Elders Petersen, Smart and Pierre-Louis(AP)

THE SMITH'S I REPEAT THE SMITH'S>>>>>>>>No relation to Joseph!!!!!! BUT seriously this family better be in the prayers of all those who read this! MAKE IT KNOW TO ALL NATIONS KINDREDS AND TONGUES THAT ELDER PETE loves his family!!!! They are so prepared to receive the restored Gospel they don't even know it! They are such good people with an incredible family!!!!!! Bro. Smith is a stud Sis Smith asked some really good questions. She really searches it out for herself!!! This is a Family that 50,000 missionaries around the world pray to find and the Lord lead us to them. So me and Elder Smart got in an argument about biking, he said that he plans on NOT biking the rest of his mission and that he is a Zone Leader and doesn't need to. I was said, but Elder we can't just talk the talk we gotta walk the walk...so we rode bikes onto post! We get on post, we stop by a few families and we make some calls and all is good. We have some time but we were like, we will just go to our dinner early (if we were in cars we would have been late because we would have been on the other side of post) So we biked there, and there are 3 ladies, one of them is a member, and she said she was going to invite her other member friend to be their. So I see three, and I start thinking okay, I have a few minutes to figure whether or not they or both members or if only one is and which one is it. So we start throwing out questions, rapid fire!!!!! We figure it out, it is Sis Smith she lived next to Elders in Washington and they used to talk to them all the time and went to Church with them once. She tells the member that she would never become Mormon and she has a hold up with the Book of Mormon. Then Bro Smith the Stud he is; large in stature comes over and is way nice and talks to his wife and she wants something that the Westwoods have that you use to grow vines on. It is big and heavy and in alot of pieces so we help Bro. Smith. We invite him to meet with us, he accepts and we go over Thursday night, we just get to know them and have dinner with them! They made some KILLER Chicken and some way good cookies. This family is such good people, like they define what it means to be a Christian!!!!! We talk about the church and low and behold she thinks the Book of Mormon is a book Joseph Smith wrote. So we get the book and we give her the additional study in the back of the pamphlet. She studies it out and we go over on Sunday and had this incredible lesson and it seems like Bro. Smith knows it all to be true and he is just waiting on Sis Smith and Sis Smith kept making fun of me saying, I am going to beauty school, I really don't know why she would say that, we just have this awesome lesson, invite them to be baptised and the spirit was so strong. I felt it guiding me and all, but I felt more of Gods love for this family!!! Seriously, Bro Smith could be a Bishop or really an EQP and Sis Smith she would be great in Young Woman's or Relief Society like they are doers not observers. So we are meeting with them tonight and they are to pray and read the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 11 and tell us whether or not it is true, I am so nervous and so excited. They are already so happy and to think they could even be happier to even think they could receive more truth it will be incredible. This was all done because of members, EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY..

So we went on an exchange with the Cameron Elders.... Cameron is an area where Elder Smart served for 7 1/2 months. We go their trying to fire up their area and we biked alot and got alot of work done. I really never realized how vital basic people skills are in missionary work. I guess I am so grateful for outgoing parents. We had dinner with a member who was lost and then was found and his wife was baptised and they are working for the temple. Like he was wild, he used to be a Hells Angel and just found the Elders and changed his whole life and he talks so powerfully on putting off the Natural man. We found alot for the Cameron Elders it was a great exchange.


A woman from the singles Branch was supposed to be baptised, our Zone was supposed to have 6 baptisms this Saturday but everyone fell through. The one in the singles, the woman, believes it all and has a powerful testimony but the job that she works at isn't up to the standards of the Church and it was pretty cool because she recognized it by the influence of the Holy Ghost, ya know it was nothing we told her. We are just trying to invite her to build her faith and to quit but it is her only source of income. We continue to pray for her and help her.

So we go on an exchange with Elder Pierre-Louis this week, and like he is so funny but I kept giving him a hard time about bringing an I.D. so we can get on post and we meet at the church to exchange and I was said "do you have your 6 forms of ID" and he is like yeah, yeah, yeah. So we get in the car and we drive onto post and he left his license in Raleigh, it was crazy because all of our work is on post but it was neat, really taught me to trust in God and become better. Elder Piere-Louis helped me understand alot that sometimes we get so caught up in application and we forget our purpose to help people receive the Saviors mercy it was a great reminder for me!!!

