Dear Mum and Family,
It sounds like you have all had a great week and that you have really enjoyed a little taste of British food. I really enjoyed the pictures of you guys and the food looked amazing. It looks like you had a lot of fun and a lot of food. Maybe you can figure out how they do it all and you can make your own shop in Newton. (The picture of the candy bars look really familiar. I wonder where I have seen them before? Oh maybe here in England/Wales!)
This last week has been really interesting and this next week is going to be really exciting. Apparently there was a tornado at the beginning of the week up in North of England I believe. That is what a couple of our investigators told us anyway and I am pretty sure it is true because the wind was horrible last week. We were told that it was supposed to reach between 70 and 100 mph which I am sure that it did. It was raining quite a lot too which didn't help at all so it was pretty interesting. It did also start snowing on Tuesday but because it is so wet here in England it didn't stick at all and it didn't rain for very long. It eventually just turned back into rain. Because of the super strong winds I was in my first bike wreck of the mission. Luckily we are both okay so that is a great miracle. So we were biking through a park on a bike path on our way home because the wind was so strong and we had to get in as fast as we could. The wind pushed Elder Shaw off the bike path and when he tried to get back on the path he crashed. I was just a little bit behind him and I had to throw my bike out from under me and to the side because I didn't have enough room to swerve and I didn't want to run over him. Luckily I just rolled a little and got up perfectly fine and I ran to Elder Shaw to see if he was okay. We both came out of it without a single cut or bruise which was a miracle. We got back on our bikes and made it home just in time. We were soaked all the way through. No matter how much waterproof clothing we wore it wouldn't have helped at all. It was a great experience and we have had a great laugh about it.
I am really excited for this week coming up because our investigator's baptism is this Saturday and it is really exciting. We have finished teaching her all the lessons and she is doing great. She is still doing her reading and praying every day and she is really growing closer to our Father in Heaven. This week she will be interviewed for baptism and we are going to be doing some daily contact and answering any questions for her that she might have. We also have planned to go over to her house and make her a meal so that will be a lot of fun. We have set up the baptismal program and she is really excited about it and she can't wait to be a member of this church. She is such a great lady and she has grown so much in the Gospel. It is going to be amazing. I can't wait until Saturday.
So flogged isn't really a British word it's just a missionary word. It's kind of funny because if you ask some of the returned missionaries in our ward they will tell you some of the things that the missionaries would say. The funny thing is that even different mission areas use different words. So flogged pretty much means that we set up an appointment with someone and when we go they are not there because they have flogged us. I don't know if that makes any sense so if it doesn't let me know and I will explain it better.
There are a lot of people who do speak Welsh or at least they know how to speak Welsh, but they usually just speak English. So I haven't had a problem with meeting someone who only knows how to speak Welsh. I think that in the schools here they teach them how to speak both Welsh and English so I am sure that helps a lot. So there is really no need to learn how to speak Welsh. Maybe I will ask a few members to teach me a little Welsh so that I can say some things. It's kind of a confusing language, but I will try my best to get some things down.
So the pictures from the New Era are just away to help me decorate my planner. So I like to put quotes with pictures and just pictures on them. For example on the one I have now I put the picture of the Salt Lake temple. On my last one I put a picture of the first vision with a scripture that I cut out of the Ensign. I was just wondering if you guys would be able to send me a little bit of something like that from the New Era because I can get Ensigns really easy from the mission home it's just they don’t have the New Era and there are a lot more quotes and pictures that I think look better on the planners. If you guys don't have time then you don't need to worry about it. I just thought that you might have some ideas on things that I can put on my planner so that it could be really nice and I can include you guys on my very artistic skill. Haha.
I hope that you guys have a great week this next week. You will have to tell Case hi for me and when you go listen to Alex you will have to tell him hi and that he is going to be a great missionary.
Caden-What's up little brother? Yes you are still little to me because I don't think you will ever be bigger than I am. It sounds like you are still enjoying work and that everything is going good at the farm. Hopefully you will be getting more calves soon so that you can have another girlfriend. I hope that you are really enjoying work and that you are working hard.
Chelsey-It sounds like you have had a great week this week. I would have to guess that the best part of your week was when you got your braces off. I bet you wish you could still have them on though. Haha. Remember to always wear your retainer so you don't have to get your braces back on again.
It sounds like you had a lot of fun going to the Chippie this last week. I hope that you enjoyed eating all of the great British food there. I bet you really enjoy the chocolate. I know that I really love the British Chocolate. It is the best! It sounds like you have done another great job making another blanket. I bet it looks really great. You can give it to me when I get home so I can stay warm.
I can see the excitement that you are having right now because you don't have to go to school today. I hope that mum works you really hard and that you get the house nice and clean. And think if you keep it nice and clean then you won't have to clean it the next time that you are off from school. I hope that you have lots of fun because I know that I am going to have fun not cleaning the house today. Haha
Lyndsey-It sounds like you have had a pretty interesting week and that you had a lot of fun faking your sickness. Yeah mom might not know that you were faking it, but I can tell from experience that you just wanted to get out of school. But don't worry I won't tell mom that you were faking.
Dad-That's kind of disappointing that the Colts didn't make it to the super bowl. I thought it was going to be a hard game to win for the Colts, but I did have faith in them they just couldn't pull it off is what it sounds like. At the same time I am glad that they didn't make it because I am not there to watch it so maybe it's for the best and when I get home they will definitely make it to the Super Bowl. You will have to tell Kenny Jensen that I am cheering for the Seahawks thousands of miles away and because I am cheering for them outside of America the Seahawks have a better chance of winning. Haha
I read a quote the other day that I really liked. It says: " Home teaching is missionary work to the members, Missionary work is Home teaching to the non-members." So by visiting the ward members you are doing missionary work whether you think you are or not.
Oh and I won't tell mum that you are the poshest of them all. Haha
Before I go I would like to end with a spiritual thought like I usually do. I have found a lot more quotes that I really like and I hope that you enjoy the one that I have for you today.
“Any dog inside a fence will bark and clamor to get out. But once they are out, most dogs run around a while, sniff out the territory, then sit down by the fence. This is because they are focused on only getting out and never thought of what to do after they got out. Many humans are the same way. We say “I can't wait to get out of High School." or “I just want out of this relationship." Or “I’m just going to go through college as fast as I can." In a missionary sense, we might say, "I can't wait to get home/ out of this area." or "Just wait until I get my new companion." But what are we doing now? Are we planning what to do and preparing our souls for the trials we'll encounter on the other side? If not then are we any different than the dog."
- R. Dale Jeffery
On the mission I have learned so much about planning and the importance of it. I hope that you guys get something from this quote and that it helps you realize that planning and making goals is very important because with those goals we can become closer to God if the goals that we set are focused on God and are things that will make us better Latter Day Saints.
I hope that you all have a great week and that you have a fun time cleaning today. And thank you for all the great letters that you sent I really enjoyed them all.
Love,
Elder Peterson
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Letter #26
Dear Posh Mum and Family,
I just want to start off by saying that only in England does it rain sideways. We have been doing a lot of finding and tracting in the rain this past week and we have had some hard times. We have been finding people that seem interested, but we set up an appointment and they flog us and we are not able to teach them. #mission life. ( My companion and I say that a lot) Haha We have had a great week though and a lot of great miracles on the bright side.
