hey!HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW MARCUS
i'm so glad you guys loved the little package. ok well marta got baptized yesterday! it was awesome!!!!!! the saturday before we had a family night with the ward and we invited pres. and sis may to come and speak and it was awesome. we had a bunch of new people that the members brought to the activity so hopefully we can teach some of them. ok well keep in your prayers: totti claudia and bilma. i think they will be our next baptisms after emiliana on the 22nd.. she is good to go. ok well a funny story. yesterday my comp felt a little sick and felt like he had to spew the whole day but i was like, ya it's not that bad let's go and work the days almost over. so we continued to work and like and hour before we had to enter for the night we visited totti. she told us her aunt just died and she seemed ok but i know it was a rough day. so my comp began to talk and explain about the plan of salvation. she lives in some apartments that are open. like the stairs and hallways are outside. well we were talking to her outside her door and there was a balcony next to us and as my comp began to talk he said "just a sec" and went over to the balcony and spewed! he spewed like 4 times and totti and i were trying hard not to laugh. after 4 spews from the second floor, my comp returned with a smile cause he felt a lot better ha ha ha. we laughed quite a bit, i couldn't stop laughing. ok another random thought. i was eating my beloved pringles a couple nights ago when i looked at the pringle guy on the can and i noticed somethihng......it looks like DAD.. the moustache most of all. so i have decided on dad's grandpa name and it's pringles! isn't it perfect! and the kids will say it like pwingles. it's perfect if you guys don't agree i don't know what i'll do cause it's perfect. i got the package and it was full of love. i'm eating every bit of it. i love the cd you guys sent it's great. and the letters too especially napolean dynamite. just a heads up. keep sending me the small memory blue memory cards cause the other memory cards they are gigantic, i can't print fotos off cause they are too big. so don't buy more just send me them cause that's what i need to print off pics and send to people. also i wanted to give a shout out to adam, sheyenne, and chad whose birthdays are this month. ok well thanks for the letters they are great. i'm lovin the mission and i am so happy. after martas baptism i saw her walk into the bathroom soaking wet as a lady in the ward went in to help, along with marta´s daughter and they gave some screams of joy! marta was so nervous until she came up out of the water and she had a huge smile on her face. i don't know if i already read this quote toyou guys but ezra taft benson said: true happiness only comes by making others happy. so true isn't it. i love that quote. also a missionary shared a thought with me. he had the definition of a missionary written and shared it with me. MISSIONARY: Someone who leaves their family for a short time so that others may be with their families for eternity. pretty cool huh? that helped me forget myself a little. i love you guys so much and well see ya next week.
elder peterson
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Chance's Email 2/4/2009
Wahooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!! thats a big wahoo for dad's hole- in-one and a big wahoo cause my week was awesome! dad i can't believe you finally got your single! that's soooooooooooo killer. i knew that me being on the mish would bring you luck. so i guess it's my turn during marcus´s mission. i was so pumped when i saw the pictures. you sure chose the right club cause it stinkin LANDED IN THE HOLE! that is incredible. i loved that picture of the divot and stuff. were you doin chris farley cartwheels? i hope so. ok well this computer has been a real test of patience for me so i'm a little short on time but this week we found twelve new people to teach and some have baptismal dates! i was so excited and i'm ready for this month. Marta is going to get baptized on sunday! tonight we have a family home evening with her and her daughter is going to come. wish us luck. marta still needs to feel a little bit stronger about joseph smith and stuff but i know it will come. as for emiliana on the 22nd... she is accepting the teachings, her kids are helping us out a TON cause she is ridiculously busy and never gives us time to teach her so basically her kids are doing all the work. but if we get all the teachings in on time then it should work out this month, if not it'll be for march. but ya we have some others that are on the way. as i reflected last night on my mission and what i'm doing differently now than earlier, i realized that succes comes when we put the work in the Lord's hands and try to humble ourselves and purify our hearts and work like crazy. i've already tried and i CANNOT teach without the spirit or without His help. i'm just a kid in the street if i don't have the spirit and if i think i can do the work my own way. i think the success started to come when i realized that and tried to change. i'm really trying to love the people more and i loved what you said mom about damien and others that loved their people on the mission and i want that kind of love. david o mckay said something that i love he said. "true happiness comes only by making others happy". it's true and so many nights after working i can't keep the happiness i have inside, like last night, i was singing and doing whatever to let my energy out. i love this work and how my testimony is growing. sure this work has it's way tough days and the rough times are more often than the good times but when it's good, it's way good. marcus that's great that you got to change jobs, enjoy each job you have and try to learn from each one, but ALWAYS try to have a job. i was just thinking this week about you guys and i am so grateful to have the family i do, i wouldn't handpick any other brother, sister, mom, or dad. i have the perfect fam. thanks for all the love and support you give me and for the stories you tell me. i hope the ward isn't too tough to get used to, it sounds like it should be ok still. we still have some fun people. i think i should get the package you guys sent tomorrow, if not it will be next tuesday. k well gots to go i hope you guys have a killer week. something i remembered from the dale carnegie book is that we should always try to give compliments. someone said if we give 10 sincere compliments to ten different people each day, our lives will completely change. try it. i wanna encourage you all to read that book its amazing and i use its principles everyday. send me some advice next week on some stuff you read, i don't remember it all. k gotta go, i love you guys and keep it up. elder peterson
oh yeah, the other day i saw two drunk guys in a fight and they were basically punching the air cause they were so drunk and they both fell down and were trying to fight, it was pretty funny.
