Chance's Email 12/8/08

hey fam!
how are you guys doin? it sounds like there have been some awesome things happening as well as tough times. london you gotta take advantage of this week you have with your kids, it's gonna be awesome, and don't feel bad, you have served your time, now you know what it feels like to really help others it's great huh? the good news is you have like 70 more years of your life. dad i liked what you said about finding lots of people this time of the month, that is what pres may said. he said satan is gonna want to put thoughts in our hearts like "it's christmas you can rest a little" but really it's the opposite, we need to take advantage of the christmas season cause the people are going to be more open. i love seeing how other missionaries work and i'm learning a ton still. sometimes we are looking too hard for opportunities to share the gospel when there is someone right next to us like our neighbors. we have so many neighbors by our house in draper and i think like only half are members. we should start by maybe talking to them. and i have also learned that to share the gospel you don't have to go knock the door and share your testimony, but you can do things like mom had planned and invite the neighbors to the house or go and serve them one saturday or something like that, just get to know them or bring cookies to them or something. also maybe people we sit next to on planes, just everyone around us. whatever the case may be heavenly father wants us to share so if we are looking for oppotunities they will come...it's his will so it's going to happen we just have to do our part. i was excited to hear about the young single adult class you guys had. that project is going be so awesome.
thanks so much for your prayers for dina raul and paola. last night we went to visit them and something came up and they weren't there but her daughter with like 27 years answered the door and she is a Jehovah's witness. we shared the restoration with her just standing in the door and she understood it real clearly and we extended the invitation to pray, she agreed and we have and appointment for this week with her family. she may be a little tougher to crack but we will see. the only thing preventing dina and raul from being baptized right now is getting married, they are working on it but hopefully it comes as fast as possible. they are so awesome and are just soakin it in. this week we were walking to our apartment at the end of the day when i heard my name and the elders quorum counselor was across the street with a friend so we crossed the street and talked with him a little and he introduced his friend and we talked to him and set an appointment. yesterday we visited him and he was really really nice. he invited us in and was smoking so we decided to share the word of wisdom with him. we shared d and c 89 with him and told him the commandments along with the blessings if we obey. it turns out he was a drug addict and is attending rehab right now. he is trying to leave everything and was suprised at what we taught but wants to accept it. he was very receptive and gave us some food for the road and tonight we have an appointment with him with the member. he is an rm with like 24 years so he will help us a ton and im almost sure he is gonna get baptized real soon. i'm so happy to be a part of this work and sometimes i get caught up in what's happening back home.. the traditions... the relaxing... but then i snap out of it and see the great miracles God is working through me. i love it and don't want it to end. thanks so much for your support i couldn't do it without your support and love. mom i glad you had a good experience with someone at the store, we need to open our mouths more like that and just talk to the world, we will find many members, with whom we can share spiritual experiences and also nonmembers with whom we can help have spiritual experiences by sharing the gospel. i love you guys so much and ill talk to you on the 24th! it will be the 24th not the 25th. so ya i will write you next week with the details. i love you so much dad, mom, london, marcus, and the rest of the fam and friends.
elder peterson oh ya check out d and c 88. verses 77 and 81, it's good.

Chance's Email 12/1/2008

Wow! what a week you guys had in Arizona. it was great to hear about chad...that's my uncle! he never ended his mission, he just changed areas and companions permanantly. that's what i want to be like when i come home. we always have to share the gospel. if we don't, when we pass on to the next life and see those people who we knew, who we never shared the gospel with, and their eyes will say "why did you never share your greatest blessing with me down there?" i know we will feel so regretful. i'm not saying go talk to everyone in the street but when we feel prompted or see a good oportunity we CAN'T ignore it. we have to be proud of the gospel and share it. i'm glad you had a great thanksgiving. we have members that give us lunch everyday and it just so happened to be roast beef and mashed potatoes the day of thanksgiving. i saw that as a sweet tender mercy! ok so a little about the packages ha ha. mom you are too nice i don't even need to buy food with all the packages you are sending me. as for sending me things other than food, i am running out of luggage space so ya you guys can make me things but try to keep them small and few cause i am already starting to give away my clothes to make room. ok so some crazy news. i have a new companion. elder olsen had to go home for some medical reasons it was really sad. but he is ok and ya i have to keep everything confidential but it was for medical reasons. he was a great elder and didn't want to go. my new companion is elder millaqueo(meeyakeo) and he is from argentina. he has like 3 months in the mission but is a Stud! i think he knows more than me and i know he teaches better. i am learning so much from him each day it's incredible. he is an amazing teacher and i'm so excited to have him as my companion. he likes to joke and mess around too so i love it. we can enjoy the work together and i couldn't be happier. it was really humbling at first to recieve a new companion with half the time i have in the mission and knows how to teach better than me. but now i'm more humble and improving my skills. my nunchuck skills and bowstaff skills too. as for our investigators, dina raul and dina's sister paola all want to be baptized and we are working and getting them married and dunked. so thanks so much for your prayers i know they help. it is so amazing to be a part of this work. every now and then i think of skiing or some pleasure back home and then compare it to what i'm doing and it always takes a backseat! i love this work.
ok as for a little info on packages, if there is room i would enjoy a walkman, we used elder olsen's and he is gone now, i can't find one here with the advanced world. we have plenty in the house just find one. i think that's all. i am going to try and send a christmas package to you guys today. it will contain very little cause it's unbelievably expensive to send here. it's like 20 bucks for 2 pounds. so ya i am sending lots of letters i have received from home, and some letters for you guys and some chilean treats so don't open it until christmas ok? welp gotta go. i love you guys so much and i have seen some people recently who have really messed up families and i just wanted you guys to know that the two things i treasure most in this world are the gospel, and my family. you guys are unbelievable and i don't know what i'd do without you.
elder peterson