April 29, 2013

This past week has been a little strange for me.  I am finishing up my training with Elder Jorgensen and I have just realized that transfers are in a week, and I will probably be getting a new companion.  I don't feel quite ready for that to happen yet.  I am still not as familiar with the area as a should be, and I just don't feel like I am ready yet.  But if that is what the Lord wants, that is what will happen.  But also, this past week has been quite amazing at the same time.  My area decided that we would  have a fast together over the course of a week and a half.  One companionship would fast for one day, then another for the next, until all the companionships had fasted.  I was able to really feel and see the difference in my area while this was happening.

At district meeting, the AP's came and visited.  They helped a lot during the practice and training portion.  One thing that Elder V asked me to do that has really helped me was to look for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all of the different lessons, and incorporate that into my teaching.  It was really interesting and constructive.

While teaching this past week, I have really been able to see how the Spirit works in the lives of the investigators we have been teaching, especially in N.  This past week we taught her about the word of wisdom, and what was really awesome to me was how easily she accepted it.  She said that since Christ had done so much for her, then it wouldn't be hard to give up her tea.  She said that if people really put their mind to it, then the Word of Wisdom wouldn't really be all that hard to follow. 

Also this past Sunday, she brought her entire family to church with her.  It was so exciting!!

At Ward Council this past Sunday, Elder Jorgensen and I were able to see how the Ward Mission process has been going, and there have been rumors that at this next transfer, the area that I am in is going to split.  So instead of serving both Molalla River, and Canyon Creek, both wards will have their own set of missionaries.

I am super nervous for transfers this coming week.

Love

Elder Peterson

The Bible dictionary says that prayer is "the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other.  The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them." 
Prayer is extremely important.  It is through prayer that we can receive revelation for ourselves, and come to know the nature of God.  Satan also recognizes the importance of prayer.  Throughout the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and Modern Scripture, you see Satan trying to keep people from praying.  The one that stand out most prevalent in my mind is in Mosiah 24:8-16.  With Amulon already being so wicked and twisted, it was only a small matter for Satan to influence Amulon to keep the people of Alma from praying.  Those who were caught praying were put to death.  But the people of Alma did not stop from praying, they persisted, and were blessed with strength in their trials, and eventually, freedom from bondage.

The next is Joseph Smith.  Satan goes to such length to keep Joseph from praying out loud because Satan realizes that there is strength in verbal prayer.  Because of those efforts, Joseph almost gave up! 

Satan probably won't bind us with those same things as he did Joseph Smith, but he will send those feelings of inadequacy, those feelings that say "no one is listening" and "God really doesn't care".  When those feelings come, keep praying.  They will pass.

April 23, 2013

Wow.  Things sound like they are super rough around at home.   This past week has been a little more stressful out here as well.  We had a bunch of people cancel lessons, and another lesson that didn't go very well.  The guy said that he is willing to listen, but he is also trying to get us to leave our religion.  I was not very comfortable at all in that lesson.  Elder Jorgensen and I later talked about the lesson, and how it went.  That investigator hasn't been keeping commitments, or even trying to progress.  He doesn't work, or really do anything productive, he sits around all day playing video games, so it’s not as if there is anything of value keeping him from reading, or attending church or anything.  It is just super frustrating to see that he isn't progressing or putting any effort into anything.

Something that was cool though.  At the Stake President's Council, we were given a paper outlining how the work has been going in our District.  Elder Jorgensen and I have been teaching the most lessons with 37 lessons in Canyon Creek and 10 lessons in Molalla River for this past month.  So it was really cool to see that even though some days, people cancel and things don't go according to plan, things really do add up, and make a difference.

This past week, we were able to go out tracting a couple different times.  But on Tuesday, it was super cool.  We had been knocking doors for about 45 minutes, and a young woman opened the door, and we were able to talk to her for a little while, and we were able to give her a Book of Mormon!  Later, we were able to talk to other people, and we were able to get a service opportunity, and another person accepted a pass-a-long card, so hopefully, those people will act on what we talked to them about.

I have started to sleep better, but not much better.  If it continues to be bad, I am going to call Sister M about it, to see what we can do about that problem.

Love,

Elder Peterson

Life all around us is filled with temptation.  In the book of Alma, it talks about how those small choices that we make, make all the difference in our lives.  

