Being BOLD, Being BRAVE

Hello everyone! Thank you for all the birthday wishes! I am so grateful for these 20 years of life I have been given and all the wonderful friends I have made and experiences I have had! I am excited for the future and what it holds! But I am also trying to stay focused on the here and now. I got advice from a chocolate wrapper the other day that said "where ever you are, be all there!" I realized recently that I have been trying to dig up past memories and look anxiously to the future. As a result I have been forgetting that I am on an amazing journey right now! 

So on that note here are some of the adventures I had this week! 

Oh so today I got a call from President and Sister Tateoka! They sang me happy birthday! Love them so much! Also their little grandson was with them so he also sang! So cute! 

Do you remember Moses? He is a little boy we were teaching. His baptism had to be canceled the week of and it was just a whole stressful crazy situation. Well guess what? The situation... Took care of itself? I can't really say specifics but he has gotten permission to be baptized!!!! But Moses now wants to wait to be baptized on his birthday.... In September... We are just a little frustrated but that's OK ultimately it is his decision but I am so excited that it is now even a possibility!! 

This week was all about finding, and being bold and brave. I've reflected a lot on the strange things we do as missionaries that I would never have even considered when I was home. Such as talking to people... Ya it's nothing crazy but I honestly would have never even really said hello to someone I passed on the street now it's my job to stop everyone we see and talk about religion which is something most people really aren't open to talking about. 

 On exchanges this week I got the chance to go to Forest Grove. We talked to a bunch of different people, but the most interesting situation we found ourselves in was when we went to dinner at a retirement home. There was a nice member couple who invited us over and took us around showing us off to all their friends. Have I ever told you that old people scare me? Not one on one but when there is a sea of old people staring at you it's a little intimidating. It's said that old people are stuck in their ways and it is impossible to change, but we were brave, opened our mouths, and found a new investigator right there in the retirement home! 

On the opposite side of the scary spectrum is teenagers, they are perhaps the most intimidating to approach and they always travel in packs! Well we saw a group of teens coming our way while we were out walking and I told myself just don't let them see your fear! And then I took control of the situation, turned on my salesman side (which I didn't think I had) and had a good gospel centered conversation with the whole group. 

Another way I had to be bold and brave this week was in tracking down in-active members. Ones who are on our records but no one really knows them or where they are at with their relationship with the church. So when you go to knock on their doors you really don't know what to expect. There are those few doors who will just not open, others (though this hasn't happened to me personally, to put your mind at ease dad) threaten you with a gun if you ever come back, but most of the time when finding inactive members they let you in are glad for your company but will talk to you about anything other than the gospel and why they stopped coming to chruch.

Well on one of these situations I opened my mouth and said "We are here to help you get back to church, what is holding you back?" We had just met this lady and she was one who would talk about anything other than church. Well she stopped and actually thought about it for a minute, she couldn't give us an answer but we are invited back to continue to meet with her. I'm discovering more and more how being straight forward is the best way to go about things. You can't do anything until you are on the same page as the person you are teaching. 

Way too often we have investigators who don't know they are investigators and that feels very wrong to me. We had another situation this week where we flat out asked this part-member family we are sort of working with if they wanted to take the missionary discussions. They are still thinking on it, though they said that they feel in their hearts that it is the right thing to do. 

For district meeting we followed 1 Nephi 3:11 and cast lots to see who would do the role play in front of everyone. Luck had it that we would draw the short stick. Role playing is not one of my strengths, it's like improv, and the whole district gets to watch. Oh and the scenario was teaching someone who has absolutely no knowledge of God or Christ. Well we survived and it was actually OK. I am slowly learning and concurring fears! 

One last fear I worked on this week was bearing my testimony in Sacrament meeting. For some reason it just does not come naturally to me to stand up in front of a bunch of people and share what is in my heart. But I knew the Holy Ghost was prompting me to stand and I am glad I listened. When you are prompted to do something you will not be left alone to do it. This is the thought I received as I stood and spoke. I'll share it as my spiritual thought today. 

Spiritual Thought:

Life is full of times and seasons. There will be good times, bad times, joyful times, and times of despair. That is just life. In my life I have been searching for the key to continual uninterrupted lasting happiness, and the more I search the more I am discouraged at my inconsistentcy. I am also coming to realize however that the happiness I am looking for is not to be found in this life. That kind of never-ending happiness comes in the next life. This life is a time of testing and trial. We are to endure to the end and then the blessings come after the trial of our faith. This life is the trial of our faith.

We do know however that this life is meant to be enjoyed not just endured. There are things we can do to grow through our trials and to find happiness even in the darker moments. God has given us the guide to happiness, as far as it can be achieved in this life: keep the commandments. Do the little things every day! Don't despair, rely on your Savior. His atonement opens the gate for us to be able to receive the blessings of eternal life but he also provides the way to happiness in this life. He will support you and comfort you as you turn to him.

