A Missionary's Work: Charity Never Faileth

8/28/2017

Hey guys (and girls, if we're going to be politically correct, ha)! It's been so cool this week, not like a out of ordinary thing happened but it's just a wonderful week. ☺

So this week we fed a monkey (my goal is to gain its trust, then have it sit on my shoulder, o yaaa!), found a butterfly bigger than my abnormally large hands, and almost got bit by a pig. Apparently pigs are aggressive animals but are kinda like the dogs here, wild and only like those they know.

Anyway, our investigators are great. They love learning more about Christ and in how to really become closer to him and God. Anyway, this week was really focused on keeping a cool head and loving and understanding everybody. Which also means there were quite a few times that I go to test my patience in that and honestly speak more lovingly. It's weird, the week I focused on those attributes, there seemed to be a lot more times to test them.

Now, I always pray for charity and it's amazing to feel so much love for someone you've only known for a week or so. To really think about their divine potential and see them as they can become. I can't really explain it, but your heart sort of jumps for joy and you just gotta hug them (except for the chicks, ha). Whenever I feel an enormous amount of love for someone, I can't help but think about how much more God loves us. He made a plan for us, and he promises to never leave us alone. I don't think I'll ever comprehend his complete love, but I do know it's there. The cool part is we're usually the tool to help others feel his love. We are his hands on earth.

Love you all and hope you have a great week and do something lovingly kind for someone this week.
P.S. I Ate Dog!

A Missionary's Work: Lift Others

8/14/2017

Hey guys, it's your dear Elder in the Philippines again!

This week was really, really fast and that's probably because of transfer announcements this coming Wednesday. I don't know if I'll leave but I have been here for over four months now, so we'll see.

The super awesome event of the week is the baptism of brother Adrian and Rose Ann. As the time we have spent with them went by, we've noticed that they have changed a lot. It's the best experience to see lives change in such a good way. I know now that no matter who the person is, there is a bigger and better potential underneath, it's called divine potential.

This week we made a district t-shirt. It has some of the hottest days, 109 degrees wooohooo. It's as hot as a hot pepper. We also had a branch conference and are really pushing members and missionaries, hand-in-hand, to spread the word so that one day we will meet the requirements to build a church in the nearby lot. Sweet deal!

Anyway, I have been thinking of what I should email today and something came to mind about our purpose as people and children of God. We need to lift others. I often compare life to a race. It has ups and downs, we give some and take some and so on. But there are times we stumble and fall from the hardships of life and don't really want to get up and continue, thinking "I can't do this anymore"! So that's where our purpose comes in. We are there for all, as we are all children of God. So when they fall, we help them up and continue on. We can be that shoulder for others to cry on. The one to lift the weak and weary, and we can help carry their heavy burdens and trials when it seems too much to bear. We aren't the first, but won't be the last to help lift, so let's lift others because Jesus did. And let's continue the race, side-by-side, helping others who have fallen on the way. Because we're lucky. There's three of us you, me and him (Jesus) that are on the journey of life and we're always willing to help.

I love you all and invite you to lift others on your way this week as Jesus does.

P.S. Sorry, even after fixing my card, the pics aren't coming up so I'll try to figure that out. Love ya'll!!

Elder Peterson

A Missionary's Work: It's Not About You

8/7/2017

Hey ya'll!

This week has been a good one, not a ton of action star adventures, but I can't complain. So that means it's a good week, ha. The big news is that in our district one elder is going home and next week is transfer week. Which honestly I feel like I might be leaving to another area. It's weird how God works, as soon as you get comfortable, he changes things so you can learn, change and grow more. Especially to become more like the person he knows we can become and more like Jesus.

Today we got up super early to finish our laundry (Filipino style, I'll show some pics next time) at 4:30, then at 5 played B-ball and surprisingly a great exercise for wrestling (mostly because when I guard I'm just in wrestling stance and staying out in front of them, right on!). I'm losing creativity in my early morning 30 min workout but still doing them, ha.

It's really weird that the longer I'm here, the more I just love the people and want to stay here more, haha. Everyone else is wanting the time to go faster to go home. Me, I'm trying to cherish the time more, but it's still going soooo fast!

The other day, I was thinking about something and wasn't happy and even frustrated. Then we went home for lunch and listened to some music and this one song came on. It's called "It's not about you". My thoughts immediately changed. I then realized that those feelings of anger and frustration came because I was looking inward not outward. I was thinking as in "I, Me, My and Mine" mindset. When we think that way, we lose focus of the service and love for others, become easily offended and honestly stop enjoying the good and simple things in life. When we "lose our self and go to work" for others, we feel so much better, because we become more ourselves. My new goal is to show my love for the people. How?! With randomly saying good things to and about them, finding ways to serve, and listening to them better. It's so easy to get lost in ourselves, so let's work on getting lost in others. Let's look outward and not inward. My invitation for you guys this week is to look outward and think, serve, and love others. Love you all and stay maganda at pogi, eh!!!

