January 18, 2016

Tis another Week in the FTM

Good tidings I bring you all from the Pensacola area of the Florida Tallahassee Mission in the year of 2016. This week has been quite the indescribable so I will just tell you what happened.

 

Monday: "My kind of Pday" Pdays with Sister Hilton are kind of whatever I want them to be. I love it!

 

Tuesday: "Deep Doctrine..". So we took an investigator to institute...Then we talked about the pre earth life and the council in heaven. Deep doctrine. I think she handled it well though. She was fasting too, maybe not for that, but hey, the spirit will be there anyways!

 

Wednesday: "We Don't Want You to Leave". After learning some troubling information from our bishop about an investigator, he let me know that he really doesn't want me to be transferred any time soon. That brought me a lot of comfort. Apparently I am doing something right here!

 

Thursday: "Pine Forest?!". We spent a lot of time in what used to be Pine Forest Area. We also met Ashley for the first time. She is awesome!!! She is getting baptized on February 6th and she just reminds me so much of myself. I am so excited to work with her and help her to prepare for baptism.

 

Friday: "Giving Back...Finally". More about Ashley. After the most random day of missionary work in my life, we get a call from Ashley at about 10 pm. She invited people to her baptism and got super negative responses. Many of you may know just from that, that I was able to relate pretty well. It felt so good to give back what the missionaries helped me with. That is exactly what brought me on my mission.

 

Saturday: "Learning to Trust the Spirit". Everything fell apart this day. Nobody was answering, and we were using tons of miles on the car. I followed a few promptings which brought us to Ermilisa's house. I had been worrying about her and we hadn't seen her in a while. She is doing better than we thought and we set a return appointment with her. God truly blessed us as we followed all of those weird promptings.

 

Sunday: "Just Go With It". What an awesome and odd day. We had a giant area conference with Elder Rasband, Hales, and Whitney Clayton talking to us, along with Sister Reeves. A shout out to my other South Eastern States friends! It was great. We had a good turn out too, because of the boundary change. Then, we had a little social after. One of our members had a seizure. That was different. I had never seen one before, but I knew he had epilepsy and that it happens all the time for him. He is so chill about it too! Then, we later took a member who speaks Spanish to these people we want to teach. They just went off while we just stood there. Just go with it.

 

Overall, a good week. This week is going to be epic with all that is planned! Stay tuned for another update on Sister Peterson's life in the FTM!

I love all of you a ton!

-Sister Peterson

PS, enjoy these super cool and funny pictures :)

January 11, 2016

Transfers! New Companion!

This week was INSANE!!! So much happened! To start, I have a new companion. Her name is Sister Hilton. She is from Idaho Falls, and we went to BYU together. I totally saw her all the time. Who knew we would be companions on our missions? Our ward now has 3 out of 4 BYU kids. No one stands a chance now ;)

 

Monday: "A Grand Pday". This pday was legit! We went to Olive Garden for our last meal together, courtesy of one of our investigators. We also had a zone activity where we played dodgeball. I love running around and hanging out with all the other missionaries.

 

Tuesday: "Goodbyes". We were BUSY. Sister Wood had to say good bye to every one, and we had no car, so we were hoofing it everywhere! It was good though. At institute, I learned some valuable lessons on how to retain the spirit. Whenever we feel we are losing it, we must remember the promise in the sacrament prayers. As we remember Him, we will have His spirit to be with us. Applying that has brought great blessings into my life.

 

Wednesday: "Transfers". I said goodbye to Sister Wood. That was super hard. I actually cried! I never do that. It is scary carrying the area, but Sister Hilton is the bomb and super chill. We got work done that day even! Then we had a great mutual fireside where she got to meet some really great members and the youth.

 

Thursday: "New People". I got to drive and roadtrip to the doctor. That was awesome. It's kind of fun going to the doctor and having him be the Stake President in that town. Poor Sister Hilton; 24 hours after she left her area, we were back in it for the doctor! I don't get this title anymore, but it is going to stay.

 

Friday: "Figuring it Out". This is when I really felt the weight on me. We changed plans a lot, but it all worked out in the end. God does bless us with revelation as we humble ourselves and take time to do what He has already asked us to do.

 

Saturday: "Blessings from Above". We had Stake Conference. We have a bigger ward now. We gained a new investigator from the elders with a baptismal date. We have twice the amount of active members. It is literally Christmas for the Pensacola Ward's missionaries!!!