I love you all and I am sorry I know this email is a little scattered. Have a great week! 

Pictures:

-Pioneer themed Relief Society anniversary dinner! Borrowed this from a member. 

-homemade pineapple upside-down cake (or what's left of it) from an amazing member family!! Also they birthday serenaded me with bagpipes! 

-pond trip last pday!

-the end of a really long day! Nuff said. 

-role playing the restoration to President Nelson...

🎼Forgiveness.. Can you imagine!?

Hello all! 

(I really need to stop doing subject lines that only a handful of people will understand..)

We are already two weeks into this transfer! Wow time flies!! Oh happy Saint Patricks Day, and happy birthday to my little sister Mimi!!🍀🎉🎉

Funny thing about a week flying by is you don't really remember a lot of it! Not much really notable happened this week, just good hard work, lots of walking and talking to people.

In our wanderings however we did meet Julia. We work with her at the foodbank and the past missionaries have worked with her but I didn't really know her story or where she was at until now! We ran into her a couple times this week, gotta love little towns, and each time she let us know a little more. She told us that she has been reading the Book of Mormon, and she has been reading it to her daughter! She told us she is looking for a church and wants to come to ours! It's amazing to see how people can change, how maybe all they need is a little time and love.

Another story, I may have told part of it last week but the story continues! So last week we stopped outside the chainlink fence of one of the local bars and taught someone about repentance and the Book of Mormon, we then handed a Book of Mormon across the fence into the hands of a drunk man. I honestly didn't expect anything to come of it but it was just one of those surreal moments that you would never have imagined if not for being on a mission. Well this week we texted him and he answered that yes he lost the book but yes he would like another copy! So we made arrangements for as soon as possible (aka 20 minutes later) to get him another! 

We also had the opportunity to go to the Saint Patties day parade here in town. Wow there were a lot of people. We both went with the intent of it being a super great finding time but turns out neither Sister Cornell nor I like or are used to seeing so many people! We did talk to some but it was super overwhelming!! 

Jared let us do service for him! We have asked so many times in the past but he had always said he's good, or maybe, but then does it all before we get there, well this time he was in desperate need of help. He has been super overwhelmed and needed help organizing his work shop. Oh man, I wanted to purge that garage, but I am learning restraint! One thing I have learned on my mission is that you need to help someone on the level they want to be helped. Forcing someone to declutter doesn't help anyone. You can't change a lifestyle like that, but just help them with what they need. 

🤹‍♀️My spiritual thought for the week is from Moroni 10:32-33. I've been studying for and pondering about some investigators questions this week, specifically what repentance and forgiveness are, and why we need it.

In Moroni 10:32-33 it says; 

"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

   And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot."

What is forgiveness? Why do we need repentance? I like to think about it like this... 

When we sin we dirty ourselves, we collect junk, throughout our lives we pile ourselves so high with sin, sadness, grudges, pain, pride, doubt or any other damaging thing that our arms are full and we have no room for all the good things of life. Why not just put it down? You may ask, but some might feel comfortable with the things they have and would feel vulnerable having to put down all they know to be theirs, others are struggling under the weight but just can't find anywhere to dump the junk. 

Jesus Christ has extended his arms to us all. He offers "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."

If we are willing to lay it down, to give it to Christ then he will free our arms, and we will be open to receive the wonderful blessings that God wants to give us. As we give Christ our sins, our sorrows, grudges, pains, sicknesses, pride, doubt, and disbelief He will pour out His blessings! We will not be left empty or wanting we will be filled with peace, hope, joy, energy, love, understanding, knowledge, direction, purpose, prosperity, healthy relationships, patience, freedom, and happiness! 

Only when we are willing to let go of the bad and repent will we be able to experience the blessings of forgiveness. Only when we are willing to deny ourselves of all ungodliness will He fill us with light!

I love you all so much and I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission and to be in the service of my Lord! Keep Swimming, good times are ahead! 

❤️Love, Sister Anna Peterson :) 

Pictures!! 

-more pictures with Jesus! I don't think I made one normal face this week... Oops. 

 -A puzzle we bought at Goodwill and enthusiasticly started... Then realized we were missing over half the peices... Ya. 

-It's a parade! Yay! 

-There was a beautiful sunset behind us but sadly it could not be captured :( 

(I really should not write my group email last, so I apologize for anything that is misspelled or just doesn't make sense.) 

Editor’s note: I fixed a lot of misspelled words - I’ve got your back, Anna!

THE FIRE AND THE FLOOD 🔥💧

Hello all you lovely people!

