Hey Family,
It has been an interesting week, full of blessings, joys, and trials and the Lords plan is incredible. I love this WORK and I love you ALL FAMILIA!!!
FIRST OFF I'd like to give a shout out to the Durham 3rd YSA EQP, if any missionary has there Kryptonite it is the DURHAM 3RD EQP! I'll explain why later!
I am going to try to email the old way, just to please my mom who I love so much!
MON-We went Emailing then shopping then were at the institute just chillin writing letters then boom, it happened the front door opens and this person walks into the directors office and is like hi, I am Gabriell is this where the Mormons meet! And Gabriell clicked because that is the Referral that President Cotterell gave us, who his son got from the sister missionarys who taught her in SLC. So she is from Holiday Utah and is not a member but was investigating and has a boyfriend leaving on a mission and took the lessons and really felt the spirit, she hiked all the way up to the institute! She has been prepared by the Lord! We set an appointment for Thursday. Later that night Gabriell called and was like, can I go to FHE, we found her a ride, I hope she had good time! Then me and Elder Miller about fell when the ward clerk plugged in his ipod and started playing Keith Urban, I Wanna Kiss a Girl, so we just took off running home from FHE it was a great DAY! THe Lords plan I can't comprehend or disrupt them!
TUES-This is the day that I started to get sick............I guess the standard of truth came forth though and nothing will stop this work! So I carried on! We went on exchanges with the zone leaders and it was pretty good I went with Elder Stanfield, who you are supposed to Ask Bro Kirk Astel if he knows a Kenny Stanfield! He is the man from Skyline and big islander! We went to an appointment and it cancelled but we went and tried to figure out why the Lord had placed us there, we knew the Lord put us there for a reason so we went and walked around and met 2 amazing people for both our wards! I cannot even comprehend the plan of the LORD it blows my mind. We had service planned and it fell through as well so we went to go serve a member in there ward and like it was pretty crazy I called her and the daughter answered and was like mom it is for you and the mom thought I was a bill collector and was like go get a real job you piece of crap and was going off on me and then we called back and was like Elders did I just tell you off, and we were like yeah, and she was said I am so sorry it was funny!! We went and picked weeds for her. We had dinner with a guy who served in Poland! Then that night I figured out why I was on exchanges; so this couple was wanting to share the gospel with there friends and they were talking about this person and describing them and I was like what is there name and it was a person who I had taught. The guy who gave me the ultra sound in my arm, they had no clue he met wiht missionaries and the Lord made them become friends and like they are so prepared and we were able to set up a killer plan!
WED-I am sick.... district meeting was good pretty boring cause I was sick! I went on exchanges with the Elders in Durham and we taught this catholic guy and it came to the conclusion of who has authority and he said he would read the Book of Mormon to see who has authority it was a good lesson! The Elder in that ward has nerougical problems and like is socially wierd, he doesn't teach at all! But we got back from the lesson and I had a moment where I felt like the Savior, The elder that is slow was trying to figure out where to go tracting till our dinner came and it was like a 30 min. till he came but he was struggling and I didn't feel good and I so bad just wanted to sit there and like wait till dinner came, but I went and helped him and like he got emotional and hugged me and then we saw a miracle tracting because of it we tracted into the UNC swimming coach who is prepared it was crazy, idk helping that elder I had never felt anything like that! We taught this girl named Lula and she is moving slow but it was cool we had dinner with a cool fammily that knew Nick and Shayna and he served his mission in this ward!
THURS-I got to come back with my bestfriend ELDER MILLER, we had an appointment at 11:30 but it fell through! So then the coolest recent convert ever took us to lunch at the school buffet, it was so good we ate alot. His name is Zach Ward he is like who every guy wants there little sister to marry! To me he defines the word Christian! He just walked up to the missionaries one day and asked them to teach him and he was baptized he has an incredible testimony! We bused out to this appointment that was far away and we go in and the guy was like can we do this another day I am not feeling well... that was kinda lame. We went back to campus and had a really good contact with these two girls who said they are looking for a church! Bro Williams' gave a talk in Smithfield, I hear it was pretty good! We had a crazy good lesson with Gabriell she is so prepared the crazy thing about it was the Institute director felt prompted he should be in the lesson so he left his class and came and sat in and he is a convert and was able to relate, and it was crazy and so spiritual!
FRI-We had a lesson with Kole it was way good, he is just waiting for an answer. He has a girlfriend who is a memeber in Cary. Then we biked out to Durham to get stood up by this black guy Condrell! Then we got in trouble biking on the interstate It was the quickest route to Chapel Hill! We had a ward pig pick and Gabriell and Blake were there and 2 people that Elder Miller and I invited on campus, it was pretty cool I got dared to kiss the pig, and I did! I know I stink at the peer pressure game, sorry to let you down Mom!!!! OH we get to go do service on a farm that a potential investigator works at!
SAT-Moved Sentator Crapo's daughters stuff and the guy that picked us up got engaged last night and didn't tell us till Sunday, that was kinda shallow we spent all day with him today but he is still the man. We then went to priesthood meeting where we sang and had a lesson after that! I met a senior couple from St anthony the Allens! They were school teachers! The UNC soccer coach is a member and they are so good and a girl from Alta is on the team and we went there to get some food cause they threw a party and had left overs and it was awesome, there son is a member and should be in the singles ward and then he told us of this girl on his team who is going to go to the ward! It is crazy how the Lord works he makes you think it is food and then you come to find it is someones salvation! He works in mysterious ways!
