3-22-16

Hey Family,

SO this week we had interviews which i will talk about next, on wednesday we had to go and change the oil in the jeep and also rotate the tires. we had to just sit there for like 3 hours.... it was super boring! but it was funny because we were sitting there at like this booth thing the have facing the to road and we were kinda people watching and looking at the cars and stuff and reading some conf talks and that good stuff. and then i looked up and i saw this guy and i thought i had seen him before and that was a crazy moment! to know the people and area well enough to start recognize people around town!!! a couple days this week we went through like everything we had planed for the day by like 3 and so we had to kinda make things up as we go and we walked around and talked to people as we contacted people and it was really interesting. we walked past these hispanics that were putting subs in there SUV's and they were eating inn n out and we asked them how it was and they said, "mut bien!" (very good) and then we walked a little farther away and then one yelled out "con cervesa" (with beer) hahaha we laughed so hard!! it was a lot of fun! also i bought that pillow and it is amazing! i love it so much!!!! 

about the interview and what was talked about? interviews took all day!!! like we got there at 8:30 and we didnt leave until like 5:30 and they didnt finish till like 8! that is insane!! me and president talked about one of my investigators! it was really interesting. nothing about me or anything. it just shows that he is not worried too much about me. but he did call me last night we and talked about me wrists and me head and how the work in and if i am stressed and also about writing letters home!  it was really interesting. he gave me some good advise about a lot of things!

we have a boy how is 9 who was afraid of water when he was 8 so he didnt get baptized (antwone) and so he didnt get baptized. so his parents asked if we would teach him the lessons and stuff. (they are a little less active.) and he is getting baptized on the 26th!!! he has grown a lot and he is so much fun! i love this little guy a lot and he has helped me a lot to learn how to teach. we teach him in english and i have had to use a lot of object lessons and having him draw things to remember stuff. and it has been really fun! 

we also had to take someone off date this week (joe) because he wasnt coming to church and he is still smoking and stuff. he wants to get baptized but he feels super busy. he is starting his own landscaping com. he is a fun guy.

we are trying to meet with this guy (jose) and he listens really well to what we say and really seems like he wants to learn. he asked real questions and wants to know. also he is really funny! he sometimes tries to speak english to us and he teaches us new words in spanish and it is really fun!

we are still working with ana to get her coming more often to church. she has had all the lessons, now she just has to choose to act. it is sometimes hard to teach her because she kinda just cuts you off when your speaking and just goes off but.. its all good!

also we got back in with the helen and her family! helen is a 9 year old that is not baptized. her parents are less active and kinda "dont have time for us" but this friday we went over and we talked to them for like 2 hours. just talked. we didnt really teach them the whole time. we talked about their life and about their jobs and we cooked with them and then ate it (it was really good to have like a LEGIT home cooked meal and to cook it and be apart of the making of the food) and then we shared with them the hallelujah video (if you haven't watched this yet you need to!!! and share it with as many people as you can! share it in church or what ever meeting or gathering you are in!) oh jk we actually showed them a book of mormon video which is epic (the story of the book of mormon) but still share the hallelujah video!!!!

 today we went and helped out at this bishop storehouse thing but not a LDS one. like some random one that does the same kinda thing i guess. 

How is the head and neck now?

neck i feel is doing a little better! i love the pillow i have! it is amazing and my neck truly can relax with it!!

How are the hands?

hands are ok. i have been wearing my braces all week because sister russell asked me to. it is annoy to have everyone ask me about them and they kinda get in the way but i am able to hold my ipad better now and also get through the day with less pain. so i guess they are helping. 

3/7-3/14

So one day this week we were on a way to go see some people in talent and I was driving and my head had been kinda gone all day but anyways we were driving and I ended up taking the exit to Phoenix for some odd reason. I kinda beat myself up for being dumb and not taking the right exit but was I drove the slower way to talent I thought that maybe we could visit one of our investigators. So we did it and it ended up being a good thing. We didn't end up teaching him a lesson but we talked to him for like 45 minutes. (It was gross because the smell coming out of his house was really bad! I asked elder Dopp what it was after and he said it was beer and smoke combined. It was gross) but we were able to have a cool experience with him and testify that we love him and pray for him. So that was really fun!

