January 14, 2012

Hello again my wonderful family. I loved hearing of the blessings and the great things that are happening in your lives this week. Great work Jared Im really proud of you with BYUI. Really awesome. This week was another great one with many miracles as me and Elder Johnson took a look back at the last transfer and that we did not have to many baptisms, but every lesson that we had, was a spirit filled lesson. We lloked back on everyday and
it was just like that. We always followed the spirit and felt the influence of Him in every word. Many people listened and felt, but not all choose to follow. This is a hard lesson that all missionaries have to learn. I think of Alma and
Almulek in when they are just testifying like crazy and there is Zeezerom that just comletely changes when hearing, and he was the top lawyer that was against them, but he changed. But then we see how many people did not listen and became very mad at the prophet and his companion. This is what it is always like, the people always have the choice of their agency to listen or not, to read or not, to pray or not. But this does not mean we have to be discouraged at all,because there are those people that are just waiting for us to bring them the gospel. Like this one girl we are teaching, Mariana and her husband Luis Angel. She is amazing and we talked to her one time and we put a date with her to get baptized, we had the faith to ask here and she has been prepared for a long time to let us into her life at this time and let the Gospel take over. On the other hand there is her husband that is our friend but does not want to accept to read or pray or go to church. This is so sad to us as they have jsut barely gotten married and so we talked very clearly and directly with them about the temple and how the athourity of God is here on the earth andd they can be and make an eternal family. Mariana was completley exctied about this and wants to get sealed some day in the temple. For her husband, it is just not that important for him yet. This is sad so we explained to mariana to pray for him and to pray and study with him, so that his heart can be soften and he can see that it is good and true. We will keep praying to see what happens with them. Mariana will get baptized the 28 of January. It was very interesting this week as we got the chance to do some service and as we did this service, we saw a change in our investigators. As we served them, they saw that we were good and were very more open into listen to us. A couple of weeks ago we were going in route to our bishops home and we saw a lady painting ourside and offered to
help. Just with that we found out that 10 years ago, her some got baptized and that she was very active in the church but had never gotten baptized. She then explained to us that her son had died a year after his baptism, and she stopped to go to the church. She told us that one of the last things that her son had told her was that she had to prepare in this life so that she could recieve him latter. She has been puzzled by these words for 7 years and we can to see her one day and we had all of the exact answers to her questions and doubts that she has fought over during these years. She even had talked with her brother which is a Christian church leader and he could not answer her. We showed upand the spirit put in our minds the temple and we answered her in about 5 mins. She was blown away and she has now been progressing a ton and telling her family members to come and listen to us. I never understood how very importantthe little lessons in primary are, that they are so simple that i learned as a child, but so many people have never heard before. The simple truths of the gospel are what change lives. I love the quote in Preach my Gospel by Pres Packer that he says, "Gospel principles truley understood, change attitudes" Or something like that. I have really come to see that in me over the last couple of months. I have searched to understand better the truths of the gospel, and my attitude on everything has changed. I understand my purpose better and I think differently. The gospel changes lives, I have seen it in my life and in many others. Let it happen to you too. I showed some of my
pictures to Mariana and she was so suprised at how much I have changed from my picture of My first baptism with Paty until now, a year later. I could not believe it either, but I am not the same. I love who I have come to be and I
cant wait to keep changing and becoming more like my Savior each day as I put it all in the Hands of Our Father. So you are all asking about the changes that are in 2 days. Well my Pday will be on monday again, and I will be going to a little tiny Ranchito called, San Blas. I have no idea what it will be like. I have never gone to a rancho before but Im excited out of my mind for the work that is waiting for me there. My companion will be Elder Sanchez that just
barely has 3 months in the mission. I acctually recieved him when he got out here. Cool stuff. They have called me to be the Branch President of the San Blas Branch out there in the middle of nowhere. I have no idea where im going
or what I will be doing but im completley thrilled. I know that these nexts months will be some of the hardest and most tyring of my short life here but I am ready. Hna. Cantu told me this morining that God prepares us in each
calling, just untill we need to be there and then we He knows we are ready He puts us inthe next postition to learn and progress more. Pres also asked me if I knew self defense! Haa it was a joke Im sure..... Im not nervous, but
ready. I know that I have learned what I have needed to learn here in the offices, and I know that the church is true. Because I have that testimony, I know that my President is called to God and recieve the revelation for the tranfers every 6 weeks. I am ready and will to do the Gods will in this next assignment. I ask more than ever for your prayrs so that I will have the influence of the spirit in my life in every moment so that I will know how to
lead my little branch and get them all excited to get more people there each week. Im ready. Are you? I love you my family and am always so grateful for all of your support. Thank you all for everything. I will write again on monday fromsome little tiny internet cafe. SO talk to all you later! Love,

