Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Last Letter as Elder Peterson

Last picture taken in Ohio


So sad to write those final words. We have had a great run. We work through rain, snow, sun, humidity, Bone chilling winds, tears, happiness, and so much more. It is coming to an end. I can not wait to see everybody that will be there. I have a lot of love for the people out here but I have a lot of love for the people at home too. I will continue strong. 
"The cow's going away gift" LOL


Love you lots,

Elder Peterson

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

1 Awesome Mission

Love the work of God and it has changed the world to know that I have been apart of this great work and still have one more week to do it. Looking back on the past for the last two years. I have seen both the good and the bad. The heart aches and the overwhelming joy of this work. Let me tell you this though That this is an experience that I would never change. I would not change it for the world. I Love the time that I have had doing this mission. The field is white and already to harvest. The worker is worthy of his meat. So much love and devotion I have unto the most high God, and my Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. You just have to ring it out and Just love every minute and seeing people and seeing what God has in store for them. You learn to see them in his Eyes and see the beauty and the light of Christ. Charity if no man hath then faith and hope will cease to exist. Even now looking at the people that I have helped bring unto Christ. A change has occured. But even now Seeing the great blessing each area, and each person help me become the great man I am going to one day become is astounding and unreal to me. I would not ever have become were I am today with out it. But only one more email and I will be home. I look forward to seeing the faces that I love once and still love again. Love you all
Elder Peterson

Monday, June 1, 2015

Your four minutes..


5lb Hershey Bar
It's  Massive
Well time is now ticking and getting things done is ever more desirable. The work here has been doing well. We have a few people that have been getting ready but the main one that is on track for baptism is Rhonda and she is doing awesome. All is moving forward and she will be baptized on June 27. We then have a bunch of Less active people ready to come back but need to make the decision in themselves that they are ready. But we have been busy and not really much is new. But we did go to Mohican State park and that was very enjoyable. Pictures should be coming in and well I enjoyed it all. Love you and see you next week. 

-- 
Love
Elder Peterson
Cleveland, Ohio Mission

Monday, May 4, 2015

Love my mission



Here's a fun picture of Elder Peterson lefting the front end of a Volkswagon bug. Lol


Feeding the cows
Service project

Aren't they cute???







SO things here have been great. Just have been nice and calm and getting the work of the Lord done. Gotta love how the Lord works in things. But I have seen so much and getting so much done that I am super happy and love the work that has been put forth. It definitely has not been easy but it never was so what is new there. I love my mission and I have enjoyed it so much and I love working on getting things figured out to help this part of the world grow in the gospel. We have finally set a date with Rhonda and it won't be tell a few days tell after I leave for home but that is what the Lord intended and that is what I am going to do. 
Love you lots, 
Elder Peterson

Monday, April 27, 2015

20 can you believe it???

Well now, I am getting older and older. My birthday was awesome. It was sort of actually like a birthday week for me. It started Sunday of last week with the Crawfords. They made me a cake and it was delicous. Then they sent it home with us. Then on Monday we got to go to the Kunick family and they celebrated it on Monday. Then on Tuesday I went to Bro Stapleton and and they got me a cake and sent that home with us. Then on Wednesday the Crawfords got me a birthday present. I am sending pictures. Also an investigator made us cake. Then on Thursday I got a package from Grandma/pa Peterson. Then on friday the Bournes celebrated. Then on Saturday I got 6 cards. Saturday split was a big success, just excited to have it over and done. We had regional conference yesterday, and we heard from Elder Hughes of the seventy, Sis Reeves of the Relief Society, Elder Anderson of the twelve, and Elder Hales of the twelve. Elder Hughes talked about how there was a man in the middle east that is Mormon and how he lives in constent danger of being killed for his beliefs. Like he was writing a letter to the twelve letting them know how he was doing. He said that even though bombing happens as he writes with Anti aircraft going off. He still writes. He teaches his family knowing that one day the gospel will come to the middle east and he wants his family to be ready. Sis Reeves talked about the Atonement of Christ, and how we need to use it to the fullest. Don't think that just because you made a mistake you are imperfect. She relaid an experience of a man (when she was a mission presidents wife) how he thought that God could never forgive him of what he had done. But her husband interviewed the man and found him worthy to be baptized. She said the man was so happy and overjoyed that he feel on his knees crying knowing that God had forgiven him. We then heard from Anderson who taught about how God is losing the signifigance in the world. Like 6 years ago 82% believed in God, then 4 years later 69% believe.  He said that the sad part is the answer is simple to fix this problem. You need to have scripture study. You need to be at church. But most of all you need to teach about God in the home. Next we heard from Elder Hales and he shared the importance of scripture study and prayer. He shared not just the importance of personal study and prayer. But with your spouse companion study and prayer. Also family study and prayer. He said if you want to be comforted do this and miracles will happen. He then shared the success stories of people that do what he did and shared 10 examples of the hundreds he had of people finding the church because people followed the Lords council. But love you all.
-- 
Love 
Elder Peterson
Cleveland, Ohio Mission