Cinnamon rolls are our new favorite snack! I bought cinnamon rolls on Monday and it was probably the best idea ever. We set them out to raise at lunch time or sometime and then we put them in the oven when we get back home at 9 and then after we are done planning we get to eat cinnamon rolls! It is so awesome!!!

as You can see these things are HUGE and they are wonderful! Like they are as big as my face!!! Haha

Patterns of lights

mom's voice coming to me and telling me to take care of myself.

So this week I watched those patterns of lights videos and I was sitting there feeling gross and I heard moms voice come into my head that said " learn to take care of yourself and treat the problem before it gets big!" So I jumped up and I took excerdrin and stuff. Also I got some help for the doc and so that is a big help. 

Sorry I don't have a tone of fun things from this week because i didn't really feel super great and my head was not really here.....love you, Elder Peters

March 7, 2016

2/29 - 3/7
Lesson with Joe and all his crazy thoughts that go every which way. We go in there and we try to teach him but every time, he goes off on at least a 5 to 10 minute tangent about random stuff and we have to try to pull him back down to where we were talking before. But he is doing good and he is progressing pretty well! He has a strong desire to change and so he is doing the things we are asking him todo. He is a fun guy and always keeps us on our toes.
Also this week I was able to think a lot about how my study is going and I feel like it was been slacking. I have tried to look at it and see what is different and why it doesn't feel the same. I don't know what is different yet besides maybe I didn't have such a huge desire to learn. I want to learn so much but I think I just don't know where to start sometimes. I want to know all I can about the gospel and how to better teach it and how I can help people understand it better. I decided to try writing down stuff during my studies but that didn't help me as much as I wanted. I still had the problem of ( just like dad and Tyler) I get so tired when I read. Like I can be super energized but once I start reading, I feel like I tell me brain, "ok go to sleep now" and then the bobbing starts and the heavy eyes and all that good stuff. But I fight through it every day and hope that one day I will be able to just read and maybe even enjoy reading even more.
So for service this week while we were at the kitchen place, me and elder Dopp got the great privilege of taking all the meat off the turkeys they had. Haha! It was a lot of cutting! He pulled the meat off the bones and I would cut it into bite size pieces. It took us a while. It was funny because when we got home we both were SO tired! (Did you know that turkey makes your tired! That's why every one gets tired on thanksgiving! Crazy right!) and so when we got home we were just super super tired! We both kinda crashed on the ground! It was really funny!
Also for service this week we went to a pear farm and did some work there and that was fun! I need to be nicer to myself though and learn that it is ok to just sit and watch sometimes. Our assignment was to rake up all the sticks from when they pruned the trees. So I was dumb and I just did it even though I knew it was probably was going to hurt me but I have a hard time stopping myself when I see there is work to be done and no one is really doing it. So I just did it. I didn't hurt super bad right after so I thought I was getting stronger (and I probably am but I am also still very weak) and I just have been sore this week from it. But it was a lot of fun! I got to work in the sun and i got to listen to a couple conversion stories of the people in my group that I was working with and just talk about things that only missionaries would talk about! Like people they are teaching and how working in the vineyard and comparing it to Jacob 5 and stuff like that! It was really fun!
And then we had service again and this was for a man who's mom was in the hospital and he needed to build a ramp for her to get into the house immediately. So we went over and helped him and it was a little tender mercy for me! It reminded me of back home with dad on Saturday mornings when we would work on little projects or build something. After a while of not being useful and just standing around because I really was no help (I could lift or move anything that they were working with... So I just kinda stood around with a couple of other missionaries. But then I found a job that I thought I could do! Sanding (with a belt sander of course) and so I started sanding away and making this hand railing. And it was really cool because the guy kept saying "just do it like you were making it for your mom" and so I did! I took it to heart and I was thinking of mom and how she would like to have her hand rail feel and look. So it was really fun. I got to feel close to both mom and dad.
So something very unique happened this week. Elder Dopp went into a English area for an exchange and then a English elder came here with me.... Wow! It was a bit crazy! I tried as hard as I could to talk to as many English speaking people that day and it was kinda hard. I still did a ok amount of Spanish and that really surprised! I was able to kinda communicate with the people and say what I was trying to say! So that made me pretty happy and I was also able to see my growth. It was an answer to some of my prayers. That I would be able to see my growth and feel like I was doing ok. And God does His works in mysterious was! I feel a little more comfortable with teaching now and also with just talking to people. I am so thankful for all of my growing experience.
We had ZTM this week and it was pretty good! One thing that really stuck out to me was something that the sisters taught. And that was honesty. They shared the 13th article of faith and I was thinking about how honesty kinda is the gateway to a lot of other attributes. When you're honesty, you have integrity, you have trust from other people, you and true in all your dealing with your fellow men. I was really impressed with this and I thought to myself that it is so important to be honest not only in word but also in action and in deed. I need to be honest in who I am. I am not Elder Peters and then sometimes I am just Michael peters. I need to make them into the same person. I need to be honest in how I present myself to people. So I enjoyed it and I am hoping to be able to better understand who I am and how I act.
I had sacrament in English today for the first time in almost 5 months and it was awesome! I understood 100% of what went on and I was able to sing all the hymns and know exactly what was going on! It was pretty cool! But I also really love sacrament meeting in Spanish! I may not be able to understand everything that is said but I can understand what I feel better. I am learning to better head and listen to the Holy Ghost!

