Lights are up, and mariah carey is playing in McDonald's

Well it's confirmed Christmas is my favorite holiday. I got to feel like I was with max or jake in the philippines/ mexico for a week. I can't count the amount of huge crazy miracles we had this week. After two weeks ago having no friends, this week we now have 11 friends progressing and we got to put 8 fechas this week. So this is going to be a long email full of a whole ton of miracles. 

 

·    We started Sunday with the Mila miracle of choosing to be baptized after investigating for over 3 years. A member met with her on Monday and helped her prepare to give her testimony and what she will wear. She is from Russia so the language is always a little hard for her still but she is really trying. I cant wait for Thursday when we get to tell her about how she gets to see her son who died in the war again. We already talked about it a little but I cant wait for her to have the full picture. 

·    Then on Monday we got to go with a member to the hospital to visit another member who has cancer. While we were there that member told us about his friend in the hospital who was in the bed next to him for a while that doesn't have too much time left and wanted to here from us. That lesson might have been one of the best lessons I ever got to be a part of, talking about eternal families what could be better than that. We offered them the chance to be baptized if he could make it out of the hospital and he was very excited to say yes, his wife too. They live in another area but its still in our district so we will get to go. (Another miracle after that paco made it out of the hospital on saturday!!)

·    Thanksgiving!! Greg and Pili from Kentucky gave us a Thanksgiving Americana/ Espanola. So grateful for them

·    Then we get to this weekend on Friday we call a reference, our app hasn't been working so we got the reference really late but we call him he answers and says he wants to meet, his name is michael, and ill be honest this man is already like my best friend. We met on Saturday in the church luckily the relief society was having an activity and one of the husbands was there so he helped us with the lesson we taught the restoration of the gospel and then had everyone come in and bear their testimonies one by one. We extended a fecha and he's super excited to be baptized. Then he came to church the next day! The members love him, and he's talking to us about going on a mission bro i can make this up i love this man. He loves the book of mormon so much. Then we met on Monday and ended up meeting in his house. And his whole family was there! His mom loves the book of mormon and is supporting him in his choice, we are going back this week and we will see if she would like to be baptized with him.

·    Then on Sunday night we went over to the house of Yhira to hang out with her and her kids and share a lesson. We had to do it outside because of the rules but we ending up throwing paper airplanes and playing some rock paper scissors(I'm a pro). At the end of the lesson we invited them to be baptized and now we are super excited for Emily and scarlet to be baptized the same day. Andrew says he wants to go swimming in the water too i told him he only has to wait a couple more years.

·    Saturday i had a friend who i was teaching in another area and had put him on a date, but luckily all of our lessons got cancelled and a 65 euro taxi ride later we got to make it to the baptism. So happy for Edwin and his family.

·    Elder Cook got home. He has been having seizures and has to take time off from the misson. I love this man and I'm so grateful for his example in my life. Gonna miss him so much.

·    Now this had already been more than I could ever asked at this moment we had put 6 fechas 4 in our area and we told our members 3 weeks ago we would find a way to complete their goal of 7 baptisms in the year even tho we only have 2 right now. We said we knew it could happen and that we would give our all to make it happen. So at this point we were at 4 more baptisms for this year making it 6 baptisms for the year. Then I get a call Monday morning and this mom tells me that she is a member and that she has been inactive for 5 years but wants to come back to church and has 2 kids that wants to be baptized (You have got to be kidding me, i was freaking crying the spirit hit me so hard literally) them in that moment it was like i heard a voice in my head saying "didn't I tell you I had a plan". At this point i was barely able to respond on the phone call, we scheduled to go over and that night we got to meet them. They are some of the funniest kids I've ever met in my life. They both accepted the invitation to be baptized. Now we are going back on Thursday, and I'm so excited. 

·    Now we are headed to zone conference and i know president is going to get a kick out of this one. Couldn't be more blessed. I love this mission.

 

Scripture of the Week: Ether 12:12

Miracles are real, you just have to have faith first to be able to see them.

 

I love y'all! Y'all don't even know how much you mean to me! Have a great week!

 

~Elder Larkins