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