Week 44: Living in the Moment

Hello Family and friends! I rejoice with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I thank you for all you do, but mostly for who you are! 

I'm kinda short on time this week so let's jump right in. The highlights of this week were Zone conference, a temple sealing, and Golden referrals! 

But first - a funny story: We got a flat tire on Saturday. That makes 3 flat tires so far on my mission. We had to drive 80 something miles on a donut tire to get it fixed. We spent the whole day in Hot Springs getting it fixed.  I'm getting pretty good at changing these things.   Haha what a life this mission is. 

So first one of the members in the branch that I've been helping in their temple preparations went to the house of the Lord in Dallas and were sealed together for time and all eternity. I'm so happy for them! They were so well taken care of and they had an amazing experience. The Gospel is true my friends and the Lord blesses those who make it to His home. 

This week we saw miracles in Hope! I was feeling real discouraged last week, so I made a Massive Action Plan or a MAP to help me feel better. As I put my MAP into place my positivity increased and the Lord blessed us with golden referrals. When I say Golden I mean GOLDEN & prepared of the Lord. One referral we went to see has had many spiritual experiences throughout her life and we were an answer to her prayers. She literally prayed us to her door. It was so amazing! God,  our loving Heavenly Father,  really knows everything and will answer our prayers. 

Probably the highlight of the week of miracles was Zone conference. I was richly taught by the Spirit of the Lord. I learned more about the Plan of Salvation, and what love for the Savior really is. Love = Loyalty. If we REALLY love someone we will be completely honest, obedient, and loyal to them. This impacted my heart strongly.  I love Jesus so much. I can not even begin to express the tender feelings I have for my personal Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him I am nothing, but with Him I am able to do all things because His grace is sufficient for me. I make mistakes all the time, we all do, but our Savior's Grace is sufficient to help, encourage, inspire, and bless us. I know that my Redeemer lives, that He knows my name, my struggles, my desiresfor good,  and my potential. 

I hope that we can all remember the reason for the season. "For God so loved the World that he gave His only Begotten Son..."(John 3:16) What does the precious gift of God's divine Son mean to you? Maybe take some time to thank God for His Beloved Son this Christmas. 

Sincerely, 

Elder Larsen

 

Week 43: "Light" the World

Hello family and Friends!

I rejoice with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to thank you all for what you do, but mostly for who you are. 

This week has been pretty good. We were on bikes in the freezing Arkansas humidity, but other then that it went well. Probably the highlight of the week was Saturday and Sunday. 

Saturday we went helped out 2 families. One family we replaced some electrical plugs at. Elder Anderson is a jack of all trades and He came in handy. The other family we helped put up Christmas lights for the annual Oakhaven Ilumenary. That was really cool. It is where the whole town of Oakhaven puts up lights for Christmas. Then people go driving down the one street in Oakhaven and look at the lights. One guy there went all out and had his lights programed to music and broadcasted his Christmas music over the airwaves for all the people to listen to on their radios.  It was something to behold. I've attached pictures a videos. 

Sunday was absolutely delightful. I LOVE Sundays. I have the blessed opportunity to go to the house of worship and bless the sacrament every week. The sacramental prayers are so important and sacred. The words just fill me with awe every time I read them. I love being able to renew my covenants with God each week and associate with amazing people. 

If any of y'all are struggling to be happy and cheerful this Christmas season I would recommend you participate in the #LightTheWorld campaign that the Church is sharing. Each day there is some way that you can shine the light of Christ into people's lives. 

Y'all know what to do, keep reading the Book of Mormon, praying with Heavenly Father, and going to church. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. 

God bless Y'all and have a blessed week!

Your friend, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Week 42: Hope for the Holidays

Hello Family and Friends! I rejoice with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I thank y'all for what you do, but mostly for who y'all are. 

This week has been incredible! I hope y'all are participating in the #LightTheWorld compaign that the Church has put on. It is definitely inspired. 

As y'all can probably tell I am staying in Hope for the Holidays. I'm really excited as we are working with a lot of amazing people. Right now we are working with Latoya, Lisa, and Kedrick and his family. We are trying really hard to help them all commit to be baptized before the end of the year.

The whole mission has a goal of 80 baptisms by the end of the year. President Hansen received this guidance from the Spirit and I know we can do it. We must help 46 people enter the waters of baptism by the end of the year. PLEASE pray for this. We need all the miracles and tender mercies we can get. 

Two investigators from my past area were baptized on Saturday. Jordan and Andy are a Father and son from Blytheville. Jordan was baptized, received the Aaronic priesthood and in turn baptized his son. Now the whole family is united in the faith and I am so happy!!! I love how the Lord works things out so that many people can be blessed. 

This week we had a fantastic meeting with Elder Robins of the Presidency of the 70. He taught us about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how much our Savior loves us. One scripture that stood out to me that he used was Isaiah 49:13-16. Isaiah compares the Lord's love to the love of a Mother for her child. It was amazing to learn from Elder Robins. 