I am pumped, I am on fire on this topic!!!!!!! Member missionary work!!!! I remember being a new missionary and Elder Croft always talking about trying to Crack the member code....well I think it has been cracked and the funny thing is, that it was in Preach My Gospel.....no crazy idea no "PROGRAM" it was in the Guide to missionary service Preach my Gospel. We had 4 companionship's come out with us and we blitzed 16 families in 2 hours!!!!!! The members taught the doctrine of missionary work by a brief scripture or testimony or Preach my Gospel and then extended the invitation to invite a non member friend to hear the missionary lessons in their home in 2 weeks and we left. We were in the members home for 20 minutes. Every member had goodies for whoever stopped by, they all willingly accepted. A brother kept saying what took so long for this invitation to come out? He said he felt like members of the church talk about the church alot but we don't know what to do or how to do it. We as missionaries ask for referrals and different things or who they felt were prepared and he said it was just an open invitation. He said this closes the deal and is incredible. With the 8 brethren that went out we gave them each 2 families to pray for and to follow up this week by Thursday and then we the full time missionaries were going to call the 8 brethren and follow up with them. Bro Burbank the acting Bishop, because the Bishop is deployed went out with us and had a wonderful experience inviting the saints to invite a nonmember to hear the lessons in their home by 2 weeks. He said he was very concerned for the follow up and he didn't want this great spiritual experience to be just an open invitation so we gave him his two families to follow up on and he said this is what I am talking about Elders this is the follow up! It is awesome the code has been cracked! And it was in the "good book" all along!!!!!!! That makes perfect sense it wasn't going to be found from some talk, it wasn't going to be found from anything else, or some idea I may have had it was in the book that was put together by the Lord and approved by the brethren!!!!!! That is the program, I am sticking too!!! I have had such incredible studies this week using the personal and companionship studies activities, they have been such a spiritual and revelatory experience for me! Still living the dream as a full-time missionary. I love this work! I love my Savior I know he directs this great work. I pray for you all!


Hope you all have a great week and know that I love you so much!!!!

Love, Elder Taylor Petersen

What is UP?
So seriously right after I got done emailing you guys last week this lady walks up and shakes our hands and says, I love Mormons they are the greatest people I know. We set an appointment with her, it was great, we thought she was golden. She was a cute girl too!! We were going to try and hook her up with Kris who is the man, a recent convert but she flaked on us so hopefully we can get her this next week. We went to Family Home Evening at the singles branch, it was great alot of them have friends they just need to invite them so that is what we are trying to help them do!!!!

We have a date with a Columbian sister named Bilair, she is to be baptised this Saturday it is awesome she has had such a great experience with the Book of Mormon, and she is ready, we taught her twice this week and she is going to be interviewed tomorrow, I think she is ready and she will do great, she really loves church she stays for all the services that building has! We biked onto post a couple of times this week, my comp hates me for it, but I believe that so many miracles are attached to riding a bike. We truly have witnessed some since we have been using them more often but also our zone was cut 1200 miles to that is why we are biking more!! We biked to our dinner we met this awesome family the Smith's they have always lived near Mormons and they do now as well, we went to a dinner and they were there, we helped the husband move something and we missed our dinner appnt. talking to him it was awesome. We are meeting with them tonight at 6, cross your fingers!!! There is this sister her name is Holly, like you mother and she had a daughter named Margo that we are teaching and helping prepare for baptism. She is so smart and so ready we are just really trying to get their father on board and to sign her off. He is deployed, I pray for him everynight and you all should to. His name is Bro Salyer!

We went to a great district meeting, our whole zone is just filled with great Elders, I Love these missionaries. The Zones fired up. I went on a exchange with Elder Obergon, he is the man, from Chile. He is such a great Elder their area in particular is on fire! WE did some work on Post, we taught a family that totally rejected us and said their church in Michigan was the restored church and I was like, WHY! They were such a great family and just crashed and burned and started getting contentious, so I left asap.

