A Missionary's Work: Lil' Mga Biyaya!

1/22/2018

Musta mga pet-malu (Tagalog slang that makes sense only in the Pilipinas)! So yung linggo na ito we had some crazy schedules including two interviews in the mountains, a special conference with the first missionary to serve in the Philippines (yes hes still a live), and a baptism that was in a river at 7 at night in the mountains. It sounds like just a little amount but with travel and work to do it's insane. 

 

Anyway I've started my diet kasi, in six months I'm home and wrestling haha, so I'll be experimenting. So Also my b-day last week was fun and I love all the people who were able to come eat and play v-ball with me it was a blast! 

 

So this week was cool because, like the title says lil' blessing, it's because of being more aware to God's blessings, even the little ones. I started seeing some small blessing from little experiences like when we were going into the mountains the first time it looked pretty good outside and all, but even though it looked alright I put some books into my bag and put on a jacket. A little weird but almost 5 mins later it was raining hard and I was glad I had done those things. Now it's a small thing right?! but it made a big deal to me cause of course carrying around wet books sucks. I think of it like little blessing that even we don't recognize, but make the difference in our day or spirits or in us. like those days that sucked, you got stuck in traffic cause you took the wrong exit and it was pouring rain while you're late for a new job. Now it could all be different because of a small blessing like a prompting to pay a little more attention to that sign on the right a second before you switch lanes. It's a little blessing but a big difference for us. He really cares about what's important to us and so he blesses us with these lil' blessings. He really loves us. So lets look for these lil' blessings this week and focus a little more on how he really loves us. 

 

Well Love you guys (and girls) ! and take care!

-- 

Elder Peterson 

remember stay Pogi, smile on, and laugh a little!​

 

 

A Missionary's Work: Connect-It

1/15/2018

Hey Guys sorry I wasn't able to email yesterday so I got permission to email today. 

So what even happened this week...Well I had my b-day now i'm the big, old 20, I started my diet plan (thanks mom), and learned how to make yourself pass out. Fun week so far haha anyway with the little time left that I have I'll just share something I learned this week that helped me out. So this week as we went through the regular routine of teaching people and that's how it felt for me, a routine. My focus of helping people had fell into a routine or rut. So as I thought about that and pondered my purpose here again, I realized that things only really became hard or like a rut or not enjoyable when I was thinking about me. What I mean is the difference of focusing on me or others. So as I pondered I realized that the whole purpose of being out here is to just help people in their connection with God. It never was about that dumb argument over what basketball team is better with your companion or that you feel sick or anything, it's all about how to serve, love , and help others come closer to God. When I started to realize this all other small problems left and I feel real joy in focusing on how to help them. There really is a connection that we miss sometimes with God and sometimes we're the ones who can recognize and help others gain or grow that connection. 

Well love you Guys take care and seeya in about 6-ish months!

A Missionary's Work: Who To Be

1/8/2018

So hey guys sorry for the two weeks I've been gone, but with holidays here we've not been able to email. 

 

So a lot has happen that's funny this week, mostly involving drunk people. 

 

So at #3 it's while going to a meeting and having to last minute pay for our electricity bill in a hurry. We got our like 90 year old trike driver to pay our bill for us (so the wait went from 1hr to 5mins, #seniorlanesrock! haha). 

 

#2 my companion an I had left our key at a members house and instead of "tao po-ing" (knocking in the pilipinas) he walks strait in and out with a horrified face because he almost saw a member naked haha. He says he's scarred. 

 

#1 while walking to an appointment we met an absolutely wasted guy who could barely stand. He started to speak broken English and never realized we were speaking Tagalog the whole time. He also went on about this big storm that's coming and he's going to sleep a few mins before hand and other crazy stuff. The funny part was his accent and wording while stumbling ha. 

 

Anyways these past weeks have been great for thinking, I had a good time self-evaluating. I thought about who I want to be, not the kind of "be" like to be a fireman or space man, but something more like attributes I want to gain and make part of me. I then thought of all my big role models and thought about why they were role models and what attribute I see in them that I want to learn. I pondered these things and wrote them down for this new year. It became more important to me, I have plans and goals for "be-ing"  that better person. I look to my g-pa for amazing charity and love to all people, to mom for loving compromise and support, to coach for overcoming hard things like mental blocks or other, to my g-pa for hard work and so many other people they all have affected me so much and I strive to learn and "be" some of these attributes I've seen in my role models. 

 

I love you all and suggest to review who you want to "be". 

P.s.- no pics my sd card fried last week haha love ya'll!!

Elder Peterson 

remember stay Pogi, smile on, and laugh a little!

A Missionary's Work: Sacrifice Fear

12/18/17

Hello every body! This week was the coldest one yet which is great because I can use a blanket now yesss! It's really Christmas! 

 

So I want to share some cultural Christmas things really quick, shout out to mom ha. So here it's really cool because every family and household get together at different grandparent's houses and Mag Manopo which is putting the back of their hand to your forehead and then the grandparents give money or toys to the children. I love it! I'll get some more culture stuff next time. 

