December 7, 2015

 Remember how you said you prayed to have my mission president give me a huge hug?!   Well it happened! When I went down the escalator and I saw Pres. and Sister Russell I was so happy it was them and not just some missionaries!! So I smiled and I waved at them and then when I got to Pres Russell he just grabbed me and hugged me tight! It was so nice!  Of course it wasn't like dad hugging me but I still felt the love that I have been missing for a long time. I told Pres Russell this story when I had the interview with him and I thanked him for following the inspirations of the Spirit!! After I told him this we both ended up tearing up! I love him so much and he is such a great Pres!!   Oh my goodness mom! that experience at the airport was truly God sent!! It was amazing!!! I am so thankful for it!! 

My address is 

123 cottage st apt L

Medford OR   97504-7357

My companions name is Elder Blake! He is a great missionary!!! He is a good example to me! I haven't got to know him super well yet but he is really caring! He is so willing to help me with my Spanish and so I try to talk to him as much as I can in Spanish! He is from Sandy UT and he is I guess kinda like me. He love sports and stuff.

My area is actually kinda big i guess. it is Medford but the south half. So like everything south of McAndrews. It is a little harder work right now because we just split the area and so we are doing a lot of work with the area book and figuring out who people are and stuff like that. So I do a lot of sitting while Elder Blake is figuring things out. I want to know what he is doing but I don't think he likes it when I look over his shoulder! haha! haha the cold makes it a little harder to do missionary work because he gets cold really easily and so he doesn't like to go out and walk and also because the people are kinda far apart. and we are sharing the car with the other missionaries here that cover the north part. but don't worry we are still doing work. we are trying to figure out the bus schedule and so we can use that but the down side is that the bus stops running at like 7 so we can't use it to get back home. oh my goodness mom it is so cold!! I don't know if i have been like warm here besides like when I am at a members house for a while or when I am sleeping. I think it is my body in shock to the cold weather. I am so used to the warm mexico weather!!! haha i think i am going to need more sweaters! 

how i feel..... well that is still a ton of emotions..... hahaha! i am loving it here but at the same time i feel so lost and no idea what is going on. i am excited but also sad. i am happy but i am also tired, i am ready to work but i cant understand a ton of what is going on! so ya i have a lot of emotion!! haha. um i am not really sure if we have done training.... i guess that shows how lost i am.... i think i need to start asking more question to make sure i understand things.

I love you so much!!!!

thank you for all of the prayers you have said for me! I know and can feel those prayers! I kinda feel like I have restarted and I have to learn everything that I learned at the ccm again... like i feel like my prayers are not what they were and that i feel lost again. but then i remember that i never am!!

I love you so much!!

Elder Peters

Michael's mission President said the following about Elder Peters and the two other he arrived with:
"Now, I would like to share with all the power and excitement that surrounds the special Church wide – Worldwide – “A Savior is Born” initiative, by sharing a special story.  As some or our new missionaries arrived at the airport this past week, Sister Russell and I upon greeting them, shared with them the video associated with this event. (Found on christmas.mormon.org) After watching the video we gave each of them the “A Savior is Born” pass along card.  Within seconds of watching the video, these missionaries began talking to the lady at the information desk at the airport.  They shared about this event and after a 6-7 minute conversation left the card.  As we finally got back together and were ready to head to the mission home, anxious to hear what happened, one of the first things they could say was, how do we get more cards. They were all so excited to go forth and begin their service here in the OEM.  There is a special power associated with the birth of Jesus Christ.  Please don’t hesitate to share this message.  It is a heart softener and door opener.  Even if you are rejected, something very special will happen – you will come to love your Redeemer and Savior even more. "

When Sister Russell called me she said, " Wow! Your son is amazing!  They come with power and with strength.  Not ten minutes on the ground in Oregon they were off talking to a lady who worked at a booth in the airport in Spanish!  They carried on a 6 or so minute conversation and in the end they gave her a pass along card!  They are amazing!"