We have been meeting with our investigator S**** a lot this last week. She is really excited for her baptism and she will do anything so that she can make the date that she has agreed with on the 24 January. The other day she asked us if she would have to give up smoking. She is not a heavy smoker, but she does smoke a little. We told her that we have a stop smoking program to help her stop and that we would bring it the next day and help her begin it. Well the next day she called us up and said that she had to go to the hospital because she has been having some heart problems. So we weren't able to meet with her and show her the stop smoking program which was okay because we would just show her the following day. Then at the end of the day we had a miracle happen. She texted us and said that she hadn't been smoking for a full day and that she is going to quit. It was awesome because all we had said was that she needed to stop and that we would show her how she could and without even starting the program she stopped. The next time that we talked to her was on Saturday and she had quit on Thursday. When we met with her she said that it was not a problem for her to quit and she said once we left she threw all of her cigarettes away and that she won't do it again. She is still going strong to this day. She came to church yesterday and said that she feels a lot better and that she is really glad to be giving it up. My testimony has really been strengthened because I know that she has definitely been prepared at this time to hear the Gospel. We have seen her testimony grow stronger and it is such a miracle to see the hand of God in His work.
I am really excited for this upcoming week for a couple of reasons. I think the first reason is because we get to teach S***** a lot and to see her progress more in the Gospel. The second reason is because on Friday the missionaries in this ward are in charge of a ward activity and it is going to be a lot of fun. We are going to be doing a minute to win it night with the ward at the chapel. We have some fun games set up and we are hoping that it will be a lot of fun for the ward. And for the last reason why I am excited for this week is because on Sunday the other missionaries that are in this ward are having a baptism. It is going to be a great week and I am really excited to see what miracles it brings.
It sounds like you guys have got a hold of some nice British food. I hope that you enjoy going out to eat with Dennis and that you enjoy the great fish and chips. The picture that you sent of the chocolate is exactly the kind of chocolate that they have here in England. It looks like I am not going to have to send any home to you now. I can't wait to see the pictures of you guys eating some fish and chips this next week. Just typing fish and chips is making me hungry. Oh wait I am always hungry. Haha One thing that you should try is the Galaxy Chocolate if they have any. I think that is the best kind. If not the Dairy milk is really close.
We didn't really play any football with A**** last Monday we mostly played rugby and it was okay. It would have been a lot better if we would have had more people playing with us. I learned a little how to play rugby a little more and it was quite fun and confusing at first. I started to get it down though and it was getting pretty fun at the end. It was definitely some great exercise and we were exhausted at the end of the day. I will admit it was a lot more fun than soccer by far.
Caden-I can't wait to go skating again to see how much better you are. I hope that school is going great for you and that you are really enjoying it and that you are learning a lot. I bet you are because you are a smart feller. I also hope that you are enjoying working at the farm and that you are working hard. I can just see you now chasing around all of the cows trying to get them in the holding pen. Hahaha.
Chelsey- It sounds like you have had a great week and that you are getting super excited to get your braces off finally. I bet you are really not that excited and that you wish you could keep them on a little longer. Ha Ha I hope that school has been going good for you and that you are working hard and getting good grades. I am sure that you are because you are very smart. The weather here is really different then the weather back home. There is no fog or no snow at all. It has been raining pretty much all day ever day and it is getting kind of boring because all it does is rain. I have had pizza over here and it was pretty good. It is like the pizza that we have back home. There is a domino's pizza and a pizza hut so it's pretty much like the pizza back home. I ate it at the Stilgers house when I was in Sheldon. That was the first time that I had pizza on the mission and I quite liked it. I have been playing a little football with my new cleats and it has been kind of fun. It has been really wet so we have been playing in a lot of rain lately so we get pretty wet and dirty. It's pretty fun playing in the mud though. You should try it sometime if mom lets you. My new flat is pretty nice but it is pretty old. A lot of flats here are old so I think that the rest of my mission I will be in older flats. They are still pretty nice though. I really like it.
Lyndsey- Lyndsee ( I think that is right)
It sounds like you are seeing that my work is a great use to you even though you are cheating. I hope that you are really enjoying that class and that you are getting good grades. I am interested to know who you husband is for the project reality. Is it your boyfriend?
Padre- I can't believe that the Colts have defeated the Broncos. That is some really exciting news. I hope that they can keep up the hard work and make it to the super bowl. If the Patriots are as good as they usually are then that could be a pretty big challenge for the Colts, but I believe they can do it. It sounds like there are going to be some interesting games going on. It should be interesting to see who makes it. I am still enjoying the area except for the fact that it rains a lot here. It is really weird to be in the middle of January and to have no snow and lots of rain. To make things worse it is super cold which makes it that much better. I really do like the area though and I have met a lot of amazing people. The ward is amazing and they are so involved in missionary work. When we bring investigators to church we don't even see them which is great. The members just take them right where they need to be and they help them and answer all the questions for us. That is the way it is supposed to be because then they meet and make friends so when we leave the area they have people that they know and trust. What an amazing ward! I hope that you have a great week this next week and that you enjoy watching the college football championship.
I was thinking of some goals that I wanted for this next year and now that I think about them more I don't really like them so I will do some thinking and I will come up with some for you next week. Sorry that it is taking so long but I want some good goals for this next year because it will be my black year which means it will be the only time of my mission that I am serving from January to December so I want to make them good.
I don't have my notebook with me today so I am not going to be able to share a quote with you guys this week. I want to share something that I hope will be useful to you guys though. It is on light and the light of Christ. I don't know a lot about flowers and why they do something’s but if you watch flowers closely they turn towards the light. For example if there was a flower in a box and the top of it was closed and three of the sides were closed. The flower could only get its light from one side of the box and it would turn to the side so that it could capture that light so that it could grow. If you turned the flower so that it wasn't facing the light it would eventually turn back in due time. We as children of our Father in Heaven need to do the same thing. We need to be turned to the light of Christ and not towards the dark temptations of the adversary. And when we go through hard times and we are turned to the darkness we need to be just like that flower and turn back to the Light. I know that it is very important that we are turned towards Christ because then like that flower we can grow and become more like Christ. I am so grateful for this Gospel and I know it is very important that we turn to the light of Christ and if we do we will be blessed.
I hope that you have a great week and thanks for the great letters that you sent. I really enjoyed them all. If there is anything that I can do for you guys I would be happy to help the best that I can. Just remember we can always pray too for help.
Love,
Elder Peterson
I just want to start off by saying that only in England does it rain sideways. We have been doing a lot of finding and tracting in the rain this past week and we have had some hard times. We have been finding people that seem interested, but we set up an appointment and they flog us and we are not able to teach them. #mission life. ( My companion and I say that a lot) Haha We have had a great week though and a lot of great miracles on the bright side.
We have been meeting with our investigator S**** a lot this last week. She is really excited for her baptism and she will do anything so that she can make the date that she has agreed with on the 24 January. The other day she asked us if she would have to give up smoking. She is not a heavy smoker, but she does smoke a little. We told her that we have a stop smoking program to help her stop and that we would bring it the next day and help her begin it. Well the next day she called us up and said that she had to go to the hospital because she has been having some heart problems. So we weren't able to meet with her and show her the stop smoking program which was okay because we would just show her the following day. Then at the end of the day we had a miracle happen. She texted us and said that she hadn't been smoking for a full day and that she is going to quit. It was awesome because all we had said was that she needed to stop and that we would show her how she could and without even starting the program she stopped. The next time that we talked to her was on Saturday and she had quit on Thursday. When we met with her she said that it was not a problem for her to quit and she said once we left she threw all of her cigarettes away and that she won't do it again. She is still going strong to this day. She came to church yesterday and said that she feels a lot better and that she is really glad to be giving it up. My testimony has really been strengthened because I know that she has definitely been prepared at this time to hear the Gospel. We have seen her testimony grow stronger and it is such a miracle to see the hand of God in His work.