June 6, 2011

Hello family!!!!!
All is just going grand grand here and i just love each day. The miracles are endlesson the mission and at the house also i hope!
Thank you all for your letters and kind words! Brecken keep working hard and try not to injure your foot more. Also something amazing you can do is ask for a blessing. We have this power and athority of God here on the earth for things like this. Dad thank you so much for your words these last two weeks! I loved the letters I recieved from you. Nikki you too. Your stories of your calling are always so insopiring to me. As I have said before, I just love thinking of you and my dad when you were missionaries and having experiences like me. It is just an amaizing amazing life as a missionary. Mom thank you too for your letters as I love hearing your stories of your callings in Church too. Aimee if you read this letter too, thank you so much for your email too. I love hearing about the fun things you are doing in school Keep up the good work with Chinese.
Ah my family, I just love family. These last couple weeks we have been working alot with a family. The are all older and have kids but most still live in the same house. Some are less active members and the others have dates set for their baptisms. This is an amazing family and I have loved see in the progression that has come alsong. One of the Daughters has been very pregnant and has been for like 9 and a hlf months. Yesterday she went to the church with us for the first time. She just loved it, but at the end when we were all talking outside the church, one of the sisters called to sme and said go get your companion this sister needs a blessing! So we had to wuickly give her a blessing and then off she went to the hospital to have her baby. All went really well as it was part of the blessing and now she has a little girl in her life named Kayla Denise. I told them I really like her name. haha After all this we had to go to another members house to give another blessing. My testimony has been so strengthened here on the mission of Priesthood blessings. WE give blessing several times every week and it is always such an honor and privilidgfe to be able to hold the athourity to give them. Also it is so amaizing as I live so that I am always worthy to act in the name of Christ to give these blessings. At first I was really scred to give them because in spanish, it uses a diffrent form of speacking that they dont really teach in the MTC because as missionaries we dont speak in that way. It is called the informal Tu form. But I have come to learn and realize that it does not matter if i mess up speacking becasue I am doing something so much more important. Giving a blessing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with His power given to men on earth. It is an amazing this wevery time. Well there are always many blesssing like this that I get to see every day. Oh and with this family we went to teach one of the daughters last night and she is so excited and ready for her baptism this week. We taught the word of wisdom and law of chastity and she has no problems with either of these commandments. I was nervous and doubting before the lesson because we did not know if she ws legally married or if she drinks coffe or tea. But no, she is ready. She is married and does not consume these things because just reacently she had a baby too. It is amazing to see how the Lord has prepared His children to follow in the path. Im alwyas so greatful for this. Also this week I have started reading the Book Jesus the Christ. Not in spaninsh yet but someday. This book is amazing. Im only in the first couple of chapters but I have learned so much already. the other week I was prayering fervantly to Heavenly Father to help me increase my tetimony in Jesus Christ. So I read more in the bible and this helped but then onother Elder lent be the Jesus the Christ Book. when i recieved it i was just so grateful for this small answer to prayer and I think everyone should read it. It is a big book and looks very intimidating but if you start with a prayer and read with a purpose to have your faith strengthed, You will love every sentence of this book. Well to all those that read these emails, just know that I love you all and that our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ love you too. Remember always the covenants that we have made with our Father and if you have not yet, keep on preparing. Family, I dont know how to express to you all the love that our Father has  for us. It is unexplainable that he loves us so much. WE cant even understand how much love He has for you. There are very little things in this life that we can completley understand but I am here to tell you that we live in faith. If we have the faith that all is the will of the Father, we have no need to worry about the things of the World. Yes we are here in this amazing world, but so is Satan and his angels and he is doing all he can to stop us from returning to our Father. Do all that you can to stay strong and Pray always that you may come off conquorer. I forgot how to spell that but it is a very good scripture in D and C 10:5 Well I have to get going to go and enjoy another day here in the work of the Lord. I love you all. Elder Larkin
Yesterday we confirmed our investigator in sacrament meeting and it was so amazing to see how he has completley changed for the good things in the life.

