The Boy is Rushed - 16 January 2012

Hello Family! 

I love all of you and I am super out of time because I dont have a whole lot of time. THAT was redundant but I didn't wanna erase it. SO yeah, I know the last time I said I would write home with a spiritual message but this time, I promise I am not just crying wolf here.  

~Elder Daniel Peterson

Band of Brothers - 9 January 2012

Hey Family!

This week has been awesome! Elder Carroll (my new comp) is great and we get along so well. He played soccer for a community college before he came out. He has been out for 9 months and has been called to be DL! It is his first time serving as DL as well as his first time training. For some reason Pres. Howes seems to think that I am a good guinea pig for him to test trainers on. But, he's done good this time. I must not need a whole lot of training or something ;)  [Parental insert... my son is so humble]

The unimportant stuff comes now. I have had an awesome week. We are all doing really well in our zone. We had one companionship, Elder Foist and Elder Allen (I love Elder Foist!) who cover the spanish in our areas, had an amazing week! They had 24 TO's (Teach Opportunities) which is only 1 less than our entire district had last week. They're rediculous. But, they also cover a much larger area and the spanish seem to be more receptive to the gospel. Elder Carroll and I have made huge improvements in our area, compared to last transfer. He listens to my opinion about things and we're doing a lot more missionary work missionary! It's wonderful. This is what missionary life is supposed to be like.

Now for the spiritual stuff...

These past two Sundays have both been fast Sundays for us Elders. The first Sunday because our mission was doing a mission fast for growth in Obedience, Faith and a few other things. This past Sunday because it was actually Fast Sunday. The Lord has blessed us tremendously. Not only, I believe, because of our fasts but also because of this area's new found diligence in missionary work. Joseph B. Wirthlin gave a talk a while ago titled "Band of Brothers." It is a great talk that everyone should read because we are all involved in some sort of group where we work together. He talks about a group of paratroopers and how they had to form that brotherhood that is so necessary in the military. This was at the start of WWII and the idea of jumping out of a plane was foreign. It was a brand new tactic that they were trying out. There were hundreds who had signed up to be a part of this new group of soldiers. Two out of every three men dropped out because of the intensity of the training they had to endure. Their mission was to take out a weapon that was tearing them apart. These men were to jump out, disarm it and get back. They were going to be landing in enemy territory and going from there. 140 men were sent out on this mission, 48 of them died and only 12 of them, initially, landed where they needed to. They alone accomplished the task. He goes on to say that "when we work together in a bond of brotherhood, when we love each other and are loyal and faithful to the great cause to which we have been called, the impossible becomes possible." I have come to realize the truth of that statement very quickly. I have noticed the Lord's hand in my missionary efforts since the start of this new companionship. We get along well, we trust each other, we help each other where needed. If we "fail to establish a bond of brotherhood our work will be tedious, toilsome and unproductive."  I've experienced this and can testify that it's true. But, things have greatly changed. We are united in our purpose. "We love the Lord and we love our neighbor."

Who are we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? Why does the Church ask so much of its members? Why do we do temple work? Why do we do missionary work? Welfare work? Why do we do the things we do? Because we love the Lord and we love our neighbor. That is who we are as a people. That is why we do what we do. If we continue to show everyone that "we love the Lord and we love our neighbor," then we will become leaders among those we work with. We will be able to speak with a new tongue, speak with the power of the Holy Spirit and penetrate to the very core of their hearts. An average leader motivates with a "carrot and a stick and inspires to punch a time clock." A great leader "communicates a vision that captures imagination and fires hearts and minds." A great leader "inspires industry and passion." Be a great leader in the band of brothers you choose to form that bond of brotherhood with.  Never forget the value of a great cause. Understand your priorities.  Settle into your work and give it all you've got.  Do not fear that challenges you face. Press on in faith.