 

Sunday: "Good Sabbath". I think that title is always really similar. I loved Stake Conference. The talks were great, I introduced Sister Hilton to a bunch of people that she probably has already forgotten, and I was spiritually fed. We also had a great lunch and lesson with an investigator afterwards. We had tons of lessons and were really productive. What a great week!

 

I love you all and hope you are staying warm this winter. Cozy up to the Savior as President Smith would say. He will be there for you in all your trials and will bear you up. He has definitely been there for me in every difficult situation that I have turned to Him during. Have a great week in 2016!!!!

-Sister Peterson

January 4, 2016

What a Week

So, for all who may have been interested, I am staying in Pensacola for another six weeks. I have been here for 4 months now. This means that I will be here for at least 6 months. That's a whole third of my mission!!! I am getting a new companion though. Her name is Sister Hilton and we actually met each other at BYU! It will be nice to have someone to talk about BYU with. I miss that place often.
 

Monday: "Count Your Blessings"". It was just a good day. Nothing too exciting in regards to the work, but there were tornado warnings and I did spend our companion study in our bath tub because of it. Oh the excitement!
 

Tuesday: "They Found Me" We had a great district meeting, saw a new investigator who is just super fun, and had a good night at institute. This title comes from when I was doing family history. I was looking at when all the people I am related to had their work done. All of them are by different people from the times of 2011 to 2013. I started investigating the church in 2013. I know it is them that led people to me to teach me the gospel. It is because of them that I have found the restored gospel. Now I am doing the research to find their family members that got overlooked!
 

Wednesday: "I've Seen Prayers....And Rain". What a day. It started out really rough for me. We got rained on when we went to volunteer, then got a ride home. Then we got soaked on our way to a less active member's house. We got a ride home from that. Then we went out again and got soaked on our way to an investigator. My clothes were drenched! I love the rain though and it felt just like home. I couldn't really be upset.
 

Thursday: "It's a 2 in 1!" This day felt like two. The beginning was good. We helped someone move. I love to get some heavy lifting in. It makes me feel like I am contributing. Then, we went out and had some good lessons. That night we had a good dinner and played ukulele.
 

Friday: "Keep Trying". All of our plans fell through and so we came home and made new ones. Those worked out. It was a really hard day.
 

Saturday: "Not a Fall Through Day". Everything worked out and it was actually a great day! We were teaching all day. I needed that a lot.
 

Sunday: I didn't come up with a title. This was a good day though. I love the Sabbath. The spirit is powerful.
 

I wish I could write more. Hopefully next week the computer doesn't constantly freeze so I can write stuff! I love you all and am so grateful for your prayers and support!

-Sister Peterson

December 28, 2015

Was it a Month or a Week?

This was probably one of the longest weeks of my life. It went by fast, but it feels like I was in front of this computer a month ago. I hope you all had a great Christmas. I know mine was probably one of the best ones I have ever had.

Monday: "Your Average Pday". This was a super chill pday. We helped a less active move in, and we hung out at the church as any missionary does on a Monday. I was caught napping on the floor of our primary room by one of our members though...Oh well :)

 

Tuesday: "A Day for Me". This whole day was aimed at helping me, I felt. We had a fun district meeting that really helped me with some of my struggles. We also had a super awesome institute class! Everyone should go look up Elder Renlund's talk from the last conference. I got to meet the guy in person and talk to him at BYU and he is just so amazing. I knew he would be a great apostle if he ever was to be called!

 

Wednesday: "Patience and Accessing the Atonement". I know I am usually pretty straight forward with you all and I tell you what is going on. I think the title just about says all that needs to be said about this day though.

 

Thursday: "People Do Care". Christmas eve was great!!! I loved it. We had a pretty easy going day. For dinner, we went to a member's house and made cookies with her four year old. Her daughter is the cutest! I will have to send a picture of her and I! That night, I spent an hour on the phone talking to different mission leaders. It is really nice to just know that people do care and are looking out over specifically me, Sister Peterson. They do it whether I feel I deserve it or not.

 

Friday: "How Have I Been so Blessed?". What an amazing Christmas. So many people felt that they should help me out this Christmas. I could not be grateful enough. Our mission president called us that morning too. He's the best :) We had a great and sort of random day. I wouldn't give it up for anything though. Pensacola is the bomb!

 

Saturday: "Just Keep Trying". What a hard day. We had almost no motivation to work, but we just kept trying out there. I had a really hard evening. I feel bad for my poor companion. She really sticks through it all with me. It will be sad when we part ways!

