MLC

Hello everyone!!

We had another fantastic week!! We were super busy, there was a whole lot going on. But we were able to see a lot of miracles happen and more people come into Christ!! What more could you ask for?! 

To kick off our week, we traveled to Recife for our MLC meeting. The entire meeting was incredible. The spirit there was super strong and I was able to learn a lot from President and Sister Crane, and the other missionaries. It was interesting, nobody had planned to talk about the Mission Standard of Excellence of Baptisms, but everyone felt like it needed to be changed. It wound up getting doubled, and the results have already been incredible. As a mission, our faith has increased so much. This past week the number of baptisms doubled and it's set to get doubled again this next week. Not that numbers show what's important, but the work is picking up so fast. I'm super proud of all the work going on and it makes me so happy to see so many successful missionaries helping so many people make sacred covenants!

After we got back from Recife, we were able to baptize Maciel and Amadeu. These brothers are a huge miracle to me. A few weeks ago I was on exchanges with Elder Cloward, and we had prayed specifically to find a family to teach and baptize on September 26th. We found this family. Unfortunately their parents weren't able to overcome a couple things holding them up, but Maciel and Amadeu made it. After the baptism was over, Maciel told me he wants to serve a full time mission and baptize the rest of his family. He's had such a big change of heart and I'm so excited for the progress they've both made. 

Other than that, we've been staying busy teaching the Gospel to anyone that will listen to us haha. This week we're planning to have the baptisms of Jane, Samily and Milena. Please pray for them and all of the other people we're teaching. They definitely need your prayers!

I hope you all have a great week!! I love you all so much! 

Elder Larkin

Ednalva

Olaaa boa tarde!!

We had a fantastic week!! We've been working hard and learning a lot, and we've definitely seen lots of miracles. It's the best feeling to feel the spirit testify in the lessons we teach, and it's even better to help our friends recognize the spirit. 

For example, we've been teaching our friend Ednalva who was baptized on Saturday. She has a lot of faith and already has a very strong testimony. She lives in Serra Velha, a city clear out in the hills, so we taught her pretty much exclusively online. We decided to go out and visit her the day before her baptism to fill out her ficha and finalize everything. 

So, we went with one of the brothers in the ward (who she's actually dating), and Ednalva invited her daughters to participate in the lesson. We taught the restoration and focused on eternal families and the temple. The spirit was so incredibly strong, and everyone that was there said they wanted to enter the temple together. We invited her two daughters to be baptized, and they accepted. 

It was a huge miracle, and the thing is, these miracles are happening so frequently. I'm so grateful to be where I'm at, seeing so many peoples lives change as they come into Christ!

With so many people changing around me, it's interesting to realize that the person who has changed the most is me! Looking at the person I was at the start of my mission, It's pretty incredible to see the results of almost 21 months in the mission field. When I began I was inexperienced, not accustomed to change, and I honestly didn't have the testimony that I have today. I know that the Lord can see my potential and He is constantly helping me to achieve it. His Atonement is very real and I'm grateful for the surety that I have of it. 

I'm looking forward to another transfer!! I'm sure I'll have some more failures and even more successes. I can't wait to see where these next few weeks take me!

Elder Larkin

Kauan

Olaaaa boa tarde!! 

This week was great. It was a good end to the transfer. We saw lots of miracles with the people we're teaching! I'm so proud of each and every one of them. While they all have their personal challenges, they're progressing very well. They all came to church on Sunday and had great experiences. The members received them super well and they made quick friends! I was super grateful for that. 

We also had a baptism this last week!! We baptized a 12 year old kid named Kauan, and it was a great experience for everyone involved. We've been working with him for quite awhile, and he's come a very long way. However, his baptism almost didn't happen. His Dad is super protective of him (as he should be) and he was very wary of our visits. We always tried to make friends with him, but we always got ignored. The day before the baptism, we still hadn't gotten his permission and he still hadn't signed the baptismal form. So we set up an appointment  specifically to talk to him, and we went over to his house to talk to him. When we got there, he recieved us very coldly. We had woken him up from a nap hahaha, and he really didn't want to talk to us. But we wound up bearing testimony of Jesus Christ and His Gospel, and he understood the message. He readily signed the form and the baptism happened!! It was a huge miracle.

We had transfers, and I'll be staying in this area for another one! That'll make it at least 6 months in the same area. It's okay though, because I love it here. I love all of the members a lot, I've been able to make so many friends that I love so much. It's going to be really hard to leave when it's time. 

I love you all a lot! Have a great week!!

Elder Larkin

Miracles

Olaaaa boa tarde a todos!!

We had a great week last week!! We've been very busy with lessons, interviews and exchanges. After a wonderful interview with President Crane, we had exchanges with the Assistants! I worked with Elder Cloward, and I was able to learn a lot from him. He's an incredible missionary and a great example! We got a lot of work done, and it was fun to work with an American companion, even if it was for just a day lol. 

To start off the exchange, we decided to pray for a miracle. We prayed that we would be able to find a family to teach and baptize, then we went to work! We went to find a kid we had put on baptismal date before, but we couldn't find his house. We knocked on the door of his friend's house, and he gave us some vague directions. We followed what he had told us, but we weren't finding the right house. When we thought we were close, we asked a group of people if we were in the right place. They pointed us toward a house a little further down the street. We knocked on the door, and it wasn't the right house, but a husband and wife answered the door, and with one look into their eyes, I knew they were the people we were searching for. It was the family we had prayed about. We went inside and taught them and their two kids the Gospel. They received us super well, the spirit was incredibly strong, and Ana and Marciel wound up accepting baptismal dates. It was simply incredible.

I know that our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. If you don't believe that, I invite you to ask Him. Then listen. I think you'll be surprised at the result.

Tenha uma boa semana!! Amo vocês muito!!

Elder Larkin

The Temple

Olaaa tudo bem? 

This week I had a lot of experiences where I was able to learn a lot of new things. We had zone conference, a mission conference, and I went to the temple! As I've been able to apply what I've been learning I've been seeing lots of miracles. The heavens are really open!! 

The Temple was really incredible. I love the Temple a lot and I was very grateful I had the chance to go. The spirit was very powerful and I won't ever forget the experiences I had there.

In Zone Conference and the mission  conference we learned a lot about revelation and how we can use it to bless the lives of other people. Once again, I learned a lot and I have a lot more to study haha. I'm very grateful for President and Sister Crane. The chance to learn from them has been incredible, they are great examples to me. 

I don't really have a ton of time, and all of the pictures we took are on the other Elders phone still, but next week you'll get double the pictures!! 

I hope you have a fantastic week!! I love you all!!

Elder Larkin