E-Mail July 30, 2012

Hey Kiddos! 

Guess what?! I'm back in Tempe!! Hahahahaha, it's SAWEEET!

It's not the same area I was in at the start but it is still Tempe! I knew my companion too! His name is Elder O'Toole. He is so legit. The only issue with him is that he is a Heat fan. It's okay though, he will get over that soon when I shove Mavericks down his throat when I school him on P-Days! Hahaha, naw, he is super kewl though, I love the guy to death. This transfer will be really good. Oh! And I went senior! So now if anything goes wrong and President Howes hears about it it's my neck that gets wrung! Hahaha. It'll be good though, I'm super excited for it!!

~ Elder Daniel Peterson

2155 S. 55th St. #1048
Tempe AZ 85282

***

Hey Rand!

So yeah, my new comp and area are awesome. I love them both. The address I sent at the end of the first e-mail is the new mailing address. But, just in case you didnt get that one, here ya go!

2155 S. 55th st. #1048

Tempe AZ 85282

So yeah, he is way sweet. Elder O'Toole is his name and I love the guy to death. We knew each other before I left to go to the mountains so we get along pretty dang well. I dont have a whole lot of time left so I'm gonna get to a few other things I gotta do while I have time.

I love you Randi! I miss you and thank you for ALL that you do! Oh!! Speaking of, there is a CD that I would LOVE to have. It is called "Popcorn Bopping." It's legit. You would probably get a kick out of it and I think Katie would really like it too. But, If you happened to want to send that out, that would be fantastic. Haha! There is a list of other songs that I think would be kewl to have on a CD but, I would have to send you a list of them all so you could burn onto a CD for me. A bunch of the songs are on the LDS youth site. Basically any EFY CD would be awesome to have too. OK! I'm done asking for things! Love ya!!

 

~Elder Daniel Peterson,

Tempe

E-Mail July 23, 2012

Hey Familia!

So, everyone seems to have guess right! I'm getting transferred! And I'm leaving the mountains. So, we will see what happens. But, everyone that was in that house with me is leaving except for Elder Woerner. It's pretty crazy. No one slept well last night. We were all basically up tossing and turning. It kind of sucked. But, the transfer will be good. I'm excited for it anyway, with the exception of the heat that I will be facing. It should start to cool down within the next couple of months though so, hopefully it goes by quick!

~ Elder Daniel Peterson

New Address: Who Knows?!

E-Mail July 16, 2012

Hey Familia!

So, this week has been a different one, that's for sure. Elder Woerner had his leadership meeting down in the Valley for a few days so I was with a different set of Elders. But, We shall start from the beginning.

We will start with Tuesday. Tuesday is our District meeting day and typically our walk day. That didnt happen. We had DM and it all went fine and dandy and then we went to lunch at DQ which, because of a member owning it, we get for free once a week! Well after that we had a few other visits to make out in a part of our area that is about 10 miles out (Silver Lake Estates), so we drove. We made those couple of visits and then made another few visits to a part that is another 3 miles further out (White Mountain Lakes). We made a couple of visits out there and then came back. There is something that happened there that I will get to later.

Wednesday Elder Woerner left for his meeting in the Valley. I was put with two other Elders, Elders Biggs and Dockstader. They are pretty kewl and we all get along really well. The first day out there we had a few lessons in our area, Woerner's and mine, and then we headed back to their area for dinner. Ribs!! It was greatness. We had some service planned later that night for a family whose house had just recently caught fire. The garage was trashed and a part of the actual house was melted away so we were moving furniture and all that stuff. We were going to anyway. The service ended up canceling as we pulled up so we went home and finished out the night there.

Thursday wasnt too eventful. They dont have a whole lot going on in their area so we didnt get to do much. Just a lot of door knocking.