oh yeah, the other day i saw two drunk guys in a fight and they were basically punching the air cause they were so drunk and they both fell down and were trying to fight, it was pretty funny.
Chance's Email 1/26/2009
Fam famity fam
thanks for the letters i got a ton today and the computer has been way slow so i have little time. guess who just walked into the internet place where i am? elder espinel! i haven't seen him since he went to the island. i was so excited to see him. cool well another miracle week and way fast week i don't know where it went..... but this whole week we were looking for people and found no one until saturday. talk about a trial of faith right? so last sunday the bishop gave us a reference to a lady whose whole family are members and she has been going to the church for 3 years now every sunday but hasn't chosen to get baptized yet. her husband got baptized 18 years ago and her two kids got baptized when they were 8. we went to visit her and talked a little things were good and then we asked if we could share a message with her. we began talking about baptism and asked her what she think it is that impedes her being baptized. she said nothing, (good sign). she said she always liked what the church taught her kids and people always said she needed to get baptized but she never chose to do it. we talked a little more and explained why it was important and then extended a baptismal date for feb 22nd. .........she accepted! her daughter was in the room, she is 17 and she gasped. i looked at her and she was smiling so big! it looks like she has never accepted a date before and so it looks really promising. then her son walked in and we told him what happened and he gave his mom a big hug and was like YAAAAAY. and then her husband found out and they are all way excited. it was a miracle. we worked really hard the whole week and saturday is when the Lord decided to bless us. i never imagined that we would be blessed like this but the Lord works in mysterious ways and always comes through. i'm so excited and i know it was the Lord and the bishop listening to the spirit that made it happen. we were just instruments. i felt a load of joy and i'm so excited to see the baptism. it's the week after transfers so pray that i will stay! i can't believe that about jury duty london. what a test of patience! i will pray that something works out. patience is a life long challenge to overcome and we need to pray to the Lord for help. tell kenz i got her email and i'll try to write her next week. oh and london i am emailing my mtc teacher marcus johnson who you went on a date with and he said "your sister probably thinks that was a way awkward date cause i was still way weird" ha ha but he is a STUD. marcus that's hilarious about jesse. i sent you a letter today along with two memory cards so keep your eyes peeled. dad thanks for the cool stories and info. mom thanks for the spiritual experiences and the great details, i don't ever mention how much i love the details cause i don't have time but i love your letters. i love you guys a ton and some more great news. ......i was looking at the baptisms our mission had and guess who got baptized yesterday.....paula! the lady you were praying for and that i had a way good lesson with her and we put a baptismal date the night before i left my last area. isn't that awesome! i'm so glad that the elders were blessed with success with her. i know that baptism is going to turn into many more! mom something i was thinking about the other day is when we were in the drivers license place and we had to wait for a long time and everyone had grumpy faces and were frustrated and we were like, ok let's make one of the workers smile or laugh. and we did ha ha. i will always remember that especially here in chile cause everyone are workaholics and need a good smile every now and then. we need to put a smile on the world's faces! i love you guys.