 

Sunday: "It is Wonderful". I stole that from some people at church. I gave a talk on journaling and apparently it was good! I love church. We saw lots of people on Sunday which made up for the rough week we had. We met this new lady too! She is so funny! Hopefully we will be seeing her again this week!

 

Just a warning, I have a high likelihood of being transferred this upcoming week. That means I would move on January 6th. I love Pensacola, but I think my time is coming to an end here due to some situations that have arisen. I love you all and am so grateful for your love and support! It truly means the world to me. Have a great end to your holidays!

love you all!

-Sister Peterson

Some other pictures from Christmas! We took Christmas dinner to the nurses in the ER at Baptist Hospital :)

December 21, 2015

Christmas is Upon Us

I cannot believe Christmas is this week. Or that I have been a missionary for four months. Where has the time gone??? I also can't believe that I am tired of fried chicken. I love that stuff, but I have had way too much this week. I am dreading possibly having more for lunch today.
 

Monday: "Waka Waka!". We had dinner with a fun member of our ward. She taught us a fun game while driving us. During Christmas when there are lights everywhere, we are supposed to shout waka waka whenever we see a decorated house. Who ever has the most houses or the biggest set up wins. I made them die from laughing with how competitive I got with this. You can bet I will be playing this game for years to come.
 

Tuesday: "The Spirit of Conversion". I got to have a great conversation with some really old members about their conversion into the church. She forgot that she already told me, but I just love their story. I also started sharing mine before she got sidetracked. It's nice for me to share that every once in a while. It reminds me why in the world I am here.
 

Wednesday: "Mission Christmas" . We had our half mission Christmas conference! I had so much fun. I really was able to let go and just enjoy myself for a small moment. I also did a musical number "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" with an elder from my district. The spirit was powerful while we were performing. I am so grateful for that talent and the ability I have to testify through music.
 

Thursday: "It will All Work Out". This was a really hard day for me personally. I pretty much let my companion do most of the talking. One of our less actives even noticed I was quiet. (We all know that is pretty rare). The events of the day were great though. We got a lot done. I also received a powerful blessing that night. I am so grateful for the power of the priesthood. I know without a doubt that those words were from my Heavenly Father for me at this time. And boy did I need them.
 

Friday: "Preparations". This day was full of them! We were making plans and setting up appointments all day. Every where we went, we didn't really get a lesson, but we did get a return appointment. We also went shopping with a member for the decorations for our Christmas party. It was an easier day than the day before.
 

Saturday: "When Can I Relax?". We were on the go go go! We had a great lesson with our friends Jonathan and Blessing. I can't wait for the day that they are ready to be baptized. We then went to the church to set up for the Christmas party. That was all super stressful for me. I just wanted to sit down and cry. We made it through though and tons of people showed up! I have never seen that many members in one room before in Pensacola!
 

Sunday: "Working it Out". Things are working out for me. I have been going through a lot personally, and this day I really got a lot of help for those issues. The sabbath truly is a very special day.
 

I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas this year. I am so grateful to have two of them that are so centered on Jesus Christ. I wear His name on a badge for goodness sake. He is the reason for the season and a great one at that. He truly does work through all of those around us. I am grateful for Him every day of my life. Without Him, I surely would not be here.

-Sister Peterson

December 14, 2015

Another Weekly Email!!!

Hey everybody!!! This was another week, obviously. I personally did not do much in my area this week due to being on an exchange, zone conference, and being sick. But, work was done and lessons were learned!

 

Monday: "Easy and Enjoyable". It was your average Pday. We went and had dinner with a sweet nonmember mother of a missionary from this ward. That was fun! She even bought us some groceries! I got cuties (I am too poor to ever buy those right now).

 

Tuesday: "High to Low". We had Zone conference! That was so much fun. We learned a lot and had fun with our awesome zone. After that, I went to Milton on an exchange with Sister Brown. Her and I are very similar and get along really well. I talked about a lot of things with her that I needed to get out. The day was just hard for me as I went to being super excited around all these people, to really low with just one person and more time to think about the things I push to the back of my mind.

 

Wednesday: "Your'e a Drug Addict". The title comes from when we were doing our exchange report, after a day of Sister Brown already taking allergy and head ache medicine. During our report, she non chalently grabbed more meds and took them. I lightened the mood by calling her a drug addict, you know, regular missionary stuff. It was a good day though. I really enjoyed the change in scenery.

 

Thursday: "What's going to Happen?". This was a crazy random day. We did normal work, but there was a block of time for us and the STL's that we could not receive direction for. We kind of just went with it, but were all afraid some horrible thing would happen. It's all good. Oh, I also got even more sick on this day.