SUN-So we had a little thing called introduction sunday where everyone in the ward introduces themselves or trys to be very funny! But the EQP went up and gave a talk at the end about unity and he read from the scriptures and then said he would like to close with a few words from coach! He pulls out this book written by coach K and it is so funny a few Carolina fans got so upset that they walked out! I have never laughed that hard in a chapel before! Oh and they watched a movie Monsters Inc. and I didn't know what to do, so I watched it! The EQP is this ward is the man he is so funny he was talking about how he is the 6th man on the Duke b-ball team! We had dinner with the recently engaged couple and it was full of hearty veggies! Looking out for you mom!
BUT I LOVE YOU ALL AND hope you have a great week! And if I am suppose to take any hints from anyone just let me know don't leave them in the form of hints just tell me straight up!
With Love and Respect,
Elder Taylor BLAINE Petersen
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Email from August 23, 2010
Hello Family, Friends MY LOML KJ and all others!
It has been a week I'll tell you what!! You sold the boat, that is sad, but I can't wait to get that MALIBU when we get back!
So on p-day we went to the football museum and here are some pictures that show it, it was super cool! We got to go on the field in the weight room and they even offered to show us a highlight film but we politely declined (even though I really wanted too)
We had dinner that night with the Bishop, he is the man, we had the best pizza, I am not sure if they bought it or the bishops wife made it or what but it was amazing! We were able to talk with the bishop about a few things, then he said that he prays for us everyday, not for our success but that we will be obedient and be humbled! Well boy was he RIGHT, IT was a humbling week!
We went and tryed to teach this really nice lady Latisha, she works at a building at UNC and is really excited about our message but is super busy and is not in our ward. So we are meeting with her next week!
I went on an exchange with Elder Smart, he is from Washington! I went to Dirty D, I love durham! We went and did some service for an investigator who I'll talk about later, then went and taught 2 lessons in the same home it is kinda weird they all have so many different needs that we can't teach them at once! But the one guys wife had recently been baptized and he had been meeting with missionaries for awhile. With me and Elder Smart and the Spirit we finally set a date with him but he wouldn't set it till Nov 13th kinda funny but he is a nice man and it is his day and about his salvation and he needs to feel ready for it! It was a good exchange!
Elder Miller had called me that night to tell me of some success, they had taught a lesson to a young couple who were dating, they were sophomores and attended UNC and lived together, but that is okay they don't know better! Elder Miller said they had such a great lesson the girl was like I couldn't stop reading the restoration phamplet, I read it 5 times, her boyfriend wasn't so into it. But she rescheduled for dinner and a lesson on Friday, Elder Miller said he Sizzled there socks! Then they called us back Thursday, she was influenced by her boyfriend and said that they couldn't meet with us Friday and are to busy to ever meet with us again! That was a sad day.
So like a few weeks ago we had this crazy contact at like 9 15 and like this girl was said oh my gosh I wanna learn so much about the Book of Mormon I will be out of town and call me in 2 weeks, so I called her and she is like I don't want to meet with you guys ever leave me alone I can learn about your book by myself! Sad Day!
I guess Janet is mad that we passed her off to the Elders in the ward, her daughter said she didn't want to learn she just wanted to help out Elder Miller and I, I was sad I love Janet and I just want her to take part in the blessings that her loving Heavenly Father want to give her!
We have been teaching a member in our ward, she said she understands the role of the father and the Holy Ghost but not Jesus Christ! This was a challenge we gladly accepted! We talked of the doctrine of Christ, Preach my Gospel says to strengthen memebers understanding of the doctrine of Christ to help them with there missionary work, so we did and we went back this last week and it was incredible to see the change in her and she was talking how she wants to share it with everyone it was so COOL!
We have been teaching this member in our ward the missionary lessons and one of them brought a friend who we taught, he was a quaker but it was an odd lesson but a really good one at the same time, I guess he got mad at our member before they got to the institute and was like are you trying to convert me. I guess he was very accepting to the Book of Mormon and it was neat, we had an awesome exchange with probably one of the coolest guys in the ward. We talked about teaching and missionary work and we counseled about it he gave us a lot of good advice we talked about teaching skills, about real people,and how to adjust it, it was awesome!
This week is W.O.W WEEK OF WELCOMING Chapel Hill, I am glad I made it through this week on campus the girls are practically naked, and the missionary hand book says avoid any forms of pornography, but it is there. Elder Miller suggested we get horse blinders! But if you don't look once you aren't a man, if you look twice you aren't a missionary, but it really is sad they dress that way! But they just don't understand who they are or what they stand for, but me and Elder Miller.... we know so we tell them!
They taught Tara on Tuesday, I was on an exchange, but I guess she had alot of concerns and Elder Miller handled them well, but Elder Miller was really stressed about her! We were supposed to meet with her on Thursday, but she cancelled and said her fammily was all coming down this week! I was worried they were going to give her a hard time about meeting with us! I called her Thursday, she said the plan of salvation fills in all the holes that in requires no faith! Which was a great concern I had never heard before! Tara is like the first investigator I have really understood the need of her to be baptised, not for me, for Elder miller, for President Cotterell, or for the Durham 3rd ward, but for herself, to receive the blessing a loving Father wants to give there daughter! I continue to pray and fast for her!
A rm who served here came and took us to breakfast this week it was pretty cool, he gave us alot of new ideas and we are excited to apply them!
Saw Elder Bradshaw, he was doing some SPANISH work in Chapel Hill, man those people are so humble!
We taught this guy named Gary, who was an atheist, he is truly seeking to know God. We are doing all we can to help! We gave him an excellent example of faith!
We went on this crazy adventure, we biked to NCCU, and then to Dukes campus, we got lost and got to this place, called a gas station and yeah we taught these Jehovah Witness, that were sincerely searching. We met this kid Kevin who was less active at Duke which was cool.
I gotta go I love you all have a great week!
Love, Elder Petersen
Hello Family, Friends MY LOML KJ and all others!
It has been a week I'll tell you what!! You sold the boat, that is sad, but I can't wait to get that MALIBU when we get back!
