Letter #32

Dear Mum and Family,

It is that time of the week again that I get to write you all another letter about my week and that I get to enjoy reading about all of the interesting things that you have all done back home.  It sounds like you have all enjoyed yourselves this last week.  It sounds like you have had a great time with Anna Stilger this past week.  You will have to tell her that I do really and truly like hagas.  I know that it is hard to believe, but I really do.   It sounds like there are some great things happening with many different families back home that I wasn't aware of.  Thanks for letting me know how they are doing.

I can't believe that another month is almost past.  I will now have been out 7 months in a couple of days.  It is really crazy to think about.  Time is flying so fast I can't believe it.
You asked about some of the ways that people reject us that are kind of weird.  I have come to know that people really don't think we are as smart as we really are.  Most times they try giving us fake phone numbers, so I have become pretty good at knowing what is a fake phone number and what isn't.  We get a lot of people who are walking pretty slowly and when we try to stop them they always say that they are in a really big hurry and as we watch them leave we notice that they have all the time in the world.  I have had people who would say to me that they don't speak any English and to be fair there are some people who don't, but when they have an English accent it doesn't really fool me. I know there are some others but I can't think of them at the moment.  It's crazy what some people do so they don't have to stop and talk with you.

Every day is a fun day with Elder Shaw and I.  We haven't gone to the beach or the castle yet, but we are planning on going to the castle next week.  Other than that we just do a lot of fun things while we are doing missionary work.  Things like singing as we tracked, watching people do funny things, playing a few funny jokes on other missionaries.  Just normal missionary stuff I guess.  We have both come to know that you have to have fun while you are doing missionary work or you are going to go crazy.  So we are definitely having fun.

Yes Elder Shaw does cut my hair and it does look pretty nice.  It is definitely worth a free haircut. I don't really cut his hair much.  He usually does most of it himself and then I do the touching up at the end.  I would have to say that we are pretty good hair barbers.

I really enjoyed the package that you sent me.  I really liked all of the great quotes that you sent and I really like the variety.  I think that those will probably last me the rest of my mission so you don't need to worry about sending me anymore.  

Elder Shaw told me that his mom Facebooked you and you both were very worried about something.  I don't think that there was anything that you both needed to worry about.  Elder Shaw just got done talking about it and we both agreed that you and his mom get along really well because you are both worry warts and that you stress too much. We also both agreed that you both need to stop stressing so much because you are going to be getting wrinkles and gray hair faster than you need to.  I know that you already have a lot of gray hair, but if you keep up the stressing you will have a full head of gray hair by the time I get home.

Zone conference was really great.  I learned a lot of great things from President and Sister Rasmussen.  The topic was pretty much on how to use time wisely and how to be effective with your time.  I learned how important it is to do the small and simple things.  Just like the scriptures say by small and simple things great things are brought to pass. So I am really focusing on doing things that seem so small that actually make a big difference.  
I am also working on being more confident when I speak with people.  I went on exchange with one of the zone leaders this last week and he gave me a challenge to be more confident when I speak to people on the street or when we are teaching a lesson.  He said that I know a lot about the Gospel and that my knowledge of the Gospel can really bless other people’s lives.  I know that I have a greater knowledge of this Gospel because the Spirit really teaches me when I am doing my studies each morning.  I think that is why I have loved studying each day and I have really loved learning on how I can better help other people that I talk to.   Sometimes I just don't talk enough or share everything that I know. So I am going to be more bold and confident when I am speaking with people.  That is pretty much what I can remember of what I learned this last zone conference.  I took a lot of great notes so I can go back and study.  But I would have to say that it was a great zone conference. Probably one of my favorite’s

S**** is doing amazing and it is really cool to see that the ward members are also seeing how amazing she is.  The ward had a ward temple night this last Saturday and She was super excited to go.  I talked to her on Sunday and she said that she had the best time ever doing baptisms for the dead.  She said that the whole time she had a smile on her face because she was super happy to help those on the other side that have never been baptized.  She is the best. 
I was talking to a member yesterday and he was saying that She is amazing.  He said that she is learning so much and she is trying to learn as much as she can.  I have really noticed that she has grown so much in the Gospel.  We went to visit her one day and I asked her what she remembered from the Restoration when we taught her.  This wasn't too long after her baptism so I didn't expect her to know much more from what we taught her.  She started explaining to us the whole restoration and most of the things that she said to us we don't even teach in the Restoration lesson.  We try to keep it simple so they understand it all and she brought up things we don't teach because it makes it a little more complex.  It just shows that she soaks everything in and that she is still learning.  When she was done telling us we didn't have to clear anything up because she knew it all.  It is just amazing and it is such a testimony builder to me because it shows that people are really prepared to hear the gospel and we just need to find them and say the right things so that they know that they need it in their lives. 