I'm running out of time y'all, but I know that this church is true. I have felt the Spirit of the Lord witness to my soul that this is the Lord's church. If we want a personal connection to our Savior we need to read the Book of Mormon. The whole book talks about Jesus. Don't forget to Pray. Heavenly Father wants you to talk with him. He is so kind and wants to listen to you. 

Please keep praying for me and I will keep praying for you. God be with y'all and have a blessed week. 

Sincerely your friend, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Week 41: Exchanges, Thanksgiving and Lots of Driving

Hello Family and Friends! I rejoice with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I thank y'all for what you do, but mostly for who y'all are. I thank my Heavenly Father Everyday for all the AMAZING people in my Life. 

This last week has been pretty good. I had a great Thanksgiving and I hope y'all did too. The highlights of the week include exchanges, thanksgiving, and lots, and lots of driving. 

This week I had the great opportunity to go on exchanges with my Zone leaders. Elder Armstrong and Elder Paopao are some Stellar Men of God. Elder Armstrong has a special spot in my book, because he has been helping me grow in my district leader responsibilities and has been there for me these last 3 transfers. Elder Paopao served next to me when I was in Jacksonville so we have had some good times together. This exchange I was with Elder Paopao. It was awesome. That night I made some soup and Pasta for everyone and we played some Phase 10. I love the men I serve with. 

One funny thing was I was driving the Zone leaders to and from Camden where their car was and on the way back to Camden to unexchange to our Horror we found that their car keys were all the way back in Hope. So 2 hours later they were back on their way headed home. It was really funny. 

I had the great opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with the a family in the Branch. We all had some great food and talked and played uno. It was amazing and helped me not be homesick. 

I love being a missionary!!! It is the best decision I have ever made in my life.  "Behold, I am a Disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been Called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have Everlasting Life." (3rd Nephi 5:13) I Love my Savior and I have come to know him personally as I have been in His service among his people. I have seen Him work miracles in my Life and in the lives of those around me. I am here to help the Savior find His lost sheep and bring them safely home again. I have never been happier in my whole life as I have walked with Him. I won't ever leave His side. 

How will you follow the Savior this week?

Your friend in Christ, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Elder Larsen in the Boonies

These are some tired Zone Leaders

Elder Larsen's Holy Place

Week 40: Back in Jacksonville (for the musical tribute)

Hello Family and Friends! 

I truly rejoice with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to thank you for what you do, but mostly for who you are. 

Holy cow!!! This week has been incredible! I don't know if I will be able to tell you all of the tender mercies and miracles that have happened to me. God our Father is SO Good to his children! 

So the highlights are probably yesterday and today.

Today I had the pleasure of having lunch with the Rasmussens again. Oh what a Joy it was to meet with them today. They are tender friends of mine. They have helped me so much and I love them dearly. I was able to pray, take a picture and hug them one last time as they are leaving for home in a few short weeks. 

Yesterday I was blest to be back in my birth area in the mission, good Ole Jacksonville. This is where I met and began my friendship with the Rasmussens.  I went to the church building for Sacrament meeting to find that the power was out because a massive tree fell down and destroyed a power line. They ended up pushing the Sacrament meeting back an hour and had it without power. That was an incredible experience. The spirit was very powerful. 

Now some background to the next part, Saturday I performed for a musical tribute in Jonesboro and it went AMAZING! My vocal cords though had taken a serious hit. My voice HURT. I didn't know how I was going to Sing Sunday for the musical tribute in Jacksonville. Well the power came back on during the middle of Sacrament meeting, but the microphone was not working. Turns out the amplifier had blown a fuse and they didn't have another. So now I was looking at singing with a hurt voice with no mic. Needless to say I was worried, but as a testimony to you that God is very aware of us I will show you the Lord's tender mercies are over all those He hath chosen. (1 Nephi 1:20)

So My companion is very technical and with help from the stake technology specialist and a fair amount of inspiration they were able to somehow fix the mic! 

I also felt inspired to ask for a blessing from my Mission President. For those who may not understand what a blessing by the laying on of hands is please refer to James 5:14-15. Anyway He gave me a very tender blessing and in it pronounced that by my faith my voice would be healed and that I would be able to sing with such power that this would be my best performance. After he closed in the name of Jesus Christ I felt healed. I felt the pain I had in connection to my vocal cords vanish away. I felt AMAZING. 

Our performance at Jacksonville was by far the best one. Such a fitting end to an amazing opportunity to share my tender feelings for the Son of God with all those within the sound of my voice. I LOVE my Savior. He is SO kind to me. He has sent Angels in recent days to be with,  and strengthen me. I could feel ancestors near me as I Sang. There were there. I know that is true. 

Brothers and Sisters, my dear friends, in the words of Nephi of old "For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, (Jesus)  and be saved.

Wherefore, the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world"

Please, come unto Jesus Christ and let him help you. He knows life is hard sometimes. Trust me, he understands you. If there is one person who understands you better then anyone else it is the Son of God. He understands me. He loves me and all of you and wants to give of His Amazing Grace to those who come unto him. 