elder peterson
thanks for the letters i got a ton today and the computer has been way slow so i have little time. guess who just walked into the internet place where i am? elder espinel! i haven't seen him since he went to the island. i was so excited to see him. cool well another miracle week and way fast week i don't know where it went..... but this whole week we were looking for people and found no one until saturday. talk about a trial of faith right? so last sunday the bishop gave us a reference to a lady whose whole family are members and she has been going to the church for 3 years now every sunday but hasn't chosen to get baptized yet. her husband got baptized 18 years ago and her two kids got baptized when they were 8. we went to visit her and talked a little things were good and then we asked if we could share a message with her. we began talking about baptism and asked her what she think it is that impedes her being baptized. she said nothing, (good sign). she said she always liked what the church taught her kids and people always said she needed to get baptized but she never chose to do it. we talked a little more and explained why it was important and then extended a baptismal date for feb 22nd. .........she accepted! her daughter was in the room, she is 17 and she gasped. i looked at her and she was smiling so big! it looks like she has never accepted a date before and so it looks really promising. then her son walked in and we told him what happened and he gave his mom a big hug and was like YAAAAAY. and then her husband found out and they are all way excited. it was a miracle. we worked really hard the whole week and saturday is when the Lord decided to bless us. i never imagined that we would be blessed like this but the Lord works in mysterious ways and always comes through. i'm so excited and i know it was the Lord and the bishop listening to the spirit that made it happen. we were just instruments. i felt a load of joy and i'm so excited to see the baptism. it's the week after transfers so pray that i will stay! i can't believe that about jury duty london. what a test of patience! i will pray that something works out. patience is a life long challenge to overcome and we need to pray to the Lord for help. tell kenz i got her email and i'll try to write her next week. oh and london i am emailing my mtc teacher marcus johnson who you went on a date with and he said "your sister probably thinks that was a way awkward date cause i was still way weird" ha ha but he is a STUD. marcus that's hilarious about jesse. i sent you a letter today along with two memory cards so keep your eyes peeled. dad thanks for the cool stories and info. mom thanks for the spiritual experiences and the great details, i don't ever mention how much i love the details cause i don't have time but i love your letters. i love you guys a ton and some more great news. ......i was looking at the baptisms our mission had and guess who got baptized yesterday.....paula! the lady you were praying for and that i had a way good lesson with her and we put a baptismal date the night before i left my last area. isn't that awesome! i'm so glad that the elders were blessed with success with her. i know that baptism is going to turn into many more! mom something i was thinking about the other day is when we were in the drivers license place and we had to wait for a long time and everyone had grumpy faces and were frustrated and we were like, ok let's make one of the workers smile or laugh. and we did ha ha. i will always remember that especially here in chile cause everyone are workaholics and need a good smile every now and then. we need to put a smile on the world's faces! i love you guys.
elder peterson
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Chance's Email 1/19/2009
hey fam!
how are ya´ll doin? i'm doing so good! i'm not gonna lie, the week i got here to my new area was way tough. my companion and i decided to do some things different. we made a promise with the Lord at the beginning of the week that we would do some things and we did them and we found a lady that has agreed to get baptized february 8th! it was a miracle because on tuesday, we were knocking doors looking for people and we hadn't entered a house in awhile and we knocked one door and a lady answered and was really nice and we talked to her and she was like "yeah, my neighbors are Jehovah's witnesses and i'm from a different religion" we said "there are many different religions in the world and sometimes we can be confused. we have the way that you can find out for yourself which is the true church, would you like to know?" and she let us in. as we sat down she began describing how she has felt recently. passing through lots of sadness, fear, and confusion(the perfect investigator) and began crying. she said if we were in her house it's cause the Lord sent us there and we have a message that will help her. she said, this message must be important so i will listen. then we began teaching her parts of the plan of salvation and what she can do to have more happiness and direction in her life. we talked about baptism and extended a date for february 8th and she accepted. she was so excited and ready to do it. she said she feels like that's what she lacks. the next day we went to visit her cause she had to go to the hospital to get some scary results from some tests and we wanted to see how they went. she is ok and was so thankful. she had the pamphlet we left with her displayed in her living room with a picture of the baptism of Jesus and said that she displayed it because she knows that that's what she wants. it was amazing. then yesterday she went to church and loved it. and tonight we have a fhe with a family that has come to a couple appointments at her house with us. i feel so happy and grateful for the help we have recieved and that's something i need to boost my energy a little. i know we are gonna find more people this week and i can't wait to share more experiences. mom i loved what you said about teaching wiht the spirit. that is something i needed to hear cause i always want to prepare a wow message too. but sometimes we need to follow what the spirit says instead of what we want. also, service works. i had some stupid bitter feelings against somethings my companion did and then i tried serving him a little more and we are more united and there is a bond now. it works! thats crazy about brittany, i didn't know that! i still need some pictures from kenzy and her boy toy. i have only seen one. more than anything i wanna see how she is doin! tell her to get on the ball and write me. about grandma, i haven't recieved anything unfortunately. it could still be in the mail but a suggestion would be to write the letter in word, and then copy and paste it so that she doesn't lose it. but tell her i love her and her emails are always the most consistent and i wish i could write her everyweek! thanks for all the letters grandma! also, i got chad's letter and it was awesome. thanks for the experiences chad. he needs to tell you guys about it. he sets a great example of a member missionary. keep praying for opportunities to share the gospel. also i wanted to give a birthday shoutout to jenny and andy this month. i hope it's lovely. oh, one more thing, a bird pooped in my hair while sharing the gospel with someone yesterday. i love you fam!