I am really excited for this upcoming week for a couple of reasons. I think the first reason is because we get to teach S***** a lot and to see her progress more in the Gospel. The second reason is because on Friday the missionaries in this ward are in charge of a ward activity and it is going to be a lot of fun. We are going to be doing a minute to win it night with the ward at the chapel. We have some fun games set up and we are hoping that it will be a lot of fun for the ward. And for the last reason why I am excited for this week is because on Sunday the other missionaries that are in this ward are having a baptism. It is going to be a great week and I am really excited to see what miracles it brings.
It sounds like you guys have got a hold of some nice British food. I hope that you enjoy going out to eat with Dennis and that you enjoy the great fish and chips. The picture that you sent of the chocolate is exactly the kind of chocolate that they have here in England. It looks like I am not going to have to send any home to you now. I can't wait to see the pictures of you guys eating some fish and chips this next week. Just typing fish and chips is making me hungry. Oh wait I am always hungry. Haha One thing that you should try is the Galaxy Chocolate if they have any. I think that is the best kind. If not the Dairy milk is really close.
We didn't really play any football with A**** last Monday we mostly played rugby and it was okay. It would have been a lot better if we would have had more people playing with us. I learned a little how to play rugby a little more and it was quite fun and confusing at first. I started to get it down though and it was getting pretty fun at the end. It was definitely some great exercise and we were exhausted at the end of the day. I will admit it was a lot more fun than soccer by far.
Caden-I can't wait to go skating again to see how much better you are. I hope that school is going great for you and that you are really enjoying it and that you are learning a lot. I bet you are because you are a smart feller. I also hope that you are enjoying working at the farm and that you are working hard. I can just see you now chasing around all of the cows trying to get them in the holding pen. Hahaha.
Chelsey- It sounds like you have had a great week and that you are getting super excited to get your braces off finally. I bet you are really not that excited and that you wish you could keep them on a little longer. Ha Ha I hope that school has been going good for you and that you are working hard and getting good grades. I am sure that you are because you are very smart. The weather here is really different then the weather back home. There is no fog or no snow at all. It has been raining pretty much all day ever day and it is getting kind of boring because all it does is rain. I have had pizza over here and it was pretty good. It is like the pizza that we have back home. There is a domino's pizza and a pizza hut so it's pretty much like the pizza back home. I ate it at the Stilgers house when I was in Sheldon. That was the first time that I had pizza on the mission and I quite liked it. I have been playing a little football with my new cleats and it has been kind of fun. It has been really wet so we have been playing in a lot of rain lately so we get pretty wet and dirty. It's pretty fun playing in the mud though. You should try it sometime if mom lets you. My new flat is pretty nice but it is pretty old. A lot of flats here are old so I think that the rest of my mission I will be in older flats. They are still pretty nice though. I really like it.
Lyndsey- Lyndsee ( I think that is right)
It sounds like you are seeing that my work is a great use to you even though you are cheating. I hope that you are really enjoying that class and that you are getting good grades. I am interested to know who you husband is for the project reality. Is it your boyfriend?
Padre- I can't believe that the Colts have defeated the Broncos. That is some really exciting news. I hope that they can keep up the hard work and make it to the super bowl. If the Patriots are as good as they usually are then that could be a pretty big challenge for the Colts, but I believe they can do it. It sounds like there are going to be some interesting games going on. It should be interesting to see who makes it. I am still enjoying the area except for the fact that it rains a lot here. It is really weird to be in the middle of January and to have no snow and lots of rain. To make things worse it is super cold which makes it that much better. I really do like the area though and I have met a lot of amazing people. The ward is amazing and they are so involved in missionary work. When we bring investigators to church we don't even see them which is great. The members just take them right where they need to be and they help them and answer all the questions for us. That is the way it is supposed to be because then they meet and make friends so when we leave the area they have people that they know and trust. What an amazing ward! I hope that you have a great week this next week and that you enjoy watching the college football championship.
I was thinking of some goals that I wanted for this next year and now that I think about them more I don't really like them so I will do some thinking and I will come up with some for you next week. Sorry that it is taking so long but I want some good goals for this next year because it will be my black year which means it will be the only time of my mission that I am serving from January to December so I want to make them good.
I don't have my notebook with me today so I am not going to be able to share a quote with you guys this week. I want to share something that I hope will be useful to you guys though. It is on light and the light of Christ. I don't know a lot about flowers and why they do something’s but if you watch flowers closely they turn towards the light. For example if there was a flower in a box and the top of it was closed and three of the sides were closed. The flower could only get its light from one side of the box and it would turn to the side so that it could capture that light so that it could grow. If you turned the flower so that it wasn't facing the light it would eventually turn back in due time. We as children of our Father in Heaven need to do the same thing. We need to be turned to the light of Christ and not towards the dark temptations of the adversary. And when we go through hard times and we are turned to the darkness we need to be just like that flower and turn back to the Light. I know that it is very important that we are turned towards Christ because then like that flower we can grow and become more like Christ. I am so grateful for this Gospel and I know it is very important that we turn to the light of Christ and if we do we will be blessed.
I hope that you have a great week and thanks for the great letters that you sent. I really enjoyed them all. If there is anything that I can do for you guys I would be happy to help the best that I can. Just remember we can always pray too for help.
Love,
Elder Peterson
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| Elder Shaw and Elder Peterson with their Christmas Stockings |
Monday, January 5, 2015
Letter # 25
Dear Mum and Family,
From reading all of your letters it sounds like you have all had a great New Years and that you stayed up late and had a lot of fun. We really didn't do a lot of partying because we had to be in at 6 for our safety. I am sure a lot of people wouldn't have wanted to talk to us anyway because they were all busy with their families partying. So I guess it was better for us to be in. We were super tired so after we cleaned the flat and worked on our Area book a little we went to bed and slept right through the New Year. It is kind of weird because it doesn't even feel like it is 2015 but I think that is because I am not home partying with you guys. It is a lot of fun being here in England though so don’t think that I don't like it.
We met with S**** this last week and the lesson went really great. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and she said that she understood it all. She is super excited to be baptized and she wants to be baptized on the date that we have set and that is the 24 January. In order to make this date we will have to teach her about 3 times a week and she has agreed with it so we will be seeing her quite often. I can really tell that she has been prepared by the Lord to hear the Gospel at this time and it is really cool to see her testimony grow.
We have not talked with the priest who we met that goes to the Pentecostal church. We have thought about it and really he doesn't want to learn at all. We invited him to our church and he said that he doesn't want to come and we think that he is trying to convert us which of course won't happen.
Now that it is the New Year and everyone has slowed down in a way we should be teaching more people now. We have talked to a few of our investigators and we have set up some appointments to meet with them soon. I can't wait to do more teaching now rather than so much finding. Finding is fun don't get me wrong but we have been doing so much of it that I think it is about time to do something different. I am sure we will still be doing a lot of finding though.
Today we will be playing rugby with A**** who is that 14 year old boy who really loves sports. I am excited to play because we will not be playing soccer which is a blessing. I really am getting sick of playing it and hearing about it all the time. We are going to be playing a little bit of rugby and maybe some American Football. He knows quite a lot about American Football because of the past missionaries that have been here. Every time we see him he is always telling me the latest news and asking lots of questions about it. It's about time I find someone here in the UK that likes American Football!
