August 17, 2020 - Where did the time go????? (Week 74) - Susquehanna, PA

Hello everyone!! 

Can you believe that in just a short 48 hours I will be back in the grand ole state of Utah??? Yeah, me neither. 18 months kind of seems like a long time, but this past year and a half went by in the blink of an eye. 

This week was an amazing last week here in the mission field. On Tuesday the sweet Dowlings invited us over for a movie night and they made us orange julius'. The senior couples here take really good care of us. 

Wednesday morning we got to help Elder Dowling dispose of some tree branches. We got them out of the woods and loaded them into his truck to haul away. Thankfully no one got any ticks.

Sister Staheli and I taught a zumba class on Thursday morning which was super fun. Dancing is my favorite! And then on Friday morning we got to pick some blueberries again!! This time it was very very hot instead of overcast and rainy. But it was a really fun time. 

On Saturday we did some zumba again, but then we got ice cream. It was definitely worth it. We had a movie night with the other sisters that night too and it was like our last hurrah. 

Although it was a good week, it wasn't easy. This week was a week full of lasts. My last movie night, my last chinese food friday, my last blueberry picking in Montrose, my last Sunday dinner, my last time at the river, and my last tour. Even though there may have been a lot of lasts, there are very many firsts that lie ahead. I have loved this past chapter of my life, but I am also excited to walk through the door to this next chapter. 

I have learned so many things on my mission, it has been so life changing and I would go through all of it again if it means that I can become the person I am today. The good and the bad were all worth it. These have truly been the best 18 months for my life!

See you soon!

Till then, stay sober and stay chaste! 

- Sister Larsen

Sister Staheli and I

Movie night at the Dowlings

Tree branches from the woods

Sister Gold and I after placing her SECOND Book of Mormon

post zumba

Blueberry picking

I PET A BABY DONKEY

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream

Susquehanna river

more river

GREGORY!! Cutest kid in Susquehanna

THE greatest companion ever!!

August 10, 2020 - Lost in the Woods (Week 73) - Susquehanna, PA

Hello everyone! 

Honestly, I don't have much motivation to write a lot so this is going to be a short one. But what's new? 

Well, let me tell ya! Monday night we got a storm warning and we were instructed to stay inside until 4:00. It was a really good rainy day and we did a lot of studying on the porch. One of the senior couples also had us over for dinner that night and we played chicken foot. 

On Thursday night our power went out at 11:30. You may be saying that we were supposed to be asleep. Yes, but when the a/c shut off, that thing was loud!! The power wouldn't turn on until Friday afternoon. That morning however we got the opportunity to pick blueberries at a recent converts blueberry farm. It was a little rainy, but it was perfect weather for blueberry picking. As a group we picked 73 pounds of blueberries! 

Yesterday Sister Gold and I had the brave opportunity to save an old lady that fell into the creek. She went into the woods and decided to wander off the path which resulted in her falling in the creek and not being able to get out of it. She was calling for her husband and he was having trouble finding her so Sister Gold and I took the brave opportunity to machete our way through the woods and save this lady from the creek. We helped her out and they went on their way.  

If anyone wants a tour feel free to message me and let me know. This is my last week!!! 

Stay sober & stay chaste!

- Sister Larsen

Sister Brown, Sister Gold, and I with a cucumber from Emma's garden

Blueberry Picking

More Blueberries!!

cute slugs I held

Sister Staheli and I taking a rest (we worked pretty hard that day)

mi amiga

we watched a sweet lady release some homing pigeons

even more blueberries

Sister Brown and I 

August 3, 2020 - EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!(Week 72) - Susquehanna, PA

Hi friends!

I feel like so many things happened this week, but at the same time I don't feel like too much happened. Sister Gold and I took some really good tours at the beginning of the week which is always super fun. Everytime we take these virtual tours, it is a huge testimony to me that the spirit truly doesn't have any bounds. We can be calling somebody across the world and they can still feel the spirit testify the truthfulness of the events that took place here. 

Tuesday President and Sister Spallino came down and they brought their handy dandy pizza oven with them. They made us some real good Italian pizza! 

On Saturday we had some visitors come to do some filming and all of us sisters actually got to be a part of it! If you have ever heard of "Don't Miss This", Emily Freeman and David Butler came to film some Come Follow Me stuff for next year. Jason Deere from Nashville Tribute Band came as well and so we got to sing his song "Emma" for their video. You can say that I'm basically a movie star, but I definitely should've taken singing lessons as a child haha. 

Hope you have a wonderful week! See you soon!

Stay sober & stay chaste!

- Sister Larsen

Emily Freeman and David Butler

us sisters with Emily Freeman, David Butler, Jason Deere, and Rebecca Bean from the fighting preacher hehe

my favorite buddies (Staheli and Don)

before we gained 10 pounds from eating so much pizza

Sister Brown and I got matching dresses

President Spallino in his element

we weeded our garden

July 27, 2020 - It's the Final Countdown (Week 71) - Susquehanna, PA

Hello hello beautiful people!

I have some great news, and that is that my COVID-19 test came back negative!! I am officially Corona free!! The results came back just in time for me to have some fun too! I got the call on Thursday so sadly until that point I was still stuck inside our house. But don't worry we partied real hard for the 24th of July. 