"My Chains are gone! I've been set free! My God, My Savior has ransomed me! And like a flood, His mercy reigns! Unending love, Amazing Grace!" 

Humbly yours, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Week 39: The Best Way to a Southerners Heart

Hello Family and Friends!

I rejoice with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Thank you all so much for what you do, but mostly thank you for who you are. Heavenly Father is so grateful for what you do. When we are in the service of our fellow beings we are only in the service of our God. Mosiah 2:17

I'm running out of time this week so here are the highlights. Cookies, Branch Reorganizations, and Zone Conferences. 

So we have taken a page out of the Sister's book and we have baked cookies for our investigators and members. This has been a huge success and we have found that the best way to a southerners heart is with delicious cookies.  The cookies have fostered positive experiences for people and they have really opened up to us and become our friends. We believe the cookie idea definitely came from God. I love inspiration!!!

The Branch Presidency was reorganized on Sunday which was kind of a shock to be honest. The branch president that was released had only been in there for 3 years. The members were really sad to see him go as he was an implant from a neighboring branch. I have high hopes for the new branch presidency though. The Lord is in the details. 

We had zone conference and interviews this last week and I love it when these come around. I had a great learning experience on the new planning process that we are using as a mission. I explained this a few weeks ago, but yeah it's great. I also love having interviews with President Hansen. That man is Definitely called by God to lead this mission. Sometimes its a little hard to keep up with how fast he is running, but God will prepare a way for us to all catch up. Haha.

My Brothers and Sisters, God knows you. He loves you and Jesus does too. They weep with you when you suffer, and they rejoice when you do what is right. They look for every possible reason to bless us. Their blessings are dependent on our obedience to them. If we truly love them then we will keep their commandments. John 14:15&21. My Savior is my best friend. He has helped me out time and time again without fail. I know that He will never let go of me. He will never forsake me. I mean so much to him. Sometimes I wonder why he loved me enough  to go through the Atonement, then I remember who His Father is. Jesus is in the express image of our Father in Heaven, and Father so loved all of His children that He gave His only begotten Son. Thus we see why Jesus loves us. 

God be thanked for the matchless gift of His Divine Son!

Your friend in Christ, 

Week 38: Missionary Leadership Training

Hello Family and Friends!

I REJOICE with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I want to take a second and thank y'all for what you do, but mostly for who y'all are! Thank you for the Birthday wishes. It has been a great day. 

This week has been pretty amazing. The highlights were meeting with amazing people and the Missionary leadership training meeting. 

We have recently been tasked as a mission to do hometeaching for our wards and branches. This has been an interesting twist to missionary work here in the south. It has Definitely been inspired though as the Lord has poured out His blessings upon us as we have gone searching for the sheep that are lost. We recently contacted a less active couple and they have been so kind to us. We are helping them increase their testimony of the keystone of our religion, The Book of Mormon. It has been so neat seeing their love for God grow as they have read from the Book of Mormon. 

Recently in our mission we have been changing the culture in many ways. We have changed the culture to include the following elements: 

1. We teach repentance and Baptize Converts.

2. We use the Book of Mormon as the Foundation for Conversion.

3. We understand and teach the Doctrine of Christ.

4. We invite "All" to come unto Christ

5. We live our lives in accordance with the White Handbook and strive for consecrated obedience.

This new mission culture has been the result of much fasting and prayer on behalf of the leaders of the mission, specifically President Hansen. It has been really amazing as we have cut out the bad and replaced it with good these past few days. I'm really excited for the days to come as we adapt to the new culture and place our aims a little higher and stand a little taller. 

One other highlight from the Mission Leadership Training meeting that we had was implementing the new Preach My Gospel Chapter 8 on Fulfilling our Purpose as missionaries. This chapter introduced a new way to do planning that is more spiritual and overall more effective. 

The Process includes 5 simple steps. 

1. Pray for and seek inspiration.

2. Review progress.

3. Set goals. 

4. Make Plans.

5. Pray Again and seek the Lord's Approval. 

This is the process that Heavenly Father has used with many of the Holy Prophets. One example is the Brother of Jared when he was seeking to know how to have light in the barges. The Brother of Jared followed each step and asked the Lord for his approval with the plan of having the Lord touch the 16 stones. This was incredible to see for me. I know that this new process will help me better guide my investigators thought the repentance process. 

My Brother and Sisters I know that Heavenly Father Lives. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. I know that the Holy Ghost testifies of the Father, and the Son. If you have trials or tribulations, seek the Lord and He will help you transform your trials and tribulations into Developmental Opportunities. The Lord knows the Saint that you are capable of becoming and wants to help you. Please remember to Pray and speak with Heavenly Father as you would speak to your best friend, by so doing you are connected to the Supreme Being of all the Universe. Please remember to Read from the Book of Mormon everyday, Everyday, EVERYDAY! If you read from the Book of Mormon you are connected to Jesus Christ. Please go to your Holy Sabbath meetings, by so doing you will be connected to the Holy Ghost. 

What can stand against you if you have all three members of the Godhead on your side? 