Living on the edge: Alma 31:3

False Doctrine or relying on supposition rather than true doctrine and faith: Alma 31:15-17

Pride: Alma 31: 24

Those things will lead to our eventual spiritual destruction.  However through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can overcome the Natural Man and those mistakes that we have made.

Overcoming Spiritual apostasy, and perversion

Alma 32:13-14

Alma 32:21

Alma 32:33

John 14:18-19 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.  Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

April 1, 2013

Note: Things got a bit out of order.  Not really sure why, but they did.  This one really should have been posted ages ago.  I've been slacking.  Sorry about that!

Also, a little background.  Michael, who is six, made the comment that missionaries have three companions: Heavenly Father, Jesus, and Santa.

That is so funny about Michael!  Things out here have been kinda slow this past week, but we have had some miracles as well. 

So, this past Saturday, I had my first baptism.  Her name was B, and Elder Jorgensen baptized her.  It went well.  We were invited to a get together at the P’s afterwards, then to the B’s for lunch.  Saturday was a great day.

              

Now for the miracle parts. 

1)    So we have been teaching a Hispanic woman by the name of N.  N is in her 50's.  She has been very interested in the Church, but her mom, who is Catholic, is very against N taking the Discussions.  We had invited N to the baptism, and N said that she would try to go, but wasn’t sure if she would be able to because of some family issues.  So we were not sure if N would be able to come to the baptism or to church this Sunday.  Fortunately, N was able to come, and she brought her mother, and her granddaughter, and her granddaughter's boyfriend.  So Elder Jorgensen and I were super happy.
2)     On Sunday, N came to church, with her mom!!!  I was super happy.

3)     Elder Jorgensen and I were able to bless the sacrament

4)     The choir number in the Canyon Creek ward was awesome

5)     I was able to confirm B a member of the Church.

6)     We were approached by a less active member during a lesson with N, and he said the closing prayer, and was interested in taking the discussions to help become more active.

So all in all, looking at the week, it wasn't as slow as I first thought. 

I have made some personal goals.  I am trying to memorize 7 scriptures a week.  Today I was working on Acts 3.19-21.  It was kinda interesting to be reminding that everything that has been revealed today, was revealed back when Christ and his apostles were on the Earth.  So when I have questions about gospel doctrine, all of the answers really can be found in the scriptures.

But, I have had problems sleeping.  I haven't been able to sleep through the night since I left the MTC.  I have been waking up 6-7 times during the night.  I haven't been able to get more than 2 hours of sleep straight.  I go to bed super tired, and on time, but I wake up super tired and it is hard to get started in the mornings.  I think it might be because of the mouth guards, but I don't know.

Love,

Elder Peterson


 

Tuesday, April 9

It is super cool out here.  It seems that every week things are getting better.  Not all at once, but bit by bit, we are starting to do more and more in the time that we are given.  This past week we have had a couple different miracles.  

Monday, April 1st: 

1)    We were able to teach two new people and we were able to give them Book of Mormons with commitments to read and pray about it.  

Tuesday:   

2)    We were able to drop in on S., and have a focused lesson with him about the Spirit World, The Resurrection  Immortality and Judgement, and The Kingdoms of Glory.  And another one of S.' friends was there listening about what we were talking about.

Wednesday:

3)    At N.'s home, she told us that she had been reading and praying about the Book of Mormon and she said that she had received a witness that it was true!  She said that when we met with her before, it really helped that we had clarified what exactly the Book of Mormon was.  It reminded me of Preach My Gospel when it says that it is extremely difficult for someone to receive a witness that something is true, if there is confusion about that thing.

Thursday:

4)    We were able to teach A., and when we went over to her home, she had sat all eight people at her house down to listen to us, and her granddaughter, L., asked for a Book of Mormon to read and study.  So hopefully, we will be able to continue teaching L.  as well as A.

Friday:

5)    I was able to find ancestors that haven't had their temple work done, and I was able to request their names!!!

Saturday/Sunday:

6)    At General Conference, all of the questions that less active members and investigators have asked to us were addressed in the talks that were given!  We were also able to teach O. about the Plan of Salvation, and we have a time set up to teach him again this coming week!

Monday April 8th

7)    We were able to continue teaching Y. (one of the people we had started teaching on the 1st) about the Plan of Salvation, and she has continued reading, and we were able to commit her to saying the prayer the next time that we visit with her.

So this past week has been really awesome.  I will continue looking for more names.

