Monday, July 31, 2017

Brayan and Johao got baptised!

So yeah! Brayan and Johao were baptised on saturday! It was one of the most spiritual baptisms ive been too! They were so so ready and we got everyone we could to come to the baptism! We have lots of photos and I hope you enjoy them! Right now Im visiting my first area so Im not going to write a ton because I gotta say goodbye to all these people, but everything is going great here! 

I hope everyone has a great monday!! 
Elder Larkin

















Monday, July 17, 2017

4 Semanas

Well! I officially have less than a month left of the mission! The time is going by too fast and I am just hoping that we can do all we can to help our investigators as much as possible before I leave! We have lots of investigators and I would love to see them all get baptized, but that's not my call. Its all on them!

So this week we had a cosecha in one of the areas again, (when we go out and find new people to teach for the other area) and it was pretty good! We took some pictures while we were waiting so some of them are right here :)

As some of our investigators are getting closer to their baptism date, they are getting more and more excited! Brian and Johan, 2 youth of 15 and 17 years, are progressing very quickly, and they are both so excited. Yesterday, I was talking to Johan, and he tells me, "Elder Larkin, I love this church so much, when can I get baptized again?" And I told him he had to have an interview first and that would be this Saturday, so the next Saturday (Jul. 29) he could get baptized! He was like, "okay that sounds good." They really are some great people.

We also have a wedding coming up! We sent all the documents to the assistants of the mission and they are going to get everything ready so we can just go to the Junta, (basically like a DMV but for everything imaginable) set up a date for them to get married and yeah! That will be really cool and then the whole family can join the church!

Also, this Sunday we were talking about sacrifice in the gospel principles class, and the lady who was teaching the class told us something interesting. The temple here was built in 2000. Before that if people wanted to go to the temple, they had to go to Guatemala. And that is basically impossible because of how poor people are here. There were some people who sold their HOMES in order to get money to go. I am, and we are SO lucky to live somewhere temples are easily accessible. That just hit me on sunday and I think that gratitude is something that I have learned on my mission, we are so privileged in so many ways.  I hope everyone can see that.


Anyways!! I hope everyone has a good day and week!! Love ya'll!
Elder Larkin  






Monday, July 10, 2017

The Music

So this week was very good! The Salazar Family decided to get married! So we are planning a wedding for them in the near future and then they can get baptized! We are very excited for them. Also we have Brian And Joan who are progressing very fast! We also have a baptism planned for them at the end of this month!

Also we had a family home evening with one of our investigators, Anthony, and they cooked for us! (They are like 14/15 years old) and I was actually impressed at how good they cooked!! After we watched "The Testaments" and it was really really good! We felt the spirit and was a good time; his mom was also there for the first time and that was good for her!
And Sunday night we had a FHE with Michelle and her cousin! We did it on the plan of salvation and used like toys they had in the house to teach it! I thought it was going to be crazy cause they are like kids still, but it went better than I thought!!

So the other day I saw this mormon message and I thought I would share it with you. It reminds me of Grandpa Mackley alot, and all the times that we would sit at night while camping next to a crackling campfire, listening to him play his flute. I could do that for hours, and those really were magical moments for me. 
https://youtu.be/ju8S2vswhjY

Anyways... It was a really good day! I had to go to immigration today to renew my residency so they dont fine me alot of money when I leave, so that was fun! I got to see all the people I came out with.

But I hope everyone has a good week!!
no' checiamo' mi gente!
Elder Larkin




Monday, July 3, 2017

Baptism and Pte Santos!

​Well this week has been full of good stuff! So last Thursday was the last Zone Conference with Pte Nuckols! It was pretty cool, we had some good talks and the spirit was felt as we sang Let Us All Press On (in Spanish haha) Even though we had our differences, at the end I'm super grateful for everything the Nuckols have done for me, and for all the stuff they've done for this mission.

On Friday, we got to meet our new Mission President, Pte. Santos! Hes from Puerto Rico but has worked and I think lives in the United States! But he is very cool. He's a convert to the church and he told us that he was a "miracle baptism." Apparently he was contacted by the missionaries because they just so happened to knock on his door, which very rarely happens BTW.
Later he said something that I really liked. "Don't let anybody make you mad, in fact nobody can unless you let them." Which reminded me of something my Dad has always told me. "Nobody can offend you, you have to CHOOSE to be offended." That counsel I have carried with me my whole life, and I know that its helped me alot in my life. Those of you who are really close to me know that most of the time nothing phases me and I am pretty tranquilo. Its cause me getting mad or stressed or stuff like that does me no good.

Anyways! On Saturday we had a baptism! Michelle got baptized and it was so so cool. The room was completely packed and it was such a special moment for her, as well as her mom. We are going to start teaching her mom who isn't a member and I know that shes felt the spirit, so we're excited for that.

But I hope everyone has had a good week!! And the video attached was a video someone showed us that I thought was really cool and might help you have one! Suerte con todo esta semana!! 

Elder Larkin