We are teaching this part member family the Hill's, we are trying really hard to get them on board but they aren't coming so far, we might drop them soon!!

Sunday was awesome we had a good amount at church and it was just great. I love the Fort Bragg ward testimonies. The singles is like the oddest group of people but they are the best of friends we were kinda talking today, like the church is alot like Walmart everyone benefits from it; black and white, poor or rich; everyone can and will use it or take something from it! So we taught the Addie family, the wife said my daughter need to get baptised. It was incredible and then we went to the Salyer family and had a great lesson and it was just an awesome weeek we taught so much. We are going on an exchange with some struggling Elders, I am excited to pump them up! It is awesome. I love this work, I love this Gospel; it is so true.


I love my family so much, I love the temple, and being born into the covenant! I just love it all, and I love you!!!

With Love and Respect,

Elder Taylor Petersen

TELL THE WORLD THE GOSPEL IS TRUE!!!!!!

Wow!!The story of the miracle you had is straight NUTS! That is so cool and I am so happy for you all. I pray that you have experiences like that! I am so Grateful that you share them! So mom that is awesome you were able to meet with President Beck. We had dinner in a families home last night and she got to play the OBO for President Faust's funeral. Patrica Holland loved her so much that she asked her to come play for this lunch that the church does for all the General Authorities wives! And it was Sis Holland's turn to head it up this year. She made a neat comment I will never forget. She said, "Elders I felt the same spirit I did in the presences of those Sisters that I did when I was sitting next to the 12 apostles! The Sisters are truly what make the Brethren!! The church rides on the Sisters of Zion, I am convinced! Billy you are a lucky man to have such an incredible lady, such as our Mother!!!!!!

This week has been great! Like I told you last week we were able to go golfing, that was a blast!!!!! We had breakfast with a less active family who is like on fire, reading scriptures, and attending church meetings, it is so awesome! Tuesday I was able to go on an exchange with Elder Tabil, I think I already told you about him. He is great, like I would love to serve with him someday. We saw a miracle, this woman, who said she prayed to find a church, and we ran into her. I testify that it didn't happen until after the trial of our faith because right before that we got chewed up and spit out by some real nice son of God. IF god still loves them why can't I right>>>> That night we were able to go have dinner at the Burbanks he is the acting bishop because the bishop is deployed. They are such a great family and his wife is from Sugar, GO DIGGERS!!!! We also had dinner with Kris Perkins a recent convert who recently received his Patriatical Blessing and is on fire, I will talk about him more!!!! We went out that night and we had this list that had all the part member families on it, And we see this one, her name Was Holly and I was like well Duh that is a given, so of course we stopped by and we had a wonderful talk with her. Her husband is anti but her daughter just turned 8 and her name is Margo and she is scheduled to get baptised on the 26th!!!


We went to District meeting in Sanford, it was great, Elder Torres is a great leader. He just has this way about him, to lift and inspire it is so amazing. He brings unity into his district like no other missionary I have ever seen before! We left after that. We took with us the new 3rd ward Elders and went back and did our weekly shopping, and I went and emailed ya'all! Their is this funny old man that works at the Library, he told us a joke, he said you know the Bible proves that the three wise men were fire fighters. I said please tell me how. He said cause it said they came from a far! But if you say far with a southern accent it sounds like fire! It was pretty funny! That night we were suppose to teach another part member family but they canceled. So we only taught Bro. Martinez, we had such a great lesson the spirit was so strong, our exchange was incredible and he prayed at the end asking for truth, and then we called to confer our second appointment this week and he canceled and was like I don't care any more that kinda shook me but we press on. Like Joseph said we endure and we endure it well. That can only be done with Jesus.


We are teaching this woman who is a part member family her husband is deployed but things are looking good for them. She is such a sweet woman she was in a horrible car accident and is in a wheelchair but just a real neat lady and she seems to get it, but just doesn't. I really don't know, I feel like we are so close with her. Part-member families rely completely on an active spouse. We were able to teach Bilar she is from Columbia and attends the singles branch and has a date for the 12th, except she is a bar tender so we are trying to get that all worked out. She is a really neat lady and is just tearing through the Book of Mormon. We have this family the Brown family they are on fire, the just PCSed from Hawaii, Bro Brown is always smiling they are getting ready to go to the temple and do some missionary work.