I love you all so much. I love my Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son. They do so much for me every day. I can't begin to properly express my tender love and feelings about them. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His Divine Son. 

your brother in Christ, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Hope District

Elder Robinson, Elder Green, Elder Larsen, Elder Anderson, Sister Black and Sister Esplin

Week 37: Sweet is the Work

Hello Family, and Friends! I truly REJOICE with you in the amazing Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you all for what you do, but mostly thanks for who you are. May God bless you for the good you do. 

I just love being a missionary! It really is the best! I get to go and share the greatest news since the resurrection of Jesus Christ with people and bring peace, and promise blessings. It is just FANTASTIC!

This week I had a new companion and we worked really hard. We have had good days and bad days this week but overall it ended on a good note. 

This week we found 5 new investigators who were really amazing people. We found a lady named Jinny who has never met with missionaries before or ever seen them for that matter. We taught the restoration to her and she said that she has been looking for a new church and one that could answer her questions.

One thing that was kind of sad this week was our golden family dropped us out of the blue. We gave them cookies on Friday and then Saturday when we went over for the lesson that we had set up the husband asked us not to come back. That ripped my heart out. The Holy Ghost came to me though and comforted me. I know that they will be baptized one day. We were their first contact with the church and on average people need 7 good positive contacts before they will be baptized. Sweet is the work!

We had the 4th of 6 Musical tributes on Sunday and WOW this one was really special. I was asked last minute to help in a quartet turned quintet. The Elder singing tenor needed some help so Sister Hansen asked me to sing the Tenor part with him while we sang "Joseph Smith's First Prayer". It was AMAZING!!! I was also asked to share the First Vision as everyone "oo"ed the song behind me. The Holy Ghost was so strong, and I'm sure there were Angels singing with us. It was such an amazing experience and I will cherish those memories forever. 

I also was privileged to sing my Solo piece again. Oh my, I could feel the Spirit of the Lord singing through me to touch the hearts of those in attendance. I was calm as a summers breeze and I had full confidence. I count those as the most tender mercies of the Lord and I love how much God knows what I stand in need of. 

My dear friends, I know that Heavenly Father is there and He is listening to our prayers. He knows the thoughts and intents of our heart. He knows our good intentions even though sometimes we have bad execution of those intentions. Jesus is the Christ. He understands all of us in a very personal way. He knows what strength we stand in need of and He wants to bless us with His AMAZING Grace. When we are obedient it shows our love for Him and He in turn is able to show His love for us in the form of blessings. When we are obedient He is so JOYFUL, because He can then relieve suffering, or strengthen us to be equal to our challenges. 

Please Pray every single day to Heavenly Father. He wants you to talk with Him as a friend talks with another. Heavenly Father wants you to read the Book of Mormon, because it testifies in plainess of His Divine Son, Jesus Christ. Please attend your Sacrament meetings. If you do all 3 of these things you are connected to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. 

What Challenges can stand against you when you have the Entire God head on your side? What can they do if God is your friend? 

My Heavenly Father, my Savior, and the Holy Ghost are my best friends. They help me out so much. I have been filled with peace, assurance, hope, faith, chairity, and every other good thing because they love me, and I love them with all my heart, mind, might, and strength. 

I love this Gospel!

I love being a missionary!

your friend in Christ,

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Week 36: Nine Months Down!

Hello Family and Friends! 

I truly REJOICE with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!! I want to thank yall for what you do, but mostly for the awesome people y'all are. 

I can barely believe that I've been out for 9 months!  It feels like a dream that is going by incredibly fast. I've learned so much and still have much to learn. Oh how I love being a missionary! 

This week has been a blur. I've been on 3 exchanges and spent a lot of time in the car. Transfers came and I'm getting a new companion!

I have a few things I need all of you, each one of you to pray for. Please pray for Robert and Esta and their family. Also please pray for my mission to find the 80 people who need to be baptized this year. President Hansen has told us all that the Spirit of the Lord has said that there are 80 souls who need be baptized before the end of the year. Please have everyone pray about this in every single prayer. This is of utmost importance. This is part of the new mission culture that we are working on developing. 

One highlight I do want to share was yesterday at the missionary musical tribute to the Savior in Bartlett Tennessee. The program went FANTASTIC! The Lord sustained and supported everyone. My solo was perfect and oh how my heart was filled with joy and love. Heaven opened up and Angels were singing with us. This whole performance was recorded and is going to be taken back to a recording studio and get remastered and we will all receive a copy as a gift. 

My beloved brothers and sisters, I know that God our Heavenly Father loves us and knows us individually. He cares deeply about us and wants us to be happy. God so loved YOU that He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus knows how you feel. He understands you. The Book of Mormon is unequivocally the word of the Almighty. I love reading the Book of Mormon. It has become my daily bread for my soul. 

Please pray for me for this new transfer and I'll be praying for you. Don't forget to pray for the 80. God bless y'all! 

Your brother in Christ, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Week 35: Book of Mormons because of Burger King

Hello Family and Friends! I REJOICE with you in the AMAZING Gospel of our Living Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to take a moment to thank you all for the Love that you have for the Savior that you put into action, and I want to especially thank you for who you are. God our Father thanks you as well as His Son thanks you. Keep being AMAZING! 