May 30, 2011

Hello my family. How is it all going with you all.  THis week has really been great as we have worked hard as a mission to break a record of baptisms this month and we have close to 200. On sunday in the evening we had a combined baptism with the other elders and had a wonderful evening. The computer i am using cant upload pics so you will have to wait another week to see the photos. Our investigator that got baptized is so awesome. It was a miracle for me that he got baptized yesterday. He had an interview with the pres Cantu just an hour before the baptismal service and he showed that he has really repented of his past errors and sins and was able to recieve this remission of all last night. Wow it was just an amazing experience. He had such a great desire to recieve the baptism as he waited a month for his interview with the president. Ahh it is times like these that just make me love the mission even more. On saturday we had a zone conference in La Paz where the other zone is and Elder se Oyos came to speak to us of the 70. this was such ana amzing day as i always learn so much every time we have conference and all that. WE also passed through a little town called Todos Santos where the famous Hotel California is and i have pics of that too that I will send next week. I got to see one of my old companions again Elder Toledo and that was alot of fun. I have just loved getting to see how storng the Atonement can be in all of our lives as I see the people each day trying to repent of their past doings and really trying to change and follow Jesus Christ even better. THen the start to see that there really is power in the Atonement that all of us really can recieve this forgivness of our sins and follow on stronger than ever. I also have loved that I recieve power every day too. Everyday their are so many things that I have to repent of and then plead with the Father for this forgivness and for the strength to work even harder to think even better to have the spirit with me and to be able to usr the spirit more for my benifit and more importantly for the benefit of the investigators. It is such a battle with satan each to always have the spirit to be with you because it is so sensitive. ANd us as missionaries cant do anything without the spirit.  This is why it is so important for all those that recive the gift of the holy ghost, to do all that they can to always have the spirit with them. If we keep the covenants that we renew each week the sacrament meeting, we will have this gift with us alwyas. Brenna thank you so much for your story of you missionary experience, because you too like all that are members, are a missionary. I loveed that you were so excited to see the power that the spirit has just by sharing your testimony and talking of things of our Heavenly Father. Just ismagine, that is what I have the priviledge of doing all day, everyday!!! I love it! To see these example of faith that the people have to listen to what we have to say then to act on the strange and amazing feelings of the spirit, it is all just a miracle to me. THe mission is really the best thing that anyone can do. Even though I dont speack as good as I want to and I cant do and say all that I want to in lessons, it is alright because I too have this gift of the holy ghost and the people listen to this still small voice and not just mine and my companions. I dont have to much more time today to write my family and my friends but know that I love you all. Know that your Father in Heaven loves you too. I know that this is true as He loves me so much and I love you so he must love you too. My family the Gospel is true. THere is not any doubt in my mind that Through Joseph Smith that we have all the powers and keys of the Priesthood here on the earth again to bring to pass all the will of the Father. Untill next time my loved ones.  Elder Larkin

May 23, 2011

Wooow my family how is everyone doing? I have loved to here all these amazing stories of your lives with golf tournaments, band, colorgaurd, finishing 6th grade, and student of the month, with semeinary council also, wow the blessings are just being poured from heaven. It is so amazing to see all the good that is happening there. Well here in Los Cabos the blessing from heaven never stop. At times it is difficult because everyone has their own agencey to listen to us or to the opposite. We did not baptize this week but these next 2 weeks are lookining like miracles to me so I am very excited and cannot get down on the little things. WE have on family here that the mom is a less active member of a long time and her kids are not baptized. She wants the best for them and wants them to get baptized. the younger one, Guillermo wants to but there are many problems in this family right now and he needs all the help he can get. He wants to get baptized this week and all that he is faulting is the support from his family. My comp and i have been praying fervantly for the weeks for him but we need more faith. I want to ask all of you that read my leetters to not only pray for me and my comp but realy for the investigators. In this time of their lives, they are making the decision most important during their time here on the earth. In the premortal life we all choose to follow Jesus Christ and come to earth to gain a body and experience and to show how well we will follow Gods plan. And now all of us are here in this life. All of that have been baptized, already know of the significane of  this decision and also the amazing blessings that come from heaven. For the people investigating the church they do not know yet and are only acting on faith that they will go to church, read the scriptures, and pray to their Father in Heaven each day. And now is their chance to open this door and enter this pathway to God nuevamente and to live with Him again. For all this, I ask that you pray for the people that are listening to the Missionaries, that they can have their hearts soften and act on the feelings of the Spirit to enter into the Covenant with God. This week really was amazing as we had the opportunity to give several blessings this week. It is so amazing to see the POwer of the Priesthood here on the earth. When people ask in faith for a blessing, they really recieve strength from the heavens. I love seeing this each time we give blessings. Also this week at the church it was very good. WE had an investigator come for the first time and she really liked it. She came with her mother and law and they just loved the church. THey invited us to their house in the evening to watch the Testaments movie and when we got there the whole family was there. They all wanted to listen and watch. Also they prepared dinner which was so good. It was Marlin and oohh so so so good. I love the food here. But the whole family was there and they loved the movie and seeing that Jesus Christ came to visit his other sheep. They loved it. Also we had some other great experiences this week and one that was a little strange. WE met a guy this last week and we have been teaching him. When we inveted him to church on wed he seemed very excited. Then when we came back the next time of fri or sat, he told us about this gift that he has and that he reads the scriptures and after he jsut writes and transltes them. He told us that after he prayed about the Book Of Mormon and the church that he recieved revalation from God and wrote it down. It was a letter for us and he gave it to us and it said things that we would join with this guy to preach the gospel to the world and to save all the children of god. It also said that he could not go to another church because he was alrady in the true church of God. Well there are many experiences like this that happen and I just love to teach the people the truth. Ahh i just love the mission and the amazing people and experiences and opportunites we have to teach everyday. It has really just been the best time of my life and it is going by so fast I cant believe it.

