May 23, 2016

Dear Family and Friends,

So his week we were in a trio because the zone leader’s comp was made the assistant to the president! So that is crazy! So we all were together. It was good but also kinda hard because we had to cover both of our areas. We were see that guy I talked about that talks to us forever and this week we were only limited to a hour and instead of us teaching him he kinda took over and told us to tell him our favorite Book of Mormon story. So the 4 of us went around and talked about our favorite stories and why we like them. So that was interesting also he just kinda took over the lesson and would try and throw something at us to trip us up but we had 4 missionaries so it was pretty ok. 

We were able to find someone this week who was awesome! Too bad she is in the zone leader’s area... Her name is Rebecca and we knocked on her door and started talking about the plan of salvation with her and when we finished she said that she had prayed the week before that she know what happens to us after this life and why we are here and then all of the sudden we popped up!!!! Woot woot! Point one for the missionaries! So that was pretty epic!

So this week I went to the doctors on Tuesday and we went over the results of the nerve condition study. She told me that my nerve are fine and she doesn't feel like I have carpool tunnel so she did some tests on me, like moving my wrists around and stuff. She decided that I have loose wrists. Pretty much that means I have space in my wrists and so my tendons and muscles have to work harder to keep my wrist in place so that is what causes pain. So she wants to have me go to physical therapy and see how it goes. But I only can go 3 times in my whole mission.

Also we went trying to find this kid that was recently baptized but isn't coming right now and so we stopped by his house and we could find him and his mom was trying to help us even though she isn't a member and she said that maybe he was at the park that is right next to their house. So we went and looked but could find him so we went to go to our next person and we stopped to take pics by this wall and then boom! There he was! It was super weird! So as we took pictures we talked with him but we didn't try to teach him because he was with his friend and so we didn't want him to feel uncomfortable with talking to us in front of his friend. But hopefully something good happens in the future.

Ya it is transfers today. Elder Adams is leaving and becoming a zone leader! But the crazy thing is that he is just moving across the parking lot! He is becoming my zone leader! So that is crazy! And I am getting elder huntsman. He has been out for about a year and a half now. He is from Utah as well, in aurora! 

Love you all, Elder Peters

We went finding in another missionaries area this week after district meeting and even though we didn't really find anyone we did find this super cool field to take pictures in!

my new companion - Elder Huntsman

May 16, 2016
Dear Family and friends,

This week we tried to contact more of the people that we had already found that were just sitting in the area book and see if they were interested. It was nice not to just wake up every morning and go track all day. It was good to go see people that we had already found and talk with them. One sad experience that happened was that we contacted this guy elder Adam found a while a go and when he opened the door and saw who it was he grabbed the Book of Mormon and gave it back to us..... That hurt more then someone just rejecting us.. But one really cool thing was that we went and saw this old lady we found last week and we talked with her for a while and at the end we asked her if she was interested in family history and she got so excited and really wants to do it with us! She was so pumped for it! Then last night we went tracking for a bit before dinner and we found this lady, Michelle, and she is so prepared! She was like "you guys couldn't have come at a better time. I am searching for a church and for answers! I am a little busy but could you leave me with something to read and study and then you guys could come back later and talk with me" it was so exciting! :)

This last week we had specialized training and it was mostly on using our iPads right and submitting our will to the father will! So that was great! It has been something I feel that Heavenly Father has been helping me with. Also the vehicle coordinator came from Utah to inspect our cars. He talked to us about tiwi (the box in the car that tells us how to drove better) and it was actually interesting! Like he made it fun! No interviews this week. Maybe next week.

Well this week I am not a dippy faucet but I still have a lot of snot.. My head is better, like pressure wise, but it still hurts a little. I did get my package! Thank you so much for the socks and the sweater! I am wearing my braces right now and they feel pretty ok. My wrists have been ok this week. I think that some of my pain was coming from the thought that I had carpole tunnel but they still are sore. I have my doctors appointment tomorrow so I will ask her about them.

So in Saturday we had this service project for this race that is called "heroes challenge" and it was so honor veteran and stuff. Like they had obstacles that they had to do that were army related and it was going to be awesome! But then it just POURED the whole day! And so no one ended up coming.... But my assignment was to watch this fence and make sure people went the right way. It was lame and more lame because no one came.. So we just sat there and got soaking wet! It took me a while to get warm after! I had my sweats on and my long sleeve on and sweater and this electric heat pad on my feet! But I got a dog tag out of it! ;)

So this week was pretty good! we have had a few really interesting experience! We have taught like 3 people this week that know the bible really well and one lady we taught was telling us hat she felt that God had sent us to her so she could save us and help us get back on the path.. She had the most INSANE interpretation of the bible. And then we taught this 17 year old that was throwing out some insane scriptures from the bible that my comp or I had ever heard before! This kid was crazy and pretty smart but my comp was smart too and said that is all comes back to if Joseph smith really was a prophet and if that is true then the Book of Mormon is true and we are the only true church. But the kid didn't really buy it.. Then we taught this Pentecostal who we gave a Book of Mormon to but she said she would only read it if we listened to some of her preachers CD's. So we did that after a hour of that she wouldn't listen to us for like 10 minutes. But she said she wouldn't go back on her word so she would read a little from the Book of Mormon and pray. So hopefully she feels something!