I don't understand the Welsh language but I have been able to get use to the people and how fast they talk. There are some people that still talk super-fast but I will have to agree with you Mom that Lyndsey has definitely prepared me. When I get back I bet I will be the only one who understands Lyndsey because I would have had more practice than you all. It is a different language though and I don't think that I will ever learn it. I am sure that I will have some words that I will know by the time I leave Wales. Everything is going great here in the good old country of Wales. I guess I could say that I have settled into the new area. I know my way around pretty well. There are something’s that I don't quite know where they are, but it's crazy how fast you adjust to a new area and you get to know your way around. It is a great area and I have really enjoyed meeting new people especially the ward members. This is a great ward in this area they really care for the missionaries and for missionary work. I can't believe how much food they give us and how much they feed us. We really don't buy a lot of food on P-day because the members feed us so well.
It sounds like there have been a few changes in the ward since I have left and I really haven't been gone that long. It sounds like they have been some great changes though and it sounds like there is such a great Bishopric still in the ward even though Dave has left. I am sure Brother Austin will do a great job in his calling because he is such a great guy. I can't wait to see how much it changes by the time I get back. Who knows maybe I will be speaking in a totally different ward. (Not because you have moved to St. George or anywhere else of course)
Caden: It sounds like the skating rink is up and running and that you are really enjoying it. I bet you go up there every day that mom lets you. I bet you are getting really good and I hope that you are enjoying it. It sounds like it is really cold too over there. I hope that you have a great week. You will have to tell mom to let you go skating every day for me.
Chelsey: It sounds like you really enjoyed your New Year Celebration. I can't believe that you stayed up until 3. That is too late. You should have gone to bed earlier because you are too young to be staying up that late. It sounds like you had a fun time though. I hope that you have caught up on your sleep so that you can go back to school and learn a lot of new things. I hope that you have fun at school because I don't get to have fun at school anymore.
Lindsee: It sounds like you had a great New Year’s party and that you stayed up super late. I think that you sleep so much because you don't go to bed early. Maybe if you went to bed when you were supposed to you wouldn't be sleeping all of the time. That is just a little word of advice from me. I bet you are super excited to graduate from High School and to turn 18, but guess what I am 19!!! Hahaha
Because we are so close to the sea we don't have any snow right now. We do get quite a bit of rain and it rains almost every day. Most of the people we talk to say that when it does snow it snows about the end of January or the beginning of February. But who knows apparently they didn't get any snow last year so I could go without it this year. And when it does snow it doesn't last very long at all and the whole town shuts down so I kind of want to see that.
I have not seen anyone here with gardens yet. They usually call their front and back yards gardens so that is kind of different, but they don't have any gardens where they are growing vegetables or anything like that.
Their couches and their bed are like the ones back home. I don't know why you ask all of these weird questions, because the things here in England are pretty much the same as in the states. But then again you are pretty weird so it doesn't surprise me that you are asking such weird questions.
I hope that you have a great week and that you enjoy going back to school!!! Hahaha
Dad: Caden told me that he has really enjoyed spending some time up at the ice rink this year. You will have to go and play against him so that he can have a challenge when he plays. I am sure he is really enjoying it and that he is getting good at it. Hopefully it doesn't warm up, so that it doesn't melt it because that is the worst.
Thank you for the great thoughts that you shared with me I really enjoyed it. The thought that I wanted to share with you guys I actually found this morning in my studies. I was reading from one of the Ensigns and it was a General Conference talks.
I read one of the messages from Russell M Nielson about faith. I think it was titled "Show your faith." Don't quote me on that though.
In part of his talk he talks about how we need to have faith in the right things. He says: "We might ask ourselves, where is our faith? Is it in a team? Is it in a brand? Is it in a celebrity? Even the best teams fail. Celebrities can fade. There is only one in whom faith is always safe, and that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And you need to let your faith show."
So we need to have that faith in Jesus Christ. I have done a lot of studying on Faith this past week and I have learned a lot of great things. I have learned that faith centered on Jesus Christ equals salvation. Faith is the first principle of the Gospel and it is one of the most important principles. We need to have faith in Christ and we need to not be shy when people ask us about our faith or when our faith is tested. President Monson Says: “Of course we will face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings smile of God's approval....
Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with faith have courage as well."
I hope that you all find the importance of faith and that when your faith is tested that you have courage to stand up for your beliefs. I don't know about you but I would rather stand with God in the dark and hard times than to stand alone in the light at easy times.
I hope that you all have a great week and that you all enjoy going back to school. I will admit that I do miss going to school, but at the same time it is kind of nice to have a 2 year break. I hope that you have all enjoyed your break.
Love,
Elder Peterson
P. S. Mom I do think that you are a Posh Mom. Also I don't know how I am going to send some pictures to you, but I will try and find out a way.
From reading all of your letters it sounds like you have all had a great New Years and that you stayed up late and had a lot of fun. We really didn't do a lot of partying because we had to be in at 6 for our safety. I am sure a lot of people wouldn't have wanted to talk to us anyway because they were all busy with their families partying. So I guess it was better for us to be in. We were super tired so after we cleaned the flat and worked on our Area book a little we went to bed and slept right through the New Year. It is kind of weird because it doesn't even feel like it is 2015 but I think that is because I am not home partying with you guys. It is a lot of fun being here in England though so don’t think that I don't like it.
We met with S**** this last week and the lesson went really great. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and she said that she understood it all. She is super excited to be baptized and she wants to be baptized on the date that we have set and that is the 24 January. In order to make this date we will have to teach her about 3 times a week and she has agreed with it so we will be seeing her quite often. I can really tell that she has been prepared by the Lord to hear the Gospel at this time and it is really cool to see her testimony grow.
We have not talked with the priest who we met that goes to the Pentecostal church. We have thought about it and really he doesn't want to learn at all. We invited him to our church and he said that he doesn't want to come and we think that he is trying to convert us which of course won't happen.
Now that it is the New Year and everyone has slowed down in a way we should be teaching more people now. We have talked to a few of our investigators and we have set up some appointments to meet with them soon. I can't wait to do more teaching now rather than so much finding. Finding is fun don't get me wrong but we have been doing so much of it that I think it is about time to do something different. I am sure we will still be doing a lot of finding though.
Today we will be playing rugby with A**** who is that 14 year old boy who really loves sports. I am excited to play because we will not be playing soccer which is a blessing. I really am getting sick of playing it and hearing about it all the time. We are going to be playing a little bit of rugby and maybe some American Football. He knows quite a lot about American Football because of the past missionaries that have been here. Every time we see him he is always telling me the latest news and asking lots of questions about it. It's about time I find someone here in the UK that likes American Football!
I don't understand the Welsh language but I have been able to get use to the people and how fast they talk. There are some people that still talk super-fast but I will have to agree with you Mom that Lyndsey has definitely prepared me. When I get back I bet I will be the only one who understands Lyndsey because I would have had more practice than you all. It is a different language though and I don't think that I will ever learn it. I am sure that I will have some words that I will know by the time I leave Wales. Everything is going great here in the good old country of Wales. I guess I could say that I have settled into the new area. I know my way around pretty well. There are something’s that I don't quite know where they are, but it's crazy how fast you adjust to a new area and you get to know your way around. It is a great area and I have really enjoyed meeting new people especially the ward members. This is a great ward in this area they really care for the missionaries and for missionary work. I can't believe how much food they give us and how much they feed us. We really don't buy a lot of food on P-day because the members feed us so well.