P.S. Here's the song and lyrics and pics :) (coming... computer issues)
-Elder Peterson

A Missionary's Work: When You Lose It, You Love It

Hey guys!

This week has been interesting, progressive, and full! To start, Philippines has made the original air gun into a super steroid version. It includes perfume, metal/pvc pipe, a bottle, lighter, and a marble. The thing is freakin' awesome and could easily make a hole in a person (so cool, I got to hold it!).

Also, we got some free sugar cane that just makes other sugars look like garbage, soo good (I'll run it over in a year 😉). I also got to meet a kid from the country Jordan who speaks English and a little bit of Tagalog.

Then I goat wrestled... Ya, he got the win this time but next time, I got it, ha!

It's really great here and I love these people sooo much. It's just every time I get to talk to someone about Christ and they want to learn more, then after some time I get to see them change their life around. They end up with hope, love, faith, patience, and more, where there was none before... that's truly amazing.

This week I really realized that we don't really understand the importance of something unless it's close to being lost or you really do lose it. Because of some situations here, we might have to move to another area. I am now constantly thinking of these people and how they have changed and grown so much, then we might have to leave so they would potentially have to wait until the area got missionaries again... and there is no telling when that could be. They are so close to making a beautiful promise to God through baptism, to follow him and his Son the best they can. An ordinance essential for all people. They will be starting a new slate, clean from all sin and ready to start the path toward God. I also know God has a plan for them and all of us so I'm not too worried. I really do know that God loves us and knows us each individually and that in this life's race, Jesus isn't waiting at the end but at our side with us. When we fall or feel we can't do something, he's there to help us up, and for us to lean on. Because of this, even the things that we lose and care about so much will be okay as we will be okay too. I love you all soooo much and hope you remember who's at your side every step, crawl, sprint of the way. And that if we acknowledge his presence, we will be okay with the things that are lost, because we know that he's taking care of them.

Elder Peterson
-I have to fix my camera, the files won't come up, that's okay, I'm a professional 😉

A Missionary's Work: Seek First

07/17/2017

It got deleted again, sorry!!!
Just remember in seeking God, we pray, read, go to church and follow his commandments.

Love ya
Elder Peterson

A Missionary's Work: What We Feel Has Been Felt

7/3/2017

Sunshine's Note: Somehow I missed this post last week so it's out of order. Sorry.

Hey all the party people!

This week has been great with lots of teaching and not much more, ha. It's great, just nothing crazy has happened but the regular crazy... like 8 year olds smoking, and 5 year olds driving motor cycles, and eating duck. It's all cool! But because of lack of time, I'll just go to the things I've been learning this week.

We have an investigator who we found out is getting bullied and is depressed. We are trying to help her the best we can. With this in mind, I read 2 Nephi 9:20-22. It's about Jesus' atonement. Every person that falls into depression needs to know they're not alone because He has felt all our pains, sins, hardships, all of it. When we realize that we are not alone, there is a strength given and taken. Because Jesus Christ suffered, died and lived again for us, we will never walk alone, or when we fall, we can get help up. Please remember we never were, are, or will be alone because of what he has done for us.

Love you guys, see ya next time!

Elder Peterson

A Missionary's Work: Truth Hurts, But Builds More

7/10/2017

Hey everybody! How's it going on the North and to the left-ish side of the world? Ha. It's going great here. We're eating well and actually, like every other night, we invite this cool member to come and cook with us. He's pretty good and it's never boring for sure. We always end up cooking outside and it's a blast.

It's been so fast...The other day I was transferred to Paco Roman, now I'm going on 4 months here. Wow, when old people say time flies, I can testify they are way right, haha (no offense to old people 😉).Life just seems sweeter when you take in the memories and moments. Especially the people you're around. These people here are great and I am always soo much more happy when I'm with them, especially teaching them in their homes with their families.  Besides, tasting some great fried bugs (like grasshoppers) and finding some cool back woods houses... it's been a great week.

Now something that I have been working on, is learning from the truth. There are a lot of ways to learn from truth, but this kind is different. Let me explain in an example. My companion and I had a little bit of a hard time for a small period of time where he sort-of blew up about some things I was doing that he didn't like. I thought of what he said and instead of being mad and trying to shove his weaknesses in his face like I used to do, I pondered on what he said. I thought about, if we want to become better children of God, we need to be willing to accept all and be willing to work on it. I realized what he had said was true and decided to work on it. It's not always easy to take the truth, especially when it really shows your weaknesses, but if you have the mind-set of becoming the person that God sees you being able to become, you will take the truth and correction and become a little better. My invitation to you all is to don't immediately be offended from some kind of correction or truth but ponder it and work on your divine potential. Love you all... seeya in another week!

p.s. We got to see how they cook Dog. Ya that smoke smelled...

Elder Peterson
Pics of course!