I am really excited to share with you guys a spiritual thought this week.  I hope you guys are okay with all of the quotes that I send you guys because I have really grown to love quotes so much since I have been on my mission. I have enough quotes to last me the rest of my life.
The one that I wanted to share with you this week is from Henry B. Eyring.

 "Where ever you are on the path to inherit the gift of eternal life, you have the opportunity to show many people the way to greater happiness.  When you choose whether to make or keep a covenant with God, you choose whether you will leave an inheritance of hope to those who might follow your example."
I really like this quote because I have come to know that being an example to others is very important whether you know they are watching you or not.  I know that you are all a great example to me and there are also so many other great people that are examples to me.  I know that you and I probably wouldn't be a member of the church if our ancestors didn't keep the covenants that they have made and if people weren't an example to them.  It is very important to be that good example because you never know who you are going to touch or who you are going to help come closer to Christ.  There are so many people that we walk past each and every day that we don't even notice.  Just remember that because we don't notice them doesn't mean that they don't notice us. Thank you all for being that great example to me.

I hope that you all have a great week this week.  Thanks for all the great letters and the spiritual thoughts that you sent me.  Keep working hard and remember to always smile even when things aren't going the way that you want them to. Smiling helps make our trials a little easier.
Love,
Elder Peterson

Letter #31

Dear Mum and Family,

It sounds like it has been a pretty interesting week for you all and that some of you have had a great time seeing and listening to David Archuleta while others didn't care at all for it.  I would have to admit that I am going to have to be on the side that wouldn't have cared much for him.  I am glad that you all enjoyed it though and I hope that you guys were able to be uplifted from the spirit. I heard it was amazing there.  I have heard that there were some great talks given also and I wish I was able to listen to them and to learn more great things, but I hope that you all enjoyed them and that you learned something that you can all apply to your lives.  I can't even tell you how excited I am to come home and learn all about family history.  Whoopy!  I am jumping with joy right now which I am sure that you can imagine. 

Mum you mentioned something’s about food in your letter…Well speaking about cooking and food, which I love so very much if you didn't know that by the way, I had some amazing food the other day. We were at a member’s house doing a service project on Saturday and they asked if there was a certain food that we would like to have for lunch.  I asked her if we could have a food called Hagas.  I am pretty sure that you don't know what it is, but you should look it up to see what it is.  I will not type it up and tell you because I don't want to make anyone who reads this sick.  To be honest I thought that it was actually really good.  Elder Shaw didn't really care much for it, but I would have it again.  I am sure that you would all love to try it also.  But you should really look it up when you get time.  Maybe when I get home that is probably the only thing that I will make for you because I still am not very good at the cooking part.  I am good at  eating though. Haha

I hope that you will be able to get some moisture there sometime soon. I don't know what the summer is going to be like over there if you don't get any moisture. I am sure that it is going to be a mess and a very stressful summer for the farmers unless something happens. Who knows maybe you will get a ton of snow today.  I am sure mom would love to see that.  Haha
I am trying my hardest to stay in shape. We do a lot of biking and walking each day and I am still doing lots of pushups every day.  We have a few weights in our flat too so that is quite nice to have.  I hope that Caden is working out because I am and I will still be able to kick his butt when I get home I am sure of it. Haha (I make the Hulk look like weak sauce)

Lyndsey sometimes I think that you ask the weirdest questions ever though.  Yes they do have bananas here and they do eat them. My toothbrush is red and I buy them at a store called ASDA which is pretty much like a Walmart back home. My companion has cut my hair a couple of times and I usually get it cut every 6 weeks.  If my companion doesn't cut hair then I find a place to go and get my hair cut.  I do shave every single day mostly because I am a man and every morning that I wake up I have a full beard and you can't have beards as a missionary.  I can't say that I miss you that much really mostly because you are kind of weird especially since you think that Italians speak Spanish.

