Hello Sister Larsen, I'm Sister Larsen

For starters, that picture is of Anna Marie's baptism two weeks ago.  She's so awesome and we seriously love her family so much, and the progress and joy that's come to their lives through the gospel is so amazing for us to witness.

 

Here's a confusing thing - there's now a new Sister Larsen in our zone, straight fresh from the Missionary Training Center.  I actually accidentally got a package meant for her a few months ago, haha.  This is gonna be all the confusion.  Everyone thinks we look related (really pale and same color hair) and it's possible - her dad's family lives in Idaho is what she said.   Anyway, they'll call her Sister Larsen the Younger is what they said, hahah.

I had my first green, leafy, delicious salad in 8 months last week.  It was amazing.  I miss salads so much. They like... don't believe in them here.  This salad was from a member in the other ward and they brought it home to us.  I'm going to be such a healthy eater when I get back... there's so much palm oil and terrible ingredients in everything here in the Philippines. I'll have to detox my body for probably a year to get out all the oils and fats, etc. that we eat here.

Here's caucasian problems in Asia... they don't sell brown or blonde bobby pins here.  Only black.  Everyone knows I wear bobby pins pretty much every day... my supply is running low.  Blonde bobby pins - if you're white and coming to asia, make sure you bring a lot of the right color of bobby pins.

Now for the good part.  I've been reading through the amazing book "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage lately.  I've received so much personal revelation testifying to me that Christ is truly the Savior and that we have a responsibility to follow Him from reading that book.  Recently, I read what just really struck my heart with its poetic beauty, especially with relation to missionary work.  

'[Christ said] "Have ye understood these things?"

[The Apostles answered] "Yea, Lord."

[Christ] impressed upon [His disciples] that they should be ready, like well-taught teachers, to bring, from the store-house of their souls, treasures of truth both old and new, for the edification of the world."

Somehow, that passage really inspired me and brought again to my remembrance what I need to do now, as a missionary.  I feel so honored for the trust the Lord has given to me in doing this work, and I hope to always strive to be worthy of it and do my very best.  I hope to enlarge the "store-house of my soul" now on my mission and be able to share knowledge and love with others at all times, and help bring to pass "the edification of the world."  

Today is our temple day, and we are so very excited for that.  I feel so blessed to be here in Manila mission, and even through the hard times and struggles, the Lord really does watch over His servants.  Thank you everyone for your love and support always.

Nagmamahal,

Sister Larsen

This is called a dragon fruit.  It tasted... interesting.  I'm not sure I really liked it, but it's like super duper awesome looking and definitely doesn't look real.

This is what happens when you kneel to pray as a Sister missionary many times a day... you get weird knee calluses.

The Circle of Life

Dear friends and family,

I'll get the sad part out of the way... my sister's cat, Callie, whom I had come to regard as my cat as well, was put down last week.  She was about 15 years old or so, so it's not terribly surprising... but it is hard to think that the last time I said bye to her was the last time I'd see her.  At least I have a personal strong belief we'll see our pets in heaven again, and have those connections we felt with them again. [The photo is from Christmas 2011]

To move on to happier things... although my Tagalog is not very good, it is to the point where it is better than most toddler's Tagalog.  This weekend Anna Marie was baptized, who had been taught for a very long time by missionaries.  Through a very complicated story I will explain after I get home, everything lined up so she could finally be baptized, which she wanted very badly.  We are honored to be a part of that miracle in her life and family.  Going back to the original story, her husband is a member who recently was reactivated and came back to church, and their kids are SO cute.  Their daughter, France, came up to me and was talking to me.  She wanted something at some point, and I just said to her, "Wala... sayang."  Meaning, "There's none - darn it."  She just walked around the room going "Wala... sayang.  Wala... sayang!"  It was the cutest thing of my whole entire life!  I don't think she should learn Tagalog from the American, but she speaks really good English already (as well as her parents, haha.)