It sounds like there have been a few changes in the ward since I have left and I really haven't been gone that long. It sounds like they have been some great changes though and it sounds like there is such a great Bishopric still in the ward even though Dave has left. I am sure Brother Austin will do a great job in his calling because he is such a great guy. I can't wait to see how much it changes by the time I get back. Who knows maybe I will be speaking in a totally different ward. (Not because you have moved to St. George or anywhere else of course)
Caden: It sounds like the skating rink is up and running and that you are really enjoying it. I bet you go up there every day that mom lets you. I bet you are getting really good and I hope that you are enjoying it. It sounds like it is really cold too over there. I hope that you have a great week. You will have to tell mom to let you go skating every day for me.
Chelsey: It sounds like you really enjoyed your New Year Celebration. I can't believe that you stayed up until 3. That is too late. You should have gone to bed earlier because you are too young to be staying up that late. It sounds like you had a fun time though. I hope that you have caught up on your sleep so that you can go back to school and learn a lot of new things. I hope that you have fun at school because I don't get to have fun at school anymore.
Lindsee: It sounds like you had a great New Year’s party and that you stayed up super late. I think that you sleep so much because you don't go to bed early. Maybe if you went to bed when you were supposed to you wouldn't be sleeping all of the time. That is just a little word of advice from me. I bet you are super excited to graduate from High School and to turn 18, but guess what I am 19!!! Hahaha
Because we are so close to the sea we don't have any snow right now. We do get quite a bit of rain and it rains almost every day. Most of the people we talk to say that when it does snow it snows about the end of January or the beginning of February. But who knows apparently they didn't get any snow last year so I could go without it this year. And when it does snow it doesn't last very long at all and the whole town shuts down so I kind of want to see that.
I have not seen anyone here with gardens yet. They usually call their front and back yards gardens so that is kind of different, but they don't have any gardens where they are growing vegetables or anything like that.
Their couches and their bed are like the ones back home. I don't know why you ask all of these weird questions, because the things here in England are pretty much the same as in the states. But then again you are pretty weird so it doesn't surprise me that you are asking such weird questions.
I hope that you have a great week and that you enjoy going back to school!!! Hahaha
Dad: Caden told me that he has really enjoyed spending some time up at the ice rink this year. You will have to go and play against him so that he can have a challenge when he plays. I am sure he is really enjoying it and that he is getting good at it. Hopefully it doesn't warm up, so that it doesn't melt it because that is the worst.
Thank you for the great thoughts that you shared with me I really enjoyed it. The thought that I wanted to share with you guys I actually found this morning in my studies. I was reading from one of the Ensigns and it was a General Conference talks.
I read one of the messages from Russell M Nielson about faith. I think it was titled "Show your faith." Don't quote me on that though.
In part of his talk he talks about how we need to have faith in the right things. He says: "We might ask ourselves, where is our faith? Is it in a team? Is it in a brand? Is it in a celebrity? Even the best teams fail. Celebrities can fade. There is only one in whom faith is always safe, and that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. And you need to let your faith show."
So we need to have that faith in Jesus Christ. I have done a lot of studying on Faith this past week and I have learned a lot of great things. I have learned that faith centered on Jesus Christ equals salvation. Faith is the first principle of the Gospel and it is one of the most important principles. We need to have faith in Christ and we need to not be shy when people ask us about our faith or when our faith is tested. President Monson Says: “Of course we will face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings smile of God's approval....
Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with faith have courage as well."
I hope that you all find the importance of faith and that when your faith is tested that you have courage to stand up for your beliefs. I don't know about you but I would rather stand with God in the dark and hard times than to stand alone in the light at easy times.
I hope that you all have a great week and that you all enjoy going back to school. I will admit that I do miss going to school, but at the same time it is kind of nice to have a 2 year break. I hope that you have all enjoyed your break.
Love,
Elder Peterson
P. S. Mom I do think that you are a Posh Mom. Also I don't know how I am going to send some pictures to you, but I will try and find out a way.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Letter #24
Dear Mum and Family,
From all of the emails that you guys sent it sounds like you have all had a great Christmas holiday and that you are going to have a fun New Years. I too had a pretty great Christmas thousands of miles away. As a missionary it didn't really feel like Christmas. I have decided it is because of a few things. I think the number one reason is because I am not home doing all of the things that we would be doing as a family. The second reason would be because there is no snow here. It did snow on Saturday a little but it is so wet that nothing stuck. It was still a great Christmas and I really enjoyed going over to the members house and also skyping you guys. It was a lot of fun talking with you and hear all of you great voices. It was also pretty funny to see Lyndsey in a sling. Hahaha
You asked what church we went to on Christmas. Well when we were tracting this last week we knocked on this guy’s door and invited him to look at the He is the Gift video. He then invited us to come to his Christmas service at his church house. So we went to a Pentecostal church. It was kind of cool seeing what other people do at their churches and at the same time it was also kind of different. They did a lot of singing and praying during it. When they sing they use a lot of instruments like the guitars, piano, drums and a few other things which was really interesting.
It was a good experience because it really strengthened my testimony about our church being the only true church on the earth today. I don't think that the guy was interested at all, but we are going to stop by some other time and see if we could start teaching him.
On a great note we had an awesome miracle yesterday. After church we went to a member’s house and had a great meal. You all know how much I like food so you all know how much I enjoyed that meal. Anyways after the meal as we were walking to the car we received a text from one of our investigators named S****. We haven't taught her since I have been here because she has been really busy with the holiday season. We have been inviting here to church and she has come the past two weeks. The text that she sent said that she felt really peaceful at church the past two Sundays and her faith in Christ has really been strengthened. She then said that she really wants to get baptized. That just made me and my companion super excited. I wish you guys could have seen the excitement that we had when we read her text. It was such a miracle and we have really been blessed to find her and to be able to teach her. She has only been taught the restoration so we still have quite a lot to teach. We will probably be seeing her tomorrow which I am super excited for. We have received such a great blessing.
Last Friday was pretty fun. We played soccer for a little while in the rain which made it more fun. It was super wet and muddy so we definitely did not come home nice and clean. It was still pretty fun though. Like I told Dad and Caden I will not be coming home liking soccer any more than when I left so tell Lyndsey not to get her hopes up.
You asked about the 101 ways to help missionaries and where I found it. Well I was looking at the pictures on drop box and there is was. I thought that you put it on, but apparently you didn't so you will have to look at it. It was a long list of ways to help missionaries and to do missionary work as members. You will have to look at it because it was really cool.
Caden I hope that you are really enjoying working and making some money for me because you owe me when I get back because I am the oldest and you are supposed to pay the oldest siblings in the family. hahaha
Chelsey to answer the last question that you asked about what is the latest I have stayed up. We have to go to bed at 10:30 so that is the latest I have stayed up. We are usually really tired at the end of our day so we usually go to be between 9:30 and 10:00 sometimes. It is a really good time to go to bed so that we can get a lot of sleep so that we can work hard the next day.
Lindsee the coolest thing about my area is that it is mostly country. It makes it feel a lot more like home because of all of the open area and also because of all of the hills. There are hills everywhere and when you drive past them and look there are always lots of sheep which also makes it feel more like home.
I really don't know what the coolest thing about my new companion is. We just get along really well and we have a lot of fun times together. It was like we were best friends before we ever became companions. He is really cool and a great missionary.