There is no double decker buses in the area that I am serving in now, but it is a bus that has an upstairs to it.  They are actually really cool and we would ride them all the time when I was in Sheldon.  It was weird at first getting on them, but I have gotten used to it and I actually quite enjoy it.  In this area we do a lot of training.  So when we have to go anywhere outside of Llanelli we train there and it usually is pretty far.  We are going to zone conference tomorrow and we will be on a train for a couple of hours.  Not only that we have to get up pretty early so that we can catch the train and make it on time.  It is going to be a lot of fun though and I am way excited to go and expand my knowledge and to learn how I can be a better missionary and a servant to the Lord.

This last week we have been still doing a lot of finding and we have had some pretty good experiences.  I have been focusing a lot on following the spirit to the right people to talk to when we are walking around the city center.  I have been guided by the spirit to a few people that really accepted the message that we have to share.  One of the ladies was really nice and we won't be able to teach here because she doesn't live in our area.  But I referred her to other missionaries and I am really excited to see how it goes.  It is really cool just to walk around and just follow the spirit and be guided by the spirit to stop random people that I have never seen before and just start talking to them like I have known them for a while.  Now of course there are some people who don't know how to show respect, but for every 100 rejections it is worth the one solid person who wants and needs the gospel at this time.  Hopefully we can continue to find those brothers and sisters that need the gospel at this time.

Thank you for the great thought that you have sent this week.  As much as I don't really care about doing family history work I know that it is really important to do.  There are many people in the Spirit world who are waiting for someone to do their temple work for them and I know that it is really important that we find them and do it for them.

Well I want to share a spiritual thought with you guys today and for this week on becoming better.  Carlos A. Godoy said: “The Lord has a plan for us in this life.  He knows us. He knows what is best for us.  Just because things are going well does not mean that we should not from time to time consider whether there might be something better.  If we continue to live as we are living, will the promised blessing be fulfilled?"  I really like the question that was asked in the quote.  We might be doing some good things, but we can always be doing a little better than we are.  Ford Lewis said “Life is not a rigid business of being, but a lively process of becoming."  We came on this earth to become more like our Heavenly Father.  So each day we need to do better than the day before or do better than we are doing at this moment so that we can become more like our Heavenly Father.  I know that as we do this we will be so much happier. 

I hope that you all have a great week this week and I hope that you get something from that thought.  I hope you all have a great week and enjoy cleaning the house today. 
Love,
Elder Peterson

Letter #30

Elder Peterson
2/6/2015

Dear Mum and Family,

It sounds like you have all had a great week and it also sounds like there are some mixed emotions about seeing David Archuleta this next week.  It sounds like all of the girls are excited for it and Dad and Caden are just excited for the food afterwards.  That is what I am getting from it and if I was there I would definitely only be going for the food afterwards, but that is just me and you probably don't care what I would do anyway. Ha-ha I hope that you all have a great time though.

We have been stopping by S**** every once in a while and she is still doing great.  We talked to her daughter the other day and she has definitely seen how her mum is a lot more happier now that she has the gospel in her life which is definitely true.  We have seen a pretty big change in her life since she has been baptized.  Her daughter isn't quite sure if she wants to learn more about the Gospel right now or not, but she does have a Book of Mormon and S****  is still trying to help her so I know eventually she will want to learn more.  It is so cool to see S**** be such a great example to everyone around her now that she has found the happiness of being a part of Christ's church.

Now to answer a few of your questions Mum.  Well not to be rude but you answered the first question from what you said in the second question that I am an adult.  So I think that I am fine without hand warmers and I only have to keep warm for a year and a half and I can be as warm as I want when I get home.
You asked if the car’s license plates are really that big and to answer that yes they are.  They probably look so much bigger because the cars are pretty small here too, but yes they are big at the same time.
The picture of the Hobbit sign was taken when I was in Sheldon riding the bus along with a few other pictures of just roads.  They were taken on top of a double decker bus and I thought you would like them.  
The castle is in a place called Kidwelly which is about a 10 minute train ride from us.  Apparently it is a pretty cool castle and it doesn't cost too much to go in so we are going to be going there sometime soon.
The aprons were given to Elder Shaw from his mum I believe.  We just wear them when we cook and we decided to take a picture with them on because we are always wearing them. I am glad that you think that I look good in an apron because I don't know if I will be wearing one that often when I get home because you will be making most of the food.

It sounds like you have all liked the picture that I have sent and yes that is all of them.  I hope that you also like the letter that I sent.  Chelsey was telling me that mum wasn't just crying a little she was actually crying a lot.  And she also told me that she was rubbing her face on the envelope because I had licked it.  Ha-ha The reason that I find that so funny is because I actually didn't lick it.  The letters that I bought you don't need to be licked you just pull a little tab off and they are sticky under it.  Ha-ha My day was made when Chelsey told me that.

