August 9, 2011

Hey mom!  sorry i didn't have time to send off the family e-mail this morning... but i'm here doing it now.  I am all packed and ready to go to Iowa.  tonight there is a devotional and after that i'm home free.  My MTC experience has been great and has gone by extremely fast!  My last days of class were great.  We had a testimony meeting which was really powerful and most of our district bore testimony on sunday as well.  i'm convinced that we had the best district at the MTC.  I actually feel prepared to go out and teach the gospel, but i guess that's just what the MTC does to you.   They have a lot of "investigators" here for you to teach.  Each one of my teachers has an investigator that they role play into that we get to teach everyday and also they have buildings here where volunteers can come and be taught as well.  I just want to say thanks to everybody for sending the mail and packages... it really does make the days better, not that they aren't already good, but mail makes them all that much better.  6 out of the 11 people in my district took off to Zimbabwe on monday morning so it's been pretty empty in our class yesterday and today.  Tomorrow at the airport i'll be able to call home!  I leave to go to the airport at 5 in the morning but i don't remember when my flight leaves so expect a call somewhere between like 7 and 8:30 would be my guess.  It's not supposed to be long, but more just to let you know that i'm doing ok and still alive... which I am!  I know that this is the true church.  Jesus Christ is our savior and will forgive us every single time we come to Him.  Frankly it scares me how much power the devil has with all the whirlwinds, mighty shafts of hail and fiery darts and stuff, but if we build upon the rock of our Redeemer he has no control over us.  Heavenly Father answers prayers and loves to just talk with us.  He knows the intentions of our hearts even before we go to Him so He knows exactly what to tell us.  If we have the desires to act on the answers we receive, we will receive a lot more answers.  The Holy Ghost is amazing and I feel like i'm on cloud nine here being able to have it with me all the time so strongly.  All of the different gifts that it can bring us is fantastic.  Whenever we are teaching and a big curve ball comes, just go with the Holy Ghost and he will direct what to say and how to say it.  The priesthood is a powerful thing!  I have been able to participate in 2 priesthood blessings here in the MTC already and the blessings that have come from it are more than i can handle.  Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father really do want to open the windows of heaven and pour out so many blessings that we will not have room enough to receive them.  I love this gospel and am so excited to go to Iowa and teach the people that the Lord has already prepared for me.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

i also heard that you (mom and dad) gave a great lesson the other day on missions.  I met some missionaries the other day who are going to Somara.  Interestingly enough when i got your last dear elder mom, there were 2 letters on them.  One was to an Elder Brian Peterson who happens to live on my same floor and who also happens to be going to Somara.  Coincidence?  I think not.  I'm so proud of you for going on a mission.  it's weird to think that you still have to leave and get back before i'll be done.  My time is about to expire so i love all of you and send my best wishes!

 

Love,

Elder Peterson

August 2, 2011

Well week 2 was probably better than week 1.  This week has gone by really fast... and i've been learning so much.  Along with a mattress cover and some thermals, can you send me like 3-4 more T shirts?  I wear them more than i thought i would and so it would be nice to have more fresh ones.  I'm glad that high adventure went good and that all but one summited... was that one person dad?  how were the mosquitos? probably starving without me there to feed on.  That sounds like some good fishing too! it's always fun when you are actually catching stuff.  I pretty much do know my way around the campus here now and am learning some tricks of the trade which is making things go more smoothly.  I'm also glad that you are getting more excited to go on your mission!  they have brought in this new program that they are teaching us more than just teaching us discussions.  There are now 7 fundamentals that we are learning how to do and then we base our discussions off of those.  Every day in class we go over one and then practice it on eachother.  I also have 5 legitimate progressing "investigators."  3 of them are my teachers and 2 of them are over in a teaching resource building where we go and teach them twice a week.  it's really cool to actually have progressing people that we have to plan what to teach and commit them to baptism.  We were watching a video the other day called the district, and it showed some missionaries who had just gone out and the night they got there the mission president had them place a book of mormon.  it really made me feel like my mission is still surreal.  it will probably be a lot more intimidating once i'm actually out in the field though.  No i haven't brought in any new missionaries, and as far as i know i'm not doing it tomorrow either.  that would be fun though.  On sunday in priesthood meeting, me and my companion gave a lesson on language and it went over pretty well.  Later that same meeting the branch president taught and i thought i would share some of what he said.  In D&C 109:22 (the dedicatory prayer for the kirtland temple) it talks about having angels having charge over us.  Then in D&C 84:42 it talks about that as well as long as we honor the priesthood.  The interesting point that he brought about from all this is that if we have kept our covenants, parents can petition God to have angels watch over their children. it's a promised blessing that we have to do that and so we can ask for that.  So mom and dad pray for angels to have charge over me and to protect me spiritually and physically.  Also whoever you forward this to, pray for your children with the same promises and blessings.  Also on the sunday devotional, we learned a lot about having charity.  and giving out love and it never runs out.  Just like Heavenly Father's love is never ending.  I know that Heavenly Father loves all of His children and that he answers prayers.  Lately I have been praying to have an experience where i have felt where my words were directed from the spirit in case i ever have to give a priesthood blessing or something.  Then last night my companion right in the middle of companion study asked me to go into a different room and to have a prayer.  I said it and i really felt like the spirit was telling me what to say. I don't know if i even helped my companion, but i know my prayers were answered.  This gospel is amazing and i'm so glad i get to go teach it to the people in Iowa.  I'm specifically greatful for my patriarchal blessing and the comfort it brings to me.  I know that serving a mission is the right thing to do.  I know it is blessing my life and i hope that you can feel it blessing your lives as well.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