May 16, 2011

How is it all going there? I saw some great pics of the band banquet and chanel student of the month! Great Job everyone! JAred and clinton wow im so proud of you guys being the Presidency! It is such a great opportunity to serve in the Band. Who is the new band pres and the band parent council pres? WEll i know all of you want to here about Cabo san lucas, well im here to tell you that it is just amazing here. I hve loved every miniute of my time here and The ward here is just amazing too. There are several american families in this ward with blonde headed little kids that all speak spanish and it is just amazing. We have some very good investigators and looks like we will be baptizing this weekend! Well in this ward there are 2 sets of missionaries and the others baptized this last sat, and our investigators went and now the are so excited for there special day. The people here are so different than the people of Sinaloa and it has been very fun to see the differences between states, just like the people in the US also. Me and my comp are just having a great time together and we are teaching alot. We get along very well and just have a blast all day everyday. THe other elders from our ward are ELder Molsee and Lish, both from Idaho and they are just having a ball too. They live pretty close to us so we get to see them pretty often and we are all just best friends. The mission over here is just completley different and i dont know why. The people here are alot more willing to listen and to accept these amazing changes in their lives. Also the members in this ward have and wonderful heart for missionary work and always are will to help us with anything and always want to give us food too so it is all good here. I just wish all of you could come out with me one day here in the mission so you could meet these amazing people that we have the privilege to meet every day. It is just so amzing when you pray contantly for the spirit and the inspiration that only comes from heaven and then you find another child of God that is just waiting to listen to the message and be reminded that they have a Father in Heaven and a Brother that has sacraficed everything for them and that through this sacrafice, they can have joy and peace in a life of turmoil and pain. It is so amazing to see people really become converted to Christ to leave everything to follow the paths of righteousness. All of the converts of the church are such amazing examples to me as they are humble enough to listen to the spirit and maybe have a couple of doubts but act on the spirit and accept this amazing gospel. We have been reading in the book of mormon, all the mission, and today I read about Nephi and when he broke his bow. His family was in the desert and needed food and in this time of crisis, his only way to retreive food for his family, broke. All of his family was sad and murmured against God. Even his own father Lehi. And so Nephi, knowing that God is his Father and can do anything for his children, decided to what it took to have food for his family. So Nephi made himself another bow and an arrow and had a sling, THen he went to his father and said, Pray to God so i can know where to go to find food. So in the Liahona, the answer was written and Nephi got food for his family and all praised od again. So what do we learn fro this? That we will have hard times, even when we are doing all that is right and all we can to serve God, but the advesary is strong. WE must do what it takes and build ourselves a new bow, then get on our knees and plead with God that we can know what and where to go next. I know that if we ask for help with these things in our lives, that we can recieve all that we need from our Loving Heavenly Father. My family I love you all. When the going gets tough, work harder and ask Father for His divine help. I love you and take care till next week!