Thank you for the great thought that you sent on the Atonement.  I really love studying the Atonement and I especially love studying about it deeply.  I have learned a lot of great things about it and I am still learning a lot of great things.  I told Lyndsey that I love studying a lot and if you guys have any question that you would like me to answer just ask and I would love to try and answer them.  By the way I like hard questions because then it gives me something to study.

I want to share a poem with you that I am sure that you have all heard of, but it is one of my favorites and I would like to share it with you.

 It is called "Footprints in the Sand"

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.  Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.  In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.  Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there were one set of footprints.  This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow, or defeat, I could only see one set of footprints. So I said to the Lord, “You promised me Lord that if I followed you, you would walk with me always, but I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.  Why when I needed you most you have not been there for me?"  The Lord replied, "The times when you have seen only one set of footprints, is when I carried you."

I really love this because it shows how much Christ actually cares for us and that he is there for us to help us.  I think a big part of that is because of the atonement and the price that he paid.  He knows what we are going through when we have hard times.  And when we have those hard times he is sometimes carrying us through those hard times.  I once read somewhere about the Atonement and how we can look at it.  It said: "While many Christians view Christ's suffering as a huge favor He did for us, Latter-day Saints also recognize it as a huge investment He made in us."  Christ paid that price for us so that we can return to him and He paid that price because He trusts that we will use it so that we can return to Him.  We need to use that Atonement as often as we can so that we can live with our Father in Heaven and our families again someday.  This life is too short to procrastinate our repentance. I know that by using the Atonement 24/7 we can become closer to Christ and we can become more like him. 

Thanks again for all that you do, you are such a great family. I really look forward to P-days so that I can read what you guys have been up to during the week.  I hope that you all have a great week and thanks for all of your great letters and quotes. I loved them all.
Love, 
Elder Peterson

Letter # 29

Elder Peterson & Elder Shaw
1/22/2015

Castle in Wales
12/27/2014

Wales
1/21/2015

Dear Mum and Family,
It sounds like you all had a blast with the Book of Mormon activity that you have had as a ward.  I really miss going to that because you can learn a lot of great things from the Book of Mormon from just reading it cover to cover.  I have really enjoyed studying from it every morning and I have learned so much from it and I can't believe how the Lord really blesses us.  By just reading it for an hour a day in the morning I have learned so much and I know that the Lord blesses us if we just put in the effort and we show him that we do really want to learn from it.  I love sharing what I have learned from my studies in the morning with everyone that we talk to throughout our day and I know that it is helping those around me.  So I have a strong testimony on how studying the scriptures each day can truly help you and others.

I am glad that you liked the name of my bike.  I was thinking one day about Logan Jensen when I was writing a letter to the Jensen’s and I remember him telling us that he named his scooter.  I thought that was a great idea so I named my bike. It was hard to come up with such a great name though.  I struggled with so many names that I thought would work and they didn't.  I then thought of Scarlet because there is a rugby team based here in Llanelli and they are called the Scarlets.  I thought that that name fits really well so I named my bike scarlet and she is the best.  I hope that you all agree that that is the perfect name. Haha

S**** is doing really well and she is still learning a lot and being the best investigator that there is.  She is not married, but she does have a couple of daughters that are married along with some grandkids.  She told us the other day that one of her daughters might be interested in learning about the Gospel so we are going to continue to talk with her about it and get in contact with her daughter. 

We are still doing a lot of tracting and we have found a few families that might be interested.  We have set up some appointments for this week to hopefully teach them more.  The weather is really cold and wet still because it is still the winter months.  But I have really enjoyed my mission and working as hard as I can even if the weather is horrible or the people aren't as friendly as I want them to be. When we find someone that might be interested I look back and tell myself that this one person was worth every slammed door, or worth every minute that we are out in the cold pouring rain.  I am enjoying every second of my mission because it is going super-fast.  Think about it I am at 6 months already.  How crazy is that?  All I can say is time flies when you are having the best time of your life spreading this wonderful gospel that we are so blessed to be a part of.

I have figured out some goals that I want to have for my mission.  Do you want me to send you those or do you want me to figure some out just for this year?