Love you all! 

Elder Peters

I also found this little bittie tie at one of the elders apartment and I decided I needed to Embrace my Irish background and summon my inner leprechaun!

Building the deck day!

I think these were the most expensive things I have ever wore on my face! (Oakley) I felt pretty cool with these things on! Oh also dad guys what wee are driving! A Nissan frontier! It was pretty cool!

February 29th, 2016   LEAP DAY!!!!!

2/22 - 2/29

Today I got my greenie breaker! And so far I really like this elder! He is so much fun and he is a party! He knows how to work hard and also how to play hard! He is from north salt lake! Like right by josh Maynard! He is super fun! Btw his name is elder Dopp! And we figured out I had a class with his younger brother last year in school! So that was pretty awesome! 

Also we went and saw hno Camacho (our ward mission leader) and we were able to show him our big investigators and kinda set up some plans with him and it was actually really good! I was able to explain a lot of our investigators and what their needs were. And what I wasn't able to say elder Dopp had my back. It was cool to see that I kinda do know a little Spanish. Maybe this has been a answer to my prayers that I would be able to see my success and be able to keep growing! After we met with hno Camacho we went over and saw Joe and like usual he has some interesting stories but we were able to still teach him a little. And elder Dopp was super smart and he pulled up some scripture to help Joe with his problems. After this lesson or maybe before I don't really remember, elder Dopp told me to just be confident in my Spanish. Like he says my prayers are really good but I need to just be louder and put some emotion into my words. Apparently Hispanic are emotional with there words! Jaja! 

We were able to go and give a blessing to this brother how I guys was pretty sick. We gave him a blessing and a couple hours later we got a call from our zone leaders and they said that he was a lot happier now and his spirit was lifted. They said he told them he felt the spirit flood the room as we walked in and he started to get a little emotional. Times like these make me so great full for how I live my life and that I am striving to have the spirit with me always.

I had a break though one night this week of how I'm supposed to be using the area book and our planner. We need to go through new and other investigators and make sure they really are investigating or if they need to be dropped ( because some of these people haven't been taught for a while now)  

New comp is the guy off Sahara!!!! He totally reminds me of the main dude off Sahara! He sounds similar and it is just so awesome! I told him this and he was super pumped and thankful that he could be compared to that dude. obviously I was excited that he knew what Sahara was and that he liked it too!

We had this cool Lesson with ilario (this dude is actually a guy we just said hi too when we were trying to find a other investigator.) so we walk up and say hi like awesome missionaries and then we get talking to him and we talk to him for like 30-40 minutes and we answered a lot of his questions and taught him the restoration. It was really cool and fun. It was nice because we were able to speak some Spanglish with this guy and it was very helpful. He asked a lot of good questions and ones we had answers to. Like how can I know? How do I pray? And a lot of others. He seems like he could go places!

