she responded "I feel....blessed. Blessed that you two come and help me to understand this Book."

"Do you feel that your faith grows when we teach you?"

"I...yes I do."

"How do you know?"

"It's like what you described. The Spirit touches your heart. It begins to feel good to you. I feel good when you come and teach me."

"That's the Spirit, confirming truth! Remember when we talked about faith? Faith only expands when something is true. When you recognize faith growing, that is a witness that what we share is true. So, Martha, we are holding a baptismal service on the 7th of March. Because you know these things are true, will you prepare yourself to be baptized on that date?"

"I don't know... If I am ready.... I have more to learn!"

"We will help you to understand. We can promise that you will be ready and prepared by that date. Heavenly Father is smiling upon you now and will be there to help every step of the way"....

It was a super-spiritual teaching moment.

"Is that our family?"

Another highlight of the week: I went on a trade-off with Elder Edmondson. We had an awesome time speaking Spanish (he has served in the Spanish ward for 11 months previous to serving in Mortdale ward), and witnessing miracles. The coolest thing that happened was that in our planning session, we resolved to find a family to teach. We had faith that the Lord would bless us enough to have that happen, and we prayed that we would receive divine inspiration and guidance. So, we were working in my area, and there were these young, African boys that we kept seeing. We never got the chance to talk to them. We just saw them everywhere!

Eventually, we were attempting to contact an investigator, and across the road, we saw the same African boys playing out in their yard. They were the same boys that we had seen before! Elder Edmondson and I looked at each other, and said "Is that our family?" "Yep" came the reply.

It turns out the family is super keen! We met the parents who insisted that we make a time with them to teach, where the whole family can join. We had an awesome first lesson with them, and hope to continue to see miracles in the future! It was special to me that Heavenly Father heard and answered our prayers, to be able to find a family who are prepared to receive the gospel.

What does a puppy grow to be?

I also had some really good studies this past week, that I wanted to share some insights from. I studied about the true nature of the Godhead, why it is important to know their attributes, and what would change if we didn't grasp these concepts. Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct beings. If we did not know this, then the function and Identity of the Godhead would not make any sense. We would have incorrect understanding between the relationship between the Father and the Son. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have tangible bodies of flesh and bone. That knowledge gives us clear and specific guidance to answer the question "What will we be like after the Resurrection?" We will all be immortal, glorified beings with perfect bodies. The Resurrection has much more meaning! If we didn't know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have bodies, then we would not be sure to what effect the Resurrection will have on each of us. Would we stay with our newly resurrected bodies? or would we shed them once again?

Heavenly Father is the literal father of our spirits. Because we are His children, we have divine potential. We know that we can become just as he is! What does a puppy grow to be? A dog! What does a baby grow up to be? a full-grown human. What does an orange seed grow up to be? An orange tree! What does a Son or Daughter of God grow up to be? Well, based on the same logic, we become like Him! If we didn't know this, we would not understand the depth of our relationship with Him, for he is our Father, and we have a connection with him that is intimate and special!

Love you guys heaps!

Hope you enjoyed my letter! I have to go pretty soon, so that is all I have time to write!

Love,
Elder Larsen