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Monday, November 18, 2013

Service and Singing

Dear Friends and Family,

So this week we had the opportunity to help package food for victims of the huge typhoon that hit in Tacloban.  Our mission has also recieved some missionaries from Tacloban mission and they'll now be serving in Manila.  That's really difficult for them because they learned Cebuano and Waray-waray in the MTC and now they're in a place that speaks Tagalog... however, people understand English pretty well here which is useful.  For the service project we went for maybe 4 hours and put 6 cans of calimari (squid) in with bags of rice.  There was SO MUCH FOOD there.  It was amazing.  We were very happy to help.  That's me and my companion Sister Cooper in the picture.  I'm so thankful for Sister Cooper, she's an amazing companion!

One of our members served his mission in 1991 and served with a companion named "Larsen."  He asked me one day if that was a relative of mine, and asked if it was my dad.  That would have been crazy, since we're helping his kids progress towards baptism within the next couple of months.  I said no, it wasn't my dad, but possibly a relative... Dad, know any of your relatives who served in the Philippines in 1991?

Our ward here is awesome too.  Bishop likes to play ping pong and volleyball, and is in his early 30's.  He does a great job coordinating with the missionaries and so does our ward mission leader.  I'm a big fan of this ward.  

So... we were "booked" to sing in church on Sunday, since we sang at the Elder's baptism on Saturday.  Sister Cooper has a cold and literally no voice, and so a ward missionary came up with us and it was me, Sister Cooper (who wasn't able to sing), the two Elders, a ward missionary, and the ward mission leader who sang in sacrament meeting.  After we sang at the baptism the night before, Bishop asked if I would be willing to sing a solo in church sometime while he would play the piano (he's really good at playing.)  So.................... we'll see when that happens.  I'll let you all know.  A member asked me after we sang how long I'd been a member of Mo tab (Mormon Tabernacle Choir), kidding around with me.  I don't think my voice is THAT awesome, but I'm happy if I can help bring the Spirit through music.

I also finished reading the New Testament this week.  I will tell you... I absolutely love that set of scriptures.  I've learned SO much from reading it.  This was the first time I really read it all the way through... and there's so many important doctrines there which are supported and upheld by the Book of Mormon.  Let me tell you... scriptures are amazing.  We are so blessed to have them, and we should always take the time to learn from them and grow in wisdom spiritually.  The time and effort that prophets of old took to write them was for us, now.  I hope we all remember to take the time to read with real intent the scriptures, and gain the knowledge that will make us happy at all times in our lives.  The Savior's actions and teachings in the NT are some of the most beautiful things ever written by mankind.

I hope everyone has a great week.  Love you all!

-Sister Larsen

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