So it is now Saturday and I have realized quite a few things this week. One, stress equals headaches and not a super happy elder peters. Two, it's really important to connect with people before you jump in and try and teach them. Three, I need to constantly be improving my study's and my prayers. There is no coasting allowed. Four, I keep thinking I have no idea what I'm doing but I know that that is the point. I am nothing. I can't do this but that is why I have to turn to the lord and plead for his help and guidance.

Why do grandma and grandpa peters not have a picture on family history? Sorry random question but we were looking at in on sunday and I saw that they didn't have a picture. Anyways.

this week my new idea for my life is to take one day at a time! It is very simple but it is a very true fact! If I can just focus on today and do my best today then things go better!! This week I have struggled a lot with headaches and not feeling really great but as the week went on and I figured out that I needed to change something so I wasn't so stressed all the time. I decided this because my eyes started twitching and I know that that is not a good thing. I also thought of how dad some night would come home and he would have a lot to do and he would be stressed and get a headache and his eye would start twitching. And how did he solve this? Probably talking to mom a little but also by pressing forward in faith! Faith that everything would work out! Faith that God has a plan for what needs to happen in our life's and that somethings that includes us being a little stressed so we have to turn to him and seek his help and peace in our life! It really is a cool thing that happens when we humble ourselves so much to the point of thinking there is no way to do what we want to do and what is required of us, and that is when we turn to the Lord. I wish that this didn't have to happen and we just natural turned to the Lord for his help at all times but at the same time we are able to learn so much and grow! So my new goal is to take one day at a time and try to remain humble before God so he can continually mold me into the man and missionary I need and want to be!

This week we were able to have some cool teaching experience. One was ilario and also a couple with the Fuentes and Suarez. I was able to learn a lot from these lesson. A lot about what I need to be doing better in my teaching. I need to speak up a little more (just like grandpa peters told me the night I was set apart, and be more confident in what I am saying) and also to pronounce more. These are things that are hard for me but will help me in the long run. I need to just jump into lesson and start talking. But I am improving and that is all that really matters!

so this week I really feel like Sunday has been a gift to me form God! I have been able to feel a whole lot of peace and able to feel the lords hand in my life. I love the opportunity I have every week to take the sacrament and be cleaned of sins from the past week and have the opportunity to keep trying and become more like my heavenly brother, Jesus Christ, and take his name upon me!

something New in missionary life is 1) I eat more in the morning (because elder Dopp is a lot like me and he actually eats food and stuff jaja) and 2) the energy level here is so much higher! Me and elder Dopp just party and work well together. We still have to work out how to teach the lesson with more flow. But that will come! Also music has entered me life again!!! Elder Dopp has a lot of CD and so we are like always having some uplifting songs! It is da best!!!! 

How I feel? Well that is a really good question! As Annalee would say " I feel good today!" Haha but really today (Sunday has been a really good day and a day that has seemed like a day of rest even though I still do the same missionary stuff I feel like I was able to feel better and happier today.)  I have struggled a little this week with my head and stuff but I am working on that. Don't worry about me. It was just a lot of change and a lot of stuff put on me all at once. But with the attitude of taking one day at a time is helping a lot! Always remember,   "Attitude is everything!"

How I eat? With a fork and a knife and on special occasions (like mornings) I use a spoon! But some days when I am feeling a little crazy I use all of them in one meal!! :) But when I am feeling really posh I eat with my hands! hahahaha! But like really though! I eat with my hand a lot! How else do you expect me to eat a toco or a quasadilia or a flauta or a papusa or a corn dog? :)  

I am so grateful for the time I have here to serve my Savior and my God! I am grateful that I able to constantly change and become better! I am grateful for all of you! Family, friends and everyone! I know I am loved so much! I love you all so much! I miss you guys but I'm sorry, I am not coming home until they tell me I have to leave! I love the people here so much! I love the time I have to just talk of Christ all day! I love to hear it when people say they feel a peace walk into their home with us when we walk into their house! I love the chance given to me to be able to teach other but me importantly to be taught! 

I love you all so much!!

Love

Elder Peters!

February 22, 2016

2/15-2/22

So right before p-day ended last week I went to the batting cages! It was pretty fun just to whack at the balls, not as fun as with dad though. Like with dad I can whack them really far but the net in the cage stops you from doing that and also I probably wasn't so rust when I did it with dad! :) anyways it was really fun! My forearms are a little sore from it but that is about all. So that is really good! 

