A Major Blessing
Larson’s desire to serve a mission and her efforts to learn Spanish prepared her to serve
Change people's lives at home and around the world
June 2023
Just six months before my mission, my world felt destroyed. I felt like I could relate to the people in 3 Nephi who had to suffer through a “terrible tempest . . . [that] did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder” (3 Nephi 8:6). After many years of marriage, my parents suddenly separated. I was left feeling lost and self-conscious. Like the Nephites who survived the storm, I could feel a “vapor of darkness” settle on me, and it seemed like “there could not be any light at all” in my life (3 Nephi 8:20–21).
It was during this experience that I grew to appreciate Enos and Alma the Younger more. Just like those great missionaries, I remembered the words of my father, teachers, and Church leaders about the “joy of the saints” (Enos 1:3). During an interview with my bishop, I had one of the strongest spiritual impressions of my life. I felt that if I would serve a mission and dedicate myself to God’s work, I could find the healing I was longing for. I took the leap of faith and left to serve a mission.
The people in 3 Nephi noticed that a “marvelous change . . . had taken place” after the storm (3 Nephi 11:1). As a missionary, I soon found that I had also experienced a marvelous change in my life. Working through my struggles helped me to recognize how Christ’s healing and compassion were helping me all along the way. I know that through His Atonement, I was being healed.
My feelings about prayer were evidence of this change. Previously, I had been self-conscious about praying, but because of the Savior’s Atonement, I became more comfortable praying. I began to study my identity as a child of God and what that means. I have come to discover that I have the same divine potential as everyone else. I have since overcome my depression, and I can now bear record of how personally Jesus Christ ministers to each of us.
Participating in God’s work has helped me find direction, and I have discovered that Jesus Christ set the perfect example for me. I have been able to feel His presence and influence in my life. I know that I have been healed by Christ’s Atonement and that each one of us can experience the same blessing as we turn our lives over to Him.