I'll just start by saying no, there were no fires or floods this week but it was very hot and sunny and the flood part will be explained later... 

This week has been bright and sunny! It's been up in the 50s this week and it's so nice not to have to wear a jacket and rain boots!! There is something about the beginning of a new transfer that is just so exciting even the weather can't help but be in agreement!🌞🌞🌞

Monday we said goodbye to Sister Unferdorfer and sent her off on a new adventure! We welcomed Sister Cornell and started a brand new adventure of our own!

Little facts about Sister Cornell:

-She is a runner! Therefore I am also a runner this transfer haha😅. I actually like running, though at a much slower pace than Sister Cornell. So thank goodness we found an abandoned track close to our house to run around every morning!!

-She is from American Fork, and has one older brother and one younger brother.

-She loves to hike, camp, and do anything outdoors.

-She does not like little dogs. Which is hard because there are a lot of little yappy dogs out here! 

-She has been out seven and a half months and just transfered from Dayton (which shockingly is a smaller town than Vernonia!)

-She is upbeat and full of life and energy!

-She is very kind and a good missionary!

Lots of change comes with a new companion. Every combination of sisters does things a little differently so it takes a little time to adjust but it's a great chance to learn from each other. I am no longer the driver so that feels very different! 

The week was full of a lot of getting to know people, and I got to test out my memory on how to get to places without relying on a GPS or sister Unferdorfer! So far we haven't gotten tooo lost. 

We did get a little turned around looking for a less-active member’s house but it's what happened once we found it that's the good part! So this family is one that the Branch really misses and wants us to focus on. In the past they have ignored our knocks or bluntly told us to go away. The only exception was when we brought over cookies on Christmas Eve. But with no cookies in hand we expected the same cold shoulder. 

Once we found the house their two young boys were out playing with the hose in the yard. We successfully dodged the water on our way to the door but then we were cornered... The little boy comes right up in front of the stairs, looks at us with an evil grin, and blasts us with the hose! 

After a minute of huddling in the corner pointlessly trying to avoid the spray, saying in a sing-song voice through laughs and screams "OK that's enough now!" (which probably only encouraged him) eventually I ran down the steps and grabbed it from his little evil hands. 

Well no parents had heard this event, and our intent was to see the parents but now soaked we trudge into the back yard and find the father. It is so awkward to act like nothing is wrong when you are soaking wet and not really sure what you are still doing there. It took a minute for him to figure out it was his child who did the soaking. So we just carry on a normal conversation with no one pointing out that we were dripping... 

Soon everything was settled down and though we didn't get to share our original plan with them I think we definitely broke the ice haha! The mom even agreed to take a picture for us. 

Another not quite so exciting thing happened this week. This week at the library a man came up and asked us what it is we do there. We told him we have a Book of Mormon study group and then conversation ensued! I feel like I have been given the gift of tounges haha! Not like other languages just other... Vocabularys... There are a lot of different people who have very different ways of thinking and looking at the world. I feel like I am able to understand them for the most part and teach in a way that they can also understand. Example. That man we talked to at the library is a quantum physicist, and we got to have a conversation about the Holy Ghost and the Book of Mormon in our vocabulary but also in the science vocabulary. It was very fascinating. 

One more update for the week! Jared, an investigator, decided to start taking a picture with Jesus every day! I love when people make their own goals and have the drive to be self motivated! I am so excited that Jared is on an up! And that he is taking the steps to grow closer to Jesus Christ by remembering him every day! 

🌻SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

This week I read Alma 17 and verses 10-12 really stood out to me. It says;

"And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.

   11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.

   12 And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God."

Sometimes life can be hard. It can be frustrating. It can be disappointing. Don't let these inevitable downs stop you from reaching out to God for help. Don't forget that the darkest hour comes right before the dawn. Sometimes you have to ride out the hard times but don't loose faith! Have courage! Trust that God knows best and has happiness, peace, success, and rest in store for you. 

Don't just sit idle until those times of peace come; pray, fast, study the scriptures! There is peace in understanding that peace will come eventually. 

Thank you for all your love and support and prayers!! Keep shinning!! 

Sister Peterson :) 

Pictures📷

-Packing

-saying goodbye 😢

-THE BEAUTIFUL SUNSET! (The cameras really can't do it justice!)

-Introducing... Sister Cornell!!

-She made us a pasta dinner! 🍝

-sack lunch for district meeting and interviews

-Before...

-After... 

-❤️❤️❤️

Adventure Is Out There! KawKaw Rawr! 🦅🦁

(sorry if you get this twice I wanted to be sure it sent!) 

Good morning all you lovely people!