Monday, March 23, 2015

Smooth baptism...more to come



Well the more and more I write the more and more I see how short of time I have. You tend to get a bunch of flack especially when you are the oldest. But we had an awesome week and we are working towards more success in the future.
March 21, 2015
Elder Peterson, Marlene, Trever, Elder Graves
Well things have been going awesome, the baptism went super awesome. We had a huge support with the ward and them getting baptized and it was a joy to see them all there. We had everything all set up and ready to go and it was a really smooth baptism. Not much went wrong at all. I sent pictures to my mom so you will have to bug her about getting those. haha The new person (her name is Rhonda) we are teaching is doing so awesome as well. She got talking to some of the ward members and it was such a blessing in itself. Then we also have a few more people that we are teaching and things are doing awesome. But not much else, continue the basic principles of the Gospel and I promise that your life will always be easier then if you do without it.
Love you all

--
Love 
Elder Peterson
Cleveland, Ohio Mission

Monday, March 16, 2015

3,15, 105, 1,2,3

Well this is going to be a short one, but things are doing awesome, lots of things are panning out, Like we are all set for the baptism this Saturday and it is super exciting. Trever and Marlene are all set and ready to go. So we are going to be busy with that this week which is great. Well the work has been progressing forward at a rapid rate. We have a new investigator that is already ready for baptism and just needs for April to come so that way she can be baptized. We have been getting new investigators, and they have all been referrals. But keep on working and getting things done. Love you all

-- 
Love 
Elder Peterson
Cleveland, Ohio Mission

Monday, March 2, 2015

Another week...




Hello everyone, Well not much has happened just a bunch of weather that is all it seems to be. But Marlene (our investigator) bore her testimony and said that this is the church that they want to be in on Sunday in her testimony!!!!!! She said that she was planning on it and Trevor was too. It is such a powerful experience that it makes you go back and remember all that everyone has done and played apart in your life to get you were you are now. Like I know for a fact I am far from perfect, I screw up and I don't do things perfectly and even sometimes what the gospel of Jesus Christ says is right I still do wrong. But that has not changed who I am becoming. I see it in every person that I meet. You have a desire and you want to change. But it is just to hard, or you feel that you can never go back. Marlene said it in her testimony, she didn't know where she wanted to go and had no idea what God had in store for her. But she met me with another Elder when her mom got in a bike/car accident and that was the first time she talked to us. She felt scared and not sure what to do. Then a few months later she talked to us again and started to come to church and sees what she is and who she is becoming. Because of all that she has fallen in love with how the church has excepted her and made her better then what she was. The same happens to everyone, you cannot judge the church based on a few people or faults that others have. I have come to learn that especially. Because if you say that, it is the cowards way out. I have learned that when you say that the people are hypocrites you just don't want to fess up that you have done wrong or you just don't want to change. I delt with this problem recently with a less active, and I just looked at them and in my head said you have no idea what you are missing or what you are going to not become because you let others/yourself stop your progression in the gospel . But I know that because the message I and 85,000 other people share is  true. We all are trying to achieve it and we all have our faults. I cry for joy every time I see people come unto Christ. I have said it plenty of times before I love seeing the change that this gospel brings in people if only you let it. I count the blessings that the Lord gives me and other if only you search for him. I see so many just on this mission alone. Every single person has that potential. My companion has taught me that so much. He just barely came out and he works his hardest trying to become the missionary that he sees. I love that desire and I continue to teach/him teach me these steps all the time. 
Love you all

Love 
Elder Peterson
Cleveland, Ohio Mission

Monday, February 9, 2015

Scan de bug

Well I have had a super great, terrific week. We have been busy and getting a bunch of things done around the place. We have been busy with all the weather and craziness around the corner. Transfers are next week and so Elder Clegg and I have to be very busy.