Thanks

Elder Peterson

Monday, April 8

We don't have much time right now, so more will come tomorrow, but this past week we have been able to get a new investigator plus a pretty solid referral that is going to be finalized this Sunday.  Loved the talks in General Conference.  All of the issues that our investigators have had were addressed in General Conference, so I am super excited for meeting with them and telling them about those things

Love 

Elder Peterson   

Updates on David

I'm afraid I have been very lax in getting David's emails up.  In my defense, most of his have been VERY short.  He seems like he is loving his mission and working very hard.  You'll have to read between the lines and know that his younger brothers have sent him pictures from Primary and asking questions like, if he had attended Stake Conference.  We had it, but obviously he was on a different schedule.  We also had almost two full weeks where he didn't get a chance in the MTC to use a computer to write.  I figured that if there was something wrong, there were many who knew how to reach us.  Kind of a no news is good new thing.

I've changed the initials of his investigators to protect their privacy as I have no way of knowing if they'd want to be included on here.  

Feb 15, 2013

MTC Missionaries

Thanks for the letter.  I really appreciate it.  Also can you tell Michael thanks for the picture?  I forgot to when I sent him the letter.  I am doing well.  I have been praying for Aaron and the family.  How much snow have you guys gotten?  The MTC has been moving right along.  They added more bunks to all of the rooms except for 2 on each floor.  So now in a regular dorm sized room, there are six people.  It is super crowded in some places.  I was lucky and my room was one of the rooms that didn't need to have extra beds put into it.  Probably because my room had originally been a vending machine room so it is smaller than the other ones anyways.  But I am doing well.  I'm sorry to hear about Aaron in the hospital.

 

I am headed out for Oregon on Monday, so I probably won't get any letters that are sent to the MTC, so just remember to send them to the mission home.

Feb 19, 2013

Thank you so much for the packages.  I forgot to bring my letters with me, so if i forget to mention something, I'll probably get to it later next week.

 

Can you tell Sister C thanks for the letter, and I will be sending one out to her soon. 

 

Yesterday was super long.  I woke up at 4 and didn't really sleep except for on the plane, and we all know that the sleep on the plane isn't really all that beneficial.  I went and met with the Bishop and the Ward mission leader in Mollala where I am serving for the next 3 months.  I also met the P.  They are probably the nicest people that I will meet out here in Oregon, which is saying alot because everyone here is incredibly friendly. 

 

Elder L was not able to come out to Oregon with me.  He had to stay at the MTC because he got an infection in his gums where his wisdom teeth had come out.  He is seeing an oral surgeon today, and will be coming out to Oregon hopefully on friday.

 

My new companion is Elder Jorgenson.  He is a computer whiz, is super funny, but still focused.  It is nice to have a trainer who isn't all stiff and starchy.  He only has seven fingers, but he types faster than I do.  It is CRAZY!  I haven't asked how he lost the other three, but I will soon.  My trainer is an awesome guy. 

 

My P-Days are normally on Mondays, but because yesterday was Transfer day, today was P-day.

 

I love you, and I am doing well.

February 25, 2013

So, about the mail.  All of the mail needs to be sent to the mission home and it will be sent out and forwarded from there.  That way everything will get to me.  Just because around transfers a lot of the time, the mail will be lost, so all of the mail should be sent to the mission home.

Well, when I got here, I realized that I didn't have a street jacket.  The one from Mr Mac works great, but it doesn't really work for P-Day, so I was wondering if you could send down a jacket/hoodie of some kind.  Also, could you send down my soccer cleats?

 

I am actually in a car for right now, so my bike is down in the basement of the Mission Home right now.  But I really appreciate all of the hard work that you guys went through to get it here.  I can almost guarantee that I will use it right after I transfer.

 

This last week was rather interesting.  I was able to tract into two people that are willing to listen about the Church.  One had just moved down from Oregon City and was taking discussions from the missionaries there.  The other was just interested in learning about what we believe because he likes to piece together his own image of God.  So I am excited about that!  We also got yelled at by one family.  Looking back it was kinda funny how it happened.  We were tracking and we knocked on the door.  It had a "No Soliciting" sign on it. They opened the door and the wife started yelling at us about how there was a sign on the door.  Then the husband came and yelled that what we were doing fell under the no soliciting and told us that we had 3 seconds to get off their porch.  So we did and went on our way.  I guess that they were probably not ready.