Friday was a different day. Elder Woerner came home that night at about 8:30. Well this is how the day went prior to his return. Elder Biggs and Dockstader had taken planning morning, the time of week where we take a few hours and plan for the upcoming week. While they did that I studied a few things and did a couple of Sudokus. Fun stuff! We had been invited to go to lunch at a pizza place in my area with Elders Clark and Osborn. So we went and we just made an exchange there so that they wouldnt waste a million of their miles driving back and forth between the two areas. They went back to their area and I was with Clark and Osborn down in White River, one of the Indian Reservations. I got to see a beat down building with a ton of graffiti on it, a couple of families and a naked guy! That was a new sight! (Ryan, shutup. I know what you're thinking. You too Ben!) Well after we got back for dinner another set of Elders were there at our place using our bathrooms. Elders Frame and Robles. They are really great missionaries also. Well now Elder Clark and Elder Osborn had a family they wanted to go visit but, since they wouldnt get back til late and the other Elders were going to be around my area I stayed with them. We did their thing until Elder Woerner got back. Well, this is where I messed up. Well, this is where I realized I messed up. Elder Woerner comes back livid. Apparently he told me that I needed to leave our truck at the ZL's house for when he got back. He never said anything about it that I heard. So that was one thing but, he had been holding stuff in that has been bugging him about me. So we had a little "talk" and got it all out. He said I have been super prideful and dont trust him. That he felt like I had been trying to do things my way instead of his. I apologized for all that I had done and the way I had made him feel. I didnt mean to do that and I can see where he sees pride in me. Now, I dont know if I had told all of you this but, during my interview with President Howes, because of the way things were, he told me I would have to "wear a hat I have worn before." Meaning I would have to start to lead from behind. I dont say this to justify anything but, Elder Woerner finally noticed that I was doing that and so hopefully, things change and he takes on his role so I can play mine as the Junior Companion. But, that was my whole week.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty typical. Nothing new or exciting or anything fun/funny happened.

Now back to Tuesday and the story I had to tell. I will send a picture of it later this week. So! We were out making those few visits and one of the people we were going to visit is a referral we received from other Elders. His name is Jason Low. Well we go up to his door and there is no answer. We knock and ring again and still no answer. Well he has a dog in the backyard that is super cute. The back fence wraps around and comes up to the front of the house so the dog was right there. The dog had his paws up on the fence just begging to be pet so I went up and pet the dog. He put his paws on my hand and kind of rested his head there as I pet him with my other hand. It started to rain so I let the dog go back and I turned to go back to the truck. As I turn I put my head down to keep the rain out of my eyes and guess what I see! THE DOG FREAKIN PEED ON ME!!!!  I had lines of urine from my crotch down to my knees from where this little crap of a dog took a leak on me!! I was pissed but I couldnt help but laugh because of what just happened. I was shocked!!

So yeah, that's the extent of my week. I love you and miss you all! Hope you enjoy YOUR week!!
~ Elder Daniel Peterson

***

So in that last long e-mail I just sent I didnt make it clear at all what the mistake I had made was. With all those switches and everything else that happened that day, apparently, unbeknownst to me, I was supposed to be with those elders for a specific reason. Either way, I should have let someone know I was switching companionships and I had forgotten to do that.

RONALD!!!!

**Well, We got an e-mail from Daniel today, but I'm pretty sure I missed something. He asks if we remember something... but I'm pretty sure he never told us, or at least me, in the first place! lol!**

Remember how I went to the 4th of July parade here?? Here is one of the pictures I got!! Woot!!!

July 9, 2012

Randi (He "drew" my name in cool little letters at the top of the page.)

