So sorry if this email is a little early.  But I woke up at 5 this morning to do laundry on my Preparation day because our scheduled time is a zoo and it ends up taking 3 times as longer during that time so yeah.  I'm just waiting for my laundry typing away.  Oh well I'm used to waking up at 4 in the morning. Huh Sam??  haha :)  Well time is sure flying by.  In less than two weeks I will be in Mexico and it just blows my mind.  We are getting our travel plans this week and we should know when we leave and what not. I'm very much planning on calling home from the airport.  We are schedule to leave the MTC on June 10th but won't know for sure till we get our plans I will let you all know when we get them.  But anyways so guess what I got to do on Wednesday??? Give up yet??  Okay I'll tell you!! I got the opportunity to host new missionaries!!  I helped them get settled in and stuff.  It was pretty awesome.  The guy that told us what we are supposed to do said that they had over 100 missionaries coming in every 15 minutes!! Thats insane!! We hosted for about 2 1/2 hours.  I was astounded at how many sister missionaries we got!!  I think it was pretty close to the number of Elders.  That is so crazy the sisters have truly been a force for the church.  It's crazy to think how many we will get in the next few months with graduation and all.  I gotta say I was pretty sad when I heard about Bill and Ranae.  Sorry if i spelled her name wrong remember it's 5 in the morning.  I just met a sister in my zone going to there mission and she had known that Ranae was having medical problems and she was pretty disappointed as well.  But I know that for whatever reason they got released it was the will of God.  Every time I'm on one of my lows I tend to think why me why me? But then I remember Jesus Christ and it shoots me right between the eyes that I'm not being thankful for everything I have.  Lets be honest here.  I have an amazing life.  I have a wonderful family that loves me and supports me.  I have great friends that are will to take a bullet for me as I would for them, and to top it off I'm serving a mission!!! Life is pretty good right now.  At times like those I always try to remember the Savior pleading "Let this cup pass through me, not as my will but as Thy will."  What amazing strength he had,   I used to think that i was a pretty tuff kid but not anymore compared to the Savior.  It's kinda like the Mormon Message "By Thy Will"  I think thats what it is called.  It's about a gardener that chops down a bush and it looks like the bush is crying asking why?  But we can learn that God loves us enough to cut us down, to make us humble, to strength us, to teach us a lesson.  I have been truly humbled here.  I truly know that I'm not able to complete this mission without the Lords help.  I've learned that right off the bat.  I know that without God's help I can't learn the language and I won't have the Gift of Tongues or the Gift of Discernment.  I can already tell you that I've experience both of those Gifts.  One lesson my companion was teaching about prayer I think and he was struggling to find the words in Spanish.  But I jumped in and he told me I said the exact thing he was trying to say, and remember this is in a language that both of us still don't know much.  I know that a little thing as this is the start of the Gift of Tongues.  I've also experienced the Gift of Discernment.  This week on of the companionships in my district was really struggling.  The adversary was really working on them.  So I talked to one of the Elders and I told him what I was thinking and he told me that was exactly what he needed so that was a Gift.  Um on Tuesday night one of the seventy spoke to us.  His name was Zwick. He gave an amazing talk about how sometimes missionaries are out on a mission for the wrong reasons.  There is a Elder in my zone that joined the church about a year and a half ago.  He is leaving to Chile next week and he has shared with me some of his challenges.  He is the only member in his family that is Mormon he pretty much has no support at home but he still chose to serve the Lord.  It made me think that if I had no support at home, would I be out here?  I haven't answered that question for myself yet cause I'm afraid of the answer.  I realized that I've been a kinda selfish about this whole mission.  When I was home all I talked about was how it's going to benefit me with losing 40 pounds and being able to speak Spanish for future jobs.  I've realized that I needed to repent of my ways.  It's truly not about me and it's not about us as missionaries.  Our purpose is to Invite people to come unto Christ by helping people receive his Restored Gospel. What we do as missionaries is so small in helping people come unto Christ.  All we do is invite.  God does not need me out here.  He has probably about 100000 other missionaries to choose from.  But I need God and Jesus Christ to strengthen me and lift me up.  This whole mission has nothing to do with me.  It's not about me it's about helping people come unto Christ.  I want to change the lives of people in Guadalajara.  I want you all to know that I know that everything happens for a reason.  I got called to Mexico Guadalajara for a reason.  The Lord is speeding up his work for a reason.  Bill and Ranae got released for a reason.  He has these things happen for a reason.  We may not know why they do right now.  But through Faith and Prayer we can come to know why and how to overcome them.  I know this letter is really nothing about me but oh well thats a good thing, because like I said before it's not about me or any of the other missionaries it's about our purpose it's about our investigators, it's about God and his Son our Loving Redeemer Jesus Christ.  Once again I know that this Church is true, in my heart there isn't a doubt.  Know that you are all in my prayers.  I Miss and Love All of You!

