RENEE, REBECCA, AND SAMARA'S BAPTISMS

Squad!!!

What's good? This week was awesome! First of all, we had 3 baptisms on Saturday! Renee and her daughter Rebecca and then Samara all got baptized this last week! It was such a sick experience! Funny story behind the baptism: we went to the church an hour and 15 mins before the baptism started to start filling up the font and then we went to go print out the baptism programs and we didn't find out until 25 minutes before the baptism that we forgot to put the fonts plug in! Oops!!! So we didn't have nearly as much water in the font as we would have preferred for the baptism, in fact it barely went over our knees, but it all worked out! I got to baptize Renee and the first time, I'm not gonna lie, we were not even close to getting her all the way under the water haha.... But somehow miraculously the second time she was fully immersed and it all worked out! I was super nervous about that! Rebecca and Samara weren't a problem at all thank goodness! It was awesome though!

On top of that we have been seeing all sorts of other amazing miracles! Greg is another one of our investigators and he came to their baptism and is looking forward to his in the beginning of March. Katrina is going to be getting baptized this Saturday which we are really pumped about that! Picture in your mind what you think a typical older, super positive, Hallelujah, Baltimore black lady would be like, and that is Katrina!! She is the best!! The week after that Troy, Renee's son, is getting baptized as well. He came to church yesterday and he was telling us that he is super glad that he did because while he was in church he opened up his Book of Mormon and the first thing that he read was about baptism, so he knows that he needs to get baptized now! Super dope! Also we had a less active family in our ward show up to church (they are from Africa) and the were all in these sick ritualistic robes and they told us that their cousin just moved in with them and that he wants to be baptized so we are going by today to go teach him! Super cool! Good stuff is happening here!

Also yesterday we got our call-outs and we found out, to our surprise, that Elder Howard is getting transferred and I'll be staying here for another one. Dang! I'm super excited to be staying but I'm gonna miss Elder Howard! Elder Jones will be my new companion, he came out with me!

I hope y'all have a good week!

-Elder Larson

Rolls Royce in Bmore

We get that money!

Ferrari on the same day we found the Rolls Royce, dang!

Samara!!!

Renee and Rebecca!!

L to R: Troy, Marvin, Renee, Rebecca, Tyion #TheSquad

AMERICA!

TEMPLE TRIP & 5 ON DATE!

What's up??

I hope y'all had a crazy but fantastic week this week. This week was temple week so we got to go down to the DC temple on Friday it was awesome! Every time I go there I learn so much and receive a bunch of revelation! The DC temple is the best too, it's super pretty!

On Tuesday we went on exchanges with the assistants and that was a ton of fun. On exchanges you see some of the best miracles!! On Wednesday we had MLC in Frederick all day long and at night we had our Book of Mormon class and Katrina came to that and loved it! Interviews were on Thursday and Renee came so that she could be interviewed by our mission president and she passed! Her and her daughter Rebecca will be getting baptized this Saturday, we're so excited!!

Also this week we had 4 investigators come to sacrament meeting! Renee, Rebecca, Katrina and Greg were all there and loved it! It's always a good thing when investigators love church here especially on fast Sunday because in testimony meetings in Baltimore some crazy stuff is said hahaha.... I've heard multiple people swear over the pulpit bearing the testimonies (don't worry it was in an positive (kinda) way). But it's ok when people are converted by the Spirit then things usually work out good!! Katrina is on date to be baptized on February 25 and Greg is on date to be baptized on March 4. Money!! Greg was taught by the Jones Falls elders and they put him on date but they found out that he actually lives in our area so now we are teaching him haha! Yay!! Samara Goodwin will also be getting baptized this Saturday, it's gonna be a good week! Also this last week we picked up Daisy (Purnell's wife) and Deandre (Renee's nephew) as investigators! 

I hope y'all have a fantastic week!

-Elder Larson

Bal-rat (Baltimore rat) in comparison to Elder Howard's foot

Chesapeake Squad

Elder Howard and Elder Larson

LIFE CHANGING (as a missionary) WEEK & FAMILY OF 11

What's good???

This week was good! To start the week off we had a good lesson with the Silvers at their new house in the hood of Baltimore. They are all doing well and Renee is on date for baptism for this Saturday. We are not sure if it will happen this Saturday but if it doesn't it will for sure be in the coming weeks. Things are really crazy for her right now and especially because it is the week before her baptism (because things are always really crazy for investigators the week before baptism (#adversary)) but she is a stud so it will all work out!! Her kids will be getting baptized as soon as they can get to church 3 times  so it should be within the next month. Katrina is doing really well but she missed church this week so we will have to push her baptism back as well. Samara is still doing well and planning on getting baptized on Feb. 11. Please keep our investigators in your prayers!! The adversary desires to sift them as wheat!

