August 27, 2018: I Will Follow God's Plan

Hello All! 

This week we had the opportunity to meet with one of our friends who we always see out and about, but every time we talk to him he isn't interested. Well a couple weeks back he was having a rough day and we taught him how to pray and invited him to start praying everyday. When we saw him this last week he was glowing and said that he hadn't missed a day. He then messaged us and agreed to meet up to learn more. We had a great first lesson with him and then handed him off to the YSA ward. It was a great experience! It's so cool to see peoples hearts soften over time. 

We also had a great first lesson with a woman who we will be continuing to teach, her name is Andrea. She is sincerely seeking to follow God's plan and is anxious to read the book of Mormon. 

Isabel and Juan are continuing to progress. We taught them the Word of Wisdom this last week and Isabel was super into it and wants to completely switch around how she shops and eats! 

Spiritual Thought! In my personal study this week I read the sacrament prayers in Moroni chapters 4 and 5. I have grown to absolutely rely on taking the sacrament each week. The promise that we are given as we keep our end of the promise is incredible and I'm learning more and more each day what an essential gift it is to be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

I'm not sure if I've shared this tip with you before but it was recommended to me by a past ward mission leader. He suggested to read the prayers in first person. I pass that same recommendation on to you. In fact I'll type it out in first person and I invite you all to read it out loud...

"O God, the Eternal Father, I ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to my soul as I partake of it; that I may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that I am willing to take upon me the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given me, that I may always have his Spirit to be with me. Amen."

I love you all! Also don't forget that God has a plan, you may think you have it figured out but don't be surprised when a plot twist comes, It's just part of the adventure! 

-Sister Peterson :) 

I Will Follow God's Plan

August 20, 2018: Rejesh's Origin Story!

Good day everyone!!! It's been a lovely week! The sky's were blue again, now they are back to smoke covered gray. The foreboding doom that accompanies transfer calls has come and gone... we are both staying!! I am so excited to get to work another transfer with Sister Runs Through! AND I get to be here for Isabel, Juan, and Rajesh’s baptisms!! 

I was looking back on my past emails to see what I have actually told you about these people and I realized I haven't told the origin story of Rejesh! So I'll tell you that now... 

It all started back with our interviews with President two transfers ago. President Tateoka told Sister Johnson and I that he could feel that we were about to find a prepared person, if we were diligent and obedient. Well that night we met this guy named Daren and we both were super excited and thought that he must have been the one. So we honestly kind of forgot about President’s inspiration. 

Two days later we were running around frantically inviting all of the people we were teaching to attend a baptism that was happening that same day. As missionaries we can't attend a baptism unless someone we are teaching comes with us. We also understand that baptisms are a super great opportunity for people to feel the spirit, so we were desperately looking for anyone to come take advantage of this opportunity, but alas no one was available! 

We were starting to get a little frustrated that despite our best efforts nothing was working out. When we took a moment to stop and think about what to do next Sister Johnson pointed out that we have yet to pray. So we paused in the middle of this apartment complex and prayed. I can't remember the words we prayed or the specific things we asked for, but I do remember that all I wanted from that prayer was to know that our efforts had been seen, and that something good would come from them. 

A few minutes after we ended our prayer this car pulls up next to us and the man inside, Rajesh, asks us for directions. Sister Johnson and I both jumped on the opportunity. We helped him out and then introduced to him the Book of Mormon and invited him to church. Oddly enough we didn't invite him to the baptism. We exchanged numbers and parted ways, after that we didn't really think much about the simple exchange and went back to business. 

We were never able to find someone to come to the baptism. And for a while it felt like one of those situations where sometimes things just don't work out. But we had been being diligent, we had been praying in faith for a miracle to happen and in our eyes it never did. 

Well after a few months I have finally had my eyes opened to the connection between these events and the miraculous story of Rajesh! There are so many miracles happening all around us! So many little things that all play into each other, and you may not be able to see the big picture now. It may even feel like you have failed, but don't give up! Faith is believing without seeing, it is trusting that God is orchestrating miracles in your life, even when everything looks like it is falling apart. 

Recently in my scripture reading I came across this scripture, Ether 3:5. This is when the brother of Jared is asking the Lord for a miracle. 

"Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men." 

I know that there are miracles happening all around us. More often than not they are in the small and simple details of our lives. I invite you all to make an extra effort to look for the hand of God in your life, and write down the small and simple things you see. 

I am so grateful that I have been able to be here to see the following chapter of Rajesh’s story and I am so excited that I will be able to be here for his baptism!! 

Have a great week everyone!! I love you! 

-Sister Peterson

Song: When I Am Baptized

August 14, 2018: I’m Trying To Be Like Jesus

Back from the temple!! Wow I’ve missed it! Peace just immediately encircled me as I stepped through the doors. What a blessing it is to have the house of the Lord so accessible to us!  

This week has been really good! We had some fun service opportunities, such as painting doors, weeding with no tools, and helping a man who we are going to start teaching clean his house, with a kind member of our ward, before his wife got home from vacation so she and the kids could come back to a clean home. Then he made us borscht. 

