20 Months Out - Can You Believe It?

Hello Friends & family! I rejoice with you in the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I thank you all for what you do, but mostly for who you are. 

Sorry for taking a month off from writing to yall. I will strive to get better at this. 

This week has been kinda A mixed bag to be honest. The beginning of the week was super lame.... But Friday through Sunday was fantastic. 

Transfer news came on Saturday and my whole district is staying the same. I will be serving with Elder Patterson for another 6 weeks. What is kind of interesting is that at the end of this transfer we would have spent 1/4 of our missions serving together, and another 1/4 serving really close to each other. That is pretty cool. 

This week Laura dropped us over messenger. We think she had a lot on her plate, and in our excitement and enthusiasm we may have overwhelmed her. She researched a lot of Anti church information and had a lot of other things going on, so we will give her a few days break before we reach out to her again. Please pray for her. 

Anyway.... On to the brighter side of the week. 

Friday was great! We actually finished our weekly planning (which is a blessing for sure), and then after all that we had a lesson with Mark. Mark is doing wonderful. We finished teaching him all the lessons on friday. He mentioned to us that he has a lady friend who introduced him to the Gospel and that she wanted to come to the baptism. Well long story short she can't come out here until November so Mark asked for his baptism to be moved to November 10th. So from now until then we will just keep on reading with him from the Book of Mormon and strengthen his testimony. 

Also on Friday we were privileged to attend a Young Single adult fireside with Elder and Sister Callister of the General Sunday School Presidency. That was wonderful! They were accompanied by Elder Behesti our area Seventy. Elder Callister gave us 10 principles of Revelation and that was phenomenal! I learned so much from that. He expressed the thoughts of President Nelson on how eager the Lord is to reveal his mind and will to us individually. How amazing is that!

Saturday we were able to listen to Elder Callister 2 times! In the Morning he spoke to the missionaries and then in the evening he spoke in Little Rock. At the devotional in Little Rock Elder Behesti talked about the Apostasy and the Restoration, and the Elder Callister talked about the Book of Mormon and WOW! It was incredible. He explained 4 very simple reasons why we need the Book of Mormon. 

Here were my notes 

"1. The restoration of lost or confusing doctrine.

One doctrine confused in the Bible is about The Fall of Adam and Eve.

Most Christians believe that the Fall of Adam and Eve was a tragic step backwards. The Book of Mormon teaches that it was a glorious step forwards. 2 Nephi 2

2. The Book of Mormon answers the questions of the soul. 

How can I increase my faith in Jesus Christ? Alma 32 

How should we respond to afflictions in my life? 2 Nephi 2:2

Can I really be forgiven of my sins even my egregious ones? Alma 24:10

How do I know when I am receiving impressions from the spirit of the lord? Moroni 7:13

Can the Savior understand my sorrow and give me comfort? Alma 7:11-13

3. The Book of Mormon is a second witness of Jesus Christ and his teachings.  If you only have one witness it is hard to believe that what they say is true. If you have two witnesses then you can know that what they teach is true. 

4. The Book of Mormon brings us closer to God. 

In a world of conflicting voices the Book of Mormon speaks the word of God powerfully and clearly, thus drawing us closet to God. 

That was just a few of my notes. It was incredible! 

On Sunday Elder & Sister Callister and Elder Behesti came to the NLR Ward Sacrament meeting. Elder Behesti told the congregation that The Callisters were not planning on speaking, but they pulled a talk together on the ride to the church that morning and it was wonderful. Sister Callister spoke on the critical need of reading the Book of Mormon and told us of a promise that President Marion G. Romney gave to the saints that if parents would read the Book of Mormon to their children every day then they wouldn't loose them to the ways of the world. 

Elder Callister Spoke on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how the Atonement covers 4 obstacles in our life. 

1. The Atonement of Jesus Christ overcame physical death. Luke 24:39

2. The Atonement of Jesus Christ overcame Spiritual death caused by sin. 3 Nephi 11:14 

3. The Atonement of Jesus Christ overcame our infirmities. Alma 7:11-13

4. The Atonement of Jesus Christ overcame our weakness. Ether 12:27

I learned so many things this week about our beloved Savior Jesus Christ. Oh how I love my Savior! The English language is completely inadequate to describe my tender feelings & Love for Jesus Christ. I know that He lives! I know that he knows my name, and everything about me. I know that he overcame Sin, Death, human infirmities and weakness. He is my best friend. 

Scripture for the week. 2 Nephi 31:20 

"20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

I love yall, stay blessed where ever y'all are. 

Sincerely your friend in Arkansas, 

Elder Skyler G. Larsen