The Lord knows each and every one of us. He knows our circumstances and puts us in a position to grow. "He knows who I am... I will follow Him in faith. I believe in the Savior Jesus Christ. I'll honor His name. I'll do what is right. I'll follow His light. His truth I will proclaim." We have not only been given the opportunity to grow in the attributes of Christ but we have taken upon ourselves a covenant with God that we will do so. When we enter into the waters of baptism we promise to "Mourn with those that mourn. Comfort those that stand in need of comfort and represent Jesus Christ" in all that we do. Please do not take those sacred covenants lightly.

Elder Eyring talked about an experience that we all remember. How he was in Japan in his hotel room and he had just laid down to retire for the night and President Hinckley called. He said that "[We] cannot be a perfect servant every hour, but I can try to give more effort than I thought I could." I know that as we strive to give all we can, as we love the Lord and our neighbor, and as we "settle in the harness" we will be given the strength to perform miracles. I know that Jesus is the Christ, my Lord and Savior, the Redeemer of all mankind and He knows and loves each one of us beyond our comprehension. I know that this church is the only true and living church of God. I love each and every one of you and pray for you daily. In the name of the Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, amen.

~Elder Daniel Peterson

Get Up and Finish the Race - 26 December 2011

Hey Everyone! 

It was great to see you all yesterday [on Skype]! I miss you all and loved talking with you. It was a good refresher on what you all look like!  Haha. So, I have had several missionaries tell me that, if I really want to, I could transfer over to Spanish at my 6 month mark. I am seriously considering it, but it depends on everything that is going on at the time. I do love to try and speak with the Spanish Elders "Los Elderes" <---- That was a hard one... But, yeah, I'm thinkin about it. 

Anyway, this past week was super slow with lessons and everything. We didnt have but 1 lesson and only half the couple was there. So, it was kind of depressing. But, hopefully this upcoming transfer things will work out slightly better with the work. Anyway, I guess my message for the week I kind of gave via Skype. 

The message I wanted to give was given by Brother Burns.  He gave a talk and used the "Get Up and Win The Race" story. I loved that story, moreso now than ever. I listened to that story and really applied that to my life. I know that there will be times that I will get down in my mood and will want to let someone else take over since I don't think I can feel the Spirit.  But, just so you all know, now is definitely not one of those times. I am more excited now than I was when I first came out.  I know that there will still be times though, that this might happen. But, the runner looks into the crowd and hears all the laughter (Satans workers) and sees his Father in the crowd telling him "Get up and win the race." He got back up and tried to make up for the distance he had lost. He tried to run faster than he had before and tripped and fell on his face. He heard the crowd full of laughter and was even more discouraged than before. He looked up into the crowd and found his dad once more.  Get up and win the race.  He got up again and was determined ever more.  When he took those few more steps, he fell again. The crowd sounding louder as the winner crossed the line he thought "why finish now, when I'm this far behind?"  He saw his dad again and this time he told his son "get up and finish the race." He got up and finished coming in dead last.  As he crossed the line he heard the crowd even louder than before.  If you were outside the track, just a passerby, you would have thought he had won. The only thing his Father wanted was for him to "endure to the end." 

Now, the poem is a lot more powerful and hits home a lot harder than my message for  you, but the concept is the same. We dont need to be the best or finish first. We just need to return to our Father and know He still loves us. We will fall a few times and get back up and start again. The only thing He asks of us is to find our way back to the straight and narrow path.

I love you all and hope, with as hectic as it is at this members house, that the message still made sense. 

~Elder Daniel Peterson

The Good Samaritan - 19 December 2011

Hey Familia!

So this week has been a good one. I have been able to meet some nice people, have a luncheon in a million dollar home, pick up 2 new investigators and eat frog legs! Now, for the part that everyone is thinking about right now... The frog legs really dont taste all that bad. It's like alligator on a chicken wing... about the same amount of meat as a chicken wing and tastes like alligator except slightly less of a fish taste... It wasn't horrible but I wouldn't choose to eat it again.  Now I know that if we are served that I would be able to eat it! Hahaha. Oh! And I tipped a guy for making me the wrong kind of sushi... go figure! There is a Chinese family in one of our wards that we got to eat dinner at there house and they made homemade chinese food!  It was great!  I couldnt have asked for better Chinese.

