8/25/2016
So this week I added 25 more reps to my 525 jump ropes and 150 push ups and longer wrestling stance drills. We also got to sing with the Nashville Tribute Band, I highly recommend listening to them! We practiced for weeks for this performance and it was absolutely beautiful! A lot of people were crying, but not me, I'm a wrestler, ha! We also started playing a game called Mr. Bufont, you have to get people to laugh and break all these little rules then if you lose, you have to chug a water bottle. One guy lost 3 of 4 games so he was up all night. Then when I have time at night, I make things so I made a hacky-sack and we have a blast playing it. We also taught a district lesson on Sunday about enduring to the end. It's how we repent, obey the commandments (kautusan), have faith in Christ, and make/keep/renew covenants. Then keep doing this process always. Anyways, I found that at times this week, I was pretty irritated, but I thought about how each time I'm irritated or frustrated it's a great time to practice patience and I remember something someone once told me in wrestling season, that you choose between being frustrated or using that time to learn (Thanks Coach D). I have a spiritual thought that is awesome. Read the hymn 29 A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief and Doctrine & Covenants 42:38. It's great to think that in serving God's(Diyos) children you are serving him. So just a small challenge this week, serve someone/ more specifically help someone out, even if it's small like opening a door for somebody or cleaning up a mess you didn't make or helping someone do a project. You will feel good and you will be blessed for serving mga anak(children) ng(of) diyos(God). Alan ko po naglilingkod mga iba biyaya nagdadala. Sa pangalan si Jesucrito amen.
P.S. Practice patience this week too!
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Elder Peterson
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Friday, August 19, 2016
MTC Week 3 - I CAN!
8/19/2016
This week was great, we had a transfer (generally its when we change our companions,but in this case the older guys left to the Philippines and we got new guys). So we are the experienced guys and even though we don't know a ton of Tagalog we have been speaking it a lot around the new guys to mess with them a little.
Earlier on before the older district left, I had commented that with my wrestling skills, in a match, I could take down this huge Samoan who is playing D1 football and has a full ride to college. So the night before they left, while doing my stance drills ( thanks coach!), I taught some guys how to wrestle, wrestled with a guy going to wrestle in college and beat him, then was peer pressured to wrestle the Samoan. I won and everyone was surprised (not sure why). It was a blast hes a great guy and maybe ill see him in the Philippines.
Anyway besides the major rug burns from wrestling, the language is sweet I absolutely love it! Am I good at it probably not, but its so cool and I can't wait to get to the Philippines and learn their culture and be a part of it! We teach lessons everyday and my Kasama (companion) and I are learning and working on listening to the people. Not language wise, but listening to their needs and teaching what will mean the most to them. A great example is teaching the Plan of Salvation and how families can be together forever in this life and the next, to a family oriented person. We are also getting better at working with each other in teaching.
Some hard things for the guys in my district have happened within the first two weeks. Three different guys were notified that someone has died in their friend/family group. These guys are troopers, they are so set on bringing the gospel of Christ to the Filipinos that they decided to stay here and learn the language. These guys are so amazing and hard working, I can't explain the spirit they bring with them everyday and it's awesome, they choose to be happy anyway. I've always been a believer that a lot of things we can't do are because of mental restrictions, like "I can't!" so a great way to work on the "I can!" is to choose your attitude. We are in charge of whether we are happy or sad, angry or sympathetic.
Another thing we've been learning is about prayer. We don't take it serious enough, at leased I don't sometimes. Think of it this way, we dress up for a play, a meeting, or a dance, etc. Isn't talking with God more important? Shouldn't we pour out everything in our soul to him? shouldn't it be more meaningful and reverent? He wants to listen to us and be a part of our daily lives. After all prayer is like a phone we speak and receive. He'll answer our prayers whether its instant or much later, God has a plan for each one of us and he will answer our prayers in his own time. I know these things to be true, Sa Pangalan Ni Jesucristo, Amen.
This week was great, we had a transfer (generally its when we change our companions,but in this case the older guys left to the Philippines and we got new guys). So we are the experienced guys and even though we don't know a ton of Tagalog we have been speaking it a lot around the new guys to mess with them a little.
