A Missionary's Work: Update ing haha

6/18/2018

Hey guys it's been a while since I emailed... almost like a week or something haha. Life's been good lately, my comp. and I are awesome and loving every moment of it. To release some stress my comp. and I made and air guitar band, my comp. loves to practice his soccer skills on frogs so life is good haha. 

It's been raining a lot lately and it has been great to break the heat but man it's an over dose of rain. Anyways we were able to teach some great people this week, sister Janice from ilo-ilo and sister marielle and the linaban family from Mindanao. so the we have a lot of different languages to deal with. They're really amazing they're really trying to come unto Christ and become who God knows they can become. I can tell their lives have changed a lot, they are so much more happier and seam to have less of a burden in life. That's what getting to know God is like and that's what they're doing. You can tell they really act different too towards other people, they seam to love a lot more and forgive even more. I respect these people sooo much. But anyway thats just a little update. love you guys! Amping Gid!!

Elder Peterson 

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

A Missionary's Work: Gratitude

6/11/2018

Hey guys its been a rainy week. I can't tell if I like the 120+ degree heat or being soaked all the time. yay. But its been a wet fun week we did a lot of good and found some great serving opportunities. 

There have been great blessing in the work right now and we have been able to teach a lot of people. I love this place and am very grateful for being here. I think gratitude is a big deal. if we were more often grateful I think we'd never be stage frightened and we'd be a lot more positive and happy. I've just started to learn this but I'm finding that if you take a few moments every day to be grateful about something it makes everything better. My days have been a lot happier as I have done this exercise. With every companion I'm assigned with I make a gratitude list of that person. And then sometimes if I meet someone that really gets on my nerves I do the same thing, I look at the good and eventually that's what I see in them and I can love them as a person, better. Its a challenge I want you guys all to do but not only for people but for but for situations too. I love you guys and will seeya next week on email haha

Elder Peterson 

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

A Missionary's Work: Short and Simple

6/4/2018

Hey guys, the "time is far spent" (don't actually know what that means but it sounds about right). We're here in Tarlac getting our x-rays for our departure home in a month and a half, so ya super fast. Anyway, this week was complete with being chased by dogs, eating ant eggs, and yard work for a school. It's been super awesome lately and I love it here. It'll be an adjustment coming home for sure.

Anyways this week I learned two new sayings that I love. One is  "Things will work out" and the other is "don't complain, don't compare, don't criticize". I love these new sayings because if we live them, we'd be less stressed and more positive and loving to other people. I want to start living these things so that people become more meaningful to me. I can tell even in these simple things we can become more Christlike. Here's my short but awesome message seeya next week love you all!!

-- 

Elder Peterson 

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

Ant Eggs

A Missionary's Work: The Real Importance

5/28/2018

This week was hot...  I love the heat but man I'm using an umbrella, what is this! haha!

This week I got sick and am now pushed to drink about 4.5-5 liters every day, but hey I feel better now, healthier, and saving money, ha its great!

So this week I have been studying faith. I love this topic soo much because it brings greater meaning to everything. I downloaded this talk about faith in wrestling by wrestling mindset, and I love it because (Seth Gross was the guest speaker), Seth talks about how he wrestles. He wrestles with faith in a greater purpose, he talks about how he goes out there and gives it his best, but knows in the end, what's important. I love that mentality and how faith works in everyday things like wrestling. I like to add this to a bigger picture of our lives. With work and studies and such, if we have faith in a bigger purpose or even the mentality of remembering what's really important, in the end of it all doesn't all that stuff all of a suddenly seem smaller? Ya I think so, I believe that a loving God has given us such things as family, His own plan and other things so that we can find the deep, real importance in life. We don't have to get lost in little things that simply distract, instead we can have faith and find those things that really matter to see, even a little bit more of, the bigger picture. I love you all see ya all next week!