There is a missionary here, Elder Terry, who is a big goofball. He reminds me of some of the friends I had back at EAST. But, where he is serving there are alot of little jumps that he can ride off of and get some air on his bike. Well we went on exchanges the other day and I stayed in his area with his companion and got to ride his bike... ITS HORRIBLE! His front tire is all sorts of jacked up and the spokes on his back wheel are all loose!! It's insane that he is still riding that thing without it falling apart!  But, my bike is still good!  Haha, I havent been too rebellious with the "bikes dont fly" rule... I am taking it in today to get the cables tightened since the guy said to do that after 6 weeks of riding it around. But, it should all be covered under the warranty. So that is fantastic.

Yesterday 3 out of our 4 wards had their Christmas programs. It was great because I got to listen to music all day! I heard Luke 2 read over and over about 5 different times. But, it was really good! We had Angela and Tatem show up and stay for all 3 hours! it was awesome! Oh! and the ward before that, they ran out of cups during sacrament... I have never seen that happen.  Every single deacon ran out of cups and, not just one but TWO, deacons had to go back up to the table to receive a new tray. And they still almost ran out again!!  The place was SO crowded, it was awesome!  There were tons of non-members there but, unfortunately none of them wanted to learn anything more or would stay for the second hour.  BUT, we did get one boy, the boyfriend of a member that is going to take lessons.

We also started to clean out our Area Book. It's a book that has records of everyone that was ever taught in the area.  We started to go through there and pick out people that were never baptized to go and visit them to see if they were still interested. We picked up 1 family of 4. We went to contact another one of those people and they told us no so we decided to knock a few doors around them and picked up one more!  It was one of those miracle days!  I loved it.  I finally felt like my efforts were paying off.

This Christmas season is the time when we are always told we need to really remember Christ in our every day lives. That the birth of Christ is and should be the focal point of this season. Well, I was thinking about this and really thought about a few things.  But, the parable of the good Samaritan kept popping into my head.  I thought, "How on earth does that relate to Christmas??"  Well, it actually plays into it really well.  If you think about Christmas as the season of giving, what is "giving" really?  It is showing charity, the true love of Christ, to those that we aren't necessarily very close with; shoot, we may not know them at all!  Now, the good Samaritan, what is that all about?  Everyone knows that people just passed the guy in need by and didnt give it a second thought. Everyone knows that there was one man, who should, because of cultural differences, hate this man but, he stopped and helped him. What did Christ do for all of us?  He gave His LIFE so that we can live with our Heavenly Father.  I cant remember exactly where it is that it is said but somewhere toward the beginning 1/3rd of Alma there is a verse, its verse 21, that talks about charity.  It says something along the lines of, if we are asked of someone to give something of ours to them, why should we turn them away?  God gives to all men liberally if we simply ask. He gives us everything we have and doesn't expect anything but our love and obedience to Him.  So why shouldnt we be able to give a dollar here or a car ride there to someone that is in need of our services. You may not like the person or be very close with the person but there is always an opportunity for charity to take an important role in our lives. Take this next week and do just that, show charity for those that are in need and compassion for those we may struggle to get along with. I know that as we forget ourselves, the Lord will take care of us. He will give unto us light as He did for the brother of Jared so that we will not have to walk our path in darkness.

I love and miss all of you. I hope that you all really take to heart the true meaning of Christmas.