Also when we were at the eugene mission we were able to serve in the kitchen and we chopped potatoes and onions! It was so funny because we all started crying in the back bacause of the onions! We seriously were all teary and it was so funny! But it was also cool because I was able to chop stuff! I have not been chopping things because I was nervous about my wrists so that was a fun experience to use my wrists a little more!

Also we did exchanges this week. So I got to be with elder finlinson! This elder is the zone leader and he is so awesome! He is a lot of fun to be with and he is obedient! I love it! I love being with people who desire to be what is right! It makes me so happy and it is so much easier to do what is right! And the crazy thing is that he ended up becoming the new assistant to the president! And he has only been out like 10 or so months! He is epic! While we were together we went to Dinner with bro Snyder and this dinner was a little bit different then normal dinners. For one, it was just him and also he had a death in his family pretty recently and so he is struggling. He told us a little about it and it was kinda weird because I want really sure what to say but as it went on I was able to talk with him and comfort him little and we started talking about other things to get his mind off that and he told me how he was a manger over a company that worked with browning and another hunting company. And he was really good at duck calling! It was nice to see him go from almost in tears to laughing and telling us stories!

We had splits this week and I went and saw this less active member and she was so nice! We talked for a long time and at the end I bore my testimony on the Book of Mormon and she said that I knew that it was true because of how much I was smiling and she also felt it in her heart! Boom! Man I loved it! The guy I went with talked to me later and he said she just keeps talking about me and what I Said! So hopefully she felt something starts coming again!

Dunk now- week 9 ! woot woot! Man my legs kill after that! I just decided to jump in and do it with elder Adams and it was insane! But pistol Pete (me) gained a ton of respect from that!

We were out tracting a little before dinner and we found this lady at is SO READY to hear the gospel! She answered the door and said we couldn't have come at a better time and that she was wanted to learn more and that she had questions about where her dad is now that he has passed away and so she asked us if we could leave her with something to read to understand a little about what we believe and the whole time I a doing a little dance party inside my Heart! She said to not worry about her being one of those people who didn't respond back to her because she will make sure to contact us very soon!  it was epic! Right after we got past her door we started doing a dance party!!!! We were so pumped!!!!! It was so epic!!! 

I love you so much family! You all are such amazing examples to me! I am so thankful for this opportunity I have to be out here and be helping people and learning so much every day! Keep being awesome fam!!!! 

Love 

Elder Peters!

Look at those clouds! We got drenched!!!

May 9. 2016
Dear Family and friends,

Come what may and love it

So yesterday I went to 2 sacrament meetings for church because elder Adams confirmed someone that he had been working with and so we went to our ward at like 9 and then we drove to Springfield where elder Adams confirmed his old investigator a member! So that was fun. The whole time my nose was running so I went though like a whole hanky in a couple hours... But in our ward they had a couple of the youth speak and they two adults speak and then at the end they had all the women stand up and then the young men handed out these chocolates to them! 

The do have some pretty big houses here. We call it green acres and those houses are pretty huge! We got to talk to one guy there and he is a sales man and he works a lot with Mormons and he said that Mormons make the best door to door sales man! ;) hehe! 

Today We went to the park and played sports outside! So I just sat and watched everyone play and then I got a soccer ball and I played around with That! So that was fun to just move my feet around and do something different!

Nerve condition study was pretty great I guess! Hehe! I wish i could have got pictures of but my comp feel asleep while I was getting shocked! ;) so he best way to explain this test is that they lay me down on the table and then they measure out where my nerves are and hen they mark it with a pen and shock me there and then they slowly move up my arm! And the higher they go up my arm the bigger he shocks got! Like when they were up by my elbow it made my whole arm flop like a fish!!!!! It was so crazy! It wasn't like painful but it felt really weird...... 

We had a 3 hour lesson this week with this guy that stopped us and asked if he could have has own world and be a god and so elder Adams told him to meet with us and he would find out! So we saw him on Sunday talked for a while and scheduled an appointment for Tuesday. And this lesson lasted for 3 hours! He talked about the restoration and the plan and we shared scriptures back and  guy knew the bible really well and so this made me realize how little i know about the bible so I need to study it more! It was a pretty cool lesson!

And that was one of 3 of our lessons that went through this week! The other 11 canceled on us.... So it was kinda a slower week with lessons...