The talk last week went really well and the ward is really into using the missionaries which I think is really nice.  We don't have to give a lot of talks, but we have been asked a couple of times to give a lesson in Young Women or in Elders quorum.  I have really enjoyed every opportunity that I am asked to do something like that because while I prepare for the lessons or the talks I learn a lot of great things and I love sharing those things with others because I know that it can help them.
Thanks for the great genealogy trivia that you sent me I really liked doing it.  Even though I haven't been in school for a while it didn't take me too long to think about it and understand it, but it is still mind blowing.  Maybe you are making me think too much my brain is starting to hurt just a little bit. Haha

The thought that I would like to share with you guys go along with our purpose in life. It is from Richard G Scott:
"God's purpose is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.  That is fundamental to all we do.  Sometimes we get so wrapped up in things that we find fascinating or become so consumed by mundane responsibilities that we lose sight of God's objectives. As you consistently focus your life on the most basic principles, you will gain an understanding of what you are to do, and you will produce more fruit for the Lord and more happiness for yourself."

As I was thinking about this thought the other day I noticed how important it is just to focus on the basic things of the gospel.  I have talked to many missionaries that look for answers to ridiculous questions like “Do the pearly gates swing in or out?” Now they aren't that ridiculous, but I hope that you get the point.  They are trying to find too deep of stuff that doesn't really pertain to our salvation.  So by focusing on the basic principles like Faith in Jesus Christ, his atonement, Repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, Enduring the End, etc.  We come to find more of our purpose and what we need to do on this earth so that we can return to our Father in Heaven someday. I hope that you can all get something from this and that you will all find the love of learning more about the gospel and coming to know God's purpose and our purpose while we are here on the earth.
I hope that you all have a great week this week. 
Love,
Elder Peterson  

Letter # 28

Dear Mum and Family,

It sounds like you have all really enjoyed your week from the sound of your great letters.  I hope that it continues to go well for you all. I am glad that you liked the story of our bike accident last week.  Scarlet (my bike) is doing great.  She is not hurt at all and is still running great. 

This last week was an amazing week because S***** was baptized on Saturday and confirmed a member of the church on Sunday.  She was really happy after the baptism on Saturday and said that she is really happy to be a part of this church.  I had the opportunity to confirm her on Sunday and that was a great experience for me.  When she asked me I was super excited to do that and to be a part of it.  She is such a great lady and I have really enjoyed teaching her and getting to know her and her family more.  She has been doing some missionary work with  her family because they are not members and she brought them to her baptism.  They seemed to really enjoy it and hopefully we will be able to start teaching them.  The ward has been fantastic to her.  They have really welcomed her into the ward and have really friend shipped her. On Sundays we hardly see her because the ward is always helping her out with everything which is amazing.  It is such a relief as a missionary when the ward helps the investigators that we bring to church.  This ward is an amazing ward!

Not a whole lot more has been going on this last week.  We spent a lot of time preparing S**** for her baptism and we have been spending a lot of time finding people in the rain and cold weather.  We haven't found really anyone that is super solid and wants to hear our message, but we have knocked on a few doors and the people have invited us back so hopefully when we go back this next week they will want to hear more.  Finding is really hard but I have really come to enjoy it.  It's funny seeing the different ways that people reject us because sometimes they are so ridiculous I just have to laugh when we are done talking with them. There are a lot of interesting people here in England and Wales.  Most of the people are really friendly and they love talking with us they just don't want to hear our message.  We have met a few people that we see quite often when we are out and about and they like visiting for a little bit.  It's always fun to meet new people and to be that example to them even though they aren't interested in the Gospel.

Tonight we will be getting the call to see if any of us will be moving to a different area.  I am 99% sure that I will be staying her for a couple of more transfers, but I am not quite sure if Elder Shaw will be leaving.  I think and hope that he stays for another transfer and he hopes he does too, but there is that chance that he could leave.  I guess we will find out tonight.  You don't have to worry about me moving again though because I am sure that I will still be here in Llanelli.  At least I hope that I will still be here.

It sounds like you are going to have a great time when Anna Stilger comes over to our house.  I think that you have some great plans and I hope that you have a lot of fun with her.  They are such a cool family and really friendly towards everyone. I am glad that I helped you meet a new friend mum.  Sometimes I think you have too many friends because you can't keep track of them, but I hope that you guys have a fun time together when she comes.

I have a great companion and I didn't need to take my trousers to get them fixed.  He is very OCD and he likes everything to be perfect.  So we get along quite well together.  So he said that he could fix them and he did a fantastic job.  So you don't need to worry about the Kater shop and getting them to pay for them.