So on p-day we went to the football museum and here are some pictures that show it, it was super cool! We got to go on the field in the weight room and they even offered to show us a highlight film but we politely declined (even though I really wanted too)
We had dinner that night with the Bishop, he is the man, we had the best pizza, I am not sure if they bought it or the bishops wife made it or what but it was amazing! We were able to talk with the bishop about a few things, then he said that he prays for us everyday, not for our success but that we will be obedient and be humbled! Well boy was he RIGHT, IT was a humbling week!
We went and tryed to teach this really nice lady Latisha, she works at a building at UNC and is really excited about our message but is super busy and is not in our ward. So we are meeting with her next week!
I went on an exchange with Elder Smart, he is from Washington! I went to Dirty D, I love durham! We went and did some service for an investigator who I'll talk about later, then went and taught 2 lessons in the same home it is kinda weird they all have so many different needs that we can't teach them at once! But the one guys wife had recently been baptized and he had been meeting with missionaries for awhile. With me and Elder Smart and the Spirit we finally set a date with him but he wouldn't set it till Nov 13th kinda funny but he is a nice man and it is his day and about his salvation and he needs to feel ready for it! It was a good exchange!
Elder Miller had called me that night to tell me of some success, they had taught a lesson to a young couple who were dating, they were sophomores and attended UNC and lived together, but that is okay they don't know better! Elder Miller said they had such a great lesson the girl was like I couldn't stop reading the restoration phamplet, I read it 5 times, her boyfriend wasn't so into it. But she rescheduled for dinner and a lesson on Friday, Elder Miller said he Sizzled there socks! Then they called us back Thursday, she was influenced by her boyfriend and said that they couldn't meet with us Friday and are to busy to ever meet with us again! That was a sad day.
So like a few weeks ago we had this crazy contact at like 9 15 and like this girl was said oh my gosh I wanna learn so much about the Book of Mormon I will be out of town and call me in 2 weeks, so I called her and she is like I don't want to meet with you guys ever leave me alone I can learn about your book by myself! Sad Day!
I guess Janet is mad that we passed her off to the Elders in the ward, her daughter said she didn't want to learn she just wanted to help out Elder Miller and I, I was sad I love Janet and I just want her to take part in the blessings that her loving Heavenly Father want to give her!
We have been teaching a member in our ward, she said she understands the role of the father and the Holy Ghost but not Jesus Christ! This was a challenge we gladly accepted! We talked of the doctrine of Christ, Preach my Gospel says to strengthen memebers understanding of the doctrine of Christ to help them with there missionary work, so we did and we went back this last week and it was incredible to see the change in her and she was talking how she wants to share it with everyone it was so COOL!
We have been teaching this member in our ward the missionary lessons and one of them brought a friend who we taught, he was a quaker but it was an odd lesson but a really good one at the same time, I guess he got mad at our member before they got to the institute and was like are you trying to convert me. I guess he was very accepting to the Book of Mormon and it was neat, we had an awesome exchange with probably one of the coolest guys in the ward. We talked about teaching and missionary work and we counseled about it he gave us a lot of good advice we talked about teaching skills, about real people,and how to adjust it, it was awesome!
This week is W.O.W WEEK OF WELCOMING Chapel Hill, I am glad I made it through this week on campus the girls are practically naked, and the missionary hand book says avoid any forms of pornography, but it is there. Elder Miller suggested we get horse blinders! But if you don't look once you aren't a man, if you look twice you aren't a missionary, but it really is sad they dress that way! But they just don't understand who they are or what they stand for, but me and Elder Miller.... we know so we tell them!
They taught Tara on Tuesday, I was on an exchange, but I guess she had alot of concerns and Elder Miller handled them well, but Elder Miller was really stressed about her! We were supposed to meet with her on Thursday, but she cancelled and said her fammily was all coming down this week! I was worried they were going to give her a hard time about meeting with us! I called her Thursday, she said the plan of salvation fills in all the holes that in requires no faith! Which was a great concern I had never heard before! Tara is like the first investigator I have really understood the need of her to be baptised, not for me, for Elder miller, for President Cotterell, or for the Durham 3rd ward, but for herself, to receive the blessing a loving Father wants to give there daughter! I continue to pray and fast for her!
A rm who served here came and took us to breakfast this week it was pretty cool, he gave us alot of new ideas and we are excited to apply them!
Saw Elder Bradshaw, he was doing some SPANISH work in Chapel Hill, man those people are so humble!
We taught this guy named Gary, who was an atheist, he is truly seeking to know God. We are doing all we can to help! We gave him an excellent example of faith!
We went on this crazy adventure, we biked to NCCU, and then to Dukes campus, we got lost and got to this place, called a gas station and yeah we taught these Jehovah Witness, that were sincerely searching. We met this kid Kevin who was less active at Duke which was cool.
I gotta go I love you all have a great week!
Love, Elder Petersen
Monday, August 16, 2010
Hey Family and Everyone who maybe loves me!
Chayden, good luck man you are my Boy!!! You are going to tear it up in England! You are so lucky and this is the greatest time of your life! I can't wait till I return and you do too and we can go to Lake Powell and the big monster can eat you cause you get fat on your mission and we can wake skate the canal and pull a Mission Impossible after being returned missionaries on your mom, NANCY!