elder peterson
how are ya´ll doin? i'm doing so good! i'm not gonna lie, the week i got here to my new area was way tough. my companion and i decided to do some things different. we made a promise with the Lord at the beginning of the week that we would do some things and we did them and we found a lady that has agreed to get baptized february 8th! it was a miracle because on tuesday, we were knocking doors looking for people and we hadn't entered a house in awhile and we knocked one door and a lady answered and was really nice and we talked to her and she was like "yeah, my neighbors are Jehovah's witnesses and i'm from a different religion" we said "there are many different religions in the world and sometimes we can be confused. we have the way that you can find out for yourself which is the true church, would you like to know?" and she let us in. as we sat down she began describing how she has felt recently. passing through lots of sadness, fear, and confusion(the perfect investigator) and began crying. she said if we were in her house it's cause the Lord sent us there and we have a message that will help her. she said, this message must be important so i will listen. then we began teaching her parts of the plan of salvation and what she can do to have more happiness and direction in her life. we talked about baptism and extended a date for february 8th and she accepted. she was so excited and ready to do it. she said she feels like that's what she lacks. the next day we went to visit her cause she had to go to the hospital to get some scary results from some tests and we wanted to see how they went. she is ok and was so thankful. she had the pamphlet we left with her displayed in her living room with a picture of the baptism of Jesus and said that she displayed it because she knows that that's what she wants. it was amazing. then yesterday she went to church and loved it. and tonight we have a fhe with a family that has come to a couple appointments at her house with us. i feel so happy and grateful for the help we have recieved and that's something i need to boost my energy a little. i know we are gonna find more people this week and i can't wait to share more experiences. mom i loved what you said about teaching wiht the spirit. that is something i needed to hear cause i always want to prepare a wow message too. but sometimes we need to follow what the spirit says instead of what we want. also, service works. i had some stupid bitter feelings against somethings my companion did and then i tried serving him a little more and we are more united and there is a bond now. it works! thats crazy about brittany, i didn't know that! i still need some pictures from kenzy and her boy toy. i have only seen one. more than anything i wanna see how she is doin! tell her to get on the ball and write me. about grandma, i haven't recieved anything unfortunately. it could still be in the mail but a suggestion would be to write the letter in word, and then copy and paste it so that she doesn't lose it. but tell her i love her and her emails are always the most consistent and i wish i could write her everyweek! thanks for all the letters grandma! also, i got chad's letter and it was awesome. thanks for the experiences chad. he needs to tell you guys about it. he sets a great example of a member missionary. keep praying for opportunities to share the gospel. also i wanted to give a birthday shoutout to jenny and andy this month. i hope it's lovely. oh, one more thing, a bird pooped in my hair while sharing the gospel with someone yesterday. i love you fam!
elder peterson
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Chance's Email 1/12/09
Que tal familia?