Caden- It sounds like you are always keeping busy with work.  Every week it sounds like all you do is work. I hope that you are really enjoying it and that you are making a lot of money for me for when I get home because you owe me a lot for letting you sleep in my bed. I can't believe that you almost fell asleep in sacrament.  Maybe you should go to bed a little earlier than you have been. Then you won't be so tired and you can listen to the talks.  Haha

Favorite Sister Chelsey-It sounds like you are really enjoying church basketball and that you guys have a great team this year.  I really miss playing church basketball maybe when I get home you can play against me and you will probably be able to beat me because I will be old and fat.  It sounds like you are getting a lot of practice on your driving.  I hope that you haven't gotten in a crash yet.  I am sure that you won't get in a crash because I know that you are a better driver than you weird sister Lullabell.  I haven't driven anything other than a bike while I have been on my mission.  I have gotten use to driving on the other side of the road though so when I get home you will have to teach me how to drive on the right side of the road.  It is kind of weird at first, but after a while you get used to it.  
The pie here is actually really good.  They have a lot of different pies that you can eat.  They have a lot of meat pies that a lot of people usually eat for dinner and the fruit pies that they have are also really good.  I don't think that they are really any different than back home.  They just eat a lot more pie then we do back home.  I really enjoy eating them at least, but then again I really enjoy food so I don't think that surprises you that much.
We go to church Sundays at 10:00.  We are the only ward that goes to our church and they don't have sacrament meeting first like they do back home.  All of the churches that I have been to have sacrament at the end of church.  It’s  kind of different, but I have gotten used to it now.  I don't really drink a lot of pop like I did back home.  But I have had a couple of drinks and they are pretty good.  Some of them are better than the ones back home but some of them are so great.  They don't sell Root Beer here so that was sad when I found that out. 
The thing that I miss most about you is probably calling you Debra and making you laugh. HAHAHAHA 

Stovetop- It sounds like you have had a great week at school and that you wish you could stay a lot longer.  I bet you are not excited at all to leave High School because it is the best thing that has ever happened in your life.  Oh wait I bet your elbow being hurt has been the best thing ever because then you can get out of work.  So going to school is the second best thing that has ever happened to you. I bet when you go to the doctor they will tell mom that you are just faking it and that you are perfectly fine. 
I hope that you are doing your homework on your own and that you are not cheating from my binder again.  It sounds like you are having fun though in Mrs. Falslev's class with project reality because you are with your boyfriend.  Yeah I might be pretty far away, but I can still give you a hard time about your boyfriend.  And the funny thing is you can't make fun of me because I am on a mission.  HAHA Sorry I win you lose.


Poshest Posher that ever poshed aka Dad--That's crazy that the weather is like that at this time of the year.  I am really missing out on the nice warm weather.  I am sure that mom isn't really complaining about it much.  We are still having our nice cold welsh weather at the moment.  We haven't had a lot of rain lately, but it has been pretty chilly and the wind doesn't help a whole lot.  We haven't had any snow though so that is kind of weird.  Everyone we speak to says that it is only going to get worse so I have something to look forward to.  Apparently it gets a little colder and eventually it will snow a little so I guess I will see sooner or later.

Well I don't have much more to say, but before I go I would like to share a spiritual thought with you guys like usual. 
“As a gem cannot be polished without friction, neither can a man be perfected without trials."
I had the opportunity to give a talk on Sunday and I was able to talk about trials and how we need to accept our trials and out setback as a part of our mortal experience.  Some things that I learn as I was preparing the talk is that in Matthew it talks about how we need to take upon us the yoke of Christ.  Well a yoke is what they use to hook oxen together to pull a load of something.  Well when we take upon the yoke of Christ during our trials we are pulling that "load" with Christ next to us pulling also.  Now Christ is pulling most of that load, but we need to still do our part and pull as much as we can.  I know that through our trials our temptations we are becoming more like Christ and we are coming closer to him as we endure through those trials.  
If you get the chance sometime this week you should read the talk “Approaching the throne of God with Confidence."  It is from this last conference and it is a great talk.  
I hope that you all have a great week.  Thanks again for all that you do and for the great letters.
Love,
Elder Peterson

P.S. Mum
I think that dad is the poshest dad of them all, but you are the poshest mum of them all.
Last but not least there is a letter coming in the mail soon.  I will be sending it today so I hope you all get excited to go get the mail for the next couple of weeks. HAHA
Also I did get the letter with the snow and oatmeal you sent.  The oatmeal was good and the snow was fun just not cold
Hahaha

Letter #27

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

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
 

Elder Shaw and Elder Peterson
 with their Christmas Stockings