Well i am going to try and email different. I don't like the everyday thing it just isn't me and it is boring, I feel! But it has been an incredible week! So this recent convert in our ward brought us over lunch on P-day. She came over with another sister in the ward and they were both crying as they dropped off spaghetti and a salad! Elder Miller asked the question that now has us involved! "What is wrong sisters?" And boom we were involved. I guess the one recent convert whose boyfriend wasn't a member, they broke up we had taught him a couple of times and the other sister had just broken up with her boyfriend. I guess it is alot of Drama in the singles ward when it is so small! So Elder Miller is like, "Oh it is okay, you know what I used to do when girls broke my heart, I would just get in my car and go buy Ben and Jerry's and listen to Here comes Goodbye by Rascal Flatts or God Bless the Broken Road! It was so funny. Well the recent convert sister calls us later that week and says hey my ex was at work and saw the missionaries and called and told me! So we were in Sacrament Meeting and Elder Miller is sitting with Tara our investigator (WHO IS AMAZING I HOPE YOU ALL ARE PRAYING FOR HER) But we will get to her later) and next to the recent convert, well she hands him a tithing slip with her families address and her ex's address and then just starts crying. Everyone is like what did Elder Miller do and everyone after sacrament meeting is running up and comforting her it was so funny! But I hope all is well with her and with her ex! But is was epic!
We got a call from the Roxboro Branch asking if we would go and give a guy a blessing in the hospital who isn't a member and the UNC hospital is HUGE, but we went and it was good and hopefully he is doing better it was a sad deal young guy with a few kids! It is crazy how powerful the priesthood is and how his wife just wanted him to have a blessing then with her unshaken faith just trusted in the Lord! I think that's what it means to become as a little child to have complete faith in the fathers plan and just do all you can and not question. Just like I have submitted to Billy my whole life right BILL!
We went out tracting and got lost and ended up like 20 miles away from our apartment and ended up by these huge standing rocks it looked like Stone Hedge off of guitar hero! So we went and checked it out and it was some crazy indian stuff and had a bad spirit so we beat feet out of there!Thank goodness for the gift of the Holy Ghost!
Leadership Training was incredible! It was sad that I learned this now and not at day one of my mission, but I am so grateful for it! So basically what i gained from it was about the Doctrine of Christ! Which at first i thought was something scary and like new revelation President Cotterell was going to bring out, But i learned that it is just my purpose! It is found in preach my gospel in the first chapter under the Gospel of Jesus Christ and read the three scripture passages it has there it is amazing! I think on my mission I was more focused on trying to get people to join the club! So therefore I would talk of the benefits of the club and after this leadership training I learned that it is about Salvation, about Eternal life and that should be my pitch! Now I won't lie it is harder but the spiritual experiences that come from it are unimaginable! It is crazy how it changes you desires! We basically learned that we are to discern peoples problems remove all smoke screens and find the root of their problems and solve them with the Doctrine of Christ which entails of faith, reptentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end! It is crazy how the Lord trusts his missionaries cause with this new training model and less zone conferences the leadership of the mission is suppose to teach the rest of the missionaries it is crazy! The Lord has alot of trust in us but just be as a child! It has been crazy the spiritual experiences we have had with this!
Neker is the man that we helped move, he struggles with organized religion but has tremendous faith in Jesus Christ, he is a UNC ortho student and is from Peru and I love him and pray for him all the time! We met with him right after are first day of leadership training and what we learned that day was just what we needed! So we talked about the Book of Mormom and had an incredible lesson and at the end he said that if this is what it takes to know it is true he will read and pray! So we called him later this week to set up a reaturn appointment and he said he took the book to his priest and he told him not meet with us anymore! So that was sad but he said we could still stop by! So there is still HOPE!
Tara is such an incredible daughter of God and her Heavenly Father has done alot to prepare her to receive the restored Gospel! So we met with her this week and she came to dinner with us to a members house which was perfect and a recent convert of 1 1/2yrs was there! We had a great lesson and the spirit was so strong and we talked about funny stuff around the dinner table! She wants to be a midwife and I told her how Kelsi's sister Kami drank the placenta or how ever you spell it! But after that, during the lesson the spirit was way strong and everyone bore testimony to her and we invited her to be baptised and she committed to Sept 4th! We met with her again this week and taught her the plan of salvation, her father has passed away and it was neat to see her glow as we were able to give her hope as we shared the part about our fathers plan! Sunday at church she had a good time but is experiencing alot of opposition and has alot on her plate and is thinking about alot so pray for her! She is so ready and she knows it in her heart!
SO tuesday at leadership training we get a voicemail, that is like hi Elders I am interested in investigating the church if you could give me a call, so we called him and I was like, so Blake why are you interested in meeting with missionaries! Because this doesn't happen everyday ya know!!! He said that he is going to be a senior at UNC and that he needs some religion in the real world and stuff, and he set up Dinner! So we are freaking out and it was crazy we didn't know what to think! So we get with our exchange and are like we don't know what we are getting into but here is the code if we need to get out! So we go in and there is a Del Parson painting of Christ on the wall or as Elder Miller said wow there is the Mormon Christ! But we corrected him on that and told him that we beleive in the same Christ! But this home looked like a members home all the crafts and it was weird then his mom was cooking in the kitchen and was like Elders I'll be out in a second! Our exchange is like Elders these are members! So she comes out and I asked her if they are members and she was like no and told us this whole huge story and that her and her son have been praying and need this in their life, But her son first! So we have this amazing dinner (mom you must of been praying I would get fed good this week) and then we go have this spiritual lesson on the doctrine of Christ and invite him to be baptized right there on Sept the 11th and he committed he came to church he is the man, like he would be my best friend if I wasn't on my mission, he is so cool!
"Is she a Mission President's Wife?"
We had a great lesson with Janet and then set up a service opportunity to pass her off to the Elders in her ward! She is such an amazing lady I hope she takes part of the blessings her Father in Heaven has in store for her! She wants to own a ranch and said I could be a farm hand on it!
It has been an amazing week, I love you all and I hope you are all doing well this gospel is such a blessing it can solve all our problems! Tell Kenz and Drake and Sophie HI, and that I am glad she wakeboarded at Lake Powell and Kenz to! I love you all DEARLY!!!!!