We had a zone leader Counsel this week. It was so incredible the spirit was so strong and everyone wanted to be better. Our zone had a rough month in February but so did alot of the mission. We were talking about member work and like how it has taken a year and a half to evolve into what it is now. Like before we used to ask for referrals and that went no where, then we would ask who they felt the Lord was preparing and that went really no where, now we just are straight up! Hey we all need to repent and do missionary work and be direct just like we are with investigators. Will you invite someone into your home to here the missionary lesson in 2 weeks! We have a 50/50 shot! So it was great and we were able to ride up with Elder Miller. He was thanking me for being an obedient trainer. I was grateful, he is the man!!! That night we taught Sis Hess she is struggling with her kids because her husband is deployed, but we are trying really hard to strengthen her faith!!

So we were asked to give talks at a baptism, so we did. But this Bro. who baptised his daughter and came back because of the ward mission process. Invited their neighbors to the baptism they came and we talked to them. They are the Cotter family from Michigan they are incredible and we are meeting with them this Wednesday, it is that family that has just been activated! THE RESCUE BABY!!!! We had dinner with a great couple family, the sister, i love her to death she makes such great food and is a healthy lady and we always talk about the way Kelsi eats, she said that she just follows what the scriptures say, but I pulled a quote on her that said if we truly understood the Word of Wisdom we wouldn't eat meat! But they are fellow shipping the family that took us to breakfast. We taught a couple lessons that night with some great families and one part member, but it is kinda going no where he was smoking a cigar when we got their!

Sunday was incredible church was combined and we only had sacrament because another stake used our building. We had Ron, Bilar, and Margo their and they all have dates and the gospel is just so true, I love that night we taught Margo, and Kris came with us he taught her so awesome and so simply, he is the man! HE has the spirit with him so strong. I made him go pass the sacrament and he was like no there is more people then usual, but then I got a key preisthood holder on him, the deacons quorum president and he got him to pass it!


I Love this gospel, I have a huge testimony of my Savior, I pray for all my loved ones often and I pray you all have a wonderful missionary experience filled week!!!

With Love and Respect,

Elder Taylor BLAINE Petersen

Elder Petersen & Johnson

Hey Family,
How is it going? It has been a crazy WEEK!! I only have like 15 minutes to email, we gotta take off to a dinner, then we have a few appointments tonight. But it has been crazy! So last Monday we were able to go play basketball! It was neat.
We did some great things this week, I really can't remember, but that is why I write it all in the journal, so if you all are really interested you can read it later!

Sorry I have been a slacker, I didn't get to write you all this week. But I did write Kelsi both weeks and she says she didn't get my letter! Oh well I tried! So we taught this amazing man named Lamar Ron Horn! We set a date, he is dating the singles branch Relief Society President! It is awesome! He accepts the Gospel fully and is prepared!

We taught a lesson to a family and our exchange canceled and then we were able to get another exchange and it was exactly who that family needed to feel the spirit it was so neat. So Saturday we got a call and Elder Johnson is being transferred and we have to prepare the area for the 3rd ward to get full time missionaries, so we have been running around checking out apartments and just crazy stuff. I am so nervous he is leaving, I don't know how to get around here! And on Fort Bragg we aren't aloud to proselyte! I am sure the Lord knows what we are doing.

So on Monday Elder Burris took us golfing, I seriously have not missed my dad so much in my life as I did that day! I wanted nothing more then to be on Sandcreek and be golfing with Billy! I love you man!

Everyone in the mission is getting Dear Johned and President Cotterell gives them a most valuable missionary award! HE asked me when I was next, and I said no!! Our relationship is built upon the gospel, I will never get one! There goes your famous last words Elder Petersen! IT was super cool! So I guess I am justing waiting to eat my words! But golfing was so much fun, I played alright too! Really nice weather this weekend!

