How’s My Obedience?... 1-800- Mission-Home                             ‏                       8/07/12

Hellllllo!

Yep! Welcome to Utah! The wonderful place where everyone watches you like a hawk and calls the president every day to report what they saw you do that day. CRAZY!  We have to be so careful around here.

BUT....

I.                  AM. STILL. ALIVE!!!! I feel like I have been out in the field for a year now. I can’t believe it’s only been a week!

II.                So here goes...

 Made it to St. George... Met President. Ate breakfast with him and the assistance and all the incoming missionaries. We went through training and 1st interviews. Nothing too special. Then we got to meet our trainers! ....weird story... so apparently all the other trainers didn’t get to find out who they would be training till they announced at the meeting. BUT my trainer already knew me and everything about me before I even get there. President assigned us together 2 weeks ago! :/ ahhh... He also told Sister Tornar I was a "firehouse!" He said that training me would be the best ever and that would become a powerful team. ....pressure much?! I don’t know what people are thinking about me around here, but president must be crazy ;) ... The other trainers are all sooo awesome and really peppy. Sister Tornar is from the outskirts of Paris. She has been out 15 months- I will be "killing her" off her mission... That was the first thing she said to me when I met her. haha... She is pretty serious most of the time, so it’s pretty quiet around. We are starting to laugh with one another, so I think the ice is breaking a little bit more. She is a powerful teacher and knows her stuff. There are many times throughout the week I don’t see her very much, because she is a "Lead sister" ... She is at the level of a district leader for us sisters at the VC. She is also in charge of the French tours... so I really never see during those. They happen every day! The French people are crazy!!

Well by 5pm on Wed I was out in the field! I threw my stuff in our apt and got to work. They wouldn’t allow us to unpack....I’m STILL not unpacked! I’m digging through my suitcase every morning trying to figure out what I still have hahaha  I am living across from the Temple in the apts (we were told about one time). I am working part time at VC (Visitor Center) and also in Washington Fields. We cover a whole stake that has 10 wards!! Its soooo many people! I met my first investigator at 6pm. His name is Tanner. He is dating a bishops daughter...He knows everything already and is just waiting to be baptized! :) Pretty cool! Sis. Tornar and I both have a very different teaching style!! So sometimes in our lessons I just sit there and don’t say anything. I didn’t say anything all day on Wed during out lessons. Later that night we taught a 9 year old boy, Aiden, and he too is ready for baptism. It’s funny because everyone in Utah is either members or less-active. So their kids are not members, so we teach a lot of kids or young adults. Thurs was our full day area; we did our studying in am and then headed out to the field. We met for the first time, a girl name Dakota. She has been reading BOM with friends and has just been really interested in the church. When we met her we started talking about Doc of Christ. We wanted to give her a BOM of her own. As we were talking I just got really excited. I loved hearing her story and all the things she has learned over the years. I asked her if she would be committed to baptism-- she Saied YES! maaaan first lesson and I asked her to be baptized! I was so excited and also so nervous! It was crazy!!! THEN later that day we met up with a girl named Hannah who has talked to the missionaries before, but never got baptized. We knocked on her door and she was soo happy to see us! She welcomed us in and said she would love for us to come back and teacher her! Whaaaaaaat!? Two in one day?! This is crazy!! I couldn’t believe it! ... My first dinner with members was on Wed and we had Hawaiian hey stacks. I feel like I am right at home!! :) It was great! The members really do try to take care of us. When we don’t have our car, they drive us around to our appts. On Friday was my first shift at the VC. I had to learn the ins and outs of the VC and all the things I can take people to. My mind was soooo full I couldn’t take it all in. I was soooo tired and just overloaded. By Fri I felt like I was drinking out of a fire hydrant. I didn’t do much while at the VC because I had no idea what to do, so I spent a lot of time talking to myself trying to gather all the info :) Sat was a day of contacting and tracking....IT WAS HOT! I forgot what it was like to walk on asphalt in the summer. Luckily we found a member that was willing to bring us back home when we were finished. We met lots of different people and picked up another investigator. I don’t know much about her because we didn’t have much time to talk to her, but we are seeing her again this week :) I can’t wait!! ....Random....Did you know there are specific only Spanish Patriarchs (sp?)? We have one here in our area... I had no Idea they did that. Sorry random thought. Sat night we had another shift at the VC and I got the courage to do 2 tours, and 8 contacts ALL BY MY SELF :) I was so proud! They weren’t the best tours of the VC, but I think they learned something. I know I learned things from them! Many people here are either members...or NOT members. Those who are NOT members have lived here for 15-20 years and know allllll about the church and still want nothing to do with it! I talked to a lady that knew more about the church than I did, and yet she still didn’t want to be part of it. She said "organized" religion is of man. She doesn’t need a building (temple) to feel the spirit of God. She studies all different religions and makes her own thoughts and puts together only the things she wants to apply to her life. I was amazed by her theory. Also the fact that she would still come to the VC and walk around. People are so weird! I think someday something will click and she will realize how much the "Gospel" really does play in her life. I hope anyway!!!