We also had some fun surprise teaching opportunities. We have started teaching this cute middle aged lady who mainly speaks Spanish. We felt like we should drop by her house. She was there, let us in, and told us that she was just walking to the store and saw two squirrels and she prayed on her way back that God would let her see two more squirrels on her way home... guess who she saw? US! We are now squirrels, and I guess that was the sign she needed to open the door to us again. 

We dropped by Joanne’s house. She is a women we have been teaching, or trying to teach since before I got to the area. She has a lot of concerns but she has a great desire to learn. We taught her the Word of Wisdom this week and she committed to live it. We followed up later and she has been living it! Also it was kind of a surprise to us but she accepted a date to be baptized on, and it's really soon! September 8th! We are optimistic about it but it is a little shocking so we will see what happens! 

Isabel and Juan got married!! I am so happy for them and proud of them! I feel so blessed to be teaching such a wonderful young family! It is every missionaries dream! 

That's about all I've got this week. We sang y'all another song for fun. Sister Runs Through brought her Ukulele in the car and we sang all the way to Portland❤️ It brought back fond memories of home. Song: I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus

Have a great week everyone!! I love you! This is the last week of the transfer so I'll let you know if anything changes! 

-Sister Peterson 

August 8, 2018: Truth & Unity

Good Morning Everyone! 

This week has been pretty great! The weather has been a bit cooler so that has been nice. Sadly there have been some crazy fires around, we haven't been informed on the extent of them but the smoke has been wafting into West Salem. 

Isabel and Juan are continuing to learn and grow! We taught them the Plan of Salvation this week and it was amazing to see the light turn on. They both wish they had known this plan earlier in their lives, but they also both know that without the trials they had experienced they wouldn't have been ready to accept this plan. 

They have been reading together from the Book of Mormon every day and loving it! They told us it wasn't easy at first but now the language isn't that hard for them to understand. 

We went to their home on Sunday morning to remind them about church and they were already getting all dressed up! I seriously almost cried they have so much light and happiness in them! 

Story of the week! Yesterday when we were walking we ran into this cute older Indian couple who we see out walking all the time. They don't speak much English, but he stopped us and asked us to take a selfie with them! So we took some on their phone and our phone and then they asked for our church service information! Super random but awesome!

Spiritual Thought🙌

Sister Runs Through and I have recently been thinking a lot about truth. Many people in the world believe in personal truth, meaning that truth revolves around what each individual believes is good and correct. People with this way of looking at truth get offended when we talk to them and explain to them the concept of one true chruch. 

With that view of thinking they have every right to be offended, but truth is not an individually constructed set of beliefs. Truth is eternal and universal principles do not change through time or from person to person. Truth is constant. 

God is the source of all truth. That is why we can have faith in Him, because he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. As we strive to align our will with His truth we dispel contention and gain unity, because we all become one in the body of Christ (3 Nephi 11:27-41, Ephesians 4:10-16).

I love you all! Have a wonderful week! 

Sister Peterson :) 

Oh by the way Sister Runs Through and I get to go to the temple next week so Tuesday will be our preparation day. 😁

Pictures!

-SELFIE!! you never would have guessed it was his idea😆

-Zone Conference! 

-random selfie 

-gardening selfie🌱

July 30, 2018: My Heavenly Father Loves Me

Hello All! 

It has been an amazing week! First off Rajesh is officially on date to be baptized on September 22nd!! He is such a sincere soul and I feel so blessed to get to teach him. We made him and his wife brownies last week and he made us this spicy battered cauliflower stuff that tasted like chicken and it was amazing but ended up making us sick because of the spices. 

Juan and Isabel are a cute young couple, with two little girls (3 years old and 4 months old) whom we have been teaching. They were introduced to us by a member who met them at the park and invited them to meet with us. Such inspiring member missionary work! And this couple is so ready to accept the gospel. We taught them the restoration and had a church tour where the spirit was so strong and they accepted the invitation to be baptized on September 15th! 

They came to church yesterday and stayed with their children for all three hours. It was amazing to see how natural they seemed sitting there with their little family during the sacrament. 

I just feel so blessed to be seeing the fruits of so many peoples labors. Honestly Sister Runs Through and I feel like we haven't hardly had to do anything with these three. They so readily accept everything we teach them, and I know that that is because of the experiences God has given them leading up to our meeting. God truly is in the details. 

Jolie has been sick since her baptism. She came to church and was confirmed but the next week her back got really messed up again and she had to go to the hospital. She is a trooper though, she has not given up hope and she knows God will help her through her trials. She has made it onto the path though and all she needs to do is endure it well to the end. She is truly an inspirational lady and I am so grateful for the chance I have to work with her. 

Sister Runs Through and I sang you all the spiritual thought today! I'll attach it below :) 

My Heavenly Father Loves Me

I love you all and am so grateful for the roles you have each played in my life! Have a great week,

Sister Peterson