The cool thing we did last preperation day was to go to a memorial park near our area with the other Sisters in our apartment. It was super crazy - I didn't really know that sort of thing existed.  When I heard "memorial park" I somehow thought it would maybe have some statues or something... but it's actually a HUGE cemetery.  HUGE.  The graves there are soooo awesome.  Half of them are giant crypts.  Some of those crypts are bigger than most people's houses here, made of stone, and sometimes have bathrooms and air conditioning and beds inside.  They're like that because during "all souls day" in November everyone goes to their ancestor's graves and party and hang out there.  So... yeah.  It was awesome, and intense.  Anyway... it was a pretty cool adventure, just to see the last testaments people build for themselves.  It reminded me of ancient Egyptians and their pyramids. That's what the picture is of.

I don't have a whole lot to say this week.  It's been good and awesome.  If you were to ask me how I feel now, I would definitely say "happy."  It's hard, there's challenges, and it's hard serving in a place where you want so bad to help people but the only and best thing you can give them is to help them strengthen their faith and hope.  I suppose that's the best thing we can give people though... and I am happy for that, and that I have that most precious gift from God in my life, and the opportunity to share it with others, especially when they're suffering or upset.

Love you all!

Sister Larsen

There was this huge random island thing at the memorial park... Sister Giles and I took a picture.

I Laugh in the Face of Pollution

Okay, the title of this isn't 100% accurate.... pollution is kind of the worst when you're used to living in backwoods Virginia your whole life and your first area in the mission was a beautiful clean island.  Apparently... there's a decent chance that I have a constant cold my whole mission because of the pollution here, and I'll have to stay on this medicine the whole time to feel alive and avoid the sinus infection I got twice over the past two months.  Yikes.... magtitiis hanggang wakas.  Endure to the end.  It's okay, if my pioneer ancestors crossed the plains in freezing weather, I can handle a little cold for the rest of the time, even though sometimes being sick makes it pretty hard to focus at times.

We went on exchanges this week with the Sister Training Leaders... and I got to go with Sister Mechum!  She was in the other companionship living in our apartment when I was on Palawan, and I felt like we got pretty close and she's awesome.  She gave me faith it was possible to learn Tagalog as an American, hahah.  That was a good experience, she's definitely one of my missionary role models.

Here's a story that was told in sacrament meeting this week.  There once was a foreigner visiting the Philippines.  He observed two men - one was digging a hole, and at the same time he was digging it, another man was taking soil and filling in the hole.  Curious, the foreigner asked them why.  One of the men said, "Well, I was hired by the government to dig this hole, and the other one was hired to fill it.  Another man was hired to plant a tree here, but he got sick and never showed up."  This story is a good illustration of "paying attention to the whole picture."  Sometimes I need that on my mission, when I need to remember WHY I'm doing the things I'm doing and not just go through the motions of being a missionary without really FEELING it all the time.  It's been harder with my brain being muddled by sickness, but it's getting better now with the medicine.  Easier to focus, easier to act.  Transfers are next week though. I just hope I don't get transferred further into the heart of the city (more pollution) yet since we're on the outskirts of the city now.  I know that as we all focus on the individual missions God wants us to accomplish, we'll see His plan for us and not miss "planting the tree" metaphorically.  Everything we do in live is meaningful and important.

The picture is of Isaiah Lambert's baptism.  We are so happy for him and his little 8 year old brother!  Isaiah's progressed a lot since we met him, and his desire for baptism has really grown.  We're so happy that he now has the Gift of the Holy Ghost to guide him through his teenager-dom.

Hope all is well with you all!  Keep on smiling even though it's super cold back home as I've been told!  It's "cold" here too... I wear a cardigan in the mornings.

Love,

Sister Larsen

There were requests to see this - this is where I take a bath in the morning out of that blue bucket while staying beneath that orange partition so no one outside sees me.  Just take a bowl and splash water everywhere.  It's really cold actually in the mornings.... that's okay though.  I'll never bat an eye at cold camp showers again.  Every day is an adventure here!

