Letter # 20

Dear Mum and Family,

I really enjoyed all of your great letters that you have sent this last week.  This last week has also gone really fast for me and I can't believe that this transfer is almost over.  Next Monday I will be finding out if I stay here in Sheldon or if I will be moving. There is a really high chance that I could be moving because President doesn't like to keep newer missionaries in an area for more than three transfers, but with Christmas coming up I could also be staying.  Either way I am really excited for the results and I can't believe how fast it has all gone.

It sounds like you guys had a really great time feeding the Sister missionaries. 
The Christmas initiative has been a lot of fun.  We haven't really had much success from it yet, but we are getting word out and hopefully people are watching the video.  I am sure that it is really helping a lot of people this Christmas season though. 

We haven't taught I***  this last week because he got his wisdom teeth out so he probably wasn't doing so well.  Hopefully we will be able to talk with him this next week because we are almost done teaching him and he is such a great guy.

It sounds like you all have a great service opportunity this next week and I am really excited for all of you to have that great opportunity to serve.  It sounds like it is going to be a lot of fun and that you are going to be really busy today making a lot of cinnamon rolls.  I hope that you enjoy it and all I can say is if I was there I think I would have chosen going to school rather than making all those cinnamon rolls.  It sounds like fun though and I hope you all enjoy serving others.

Asking if I need an IPad to share the video is actually a pretty touchy subject in this mission.  We keep getting told that they will be here really soon and when I was first out on the mission I was told that they should be here this month.  They are not here though and we are now being told that they will be here at the beginning of the year.  I don't know if I believe that one though either so I am not worrying about it too much right now.  I will let you know when we are able to get them though.


I do not have an accent yet and I don't think that I will have one when I come home either.  A lot of missionaries that have been out for almost two years don't even have an accent so I don't think I will be coming home with one so don't plan on it.
The clouds over here are sometimes fluffy, but most of the time when there are clouds they are pretty grey because it usually rains.  But when the sky is blue, like today, they are usually white and fluffy. 
I haven't taken any pictures of the hills or cars, but if I remember I will send them next week. 
I think that my favorite thing about my companion is he likes to have a lot of fun while we are doing missionary work.  For example while we are walking down the streets doing tracking if a song pops up in his head we will  both start singing it out loud.  And the best part is the people we pass usually have weird looks on their face which is pretty funny.

Thanks for all of your great letters that you have all sent and also for all of the wonderful thoughts and scriptures.  I don't know if I quite like Caden’s thought though because I think it had to do with marriage and you all know how touchy that subject is for me.  I can't have the best man cave if I am married!

The thought that I would like to share with you all this week is actually a poem that I found out of the ensign. It goes with the "He is the Gift" video because it talks about how the world doesn't focus on the true meaning of Christmas any more.

It's called "Celebrating Christmas"

Schools celebrate Christmas, 
But not like they use to
And not as much as they used to.
It's all about Holiday, time off,
Games and fun and things.
I wonder what happened to the King of Kings!

Shops celebrate Christmas
Special offers and discounts
 funny hats and costumes
glitter and streamers
And the profit it brings.
I wonder what happened to the King of Kings!

Our town celebrates Christmas
A big tree in the square
with lots of fancy lights 
sparkling and dancing in the wind
as they stretch between the buildings
I wonder what happened to the King of Kings!

The world celebrates Christmas
with worldly pleasures and parties
fancy focks and new clothes
presents, cards, music, and other things 
I wonder what happened to the King of Kings!

As we celebrate Christmas
Perhaps we can think of the birth
of the Messiah who came to save
and the hope he brings to our lives
as we live the divine teachings
of the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings!

I hope that whoever reads this wonderful poem realizes the great meaning of the Christmas season and that we can all remember the greatest gift that was ever given to us.  The Savior of the world.  What a special time of year to remember His great birth and for all the many blessings that we received because He was born.  One of those great blessings is the wonderful Atonement.  How blessed we are to be able to be clean from all of our sins because of the great price that He paid for us. May we all remember Him thank Him for all that we have.
I hope that you all have a great week and thanks again for all that you guys do.
Love,
Elder Peterson