Before I get into my letter I need you all to do something for me. First keep reading the Book of Mormon everyday. Second PLEASE pray for this mission to find the 80 souls that God has been preparing. President Hansen said that there are 80 people who need us to find, teach, and baptize them before the end of the year. Please pray about this in every single prayer you have. It would be much appreciated. 

OK here we go. 

My goodness, how do I even begin to tell y'all about this amazing last week? So many blessings, miracles, and tender mercies have happened that it is quite difficult to keep track. I'm not sure I will be able to do it justice but here it goes.  

 Probably one of the greatest things that happen this week was when we placed 9 copies of the Book of Mormon in one day! The plans for the day were a little rocky but we ended up having great success and it all began when we went to Burger King for dinner. The manager asked if we had any extra Bibles. That got the conversation rolling and we gave him a Book of Mormon and a Bible.  The rest of the day we spent in Prescott and that is where we gave the other 8 copies away. It was such a miracle!

 Facebook also saved us an investigator. One of our investigators was about to drop us because of the busyness of her life but when we mentioned that we use Facebook to teach,  she gave us or Facebook information. Blessings!

 We also taught a family on Saturday. The were some critical conversations that the Spirit of the Lord lined up to make this appointment work. We taught the restoration using a puzzle that I received from some friends earlier in my mission and the lesson went fantastic!  we committed Robert, Gabriel, and Tristan to be baptized on November 12th. We almost committed Esta to be baptized but the Holy Ghost made her start to cry so she excused herself a little earlier in the lesson.  I really love how the Holy Ghost can testify to people and help them better feel of Heavenly Father's love for them.  It was probably the best day we have had in Hope. 

Sunday was amazing!!! we had a good day at church, and drove up to North Little Rock. After we got to North Little Rock we hopped in the transfer van with a bunch of other missionaries who are performing and drove to Memphis.  The performance was amazing! The Spirit of the Lord helped me nail the song so that it went great. There were many people in the crowd who I could tell this touched by the Holy Spirit.  when we started to sing amazing grace there were people singing along. It was such an amazing night. We had about 100 ish people there. Overall it was well worth all the time and effort involved.

Oh my dear friends, how I love being a missionary for my Best Friend, and Savior Jesus Christ. He has poured out an abundance of His spirit to be with us this week, and I have been filled with Heavens love. One thing that has really touched my heart this week was what I read in the Book of Mormon. I have such tender feelings for this Book. I read 3rd Nephi chapter 17 where the Savior called to the people to have them bring their sick and afflicted to Him. He then went on to heal every, single, one of them. He put no limit or restriction on His healing power. He simply called to all that would hear Him. Oh my Dear friends, He calls out to you and me and says "Please come to me so that I may heal you." Jesus doesn't like to see us suffer. He weeps with us in our suffering. He knows perfectly what we feel. When He performed His Atonement for us he felt every temptation, infirmity, pain, and weakness that we will ever have. This allows Him to heal us with His Perfect Mercy and strengthen us with His Amazing Grace.

Oh how I Love my Savior. He truly has redeemed my soul. He has lifted me up,  and I know He will never fail me nor forsake me. 

I love you all so much. If you have family or friends who would like to take the missionary discussions with me over Facebook and Skype please let me know. 

Have a blessed week! 

Sincerely your friend, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Week 34: One incredible spiritually jam packed week 🤓

Hello Family and Friends! I truly REJOICE with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  I want to express my gratitude for the people you are and the selfless acts of service you do to make this world a better place. 

Oh my, where do I begin. So many amazing spiritual feasts have happened this week. I will try to give y'all the highlights. I had interviews with President Hansen, we had a mission tour by Elder Klebingat, and I had the amazing privilege to perform and take part in the first Missionary Musical tribute to the Savior put on by the ALRM.

Before I get into everything thank you all for your prayers. They really do make a difference. Please keep Robert and Esta and their family, Londa and Charles and their family, Chris and the rest of my wonderful investigators in your prayers. Please also pray for my district and their investigators too. I love you all and send me an email if you would like specific prayers from a missionary . Oh and if you have people you want to take the missionary discussions with or want to be taught yourself message me in Facebook and I can teach them. 

One thing that I love is how the Lord has set up His church. It makes so much sense. All the leaders are given specific stewardship and are entitled to divine revelation and help with regards to their callings. I've seen the Lord work wonders though those who He has appointed to be my leaders. My Zone leaders have helped me take good care of my district members. The Assistants to the President take a goodly amount of the stress off of my Mission President. This in turn frees up President Hansen to do the harder things that bless my life. I was blest to be able to meet with President Hansen and create new goals for the next transfer. I know that He can receive revelation for me. I trust him and I know of his great love for me. 