Cobra Blood--The New Refreshing Beverage

Apparently, one of our members comes from a place in the Philippines where they take cobras... kill them... and then drain the blood into a glass. And then they drink it.  He says he hasn't tried it yet, but that his family has and they say it's...  "invigorating."  That is now on my bucket list for when I come back to the Philippines in 20 years. 

One lady in our ward showed us pictures of the first missionaries in the Philippines (she was here at the time.)  That was awesome.. just a coupla white Elders in the early 70's with all of these cute Filipino families.  I appreciated that - shows the legacy of missionary work we're helping carry on here.

We were walking along somewhere this week and some random kid pointed at me and yelled "HARRY POTTER!!!"  I dunno if it's my glasses or what, but I think he might've been a bit confused.  I will never feel so famous or so awkward in my whole life after I leave the Philippines.

The picture is of Brother Jeffrey!  He is the 10 year old boy who was hit by a motorcycle three days before his baptism before, and was in a cast for 2 months.  His baptism really is a miracle, and we're so happy for him.  When we asked who he wanted to baptize him, he pointed to me, but we told him that Sisters don't do that, hahaha.  He's a great kid and we're so happy that his body has healed quickly from his accident.

Honestly, that's all I've got this week.  It's been pretty chaotic.  We have a lot going on a lot to sort out and keep in control, but somehow we're doing it.  I love this work and this people, even though sometimes it's difficult physically and spiritually.  We see miracles all the time here as we do the Lord's work.  I hope everyone finds opportunities to make the world a better place and reach out to everyone around them.... that's how positive change happens, and I've seen that time and time again here.

Love you all!

Sister Larsen

Happy birthday to Sister Taufa today... this was us at the temple last week.  We have a lot of fun together!  (That sign means "guapo" or "attractive" and for some reason everyone here makes it in pictures.)

Fireworks and New Year's Eve

For starters... I don't have my book where I write down reminders of what happened the past week.  So I'll do my best to remember - we just got back from the temple, which is why our P-Day is on a different day.  The temple is amazing.  Everyone who has an opportunity to go should go as much as often.  I feel extremely blessed to have the temple in my mission.

So, last week, we were talking to a random man and he was talking to us about New Years in the Philppines.  He said, "Para mga Filipino, masarap ang mga bawal."  He was talking about all of the dangerous fireworks and said, "for Filipinos, things that are not allowed are 'delicious."  That's a figure of speech here, to say things are delicious that are not literally delicious.  I found out on New Years Eve exactly what he was talking about.

I'm pretty sure about 98% of the 100000000000000000000 fireworks set off from private residences on New Years Eve would be illegal in every state in the U.S.  We got into bed... and I tried to sleep for a couple hours, to no avail.  I knew it was getting close to 12 when the cacaphony got to full blown mayhem.  I got outta bed at about 11:40 and sat out on our back porch thing (really small) and watched.  My comp and another sister joined me at 12.  It was AWESOME.  It literally was kind of like what it would feel like to be in the middle of a bombing raid... X20000.  All the cats were running around from car to car, cowering, and there were about 50 people hanging out across from our apartment with about 4 cars all honking as loudly as they could right at 12.  I can't really explain how the entire city literally erupted in the flames of thousands of fireworks right at twelve, but that's what happened.  On New Year's Eve night, Sister Giles (the new American Sister) told us some Korean folk stories she knows for some reason, and then the Stake President drove up to our apartment and gave us a delicious dinner.  That was awesome.  I think my New Years Eve was a lot more exciting than Christmas was.

In other news.... we have a lot of good stuff happening in our area right now.  I really really really don't want to be transferred. I love the people here a lot.  Hopefully... our feeling is... I won't be.  We'll see what happens though.  It's always according to the Lord's will, of course.

Let's see... what else was there... uhhhmmmmmmmm.  Wala na. Nothing now. Sometimes when Americans (like at the temple) speak to me I still accidentally speak Tagalog to them.  And mix up my "she's" and "he's."  We've been learning about the high value of visiting investigators every day, if possible.  We're hoping to see some long awaited baptisms soon.

