Monday, July 29, 2013

July 29, 2013

Well transfer calls came at the early morning time of 12:30 am! We waited up all that time to just find out that we are all staying! Which I think is really good. We all have a lot to learn from each other still, so I am good with it!
 
So since the boys get to have all this fun up in Alaska, does that mean when I get home all of us girls get to go play too?! Dad says that Mitch is quite the person up in Alaska! Woot woot! Mitch thanks for all the pictures it was fun to see everything! I miss ya'll!
 
Um I am not sure what else to write! There are lots of mosquitoes here, and our legs most of the time look like we have the chicken pox. We have bug spray but the mosquitoes get us in the most unexpected times! It doesn't matter where we are or how long we are out they always find us! And I have only ever been bitten on my arm and then today my neck once, but other than that it is always our legs!!!
 
Ummm... the work is still progressing we have lots of appointments almost everyday, but this past week we didn't have any investigators at church. We did have quite a few less actives that we are working with. 3 in fact! I love working with less actives. Number one they are nicer, number two they usually know that this is true, and number three they usually want to come back but just want help. And that is what we are here for!! It has also been great to see the way the ward members are wanting to help us, sometimes they just need to be taught how to help, how to do missionary work, and then they are off like a jet! It is really awesome and now that our ward mission leader is back (he was gone for all of July) we can really make a difference! It is great and I am very excited for this transfer! Can you believe it is already August!!
 
I love you all!!
 

Love your missionary!

Monday, July 22, 2013

July 22, 2013

Hello!
This week has been a rainy one which is a nice change from the blazing heat! But holy cow! It's almost AUGUST!! We get transfer calls this Saturday night and we will have to just see what happens. I have really enjoyed my companions, and I will be sad to have some change, but we all know that this gospel is not a gospel of comfort, we all have to change to grow. I'm excited for all that the mission has to hold for these two amazing girls!
We have had quite the eventful week. On Tuesday the sisters from Monahans came for exchanges. Sister D, S, and Sc. (Sister D comes home this week to American Fork Utah!! I'll give her your info so you can go to her homecoming if you'd like).  I have seen such a great change in Sister S and it is so exciting. So it was fun to have her around for the day. And Sister Sc came out with Sister P, and is from Australia (sadly no accent). It is always so nice to get together with other missionaries, and so helpful to have that encouragement and see the way that we can work better.
Then we have been having members really step up and start pushing the work forward. We had a part member family at church that a member asked us to go see, and now they are involved in Scouts and Mutual and now church!! And then a member led us to her next door neighbor and she is pumped and ready to join! And then we went with a member to visit their neighbor in the hospital and had a wonderful lesson there. We also had 3 members yesterday refer us to the same less active family (we get the hint!!) and after weekly planning on Friday and prayerfully choosing a name of a member from the ward to go visit, a different member called us last night and referred us to THAT exact name! Miracles are happening!
I love you all! xoxox Sister Peterson


companion unity! matchie matchie and we didn't even plan it!! 

Monday, July 15, 2013

July 15, 2013

Hello- Guess What! It is currently RAINING here!! Yay! Love cooler temps!
 
I sat next to a family in our ward yesterday during sacrament, and they have a 5 year old little boy, and man did it make me miss my kiddles! This little boy wanted to talk my ear off, and was drawing me pictures and such and I am so excited to see all my babies when I come home! 

We were all craving fish yesterday! Oh and I've been buying squash and cooking it. We all wish we had a garden here.
 
This week was good! T was baptized on Saturday, and after fasting for his family this past week, his wife is feeling more open to learning more!! Yay!! T has a bad back so he had to squat and be baptized forwards (it took two times, and was really interesting) but he is such a trooper and is so solid! He is so excited for a calling and the ward is really taking him in.
 
Also I am grateful for my time in China, yet again I get to apply my experiences there. A ward member is married to a woman from Korea, and we went to go visit her last night. Using the tool of interpretation by the Spirit and from my months in China I was able to follow the conversation. My companions had a harder time, but we are going back to talk to her again. She believes the Book of Mormon is true, and reads it everyday, but she was going to the 7th day Adventists, and is convinced that we need to worship on Saturday. She kept telling us that somewhere down the line someone decided that they wanted to go to heaven and noone else so they convinced us to worship on the wrong day! We know though that it all goes back to if Joseph Smith is a Prophet and we have a Prophet leading the church today. Because if we do He would let us know if we were worshipping on the wrong day.
 
