Elder Larson Serving it up in Maryland: RAIN, TRANSFERS & NANCY'S BAPTISM!!!

Squad,

This week has been a fantastic week. Luckily for each of you, this will be the last time you will have to read my weekly email because I will be returning home this Thursday. I have mixed feelings about entering into this next phase of my life, nevertheless, the past 2 years has been desirable above all other fruit. I wish that I could put all of the things that I learned and experienced here in Maryland! I sincerely encourage any of you that could potentially serve a mission to forget yourself and go to work in the service of the Lord. And for those of you who are past the age of serving a mission, there are a million other ways to lose yourself in the work of the Lord. I'm not going to even try to explain to you how you will be blessed for doing it, but you will and you won't regret a second of it!

On Tuesday we had the opportunity to go to the Washington DC temple, it was fantastic! If you are ever around the DC area, at least drive by that temple! It will take your breath away! There isn't really anything better than starting off your day in the house of the Lord, I invite you to go to the temple this week! After that we headed over to the mission home and began working on the transfer board with President Christiansen. We spent pretty much the rest of that day figuring out transfers and in the evening they took us to Sakura for some good Japanese food! It was amazing to be around the mission president and witness the inspiration that he receives on where the missionaries should be transferred!

On Wednesday we drove out to Frederick and picked up Elder Chambers and brought him back to Columbia for exchanges. We had an awesome exchange! While we were knocking doors we knocked into a lady, Sister Brown, taught her the Restoration and picked her up as an investigator! Solid! Then we had a lesson with a recent convert named Victor who is from China. He speaks very little English so we taught most of the lesson through Google Translate on his phone. That was a pretty cool experience! Then right after that we got a media referral for a kid named James. We contacted him and he told us that he was watching videos about Jesus online and the most legit ones that he saw were on the Mormon Channel! I agree! So he ordered a copy of the Book of Mormon and was interested in learning from us. We taught him the first lesson and he is seeking the truth out it's amazing! On Saturday we had the return appointment with him at the church. We gave him a church tour and he really enjoyed it! He is from China as well and his only hold ups are that he has social anxieties and that he isn't a native English speaker so he feels uncomfortable going to church with a majority American church. He's awesome though!

On Thursday we took a missionary that was returning home to the airport. His name is Elder Jenkins, he's a stud! Then on Friday we drove out to Chambersburg, PA for exchanges with the zone leaders there. I went there with Elder Bird, he's a stud! Unfortunately, that day it rained all day long and it wasn't light rain either. So we spent the entire day and evening walking around in the rain talking to people. That's missionary work right there! Everything worked out super well, we exchanged back and on our way back to Columbia we stopped in to see Nancy's baptism in Waynseboro! So sick!! She wanted me and Elder Jones to come to her baptism super bad because we were the ones that first started teaching her! It was awesome to see her and a bunch of the people in the Fairview ward again!

I can't believe my full-time service as a missionary ends this week, it has definitely been the greatest thing that I have ever decided to do. I know that the Savior lives and that he leads this work and this Church. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for him. Whatever thoughts you have had to improve as you have read this letter, I invite you to do them because they were from the Holy Ghost. I love y'all!

Have a good week!

-Elder Larson