Sunshine, Smiles, & Serendipity: It was a "Double-Door-Slammin', People-Chasing-Us-Down-The-Street" kind of week...And I loved every second of it.

Dear People of my life that I adore(:

This past week has been a bit of a roller-coaster to say the least.

We were able to go on exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders on Wednesday. I FINALLY got to go to Kelowna and work with YSA. I was pretty happy about that. I don't know if I've just lived in Oliver too long or what, but Kelowna is super fast-paced. It's the "big city" compared to our tiny little town. I loved it though. We found quite a few new investigators and Sister Holm and Sister Willmore found SEVEN NEW INVESTIGATORS for us in Oliver. SOOOO thankful for that. We have been having kind of a hard time finding people to teach that actually "stick with the program" for more than one lesson. So that was a blessing. A huge one.

Thursday after exchanging back we did our weekly planning. Then that night when we went finding, (which I love consecrated finding time by the way. like i really do just adore it with all my heart. every mission should do it.) we found 2 more NI (new investigator)!!! that was super great. One of them we have already met with since then and said she's not ready to change right now and the other one we have a return appointment with on Thursday so hopefully all goes well with that! We also met a lot of really awesome potentials that night while finding. People in this area really are the best. We talked to this one lady who said she used to be Pentecostal but doesn't really believe in God anymore but she wasn't interested in talking, but I was super curious about these shell looking things that were sitting on her porch. These shells were gigantic and there was a big huge pile of them. Before we knocked I said "look at all those shells!!" and Sister Holm was like "they're not real. there's no way." so i said I would ask after we were done talking to whoever answered the door. The lady said that yes they were real and she got them on the Island. She goes every year and there's always bunches of them sitting all over on the beaches there, so she said we could each take one and we did. They are called "Moon Snail Shells" and they are so beautiful. There was also this other guy we met who showed us that he had a Book of Mormon from 1983 (I think she might mean 1893, haha)!!! So crazy. But it was super neat.

Friday we went and got lunch at Subway and there was a guy with an axe there. So that was a little odd. We also had a super fantastic lesson with R. and since he is first nations (native) he does a lot of cool paint stuff with rocks and drums and all that, so he let us each have a painted rock too. I love that people just love to give us stuff haha I think it's so neat!!

Saturday was a pretty great day. We found 2 NI, one of whom is the daughter of one of our Sikh investigators. She is 14 and seems very open-minded and willing to learn. The other one is this super sweet old German man whose wife died a couple years ago, so Plan of Salvation will play a huge role in teaching him. Also, Saturday night was the night we got one door slammed in our face not just once, but twice, because apparently it didn't slam hard enough the first time. So there's that. Haha Sister Holm and I were trying so hard not to laugh on their porch. We had to hold it in til we were a little ways away. I still love these people so much though. They rock.

Sunday was a great day. I just love the Sabbath. It was also a super crazy day. So we went to church and that was great. As the sacrament was coming around, I took a piece of bread but I also accidentally knocked one off into my lap..so Sister Holm decides that she'll just eat that one haha we were trying SOO HARD to be reverent, but it was difficult. Then the F.'s (super awesome less-active hungarian family), who had seen what had happened, just shook their heads at us and they were trying not to laugh too. It was a pretty great day at church. Then after church we get this phone call from President Tilleman (our mission president) saying we needed to come up to Kelowna (a 2 hour drive) so we could be interviewed by him. We ran home super quick, packed an overnight (we were going to have to stay with Kelowna YSA for the night) and drove to Kelowna. There were FOUR baptisms going on and so that's why President was in Kelowna anyways. Sister Holm and I were able to both have interviews with President. It really humbled me and I am so grateful for the Priesthood and how we can become better through the guidance and direction of our leaders. President Tilleman really is such an inspired man and I'm so thankful to be serving under his direction.

Guys, I just love my mission. I really honestly do. There is literally nowhere else inn the entire world that I would rather be right now. In a week, I'll be at 6 months and only have a year left. That breaks my heart. The time has already gone by so fast and there are still so many people in British Colombia to be baptized! Missions really are the best decision anyone could ever make in their life. President Tilleman made me realize something in our interview. Missions are not about us. Missions are not about the growth you experience or the people you meet or the foods you try or the places you go. Missions are about finding, teaching, and baptizing. And if we're not doing that, we are not fulfilling our purpose as missionaries. There are people out there that are literally starving for the gospel, and it is our job, not only as missionaries, but as members of this restored gospel, to go out and find those people and help them receive the initial saving ordinance of baptism. Because without baptism, people are not able to fully access the Atonement, and without the Atonement, we can't return to live with God again. Members and missionaries work together to bring people unto Christ. This gospel is true people! I love you all more than any of you realize and hope you all have a fantastic week(:

Love, Sister Brittany Anne Larsen

(She forgot to send this with her original email, so she asked me to add it)

So last night we were out tracting and we knocked on this one door and this super sweet girl answers and we start talking to her and then her dad comes up behind her and slams the door so we were super sad and just started walking away, then 3 minutes later we hear "ladies!!!" so we turn around and the same girl is running towards us because she wanted to talk to us more. she apologized for her dad and then we made her a new investigator. MIRACLES HAVE NOT CEASED!!!!!(: THE END.

-me and Annie, Jim's little dog that he brings to church EEEEEVERY Sunday

-my rock that Ron painted (it's a wolf) and the moon snail shell

-Apparently Sister Holm got a hold of my camera while I was in the washroom...and she licked my rock. I am just barely finding this out as I go through my pictures. I still love her though..but now I have to sanitize my rock.