Thank you all for all of your great quotes and letters. I really enjoyed reading them all. I really don't have much to say because I emailed you on Friday and we haven't done a whole lot since. I just want to end by sharing a thought with you guys. It is kind of long but I hope that you enjoy it. It comes from Neal A. Maxwell. He says:
"It is extremely important for you to believe in yourselves not only for what you are now, but for what you have the power to become. Trust in the Lord as He leads you along. He has things for you to do that you won't know about now, but will be revealed later. If you stay close to Him, you will have some great adventures. You will live in a time when instead of just talking about prophesies that will sometime be fulfilled, many of them will actually be fulfilled. The Lord will unfold your future bit by bit. All the easy things that the church has had to do have been done, so you're going to live in a time of high adventure. You were brought to earth because you can handle that time of adventure. And you will do well."
Even though this was given some time ago I think that it is still true today. We all will have some great adventures while we are here on this earth today. There are many things that are going to happen in this church because the second coming of the Savior is close and there are many things that need to be done before he comes. I hope that we can stay close to the Lord and trust him so that we can help him in bringing those to the gospel that need to learn and by doing things that he wants us to do.
I hope that you all have a great week and that you enjoy your New Year celebration. Make sure you all eat a lot of food for me because you know how much I love food.
Love,
Elder Peterson
From all of the emails that you guys sent it sounds like you have all had a great Christmas holiday and that you are going to have a fun New Years. I too had a pretty great Christmas thousands of miles away. As a missionary it didn't really feel like Christmas. I have decided it is because of a few things. I think the number one reason is because I am not home doing all of the things that we would be doing as a family. The second reason would be because there is no snow here. It did snow on Saturday a little but it is so wet that nothing stuck. It was still a great Christmas and I really enjoyed going over to the members house and also skyping you guys. It was a lot of fun talking with you and hear all of you great voices. It was also pretty funny to see Lyndsey in a sling. Hahaha
You asked what church we went to on Christmas. Well when we were tracting this last week we knocked on this guy’s door and invited him to look at the He is the Gift video. He then invited us to come to his Christmas service at his church house. So we went to a Pentecostal church. It was kind of cool seeing what other people do at their churches and at the same time it was also kind of different. They did a lot of singing and praying during it. When they sing they use a lot of instruments like the guitars, piano, drums and a few other things which was really interesting.
It was a good experience because it really strengthened my testimony about our church being the only true church on the earth today. I don't think that the guy was interested at all, but we are going to stop by some other time and see if we could start teaching him.
On a great note we had an awesome miracle yesterday. After church we went to a member’s house and had a great meal. You all know how much I like food so you all know how much I enjoyed that meal. Anyways after the meal as we were walking to the car we received a text from one of our investigators named S****. We haven't taught her since I have been here because she has been really busy with the holiday season. We have been inviting here to church and she has come the past two weeks. The text that she sent said that she felt really peaceful at church the past two Sundays and her faith in Christ has really been strengthened. She then said that she really wants to get baptized. That just made me and my companion super excited. I wish you guys could have seen the excitement that we had when we read her text. It was such a miracle and we have really been blessed to find her and to be able to teach her. She has only been taught the restoration so we still have quite a lot to teach. We will probably be seeing her tomorrow which I am super excited for. We have received such a great blessing.
Last Friday was pretty fun. We played soccer for a little while in the rain which made it more fun. It was super wet and muddy so we definitely did not come home nice and clean. It was still pretty fun though. Like I told Dad and Caden I will not be coming home liking soccer any more than when I left so tell Lyndsey not to get her hopes up.
You asked about the 101 ways to help missionaries and where I found it. Well I was looking at the pictures on drop box and there is was. I thought that you put it on, but apparently you didn't so you will have to look at it. It was a long list of ways to help missionaries and to do missionary work as members. You will have to look at it because it was really cool.
Caden I hope that you are really enjoying working and making some money for me because you owe me when I get back because I am the oldest and you are supposed to pay the oldest siblings in the family. hahaha
Chelsey to answer the last question that you asked about what is the latest I have stayed up. We have to go to bed at 10:30 so that is the latest I have stayed up. We are usually really tired at the end of our day so we usually go to be between 9:30 and 10:00 sometimes. It is a really good time to go to bed so that we can get a lot of sleep so that we can work hard the next day.
Lindsee the coolest thing about my area is that it is mostly country. It makes it feel a lot more like home because of all of the open area and also because of all of the hills. There are hills everywhere and when you drive past them and look there are always lots of sheep which also makes it feel more like home.
I really don't know what the coolest thing about my new companion is. We just get along really well and we have a lot of fun times together. It was like we were best friends before we ever became companions. He is really cool and a great missionary.
Thank you all for all of your great quotes and letters. I really enjoyed reading them all. I really don't have much to say because I emailed you on Friday and we haven't done a whole lot since. I just want to end by sharing a thought with you guys. It is kind of long but I hope that you enjoy it. It comes from Neal A. Maxwell. He says:
"It is extremely important for you to believe in yourselves not only for what you are now, but for what you have the power to become. Trust in the Lord as He leads you along. He has things for you to do that you won't know about now, but will be revealed later. If you stay close to Him, you will have some great adventures. You will live in a time when instead of just talking about prophesies that will sometime be fulfilled, many of them will actually be fulfilled. The Lord will unfold your future bit by bit. All the easy things that the church has had to do have been done, so you're going to live in a time of high adventure. You were brought to earth because you can handle that time of adventure. And you will do well."
Even though this was given some time ago I think that it is still true today. We all will have some great adventures while we are here on this earth today. There are many things that are going to happen in this church because the second coming of the Savior is close and there are many things that need to be done before he comes. I hope that we can stay close to the Lord and trust him so that we can help him in bringing those to the gospel that need to learn and by doing things that he wants us to do.
I hope that you all have a great week and that you enjoy your New Year celebration. Make sure you all eat a lot of food for me because you know how much I love food.
Love,
Elder Peterson
Friday, December 26, 2014
Letter # 23
Dear Mum and family,
Well since I talked with you guys not too long ago I really don't have much to say so I guess I will just answer your questions and let you guys have a great break.
My retainers are doing really well. They are not broken and I have been wearing them every night so you don't need to worry. When I get home I will still have nice straight posh teeth.
I am not quite sure exactly what I want to put for my goals this next year. I will think about it and I will let you know on Monday when I email you then.
It was a lot of fun talking with you guys yesterday and I hope that you enjoyed your Christmas in Newton. I really enjoyed it here even though there is no snow. It was weird not having snow for Christmas, but at the same time it is a great experience. I don't have my camera with me because we just got done playing football with some investigators. It was pouring while we were playing so I left it at the flat so it wouldn't get wet. I guess you will have to wait until Monday to see all of the photos I have taken.
I went and bought some football cleats today and they are actually pretty nice. They were 90% off which was a great deal. I only spent 5 pounds on them which is about $10. I think they are normally about $80 so I got a great deal. I also bought me a really nice rugby ball that was only 10 pounds and it was normally 50 pounds so I got two really great deals.
I hope that you have a great week and that you enjoy the rest of you break from school and work.
Love,
Elder Peterson
Just so you know I read the 101 ways to help missionaries and they are all true. I hope that you guys are finding ways to help missionaries because it really helps when the members are involved.
Well since I talked with you guys not too long ago I really don't have much to say so I guess I will just answer your questions and let you guys have a great break.
My retainers are doing really well. They are not broken and I have been wearing them every night so you don't need to worry. When I get home I will still have nice straight posh teeth.
I am not quite sure exactly what I want to put for my goals this next year. I will think about it and I will let you know on Monday when I email you then.