Who am I?
Can you Guess?













We were out working and I saw a snow sculpture which my mom will have to show you of a certain Stars wars character. Fun to here the responses.

We have a baptismal date for Trevor and Marlene for the 21 of February. Which they are all set for. So awesome and the ward is taking them in too which makes our job a whole lot easier.  So things are getting busy and just starting to get more and more busy. We also have two more that want to get baptized and we just need to set a date with them. Which we are doing this week. So a lot of things moving on.
We also had a heat wave of 40 but we are going to be shooting down to the singles again on Wednesday I heard.


Love you all and keep on keepin on 

Elder Peterson

Monday, January 26, 2015

Snow!!!!!

Well it is snowing here as it says in my title but fun to have at the same time.
 But this week has been going awesome.  well the new investigators that we are teaching are doing awesome. They dont have a date yet but our goal is to have a date by the end of this week. We also have two more investigators that want to be baptized and have permission from their parents to be baptized. So a huge miracle.one is 8 the other 11, and the last one 14. The 14 year olds name is Marlene and that is the referral investigator. She has been coming to church for about 2 weeks now. The other two are from a year convert and they are her younger sisters. We have been working hard and getting things ready for the week. We have a lot of work ahead of us to build the testimonies of these great people. We also have been working with Less actives who are slowly coming back. But we will get them back by the end. Love you all!
-- 
Love 
Elder Peterson
Cleveland, Ohio Mission













We were helping the other Elder investigators milk Dairy cows. We were getting hay for them and we jumped off and it was a lot of fun. 




Monday, January 12, 2015

Week number?????

So this week was a blast because of how many things have been moving. We had Alexs Baptism on Saturday of last week and it was such a blast. It was such a rewarding experience that it brings any missionary to tears, except me of course. haha.
Elder Peterson, Bournes family, Elder Clegg
But we have some new people to teach and a bunch of things happening with our already teaching people, like meeting with them. But we have not been able to get out this week due to that accursed sickness bug that's been going around. But still having a joyous time. The time is just always flying by. Well especially for Elder Clegg my dear comp of mine. He sadly is like shoot I go home in a month. Which is sad to me also. But that is why time is so precious. You just learn to keep on moving and getting things to work. We have been teaching for example the Bourne Family and they are so cool. They have a lot of growth and still growing and as the missionary that was apart of there conversion it brings great pride to know that all is going great and they are continuing in there journey in the gospel. I want everyone in the world both here in Ohio and back in Utah, Idaho, North Carolina, or where ever you are reading this to read the message of the Book of Mormon. It is a true Testimony that Jesus is the Christ. I know this and I know that you all can know this as well. 
Love you all
Peace out,

-- 
Love 
Elder Peterson
Cleveland, Ohio Mission

P.S.  Thought these pictures would be fun to share. This was their Christmas tree...pretty cute.
What a cute tree!

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas Tree..
"The four wise men"

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

This work is so GREAT!!!!

So I am not TRANSFERRED!!!!! I am so excited and it is going to be a great transfer. This area is a blast and I love every minute of it. This work is so great and the changes you see in people is so amazing and you grow to love God every minute of it. Just like this Saturday we have a baptism planned for the Bournes son Alex. It is such a great opportunity to teach this fine young man. He has a ton of Energy and is always ready to shoot nerf guns at you/we shoot him back. haha. But he is so great and so loving, if only everyone was to see the vision that God love you and he wants the very best for. That is why he sends trails and adversities. This gospel that has been restored to the fullest is meant for you and for me and for all to come closer to Christ. The only one that stops progression to come back with God is you and you alone. No ones actions can stop you from progressing. Love this gospel and I have so much more that I have planned to see and do. Continue strong don't let things be your barriers from true happiness. Funny how life does that to you happy one minute and still happy the next. Even in times of struggle. Continue on and Staying Strong

-- 
Love 
Elder Peterson
Cleveland, Ohio Mission