I am grateful for the time on p-day to just run around and be crazy! I am able to feel more and more like myself when I am just running around playing! It is a lot of fun! 

 JOE GARCIA! So mom do you remember how I talked about this guy we found tracking one night and he was like "Mormons, we were just talking about you" and then he can out and talked to us for a bit? Well we finally found him again and he accepted to be baptized! He was like "there's a pool, just through me in! I want to be baptized!" So that was awesome! Also while we were talking to him he started smoking and it was making my head hurt and stuff but I remembered he said one time when we stopped by that he stopped smoking for like 10 days after he first saw us! So I decided to ask him if he would put it out and also I asked him if he would stop smoking all together and he said yes! He said he doesn't like it even amd if makes his stomach hurt. So that was awesome! We went back a little later and took him some candy to eat that would help him from smoking! 

After this awesome adventure and after all him crazy stories, we went to our ward mission leaders house, the main purpose was that elder Blake had to use the restroom but afterward we were able to just talk with him and catch him up on a couple of things! It was really good! And right before we were leaving he asked us if we had anywhere to eat and we didn't so he invited us over for dinner and it was so so great! We had hamburger and they were amazing! I love homemade hamburgers so much! They are a billion times better then fast food ones! 

 So fun little fact!! I am all done with new missionary training! I have graduated! Hehe! It has been really fun to have that time to do all those role plays and learn so much! I will miss it but only a tiny bit. Haha not really! 

Weekly planning this week went better then last week for me. I did it all by myself. I can do the whole what should we teach them part pretty ok but when it comes to just throwing people into times that we could possibly visit them... I take a long time and get kinda frustrated with myself. It is mostly because It is hard to just say lets see these people this day and then what happens if everyone goes through. I don't want to seem like a dummy. So that is what I am working on. Elder Blake told me something pretty great. You will never know until you try. I need to not be afraid to just throw things out there and just try! So I think this will be a good thing for me. Something that will really make me stretch but it will be good for me!

So we were out finding (or as dad told me to call it, fun time) and we knocked on this guys door and he saw us and like just started coming out the door (most people will only crack the door) and this Guy said "mi amigos! Quieran un cerveza!?" (My friends! You want a beer!?) Haha it was super funny! It really through me off for a sec but then we started talking with him and he said we could come back. Maybe just because he probably was drunk! Haha

Update on investigators

• Cristal is on date and see wants to be baptized but she said it is more because all her kids are doing it so we are going to try and work with her and have her desire it for herself. This has been a little harder because she said we can only come on Tuesdays but then she cancels on us a lot.
• Joe  is our new person on date. He is the one I have already talked about.
• Ana is kinda falling off the face of the earth and stuff... She knows she needs to be baptized and we have taught her everything and some but it really is just up to her to say "ya I want to be baptized now!" So that's hard with her. She has been taught for a while and everyone knows she will get baptized but she is just having problems with her boyfriend and stuff.
• Helen really wants to be baptized! Like every time we are over there she is like "so when is my baptism" so that is hard. Her parents are less actives that are just struggling with coming back to church and so we want them all coming to church regularly before we baptize Helen so she has a support group behind her. 

The letter that Annalee sent we like 2 weeks ago is really starting to take affect in my life. In this letter she talks about how we need to have faith in all things and that they are intended for our good and benefit. Also that we need to press forward in hard times in faith, not fear. We need to have faith that God has a plan for us and he knows what he is doing! I am starting to get nervous about my new comp and how he doesn't know as much Spanish as elder Blake does. I realized also that he doesn't know the area and so that is also up to me now. I know it will all be ok and I just need to trust that the lord knows what he is doing and he will help mold me into the person I need to be.

Today I have been up and down with the whole idea that I am getting someone new. I am super excited to get to know him and try new things. But then I keep remembering that now it is up to me to plan things and also drive us around everywhere and stuff like that. Haha I keep thinking "oh boy what am I going to do!?" And I get all worried but I keep thinking of Annalee and her saying to have faith and to have more faith then fear! So thanks Annalee! Things are getting better and I am excited for everything but I am also a little nervous. This elder only has like 2 more months then me on the mission so that's exciting. His name is Elder Dopp and he seems like a good guy!