On to the life changing story... (I hope you didn't get your hopes up for this because it probably won't be exciting to you at all if you're not a missionary haha). But this week we had a worldwide missionary broadcast and they changed a bunch of stuff in the daily missionary schedule. We used to plan at night when we would get home at 9 PM but now we plan in the morning, now preparation days are longer and they cut out a bunch of the numbers that we have to record each week, called Key Indicators, so we will just focus on the results which are teaching repentance and baptizing converts! I'm pumped about the changes!

This week we found 2 new investigators, their names are Doug and Justin. Justin is a part of the Bigaba family (the gigantic family that we are teaching) and he is the 11th member of that family that we have officially picked up as an investigator. Huge family!!!!! He seems really solid and hopefully we can get them progressing!!! 

Anyways, God loves you and Joseph Smith was a prophet and if you don't know that for yourself then pray and find out! It has blessed my life so much! Have a good week fam!!!

-Elder Larson

Stephani J is super bummed that I snagged a selfie while she was doing her hair!! #oops

DO MISSIONARY WORK!!!

What's good squad???

This week was good!!! We started off the week with a crazy lesson where we brought a member and basically the member and the investigator bashed with each other for an hour!! But we somehow brought it back and it ended up being somewhat spiritual. Haha good stuff! Things are going well with our investigators though. Renee is doing well but she has been facing a bunch of opposition. This week a last minute opening came up for her on a house that was nearby where she was living with her mom so she jumped on it. It was good that she found it and everything but the timing of it was not the best for her, she already has so much crazy stuff going on in her life and it is starting to pile up on her. But luckily we had an amazing lesson with her and with her member friend Sister Starks is really supportive to her and has helped her out a ton. All week Renee was working on her new house, she even worked on her house all Saturday and through the night until 8 Sunday morning. The amazing thing is that she still came to church! So much faith!!!

One of the investigators that we found this week, Ed, is the reason (I believe) that we share the gospel with anyone wherever we go.  We taught him the Restoration and when it came to the time that we taught him about the Book of Mormon he shared with is that he already had one.  Several years ago he drove a shuttle service at the airport for people going to and from the airport.  One day he drove a man that shared with him something very special (in his own words).  The man didn't have much money to leave for a tip but he did have a copy of the Book of Mormon that he left with Ed along with a brief explanation.  Ed told us how he was very grateful (I would presume eternally grateful) and that it was the greatest treasure that anyone could ever give him (again from his own words).  What seemed like a simply placed Book of Mormon that would collect dust on somebody's shelf for years really was a seed planted that is now ready to harvest.  Member missionary work is so important!

Katrina, Samara, and Renee and her kids are still planning on getting baptized at the beginning of February. Good stuff happens when you are on God's team!!! #RideWitUs!!! 

Have a good week!!

-Elder Larson

$$$$$$$$$$$

What's good??

This week was $$$$$$$$$!!! (not in actual money but in blessings from Heavenly Father). To start it out, we had zone training on Tuesday and afterwards lunch was provided for the whole zone by the mission president's wife because our zone won a competition in the mission Christmas conference. It was super good! Zone training turned out good as well! Then I went on exchanges with Elder Garcia and he came to my area. We had a sick lesson with the Silvers, we taught Troy the Word of Wisdom and Renee (who hasn't smoked a cigarette since Dec. 28) bore strong testimony of it to her son! It was amazing! Later that week we also taught him the Law of Chastity and he committed to live both of them!! They are doing so well!!

I was gonna wait until the end of my letter to tell y'all about this but I can't wait any longer and very few of you probably ever reach the end of my letters anyways so I'll put it here.... Anyways, 6 OF OUR INVESTIGATORS CAME TO CHURCH YESTERDAY!!!!! #$$$$$$$$$$$ SO PUMPED!!!! Renee, Troy and Rebecca all came and are now on date for baptism on February 4. Katrina came and is on date for February 11 and Samara & Chris came and Samara is on date for February 11. Greg came as well and he will be on date soon. Super stoked!!! We also had a ton of recent converts and less actives come to church as well (including a guy who just reached out to us and wants to get back into church who is this JACKED Asian dude that grew up in all sorts of gangs and he gave us some fresh hair cuts). That was a good Sunday!!