Love,
Elder Taylor Petersen
Chayden, good luck man you are my Boy!!! You are going to tear it up in England! You are so lucky and this is the greatest time of your life! I can't wait till I return and you do too and we can go to Lake Powell and the big monster can eat you cause you get fat on your mission and we can wake skate the canal and pull a Mission Impossible after being returned missionaries on your mom, NANCY!
Well i am going to try and email different. I don't like the everyday thing it just isn't me and it is boring, I feel! But it has been an incredible week! So this recent convert in our ward brought us over lunch on P-day. She came over with another sister in the ward and they were both crying as they dropped off spaghetti and a salad! Elder Miller asked the question that now has us involved! "What is wrong sisters?" And boom we were involved. I guess the one recent convert whose boyfriend wasn't a member, they broke up we had taught him a couple of times and the other sister had just broken up with her boyfriend. I guess it is alot of Drama in the singles ward when it is so small! So Elder Miller is like, "Oh it is okay, you know what I used to do when girls broke my heart, I would just get in my car and go buy Ben and Jerry's and listen to Here comes Goodbye by Rascal Flatts or God Bless the Broken Road! It was so funny. Well the recent convert sister calls us later that week and says hey my ex was at work and saw the missionaries and called and told me! So we were in Sacrament Meeting and Elder Miller is sitting with Tara our investigator (WHO IS AMAZING I HOPE YOU ALL ARE PRAYING FOR HER) But we will get to her later) and next to the recent convert, well she hands him a tithing slip with her families address and her ex's address and then just starts crying. Everyone is like what did Elder Miller do and everyone after sacrament meeting is running up and comforting her it was so funny! But I hope all is well with her and with her ex! But is was epic!
We got a call from the Roxboro Branch asking if we would go and give a guy a blessing in the hospital who isn't a member and the UNC hospital is HUGE, but we went and it was good and hopefully he is doing better it was a sad deal young guy with a few kids! It is crazy how powerful the priesthood is and how his wife just wanted him to have a blessing then with her unshaken faith just trusted in the Lord! I think that's what it means to become as a little child to have complete faith in the fathers plan and just do all you can and not question. Just like I have submitted to Billy my whole life right BILL!
We went out tracting and got lost and ended up like 20 miles away from our apartment and ended up by these huge standing rocks it looked like Stone Hedge off of guitar hero! So we went and checked it out and it was some crazy indian stuff and had a bad spirit so we beat feet out of there!Thank goodness for the gift of the Holy Ghost!
Leadership Training was incredible! It was sad that I learned this now and not at day one of my mission, but I am so grateful for it! So basically what i gained from it was about the Doctrine of Christ! Which at first i thought was something scary and like new revelation President Cotterell was going to bring out, But i learned that it is just my purpose! It is found in preach my gospel in the first chapter under the Gospel of Jesus Christ and read the three scripture passages it has there it is amazing! I think on my mission I was more focused on trying to get people to join the club! So therefore I would talk of the benefits of the club and after this leadership training I learned that it is about Salvation, about Eternal life and that should be my pitch! Now I won't lie it is harder but the spiritual experiences that come from it are unimaginable! It is crazy how it changes you desires! We basically learned that we are to discern peoples problems remove all smoke screens and find the root of their problems and solve them with the Doctrine of Christ which entails of faith, reptentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end! It is crazy how the Lord trusts his missionaries cause with this new training model and less zone conferences the leadership of the mission is suppose to teach the rest of the missionaries it is crazy! The Lord has alot of trust in us but just be as a child! It has been crazy the spiritual experiences we have had with this!
Neker is the man that we helped move, he struggles with organized religion but has tremendous faith in Jesus Christ, he is a UNC ortho student and is from Peru and I love him and pray for him all the time! We met with him right after are first day of leadership training and what we learned that day was just what we needed! So we talked about the Book of Mormom and had an incredible lesson and at the end he said that if this is what it takes to know it is true he will read and pray! So we called him later this week to set up a reaturn appointment and he said he took the book to his priest and he told him not meet with us anymore! So that was sad but he said we could still stop by! So there is still HOPE!
Tara is such an incredible daughter of God and her Heavenly Father has done alot to prepare her to receive the restored Gospel! So we met with her this week and she came to dinner with us to a members house which was perfect and a recent convert of 1 1/2yrs was there! We had a great lesson and the spirit was so strong and we talked about funny stuff around the dinner table! She wants to be a midwife and I told her how Kelsi's sister Kami drank the placenta or how ever you spell it! But after that, during the lesson the spirit was way strong and everyone bore testimony to her and we invited her to be baptised and she committed to Sept 4th! We met with her again this week and taught her the plan of salvation, her father has passed away and it was neat to see her glow as we were able to give her hope as we shared the part about our fathers plan! Sunday at church she had a good time but is experiencing alot of opposition and has alot on her plate and is thinking about alot so pray for her! She is so ready and she knows it in her heart!
SO tuesday at leadership training we get a voicemail, that is like hi Elders I am interested in investigating the church if you could give me a call, so we called him and I was like, so Blake why are you interested in meeting with missionaries! Because this doesn't happen everyday ya know!!! He said that he is going to be a senior at UNC and that he needs some religion in the real world and stuff, and he set up Dinner! So we are freaking out and it was crazy we didn't know what to think! So we get with our exchange and are like we don't know what we are getting into but here is the code if we need to get out! So we go in and there is a Del Parson painting of Christ on the wall or as Elder Miller said wow there is the Mormon Christ! But we corrected him on that and told him that we beleive in the same Christ! But this home looked like a members home all the crafts and it was weird then his mom was cooking in the kitchen and was like Elders I'll be out in a second! Our exchange is like Elders these are members! So she comes out and I asked her if they are members and she was like no and told us this whole huge story and that her and her son have been praying and need this in their life, But her son first! So we have this amazing dinner (mom you must of been praying I would get fed good this week) and then we go have this spiritual lesson on the doctrine of Christ and invite him to be baptized right there on Sept the 11th and he committed he came to church he is the man, like he would be my best friend if I wasn't on my mission, he is so cool!