HEY RANDI! SO THIS LETTER IS PROLLY GOING TO TAKE FOREVER TO WRITE CAUSE I’M GOING TO TRY TO DO IT ALL IN CAPS! I FEEL I WRITE CLEANER THIS WAY. ANYWAY, HOW ARE THINGS GOING? BRYAN DONE WITH OVERTIME & ALL OF THAT CRAZINESS? HOW ARE THE GIRLS? TINA CRAWLING YET? HERE’S A SCRIPTURE FOR YA, I’M GONNA CHANGE A FEW WORDS THOUGH. “NOW WHEN OUR HEARTS WERE DEPRESSED, AND WE WERE ABOUT TO TURN BACK, BEHOLD, THE LORD COMFORTED US, AND SAID: GO AMONGST THY [CHILDREN], [MICHELLE & TINA], AND BEAR WITH PATIENCE THINE AFFLICTIONS, AND I WILL GIVE UNTO YOU SUCCESS,” (ALMA 26:27). THEN YOU COULD READ D&C 61:36-37 JUST FOR FUNZIES.
** 36 And now, verily I say unto you, and what I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you;
 37 And inasmuch as you have humbled yourselves before me, the blessings of the kingdom are yours.**
BUT ANYWAY, THINGS ARE GOING WELL! THANKS FOR THE PACKAGES. THE 4TH OF JULY ONE WAS PRETTY GOOD! I’LL HAVE SOME VIDEO & PICTURES OF THINGS WE GOT TO DO ON THE 4TH THAT I WILL SEND YOUR WAY OR SOMETHING. SOMEONE HAD TO HAVE SOME FUN! DID YOU GUYS EVEN DO ANYTHING? AT LEAST WATCH A FIREWORK SHOW? HOPEFULLY NOT ALL OF MY FAMILY WERE LOSERS. ALRIGHT, IT’S BEEN ALMOST AN HOUR & I’M ONLY RIGHT HERE & THINGS ARE STARTING TO GET SLOPPY. So! Back to my old ways. Not that they are any better but it sure is a whole heck-a-ton faster!

So, in two weeks, on the 20th, the Hutchinsons will be getting baptized! The ** dad has had all, if not most of his concerns resolved. He will be performing the ordinance for all 4 of them! Super exciting. The kid Kasey that we had been teaching won’t talk to us anymore because of the pressure he was receiving from his family, which sucks big time. Jeff  S* has quit drinking but still has a few habits to kick. We have a few potential investigators we have gotten ahold of so now it’s just being able to actually sit down & talk with them so we can teach them! People are super flaky with new things. This one girl, Samantha, reminds me so much of Chelci. I only met her for 2 or 3 minutes but the way she looks & her attitude is kind of similar. Hopefully she is just as solid as Chelci was! But that’s about it, as far as investigators go.

We just had interview with our Mission President this last Friday & those went really well. I talked to him about a few things & he told me “I would have to put on a hat I’ve worn before.” By that he meant be the leader even though I’m still technically the junior companion. So, it has been fun trying to that for this past week.  He also told me, because of my fear of overstepping bounds, to “do what is right, let the consequence follow.” Who’da thunk!

Well, I hate to use this sheet of paper for so little writing but, luckily, it’s the most important part! I love you Rand. I miss you. I miss all the Blowfish too. I hope all of you are doing well & seeing more of each other.

~Elder Daniel Peterson

E-Mail July 2, 2012

Hey kiddos,

So this week we didnt have a whole lot happen but, there were a couple of kewl things that did. Elder Woerner, being the DL, gets to go on exchanges with each companionship in the district which means I also get to do the same. I was on exchanges with another Elder this past week and we taught a few lessons while we were together. We had one lesson with the Hutchinsons which went really well. We had another lesson out in Vernon with a Part-member family, the Swanseys. They are an awesome couple and have such strong testimonies of the Gospel. The husband, Jeff, has a few Word of Wisdom issues he is trying to overcome before he can say he is ready for baptism. While at this lesson, going over the Gospel of Jesus Christ, this other Elder opened up about a few things. Things that I have never heard before but could kind of guess at. Anyway, we were teaching the lesson and, as usual, the topic of the Word of Wisdom was brought up. We talked about it for a little while and then it happened. The Elder opened up and the Spirit was immediately felt. We left that night with no visible, whether to the natural or spiritual eye, results. We went back over there to help them move some drywall the next morning. He lit up a cigarette in front of us as we worked and we both thought that that was our confirmation of there being no change. We exchanged back on Friday night and Elder Woerner and I went about our days as usual. We ended up going to Vernon Ward because of a call we had gotten earlier in the week telling us that someone had invited one of their friends to church. We stood in the back of the chapel watching people walk in before the meeting started and Jeff walked in. He walked up to us and started up a conversation, talked for 5 minutes or so and started to walk to his seat. He turned around remembering something he wanted to tell us. He said, "You go home and tell Elder [John] he inspired me. Since you two left that evening I have not had one drop of alcohol. I sat there and thought to myself, 'Drinking is a stupid habit. Especially at this age!' So I decided that I was going to get rid of the stuff. And I did!"