This is the Camacho family! They are super nice and a really fun family! Always full of laughs and good times!

Love you all!  Have a great week!!!

Elder Peters

February 15, 2016

2/8-2/15

This week we had a lesson with Karla and Jafet, the parents of Helen, and it was really good! We stopped by just to see how they were doing because we haven't been able to see them for a while and then when we got there Karla told the kids to go to there room and then she just sat down with us and told us how she really is feeling about the whole reactivation thing and getting Helen baptized. There's a lot to the story but the main point is that we were able to just sit down with her and address a lot of her concerns. We tried to answer the best we could but there is just something (Satan) pulling her the other way. We told her that they would have to pray to know if the things we were telling them were true. Anyways it was good and very helpful for us and her. After the lesson when we were in the car I said to elder Blake, "Wow that was epic" and he told me "that is why we live worthy of the spirit at all times so that we are ready for situations like that"! And it is so true! Living so the spirit can dwell in me is so important and something I desire so much! 

We also got to meet with Cristal finally! It has been a while and the last time we met with her she said she knew she needed to be baptized so we were really anxious for the next lesson! We talked to her for a while and tried to figure a date that we could set for her and for us for her baptism.

Zone conference! Woot woot! That was amazing! I was able to grow so much in that meeting! It took pretty much all day! 8 hours! It was crazy! There were a ton of things that I loved but one thing that president Russell showed was this video of this like seminary class learning about the atonement and for one of the lessons the teacher had bought a big donut for everyone in the class(24). But to get the "gift" something had to happen first. One of the students had to do 10 push-ups. So this same student did 10 push-ups for every single person for them to receive the "gift". I think Rachel did something like this on her mission. But it was symbolic of the savior and how he payed for everything in our like and has given us a "gift" ,the Atonement. As I watched it and observed how helpless everyone felt as they just watched this kid do push-ups for them, I started thinking of how we thank the Savior or how we can be more thankful for his gift or how we can help lighten his burden. It all clicked for me when one of the kids broke a piece of the donut off and ate it! To this point no one had eaten it. By partaking of the sacrament we thank Christ for his suffering and and that is how we use the gift! We partake worthily and desiring to change. Anyways it was super great!

With out fail when we go out and start taking to people I start to feel better! It is because I stop thinking of myself! Just like Tyler said to me one time, missionary work seems to solve a lot of the problems that we face in life!

We were at this guys house and we were teaching him and it was going super great and we were talking about following the example of Jesus Christ in our life's and how we do that and then we showed the video about Jesus and his baptism. It was super great but then all of the sudden the guy got super side tract with a simple question to me about where I was from.... That is one thing I have no idea how to control or make better. How do I keep people on course of what we are telling them and not let them get sidetracked talking about snow, drugs, problem kids, and who knows.?

So as I lay In bed one night I was thinking of how great my bed back home was and how it didn't hurt my body and how it was long and I could stretch and then I had a lightbulb moment. I just needed to pull the head of the bed away from the wall and put something between the bed and the wall so I could have that extra 5 inches. Oh it is a lot better now! I don't have to think small, I can just stretch out in my bed! 

In a lesson this week I was siting there and I wanted to talk and say something really bad but I wasn't sure what to say but then I found a tiny opening in the conversation and so I just jumped in and from what I understood I tried to help her and explain some doctrine to her. It was pretty great and I felt pretty good about myself. Also in this lesson we watched a YouTube video! It was awesome! The members daughter came and the daughter pulled up the video about the gardener and how he cuts down his bush for its good! So that was awesome!

We have an incredible family! Enough said! Jaja! 

Get up and read. This is what came to my mind on night this week. I was laying in bed and I was just done with the day and wanted to sleep. I got in bed and was thinking and making sure I did everything to get ready for bed and then the thought of "did I read" came to my head and I was like ya I did that this morning and then I was like wait is that rationalizing not doing it. Anyways I had a little debate with myself but I decided that the spirit always persuades us to do good so of course this is from the spirit. So I got up and went to my desk and started reading from the Book of Mormon and I was able to feel happier, more peace, and just better. It is so important to follow the spirit and to always have it with us. The Book of Mormon is so amazing and it has helped me so much already!