"Is she a Mission President's Wife?"
We had a great lesson with Janet and then set up a service opportunity to pass her off to the Elders in her ward! She is such an amazing lady I hope she takes part of the blessings her Father in Heaven has in store for her! She wants to own a ranch and said I could be a farm hand on it!
It has been an amazing week, I love you all and I hope you are all doing well this gospel is such a blessing it can solve all our problems! Tell Kenz and Drake and Sophie HI, and that I am glad she wakeboarded at Lake Powell and Kenz to! I love you all DEARLY!!!!!
Love,
Elder Taylor Petersen
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Hey Family,
The Savior truly does live, this is his work and will be done in his time! Line upon Line, Precept upon Precept, Here a Little there a little, it is how the Lord works!
Mon-
It is so weird just being in a 2 man apartment, like it is still not quiet, because myself and my stud companion are both loud, but it is different! We went to the driving range with our EQP aka "DIRTY D" he is the man there are 3 of them that live together and my whole goal serving here is to get them all to agree that I can come and spend 3 days with them after the mission! They are all so different from one another but all so funny! We were tracting this evening and a couple invited us in and they were members! We thought we had scored BIG! While tracting I had asked a guy if he knew what he wasn't interested in and he said yeah Jesus, I am Jewish, and then Elder Miller like screamed FAIR ENOUGH then, and we basically ran out of there! While biking home for the night there was this lady and I really felt like I shouldn't contact her, but I knew I had too. but I was making every excuse in my head not to, like it was to late or Elder Miller was like a mile back there, and yeah but I still did and she said she had a copy of the Book of Mormon and was always wondering more about it and we set a return appointment it was so awesome! Then biking back again, the entrance of the apartment there was this car with 8B plates, so I had to stop them! I asked where they lived, they said over by the counrty club, I am not sure if they were members but we played the name game and I asked them if they knew any Johnsons! They were like no....well only our dentist! I was like EVAN OSCAR JOHNSON at SUNNYSIDE Dental and pulled out my Sunnyside Dental chapstick and was like yeah that is him! I told them I was dating his daughter and she said she graduated with Jayson and that Spencer used to mow their grass, it was crazy how at the end of the day it still comes back to Kelsi! Kinda symbolism to the end of the mission EH EH! ha ha just kidding, sorry to be creepy! But it was funny!
Tues-
We chased down this Romero guy at the campus and got him to speak to some Spanish Elders on the Cell Phone actually Elder Bradshaw, he was having a rough day, it was crazy how it blessed his life and I couldn't even understand what he was saying! We got picked up to go have our lesson with Janet and I threw the keys to Elder Miller to lock the door cause we live on the top floor now and I threw them on the roof! We went and had a pretty solid lesson with Janet! I just want her to feel the spirit and partake of the blessing her loving Father in Heaven wants her to have! We got back and I had to do some monkey business on the roof but I got the KEYS down!
WED-
We had a lesson with La2 and like 15 members of his family, it was so neat they were all listening so intently, at the end of the lesson Elder Miller said wow teaching families feels like how missionary work should be! District meeting was small but good, only 4 people! We got down to the needs of the district! We are trying to crack this member CODE.
Thurs-
So we have been struggling! Seeing a lot of miracles, talking with a lot of people but not finding much success or progression with anybody! We began weekly planning and were cleaning off the white board with old potential investigators we were not able to get a hold of, and there was this one, Tara who we tracted into like 8 weeks ago who had the Book of Mormon on her Iphone and who had 5 copies of the Book of Mormon with testiomonies in them and basically who knew it was true! Well for 8 weeks she fell off the face of the earth and we just couldn't take her name down! She worked at a resort in Alaska and was a manager over 50 RM'S! They always invited her to church, she would never go but hide in her room and read the Book of Mormon! Well we began planning I was all depressed and Elder miller said there is a missed call and a voice mail on the phone we listened to it and it was Tara, she said that she was sorry she ignored us for a month and that it really scared her when we knocked on her door, and that she didn't know what to think! But she talked to her friends and she needs to meet with us to prepare herself for the blessings God wants to give her! Crazy I know, but the Lord blesses those who are obedient, the Lord was teaching me patience line upon line precept upon precept! We met this really nice woman named Litisha! I contacted this guy and he was like you don't want to talk to me, I am gay! I chased him down and he ran away and I still chased him and told him he is still a son of God and we still wanna talk to him! That upset me I wannt TALK TO EVERYONE! We had an amazing lesson with this old man named Rudy Tempest an 85 year old man from Brooklyn! He is the man!
Fri-
TODAY we had a lesson and a flat tire! There is opposition in all things like a flat tire and you can't get to your appointment! But we went to a bike store and I can't wait to get a road bike after my mission and go on rides with Kelsi! We went and set up service with Ronald McDonald and had an amazing lesson with Tara and 2 members she knew, it is all true and she is coming to church! We ran into 2 members that evening, they gave us some cinnamon rolls it has just been an awesome day!
SAT-
Moved some people, went to that farm I had pictures of to teach a girl in our ward and her dad showed me the coolest thing ever, a PLAYER PIANO it was so neat. I miss the country (Smithfield)! We contacted Neker he didn't feel welcomed at church but said he would agree to meet with us again! We had Stouffers lasagana at the institute for dinner!
