Well, I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was AMAZING aside from the stomach pains from having 4 meals within 6 hours. I still haven't recovered.
I wish I could express to all of you all the miracles we have seen here. If only I was better at writing, but I guess this will have to do. Do all of you understand the power of the atonement? I thought I did, but after the past few days I realized that what I know doesn't even scratch the surface. All I can do is testify to all of you that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He suffered and died for us. Not only so that we could be forgiven of our sins, but so that every pain and sickness, every kind of suffering could be relieved. Any burden that you have can be placed at the feet of the Lord because He has already picked them up for you. The only person that is keeping us from being happy is ourself. Don't hold on to your sorrows! Give them to the Savior. He is ready to lift us and to make us better. We just have to let Him.
I'm so grateful to be able to take part in this amazing work. God's plan for us is perfect, even though we are not. So my question for you is, what are you going to do to grow closer to the Savior and to accept His love and sacrifice for you? We have learned here that it is so much more important to KNOW the Savior, rather than to simply know that He exists. How are you going to develop that relationship with Him? I hope you can understand how important I feel this is. Start now to do the things that will help you understand it for yourself. The first step is prayer. I know it's true, that the Savior knows us personally. He is just waiting for us to know Him.
Hermana Larsen

In case any of you were unsure, Hispanic people LOVE to feed you. I didn't experience this until a few days ago. A woman in the ward decided that she was going to make pupusas for us. I was really excited because I love them! We got there and we started making a cake while she made dinner for us. When we sat down to eat I was shocked to see that there were FOUR of them on my plate. They were each about 5 inches in diameter. I was naive enough to think that I would be able to easily eat them all...not the case my friends. I got through the second one and wasn't sure I was going to live to taste another bite. They were delicious, of course, but SO FILLING. I successfully made it through the 3rd and was digging deep for the determination to start on the fourth one. Each bite I took, I thought was going to have to be my last. I got about half way through it when Hermana Alas (the woman who made them) came in and asked me if I wanted more. I couldn't do it! I told her it was delicious, but that I was so full. My companion had gotten through her third one as well and when I saw her wrap hers in a paper towel and set it aside to take it home my mouth dropped open. I'm sure she just wanted me to know what it feels like to be in excruciating pain and that's why she didn't tell me I could just take some home for later...How loving of her... So I survived it and a little bit later was able to force down a piece of cake.
We went to another teaching appointment later that night with a young girl. We were almost finished with the lesson when her grandmother offered us a plate of food. Of course we can't decline that kind of invitation because these people show their love to you by feeding you. She gave us this huge plate of rice, beans, tortillas, and some hard cheese. I was just praying that there was at least a little bit of space left in my stomach and that I wouldn't lose everything right there on their carpet. I started eating pretty quickly just to get it in there, and my companion was once again kind enough not to tell me to eat slowly so they wouldn't give me more food. As soon as I finished my plate they brought another one. I was starting to lose hope. I got about half way through it and decided that I never wanted to eat again. The girl that we were teaching must have noticed the look of defeat on my face because then she told me that I don't have to eat it all. She was an angel that night when she took the plate from me and put it in the sink.
So now we all know, the art of eating at an investigators house is: eat fast at first to get the food in there, then slow down so that you don't finish your plate before you have to leave. Otherwise you'll regret it for the next day or so. I didn't eat again until lunch the next day.
The Lord continues to bless us here in Manassas and there have been people placed in our path almost every day that are willing to listen to our message. We have started teaching another girl that I'm sure will be baptized. Guess how we met her. We went to the wrong building to go to an appointment (and yes, we had been there several times before). It was a miraculous accident. We teased each other that the Lord is guiding us in our foolishness. Really, though, I know this work is His work and that the gospel is true. The only way we can find true happiness is by coming unto our Savior Jesus Christ and accepting His sacrifice for us.
Until next week, I hope all is well with all of you. I love you all!
Hermana Heather Larsen