~Elder Daniel Peterson

An Unforgettable Priesthood Blessing - 12 December 2011

Hello Familia -

This week has been pretty good!  We picked up 3 new investigators and we have a good potential of picking up 3 more!  Pretty exciting!  We've been meeting with a guy named Chris.  This last week we taught him about the Law of Tithing and the Word of Wisdom.. It was kind of a tough lesson. We taught the Tithing lesson because he had an issue with giving money to a man the week prior. So we explained where that went and everything and he was really happy to hear that.  He just recently had gone and bought a sleeping bag and a backpack for this homeless guy he knows. He walked by a week later and saw that the guy had picked through what he bought and only cared about certain things, so Chris was upset to see his charity go to waste. We taught him the Word of Wisdom because the week before he said that he had had a cup of coffee.  That was something that stuck out to me and my companion. He drinks coffee and beer. But, only on occasion. He isn't an alcoholic nor does he HAVE to have his cup of joe in the morning. He drinks coffee as a pick me up in the middle of the day, maybe twice a week, and a beer maybe 4 times a week. Giving up beer, he could understand why but the coffee is where he really struggled to come to understand. We read through the WOW in D&C 89 and he said, "so it doesn't specifically say coffee or tea... I mean, was it like after he had this revelation and everything he just walked down stairs and someone spilled some coffee on him and Joseph said 'Alright! That's out too!'" So, at any rate, this was hard for me to explain and we are going to finish going over it this upcoming Wednesday. BUT! he did commit to "trying" to go the whole month without beer or coffee. And the only reason he is "trying" instead of "doing" is because of the holidays... Which kind of stinks but, given where he is in his life and me struggling with the lesson, every little step is a blessing. Oh! And he instantly paid fast offerings as soon as the lesson was done! He recognized that it was going to a good place so he said, "Alright... so this whole tithing and fast offering thing... How do I do that?" We explained how it works and he said,"OK, now where do I find the slips... I have some money with me that I wanna give."  How awesome is that?!

The spiritual high this week came in the form of a Priesthood blessing.  There is this family that is really an awesome family. They are non-member with 2 kids and a single mother. I have never met a family that is so... sincere in looking for help. The mom has an LDS friend that talked to her about the church a little bit. Her friend told her about Priesthood blessings and she asked if she could get one. We went over that night and talked with her for a bit. She is working 3 jobs to support her family. She hasn't gotten any child support since February and her apartment complex just hiked up the rent from $750 to $900 a month. We explained the mechanics of a Priesthood blessing... oil, laying on of hands, anointing, sealing, blessing etc. She asked if each of her kids could get a blessing as well as her.  We were happy to do it.  We explained that these are given one at a time.  She started to assign who would bless who and I was kind of hoping to get her 17 year old son.  It was almost as if I had already started to receive his blessing before we were told who we were going to bless. I ended up being assigned to bless her 9 year old daughter.  No regrets whatsoever!  The blessing that I gave her was the second most powerful experience with the Spirit I have had in my life.  I have now given 4 blessings since holding the Melchizedek Priesthood and I have cried through 2 of them.  It's slightly embarrassing haha.  BUT, my comp said that its a good thing because it lets everyone know that the Spirit is the one talking instead of myself.  Part of the blessing (remember that she is a 9 year old girl. You would have thought that I was confirming her a member of the church with the words that were being said!) was to let her know that her role in the family is going to be one that will be most beneficial to her and her family. That she will learn and grow from the experiences she has at school and in the course of the next year and that those experiences will help guide her in doing that which her Father in Heaven has in store for her to do.  Now, I cant remember most of the blessing but those were two things that really stuck out to me. The fact that this 9 year old girl, will influence her family in a way that they cant even foresee... How amazing that is to me. How amazing it is to be a vessel for the Spirit to work through.  Now... prior to that night I had repented of some of the instances where I kind of snapped on my companion. I asked for forgiveness so that I might be able to "be a proxy for the Holy Ghost when giving the blessing, if I were called up to do so."

The Atonement is real. The power and ability it has given each of us is uncomprehensible. The Lord loves each and every one of us as if we were his own. He knows exactly what we are going through and will help us become the instrument that we need to be in order to bless the lives of other as He sees fit. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.


Elder Daniel Peterson