Sun-
TARA was at church and it was awesome. We had a great dinner with some members at the end of church. I said, Tara we are still working towards baptism right, and she goes, right and sooner then later. So pray for her she is such an amazing sister and has been prepared! Ask Bro. Kirk Astel if he knows Kenny Stanfield! I love you guys, I hope all is well, pray for me as I pray for you, thanks for bringing me up in this incredible gospel!
Love and Respect,
Elder Taylor Petersen
The Savior truly does live, this is his work and will be done in his time! Line upon Line, Precept upon Precept, Here a Little there a little, it is how the Lord works!
Mon-
It is so weird just being in a 2 man apartment, like it is still not quiet, because myself and my stud companion are both loud, but it is different! We went to the driving range with our EQP aka "DIRTY D" he is the man there are 3 of them that live together and my whole goal serving here is to get them all to agree that I can come and spend 3 days with them after the mission! They are all so different from one another but all so funny! We were tracting this evening and a couple invited us in and they were members! We thought we had scored BIG! While tracting I had asked a guy if he knew what he wasn't interested in and he said yeah Jesus, I am Jewish, and then Elder Miller like screamed FAIR ENOUGH then, and we basically ran out of there! While biking home for the night there was this lady and I really felt like I shouldn't contact her, but I knew I had too. but I was making every excuse in my head not to, like it was to late or Elder Miller was like a mile back there, and yeah but I still did and she said she had a copy of the Book of Mormon and was always wondering more about it and we set a return appointment it was so awesome! Then biking back again, the entrance of the apartment there was this car with 8B plates, so I had to stop them! I asked where they lived, they said over by the counrty club, I am not sure if they were members but we played the name game and I asked them if they knew any Johnsons! They were like no....well only our dentist! I was like EVAN OSCAR JOHNSON at SUNNYSIDE Dental and pulled out my Sunnyside Dental chapstick and was like yeah that is him! I told them I was dating his daughter and she said she graduated with Jayson and that Spencer used to mow their grass, it was crazy how at the end of the day it still comes back to Kelsi! Kinda symbolism to the end of the mission EH EH! ha ha just kidding, sorry to be creepy! But it was funny!
Tues-
We chased down this Romero guy at the campus and got him to speak to some Spanish Elders on the Cell Phone actually Elder Bradshaw, he was having a rough day, it was crazy how it blessed his life and I couldn't even understand what he was saying! We got picked up to go have our lesson with Janet and I threw the keys to Elder Miller to lock the door cause we live on the top floor now and I threw them on the roof! We went and had a pretty solid lesson with Janet! I just want her to feel the spirit and partake of the blessing her loving Father in Heaven wants her to have! We got back and I had to do some monkey business on the roof but I got the KEYS down!
WED-
We had a lesson with La2 and like 15 members of his family, it was so neat they were all listening so intently, at the end of the lesson Elder Miller said wow teaching families feels like how missionary work should be! District meeting was small but good, only 4 people! We got down to the needs of the district! We are trying to crack this member CODE.
Thurs-
So we have been struggling! Seeing a lot of miracles, talking with a lot of people but not finding much success or progression with anybody! We began weekly planning and were cleaning off the white board with old potential investigators we were not able to get a hold of, and there was this one, Tara who we tracted into like 8 weeks ago who had the Book of Mormon on her Iphone and who had 5 copies of the Book of Mormon with testiomonies in them and basically who knew it was true! Well for 8 weeks she fell off the face of the earth and we just couldn't take her name down! She worked at a resort in Alaska and was a manager over 50 RM'S! They always invited her to church, she would never go but hide in her room and read the Book of Mormon! Well we began planning I was all depressed and Elder miller said there is a missed call and a voice mail on the phone we listened to it and it was Tara, she said that she was sorry she ignored us for a month and that it really scared her when we knocked on her door, and that she didn't know what to think! But she talked to her friends and she needs to meet with us to prepare herself for the blessings God wants to give her! Crazy I know, but the Lord blesses those who are obedient, the Lord was teaching me patience line upon line precept upon precept! We met this really nice woman named Litisha! I contacted this guy and he was like you don't want to talk to me, I am gay! I chased him down and he ran away and I still chased him and told him he is still a son of God and we still wanna talk to him! That upset me I wannt TALK TO EVERYONE! We had an amazing lesson with this old man named Rudy Tempest an 85 year old man from Brooklyn! He is the man!
Fri-
TODAY we had a lesson and a flat tire! There is opposition in all things like a flat tire and you can't get to your appointment! But we went to a bike store and I can't wait to get a road bike after my mission and go on rides with Kelsi! We went and set up service with Ronald McDonald and had an amazing lesson with Tara and 2 members she knew, it is all true and she is coming to church! We ran into 2 members that evening, they gave us some cinnamon rolls it has just been an awesome day!
SAT-
Moved some people, went to that farm I had pictures of to teach a girl in our ward and her dad showed me the coolest thing ever, a PLAYER PIANO it was so neat. I miss the country (Smithfield)! We contacted Neker he didn't feel welcomed at church but said he would agree to meet with us again! We had Stouffers lasagana at the institute for dinner!
Sun-
TARA was at church and it was awesome. We had a great dinner with some members at the end of church. I said, Tara we are still working towards baptism right, and she goes, right and sooner then later. So pray for her she is such an amazing sister and has been prepared! Ask Bro. Kirk Astel if he knows Kenny Stanfield! I love you guys, I hope all is well, pray for me as I pray for you, thanks for bringing me up in this incredible gospel!
Love and Respect,
Elder Taylor Petersen
Monday, August 2, 2010
HEY FAMILIA, MOM, DAD, MJ, D-ROCK, SOPH,
MON-
So it was the last P-day with the Gang! We went to this local joint call Loco Pops, it is super good. I got Kels a present, I hoped she liked it! We went and ate at Buns with Rachel and her boyfriend P, we taught him a little bit and committed them to come to FHE! I heard this song Fearless from Taylor Swift it reminded me of Kj singing on her phone and sending it to me, and then she freaked out that I had it! We killed it at FHE, like we watched Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration, it was amazing! Then I got revelation to send around a calendar and invite them all to take the missionary lessons it was so good!