This past Sunday, as we all know, was Fast Sunday. The power that sits behind a small and simple sacrifice is incredible. To be able to see the Lord's hand in your life, to help others, is a treasure. To see the Atonement of our Savior take effect in someone's life is one of the greatest things I have yet to come across. I know that our Father in Heaven sent His Son for all of us. To teach us to walk in the path that he lead. To suffer for all of us so that we may overcome the obstacle placed in our lives. To strengthen us as we go through this mortal probation. To give us all hope for that which has yet to come and what we have yet to become.

President Uchtdorf gave the First Presidency message for the month of June. His message to all of us, as far as I can remember, was to change our perspective. Change it from "Beginning to End" to "In the Middle." He relates it to the short time we have on our missions as well as the short time we have on this Earth. He says that too many people look at beginnings as a time for a burst of invigoration and a time for new things to take place. The end is where we settle down with a sense of completion or a sense of failure. We need to look at everything as if we are in the middle, that part is too often overlooked. The middle of a game is when things can still change. Things DO change! We have the power to make any outcome possible while we are in the middle. He says that Missionaries should look at their entire mission as if we are in the middle. When we are getting ready to go home we start to lose focus and begin to slacken our efforts. When we, as individuals (not missionaries), come to the rear of life and tell ourselves we are set in our ways, we need to realize we are only in the middle. With an Eternal perspective we have the opportunity to always have the outlook of being "In the Middle" and making changes to lives, our own or others, for the better. The Atonement of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, allows us to perfect ourselves as long as we are willing. He has descended below us all so that He may lift us higher.

I know that Our Father in Heaven loves each and every one of us. I know He sent His Son to give us the opportunities we need to be able to make the changes in order to qualify for the eternal glory He wants us all to receive. We need to do our part in making sure we utilize our agency and the Atonement for the bettering of our souls.

I love you all and miss you much. Thanks for everything you all do for me and for those you serve. We are all helping the Lord build His kingdom.

~ Elder Daniel Peterson

Kickball and Clippers

*I'm not sure when this letter was from because it mentions Elder Koons, and his new companion is Elder Woerner, but I just got it, so I'm going to post it here!*

Hey Familia!

How has everything been since Monday? How was your Sabbath? Mine was pretty good.

Today we played kickball & I realized that I can't play that game! Especially with Elder Koons. I get too competitive & he does childish things that piss me off. We also get into stupid petty arguments that tick me off too. It's dumb. But, we did get free pizza today. So that was good.

I came home & was going to cut my hair with the clippers I bought down in the valley. Come to find out, they don't cut hair anymore! Woo hoo! I paid $20 for two haircuts. Which is what I would pay if I were to actually pay for hair cuts but that was the whole point in buying my own. It's slightly ridiculous. But, you guys didn't happen to come across my old clippers did ya? That would be nice. If not, any chance you could send a set? I hate asking for it cause you've already spent so much plus, it costs money to keep shipping things. Bleh :(

Well, thanks for all you have done! I really appreciate it. I love you guys! Miss you much!

~ Elder Daniel Peterson

P.S.- I finished the B of M *Book of Mormon* today! Woot! Almost done with Luke too. Love ya!