muchisimas gracia por sus cartas! your letters always give me so much help and motivation. i loved what you said mom about what braden talked about. there aren't lots of things better than hearing advice from missionaries who have just ended their missions and the advice they have. i think lately i have been too focused on numbers and like dad said, thinking about what others think of us and looking for praise. the Lord has said that people like that already have their reward. i'm going to try to focus more on submitting to the will of the Lord and not what I want. thanks so much for the tips. i feel like i have really recieve a lot of help from Heavenly Father. as i have started teaching in my new area, i have felt a peace come over me and i feel so much more calm as i teach instead of stressed and trying to teach everything i know. it doesn't matter too much what you teach but what the people feel. as i was contacting with another elder the other day he told me, the people rarely remember what the missionaries said when we knock their doors, but they DO remember what they felt as they talked with us. it all depends on the spirit we have with us, not what we say or how we say it. i liked that a lot. this week has been a little hard. we have been searching for lots of new people and we are trying some new techniques to have the spirit with us continually. i know that as i try to become more christlike and keep the rules and do what i have been called to do... i will have successs. maybe not how i was expecting, but i will have it. i really take things for granted, like matt's mission and how little sun there was. mine is full of sun and it really makes my day brighter but i've never said thanks for it. my new area is just like my old. almost all are the same except for one zone that is in the mountains with bikes and stuff. but my area is a lot calmer than my older area. a lot fewer buses and people that work like crazy. the members are so nice and do so much for the missionaries. our bishop is young and new and is doing awesome things for the ward. i'm excited to work with him. we have found some new people we will see how it goes with them this week but i'm going to try to serve my companion a little more. i know that will help the work a lot more if we are more united. he is a great guy, we are a little different but nothing that makes us clash. we have lots of potential but it depends on us now if we want to arrive at our potential. my house is big and way, way dirty. we cleaned it for 2 hours today and we are about halfway done. mom about those letters, just send them to me and i'll send them to the families. ok i wanted to ask you guys to send one of those black jump ropes that we have, i think i have one in my locker. i think that would be an easy and killer way to excercise here so whenever you send the next package that would be great if you could include that. ok some details about my first day here. we ate lunch with a way nice family but there is one thing that i can't stand. its olives. i can eat a bone soup, a nasty sausage but i can't eat olives. so this old couple we were eating with served us a salad with lots of olives on top and i wanted to be nice my first day and set a good impression so i didn't say anything. during the conversation, one by one i secretly took the olives off my plate and put them in a napkin and when i had them all in a napkin i shoved it in my pocket and asked if i could go to the bathroom. when i entered the bathroom i took them out of my pocket and flushed them down the toilet, disposing the evidence. i felt so cool and sly. then she brought out dessert which you'll never guess what it was.... a big bowl of pure canteloupe. there was no escaping that, i had to down it with a smile, ha ha. well fam i gotta go now. thanks for your inspiration and help. keep following the straight and narrow. i love you elder peterson
oh, ps. my zone leader is ryan bacher's nephew. his name is jesse scott. ask ryan about him and tell him to write me.
muchisimas gracia por sus cartas! your letters always give me so much help and motivation. i loved what you said mom about what braden talked about. there aren't lots of things better than hearing advice from missionaries who have just ended their missions and the advice they have. i think lately i have been too focused on numbers and like dad said, thinking about what others think of us and looking for praise. the Lord has said that people like that already have their reward. i'm going to try to focus more on submitting to the will of the Lord and not what I want. thanks so much for the tips. i feel like i have really recieve a lot of help from Heavenly Father. as i have started teaching in my new area, i have felt a peace come over me and i feel so much more calm as i teach instead of stressed and trying to teach everything i know. it doesn't matter too much what you teach but what the people feel. as i was contacting with another elder the other day he told me, the people rarely remember what the missionaries said when we knock their doors, but they DO remember what they felt as they talked with us. it all depends on the spirit we have with us, not what we say or how we say it. i liked that a lot. this week has been a little hard. we have been searching for lots of new people and we are trying some new techniques to have the spirit with us continually. i know that as i try to become more christlike and keep the rules and do what i have been called to do... i will have successs. maybe not how i was expecting, but i will have it. i really take things for granted, like matt's mission and how little sun there was. mine is full of sun and it really makes my day brighter but i've never said thanks for it. my new area is just like my old. almost all are the same except for one zone that is in the mountains with bikes and stuff. but my area is a lot calmer than my older area. a lot fewer buses and people