On Saturday we had the amazing privilege of being taught from a General Authority 70. Elder Klebingat taught us for 7 hours. It was SO amazing. He helped us see a part of the vision that God has for this mission and the heights we can achieve. He challenged us to use the Book of Mormon as the greatest tool in our arsenal. He likewise challenged us to study and delve deep into the rich life sustaining waters of the Book of Mormon. He shared his conversion experience and his tender feelings for the most correct book on earth "The Book of Mormon." I walked away from this experience spiritually enlightened, and ready to take my testimony to the next level of conversion. 

One thing that struck me more then just about anything else He said was what "exact"  obedience really is. You see there is no such thing as exact obedience. Exact is either perfect or imperfect, true or false, black or white, and since we live in a fallen, imperfect world it is impossible to be exactly obedient in everything. The Son of God was the only one to be perfectly, exactly obedient in His mortal journey. Elder Klebingat suggested that we change exact to consecrated, so that it reads consecrated obedience. When we are consecrated and trying our best to be obedient then our efforts are enough to please our Savior and put a smile on His face. He knows we are Imperfect, that is the precise reason He offers His Amazing Grace to us. He is so happy when we try our best to emulate Him. When our Savior is happy with us, then we can be truly happy. 

I can count on one hand the times in my life where I have been almost paralyzed with fear, and anxiety. My performance in the Musical tribute was one of those times. We had a fantastic turn out. The entire overflow was full of people. If I had to guess there were almost 400 people, and I was right in front of them all. I was so scared. My heart was literally about to jump right out of my chest by how hard it was beating. My singing wasn't perfect like I wanted, but I know the people who were present could tell how much I Love and Adore my Savior, Jesus Christ.

I have accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. He has redeemed my soul. His mighty hand has made me whole. His wondrous power has raised me up, and filled with sweet my bitter cup. I can not begin to express the tender feelings of my heart about all that He has done for me. I have had a mighty change of heart. I don't want to do anything that would displease Him. I love singing the song of redeeming love, and I feel His love take me to heights I have never before known. Oh my dear friends, I would implore you to seek this Jesus. He is my Best Friend. The more I come to know Him, the more I love Him and want to walk with Him. 

If you don't know Him, or want to come to know Him better start today, this very hour. Please do what is necessary to come to know Him. More blessings await you then you could ever dream possible. You have a Prophet's promise that if you want a better relationship with your Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ then reading the Book of Mormon and praying daily are your best options. The Good Shepherd is calling to you day and night. You are so dear to Him. Please heed His call and come, follow Him. 

Sincerely yours, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

P. S. My District is pretty phenomenal. Just saying.

Oh and Reggie got Baptized, received the Aaronic Priesthood, and went to the Temple! I taught him in Blytheville. Oh my heart is so happy .

Week 33: Conference and District Mtg.

Hello Family and friends! I rejoice with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I thank you for what you do, but mostly for who you are! 

It's hard to believe that it's been another week. Things here in hope have been a bit slow but it's probably been because of Bike week haha. The highlights for this week include my first ever District meeting and General conference. 

Last Tuesday I had my first ever District meeting instruction. I was nervous but with the Lord's help I lasted for 45 minutes with enough time to do a role play. God is so kind.  seriously! He knows what we go though and wants to help us so much. 

I LOVED General Conference. It was so amazing and it felt like it went by way too fast. I thought it was really interesting that most of the messages included the Book of Mormon. It really is the word of God and we need to be reading it every single day. Blessings will come from following prophetic counsel. One talk that really stood out to me was Elder Holland's talk about perfection. Those who know me know that I am a perfectionist when it comes to how I want to live everyday. I want to be the best I can and when I don't measure up to my expectations I feel like a failure. This has been a big deal for me so I was so happy that it was addressed in conference. I would encourage you all to read the conference talks as often as possible. It is the voice of the Lord for us today. 

I love you all so much. I have a few things I could use some prayers for. If you all could pray for me this week to have a good performance for the first ever Missionary musical tribute it would be mighty appreciated. Also keep Robert and his family, and Londa and her family in your prayers. 

If y'all have questions or would like to talk shoot me an email. 

I love y'all and have a blessed week! 

Your fellow disciple of Jesus Christ, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Week 32: Temples, zone conferences, Super Studies and 8 Months down!

Hello Family and Friends! I rejoice with you in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I want to thank you all for what you do, but mostly for who you are. 

This week is in part a continuation of last week. Last Monday I didn't have a lot of time to write because I spent most the day in a car traveling, but it was well worth it. I had the sublime opportunity to go to the House of the Lord and commune with my Eternal Father. I can't say enough about how much I love going to the temple. I really felt the Love that my Heavenly Father has for me while I was there. I challenge everyone to become temple worthy and go to the temple as often as your circumstances permit. I know you will be blessed as you fix your eyes on the temple. ️

This week we had an amazing Zone Conference. While we were there we got smartphones and became authorized to use Facebook in our proselyting efforts. This was really exciting and we are looking forward to the miracles that will take place because of this. The Lord is hastening his work. 