Elder Larkin

May 9, 2011

Hello my family!  My first day in the lovely Cabo San Lucas, how sweet it is here. All the fun started last night though after my comp spoke with his family and we left to an investigators house for my last goodbyes. While there my companion fell ill and we had to go to the hospital last night at 9 ish. It was my first time in a mexican hospital and lets just say that the hospitals in the US are alot more fun. haha. Well he got a shot and they gave him some pills and everything turned out alright. WE returned to the house and Geovanny and I gave him a blessing. THis morning he was 100 percent better and everything was fine today. It was a scare for me though. Well at 630 this morning we had to be in the airport and it was in my area so we did not travel to far and we waited there for like 25 mins for the other elders to be going to the Baja. there were 6 elders coming here and we have all arrived safe. WE took just this little plane to fly over in like one hour and it was so sweet to see my area from the sky then cross the ocean then see mountains in the distance as we came in from obove to the Cabo san lucas airport. Before we landed I looked out to the resort part of the area and there were 2 cruise ships parked out in the harbor! So sweet! Well we arrived at our houses and cleaned up and unpacked and went to go by food for the week so we went to walmart! Haha the sister that  gave us a ride said that it is gringo land at walmart, and it was true! It was so weird to see actual americans again, not in suits or dresses but normal americans again and spèaking english! ahh so strange. WEll walmart was so cool and in this walmart plaza also there is a radio shack and GNC store. Im very excited for this area. For lunch we went down to the Dominos pizza in the more touristy part of town and wow it was so sweet! I just love it. Well my area is the very end part of cabo. I have the resorts in my area and all the houses on the hill so we will be walking a ton up and down all day, in the heat so if you get pics from me and dont recognize me, its ok im still your loving son and brother. WEll in our ward we have 3 americans and 1 from agentina. We are without mexican missionaries in our ward. Well alll this day has been about me and getting situated and it is stuff cause  I have just been thinking about me all day and dont like it. NOw is the time for me to get out there and just love the people here and just every minute of my mission here. Well my family all is going well here and Im very excited to get to work here as I have heard very good things of these areas. I love you family and it sure was good to talk to all of you yesterday!! Love you all!!! oh my comps name is Elder Terrera

Elder Larkin

May 2, 2011

Well hello my family another week just flew by! It is true that tomorrow i will complete 6 months in the mission. I cant even believe this as it has all just been one week to me. wow Well this is very interesting about Bin laden that 10 years later we finally found him and dad thanks for your thoughts about time square. That must have been an awesome sight. Chix good work on the bike and bay and chix amazing with your dance! Well it has been fun here as we had a baptism this last saturday and it was just amazing. This sat was Dia de Nino or Kid Day and the whole day was a party for kids. So with this baptism and the chappel there was also a party there during the baptism so it was all just great. Ramon is his name and he chose me to baptize him. My first time to baptize someone older than 15 and it is a little different. I was very excited for him to get baptized because his girlfriend is a a returned missionary and helped him so much to prepare for baptism. After his baptism when we were changing he expressed to me how excited he is to go to the temple and marry the returned missionary. Im so excited for them as I really just love the people here and even more my converts and their families. It is all just a blessing to me. When he was confirmed I was not able to go as we have two wards right now and they are very far apart so we had divisions and my comp confirmed him. After their church was over they came to mine and I was so excited to see him and I just gave him a big hug and he gave me an electronic translator. Haha yeah it was so sweet. He is just an awesome guy and we are such good friends. I just love it all. It has been a really good week and the whole mission is really having success as yesterday as a mission we confirmed 50 people in the church. The president is very happy and so are we as 50 more of the children of God have entered into this path that leads back to him. Ahh also during s¿this week we had some very special lessons and the spirit was just so strong to testify to me and to the investigators. During one lesson, we went to vistit my first convert paty and her family and while we were there some friends of thiers came over and had questions and so we answered and taught and they were all very receptive. at one point when I shared my testimony the mom said she got the chills and just felt really different but good and she could not tell what it was but we all know what and it was amzing to see  her realize that there is something different about us and this message and I just love the power of the holy ghost here on the earth and especially in this work. It is a challenge everyday to live the best that we  can to maintain the Spirit with us throughout everyday and throughout all the time and things that happen everyday. It is such a task but it is so possible when we have the Lord on our side. Well this month in the mission we are also starting to read the Book of Mormon again. The whole mission started yesterday and will read one chapter every day as we all read together. I want to invite all of you also to do the same and to read with us. Not only read but to  study the scripturees beacause they really hold so much power. Also we will have changes next week and it looks like its my turn. I will let you all know next monday, where I am! Haha! Well my family and friends take care and always look to God and His Son in times of need. They will never lead you away on the path of the evil one. I love you all so much and take care!! Elder Larkin