We also had a really cool experience. We were walking down the street (we always try and park the car like a block away so we have the opportunity to meet people) and as we were headed to this one house we saw this group of people listening to loud music all congregated by the side of this house. Well, we had tried the people there before and were just lead on a goose chase, and since we try and be careful as sisters, we just kept walking. Well as we are crossing in front of their house I hear "Excuse me, miss?" and this girl (like 20's) was walking towards us. She then asked if we were the Latter-Day Saints church? We said yes and she asked if we would pray with her. She had met with the missionaries in Louisiana before. (which makes sense- everyone here thinks we as girls are Jehovah's Witnesses, not Mormons) So we said a prayer with her (she looked to be in a bad shape and cried the whole prayer through) and after talking a bit continued on our way. Well we knocked on the house we were headed for in the first place, (like 2 doors down) and then we see from that same house she was at a guy come out to the driveway and throw his arms in the air and say, "HEY I NEED PRAYER TOO!!" So we told him one second, talked to the lady at that house we had just knocked and went back. It was that girl's brother and then the mom (who we had tried seeing before but always blew us off) and everyone there came around as we talked about prayer and the Book of Mormon! It was awesome and we have a return appointment with them tonight. It is not very often that people call us off of the streets to talk, and it was an amazing experience to be able to be an instrument in the Lord's hands to show these people His love for them.
 
Love you all lots!
Sister P!
 
 
 
 

Monday, July 8, 2013

July 8, 2013

Hello!
 
Can you believe it! One year has come and gone!! It has been over a year now that I have seen any of you!!! I miss you lots, but know that these next few months are going to FLY!! No worries, not trucky! I feel more motivated than I have been my whole mission!
 
Our companionship is doing great! We had a lot of good bonding experiences this past week, including hurrying and making a big potato salad for our fourth of July pot luck with the elders. After 6 pm we weren't allowed to be out anymore so we all got together at the institute and ate food and played games. It was really fun, and then that night I peeked and could see fireworks in the sky outside the window! :) So different from last year but good none the less! I kinda fail at life though and am not a good photographer so I'm sorry I have nothing to share.
 
T is all set to be baptized this Saturday. He has basically read the whole Book of Mormon in the 2 weeks that we have been meeting with him! And come to find out his cousin is a bishop in California!
 
This week has been a week full of awe for me. God works in such mysterious and miraculous ways, and I am lucky to be able to notice them. With our companionship and our investigators. For example we set a goal last week to ask members at church for referrals. Sister C is boss so she went up and asked a girl named M. M just moved in but said her neighbor is always home and might be interested. So we tried the house this past week, but got lost and confused, and didn't feel right about it, so we decided to ask her about it again. We asked if we could come to her house and then she could show us. Well,  we went last night and she opened up while we were there about her husband. How he was baptized at 8 but then never ever was active. He just so happened to be home at the time so we taught the Plan of Salvation. We afterwords told her how amazing it was that Sister C chose her to ask for a referral and then we got lost so we had to come, and then at a time when her husband was home. It was a miracle and we hope to be able to continue to see it unfold.
 
The mission is amazing! This work is true! I love you all, thanks for your prayers. Play in that water as much as you can, because MAN I miss that! haha But this is so worth it! 
 
Love you!
Sister Peterson

Monday, July 1, 2013

July 1, 2013

Hello Hello!
 
Sounds like you all are having as much fun in the sun as we are down here!! Yep we got some of those wonderfully hot 105 degree temps!  But we are being very good about drinking lots of water and even on bike day stayed cool with no sunburns!!
 
Right now we are still teaching T and his step daughter R. The mom L is not really interested, but she will get there. Especially with how much of an amazing change we have seen in T. T is a rockstar! He has been eating up the Book of Mormon! Like read half the book in a week! And he has back problems so the elders came and gave him a blessing and the Spirit was so strong. His wife was there for that and she even felt it! He looks and acts so differently, I have never seen such a visual change in an investigator, and it has made him more motivated and he has cleaned up his whole house and just wants the Spirit there! He is so ready to be baptized on the 13th it is so exciting! R is growing too, but more slowly: we are really trying to focus more on her now too since T is usually where the lesson goes with, but she loves Young Womens and last night we had a great lesson about how the Book of Mormon applies to us. Love them!!
 
We had zone conference this week in Abilene. I was able to see Sister R, and I love her so so much! She is doing well and is in our zone and it was so fun to be around her. We are a noisy little bunch when we are together but it was so fun to laugh.
 
For the 4th we have a normal day until 6 then we are planning on making some good food, but we have to stay inside. Crazy that this is my one year mark! I can't believe it, but it is very exciting! I am going to push hard till the end and am mostly just looking forward to summer to be over because of this intense heat! I always loved fall more anyway!  (except this heat makes me miss boating so much! have fun this week!!)
 
The ward is getting all ready to push hard and be more involved! I am excited and so lucky to be out serving at this time! We are seeing a lot of good here in San Angelo (and luckily today even have rain!! yay)
 
I love you all lots! Keep those letters, pictures, and love coming! I miss you!
 

Love Sister P!