So Tuesday, I went on an exchange with the coolest convert ever, Elder Tabil from Hawaii, he is the man! We saw so many miracles in just the short time we were together, it was so neat. This woman saw us and started smiling, she had just moved in and was like I prayed that I would find a church today and we got her all set up. It is a pretty neat ward, they serve in. We went back because his companion was back there, it was Elder Johnson, then I saw my new Companions bike and it looked familiar, and I was exactly right, it was Elder Smart!! It blew my mind, he is a different missionary, I was his District Leader in Durham when Elder Merrill went to be the assistant! And they moved Spanish missionaries as Zone Leaders to be in Wilmington! It is crazy but there is alot of success going on, I am excited! I love the gospel! I love you all!!! I hope the Lord blesses you all this week!

With Love and Respect,

Elder Taylor Petersen

Hello Family,
It has been a good week, I am finally, like as of today starting to feel better and I am so thankful for that, the Lord has answered my prayers and a priesthood blessing really helped!
We had dinner with some members and they invited their daughter and her family. Her husband was there, Bro. Burris, he isn't a member of the church but at the dinner table we were able to talk with him and learn about him. We invited him to learn more and he accepted. I gave him my copy of the Book of Mormon and he said he would read it. He is a good guy, a father of 2 beautiful little girls. I love the fact that the Lord blesses us with opportunities and then we have to act. I feel I sometimes limit the Lord by not acting, or not acting maybe as bold as I should, but I have observed that as I have, that he always brings me out! We were able to teach him later this week we had a great lesson and were able to invite him to be baptised and he committed, for Mar 26th because he is leaving for training, we were so excited but then he wasn't able to make it to Church.

We had a conference call with the Stake leaders, he asked that we as missionaries be more bold with the members in inviting them to help us in all aspects and phases of the work! I thought that is was pretty cool. We are so lucky to serve among such great leaders it will be something that I will be blessed for, for the rest of my life to learn from these great men and women who lead in their units!

The new handbook is incredible, all focused on the Family and bringing them all HOME to Heavenly Father.

Had a neat experience this week, we went to go see a part-member family and we walked to the end of the street, contacting people along the way and just getting rejected and chewed up and spit out. But the miracle always comes after the trial of your faith.........or at least I hoped so. We kept on going and this address wasn't there! It didn't exist! I was so upset we walked a long way. But then we sat and thought why would the Lord want us here, we pondered it in our hearts and looked around and went to this house because it had a cool truck and it ended up being a part member family, they are Tongan, they are so cool and her and her husband are feeding us and we are have a lesson this Sunday. Then while walking back a car pulled up on us and asked if we needed a ride. I know my mom taught me not to accept rides from strangers but for some odd reason we accepted with no hesitation. We got in and he took us to our bikes, we told him who we were, asked why he would pick us up, and he was super religious. We are meeting with him this Wednesday! Crazy huh! We have alot of potential in the Part-Member family section of things! This is the last week of this transfer!

It has been a tough week with Elder Johnson, I love him as a person and like he is one of my best friends I feel like, but we see differently in missionary work, and I am so grateful for that because I have learned so much from him it has been such a humbling experience.

We had a great trainers meeting this Thursday we learned the importance of the Book of Mormon. We have all these trainings on certain topics and missionary's get all fired up about them and kind of put on blinders but the training on the Book of Mormon is vital, like if someone converts and endures it is because of their love for the scriptures, I think that is how Sis Cameron is! She had such an amazing experience with the Book of Mormon! That is how you find the ELECT is if they love the Book of Mormon!

Happy Valentines day, I love you all so much, I love my Savior, I need his help so much! I can't do it alone! I am grateful for my talents but especially my weaknesses, that if I rely on him, that his grace is sufficient for little PETE! I love that fact that his atoning sacrifice can be so personalized and just so direct to one person! I love this Gospel every aspect of it!

Some of the leaders were talking of the training they had to attend and how the church is changing to adapt to the needs of our Fathers children, how there is more Focus on the family, I can't wait in the far future to have my own family to build my own refuge from the world where the Gospel will be taught. Thanks Mom and Dad for all you did. I have had some hard days over the span of a year! But I just think of all the prayers that our offered in my behalf! I have all the help in the world. I love you all and hope you have a great week!
--
With Love and Respect,

Elder Taylor Petersen

President Cotterell asked that we throw away all our illegal music all burnt CD's, if we didn't pay for it we should destroy it. Which he is right, it is just tough to swallow! So we did and we feel like we have been blessed for it!!!