Oh, funny cat story.  Of course.  We were teaching a part member family and they have this cat I LOVE called Ming Ming.  He's like... an adolescent cat.  Every time we go over there, the cat finds my lap as soon as I sit down.  The family teases me that we're best friends... and I mean, come on.  Yeah, we are.  Anyway, one time we were teaching them and Ming Ming jumped into the room from outside with a cockroach in his mouth.. it was still alive.  He dropped it on the floor as a present for his family.  The dad caught it (between his toes) and chucked the cockroach outside.  We laughed and continued with our lesson.  A little later... Ming Ming went into their bathroom.  Bathrooms here... are wet.  And open.  And dirty.  Ming Ming came out with a LIVE WORM and dropped it on the floor for all of us to admire.  Once again, we all laughed and the dad tossed the worm (and cat) outside.  The dad also told us that in the Philippines sometimes burgers and hotdogs actually have ground up worm meat in them.  Like, they grow huge earth worms in farms here and if you're not careful with what brands you're eating you might eat worms.  Eh... don't care.  I've probably eaten worse without knowing it here.  So... we kept teaching after the cat was thrown out the second time.  Then towards the end of the lesson, the cat was meowing at the door.  The dad opened the door... and in jumped Ming Ming with ANOTHER cockroach.  We had a real good laugh that time.  Cat presents to their owners.  They're the best.

Well.. hope you all have a great week.  I love you all and hope you are doing well.  I had another fever this week on Saturday night... but buhay pa.  Still alive.  Still working.  Hopefully getting healthier now.  Loving my work here... I can feel more and more clearly how important these people are to God.

Love,

Sister Larsen

Merry Christmas--Here's Some Trunkaso

Dear friends and family,

First off, this was the Christmas message from my nephew, sent to me by my mom.  He's so smart, he spells and types his own words now.  I feel like there's a lot of subliminal stuff in this message I may not fully understand: 

"missionary fashions plates captioned apples grahams posters wonderful weddings soup salad notates babies/pokers lambs"

So the picture is of us on Christmas morning.  True to tradition, I made french toast (my mom's recipe) and bacon.  It was delicious, and I wore my new "Philippines Manila Mission" apron to cook it, given to us by President and Sister Stucki.  Super awesome.  Christmas was great; I was glad to skype my family.

Unfortunately, I got a slightly different gift for Christmas... the day after Christmas, Sister Taufa got weirdly sick and just slept for a really really long time.  Said she felt really weak and sick, but felt a little better by the end of the evening.  We still ended up working and teaching two appointments, but then at the end of the last appointment I started feeling weird.  We went home, and I couldn't even finish planning before I fell asleep.  The next day, I slept for about 6 hours straight during the day, and several times woke up and tried to get out of bed but was too weak.  There was no identifiable reason - no fever, and my stomach hurt a little bit (as well as my head) but there wasn't any real REASON why I felt like I died that day.  It's continued to a lesser extent now; I have a weird cold (again) and still feel weak and like I want to sleep all the time.

Moral of the story - don't make fun of seemingly fictitious Filipino diseases.  While I was on Palawan, everyone would always say, "Sorry Sisters, I can't meet with you... I have 'trunkaso."  Which as far as I could tell was often just  what they called feeling a tiny bit sick and like they didn't want to do anything.  Now I know better.  Trunkaso is the disease that steals away all your energy and kills you for no apparent reason.  The Philippines just likes to mess with people's health, I think.

Anyway, on a happier note, I feel inspired to share with you Bishop's lesson from Sunday.  It was a lesson to the whole ward about setting goals for their families, but I think it applies pretty well to everyone and I thought it was awesome.  Here we go:

WAYS TO HAPPINESS 

The goals and plans, following Nephi's example

2 Nephi Chapter 5

1. Verse 10: Statutes and commandments - why they're important to us, and that we need to follow them 

2. Verse 12 - Read scriptures daily with our families

3. Verse 17 - Be industrious and labor with our own hands - work hard and be diligent and driven

4. Verse 16 - Temple worship - (families should be sealed and attend the temple regularly)

5. Verse 26 - Magnify our callings

Promised blessings:

Verse 27 "And it came to pass we lived after the manner of happiness"

Verse 13 "And they did prosper in the land."