that work like crazy. the members are so nice and do so much for the missionaries. our bishop is young and new and is doing awesome things for the ward. i'm excited to work with him. we have found some new people we will see how it goes with them this week but i'm going to try to serve my companion a little more. i know that will help the work a lot more if we are more united. he is a great guy, we are a little different but nothing that makes us clash. we have lots of potential but it depends on us now if we want to arrive at our potential. my house is big and way, way dirty. we cleaned it for 2 hours today and we are about halfway done. mom about those letters, just send them to me and i'll send them to the families. ok i wanted to ask you guys to send one of those black jump ropes that we have, i think i have one in my locker. i think that would be an easy and killer way to excercise here so whenever you send the next package that would be great if you could include that. ok some details about my first day here. we ate lunch with a way nice family but there is one thing that i can't stand. its olives. i can eat a bone soup, a nasty sausage but i can't eat olives. so this old couple we were eating with served us a salad with lots of olives on top and i wanted to be nice my first day and set a good impression so i didn't say anything. during the conversation, one by one i secretly took the olives off my plate and put them in a napkin and when i had them all in a napkin i shoved it in my pocket and asked if i could go to the bathroom. when i entered the bathroom i took them out of my pocket and flushed them down the toilet, disposing the evidence. i felt so cool and sly. then she brought out dessert which you'll never guess what it was.... a big bowl of pure canteloupe. there was no escaping that, i had to down it with a smile, ha ha. well fam i gotta go now. thanks for your inspiration and help. keep following the straight and narrow. i love you elder peterson
oh, ps. my zone leader is ryan bacher's nephew. his name is jesse scott. ask ryan about him and tell him to write me.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Chance's Email 1/5/09
Familia!
First I wanna say thanks for the amazing letters. I felt the spirit when I read them and I want to be a better person each time I read them. I feel your prayers and they are helping. I don't know what I would do without your support. ok well some news.... I got transferred! I am now in a ward called Huelen (wellen, to the lay gringo) and I have heard bad things about this zone like it's boring or there isn't success or things like that but while talking to my new companion from New Orleans, Elder Mangels, he told me some things that gave me the confirmation that this ward is strong and is full of potential and opportunites. I am sooooooo excited! there is so much work to be done but I am so excited to start! This is where Elder Olsen was before he was my companion, I don't remember a lot of what he said but what I do remember was that it's a great place. My companion seems really down to earth and positive and ready to work. It looks like he is obedient too so I couldn't be happier. A little plus as well, we have lunch everyday with a different member and they serve us for free! Also they wash our clothes for free! How does my ward sound? I just wanted let you guys know that your prayers were answered and the fasts were not in vain. I too was fasting for a little success. Well remember Paola? The sister of Dina and sister in law of Raul? The three of them have continued to come to church since the first time we visited them and they really are members at heart. They just need to work some things out and get married. But Paula has no limitations. She is married although her husband and kids are still in Peru and she is awesome! We decided to focus on her and so the last appointment we had last night was with her, (the last appointment I would have in Vivaceta) and we went and asked her some questions about the restoration and she understood! I haven't told you guys but she is like 50 and it's ridiculously hard for her to understand. She isn't stupid just a little slow but she understood everything and then we put another baptismal date for Feb 1st and she was like Yeah! She had no problem and she is excited and I KNOW she is gonna get baptized, then Dina and Raul will follow with their kids and then Paula will share with her husband and kids. It was a miracle. I was so happy and wanted to stay in Vivaceta to see her baptism but I'm supposed to be here. It was an answer to my prayers and I'm so excited to hear how it goes. Elder Tanner, (my comp in the mtc) is now in my sector! So I will be able to talk to him and share experiences. I am so happy right now and have been so blessed to be a part of this work. I feel so lucky. so many people say, I don't know how you can leave for 2 years and serve a mission, but I think how CAN'T you? It's too amazing to turn down. thanks so much for praying for dina and raul and paula. I know your prayers helped and I know that when they get married they will immediately be baptized. Raul is already participating in activities with the Elders Quorum and Dina and Paula have told me how they feel so great when the go to church and when they don't.. their week is much worse. Dad, I absolutely loved the stories and quotes you sent me. They gave me so much excitement and motivation thanks. I'm gonna try some of your ideas. Well fam I need to head out. I'll let you know how my new area is next week. also I have been recieving those dear elders almost every single week from Grandma Winda and they couldn't mean more to me. Thanks so much Grandma. Anyone else can send me dear elders, it's really easy, and my mail is decreasing so spread the word fam! ha ha. Also Mumsey and Poppy shot me an email that was awesome too. Thanks Mumsey and Poppy. Thanks for all your prayers and love. I love you fam!