Elder Blake helped me keep my cool when we were coming back from church. One elder has really been getting on my nerves a lot and he was saying a lot of dumb things and he was just annoying me. I finally had enough and tried to get him to understand and I was getting mad. And then elder Blake just said "elder peters, don't." And then I knew what he was saying. It is not worth it to get into arguments with this elder at all. I am thankful that he did this  so I could remember how important it is to not offend the spirit and life so it can abide in me.

So I was just told that my spirit Animal is a red panda! I asked them why and it was because I am always so happy and people just feel happy with my smile!

Happy birthday to grandma and josh!

This picture was sent to Trish on Valentines Day from Genoveva Rojas who feeds these four Elders every Sunday.  They say that Elder Peters  is so special and looks like a twin with a missionary who baptized them six years ago.

Elder Peters' talk on the Atonement for Zone conference-

⭐️Enabling Power = Grace! 

Through the enabling power we are able to keep progressing and changing to become more like our savior, Jesus Christ. 

If we didn't have it we would all be lost and there would be no way for us to be forgiven and start new. We would never be able to come close to the people we need to be without it. Because of the atonement we can be forgiven of our sins and shortcomings.  We are able to repent and continue to strive to become more like our savior. We are able to stand up and keep trying when things get hard. Christ knows us perfectly and he knows where we will fall a little short or where we will do good. He knows how much we can do and he will push us to do all we can do. I have seen in my life that the times that are hard in my life and that really push me are really the times that I grow the most. They are the times that I drop to my knees and ask for strength. Just like how it says in ether 12:27 that "if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." I know this is true. he is able to guide us and really make us into something better and help us become a better instrument in his hand. 

The Atonement doesn't make everything a walk in the park but it does make it all possible. It will be work and it will be hard at times but through those hard times we can either turn to the lord for help and strength or not. We are able to have the help of our Savior through all things as we go to him in sincere prayer and ask to be guided. He will never leave us. He continually has his arms outstretched towards us and it is up to us to reach back! (Psalms 136:12 "With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.") 

While I have been serving this mission, I have come to learn a lot more about this side of the Atonement and how incredible it is. Before I just though that we used the atonement when we sinned and because of Christ's suffering we could be forgiven. but now I am realizing that is it so much more! It is something I am using every day and every moment! It allows me to keep growing and learning. It allows me to repent and keep trying when I haven't done all that I could. I am being comforted and guided by someone who knows me perfectly, someone who spent a lot of time to get to know me and how to best help me. And because of that I am able to feel that comfort and love and know that Christ knows me so perfectly! He knows what will push me and he knows how much I can do! The atonement is so much more to me now! 

The Atonement is such a huge gift for us! I am so grateful that I get to testify to people that Christ knows them perfectly and will help them through everything in there life. All we have to do is turn to him and do our best! At times our best may be a full on sprint but at times maybe our best is crawling. But both are improving and movement forwards towards Christ! He knows us and he knows when we are giving our all! 1 cor 15:10 I know that because of the atonement I am who I am! I know that God is molding me everyday! I don't understand why I have tuff times in my life at times, but when I look back I am so grateful for those hard times!

In closing I want to share one more scripture. Moroni 10:32-33 

• "32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
• 33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot."  

I know this is true and that as we come unto Christ and use His gift of the Atonement, we can become perfect in Christ.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Élder Peters