First Sunday on the Mish was a tough one!! We had to work the VC in the am. When this happened, we only get to go to Sacrament and then we have to go back to the VC. Well a French bus came, so one of the senior missionaries came and pulled my comp and I out of church just to go talk to the people. I was really broken hearted. I would think we teach people about the importance of church, and yet we can’t even enjoy it. I didn’t feel the spirit very much after that. I was sad. ...We spent the afternoon teaching our investigators. And ate dinner with members again. I was sooooo hungry I couldn’t wait to get to their house. They opened their door and it smelled soooo good. I said oookay great! This is going to be wonderful.... well it was AMAZING!!!! We had homemade teriyaki Chicken with veggies and rice. I was in HEAVEN! Then for dessert...they pull out all this Chocolate their son sent from his mission. It was Dutch desserts! I seriously ate a years’ worth of food and desserts. I left verrrry happy! :) We love members who have missionaries out because they feel the need to take care of us :) hahaha

Monday: I got to be part of my first baptismal interviews. Sister Tornar taught this family before I got here, but there will be 4 kids getting baptized! It was the coolest experience to see this family come together and finally fuuuulllly accept the gospel. The mom is a member, but the kids were not. We had to wait for permission form the dad. Crazy mess, but in the end, it all come together :) I love this family already and I have only talked to them once. It’s amazing how close you can come to people in such a short amount of time. Mon night I finally got to teach a lesson. My comp is scared of this family because the wife is a tough less-active lady that has gotten into drinking and smoking.... I walked into their house and instantly felt at home. They had huuuuuge animals on their wall that they had hunted we talked about that for a while and then we got into the lesson. For the first time, out in field, I was able to teach powerfully by the spirit! We talked about the Plan of Salvation and how here on Earth we are here to change and be better. The husband, who reminds me of Dad and uncle John mixed together, really soaked in the message! He kept talking about how he knows he needs to get on the strait and narrow. He knows He needs to learn about God and Jesus. I can’t even explain it in words how I felt to hear this man who had been through so much and hardened so much against everything, was breaking down and finally admitting that things needed to change. I realized for the first time while out here, that the things I learned in the MTC and the power of teaching I have developed, wasn’t just for the MTC.... IT IS HERE! It is how I am supposed to teach and it is how I am supposed to reach the hearts of these tough people. We are talking about Word of Wisdom next week and we are going to try to get them to agree to stop drinking and smoking. Idk how it is going to go, but I know if we cont. to teach them with the spirit and not just teach them lessons; we can get them to change!!

Today, we got to go to the Temple :) I was soooo happy! It’s HUGE and soooo BEAUTIFUL!! I had a wonderful time doing sealing’s. I couldn’t stop thinking about grandma and all the work we were able to do for dad’s family. It’s a real treat doing sealing’s.

I finally get to go buy my own food today instead of eating all of Sister Tonars... I can’t wait to get some yummy stuff! I might have to use my card to buy stuff that Ill only need once. I don’t want to use all of my money on my Missionary card.  ooooooooh shoot real quick funny story.... for the past 3 nights, sister Tornar and I have been waking up in the middle of night realizing we teach each other lessons. Last night was the worst! We talked alllll night! I woke up looking at the clock trying to get her to go to a lesson with me and it was 2:45AM! I was like what the heck am I doing!?!? ....Then I found myself presenting the wall to someone and teaching a full on lesson. The both of us woke up soooo tired this morning realizing we taught each other all night and couldn’t do anything about it! She teaches me in French alll the time too....it’s kind of scary, but funny at the same time. I knew that happened to people, but I never thought it would happen to me so early in the game. I’m going to be a pro teach by the end of my mish! hahahaha

Welll time to head out! I think that’s all...it was a crazy week.

Would love to see letters in my box ;)

 PS my box of clothes made it here safe!

 Much love!!!

Love love love!!

Honey bunches of oats!!!

Sister Larsen


NOTE: Here is Sister Larsen's address if you would like to send her a letter or just a quick note to say Hi.  :)
Sister Moriah Larsen
Utah St. George Mission
1075 S. 1470 E. Ste 304
St. George, Utah 84790