Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Letter #45

Hello Mum and Family

I guess I will start my letter by saying that both you and dad have made the wrong bet. We got the calls last night and I will be going to Tamworth England which is super close to the mission home.  It is kind of weird because Llanelli is the second farthest area from the mission home and now I am going pretty close to the mission home.  So sorry to disappoint you both but you both were wrong.  My companion will be Elder Jarvus and from what I have heard he has just got done being trained so I will be following up training him I think.  I am not 100% positive about that, but that is what I have heard so that is what I am going for right now. It should be a great experience and I will be there tomorrow afternoon so that is really exciting.  I will travel by train to Swansea and then I will catch a coach with a group of missionaries The train will be about 15 minutes and the coach is about 4 hours.  I will really miss this area and the people that are here because I have made some really great friends, but there is a reason that I need to be in Tamworth and I am excited to serve there.

It sounds like you all had a great Sunday experience this past Sunday.  It doesn't really surprise me that you guys are doing family history and I am sure that everyone enjoyed themselves all day long. I too have been doing a little family history in my family booklet.  I did receive the photos that you sent and they are all in the booklet.  I have also filled out most of the book. It is coming a long quite well and I am sure that mum is super proud of me.  Oh wait I already know that she is proud of me because I am here favorite child.

It sounds like you all had some really good plans for memorial day.  I am sure that you are all excited for the plans that you have made and I hope that you all enjoyed yourselves.  I can't believe that school is that close to being out.  I am pretty positive that there is so much excitement around the house.  I can't believe how fast time has flown.  It seems like yesterday I was leaving for my mission and everyone was just starting school up.  Now I have almost hit my year mark and everyone has finished another year of school. I hope that you all enjoyed the school year and that you learned a lot of great things.  I hope that you all have a great summer break.  I am sure that you all have made some great camping trips and it looks like those might all be spent in the pouring rain. haha   I think that it is really funny that it is raining so much. I think I will continue to pray so that you guys can receive some more moisture because I don't think that you are getting enough. haha

I guess I have to answer your questions now.

1) What English Sentences have you learned or use? (example “Bless his Cotton Socks”)  I can't really think of anything at the moment.  It is kind of hard for me to pick things out and figure out what they use here and what you guys would say back home.  I guess I have spent too much time here if I can't remember how you guys speak.  If I think of any I will let you know.
2) Did you do the family history booth last week?  No we didn't do the booth again because we had to fill out paperwork and it had to go through the council and they would accept it or not.  We did do the paperwork about 2 weeks ago but they still haven't gotten back to us yet so it doesn't look I will be doing it because I am leaving.

3) My tender mercy is we have received our iPads this past week.  It is kind of frustrating because they are all set up and ready to use, but we haven't been able to use them yet.  So I have had it for almost a week and they have just been sitting there on my desk collecting dust.  I think that we will be able to use them starting this next transfer, but I am not sure.

Well I guess it is time for the spiritual thought of the letter.

The thought that I want to share with you comes from Matt 16:26.  I am typing this from memory so don't get mad if I don't quote it directly.
“For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul, or what does a man give in exchange for his soul?"
I have really been thinking about this scripture ever since I watched the Mormon message called "Lift".  It is a new one and I think that you should all watch it because it is great.  
When I think of the scripture I think of thinks that we might all do that we might give in exchange for our souls.  Some of those things could be when we put things before Christ like maybe going to bed without reading our scriptures that day, not going to church because we are too busy, or maybe when we are at church and during the sacrament we are thinking about what we are going to be doing after church. That is just a few things that maybe we give in exchange for our souls and there are more serious things that we might give in exchange for out soul. 
 I think that when we come to realize the worth of our own soul in the sight of God then we will want to do better as His children. I hope that we can all recognize something that we might be giving in exchange for our soul and we try to change that thing.
I hope that you have a great week and I hope that you all enjoy your last week of school.
Love,
Elder Peterson

Monday, May 25, 2015

Monday, May 18, 2015

Letter # 44

Hello Mum and Fam,

It was good to hear from you all today.  When I first found out that you are all having a lot of rain I got really happy because now you can feel a little bit about what I have been feeling for the past 9 months. haha I am sure that you are all enjoying it and I hope that you know that I was praying for you guys to get moisture, but it is not my fault that you are getting that much. I can just imagine all of the joy that is coming from all the farmers right now.  I hope that you will be able to spend a little time outside here in a couple of weeks, but if it is truly English rain then you will probably be stuck in the house for a little longer.