Most people think it's a good idea to pack everything you will need to live with for the next few days in your carry-on luggage. I'm here to tell you that you might still want to have some back-ups in your checked bags.
Don't worry, I got off the plane and to the Mission Home with it, but the next day when we went to the transfer meeting, my carry-on was nowhere to be found. I could have sworn that I gave it to the Elders to load in the trailor with all the rest of the luggage. Hmmm...After the meeting, all the vehicles that had been used to haul everything had left, so we had to go to our area without it. Here are some of the things I had in there: glasses and contact case, all make-up, blow dryer and straightener, pajamas, towel, spanish books(including scriptures, Preach My Gospel, etc.). You get the idea. Let's just say it was a fun adventure!
Here's what happened. All the other luggage got loaded in the trailor, but mine and Hermana Gwynn's carry-on bags got put in the back of the big van...which never got unloaded. No worries, I finally got it back on Saturday and all was well again. So the lesson to be learned here is: when you travel, don't put all your goodies in one basket:) Don't you all feel so much smarter because of me? I thought so.
Now on to more serious business. My trainer's name is Hermana Reid from South Ogden, Utah. She is only here until March. We have been assigned to the Sudley B area, which is a new one for the sisters. We love whitewashing! Really, though, it's fun to open an area. Even when it's hard, it's fun. My level of tiredness has been upped about 10 notches from the MTC, which I guess is good because I sleep a whole lot better. Especially in Sacrament Meeting. Oops! It's uber exhausting to try and listen to a foreign language all day. I can't really help it.
We are currently serving in a branch in Manassas. The people there are wonderful. I don't usually know what they are saying, but I try to just smile at them like I love them anyway. I really do love them, though! I think I want to move to Central America after I get back. P.S. I haven't had much of the food here, but what I have had is AMAZING! It's only going to get better. Some of the countries that people are from are: Honduras, Peru, Argentina, San Salvador (Crystal, you're going to love it!), Puerto Rico, Mexico, etc. Basically they're from EVERYWHERE! Surprisingly, the people from Mexico are the minority.(At least from the ones that I've met.)
So my first day here I got to go to a baptism with my companion from her old area. It was really good to get me excited for the work. It also helped my starving stomach that they had some wonderful food there. Pupusas are the best! Hna. Reid is going to teach me how to make them today.
We have a couple of new investigators and one of them especially has been prepared to receive the gospel. I just pray that she can see that. We'll see when we go back if she keeps her commitment to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. I think she will, but that might just be my "greeny attitude". We felt the spirit so strongly in her apartment, I don't know how she couldn't want to do more to always have that feeling. Her name is Flor and she is from Honduras. It's amazing how much you love your investigators from the beginning. We've only met with her once.
We had an interesting experience while knocking on doors. We talked to a man who said that there isn't a need for prophets anymore because Christ already came and fulfilled the law of Moses so we have all that we need. He went off about the Trinity and the Book of Mormon and how it contradicts everything in the bible. (His pastor obviously spends a lot of time teaching his people what to say to the Mormon's.) It's so sad, though, that people really believe that they aren't going to get any more guidance from God. I'm so grateful for the knowledge that we have.
So all-in-all, my experiences here have been great. I love being a missionary and it's way better than the MTC. Big surprise there. Thanks for all your love and prayers. I'm really going to need them with the spanish, but I know that the Lord will give me the gift of tongues a little at a time as long as I work for it. Until next week!
Hermana Larsen

Well, my time here at the MTC is coming to a close and I was looking back at how much I've learned. It's incredible. I don't think any of you would know me if I came home even now. The challenges have been rough, but I have learned and grown so much from each of them. There have been so many miracles while I've been here. One of them was on Saturday. Each week we go to the Referral Center and make calls to make sure people have received the stuff that they call for like the Book of Mormon or the Lamb of God DVD, etc. Last Saturday I was really depressed the whole day, because I have stress with talking on the phone and I had just flubbed up a whole call. My teacher was listening on some headphones and he started asking me the questions like, "How could you have done this and that better?" It was just about all I could take and I was thinking, "How in the heck do you expect me to do this in spanish in a week if I can't even do it in english?!" That was not a good day. So when we were walking towards the RC this past Saturday I was pleading with the Lord for a miracle. I told Him that I would constantly make calls if He would give me someone that actually wanted to listen to me. (Sometimes these people aren't too happy to hear from you.) I only made three calls, before my companion got a chat. (On Mormon.org people can "talk with a mormon") We are supposed to do the chats as a companionship so I stopped taking calls to help her. This man's first question was, "I'm gay. Does that mean I'm going to hell?" Wow... it was an interesting discussion to say the least, but he seemed a little interested in what we had to say. He almost wanted to meet with the missionaries, but he didn't want to even think about changing his lifestyle so he decided not to. It was such a blessing to be able to bear my testimony to him, even though he may not have been receptive to it. I testify that the Lord answers prayers if we will take that first step of faith and work with the expectation that we will receive those blessings.
As I prepare to leave on Wednesday, I know that the Lord will continue to bless me with miracles; and even though not everyone will receive the message that I take to them, I am still extremely privileged to wear the name of Christ every day and bear witness of His gospel and His love for us. We truly are divine children of God and He wants us to have success and happiness in our lives and to receive eternal life.
I love you all and hope everything is going well in your lives. If not, you are stilled being blessed and watched over. Don't forget to have faith and pray always. The Lord is there! Adios!
Hermana Heather Larsen

Happy Anniversary this week Mom and Dad! Also, best wishes for Kord and Liza! Wow, lots of fun stuff happening this week.
So I'm not going to lie, this last week wasn't so hot. Someone once told me that serving a mission is liking emotionally serving a calling for 50 years. I've been riding on what seems like the tower of terror ride of emotions. This week it felt like I spent about 20 of those 50 years. Don't worry, though, it's mostly been good. I think my problem is that I'm still getting back into the swing of the schedule so when I get tired I get super discouraged and it's not pretty. Things are usually looking better after I get a night of rest.
We got our travels plans on Thursday, though, and that made most everything better:) I report to the travel office at 6:00 Wednesday the 11th. Happy birthday to Grandma! I am way nervous, but really excited to get out there and immerse myself in the gospel and the language. It's going to be SWEET! In honor of the occasion, I bore my testimony in sacrament meeting in spanish. I was shaking the whole time, but I think I got the message across somehow. It was actually pretty fun.
We taught the second lesson in the TRC this week. I started crying in the middle of the lesson because I was talking about Grandpa Staples and how I know that he is still living. I was overcome with gratitude for the knowledge that we have about life after death and eternal families. It gave me motivation to work just a little harder on everything so that I can earn those blessings. Thanks family for being faithful and great examples!
I hope everyone has a good week this week. Happy November!
Hermana Larsen