 

Awesome Companion

The week went by so fast!  I was totally surprised.  It was the complete opposite of the MTC, but I guess that is because I am not sitting in the class room all day long.  I talked to a guy last night about some stuff.  He says that he knows the church is true, but he won't be baptised because he thinks it is too late for him in his life.  He is a awesome guy, he just doesn't think that he can change.  It is really sad.  I don't think that he really understands the power of the Atonement.  He has received missionary lessons before, and he has them practically memorized, but I don't think that he has quite internalized the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how it can unlock the Atonement.

 

On Thursday, I saw my first freezing rain.  Elder Jorgenson and I nearly died.  We were coming down a hill in the dark when it had started raining, and I was calling someone to let them know that we were running a little late.  Apparently the rain had been freezing when it had been hitting the ground because when we tried to turn, the car started slipping.  And even better, just off the side of the road, not three feet off, there was a drop off.  But with help from the Lord, Elder Jorgenson was able to bring the car back under control and we reached the apartment safely.

 

I love you and I hope everyone is doing well.

 

Elder Peterson

 

******************************** 

Dear Michael,

 

I really like being out on a mission.  It is really a lot of fun.  I didn't think that it would be, but it is.  For Church, because I serve two different wards,  I went to 5 hours of Church instead of 3.  I went to two different sacrament meetings!  But, no  I didn't go to Stake Conference.  They have a different time that they do that at.  But yup, being a missionary is a lot of hard work, but it is what I need to be doing right now. 

 

I hope that you are being good for mommy.  I love you.

 

Elder Peterson

March 4, 2013

Quick explanation.  I bought a birthday treat and some candles to send him.  I also bought me  some make-up, and then later found I forgot to take it out of the bag before mailing it off.  But I didn't want him to waste money sending it back.

Ha ha, I make sure that I use all of it.  The sister Missionaries won't ever see it.  Just kidding.  People think Mormons are weird enough without me doing that.

 

This week has been awesome.  We found one new potential investigator tracting, and we had another gentleman contact us and he told us that he wanted to take the lessons!  I am so excited.  Also, we committed an investigator to Baptism!!  She is going to be baptized on March 30th!  She wants me to confirm her that next Sunday!!!  I also gave my first Priesthood Blessing yesterday while visiting member families.  It was a weird experience, but it was a good weird.

 

You should tell me who the new bishop will be.  I bet it will be Brother ***** or *******.  Don't tell them I said that.  But I found Sister Wells family out in Oregon.  They look almost exactly the same.  Their kids look exactly the same as well.  It was so strange.

 

Tell Jonathan and Deborah good luck with Open and formation dancing at Nationals.

 

Thank you for all your prayers and help,

 

Elder Peterson

 

Dear Andrew and Michael,

 

Nope, I have not yet baptized anyone yet.  Actually, the mission president doesn't want the missionaries baptizing anyone.  He wants one of the ward members to do it, so that way, the investigator has someone that they are friends with in the ward.  But my first investigator baptism is on the 30 of March.  And I hope that I have a good birthday too.

March 11, 2013

Yes the package got to me.  I really appreciate the things that you sent in it.  Someting really cool.  This week we had Zone Conference, and President Morby said that we can now email friends as well as family!

Speaking of Bishops, the Molalla River Ward got a new bishop this week as well.  It is now Bishop Pederson instead of Bishop Glenn.  I was totally thrown for a loop with that one, cause I was helping a recent convert find the missionary that had baptized her when they announced the change.  So I missed it until someone in the foyer asked if we had heared what happened.  It was so cool.

 

A little on the sad note.  We were told by Bishop Glenn before he was released that we had to drop an investigator.  The investigator had been ex-ed and had asked for the lessons to help with his repentance process, but hadn't asked the bishop if it was okay.  So we were told that we needed to drop him.

 

I am so happy that Deborah and Jonathan did well at Nationals.  Tell them and Kayti for me will you?

 

That's great about Matthew.  Just remind him that he will have a lot of late nights and stressful weeks, but it will all be worth it.  Mr Smith can be intimidating.  Just remind Matthew to not get on his bad side otherwise Matthew won't see any time on stage. 

 

Keep Breathing and every thing will be okay.  The members out here are awesome, we get fed everynight and it is always good food.  It seems like everyone out here plays frisbee golf on p-days.  I had never heard of it before I got out here.

 

We painted an investigators kitchenon thursday.  So glad I already knew what to do and how to do it.  It made everything so much easier.  (THANK YOU PAINTING MERIT BADGE)  Everything is going well out here.