TUES-
Elder Cox woke up at like 3 and came in with a boom box playing some apostate music he was so excited to listen to it! I had to wake up at 6:15 to go to transfer meeting! Elder Christensen picked me up and took me to Durham so I could catch a ride with his ride! Trainers meeting was super good, the spirit was way strong! So all 19 boys walked in and then Elder Young walked right past me! I was like DANG IT! Then this 6'4" man child came and stood next to me, I was like NO WAY!!! Then we started talking, he was Elder Marc Miller from Pleasant Grove, Utah and is 22 years old went to BYU for 3 years and played Lacrosse for Byu! At first I was freaking out, but he seemed pretty nice.( but I mean 22 years old, like I'll be home and won't even be that old!) Then I found out that he played Lacrosse with president Cotterell's son and roomed with their other son and is way good friends with them! President Cotterell had talked about this missionary coming out like forever ago and said he would be older. I remember saying, man that would suck to train that old of a missionary! BUT BOY WAS I WRONG! I got to see Elder Dealba and David the one that text you guys or you text him from Smithfield! Elder Dealba went to Wallace! WE had dinner at the sister who is an RM and her mom is not a member and we invited her to take the missionary lessons and she was like I am not sure, and we were like just pray about it. Then she called us on the way back home and was like well you guys forgot some potatoes I bought for you, so you are going to have to come back anyway! I think she may feel the spirit in this process! She had bought us a huge bag of groceries!
WED-
Elder Miller is the bomb.com Elder Miller's first contact was to this beautiful girl and it was just super funny and he gave her a together forever pass along card it was classic! Me and Elder Cahse are rooming together at College, I prayed about it, he is the man!
Thurs-
Zone conference, Cotterell's kids are at Powell the same time as you all! I am going to San Diego State! There is this new movie called the district 2 it is amazing! We went out with Tennison and taught Rudy.
Fri-
Moved all day, and this miracle with Neker. We walked into our apartment and there was this guy we both felt we should talk to but we didn't so we went out and talked to him and helped him and got his number, then called him that night and asked if we could teach him tomorrow at the church and he said yeah it was a crazy story like we weren't even in proselyting clothes! Went out with Robert Brooks nothing was happening it was depressing.
Sat,-
We taught a ton of lessons it was so cool lesson with Neker and Gary and Rudy it was awesome, things are rolling!
Sun- Neker came to church, we went to break the fast the excommunicated lady bore her testimony it was so scary at first then incredible! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
Love and Respect,
Taylor Blaine Petersen
MON-
So it was the last P-day with the Gang! We went to this local joint call Loco Pops, it is super good. I got Kels a present, I hoped she liked it! We went and ate at Buns with Rachel and her boyfriend P, we taught him a little bit and committed them to come to FHE! I heard this song Fearless from Taylor Swift it reminded me of Kj singing on her phone and sending it to me, and then she freaked out that I had it! We killed it at FHE, like we watched Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration, it was amazing! Then I got revelation to send around a calendar and invite them all to take the missionary lessons it was so good!
TUES-
Elder Cox woke up at like 3 and came in with a boom box playing some apostate music he was so excited to listen to it! I had to wake up at 6:15 to go to transfer meeting! Elder Christensen picked me up and took me to Durham so I could catch a ride with his ride! Trainers meeting was super good, the spirit was way strong! So all 19 boys walked in and then Elder Young walked right past me! I was like DANG IT! Then this 6'4" man child came and stood next to me, I was like NO WAY!!! Then we started talking, he was Elder Marc Miller from Pleasant Grove, Utah and is 22 years old went to BYU for 3 years and played Lacrosse for Byu! At first I was freaking out, but he seemed pretty nice.( but I mean 22 years old, like I'll be home and won't even be that old!) Then I found out that he played Lacrosse with president Cotterell's son and roomed with their other son and is way good friends with them! President Cotterell had talked about this missionary coming out like forever ago and said he would be older. I remember saying, man that would suck to train that old of a missionary! BUT BOY WAS I WRONG! I got to see Elder Dealba and David the one that text you guys or you text him from Smithfield! Elder Dealba went to Wallace! WE had dinner at the sister who is an RM and her mom is not a member and we invited her to take the missionary lessons and she was like I am not sure, and we were like just pray about it. Then she called us on the way back home and was like well you guys forgot some potatoes I bought for you, so you are going to have to come back anyway! I think she may feel the spirit in this process! She had bought us a huge bag of groceries!
WED-
Elder Miller is the bomb.com Elder Miller's first contact was to this beautiful girl and it was just super funny and he gave her a together forever pass along card it was classic! Me and Elder Cahse are rooming together at College, I prayed about it, he is the man!
Thurs-
Zone conference, Cotterell's kids are at Powell the same time as you all! I am going to San Diego State! There is this new movie called the district 2 it is amazing! We went out with Tennison and taught Rudy.
Fri-
Moved all day, and this miracle with Neker. We walked into our apartment and there was this guy we both felt we should talk to but we didn't so we went out and talked to him and helped him and got his number, then called him that night and asked if we could teach him tomorrow at the church and he said yeah it was a crazy story like we weren't even in proselyting clothes! Went out with Robert Brooks nothing was happening it was depressing.
Sat,-
We taught a ton of lessons it was so cool lesson with Neker and Gary and Rudy it was awesome, things are rolling!
Sun- Neker came to church, we went to break the fast the excommunicated lady bore her testimony it was so scary at first then incredible! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!
Love and Respect,
Taylor Blaine Petersen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)