While I was on exchanges this week I was planning for the next day and while I was planning I really felt like we should stop by our investigators Katrina & John. The next day we show up at her door and she lets us right in to teach her. Before we began the lesson she opened up to us about a dream that she had the previous night that was really bothering her. Katrina has been going through a ton. She has been fighting cancer for the past 6 years and on top of that in 2013 her son was murdered here in Baltimore. In the dream she had, her son appeared to her and looked extremely cold. He kept saying to her that he is cold and that he needs her (Katrina) to go find him. "Coincidentally" we had planned to teach Katrina about the Plan of Salvation that day and how those that didn't get the chance to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be baptized will learn about the gospel in the spirit world and about how we have the responsibility and privilege to perform ordinances such as baptism for our deceased family members in the temple. (if you are reading this and don't know what it all means go to Mormon.org) By the end of the lesson all the worries that Katrina had were wiped clean and she was so pumped to be able to do that for her son. Right then we put her on date for baptism on February 11. Such a sweet lesson! Also this week we picked up 2 new investigators and the huge family that we were teaching now consists of 10 people. Dang! Hopefully we can get them to church and progressing towards baptism soon.

Have a good week!!!

-Elder Larson

Sistas trynna get at us!!

DC TEMPLE SWAG & HUMIDITY

Howdy!

This week was fantastic, of course. It is super dang cold outside but it's a good thing that we have the Spirit of the Lord burning within us!!!! (Although it doesn't prevent frostbite). The humidity makes it so pretty much no matter how many coats/shirts/pants/socks etc. you have on, you basically have nothing on! Likely all the problem is just that I am really soft though..

Sick stuff happened this week!! To start it off, on Tuesday we went down to the DC temple to do baptisms for the dead with our recent converts, the Jeghedes!!! It was such an amazing experience! I can't even begin to tell you how strong the Spirit was there. They did temple work for some ancestors on Sister Jeghede's side and while we were there Brother Jeghede got so pumped up to come back and do the temple work for his ancestors too! It was such a cool experience! Also there was a temple worker there that I met at the beginning of my mission who at the time was very recently baptized. It's amazing how prepared so many people are for the gospel and how well they are progressing so shortly after they are baptized! The Jeghede's daughters are already talking about where they want to go on their missions to. The Lord's work is hastening!!

On Wednesday we had transferred and Elder Carlson got transferred up to Pennsylvania but Elder Howard came in to replace him and he is a stud! He is from Denver, CO and has been out about 20 months. It's gonna be a good transfer!

For 2017 I made a goal that I would find 2 new investigators to reach the standard of excellence every week and on Sunday night at dinner time we still hadn't found any yet for last week... There goes that goal haha.... NOT!! We had a lot of stuff that we had to take care of this week so we didn't have a ton of time to work but Heavenly Father always comes in clutch when we need him to. After dinner last night we went out and found 2 new investigators without any fret. Such a miracle! First we picked up Norman and we taught him outside his house which was super cold but it was well worth it! Then we picked up Brandon and he is super cool! He was a referral from a member in the Jones Falls ward. And we have a bunch of investigators that are still plugging along, getting closer and closer to baptism!

Have a good week!!

-Elder Larson

Sister Jeghedes postin up at the temple 

The Jeghedes

FAMILY OF 9??? / NEW YEARS

What's up!!

This week was super good!! First of all I hope that y'all had a good New Years and that you set some money goals for this year! To start the week off last week we started teaching Samara Goodwin and she is awesome!! Her dad is a recent convert and her mom has been a member for a while and she is super solid! She wants to get baptized super bad!! And when we go over to teach them they usually feed us:)

We had another crazy week of finding! We found 5 more investigators this week it was awesome! 3 of them are from that same family that we found last week, now we are teaching 9 of them!! Family of 9!!! And there are more of them too! Super sick!! They are doing good. Also this week at church we were supposed to have 6 people come to church but right before church they all bailed because of various reasons!! Dang!! But Heavenly Father brought a man named Greg to church with his girlfriend and we picked him up as an investigator and he seems solid!! Super cool! Also we saw a ton of sketchy stuff happen on the bus that I'm not gonna tell you about sorry haha:) New Years Eve we got some sketchy Baltimore Chinese food and hung out with the other elders at the church! It was a good week!

Have a good week!

-Elder Larson

Bus Life Swag

Dang!!