 

Can you tell Mary that even though some people will not take the MTC and roleplaying seriously, that it really does help and to use all of the study time.  Use the time to memorize scriptures.  Even though you have the topical guide and the index, having scriptures memorized will help so much more.

 

I Love You

Elder Peterson 

March 18, 2013 

His comment here:  "It is so GREEN out here."
Yep, he's from the desert.

Very short, but this is the one he sent pictures with.

Elder Jorgensen's mom is from Roy I think.  Elder L's mom is from Murray I think, but I am not sure.  But yeah, I am totally okay for the pictures to be sent out.  And I don't know my apartment address.

 

Attached should be some pictures of what has happened out here so far.  None of the SD card work, so I can only take 5 pictures before the memory is full.

 

Thanks

 

Elder Peterson

March 25, 2013

Dear Mom,

 

That is so awesome about Matthew.  It is a lot of fun and hard work out here.  (Matthew had said he couldn't wait for his own mission.) 

Yes I received the bank card.  I also got the permission slip, and I am sending that out today

 

Yes the picture by himself is my companion from out here in Oregon.  His name is Elder Jorgensen.  He has been out for 18 months, and this is his first time training. 

 

The MTC really wasn't that different from college.  It is like taking a bunch of institute classes, but never really leaving the class room.  Mary will do a great job in the MTC, as long as she teaches simple doctrines.  At least for me, it was kinda frustrating at first when a whole bunch of teachers kept popping into the classroom during studies, but after a while, we realized that when they didn't, it was really easy to get off track and start talking.  They really are there to help us.  It doesn't matter if they are assigned to a different district or not, if they suggest something, take it at face value.  They know what they are talking about.  Be humble and everything will work out.  It is okay if you don't know the answers, just testify of what you do know.

 

So I just found out that these computers don't have a copy/paste function, and I just lost half the email, cause it auto saved right after. FRUSTRATION

 

So this last Tuesday, I went on exchanges with the district leader, Elder A.  Every Tuesday night, the Canyon Creek ward does a scripture study, and Elder Jorgensen and I had been assigned to talk for the next two weeks on the Atonement.  These discussions go for about an hour and a half, so this was kinda intimidating, especially since Elder Jorgensen was no longer with me, and I was working with a companion that I didn't really know.  Previously, Elder Jorgensen and I had decided to talk the first time about the premortal existence, the Creation of the world, and the Fall of Adam.  We had found scriptures and we had decided that Elder Jorgensen was going to lead.  But now, Elder Jorgensen was in Canby, and I was with Elder A.  So I was super nervous.  Luckily, the people at the discussion are very talkative, so I was able to lead the discussion without too much trouble, and with some help from Elder A.

Thursday was a crazy day.  When we met with N she told us after the lesson that she didn't want to get baptized, but asked us to keep coming anyways, so hopefully we will be able to help her towards baptism eventually. 

After N, we met with S.  The last time we met and taught him, he was high, so it was really hard to get him to focus on what we were talking about.  So this time, I was already discouraged from meeting with N, and I was half expecting him to be high again.  It was a nice surprise when he wasn't high, and half way through our discussion, one of his friends came in and sat down and started to listen in on the Plan of Salvation. 

Then that night, we went and visited with L.  He was the man who thought that it was too late for him to repent.  We brought with us one of the ward missionaries who we thought would connect with L really well.  L talked about alot of the same stuff as last time, except it seemed like this time, he was talking about how he expected more out of the people in the Church, and how he had higher expectations about some of our policies.  But, with help from the ward missionary, we were able to address more of his concerns.  Then at the end of our conversation, I felt prompted to promise him the comfort that he was looking for, if he would start to read and pray.  He was super surprised about what I said, and confused as to how we would know that he was looking for comfort.

 

So over all, Thursday was one roller coster of a day, ending on a good note.

The work out here is starting to pick up.  We have 6 investigators, with a baptism this weekend.  I am super excited to see how things continue to progress out here.  When I first came out, we had one investigator.

Love,
Elder Peterson

"When I feel the Holy Ghost, I know my sins have been forgiven"
Stake President Lundgreen

This is how we know that our sins have been forgiven.  Each time we feel the Spirit, we are been sanctified.  If we use this, then we can help others to find out how they can receive forgiveness, and come closer to our Savior, and our Heavenly Father.

" For the Spirit of the Lord cannot dwell in unholy temples"