December 27, 2011

Hello Family! Well this week has been awesome!  Or i guess these last 2 weeks.  Sorry i didn't get a big e-mail out last week.  It was so good to talk to my parents on Christmas.  They sound like they are doing really well and grabbing life by the horns.  I spent pretty much all day Christmas over at the Allen family home.  We were allowed to sleep in until 8 that morning which was sweet.  But since I talked to mom and dad at 8 I only got to sleep in until 7:30 ish.  I got the package from the fam and the parents and grandparents and all the letters and opened them that morning.  Thank you to all!!!  It was certainly a different spirit of Christmas this year, but that is a good thing.  I think i might be going through some corn beef withdrawals though.  Although Christmas was great for me, we have a lot of lonely people in our branch on Christmas.  We do our best to spread holiday cheer and fill their souls with the love of Christ at this time of year and it's amazing how your feelings can change just from reading the book of mormon and praying.  I really think that i am making substantial differences in the lives of the people here in Lenox.
I'm glad that Christmas at the homestead went well.  The weather here has been really nice.  This whole week we are supposed to be in the mid to high 40's.  I love it.  It is currently sunny and there is no snow on the ground.  I'm sure January and February will get worse though so i'm trying not to get too comfortable to the current winter weather.  At least it's warmer than Russia though.
Last week we baptized Maria.  That means we had 2 weeks in a row where we baptized someone which is pretty unheard of for an area for the mission as a whole and especially in the Lenox area.  The spirit was super strong at her baptism.  I guess i gave good talks at both Amos' and Maria's baptisms because i'm speaking in church next week as well.  On righteous resolutions.  Today we have interviews with President Jergensen.  We also have picked up 2 solid new investigators in the last week.  They are both part member families and the two husbands are brothers and their wives are non-members.  They have really changed their lives around and both the wives are really interested in the church.  One of them is Sasha.  I guess Sasha is a really popular name in Russia according to mom and dad. 
Well for the sake of the kids, I'll show you where Santa appears in the bible.  Zechariah 1:8 "I saw by night, ad behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white." 
18 "Then lifted I up mine eyes, and saw, and behold four horns." 
2:6 "Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the LORD: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the LORD."
And for the sake of everyone else, I'll bear you my testimony that I know that God and Jesus Christ live.  I know that the atonement is real and that Christ came to this earth for the benefit of every single living person.  I know that it is through Him that we are saved.  And I know that this church is true!
Love, Elder Peterson





December 14, 2011

Dear Family,
 
So do i still send my main e-mail to you (parents) or to brittany?  Dad said something about sending stuff to both you and brittany on the tape.  I got your package!  That was sweet!  Elder Huston's mom also sent a package with stockings for the both of us.  It isn't really looking or feeling too much like Christmas around here.  It's still pretty warm.  I'm fine with just a shirt and suitcoat.  Don't even need a sweater.  It's been pretty rainy lately.  If it were colder we would be getting a lot of snow so i'm greatful for the rain.  We did get some snow one day (tuesday).  But it was pretty much all melted by the next day.  The highway was slick that night though. 
 
I'm glad to hear that you got to Russia safely!  I can skype for Christmas.  I just need to know a time so i can coordinate with a member.  Also, how far ahead or behind is Russia from Central time?  other family can join in as well if they would like.  We aren't really given an exact time limit, but president said to keep it to an hour or two.  I guess some missionaries last year spoke to their family for 7 hours.
 
This week has been a good week for the work.  Amos was baptized this last saturday and confirmed on Sunday.  Also Maria passed her baptismal interview so she is all set for this upcoming saturday.  And i will be here for that.  I am staying in Lenox this transfer and so is elder Huston.  The only person leaving in our district is the district leader and his companion is going to be training.  There has also been some pretty crazy things happening this last week as well.  We had a recent convert storm out of church because she got offended.  She threatened to go to Osceola for church but we got her calmed down and she is on good terms again.  We also had Merl drop us.  That kind of stinks.  But we picked up two more solid investigators.  They are both part member families too.  Well technically one of them isn't married so we still have that hurdle to jump but i have confidence.
 