Also mom, can you chew out my friends for not writing me?  Especially Clayton, i want to keep getting him excited for serving a mission and i have specific things i want to share with him.  Thank you and i love you all!!

 

Love, Elder Brent Lehi Peterson

Elder Peterson enters the MTC - July 20, 2011 and First Letter - July 26, 2011

Hey Family!  Today is Tuesday and is my p-day just so you guys can know for future reference. And please feel free to forward this to whoever you want to.  The one thing i would advise for Kirk and his family while I'm in the MTC is to use dear elder.  It really is quite convenient, free, and same day delivery. plus i feel good when i get letters.  Life in the mtc is great! the days already seem to blur together and this week has gone by really fast.  the days go by slow, but the weeks go by fast.  I'm adjusting well.  I actually get up at 6:15 every morning and it hasn't been a problem yet.  I do see a lot of kids i know. i see Elder partridge a lot and also Elder Sorensen at least every day in the cafeteria probably. I've ran into Zach Moss and Cam Hawkins (my roommates) a couple of times too.  it really is fun running into all the people i know and seeing all the different places they are going to!

For pioneer day we had an awesome fireside! the most powerful thing was probably for the closing hymn we sang Come, Come Ye Saints and on the last verse we all stood and it was so loud and beautiful and the spirit was really strong.  Missionaries truly are very blessed to be able to feel the spirit so strong every day that we are here.  I still can't get over that you are going to Russia.  I know the Lord will bless you in learning the language.  The building where i live is full of the elders who are learning Russian.  My zone is really a group of misfits.  We have my companion and I going to Iowa, the rest of our district going to Zimbabwe, and our zone is going to czech-prague, slovakia, slovenia, and Bulgaria.  Needless to say we are pretty much the zone of misfits.  The first night we got here everybody was yelling the few words they knew of their languages and nobody knew what each other was saying. it was really fun and funny!

I'm learning a lot in the MTC.  One of my teachers is engaged and I sent her over to Wade to look at rings for her fiance so i hope she helps the business.  There is a lot of study time here and that is probably the hardest part for me.  I'm not good at studying and it's hard for me to keep focused but I'm praying for help and i think it really is helping!  i love you guys and know that this is the true church and that this is where I'm supposed to be right now!  Love you all!

Love,

Elder Peterson

I'm waiting for my laundry to finish drying and i had some extra time so i thought I'd send off another e-mail and tell you more about my companion and such.  His name is Elder Moore and he is from hurricane Utah.  he is a really good example to me and is really focused on the work.  I couldn't have asked for a better companion.  In my room there is Elder Hayes who is from Pheonix and plays rugby and Elder Seager from provo.  Elder Seager is 22 and is a marine who is now coming on a mission.  I really do love our whole district.   It is me and Elder Moore and three sisters going to Iowa, 6 elders going to Zimbabwe, and One elder going to Texas.  We are pretty crammed in our little classroom, but we all have different strengths and it's easy to learn different things from everybody.  My zone leaders are Elder Lloynes, who is from Manchester England and has a lot of good stories to tell us, and elder McClellan from Las Vegas.  I'll send pictures in the mail sometime soon so you can see everybody.  I get to go to the temple later today and that should be fun.  Also, if you do forward this e-mail don't let everybody think that they don't still have to write me, because they do.  it's fun hearing from everybody.  Thanks for the chips and salsa as well!  I'm on the early dinner shift so I'm usually fairly hungry at night when we get back to the residence hall so it's nice to have something to eat.  I've also shared with the people on the floor and they all compliment you on your superb salsa making skills!  Love you!

Elder Peterson