Larson, Josh

In the words of Master Oogway: "My time has come"   The past two years have been 2 separate things, they have been first the best, and second the hardest. It seems most returned missionaries like to focus on the first part but today I wanted to talk about both a little bit.    1st. These two years have been the best two years, but not just of my life, but also FOR my life. My mission is a springboard that has (and will) launch me into a future of unimaginable joy and happiness. Never before have I been able to go on the streets and testify of what I know and love with the Lords name on my chest. These past two years have been absolutely wonderful and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.   2nd. While these two years have been really fun they have also been really hard. Its no secret or surprise that preaching the gospel to random strangers you just met is scary and hard. Its no surprise that leaving hobbies and activities behind is hard. and its no secret ...

Well everyone in about 9 days I will be saying hi to all of you in the SLC airport. This honestly feels super super weird      I had my last zone conference this week and it was super nice to see all of my old friends and companions and have a grand old time. It's been a lot of fun.      I will write my final email last week and give a brief sermon about my mission. lol      Something I have learned about this week is the importance of understanding grace. Grace doesn't mean that we are just good how we are, but that we can become so much more. Grace also means that it's okay when we don't always live up to our expectations. That's what the Atonement is for. It's so we can become better. Anyway, keep that in mind.      For all those interested my family will be throwing a homecoming party for me on Saturday the 30th at 7pm at:3414 E. Cummings road, SLC, Utah, 84109.     I will be giving my homecoming talk on August 21...

Dear Brother & Sister Larson:     Elder Joshua David Larson will be released from his mission on 27 Jul 2022  and return home after serving in the California Ventura Mission.     Thank you for your support and encouragement during his mission.  To serve the Savior with full purpose of heart is one of the most ennobling experiences one can experience in this life.  I am confident that you will observe that in his marvelous growth.     Sister Carter and I will really miss him. We pray for his continued success and happiness in his future endeavors.     May our Father in Heaven's choicest blessings be upon you and your newly returned missionary.     Yours in the "Gathering",     C Tom Carter President, California Ventura Mission  

Hello everyone I will just get right to it.     This week was super awesome, we had exchanges with our district leader Elder Wilbur and his companion Elder Macurdy. We had so much fun and I learned a lot from those two great missionaries. I have served around them both before so it was a lot of fun to reunite and share memories again. It was a tender mercy.      Another tender mercy came this week when I had the opportunity to go with the other 11 missionaries who are finishing their missions to the Los Angeles temple! As I went through the temple I was reminded of God's infinite love for all of his children. I also gained a sense of peace and satisfaction, and I came to know that the Lord was happy with my service and my accomplishments as a missionary.      The greatest of the Tender mercies this week came on Wednesday. But before I get to far into what happened you need some background.      When I was serving in the Las Posas wa...

Hello world, here's another one for ya.      This week has been a lot of fun, we had a few random services opportunities and we spent a lot of time with our district this week so it has been a lot of fun.     Due to some emergency situations our district is down to 4 missionaries, so it's literally just us and the district leader's companionship. So it's a lot of fun, we are essentially a 4 man companionship.     We had some awesome exchanges this week and I got to be with one of my favorite missionaries Elder Strauss! We had a lot of fun and he reminded me of some important principles.      One thing he reminded me of was the importance of having a positive attitude regardless of what is going on around me. He helped me remember that while things around us may not be the best, if we choose to have a positive attitude about it we will always come out better than if we hadn't. Or in the very over quoted words of President Nelson "the joy ...