Monday, December 22, 2014

To All the Whos down in Whoville



Well, it's finally here. That day of all days that everyone looks forward to! CHRISTMAS DAY!!!! I am so thrilled to be able to skype my family this year(: I know it will be so uplifting and wonderful for us all.
I've been thinking a lot lately (dangerous for me, I know) about how Heavenly Father's plan is so absolutely perfect. There are no flaws in His plan. We have flaws, but He gave us those to help make us stronger, to grow closer to Him, and to learn how to use the Atonement. I am so thankful for the chance we have on this earth to learn and grow, to make mistakes and repent, to overcome challenges through His grace & mercy, and to truly come to be what Heavenly Father intends for us to become. The verb "be" is so powerful. We all want to "be" something, whether that be more kind, more patient, or career aspirations, or simply to be happier. We all want to "be" better, at anything. I am so grateful that in this life, we truly have that chance to "be" or to "become." I am learning now what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ. To love, serve, and obey. To spread light and hope. To speak peace to people's souls. To share the JOY this gospel can bring if we let it into our hearts and lives. I know that this gospel really is the only way we can return to our Father in Heaven. I'm grateful that through living in His way, and through keeping our baptismal and temple covenants, we can return as forever families to our Father who loves us so very much. I am so thankful for the birth of Jesus Christ and that we can return to live with God again through Him and His Atoning sacrifice. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Love always, Sister Brittany Anne Larsen

Monday, December 15, 2014

It's the most wonderful time....OF THE YEEEAR!



What a blessed week this has been. I don't know exactly what happened, but all I know is that I love sharing my testimony and I love this gospel and my Savior Jesus Christ more than anything ever. That's basically all I have to say this week. The church is true.
love always, Sister Brittany Anne Larsen(:
P.S. Shout to Sister Katie Gowans who will be my forever companion soul-mate. She's taught me more than anyone ever has about missionary work and the true meaning of diligence(: love her.


-Beatles picture. #wecool

-love these two(:



Monday, December 8, 2014

I Choose Happiness.



What a blessed week full of miracles and laughter and love. The Christmas Season is definitely here. We have already made it a White Christmas because C. GOT BAPTIZED YESTERDAY!!!!! okay, so here's the story. Sister Training Leaders text us Friday night with a text saying that C. might be getting baptized this weekend. They call us the next morning telling us that the Assistants called them to tell them that President Burt felt good about C. getting baptized sometime this weekend. So we organized a baptism in 5 hours and saw C. on Saturday afternoon to let him know of the good news. We go over with our awesome member Maddy, and we say a prayer then ask C. how he would feel about getting baptized the next day. His response: "well it's about time!" love it. LOVE it. What a champ he is. Pat Smith baptized him (he's awesome) and C. came up out of the water with the biggest smile on his face and said "cheers." He is incredible. The Spirit just filled that room at his baptism and everything was able to happen in just the right timing. We literally spent 9 hours at the church yesterday, but that's okay, because another one of God's children has come back into the fold(: I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. How lucky we are to have it in our lives. I am so thankful for the Restoration of priesthood keys and the power to seal families together for eternity. I am so thankful for my wonderful family. I wouldn't be on my mission if it wasn't for them and their powerful testimonies of this gospel. They are such a light and strength and example to me. I'm grateful God has watched over them for this short time I've been gone and I know I can only see a small portion of the blessings He has already given me and my family. I know that everyone can have a testimony for themselves if they are willing to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. It only draws us nearer to our Savior Jesus Christ and testifies of the Bible completely. I'm so thankful for this Christmas season that we have to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He truly did come into the world to save us from our sins and to perform that Atonement that we can all fully access by making and keeping our baptismal and temple covenants. He wants us all to return home to live with him and our Father in Heaven again. I love my Savior so much. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I've just been thinking a lot about my testimony this week and wanted to share a little part of it(: in other news, sister Unwin always throws out Ghandi quotes that she's made up and makes everyone think deeply about their lives like, "I think it's inevitable to be sad; it's how you cope with it that matters." Something she said to Sister Gowans when she was being sad about going home. And then our trainee is awesome yet again when people are being rude at the door and they are about to slam it and she says "well, congratulations on having a faith." I love her with all my heart. Something else that's cool that I had never thought about before- because I'm an idiot, the way the gospel can and will be proclaimed to all the world is through technology! A member of our ward bore his testimony of this yesterday and I just thought it was so awesome. He's from China and there aren't missionaries there in most of the country, but he said that he knows that Heavenly Father isn't going to let the Second Coming happen until everyone has had at least somewhat of an evidence of the restored gospel. Just thought it was cool(: now everyone go share "He is the Gift" on facebook or twitter or instagram or something else cool that I don't know what it is because I've been on my mission for so long(: love you all(: the church is true.

love always, sister brittany anne larsen(:

-poor rudolph...

-we love carrots!

-melted snowman hahaha

-C.'s baptism(:





Our Existence (post from 12/1/14)



(Sorry- I got a week behind- I was on vacation last Monday)

Hello. We exist. Our existence is so strange. That's all we've discovered this week on our ventures and travels.
Essentially, our week in a nut shell was me getting a migraine on Monday so badly that I legitimately wanted to die, the Assistants calling us that night telling us that we would be training, the next day we discovered a lovely hidden beach and talked to some nice people on it before it got super stormy, Wednesday we traveled on the ferry and we got to spend the day in the lower mainland and i got to see my favorite people in maple ridge, the Plett's. Then the next day we met our baby, Sister Unwin from Liverpool, England. She is our favorite person in the world. Probably the funniest person I've ever met. We had a great mini Thanksgiving meal with the Victoria 2nd sisters. Shout out to them. Thanks. We had an awesome time tracting on Friday at which point we pulled a baby pine tree from the ground on the side of the road and took it back to our lovely abode, dirt clods, roots, and all. I sawed off the roots with a steak knife (probably looked like a crazy person). We put it in a jam jar of water and decorated it. Also, we are a Christmas Tree. The End. Love you all.

Love always, sister brittany anne larsen(:

-the day after we found out we were expecting(:

-how we look at doors haha courtesy of the Smith Family(: #thanks

-some of my favorite sisters(: ferry ride

-we stole the tree.

-a very charlie brown Christmas


-we are the Christmas Tree.






Monday, November 24, 2014

Life is Awesome...still.



Still, my life is awesome(: haha seriously though. So many blessings from the Lord this week. We found a Colombian family to teach and they are so solid!!! they live in this little town home complexy thing and the first door we knocked on the lady was really rude and yelled at us that we weren't allowed to be there but then i tried to ask her why but she slammed the door before i could ask. So we proceeded on to the next door and met this awesome family from Columbia(: we are stoked to teach them. So many blessings. C. is going to be baptized in December instead of this weekend, but please keep praying for him(: i know God answers prayers! I love you all so much(:
love always, sister brittany anne larsen(:

-moss in Canada called "old man's beard"...so of course i made a beard for myself(; lol

-our awesome pal Madi who comes to lessons with us(: gonna be a great missionary

-oh ya know, just tracting on a mountainside lol