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