It sounds like the whole family is getting really excited for school to be out.  I am sure that everyone is struggling to get up in the morning and go to school every day at this time of year.  I remember when I was a little boy and had to do that, but now that I am a man I don't have to do that stuff anymore. haha It sounds like there are some interesting things that are going to be happening with the family coming up soon.  It sounds like everyone is doing well and I am excited for all of the cool things that are going to be happening.  You will have to wish everyone good luck for me.

I will answer your questions right here.

1. Q:  How did your family history booth go?  A: We actually didn't do it this week because the weather was horrible and we had stake conference so that took a lot of time.

2. Q: How has the discussion’s been going with M****?  A: The discussions have been going pretty well with M***.   He is still really trying hard to get work off on Sundays, but I am sure that he is will get it soon.  Other than that  it is going really well.

3. Comment: Son I’m really happy that you think I’m your Mum is a goofball because I said “Welch not Welsh” when we skyped you on Mother’s Day!  I’m glad I can still make you laugh.  Elder Peterson’s Comment: No comment

4.  Q: What’s your weather been like?   A: It hasn't rained a whole lot lately it has just been really cloudy and windy. It did pour this morning though.  We did have about 3 days of nice blue skies and no rain and that was definitely really nice.


5. Any Ipads yet?  hehehe I know that’s a touchy subject so I Just had to ask.   A: No but guess what.  They are at the mission home right now.  They just arrived today so that means they are even closer.  They are actually in the UK now. Apparently the order got backed up so that is why they are late.

6. Q: How are you and your companion doing?  A:  We are doing really great.  We are having a lot of fun together and are getting a long really well.  It is a lot of fun serving with Elder Devitt and I am really going to miss him when I leave.

7.   Q: Do you do activities with the youth?   A:  A couple of pdays ago we went to the church house with the other Elders and we had a ping pong tournament.  It was pretty fun even though I am not good at ping pong.  I guess I will just stick to football.


8.  Q: Did you have a tender mercy last week?  A: Oh did we have a tender mercy alright.  We got back in contact with R***** and we were also able to teach her this past week.  She is going to visit her boyfriend in California on the 7 of June and at first she wanted to get baptized before she went so that would be this weekend but then the family got in contact with her and said that they wanted to interview her when she goes over and then she can get baptized.   We will hopefully get everything figured out and I am sure that it will all work out.  The miracle is though that we were able to get back in contact with her and that she still wants to get baptized.

Well I hope that you are happy because I answered all of your questions and I didn't even leave any of them out.  Well before I let you go I would like to share another quote with you guys.  I hope that you are not getting sick of them because I am really enjoying sharing them with you.  If you guys would like me to find something else or if you have any ideas of anything that you would like me to share with you so that I can help you or someone else let me know.

This week I would like to share a quote that I heard during Stake Conference this past weekend.
"He paid a debt that He didn't owe because we owed a debt that we could pay."
I noticed that a lot of the conference was focused on the Atonement and I really liked that quote the most.  When I think of the atonement I like to think of it in the way of owing a debt it just helps me to understand it better.  I have noticed as a missionary that one of the most important things that we can come to understand and to help others to understand is that of the atonement and the power that it has to change others’ lives.  I have really grown to understand the atonement a lot more since I have been out and I am so grateful for the price that the Savior did pay for each and every one of us because we weren't able to pay it.