 

So this week I think I have really been learning to make some weaknesses into strengths. For me, I'm shy to bring up things that are wrong that others do and since here in the mission obedience is very important (not limited to the mission but life as well) sometimes its hard to tell someone something they did wrong. For I'm afraid that they'll get mad or offended. So we had this experience this week that pushed me into doing this hard thing for me. My companion did something very disrespectful here and offended the person. I noticed but said nothing because of what my companion would think or say. A few days later the person, being a loving direct person, told us the situation and said he was hurt the most that I said nothing or did nothing in correcting my companions mistake. After some apologizing and correction, I took to pondering. I thought how the entire situation would have been avoided had I lovingly corrected my companion the moment it happened. So since then, even though it's an inside fear of mine, I am trying to do my best in overcoming it. It's the same for all of us. We each have some kind of inner fear that even sometimes we rationalize as not being a fear. Now this week lets bring true meaning to Christmas which is sacrifice and face these inner fears and do what is right I love you all and wish you  all a  Malagayang Pasko!

-- 

Elder Peterson 

remember stay Pogi, smile on, and laugh a little!

 

A Missionary's Work: Full Heart

12/11/17

This week was interesting we went on exchanges in a city called San Jose where we got to go teach some cool people one of them is this old guy who told us this cool story of how he woke up and wrestled a cobra and killed it and let his neighbors eat it; a small town hero, ha. 

 

We also had some crazy drunks ask us to bless a new tractor they had bought, so we said a little prayer with them and went on our way, still kinda wonder how they got home on their scooter, haha. 

 

Anyway I only have a little bit of time so I'll share this cool learning experience this week. So I read this article called, "The fourth Missionary", and it goes on saying how change is important in life. It says it towards the end, but its pretty much about when we do whats right, but if its for the right reason. Sometimes we know we need to do something because it's good and maybe a responsibility, but we fail to do it for the right reason. When we do our responsibility without heart, it's more of a "grit the teeth " unto the end situation, so at the end you can do the things you want. Now, if we do those responsibilities with full purpose of heart, we're doing more than a responsibility, and we're learning, we're growing, and changing. When we do things for not only the right reasons but to become more, we do just that when we learn to use our full purpose of heart or our real intent. 

 

Well Love ya'll stay Pogi!!

Elder Peterson 

remember stay Pogi, smile on, and laugh a little!​

 

A Missionary's Work: G-Tude!

11/27/17

So hey guys! 

 

This week was crazy - actually maybe just last night and today. So last night we had planned to go hiking in this cool jungle area so we had borrowed some machetes (yep probably see where this is going ha) and long story short while our Australian friend tried to balance one on his finger, throw it up, and catch it (I was damayan) it glanced off my arm. So now I'm missing like 3 and 1/2 fingers... haha nope just made this little hole cut that looks like I used a large syringe. But its nothing. We super glued it closed and its healing great! 

Then today we went through the jungle hiking and it was Epic! We didn't see an monkeys but it was absolutely beautiful and I loved it! Other than that we're working hard and loving the people through service as much as possible. 

 

Anyway I don't know why (but maybe a little bit), but a lot of things have come to me about being grateful. To be honest, life isn't easy,never was, and never will be. The best part is that we can choose to see life as the half full or half empty. Now one way to get out of the half empty and into the half full is gratitude. Now in gratitude we need to look at all the good in a situation no matter the situation. The best part of gratitude is that it's a choice. Now here's a quote about it from my mission President, 

 

"We can always come up with excuses for our behavior, but the way we choose to act and treat others is really just a choice we make. We all decide who we are and who we will be by the choices we make each and every day. There really is no justification for choosing contention of any kind." 

 

Now when we feel really unhappy about something someone did or the way someone treated you, you can CHOOSE to look at them as they really are, love them, then look at the things that your grateful for in them, or you could choose to look at the good and be grateful while late in traffic or when you grumpily get up at five am to bring your sister to some event. No matter what our life trials or things going on are we can look at the good and be grateful for something in all those situations. After all, we have been given much... 

 

Well that's my challenge to you all, find one place, person, or situation that you would usually get mad in and look at the Good and be GRATEFUL! 

 

Love you all take care this week seeya next time.

-- 

Elder Peterson 

remember stay Pogi, smile on, and laugh a little!

A Missionary's Work: Comfort

11/20/17

Hey guys so here's a little from this week... 

Well, we taught some members how to play fun family card games and if you lose everyone playing gets to put a mark on your face with lipstick. Its really fun. I have an American companion if I didn't say that all ready, kinda weird honestly, but fun too! 

I had the first taste of dark chocolate yesterday and it blew my mind ang sarap!!! And I'm pretty much eating tons right now because I'm dieting in January- oh man that'll be fun...ha! 

Anyway my spiritual thought for you guys is about the comfort of the spirit. This week I had so many things going on that I feel like if I didn't have some help I'd be under a huge pile of stuff that I'd just stress over and break down over. But I didn't feel like that at all. I felt comforted and that all of it was going to be alright. I can't explain it, but think about a bunch of situations that are close to your heart, but you have no control over, then feeling that its ok it'll work out and for the better. It's amazing! That's called a tender mercy for sure or a small self miracle. So that's what I strive for, is to have the spirit with me and to help others feel that (feel God's love). I know he helps us in our trials so our burdens are lightened. 

Well love you all and have a great week!

Elder Peterson 

remember stay Pogi, smile on, and laugh a little!