February 8, 2016

2/1-2/8
Tonight was a great night! We had dinner with English people! We were talking with them at the family history center and they asked us if we were getting fed and stuff and they asked if they could feed us tonight so that was epic! They were super nice and really fun to be with! The guy even said he would invite me back for pork chops!!! So that is super awesome!! Also before we got there I decided I should find something to share with them, like a message, and I chose to share "becoming true millennials" and they really liked it! I know I was guided to find something because they rushed right at the end so I was glad to be ready! I know that these little thoughts are from the Holy Ghost! 
I also felt really bad because we got to our investigators house and she is really having a rough time... Her son is a drug addict and because of that he boyfriend won't marry her and so many things are not going her way.. I felt bad for her for one because she was going through all of this but also because she doesn't have the gospel knowledge that we do and how if we will really just true to God that he will help us! Just like the people and looking at that golden serpent on that staff and how it was so simple but people just couldn't seem to do it. We told her how much prayer and scripture study would help her and how she could feel so much better and have that peace she is searching for. I hope she will do those things we left her to do and that she will have peace.
I love the time I have in the morning! Everything about it! The time to stretch and the workout a little and the time to study! This morning I had like everything I own that is gospel related open while I was studying! I finally opened that study book mom made for me (like this is the first time I could have possibly used it because I have been so busy) and it is great! I am studying for zone conference where we all have to prepare a 20 minute talk on the atonement. So I started that today. I had my English Book of Mormon and my Spanish libro de mormón open and my gospel library and I was using them all to study! It was super great! I am not really sure how or what I am going to talk about with the atonement yet... I know I want to include like personal experiences so that I am not just looking at my iPad. I want it to be from my heart and maybe just have like a guide on my iPad.
So a popular question this last week from the family was what have I been eating? Well I want to brag about what I made me and elder Blake! We had grilled chicken with pasta and corn and I had a piece of my homemade bread to go with it! It was wonderful! Also to add to this I had a chicken sandwich (homemade).
So I had the craziest lesson ever today! We taught a Jewish guy! Wow! It was insane! He wants to make sure that he is worshiping the right messiah and a lot of crazy stuff.... It was insane! I felt so out of place! We have only taught people who are like Catholic. So this lesson was weird... It was kinda weird like I tried to show him that the name of the messiah is Jesus by using the bible but then he brought his torra and it said it was something different. So.. He kinda wanted to bible bash with us but at the same time not. It was weird.

 I have been trying to have my prayer be more filled with thanks and focused on others. It is something that Annalee told me to try along with facing life with no fear, only faith! I also know that you all at home have been doing so much for me! I know that every prayer that you guys said, that I was in there somewhere, I know that dad really did take time and pray for me at lunch, I know mom has been pouring out her soul to Heavenly Father and asking him to help me, I know all of you have been thinking of me and waiting me to be happy. Thank you so much! You all should know I have been praying for you EVERY night! I asked that mom and dad would feel comfort and know that I am in the lords hands and that all will be ok. I love you all so much and you all are such a huge example to me.
Gracias for my testimony of prayer and fasting! I know that this week has been better because of much prayer! I don't feel like my situation has changed much but I have changed! I have gone to the lord in prayer a lot and I know that he is hearing them!
Today in my personal study I read the whole book that Rachel gave me and boy oh boy can she write good books! I felt the spirit the whole time and it was everything I needed to hear! I needed a little love and a little boost and it took me so much farther! I felt so happy and so glad that I am in this family and that's have this opportunity to serve the lord for 2 years! I know that this is where I want and need to be! Mom I KNOW you have been praying for me so much and you need to know that I feel it!
So I know that there is not a ton about my week in this letter but it has been great! We were able to find a couple new people this week and we kinda have like a whole new teaching pool. It is exciting to have new people! It kinda gets you re-energized and excited! Also on the sad part our 2 really big investigators are really slacking and not doing to hot... Ana has been having troubles with her boyfriend and him not wanting to marry her now because of her kid and also Helen and her family have kinda been like avoiding us and we haven't had a lesson with them in like a week in a half and they are still expecting there daughter to get baptized next week. I wish there was a way to better explain how important of a step they are making and it not something to be taken lightly. Anyway, the work is good and all is well!
Tonight we had dinner with the familia Rojas and they are super nice! (Their son is actually serving his mission is Ogden!) and I got to give the dinner message( we trade off because all 4 of us go to their house on Sunday) and I did 1 cor 15:10 "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me"  I really like the beginning where it says by the grace of god I am what I am! And I shared this and when I would look over at elder Blake to make sure I was saying a word right we would be smiling and say ya or nod his head! I don't know why but it just made me happy! I have looked back a lot this week and I have truly seen how far I have come in my Spanish, in my spirituality and also my maturity. Honestly I have changed so much already! I am so thankful for my Savior!

Love you all,  Elder Peters

I promise my hair usually looks a lot better! I think it got messed up when I put my bag on my shoulder.

Haha we were watching this video In church and then all of the sudden I was like "wait that is uncle Dave!"