 

Friday: "Sleep it Off While Remaining Busy". I say this, because while I was forced to rest in our apartment, my companion was off with an STL having a few lessons. What a day. That night we had a dinner appointment that I barely made it through. Sister Wood got to Skype all of her family early though, so that was super cool! I got to meet all of her family!

 

Saturday: "What a Variety". We did a lot of different things this day. The most special part was when we helped this less active woman who just moved into our ward. She has had two brain tumors and can't do everything for herself. I had to learn how to help her get insurance, her phone activated, and her POD to be delivered. She is so sweet and I can't wait to start teaching her. We also had a sweet lesson with Jonathan and his wife about the plan of salvation. They know it is true and are so excited about all that we teach them. As soon as Jonathan gets healed, he will set a Baptism date with us. How exciting!!!

 

Sunday: "How Sweet the Sabbath". I just am always impressed with the spirit of this day. It is so sweet. I am so grateful for that day every week. Even when we bike all over the place and tire ourselves out, that special spirit is still there.

 

I hope you all have a great week preparing for Christmas! I always enjoy your emails and will one day actually reply to them, I promise!!!

-Sister Peterson

December 7, 2015

What a Week...

Wow, this week has been one of the best and most difficult of my mission thus far. I would say that is due to all the things I have been dealing with personally, and all the blessings we have received in the work.

 

Monday: "Beautiful Day" I am going to be honest, I don't remember too much of what we did last Monday. It was a good day and really pretty outside though. That is when we took the pretty beach pictures.

 

Tuesday: "Another from the Talk a Lot Tribe". Sister Wood and I have this running joke about how there must be a 13th tribe of Israel, called the "talk a lot" tribe. While volunteering at the family history center, we met a couple of ladies we believe may hail from said tribe. They are pretty cool and we are hoping to start teaching them. That will be quite the interesting experience. It was a good day though.

 

Wednesday: "Never a Dull Moment". We stayed relatively busy this day! That is always a challenge on days that we do not have the car, but we managed it this week! We volunteered as normal, had a few lessons, the goods. The best part of the day was when we went caroling with the young men and young women (I may have gotten that idea from 2 years ago when we went in the Arlington 3rd ward). What a success that was! And it was so fun. We took ukuleles and sung and played to several less active and elderly members of the ward.

 

Thursday: "You Get Me". We did a phone call exchange with our STL's this morning. That really means that each of us go into a room by ourselves and talk with one of the two sisters that lead us in this area. When I talked to Sister Brown, I really opened up to her about all that is going on. We have had a lot of incredibly similar experiences and she was able to really relate to me and help me. We met with some of my favorite less actives that day (they are my favorite because I love them like family and they are fun to teach... they accept and keep commitments too..). That night, we had the elders and the ukulele family come and interrupt our lesson so we could carol to our less active. Then we went out with them and caroled to more less active members we teach. What a great thing!

 

Friday: "I love to Work". Well, we all know that is true. We hardly even had a moment to ourselves this day due to how much we were doing. We had lessons come out of thin air, as well as a last minute dinner appointment at Steak and Shake. Man I love that place. I got to put up Christmas lights at Ermilisa's house!! How fun!

 

Saturday: "The Battle". What I mean by this title, is the battle I have been having with the adversary. I won't go into details, just know that I am dealing with a lot on top of all the missionary stresses we normally have. We helped another person do Christmas decorations though! I love seeing how they start to feel the Christmas spirit. It is so cool to bring that into people's homes.

 

Sunday: "A Powerful Day". Man... the spirit yesterday was insane. It was fast Sunday, of course, as well. Church was good. I bore my testimony, which is hard to get to do in this ward. I haven't done so since September actually. As many of you know, that is weird for me. The best part of this day though, was our lesson with Jonathan, the man from Ghana. He knows that the "latter-ay-saints" as he would say, are the one thing he is missing. He won't make decisions to get baptized until he is feeling better, which we totally understand. The spirit in that lesson was amazing though. We didn't even have to point it out to him. He just knew as we were reading the intro to the Book of Mormon. We had the elders come to give him a blessing of healing. I just hope all works out for him. He can do so many wonderful things and touch so many lives as a member of this church.

 

That's about it for this week. I am pushing along through a lot of hardships, but I have the faith that God will take care of me. I have truly experienced the mercy of Christ this week. He has carried me a lot in the past few weeks. I hope you all get a chance to watch the new Christmas video! It is non-denominational and can be found at Christmas.mormon.org.

Love you all!

-Sister Peterson