There we go, Brothers, Sisters, and Elders - Let's all set and achieve great goals this year, following the examples of our scriptural and real life heroes.  I know we'll all be happier and live better as we live the principles and teachings of Christ and the prophets every day.  It's as simple and straightforward as that - obedience does, in the end, mean happiness.  Let's make a goal to be happy - and therefore, to be joyously obedient to God's will for us in all ways we can.

Masigayang Bagong Taon!  Happy New Year!

Love, 

Sister Larsen

Merry Christmas--HERE'S A TONGAN!

I believe I recall Brooke saying that on her mission she had a Tongan companion who she thought was super awesome.  Maybe Larsens and Tongans just get along well... SURPRISE!  TRANSFERS!  Sister Cooper and I were 100% certain she was staying this transfer... as in, she set up a hair apartment and sent out her laundry.  Then she got transferred... surprise!! And I get Sister Taufa.  Sister Taufa is awesome, upbeat, funny, and a great missionary.  This is definitely going to be my most fun transfer thus far on my mission, I can already tell - but we're working hard to stay focused as well on our purpose.

Sister Taufa is from Tonga, and was baptized once when she was 8... but then later they couldn't find the record of it.  So she was baptized again.  Later... they couldn't find the record AGAIN.  So she was baptized again.  Baptized 3 times - she said it was good, since she probably needed it.  Haha, char, joke.

I got a package from Brooke.  Thanks, sister!  You're the best.  I'll make sure to share the love with our kabahays (Sisters who live with us.)  We had a lot of Christmas parties, etc. this week.  We had our missionary Christmas party in the main chapel that's about a 1.5 hour ride from our area.  It was awesome, and I had found this amazing dress at a second hand clothes store here... sparkly, green, gnarly, and festive.  Grandma chic.  I really wanted to wear it, but when we got there (I wore something more conservative on the way to the party) I found out the zipper was broken... I wasn't too fat for it, but it like, wouldn't zip up whether the dress was on or off.  I REALLY wanted to wear it.  Sister Taufa said, "Don't worry, we'll fix it!"  So we quickly ran and bought pins and then Sister Taufa took about 15 mins wrestling with it to pin it together.  I said, "It's okay, I wanted to wear it but I can wear the other clothes I came in," and she said, "Nah it's fine, I want my companion to look pretty!"  So, she fixed it all up for me and did me some major service.  How could you not love a companion like that?  She's really teaching me how to serve others with a full heart.

For our Zone skit in front of all the missionaries in Manila, we did this story about a missionary's journey through leaving from home, going to the mtc, his experiences in the field, etc.  We only practiced it once.  It was... okay, haha.  SOOOOO many rules of theater were broken.  It kind of hurt my heart a little how much people turned their back to the audience and weren't projecting.  My part... which I chose, in part because of my dress was to stand with my hands pointed above my head during the part where the missionary was "opening his mouth" talking to people.  He walked up and started talking to me and then his companion said, "Nah man, that's a Christmas tree."  Maybe the most unexpected part of our skit, haha.

Yeah, that's it.  LOVE YOU! NO TIME NOW.  MALIGAYANG PASKO AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Smile!  Remember Christ always and how his birth changed the whole world and our lives individually.  Let us celebrate the real reason for the season, and receive the Holy Ghost in our hearts always.

Love,

Sister Larsen

Yeah.  We do Christmas right here.  Christmas Chicken Nuggets!  

Traditional Dance!  The girl in the front is one of our recent converts.  She's awesome and they did this dance at the ward Christmas party.  That's the traditional Filipino costumes as well.