I'll just jump right into it... We got transfer calls on Friday and I am staying in Vernonia! Sister Unferdorfer is leaving us for Monmouth and Sister Cornell will be my new companion! I've come to realize that change really is the only constant 😅haha! Thanks for the "interesanto" adventures and memories Sister Unferdorfer! Let's go make some new ones! 

This week has been full of anticipation and then tearful goodbyes. Between the two we also saw many miracles and tender mercies. 

It's funny how the people you think you are here to help, and the people who actually end up being touched can be so different. It really goes to show that God is in charge of His work and that despite our flaws and mistakes the work will go on! 

Two of the people I have seen change the most, with honestly the least amount of effort on our part (because they made the decision to change on their own) have been Jeanette and Vicki. Really, as told us by an investigator, our job is to show up and let the spirit do the rest. Our job is to be there to guide people who are ready to receive, or re-receive, the gospel. 

These two ladies have been inactive for over 20 years combined. It's just been in the last couple months due to a humbling fall and prayer for Jeanette, and moving in with a friend here in Vernonia for Vicki, that they rediscovered their testimonies and have come back to church. 

I have been lucky enough to be here to see the change that has taken place in their countenances. To see the light that has reentered their eyes, and the new bright smiles on their faces. It really goes to show that knowing God's love for you is powerful!

We had exchanges this week so Friday through Saturday morning I was with Sister Nelson here in Vernonia. During this time we had some very different, but good, experiences. 

We started talking with this man in his yard, whom we have talked to before, and actually his wife used to be a member of the church. Well he had some questions about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon so we explained where the Book of Mormon came from and we taught about the first vision. It was so cool to see him go from, uniterested to completely captivated as we talked about Joseph Smith. When we asked him if he would like a copy of the Book of Mormon he told us he would have to check with his wife. They invited us in and though we have differences and misunderstanding about what each other believes we were able to have a spirit filled discussion about what we really believe. Though in the end she still wasn’t open to having a Book of Mormon in the house. It was a testimony builder just seeing how simply and clearly the gospel can be explained. Everything just fits together perfectly when you know the truth. 

We were walking down the street and saw a man, who has previously rejected us, in his yard. Literally all we said was "hello" and he replied "oh you don't want to talk to me, the real sinners are inside. Come in!"... Well as a missionary getting invited inside just like that doesn't happen that often. So after confirming that there was a woman inside we went in. The man goes and bangs on the bathroom door and tells his wife to get out of the shower because she had company, and tells his daughter to come out of her room. Then he tells us good luck and rushes out the door to go to work... At this point I am thinking "what did we get ourselves into!?" and that they are going to be super mean Bible bashers or crazy people or something like that. 

Well turns out that they are the sweetest people! A little Mexican lady and her daughter who each offered us coffee or tea probably five times. The daughter had actually been friends with a member of the church here in town and has come to a bunch of church activities and stuff. The mom is very open and willing to learn. We taught the Restoration right there on the spot and the spirit was so strong. Of course though something always happens to mess up the first vision, this time right at the end, the cat starts throwing up! Well despite the adversary’s best efforts we still had a great lesson and we are going to continue to teach them! 

On Saturday morning Sister Nelson and I went out to the pond to exercise. It was super icy and slippery. On the way I slipped down our front stairs! But I laughed all the way down because I had kind of been anticipating it. It's kind of a Vernonia tradition. Because Sister Unferdorfer and the Sister who was here before me have both fallen down a set of stair here in Vernonia! So it was kind of inevitable. 

Well at the pond, though we couldn't really run because of all the ice, it was amazing! Seriously it felt like God was putting on a show for us! The pond was all still and glossy, there were pine trees lining the background and reflection, the fog across those and all of it tinted pink from the sunrise! Within our little walk around the pond a bald eagle flew low right over our heads then out into the fog, we saw otters swimming and playing with each other, and a crazy jumping fish! 

There is also an old mill next to the pond which has been gutted and now has trees growing inside and graffiti throughout it. This old mill is used for weddings and classical music concerts. It was super cool! I love exploring! Sadly we didn't take a camera with us so no pictures :( but I am sure we will go back once it gets warmer! 

Spiritual Thought🌱

"It doesn't matter who you are everyone has something to teach and something to learn." - Brother Barrie

This was something our branch mission leader said during Sunday School and I just had to write it down. It's so true and it's been something I've been trying to learn recently. There is something to learn from everyone and every experience and I also have something to share, something that only I can contribute. I'm excited for this opportunity to be in Vernonia to teach and to be taught. 

I love you all and hope you never forget that you are where you are, in the circumstances you are in, for a reason. God is directing the details of our lives and you personally are a very important piece of the puzzle! 

Hope you all have great adventures this week! 

-Sister Peterson :)