On Wednesday night elder Adam's wrists started hurting and so I doctored him up! Hehe and we both iced our wrists and we looked pretty awesome because we both had gimp wrists! Hehe! 

Look at those pretty cars! 

I saw this sign and I had to go back and take a picture! It was so fun! 

And of course I had to dance by the sign because we had some sweet beats pumping though our car! 

After my doctors appointment we were driving back and we drove past the football stadium and it looked awesome! It is so huge and nice! On the right side is where all the tailgaters go for the game! 

 

This is me watching all the zone play volleyball! Woot woot! 

I love you so much!!!! Thanks for all you do!

Elder Peters!

It feels like just the other day I was doing this......

So We are teaching a guy named jumari and he is 17 and he is kinda a jock but when we start taking gospel with him we just brake all his walls!!! Like the last 3+ lessons (we have like 3 lessons a week with him because that is what he wanted us to do to help him to get baptized) and each time I look over at him and you can see his eyes are a little red and it looks like he is trying to hold back tears. Like the first lesson I had with him, so last week, he opened up to us and said he was having a hard time and so I shared how when I have a hard time I like to listen to uplifting music and then elder Adam shared how he could like write down some of his feelings. So he just combined it into one and he just writes songs I guess!! Hehe! This guys is so much fun to teach because he listen so intensely and he really wants to learn. This week we got a call from the zone leaders asking if we had a lesson planned for that night and we had jumari and the said great because president Russell wanted to come with us! WHAT!!! We were kinda panicked for second but when he got there it was pretty great!! They got to know each other and then we started. We were both kinda stiff at the beginning and I felt like I was teaching a lesson not a person so I changed it right there and made up my mind that yes I can use the points to guide me but always follow what the spirit tells me and teach what would apply to a person. And after that I was able to better teach jumari and I felt like it was easier to teach when I was less worried if I was saying the right words and more concerned about listening. President Russell asks about jumari every time we talk to him now so that is really fun!

This week elder Adams had a training district leader training in Eugene so after he was done we drove Drove through Eugene and I saw the stadium and the athlete study center and also where the Book of Mormon play was at and then I remember seeing all of that when we drove through the campus when we came up here before.

We were serving at the Eugene mission and one of the workers was talking with elder Adams and he was talking about me and about my wrists and how he feels sorry for me that I have this problem at such a young age. And he also was concerned about how it would affect me with getting a job if they see I can't do anything with my wrists...

So we are also teaching a lady named autumn and she is so awesome! This last week we taught her the word of wisdom and it was really hard on her. She had been smoking since she was 14 and so it was really hard on her. We have a senior couple that comes with us and we felt that he kinda just threw it at her and was not very nice about the approach to telling her hat she needed to stop smoking and drinking coffee to be baptized. But we went back later and we sat down with her and tried to explain things better and she then was not in as much shock so she was more willing to accept the change and so she is so far 2 day without smoking at all! So that is big! We went by on Sunday and talked to her and had left 2 Nephi 2 with her to read and she pulled out the meaning about how Adam and Eve had to eat the fruit. She is really smart and has such a desire to learn.

Megan is a mom who elder Adam and I invited to be baptized last week and is week we had a another lesson with her about the plan of salvation and it was really fun because we were able to build her knowledge from ground zero. She know little to nothing about the gospel and so we get to teach her and we don't have to fight against her and try and prove all the point in the bible. It is cool also because she says e plan just makes sense just like it is supposed to! We learned it before this life and we are just hearing it again here!

 After the lesson with her we started talk and it came up that she deals with headaches everyday and she said how she has tried different things and she said she even tried topamax and she said she hated what it did to her body and that she experienced a lot of the same side affect that I am feeling. So we talking for a while and it was fun to connect with her!

So on Saturday night we were walking home from the church (which is like a 30 minute walk) and we stapled at this place called Dari mart just to see what kinda ice cream the had because I guess they have good stuff. Any way, so we walk in and this guy asked if we wanted a tour of the store so we were like sure! So we showed us where the really good ice cream was and then the pink milk that he used like 30% of his check for and then the rest just like a gas station haha! It was funny and then at the end he was like do you guys want some free ice cream? We looked at each other and were like sure! And we are it as we walked back home! It was pretty crazy!

Fasted for guidance with the becraft family and as Sunday went on things just seemed to unfold just like they needed to for her and her family.  As I pondered what I should fast for this fast Sunday I thought about fasting for myself and that I will be able to function better and teach better and that the doctors will be able to help me this week but then I felt that I needed to fast for others. There are others praying for me and probably fasting for me. I need to fast for others. So I fasted so the becrafts and Megan! And I feel like things are moving now. 

Love ya family!

I will see you all this next week!

Love Elder Peters