-Love Elder Petersen

Well another week has flown by!!! Well I'll admit its a weird day for me.  First time ever having my birthday without my family.  We went to the temple today which is always amazing.  Um yesterday all the Elders in my district and I all went to Las Vegas to the Mexican Consulate to get our visas and we got them which is really good.  It was really weird listening to normal music again haha I didn't like it.  Um but at the same time it was really great to get out for a day and have a break.  We have kept pretty busy this week we have 3 investigators now and I'm learning the Spanish pretty well.  So I had another amazing experience this week.  Another Elder in my district was having a hard day and he was just sitting in the corner of a room during study time and so I went and asked what was wrong.  Well we had been talking about how we all recieve Revelation different ways and he broke down telling me he wasn't sure if he had recieved Revelation or not and that he didn't really know why he was out here.  So we talked a bit and then I just bore my testimony to him that he is here for a reason and I told him how when he bares testimony I can feel the Spirit and I told him how I can tell when I'm feeling the Spirit because I get butterflies in my stomach like right before a football game and I get goosebumps. I told him what happened when Thomas S. Monson changes the mission age and I went crazy and how I felt after I opened my call!  I had know idea what I was saying!!! It was just straight Spirit coming out of my mouth!!!!  It was pretty amazing! Then I told him that I know when we baptize our first investigator it will all be worth it and that I have a testimony of this Gospel and that God and Jesus Christ Love him and care about our problems and that he maybe needs to pray with sincere heart and real intent.  The Spirit was so strong it was incredible!!!  I loved it!!!  So yeah that was my Spiritual High this week and of course the temple.  I want to thank everybody that sent me Birthday wishes today.  It was really great to hear from you and I hope we continue to stay in touch!!  My companion is jealous of all the packages I've gotten today haha :).   Its been a great day tho, the temple was great and got all my laundry done and got to email!!  So yeah I'm still moving along.  The Spanish is coming along pretty good.  Um I am truly experiencing the Gift of Tongues.  My companion and I set a goal the other day to talk only in Spanish the whole day!!!  Lets just say I was quieter then usual that day.  But I still did pretty well I probably talked about 85% in Spanish so its coming along.  But then we went to the Mexican Consulate and I hear these people talking so fast and it lets me know I still have so much more to learn!!!  It was really cool tho because in Vegas and at the Provo air port there were so many people that came up to us and asked us where we are going and where we are from.  This one guy we were buying food in the airport and the guy in the line next to me tells the cashier to put it on his card.  I was no don't but he keep insisting was it was pretty cool. It really reminded me that we are role models for a lot of people and a lot of people are watching us. We are representatives of Christ.  Not just me we all are and it made me realize we all have to show the Character of Christ.  We can do that with our actions.  I have another assignment for you all I want you all to watch the Mormon Message called The Will of God.  I think thats what is called.  We need to realize that everything happens for a reason and that God loves us and knows our desires and needs of our hearts.  I want to tesitfy that the Book of Mormon is Book from God.  The Book of Mormon is just a Do and a don't do list.  It's a guideline for us and I know that if we pray with a Sincere Heart we all will grow to know that through the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ we can have everlasting happiness.  I know this Gospel is true and that Jesus Christ is truly our Savior and Redeemer.  You are all continuly in my prayers and I LOVE and MISS All of YOU!!

-Love Elder Petersen

Well everything is going fine here.  The language is kinda hard for me but I'm learning things everyday.  I'm able to say more and more things.  We have two new investigators this week and yesterday me and my companion for the first time prepared a lesson but, we werent planning on using it.  We were just going by the Spirit and the Spirit took us way off the lesson but it was AMAZING!!! One of the best lessons we have taught.  There are so many great experiences!!! Tuesday Night we had our special devotional and guess who spoke to us?!?!  It was Russell M. Nelson!!! It was so incredible the Spirit in the room and when 5000 missionaries sing Called to Serve it gives you goosebumps. I have an assignment for all of you!  You all need to get on LDS.org and go to mormon messages and watch Sanctify Yourselves!  Its such a great clip!! Well its quiet a change to go to were every minute of everyday is planned out but its kinda fun so ya I'm doing fine and I love you all.

Love Elder Petersen

Hola Familia!!!!

Well today is my Preparation day!! to answer your questions yes ive been to the temple twice already and yes they are feeding me plenty.  How are things home??  Well the MTC is kinda crazy, there are a lot of ups and downs one day you hit rock bottom and the next your on cloud nine.  We already got finished with teaching our first investigator Gloria we got her to commit to a date to be baptized!!! there was a crazy experience before one our lessons.  One Elder broke down saying he didnt know why he was here and we just all testified how hard it is going to be and how great it is going to be when we get to have some be baptized!! I had goosebumps cause i felt the spirit so strong!! then we went into our lesson and rocked it!!  I'm doing good i think i struggle with the spanish alot tho.  I can already understand what people are saying most of the time but i have a hard time putting sentences together.  But hopefully Lord will continue to help me with it.  Well my companion is Elder Summer he is from Murray Utah.  He's about 2 inches taller than me and weighs like 190 haha.  He was a bball player in high school so we can relate through sports which is good!  How are things back at Home?  How are you doing health wise dad?  So Sam and Emily are moving out? Sounds like a blast!! Um Ive gotten a little homesick ive missed you guys alot the second day was so hard.  I was just thinking what did i get my self into when my teacher comes into class and only says 3 words in english for about 3 hours.  It's like baptism of fire haha but yeah im trying my best to study and learn and follow the spirit.  And sorry about the letters being so short im not much of a writer which you already know haha ;) Well Sunday is mothers day and mom i just want you to know how much i love you!!  I realize that i was pretty spoiled growing up. i know that now.  I dont know where I'd  be without you defeniately not here.  I'm so grateful for the example you are to me.  Im so proud of you for finishing your schooling!! I know it was hard just like what im doing right now is hard.  Im crying a little right now haha.But im super proud of you and i want you to know that I love you with all my Heart!!! and Dad same to you i dont know what i would do without you.  I miss our talks we used to have its crazy to think your only two hours away and i cant see you.I love you Dad, your are one of the greatest persons i know!! i'm truly blest to have you as my parents. i really like getting dear elder letters so you should tell people to write me through dear elder on facebook please. and could you send me my sunglasses and a care package please?? haha I love you all and miss you!!!!

 

Love Elder Petey