elder peterson
First I wanna say thanks for the amazing letters. I felt the spirit when I read them and I want to be a better person each time I read them. I feel your prayers and they are helping. I don't know what I would do without your support. ok well some news.... I got transferred! I am now in a ward called Huelen (wellen, to the lay gringo) and I have heard bad things about this zone like it's boring or there isn't success or things like that but while talking to my new companion from New Orleans, Elder Mangels, he told me some things that gave me the confirmation that this ward is strong and is full of potential and opportunites. I am sooooooo excited! there is so much work to be done but I am so excited to start! This is where Elder Olsen was before he was my companion, I don't remember a lot of what he said but what I do remember was that it's a great place. My companion seems really down to earth and positive and ready to work. It looks like he is obedient too so I couldn't be happier. A little plus as well, we have lunch everyday with a different member and they serve us for free! Also they wash our clothes for free! How does my ward sound? I just wanted let you guys know that your prayers were answered and the fasts were not in vain. I too was fasting for a little success. Well remember Paola? The sister of Dina and sister in law of Raul? The three of them have continued to come to church since the first time we visited them and they really are members at heart. They just need to work some things out and get married. But Paula has no limitations. She is married although her husband and kids are still in Peru and she is awesome! We decided to focus on her and so the last appointment we had last night was with her, (the last appointment I would have in Vivaceta) and we went and asked her some questions about the restoration and she understood! I haven't told you guys but she is like 50 and it's ridiculously hard for her to understand. She isn't stupid just a little slow but she understood everything and then we put another baptismal date for Feb 1st and she was like Yeah! She had no problem and she is excited and I KNOW she is gonna get baptized, then Dina and Raul will follow with their kids and then Paula will share with her husband and kids. It was a miracle. I was so happy and wanted to stay in Vivaceta to see her baptism but I'm supposed to be here. It was an answer to my prayers and I'm so excited to hear how it goes. Elder Tanner, (my comp in the mtc) is now in my sector! So I will be able to talk to him and share experiences. I am so happy right now and have been so blessed to be a part of this work. I feel so lucky. so many people say, I don't know how you can leave for 2 years and serve a mission, but I think how CAN'T you? It's too amazing to turn down. thanks so much for praying for dina and raul and paula. I know your prayers helped and I know that when they get married they will immediately be baptized. Raul is already participating in activities with the Elders Quorum and Dina and Paula have told me how they feel so great when the go to church and when they don't.. their week is much worse. Dad, I absolutely loved the stories and quotes you sent me. They gave me so much excitement and motivation thanks. I'm gonna try some of your ideas. Well fam I need to head out. I'll let you know how my new area is next week. also I have been recieving those dear elders almost every single week from Grandma Winda and they couldn't mean more to me. Thanks so much Grandma. Anyone else can send me dear elders, it's really easy, and my mail is decreasing so spread the word fam! ha ha. Also Mumsey and Poppy shot me an email that was awesome too. Thanks Mumsey and Poppy. Thanks for all your prayers and love. I love you fam!
elder peterson
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Chance's Email 12/31/2008
Happy New Year fam!
Sorry last week was muy rapido but I just had 30 min. and I think next monday is my normal p day but we had a new years activity and played a lot today and today is our pday sorry for fault of info. today we heard some messages from pres and sister may. they were great. pres may always has some way of relating everyday things to the gospel, a lot of the times it has to do with being a basketball coach and some stories he has had. I don't know if i have already said this but he is like a chuck cutler speaker with basketball instead of football. after that we watched another movie. It was a movie about the life of president hinckley. I don't know if you guys have seen it but it's awesome. it's got some great quotes throughout the movie. one of my favorites was "do the things you are scared to do" something like that. It's always things that scare us that will help us grow and have experience. We sometimes just lack faith and courage to do them, so do it! For example, right now in my area my companion and i have basically started from zero. We had like 10 awesome investigators or more and this past month little by little they have manifested their problems and we have tried to help them and none of them have wanted to excercise enough faith to take the steps towards baptism. It has been really hard and we had to excercise lots of faith and stop teaching them cause we know there are others that are prepared to recieve the gospel and get baptized. I was a little scared to do it but we have left them that haven't progressed and we have been knocking lots of doors and finding some new people. sometimes we have to go back to the basics like this to progress more, like learning how to throw with your opposite hand or riding with the opposite foot forward on the wakeboard or waterski. I have also learned how to be more