Feliz Navidad!

The Bouchers

Thursday we were able to have our zone Christmas party at the mission home with the Bouchers and their cute family that was visiting. Hna Boucher made a wonderful feast of delicious food and we were able to receive our presents from "Santa".

Saturday night (noche buena), a family here invited us over for dinner and we were able to eat all of the typical Puerto Rican 

Christmas food- arroz con gandules, pasteles, lechon, and flan! It was great and I loved being in a family atmosphere.

Sunday morning was Christmas and my comp and I were finally able to open up our presents!! My family sent me a cute "Utah" package and I got a bunch of things that are only found in Utah. After church we ate lunch and then we were able to go Skype our families!! It was great to see everyone but strange to see them bundled up in coats!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas y les espero mucha felicidad en el ano nuevo!

Hna Larsen

on our way to the party with the Caguas sisters

Hna Keith and I with the Boucher's nieta (granddaughter)

Christmas clothes

Hna Turner

Hna Turner and Tirado

Hna Guevara

me with a group of people that are going home

This Week in a Minute

I had my first zone meeting on Tuesday and I had to speak in front of our whole zone and teach them about charity with my comp and the two zone leaders. I was soooo nervous and we spent our entire day on Monday preparing for it! But as soon as it was my turn to teach, all of my nerves went away and I remembered how much I love public speaking.... I must have studied that in college or something??? 

After the zone meeting we had our exchanges with the sisters in Aguas Buenas and I stayed in Guayama with Hna Chavez who is an outstanding missionary and I learned a lot  about teaching clearly and being direct from her. 

On Friday we had the ward Christmas party where the members put on the nativity scene. My companion tried to get me to be the angel but luckily a sister from the ward offered to do it for me!

This week we will have our zone Christmas party and my mission president's house and I'll also get to have my usually Christmas call home!!! I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and that you enjoy the cold!!!

Feliz navidad!

Hna Larsen

Hermana Chavez

Exchanges

The spider we found outside our door

Jose (the son of our recent convert)

Typical Puerto Rico Christmas food

The adorable Mary and Joseph Gladielis and Carlos

A Birthday and a Baptism

Tuesday was my birthday and My companion made me cupcakes and we brought them to district meeting! We were supposed to be eating dinner with a member but she called and cancelled on us but another sister from the ward called and invited us over for dinner and cake. It was delicious and she bakes cakes professionally so the cake was to die for!

On Wednesday we had a mission leadership meeting and it was the last MLC for several of the missionaries there, including my cute companion. I was able to talk to some of my old companions and friends and I took a picture with Elder Hana (one of the APs) who was in my district in Caguas and who is also going  home after Christmas!

Friday-Saturday I had exchanges with the sisters in Caguas and it was sooo weird working in my old area again. I was able to go visit Elba and Marcos and I just adore and miss them! It was fun being able to work with Hna Tirado again and see how much she has grown as a missionary. She's adorable!

Saturday night we had a BAPTISM!!! It was for Joan, our investigator that we have been working with for this whole transfer. It was a miracle and I just love seeing how much the gospel can change people and families!  After the baptism we talked to her 13 year old son and he told us that he wanted to be baptized as well!!! He had previously told us that he didn't want to so that was another tender mercy and he'll be baptized on the 23!

That's about it for this week! The work is coming along here in Guayama and I know that I was put here for a reason!

Love you!

Hna Larsen

Birthday cupcakes at District meeting

Awkward "I'm standing next to a boy" picture!

Hermana Keith

Hermana Tirado

Joan's Baptism

Joan's Baptism

The Real Thanksgiving Feast!

Well good morning/afternoon (it's afternoon here)!

This week was a really great week full of the usually ups and downs. Last Monday we had a real thanksgiving feast with all the food that my dear mother sent to me. I has been sooooo long since I've had rolls and last week we fulfilled my deepest desire to eat rolls!! It was so great!! It made me thankful to have such a loving mother who obviously knows my love for Lion House rolls!

We also were able to have intercambios (exchanges if you speak English) with the sisters in Humacao and I was able to work there with Hna Onince for 24 hours. She is a newer missionary, fresh from her training, and she showed me how to be courageous and talk to everyone you see! I have a lot of faith in her and her companion! While I was with her we were contacting a street and it just seemed like no one wanted to talk to us. I saw a lady sitting outside her house in a hammock and I felt really strongly that we needed to talk to her. Right as we go to talk to her it starts pouring rain!! Luckily she invited us into her house and we were able to share the church's "light the world" Christmas video. At the end of the video she started crying and told us that she had be praying that the Lord would send her angels to help her feel his love and that we were answers to her prays. I felt so blessed to have been able to help that lady in her moment of despair.

This week I turn 21 years of age......wait, what??? It still feels unreal but maybe one day I'll act my age!!! 

Have a great Monday!!! Les Amo!!

Hna Larsen