It was a lot of fun talking with you guys yesterday and I hope that you enjoyed your Christmas in Newton. I really enjoyed it here even though there is no snow. It was weird not having snow for Christmas, but at the same time it is a great experience. I don't have my camera with me because we just got done playing football with some investigators. It was pouring while we were playing so I left it at the flat so it wouldn't get wet. I guess you will have to wait until Monday to see all of the photos I have taken.
I went and bought some football cleats today and they are actually pretty nice. They were 90% off which was a great deal. I only spent 5 pounds on them which is about $10. I think they are normally about $80 so I got a great deal. I also bought me a really nice rugby ball that was only 10 pounds and it was normally 50 pounds so I got two really great deals.
I hope that you have a great week and that you enjoy the rest of you break from school and work.
Love,
Elder Peterson
Just so you know I read the 101 ways to help missionaries and they are all true. I hope that you guys are finding ways to help missionaries because it really helps when the members are involved.
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| Elder Peterson Christmas Day Called home 12/25/2014 |
Monday, December 22, 2014
Letter #22
Dear Mum and Family,
Thank you all for all of the wonderful letters that you sent. I really enjoyed reading them all. Unfortunately I don't have enough time to reply to them all because I don't have much time here at the library. But that is okay because I will be skyping on Christmas so make sure you remember all of the questions that you asked so that I can answer them for you all on Christmas. I am way excited and I can't wait to talk with you guys.
Well just so you guys know I got transferred this last week and you will not believe where I have moved to. So you know that joke that I played on you guys well that is actually where I got moved to. I am now in Llanelli Wales right on the coast. I know you won't believe me, but I am not lying this time. (2 Nephi 9:34) The ward is really amazing here. I don't know them all personally yet, but then again I have only been here for a couple of days. My companion is Elder Shaw from South Africa. He has been out for about 9 months now and he is really cool. We get along quite well and we have lots of fun doing missionary work together.
Well we have set up the time when we will be able to Skype on Christmas with a member. I am way excited to talk with you guys.
Have a great week and I can't wait to talk to you soon.
Love,
Elder Peterson
Thank you all for all of the wonderful letters that you sent. I really enjoyed reading them all. Unfortunately I don't have enough time to reply to them all because I don't have much time here at the library. But that is okay because I will be skyping on Christmas so make sure you remember all of the questions that you asked so that I can answer them for you all on Christmas. I am way excited and I can't wait to talk with you guys.
Well just so you guys know I got transferred this last week and you will not believe where I have moved to. So you know that joke that I played on you guys well that is actually where I got moved to. I am now in Llanelli Wales right on the coast. I know you won't believe me, but I am not lying this time. (2 Nephi 9:34) The ward is really amazing here. I don't know them all personally yet, but then again I have only been here for a couple of days. My companion is Elder Shaw from South Africa. He has been out for about 9 months now and he is really cool. We get along quite well and we have lots of fun doing missionary work together.
Well we have set up the time when we will be able to Skype on Christmas with a member. I am way excited to talk with you guys.
Have a great week and I can't wait to talk to you soon.
Love,
Elder Peterson
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| Elder Peterson's 2nd area Llanelli Wales December 16, 2014 |
Monday, December 15, 2014
Letter # 21
Dear Mum and Family,
It has been another great week and you can definitely feel the Christmas season in the air. It is definitely really cold but unfortunately we haven't gotten any snow. There is lots of talking going on about the winter this year being like the winter last year which was really cold and no snow at all. I think it would be really cool to see what it is like to have no snow for Christmas, but at the same time I think it would be really weird. Who knows maybe we will just get snow for Christmas day and then it will all go away. That would be kind of nice.
I think that the service project that you all had this last week was amazing. It sounds like you all had a great time serving others and that you had a great time talking with everyone. I wish that I was able to be there and enjoy it with you all but it sounds like it has turned into something that is going to be done every year. So I guess I have a new tradition to look forward to when I get home. I hope that you all remember the feeling that you had while you did that great service and that you always look for opportunities to serve.
It sounds like it was pretty fun dipping chocolates with the missionaries. You said that you saw something different from the Elders. I think that you just saw that the Elders are just so much better because that is definitely the truth. It’s okay you don't have to admit it though.
This last week for us has been a lot of tracting and talking to people on the streets. I think one of the tender mercies that we had this week was a couple of days ago when we were tracting. For the first hour or so we were having no success at all. We had talked to a lot of people and they were not interested at all. Most of them just ignored us and they didn't want anything to do with us. It was kind of annoying but at the same time I kind of liked it because it was hard. I have come to really enjoy the hard times that I have had on the mission because they really help me grow and learn. Well to continue on with my tender mercy. We went down to almost the end of the street and something really cool happened. The next four doors that we knocked on were some really nice people. They were kind of busy at the moment but they invited us back next week to talk with them some more. We were both really excited and so grateful for that great tender mercy that we had. I learned from that experience and how enduring to the end is really important. If we would have just quit and done something else we wouldn't have found those people who are prepared by God.
Caden…..I have not seen the movie ‘When the game stands tall’. I am sure it is a really great movie because it is a football movie and those are definitely the best movies ever. I will have to put that on a paper to remember it so when I get home we can watch it.
Chelsey….It sounds like you are reading a really cool book right now. I really like how it talks about a boy going on a mission and also a little bit about sports. Maybe when I get home you will have to remind me about that book so that I can read it because it sounds really good. Thanks for sharing it with me and I hope that you really enjoy it.
Lyndsey…..When it rains here it is sometimes cold. Right now because it is winter time it does get really cold when it rains, but during the summer it was actually pretty warm. The sun does look the same here. The only difference is it doesn't stay out very long. It's pretty much totally dark at about 4 in the afternoon which is really weird. I have started to get used to it though. I can't believe that you actually believed me when I said that the washing machine in the kitchen was a dish washer. Everyone here has there washing machine in the kitchen usually so it is quite normal and it is for clothes not dishes. You are such a blonde.
Dad…..I also can't believe how fast this month has flown by. I remember like it was yesterday it was the first of December. In fact I remember when I hopped on the plane and was heading to the MTC. Man it has really flown by super-fast.
I can't believe all of the wonderful weather that you guys are having there. It has been pretty cold here which I think is horrible because if it is going to be cold there at least needs to be some snow on the ground. The warmest it gets here during the day is about 8 degrees Celsius. And if there is a wind, which there normally is, it gets super cold. It hasn't really rained a whole lot lately but the cold weather is definitely making up for all of it. Lots of people are hoping that it doesn't snow because apparently the whole place just shuts down when it snows. I think it is kind of funny because when it does snow they really don't get very much. Maybe we can swap weather with each other. I am sure mom would love that.
Well transfers are here! There is some much excitement that goes around during this time of the mission. Some missionaries are going home which brings excitement, some missionaries are coming in, and some missionaries are moving to new areas or getting new companions. I know that I am really excited to find out tonight what happens to me and my companion. I have a feeling that this will be the last time I will be emailing you guys from the Sheldon ward, but I guess you will find out next week. I know that whatever happens I will be at a place that God wants me to be. I know that he knows me and knows what I need to learn at this time or who I need to help. So wherever he sends me I am excited to learn and help others who he wants me to help.
Well I am excited for this Christmas coming up. I know that I will really enjoy being in England this Christmas. I know that this is where I am supposed to be at this time and that there is no other place I would rather be. I have grown a lot and learned a lot on my mission and it has only been 4 months. I am really enjoying it. I hope that this Christmas is as special for you guys as it is going to be for me.