dependant on the Lord. I have seen lessons with the spirit and without and there is no comparison. if we don't teach with the spirit it's just a conversation. people are truly converted when they feel us teaching by the spirit and that's my main goal right now. That's so awesome that mitch spoke about that, I hope to learn how to teach by the spirit better. Well mom and dad, you aren't the only ones that were sick. The day after Christmas I got a head cold too, but i've been killing it with vitamins and water and today i can barely notice it. So kill it with water like you taught me dad. I think I lost a few kilos too because i couldn't eat a lot cause everything in our fridge is dairy so this past few days I think I have downed like 15 pb& j's. In a way I am thankful that I got this cold because it made me realize how thankful I should be for health. I told my companion "you should give thanks in your prayers tonight that you don't have a cold its horrible" and right after I said that I thought of someone blind or who doesn't have legs or who has some ridiculous sickness telling me "you should give thanks in your prayers tonight that you can walk, see, hear, eat, whatever it may be. but it helped me see my blessings a little more. you guys should make some time to read the talks of elder bednar again and elder wirthlin and pres monson about joy in the journey. they are amazing and will help you be happier. Today we played soccer with some latino missionaries and the gringos got thrashed. we were very humbled. the ball would get passed to me and by the time I could stop the ball someone stole it from me. Well thanks for all your prayers and support. I was so lucky to have a family anxioulsy awaiting my telephone call while other missionaries had trouble getting a hold of their families and are lucky if they get letters from their parents each week. I feel so blessed. I love you guys.
elder peterson
Sorry last week was muy rapido but I just had 30 min. and I think next monday is my normal p day but we had a new years activity and played a lot today and today is our pday sorry for fault of info. today we heard some messages from pres and sister may. they were great. pres may always has some way of relating everyday things to the gospel, a lot of the times it has to do with being a basketball coach and some stories he has had. I don't know if i have already said this but he is like a chuck cutler speaker with basketball instead of football. after that we watched another movie. It was a movie about the life of president hinckley. I don't know if you guys have seen it but it's awesome. it's got some great quotes throughout the movie. one of my favorites was "do the things you are scared to do" something like that. It's always things that scare us that will help us grow and have experience. We sometimes just lack faith and courage to do them, so do it! For example, right now in my area my companion and i have basically started from zero. We had like 10 awesome investigators or more and this past month little by little they have manifested their problems and we have tried to help them and none of them have wanted to excercise enough faith to take the steps towards baptism. It has been really hard and we had to excercise lots of faith and stop teaching them cause we know there are others that are prepared to recieve the gospel and get baptized. I was a little scared to do it but we have left them that haven't progressed and we have been knocking lots of doors and finding some new people. sometimes we have to go back to the basics like this to progress more, like learning how to throw with your opposite hand or riding with the opposite foot forward on the wakeboard or waterski. I have also learned how to be more dependant on the Lord. I have seen lessons with the spirit and without and there is no comparison. if we don't teach with the spirit it's just a conversation. people are truly converted when they feel us teaching by the spirit and that's my main goal right now. That's so awesome that mitch spoke about that, I hope to learn how to teach by the spirit better. Well mom and dad, you aren't the only ones that were sick. The day after Christmas I got a head cold too, but i've been killing it with vitamins and water and today i can barely notice it. So kill it with water like you taught me dad. I think I lost a few kilos too because i couldn't eat a lot cause everything in our fridge is dairy so this past few days I think I have downed like 15 pb& j's. In a way I am thankful that I got this cold because it made me realize how thankful I should be for health. I told my companion "you should give thanks in your prayers tonight that you don't have a cold its horrible" and right after I said that I thought of someone blind or who doesn't have legs or who has some ridiculous sickness telling me "you should give thanks in your prayers tonight that you can walk, see, hear, eat, whatever it may be. but it helped me see my blessings a little more. you guys should make some time to read the talks of elder bednar again and elder wirthlin and pres monson about joy in the journey. they are amazing and will help you be happier. Today we played soccer with some latino missionaries and the gringos got thrashed. we were very humbled. the ball would get passed to me and by the time I could stop the ball someone stole it from me. Well thanks for all your prayers and support. I was so lucky to have a family anxioulsy awaiting my telephone call while other missionaries had trouble getting a hold of their families and are lucky if they get letters from their parents each week. I feel so blessed. I love you guys.
elder peterson
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