Earlier on before the older district left, I had commented that with my wrestling skills, in a match, I could take down this huge Samoan who is playing D1 football and has a full ride to college. So the night before they left, while doing my stance drills ( thanks coach!), I taught some guys how to wrestle, wrestled with a guy going to wrestle in college and beat him, then was peer pressured to wrestle the Samoan. I won and everyone was surprised (not sure why). It was a blast hes a great guy and maybe ill see him in the Philippines.
Anyway besides the major rug burns from wrestling, the language is sweet I absolutely love it! Am I good at it probably not, but its so cool and I can't wait to get to the Philippines and learn their culture and be a part of it! We teach lessons everyday and my Kasama (companion) and I are learning and working on listening to the people. Not language wise, but listening to their needs and teaching what will mean the most to them. A great example is teaching the Plan of Salvation and how families can be together forever in this life and the next, to a family oriented person. We are also getting better at working with each other in teaching.
Some hard things for the guys in my district have happened within the first two weeks. Three different guys were notified that someone has died in their friend/family group. These guys are troopers, they are so set on bringing the gospel of Christ to the Filipinos that they decided to stay here and learn the language. These guys are so amazing and hard working, I can't explain the spirit they bring with them everyday and it's awesome, they choose to be happy anyway. I've always been a believer that a lot of things we can't do are because of mental restrictions, like "I can't!" so a great way to work on the "I can!" is to choose your attitude. We are in charge of whether we are happy or sad, angry or sympathetic.
Another thing we've been learning is about prayer. We don't take it serious enough, at leased I don't sometimes. Think of it this way, we dress up for a play, a meeting, or a dance, etc. Isn't talking with God more important? Shouldn't we pour out everything in our soul to him? shouldn't it be more meaningful and reverent? He wants to listen to us and be a part of our daily lives. After all prayer is like a phone we speak and receive. He'll answer our prayers whether its instant or much later, God has a plan for each one of us and he will answer our prayers in his own time. I know these things to be true, Sa Pangalan Ni Jesucristo, Amen.
P.s.- Stay Awesome Guys!
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--
Elder Peterson
Mom note 1: He is wondering how you are all doing so shoot him a quick email if you can. rodney.peterson@myldsmail.net
Mom note 2: Here's a picture Aubrey Fitzgerald Markham sent me with the caption "Look who I saw at work today!" Made my day!
Friday, August 12, 2016
MTC Week 2
08/11/2016
So a lot happened this week, my kasama (companion) and I finished teaching Jenell. He was our first investigator (an MTC actor for practice) and it was super spiritual last lesson especially in Tagalog. Now we are teaching two different people named Elvie and Francisco. They are way harder to teach and can only understand Tagalog, so our Tag-lish is not sufficient. We are also teaching lessons to people who have lived in the Philippines or served a mission there every Tuesday, so the speaking is faster and harder to understand, but we'll get better, study, study,study.
Our district is now doing push ups together at night, it's awesome. The really cool parts are being in devotionals taught by elder Anderson of the twelve apostles and brother Holland (Elder Hollands son), what a great atmosphere.
Tuesday we had service and it taught me a few things, 1- If you give a group of people a job and the outcome isn't super noticed or it's hard work, you get lots of complaining. 2- service is service. If I volunteer for service then find out it is a hard job, it will get done, or even if the job seems unnecessary it'll get done. Service is service, it helps someone somehow. 3- Sometimes the outcome isn't noticed right away. We had to scrub brick walls with some chemicals then wipe it off with vinegar and it seemed to do nothing. The next day you could tell that the walls we worked on were a lot cleaner than the ones that were not done. Patience is seriously a virtue.
So some things I've been working on to better myself is to be listen, act, have faith, serve, and love. These so that I can really focus on others and helping them. Plus a problem that is popular in our days is that we are to self-centered, which makes all our trials/ challenges harder, but when we focus on others, care for others, serve and love others, our trials and challenges are nothing and people's lives change including yourself. This is a great way to start to see who you are and ask yourself who you want to be. Though its a whole different kind of hard out here, its a blast and I can't wait to actually be in the Philippines. Helping people and changing lives!
Love you all and See you next week!