During this Christmas season and also for the time I have been out here serving I have learned a lot more on gratitude. I have seen all of the great blessing that I have received and for all of the many things you guys are blessed with while I have been serving. I am so thankful for all of the great thinks that the Lord blesses me with. I know that you all know about the ten lepers and how they were healed, but only one of them was grateful and he thanked the Christ. Well I found a poem and I would like to share it with you all.
Gratitude
In a certain village, on a certain day,
ten lepers stood far off
and lifted up their voices unto Christ:
" Have mercy on us, Master, please,
take our infirmities away."
And it was done, according to the grace
of the Savior, Father's son.
They showed themselves unto the priest
and were cleansed.
And one of them, on finding he was whole,
paused moments on a grassy knoll,
turned his back
upon the path he would trod,
and fell upon his face in praise of God.
But of the other nine, no word of thanks
escaped their tongues,
no hymns of praise were sung.
Too busy in their haste
to get on with their lives-
to publish joyous tidings
to their children and their wives-
perhaps without intending to be rude,
they overlooked the sacrament of thanks
and lost the sacred blessings bought
by showing gratitude.
Oh, that I might
from this parable be taught
and practice well the part
of the living with and ever- grateful hear.
- Sharon Nauta Steele
I hope that this Christmas season we can show our gratitude towards God and toward Christ for all that we have been blessed with. I hope you all have a great week and who knows maybe I will be emailing from different computer next week.
Love,
Elder Peterson
PS You don't have to send me any chocolate I think I can go without. I have received all of my packages and letters that you all sent and I can't wait to open them all.
It has been another great week and you can definitely feel the Christmas season in the air. It is definitely really cold but unfortunately we haven't gotten any snow. There is lots of talking going on about the winter this year being like the winter last year which was really cold and no snow at all. I think it would be really cool to see what it is like to have no snow for Christmas, but at the same time I think it would be really weird. Who knows maybe we will just get snow for Christmas day and then it will all go away. That would be kind of nice.
I think that the service project that you all had this last week was amazing. It sounds like you all had a great time serving others and that you had a great time talking with everyone. I wish that I was able to be there and enjoy it with you all but it sounds like it has turned into something that is going to be done every year. So I guess I have a new tradition to look forward to when I get home. I hope that you all remember the feeling that you had while you did that great service and that you always look for opportunities to serve.
It sounds like it was pretty fun dipping chocolates with the missionaries. You said that you saw something different from the Elders. I think that you just saw that the Elders are just so much better because that is definitely the truth. It’s okay you don't have to admit it though.
This last week for us has been a lot of tracting and talking to people on the streets. I think one of the tender mercies that we had this week was a couple of days ago when we were tracting. For the first hour or so we were having no success at all. We had talked to a lot of people and they were not interested at all. Most of them just ignored us and they didn't want anything to do with us. It was kind of annoying but at the same time I kind of liked it because it was hard. I have come to really enjoy the hard times that I have had on the mission because they really help me grow and learn. Well to continue on with my tender mercy. We went down to almost the end of the street and something really cool happened. The next four doors that we knocked on were some really nice people. They were kind of busy at the moment but they invited us back next week to talk with them some more. We were both really excited and so grateful for that great tender mercy that we had. I learned from that experience and how enduring to the end is really important. If we would have just quit and done something else we wouldn't have found those people who are prepared by God.
Caden…..I have not seen the movie ‘When the game stands tall’. I am sure it is a really great movie because it is a football movie and those are definitely the best movies ever. I will have to put that on a paper to remember it so when I get home we can watch it.
Chelsey….It sounds like you are reading a really cool book right now. I really like how it talks about a boy going on a mission and also a little bit about sports. Maybe when I get home you will have to remind me about that book so that I can read it because it sounds really good. Thanks for sharing it with me and I hope that you really enjoy it.
Lyndsey…..When it rains here it is sometimes cold. Right now because it is winter time it does get really cold when it rains, but during the summer it was actually pretty warm. The sun does look the same here. The only difference is it doesn't stay out very long. It's pretty much totally dark at about 4 in the afternoon which is really weird. I have started to get used to it though. I can't believe that you actually believed me when I said that the washing machine in the kitchen was a dish washer. Everyone here has there washing machine in the kitchen usually so it is quite normal and it is for clothes not dishes. You are such a blonde.
Dad…..I also can't believe how fast this month has flown by. I remember like it was yesterday it was the first of December. In fact I remember when I hopped on the plane and was heading to the MTC. Man it has really flown by super-fast.
I can't believe all of the wonderful weather that you guys are having there. It has been pretty cold here which I think is horrible because if it is going to be cold there at least needs to be some snow on the ground. The warmest it gets here during the day is about 8 degrees Celsius. And if there is a wind, which there normally is, it gets super cold. It hasn't really rained a whole lot lately but the cold weather is definitely making up for all of it. Lots of people are hoping that it doesn't snow because apparently the whole place just shuts down when it snows. I think it is kind of funny because when it does snow they really don't get very much. Maybe we can swap weather with each other. I am sure mom would love that.
Well transfers are here! There is some much excitement that goes around during this time of the mission. Some missionaries are going home which brings excitement, some missionaries are coming in, and some missionaries are moving to new areas or getting new companions. I know that I am really excited to find out tonight what happens to me and my companion. I have a feeling that this will be the last time I will be emailing you guys from the Sheldon ward, but I guess you will find out next week. I know that whatever happens I will be at a place that God wants me to be. I know that he knows me and knows what I need to learn at this time or who I need to help. So wherever he sends me I am excited to learn and help others who he wants me to help.
Well I am excited for this Christmas coming up. I know that I will really enjoy being in England this Christmas. I know that this is where I am supposed to be at this time and that there is no other place I would rather be. I have grown a lot and learned a lot on my mission and it has only been 4 months. I am really enjoying it. I hope that this Christmas is as special for you guys as it is going to be for me.
During this Christmas season and also for the time I have been out here serving I have learned a lot more on gratitude. I have seen all of the great blessing that I have received and for all of the many things you guys are blessed with while I have been serving. I am so thankful for all of the great thinks that the Lord blesses me with. I know that you all know about the ten lepers and how they were healed, but only one of them was grateful and he thanked the Christ. Well I found a poem and I would like to share it with you all.
Gratitude
In a certain village, on a certain day,
ten lepers stood far off
and lifted up their voices unto Christ:
" Have mercy on us, Master, please,
take our infirmities away."
And it was done, according to the grace
of the Savior, Father's son.
They showed themselves unto the priest
and were cleansed.
And one of them, on finding he was whole,
paused moments on a grassy knoll,
turned his back
upon the path he would trod,
and fell upon his face in praise of God.
But of the other nine, no word of thanks
escaped their tongues,
no hymns of praise were sung.
Too busy in their haste
to get on with their lives-
to publish joyous tidings
to their children and their wives-
perhaps without intending to be rude,
they overlooked the sacrament of thanks
and lost the sacred blessings bought
by showing gratitude.
Oh, that I might
from this parable be taught
and practice well the part
of the living with and ever- grateful hear.
- Sharon Nauta Steele
I hope that this Christmas season we can show our gratitude towards God and toward Christ for all that we have been blessed with. I hope you all have a great week and who knows maybe I will be emailing from different computer next week.
Love,
Elder Peterson
PS You don't have to send me any chocolate I think I can go without. I have received all of my packages and letters that you all sent and I can't wait to open them all.
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