So this week was good we were coming off a baptism and frantically trying to set a date to replace it. We were able to teach this man, Bro. Mackdaddy, he said he is ready to be baptised, but he has been meeting with Elders for a year now and has never been to church. We set a date but had to drop it cause he didn't come.

There is this crazy but super prepared lady named Sara. We went to a Part-Member home and their lights were on their car, so we thought good reason to stop by and tell them right. Well, they didn't answer. This woman walked by and we aren't supposed to contact on post but I felt super prompted to so I did. She asked who we were and said a woman on post had invited her to come to a trunk or treat at the Mormon church, a woman that she had met on craigslist that she sold prego lady clothes to and said she came home and told her husband she felt something that she only feels at Thanksgiving time, a warm feeling like she was comforted and had ate alot the same as she felt with this woman who was a member and yet she hadn't ate anything. She had us rolling, she said she was feeling it again and that she knew she was suppose to be Mormon she said she hated the feeling that the Catholic church gave her. She is 21 and had 2 kids, just a really nice lady who is prepared. It is so crazy how the Lord works. We were supposed to meet with her this Saturday but she is the leader of a deployed group and one of the women went into labor so we are meeting with her tomorrow, we are so excited!!!!

This week we went to the Sanford District meeting. Elder Torres is the man, I came out with him. He is so good at inspiring his troops! We were all so pumped, I was able to go on an exchange with him and do some spanish work it was way neat, I couldn't understand a single thing they said but I could feel the spirit, it really was neat!!!!

I met this recent convert named Sol, him and his wife Jenny joined the church last month and is on fire. He told me how he didn't think that he needed this but once he felt the spirit he couldn't deny, he realized he couldn't go on without it! I was able to bear my testimony in SPANISH!!!! Elder Lake was in a dance class with my cousin Ashley from bountiful!!!!

FAMILY AND EVERYONE WHO READS THIS......THIS IS A PLEE!!!! PLEASE GET ON MORMON.ORG and make a profile! I would love to reference some of our investigaotrs to check out some of my families testimonies on mormon.org! I found Greg's wives profile, cousin Karen and showed it to an investigator it just has an extra spirit when it is somebody you know!!!!!

We were able to contact that part-member family and set up an appointment to teach them this week so we are excited! So there is this girl from Michigan, named Rose. She is in the Army and is in AIT school where they teach you your job basically! When we taught her the first time she wouldn't even let us teach her. She was like focusing on how retarded we were for leaving on a mision for two years. But her friends from Richfield, Utah or her battle buddy was able to soften her heart! It was incredible, she was like at our lesson just pleading with us that she wanted to be happy and she would do anything. We read with her in 2 nephi 31 telling her to keep in mind what she could do and she knew she needed to be baptised, but I once again am a Temple Square missionary, and she is leaving next week and is going to go home so we got her info and everything all lined up for the Elders there.

The King family, they are gold and went to church in their new town! I love the ARMY!

I have been really miserably sick this week. Like if I have ever wanted my mom on my mission it has been right now! Crazy I know but I am on the verge of tears, I don't know what is wrong with me and people just give me crazy army drugs that make me pass out!

I think the Fayetteville 3rd ward is getting new missionaries and it will be exciting, maybe I will be one of them! With being a Zoneleader and covering 3 areas I often feel like a chicken with my head cut off but it is fun and time flys!

I love my companion he is so nice to me and wants whats best for me, he is just a good guy. We are able to serve such great leaders in the 3 units we serve. I learn so much from them about leadership and I am so thankful to recognize it! I love being lead by the holy spirit! I love when people say they feel something when we are around, or that we are different people. I just love it all! I want my mission to never end, I feel like I am on a hill going faster then I want to. I just gotta work harder. I am so grateful for an awesome trainer who just taught me to put God first and all will work out, that is an aspect that will bless me for the rest of my life. I love you all, I hope you have a blessed week! MAKE MORMON.ORG profiles!!!!

Love and Respect,

Taylor Blaine Petersen