-- 

Elder Peterson 

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

A Missionary's Work: "One Day More"

5/21/2018

Hey guys! this week was really fast and awesome, and "I'm loving it up in the city" (guess that phrase). It's been really great though. We had tons of opportunities to serve this week and the opportunities keep coming and its great, I love serving! We got to paint the elementary school and clean up a bunch of stuff, then tomorrow we're goin back to do some more because there's a lot more to do. We also cooked an awesome Filipino desert called bibingkan kanin its a sticky sweet rice with caramelized coconut sugar on top (hhmmmmm).

So LG (life's good), and really fast but great. Anyway this week at church I heard a great talk about a different talk they had listened to called, "One More Day." Its about a family who had a child with an illness and knew that he would die at a younger age. Then on in the talk it's about loving up our time that we have while we have it and sacrifice. He said that this short time we live is a time to, of course spend time with those we love, but also make sacrifices. I think about this time here and now to serve the people of the Philippines, I really love making memories and spending time with them, but it's the sacrifices that count. I remember something that someone said to me, "What would you do for your family?", next he said, "now what would you do for God?" It was a good question, would I give my best to share his word or give of my time or give up certain wants for him? Ya it's a really good question with a limited time period. Maybe we should think more of our time and what we can Give or Sacrifice during that time.

I love you guys and seeya next week lagi maingat kayo!

-- 

Elder Peterson 

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

A Missionary's Work: Understand and Enjoy.... :)

5/7/2018

Hey guys this week was fun though not a ton happened except for the 45 celsius so super hot! but we're still happy :) so I don't have tons of time today but I do want to say we're doing pretty good got to taste new fruits and make homemade trail mix and cook some new foods which is great!

Anyway I think what came up a lot this week were two things 1: be understanding to other people and 2: enjoy "this moment." So in the mission there's a period (at least that's what others say) that when a missionary is close to going home he gets "trunky" or in other words kinda ready to go home and gets lazy. I really don't want that to ever happen so I said to my companion, "lets work even harder!" And in doing so I kinda lost the enjoyment of the service that we're doing and became less understanding of people's needs and weaknesses. As I realized what was happening, I made an adjustment to change. I sometimes forget when I get super focused on things to remember nobody's perfect and to have fun or enjoy. You can ask any of my wrestling coaches there were soooo many times I was so focused that I wasn't enjoying it. Now when I think about it what's the use of memories and doing good if you don't just love and enjoy it right now. It's already a short life that we're meant to feel joy and enjoy. Just a little thing from this week but important to me so I'll see ya'll again next week love ya'll!!!

--

Elder Peterson 

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

A Missionary's Work: Love

4/30/2018

Hey guys how's life in the U.S. of A? Here we're doing not so great... just ... Awesome!! This week we found a lot of people to teach and it was great! We got to go to this far part of our area and it was great, just straight bukid (farm land) and it was peaceful, full of even Nicer people (didn't know that was possible), and just overall a great time. I really love it here and I love being with these people. 

Well with this short time here's my spiritual thought.    I think since i've been here i've really learned about charity or love for others. But i've got to say looking back it all started when I was a kid in being a recipient of much love. Looking at key role-models of mine and their example I sense a ton of love. My Mom is probably one of those bigger examples for sure! I remember when I was kinda rebellious and even though I was I knew I was still welcomed by her and that kn matter what I did or do, she will. Then its always good to think of an even bigger example, the savior.  Though he served many people all his days and loved them and did everything he could for others, in the end, after suffering for the sins of a fallen people, he was then taken. Mocked, beaten, and suffering he took it all and then died on a cross for those same people. Thats a great amount of love. Maybe its one of those traits that make life more worth living or just me, but I know if we can love everyone even your enemies or those kinda annoying people who honk angerly at you though they don't know you still can not control traffic. Anyway the point is if we really want to become better and follow abetter example, this might be where we should start and I know if we truly are trying and seek for help from God, we'll get just that and become a lot better. I love you guys and hope you have a great week. 1st and 2nd commandment huh! take care!!

-- 

Elder Peterson 

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