Well I hope that you all have a great week and thanks for all of the great support and encouragement. I hope that you all enjoy the nice weather that you are having and I hope you have a great week.
Love,
Elder Peterson (The Man the Myth and the Legend as dad would say)


Monday, May 11, 2015

Letter #43

Well hello again family,

It was really good seeing you all yesterday and hearing how you are all doing. I was actually not that surprised to open up my email and to see the long email that mum sent even though I just talked to you all yesterday.  It was good to see you all and to talk to you for the little time that it was.  I really don't have anything to say because I think it was all covered yesterday.  I hope that you all have a great week and before I go I will have to give you another quote for the week to keep you all going strong.

“We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today.  Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of what we can become.  Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won't for He sees us as the people we are capable of becoming."
- Joseph B Wirthlin

I was told by one of the members yesterday that on his mission one of the general authorities said that if you could see the people behind the doors when you go tracting and what they can become if they were to accept the gospel then you would run from door to door.  I believe that is how Heavenly Father sees us.  He knows what we can become if we were to do certain things in our life. Even though we have the gospel in our lives already just think of what God can see in us if we were to do all that we could to live the gospel fully.  There is always something that we can improve on each and every day.  Sometimes we have to look hard for it and sometimes we can see it quite plainly.  I would like to encourage you all to find something this week that you can maybe do a little better at whether it be reading your scriptures more frequently, being a little more diligent in your calling, finding more ways to serve, or whatever it may be and try to improve in it.  I know that as you do these things you will be able to improve on them you will become closer to your Heavenly Father.

Well I hope that you all have a great week and keep being the great family that you are.
Love,
Elder Peterson

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Elder Peterson Skype his family on Mothers's Day May 10, 2015

His Brother and Sister's
May 10, 2015
Elder Peterson's  Grandma Crossley
May 10, 2015

Elder Peterson's Parents
May 10, 2015


Monday, May 4, 2015

Letter # 42

Hello Mom and Family,

It sounds like you have all had a great week this last week going up to the dam and camping this last weekend.  From the pictures that you sent it looks like it was a lot of fun and that you all enjoyed your weekend up there.  I am glad to see that dad got dropped on by some birds.  I don't want to make fun of him because it happened to me about 6 weeks ago when I was walking through the town center.  Luckily we were walking to the flat for lunch and we were pretty close to the flat so I didn't care too much.  So dad I know exactly how you felt when it happened to you.  

Well this last week was a pretty tough week for us.  We have still been doing a lot of finding with just a little bit of teaching in there.  Finding has been kind of rough for me because I see a lot of the same people all the time when I walk through town.  We are also having a really hard time finding people who are interested in learning more.  We do have some pretty good ideas for this next week to maybe help us out a little bit and make it more fun.  I am sure that mom is going to be excited to hear that we are going to try and put up a family history stand in city center and hopefully we will get some success with that.  We don't know when we are going to do it and if we don't do it this week we will definitely be doing it sometime soon.  We also have a couple other things that we want to try out so I am hoping that we will see some great success this next week.

Speaking of family history I didn't know that there was going to be a big indexing thing going on until I looked at the church news on the church website.  I thought that you would all be doing it so I was just wondering if you were or not. I haven't heard of anyone doing it over here so I don't know if they are doing it or not.  I am not sure if anyone is doing it over here but I am sure that there are probably a few people that are doing it.

Well I have some bad news for you all.  We did have the iPad training meeting this last week and it was definitely a long travel to get there.  We were on a coach for about 4 hours and we were up at 2:45 in the morning.  I was really exhausted the few days after that long day.  The bad news is we traveled all the way to the mission home and back for the training and we didn't receive the iPads yet.  I have no idea when we are going to be getting them but I will let you know when we do obviously.  

Well I don't really have much time because it is another bank holiday and we are at the church emailing with one computer.  I am sorry that I wasn't able to reply to all of your emails this week but I promise that I will speak to you all in a few days.   I am sure that you all won't be sleeping much that night so just have the iPad next to you at all times.

Well like I said I don't have much time and before I go I just want to say something about the quote that I sent last week.  When I truly think of whom I really am I think of being a child of God.  When you come to know that you are a child of God and that he is always there for you at all times then you will have no need to feel inferior.  
Well I hope you all have a great week and I can't wait to speak to you all on Sunday.
Love,
Elder Peterson