While I was preparing to talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost at Amos' baptism, I had this thought pop into my head and it's so true.  First, the gift of the Holy Ghost really is just that... a gift.  In the spirit of Christmas, Christ has given us one of our most valuable gifts, the Holy Ghost.  but just like with any gift we receive we need to open it and use it.  Imagine Christ appears at your doorstep and knocks on the door.  You open the door and you are very shocked to see Christ standing there.  He gives you a gift (wrapped in white wrapping paper of course) and you greatfully receive it and then throw it up in the attic without opening it.  That doesn't benefit you at all. In D&C  88:33 it says:
 
"For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?  Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift."
 
We don't benefit from it at all, and we don't rejoice in what we are given or in Christ who is the giver of the gift.  So once we open the gift the benefits that we receive a plethora of blessings.  Just read hymn 143 or Galatians 5:22-23 if you want a short list.  But like it says in hymn 143 we have to LET the holy spirit do those things.  I want to focus on peace right now for a second though.  I was reminded of the story in Helaman chapter 5.  This is when Lehi and Nephi were out doing missionary work and they wind up in prison.  Starting in verse 43 it says:  And it came to pass that when they cast their eyes about, and saw that the cloud of darkness was dispersed from overshadowing them, behold, they saw that they were encircled about, yea every soul, by a pillar of fire.  And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire. 
 
Sometimes i feel like i am encircled by a pillar of fire.  It can be distracting.  It can be the chaos that comes from the world.  It can feel uncomfortable.  But with all of these things flying around us, we can still feel the peace that the holy ghost brings.  going on in verse 46: And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying: peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved.
 
If we just have the faith to open up the gift of the Holy Ghost and tap into the power that it can bring to us we can receive this peace that comes even when we are encircled about by our pillars of fire.  This church is true and i'm so thankful for the Holy Ghost in my life and the direction it brings to me.  I love all of you!
 
Love, Elder Peterson

December 5, 2011

Hello Family,
 
Of course i will still take time to e-mail this week.  It might just not be as long.  Last night was fantastic!!  It was so great to hear all of your voices and also hear the Holy Ghost present during the whole meeting.  The blessings we receive while being set apart are really just what we need to kick off the mission life.  I hadn't cried in a while anyway, so it was good for me.  I can't believe i'll get to do it again in just a couple of weeks for Christmas! President Jergensen asks me all the time how you two are doing.  He is really a great guy and knows every single one of his missionaries very well. it amazes me.  Mom, you will love (if you don't already) being a full time missionary.  The MTC experience is probably fairly different for couple missionaries i would imagine. You probably get softer chairs in the class room.  And better seats at the devotionals.  You'll have to let me know who comes and speaks to you! 
 
Uhmm for Christmas I could use a good lookin dark scarf.  A member made me one, but it's light blue and brown and too bright to wear.  I could also use more long sleeve casual shirts.  Not white shirts, but non proselyting as we would call it.  I'm a L.  Also we as a mission are now only listening to MoTab and I don't have much of any of their music so those CD's would be nice.  Perhaps a Russian hat... but maybe that will have to wait until next year.  A new towel would be nice.  Isn't this an exciting Christmas list?  Any food you care to send would be nice.  Or games to play on P-Day.  But nothing too big... i have to be able to pack it around a lot. 
 
For Christmas in Lenox, if i'm still here, we are doing a potluck dinner type thing after church on the 18th.  Transfers are the 15th so i won't be able to e-mail again until next wednesday because of that fyi.  I'm pretty sure i'll stay though since i've only been here one transfer thus far.  Also in Lenox we have two baptisms lined up so that is exciting.  One on the 10th and one on the 17th.  We also are teaching a sophomore in high school who wants to be baptized as well, we just haven't set a date with her yet... commandment issues.  In our mission we are trying to have a "white Christmas" in the sense of having a lot of baptisms in December.  What better gift to give the Savior than having His children enter into the waters of baptism?  These past few weeks i've really noticed that the Lord really is aware of each one of us.  Not only because I was able to listen in last night (but that's definitely just one more blessing to notice from it), but from a lot of things that have been happening recently.  Being out on a mission has really made me aware that i was foreordained to do this.  Their are people here waiting for me to find them and i know that their are people in Russia waiting for you to find them as well.  Without a doubt we are placed with the correct companions ;)  I know that this church is true.  And i know that through the power of the Holy Ghost who has made it manifest to me over and over again.  I love you all! Stay warm!
 
Love, Elder Brent Peterson
 
I guess i'll have to clarify which Elder Peterson it is from now on!