This transfer I have had the added responsibility to lead the District I'm in. This has been a great learning experience and I've loved it. As I have been preparing for my first district meeting I've had some profound thoughts come to me. One has been on how precious a gift Prayer is. We are SO lucky to be able to pray. All we have to do to talk with our creator is to address Him.  He is willing to listen to us with 100 percent of his attention. Nothing is more important to God then his Children. In the scriptures we learn what God's purpose is. Moses 1:39 says " For Behold, this is my work, and my Glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." All that God works on is to help his children become like him. We are his pride and Joy and oh, how much He loves us. 

If it wasn't for all the help I have received from God, and all the people he has put in my life I wouldn't be here celebrating my 8 month mark as a Missionary for my Savior and Friend. My God has helped me over come disappointment, fear, and doubt in so many scary experiences. I have come to learn that Life in general is just one scary experience after another. Things are constantly changing for the good and bad. In this midst of change there is one thing that I know won't ever change, and that is my God, and His beloved Son,  Jesus Christ. I have truly lived and loved every single minute of my mission. It has been the experience of a lifetime. I have grown so much closer to my Father in Heaven. I know he listens, understands, and trusts me to do his work. 

Oh,  what a Joy this life is! 

Oh,  how I love being a Missionary! 

Sincerely your friend, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Week 31: Temple Trips and Learning Experiences

Hello Family, friends and other amazing Children of God! I rejoice with you in the Gospel of our Amazing Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I thank y'all for what you do, but mostly for who you are!

This week has been really good. I don't have a lot of time today because I have been on the road. Today was our day to go to the temple for the last time while we are missionaries so that means lots of time driving back and forth. 

I am so happy that I had the chance to go to the House of the Lord again. Oh how I love the Temple of our God. It really is his Holy House. I love going back and feeling my Father in Heaven and my Savior near me. 

 This week was my first week as Dist it leader and it went pretty good. I feel like I'm stepping up to the plate on all my responsibilities as a district leader. If y'all could pray for my district that would be mighty appreciated. I have Sister Black and Esplin, and Elders Robinson, Green, and Patterson under my stewardship. Thanks y'all for your prayers. 

If y'all could also keep my investigators and the members in your prayers that would also be mighty appreciated. The names of our focus people are Kortni, Londa, Aurora, and Francisco. The members we are working with are the Gold family. They picked a day to go to the temple and it is October 18th! Oh how I love this family! I'm so excited for them. I have come to love all the people that I get to work with. All are amazing children of God and me being able to help them know the precious truths I know is such a fulfilling experience!

I want to leave y'all with 2 commitments and my testimony. First off PLEASE keep praying to God. He loves hearing his children pray with and speak to him. It puts such a huge smile on his face when he can listen to you pray, so please keep doing that every chance you can get, multiple times a day. My second commitment is to PLEASE keep reading the Book of Mormon. There is a special power that comes into our lives as we nourish our spirit with the Daily Bread of the Book of Mormon. It fills our spiritual reserves and helps us have the strength to resist temptation and to feel the Holy Ghost more abundantly in our lives. 

I love all of you. Even though I may not know exactly who you are, I still love and care about you. God knows you personally. He is your creator, and Father. He knows exactly what you need and He wants to bless you. Keep the commandments and that will make it easier for God to bless you. Your Father is near you. Your Savior loves you. Joseph Smith really did see God our Father, and his Son Jesus Christ. Thomas S. Monson is our living Prophet today. Temples are the house of the Lord. I Love being a missionary in the service of my Heavenly King. 

I love you all and Hurrah for Israel! 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Week 30: Transfers and the District.

OK so small interruption before we get going into the letter. 2nd Nephi 33:1 states:

1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.

I just wanted to throw that out there because I feel like Nephi. I'm not mighty in writing like unto speaking, but I humbly pray that something that I write to you will make it so the Holy Ghost can touch your heart,  and so that you may feel Your Heavenly Father's love for you, one of his precious Children whom he loves VERY much. 

OK here is the letter for you all. 

Hello Family, friends and other children of God! I truly REJOICE with you in the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I want to thank you all for the charitable things you do to make this world a better place, but mostly I thank you for the Saints that you are becoming!

Oh my, what a week this has been! God is good and has blessed us immensely this week! I've had the amazing opportunity to see the Hand of Almighty God more this week then ever before.  Thank you all so much for your prayers and all the good Karma that you have sent to us. It has paid off and miracles have taken place in Hope Arkansas. Some of the highlights include Mega exchanges, mission wide challenges, AMAZING contacts with prepared souls, and Revalatory Studies. 

So this past week we have been continuing our Mega exchange with our zone leader Elder Armstrong. Elder Armstrong has been staying with us since last Friday because his companion went home early for school. I have learned so much from him, and he has helped me become so much better. I've seen what I need to work on and how I can improve. It has been such a great experience. This exchange has helped me to become the man that God has needed to lead the Camden District as the new District Leader. I'm pretty scared to be the new district leader but I know that this call came from the Lord God Omnipotent through President Hansen. Even though I feel inadequate I know the Lord qualifies those whom He calls. I'm really excited for the continued growth that will come because of this new opportunity. Please keep praying for me. 

