Letter #57

Good Morning Peterson Fam,

It sounds like you have all had another eventful week.  It is good to hear that you are all keeping busy and it is especially good to hear that you are all preparing for school to start.  I am sure that there is a lot of excitement in the air and that you are all just waiting for summer to be over. I am going to interrupt this email with some crazy news.  So you mentioned transfers this week which is true.  About 10 seconds ago I just received a phone call to be a District Leader.  I am sure that I will be staying here in Tamworth because I am training but we don't find out until tonight.  Just the way that everything works out though I believe I will be here still so you don't need to worry mum I won't be leaving.

So this past week has been a fantastic week.  We had a couple of great meetings that I learned so much from and that I really enjoyed.  I have really been learning so much and I think that I have started to learn a lot more since I have become a senior companion.  I am so grateful for all of the many things that I am learning even though having this much responsibility is kind of stressful.  If I come home bald then you can't make fun of me because you are already grey mum. haha

We were able to teach J***** a couple of times this last week and he is doing really well.  He is getting really excited to be baptized this upcoming month and he is working to get Sundays off so that he can make that date.  He is keeping all of the commitments really well and is really enjoying learning.  Today he was explaining the amount of change that he has seen in himself since he has started living the commandments and has continued to learn.  I know for a fact that the Gospel does change lives if we follow the teaching and the commandments.

I kind of had a hard time when it came to a lesson with J**** though.  He was the guy that we were lead to on the bridge last week.  He had texted us before the lesson and as I talked to him for a bit it turns out that he had gotten into anti stuff and didn't want to learn anymore.  It really was frustrating because as I was thinking about what happened I kept on asking myself why was this happening?  Why were we guided to someone that would end up not listening to us?  As I was thinking about that for some time I came to the conclusion that I learned a very important lesson that day.  Even though we never got to teach him again I learned the importance of obeying the Spirit not matter what. I didn't know that we were going to find him and I didn't know that it was going to end this way.  One thing that I do know though is if I didn't follow the prompting of the Spirit, if I would have turned around then I would have regretted that for probably the rest of my life  But because I had that experience I know that I did what I was supposed to do even if it didn't go the way that I wanted it to. Who knows maybe we were still supposed to meet him that day for a different reason I don't know.  But I learned something and that is what I am grateful for.

Well I guess I will answer your questions.

1. Are you able to wear the tie we sent you? Yeah I can wear it but I haven't yet.  I will probably wear it this week though.
2. Did you enjoy the Hump day poem we sent? I thought that was a pretty great poem.  
3. I talked with another Elder that just left England and he asked me if you burned your shirt on your hump day. Have you burned any of your clothes?  Are you kidding me of course I haven't burned anything.  You know how I am with spending money mum.  Why would I do that and have to buy a new one. People these days! haha

4. Do you know anything about myplan.org?  Yep I know all about it.  When it comes out I will be starting it.  I think that you have forgotten that I am a missionary and missionaries know EVERYTHING.  

6. What did you eat the other day with Darren?  He made some spicy burritos which were really good, but come to find out Elder Fullmer hates spicy things so it was funny watching him eat them. haha

7. Have you been able to meet with D*** and his wife yet?  Not yet but he is reading the Book of Mormon and is loving it. He said it will be soon though.

8. How’s the weather?  Depends on who you ask.  I think that it is really warm because I am sweating, but if you ask Elder Fullmer he will say it's cold because he gets cold easy.

9. Tender mercy this week?  This past week I would have to say that it was the answer that I got from when J*** dropped us.

10. Have you done much with family history?  Nope.  Don’t you think that is a little boring and for old people. haha

11. Are you really going to call me Mum when you get home?  Probably out of habit but I don't know how long it will last.

Well I am glad that your questions are not as ridiculous as Lindsey's questions so they weren't as bad to answer. Before I end my letter with a thought I thought I would let you know that I have put pictures in the Dropbox and the couple is the Dowlings.

So my thought for this week comes from Moroni 7:35.  The last part of 35 asks the question “...has the day of miracles ceased?" I am sure that you have all seen miracles in your own life and I know that I have seen miracles in my life.  As I was thinking about this it came to me that I have never considered being a member of the church a miracle.  I would have to say that it is a miracle though.  Think about how you became a member of the church.  I am sure that you prayed to know and you got an answer, well isn't that a miracle in itself.  But if you think back a little farther to our ancestors.  Isn't it a miracle that they became members of the church and throughout history from generation to generation the gospel was passed down to the day when we came to the earth.  Through those generations it could have been easy for someone to have lost faith, especially when it came to the pioneers and what they went through.  It could have been real easy for them to lose faith and who knows maybe if that did happen you and I might not be members today.  So I thought that I would just leave that with you and I hope that you really do realize how much of a miracle it is to be a member of the church.  I know that it has blessed my life tremendously and I know it can bless others.  I also know that miracles have not ceased just like it say in verse 37 of Moroni 7 and it is by faith that they still happen today.
Thank you all for the wonderful letters and I hope that you have a great week.

Love,
Elder Peterson