So a lot happened this week, my kasama (companion) and I finished teaching Jenell. He was our first investigator (an MTC actor for practice) and it was super spiritual last lesson especially in Tagalog. Now we are teaching two different people named Elvie and Francisco. They are way harder to teach and can only understand Tagalog, so our Tag-lish is not sufficient. We are also teaching lessons to people who have lived in the Philippines or served a mission there every Tuesday, so the speaking is faster and harder to understand, but we'll get better, study, study,study.
Our district is now doing push ups together at night, it's awesome. The really cool parts are being in devotionals taught by elder Anderson of the twelve apostles and brother Holland (Elder Hollands son), what a great atmosphere.
Tuesday we had service and it taught me a few things, 1- If you give a group of people a job and the outcome isn't super noticed or it's hard work, you get lots of complaining. 2- service is service. If I volunteer for service then find out it is a hard job, it will get done, or even if the job seems unnecessary it'll get done. Service is service, it helps someone somehow. 3- Sometimes the outcome isn't noticed right away. We had to scrub brick walls with some chemicals then wipe it off with vinegar and it seemed to do nothing. The next day you could tell that the walls we worked on were a lot cleaner than the ones that were not done. Patience is seriously a virtue.
So some things I've been working on to better myself is to be listen, act, have faith, serve, and love. These so that I can really focus on others and helping them. Plus a problem that is popular in our days is that we are to self-centered, which makes all our trials/ challenges harder, but when we focus on others, care for others, serve and love others, our trials and challenges are nothing and people's lives change including yourself. This is a great way to start to see who you are and ask yourself who you want to be. Though its a whole different kind of hard out here, its a blast and I can't wait to actually be in the Philippines. Helping people and changing lives!
Love you all and See you next week!
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
August 4th, 2016
So this has been the first week in the MTC and its been crazy packed with stuff. By the end of each day you are mentally exhausted. Though when we're not busy we pretty much don't know what to do. Most people in my district, which consists of about 8 elders and 2 sisters, are mostly focused on the language. Its been incredibly difficult, but we are learning pretty fast. We can pray, bear testimony, understand some stuff, and sort-of teach in Tagalog! Its been a blast, I already feel like I've added some more family members. I'm in the MTC choir and have miracle worker teachers. So my companion is Elder Elms and he's from Michigan and a huge Michigan fan (funny that a Clevelander and a Michigan guy are companions). I do my wrestling workouts all the time but it's definitely not a wrestling friendly environment, but I'm working with what I got. So something I've learned this week is actually from this great talk that you should check out called Characteristics of Christ by Elder Bednar. He states how Man's natural reaction to anything is "to turn inward" (like self-centered things like "I, Me, Mine") and it's relatively true. If we have some sort of misfortune, we want sympathy or attention to ourselves. What we should do to be more Christ-like is to "turn outward" (like being selfless). To love, have compassion, and give service to other people. Even when some one really irritates or hurts you, sort-of like how Ghandi's peaceful efforts were more effective than the wars. If we can really work on this, our problems no matter what they are will be lessened and we can really help other people. See ya all in another week!
So this has been the first week in the MTC and its been crazy packed with stuff. By the end of each day you are mentally exhausted. Though when we're not busy we pretty much don't know what to do. Most people in my district, which consists of about 8 elders and 2 sisters, are mostly focused on the language. Its been incredibly difficult, but we are learning pretty fast. We can pray, bear testimony, understand some stuff, and sort-of teach in Tagalog! Its been a blast, I already feel like I've added some more family members. I'm in the MTC choir and have miracle worker teachers. So my companion is Elder Elms and he's from Michigan and a huge Michigan fan (funny that a Clevelander and a Michigan guy are companions). I do my wrestling workouts all the time but it's definitely not a wrestling friendly environment, but I'm working with what I got. So something I've learned this week is actually from this great talk that you should check out called Characteristics of Christ by Elder Bednar. He states how Man's natural reaction to anything is "to turn inward" (like self-centered things like "I, Me, Mine") and it's relatively true. If we have some sort of misfortune, we want sympathy or attention to ourselves. What we should do to be more Christ-like is to "turn outward" (like being selfless). To love, have compassion, and give service to other people. Even when some one really irritates or hurts you, sort-of like how Ghandi's peaceful efforts were more effective than the wars. If we can really work on this, our problems no matter what they are will be lessened and we can really help other people. See ya all in another week!
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