This week we have had a giant mission challenge. President Hansen has wanted us to keep track of how many Atempted return appointments we have each week. So he issued a challenge for each companionship to get 70 ARA's this week. This was hard but the blessings were so evident. We went from having 3 potential investigators and really struggling last week to having 17 potentials. I'm so excited for some of the families that we met. One of the Women that we found had a young family and we shared Helamen 5:12 with her and the Holy Ghost came and gave her a hug. She was really touched and I'm so excited to go back and see her and her family again. This same thing happened a couple other times. BLESSINGS!!! 

This week President Hansen also wanted us to learn how to Pray better. He shared a talk from the April 2007 general conference titled "The Supernal Gift of Prayer" by Richard G. Scott. I challenge you all to study this talk this week and write to me with what you were able to get out of this talk. I've gained so much on what I can do to make my prayers more personal and to have Communion with the Holy Ghost. (read and look up definition of communion. Jarom 1:4) 

I want you all to know that I know without a shadow of doubt in my mind that God our Heavenly Father lives and that He listens to our individual prayers. He knows each one of us by name. He created us and knows the desires of our hearts.  He knows our wants and needs and He will give us what we need in the way that will be for our eternal good. He is Near. He love you more then you can comprehend. Please pray and speak with Him. It makes God so happy when His children talk with Him. Remember Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. He knows and understands you. He knows perfectly what you feel. You are never alone. You are never beyond his reach. He wants to help you. All we need to do is reach out and take his hand. 

2nd Nephi 4:35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

I really hope that someone somewhere was touched by the Holy Ghost while reading this. I may not know who you are, but I know that God does. I pray for you all and I love you. Please keep praying for me, and those who are in great need. I hope you all have a blessed week.

Your friend, 

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen

Week 29: Pine Bluff mega exchange, baptisms and exciting changes

Hello Family, Friends, and other Children of God! I rejoice with y'all in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I thank y'all for what you do to make the world better, but mostly I thank y'all for who you are the amazing people that y'all are becoming. 

This week has been one of changes galore. So one of the big announcements is that the ALRM has been hand picked as one of 12 missions to Pilot Smartphones and Facebook until the end of 2018! We are going to use this technology to hasten the work of the Lord. I'm really excited and it goes to show that the Lord is in the timing of everything. Had I come on my mission when I first wanted to I wouldn't be able to use this technology as long as I will now.

One thing that has been pretty cool about this week is that I've been able to spend a majority of it with my Zone leader Elder Armstrong. He is a great guy and has given me a ton of advice on what I can do to become better. He is real personable and connects with people super easy. Reason why I'm on exchange with him still is because his companion left for home so that he could start college and so we are together until next Monday which is transfers so don't send anything to me after today. I think I'm going to stay in Hope, but then again that's what I thought when I was in Blytheville hahaha. 

So as far as investigators go... We are still struggling a bit. If y'all could continue to pray for us that would be much appreciated. Elder Armstrong will be down with us in Hope starting Wednesday, so we are excited for his leadership and for his impact that he will have on the area. 

This week I have been able to spend some time in Pine Bluff which is Elder Armstrong's area. They are in FIRE. They had a baptism today that I was able to witness for. It was a real special experience. They have some other amazing investigators who are on date and progressing. This has been really amazing to learn from and I am looking forward to putting into practice what I have learned on exchange. 

One lesson that I've been really working on learning is how to have more charity and love for people. One major part of this is the Big 2 commandment that our Savior taught. 1. Love God with all we are. 2. Love our fellow men as ourselves. We can't love our fellow men if we don't love God. We can't love our fellow men above the love we have for ourselves. If we hate ourselves because we are not measuring up to our expectations then we won't be able to love others. 

I've seen how if I cut myself some slack and rely on God more then I'm able to better love Him and his children. So summed up real easy "cut yourself some slack, you are doing better then you think you are." Charity is an amazing gift that God bestows to those who ask in faith and work with all their might for it. Pray for it and work hard for it and you will be richly rewarded. 

If you are not reading the BOM every single day I encourage you to read from its pages. The Book of Mormon has become an old friend of mine,and my sincere hope is that one day soon it will feel the same for you. 

I want you all to know that I know that God is intimately aware of our challenges and struggles. He knows just how hard life is. Life is hard on purpose because we can't become perfect without being put through some fire. It just so happens that trials and struggles are actually blessings in disguise. They are developmental opportunities. While it may sound all fine and dandy on paper it is harder to put into perspective in the real world. This is where we rely on the Grace our Savior brings. His Grace is like the healing balm of Gilead.  I know without a doubt in my mind that Jesus Christ is REAL. He knows my name and everything about me. He is my Savior, my Redeemer, and my Best Friend. I love Him so much. He is making more of me then I ever could, and the best part is He's not done yet.   Brothers and Sisters, may we ever be moldable like clay in the hands of the Master. Oh how I Love Him, and oh how he loves us! 

Have a blessed week my dear friends and Remember, Rejoice for God is Good! 

Your faithful Friend,

Elder Skyler Glen Larsen