President Spallino ended up giving us Pioneer day off and so we went on some adventures. We all went to Collesville, NY to see the Josiah Stowell and Joseph Knight homes. This was my first time going to these places and let me tell you how amazing it was. It's so incredible to see how much all of the early latter-day saints sacrificed and went through to defend the things that they knew to be true. I am so grateful for all of these people as well as the pioneers. 

On our way home from the homes we stopped and got pastries at the cutest little bakery. I got a cream puff and that thing was seriously the size of my whole head! The Sleight's are the best ever, but they definitely aren't the best at directions haha. We ended up missing our turn 3 different times and so we had to take a little detour. It was okay because they got to tell us our futures. I guess I am going to marry a Polynesian and we will own a pineapple farm in Hawaii. Sounds like a pretty good future to me. That night we went to the beautiful waterfall and had a picnic. It was a day well spent. 

Thank you for all of your love and support, I really do appreciate for everything that all of you do for me. See you in 3 weeks!!! 

Stay sober & stay chaste!

- Sister Larsen

Sister Brown and I holding feet again, you can see how she felt about it..... 

the 3 amigas at the waterfall, in our 'jesus te ama' shirts

My comp and I at the Knight home

Don and I with Joseph Smith

Gold and I with our friend Joe (Joseph Smith that is)

Don and I got ice cream

!!PSA!! keep pennsylvania beautiful

backyard, our go to ice cream place

the beautiful susquehanna sunset

buck falls

don and I really like peanut butter

July 20, 2020 - Sister Brown and I held FEET!! (Week 70) - Susquehanna, PA

Hello friends and family!

Well there is honestly not too much to write about this week. Tuesday the Schumers left and they broke my heart a little....😓 but i get to see them soon which I am very very excited about. On wednesday we went to go pick blueberries at a recent converts farm. It was so beautiful, I never wanted to leave!

Okay, this is where things start to get boring.... on thursday I started feeling sick so I went to the site, but I rested all day. That night I called the nurse and she told me to stay home and to rest until I feel better. Later that night she told me that she was actually going to start calling places to get me a doctors appointment so I could get tested for COVID-19. So friday morning I went and got tested, but sadly I won't get my results back until friday. Dont worry yall, I will keep you updated. 

Until then I have to quarantine and stay home for the next week until we find out if its rona or not. I'm currently on day 4 and I'm starting to go a bit crazy, so if you have any suggestions to help me out let me know. 

Until next week, stay sober and stay chaste!

- Sister Larsen

Blueberry picking!!!

Blueberry picking!!!

Blueberry picking!!!

Sister Brown and I holding feet lol

At the doctor getting tested for rona - It was negative

July 13, 2020 - Sister Brown Grew a Mustache (Week 69) - Susquehanna, PA

Happy 16 months to me!!!

I hope you all had a fantastic week, because I just want to reemphasize that TIME IS JUST A CONCEPT!! I only have 5 weeks left and I am starting to freak out! I wish that I could be a missionary for a while longer, but I am also so excited to come home and see you all! 

This week was pretty long, but that's okay because that just means that it felt like longer until the Schumers leave. But sadly today is their last day.😭 I never knew that saying goodbye to someone could be so hard. But on the bright side, I get to see them in 5 weeks!!! 

On Monday night after pday we all decided to hang out in Sister Brown and Sister Donakey's room and write in our journals. Well, when we are together not much writing gets done. For some reason I had the weird impulse to draw on Sister Brown's face. So I decided to be a nice human being and I politely asked her if I could do so. She gave me permission to draw on her face, except with all this humidity it made her skin a little oily..... So these markers weren't working the best until Sister Donakey handed me a permanent marker. Long story short, I made a masterpiece on her face and then when she tried washing it off she didn't have much luck. But don't worry because she doesn't have her mustache or sick tattoos anymore. 

Wednesday was Sister Schumers birthday so we celebrated with some really good cheesecake that Sister Dowling made. Well, the seniors had the bright idea of giving us those party blower things. Well, Sister Brown and I had a lot of fun with those. I will attach a picture so you can see what I mean. 

OH MY GOSH!!!!! On Friday Sister Gold and I placed a Book of Mormon! It was Sister Gold's first and my first in about 4 1/2 months. All of us site missionaries decided to go get some ice cream for a last hurrah with the Schumers. It was pouring rain and all of the Sisters decided to dance in the rain besides me and Sister Gold. We weren't about to get sick and wet and ruin the seniors car haha. Well thank goodness we didn't because just as we were about to leave a super cute couple were eating some ice cream on one of the benches. As we were about to get in the car Sister Dowling asked if we wanted to give them a Book of Mormon, so being good missionaries we went over and gave it to them! They were the sweetest people ever! 

Friday was Emma Hale Smith's birthday and so all of us Sisters sang the song Emma by the Nashville Tribute Band. If you haven't heard it go look it up right now. But I want all of you to realize how important Emma was and is in the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Emma was a BEAST!!! She endured what no other woman had to endure and she stayed faithful to the end. If you don't know much about Emma, go do some research because she is the best person ever! 

Stay sober, and stay chaste!!!

- Sister Larsen

Sister Brown and I with our party blower things

I LOVE COWS

GANG GANG

Sister Gold and I before we gave out that Book of Mormon

Sister Donakey is seriously one of my best friends

Backyard ice cream

harvesting our black radishes

family picture before my parents leave

my beautiful masterpiece on Sister Browns face

our NOT TODAY SATAN shirts

Don and I