I need a secretary to write these for me... I am getting lazier and lazier with them. I think it's because every week is pretty much the same. Yes, interesting things happen, sometimes there's zone conference or I get bitten by a squirrel, but that's really the only interesting stuff that happens. Plus, I guess, lessons we have. But even those usually go "We met with ____, they are (or aren't) progressing well! They finally (or still haven't) read some of the Book of Mormon!" etc. But whatever, Mom says ya'll like these letters, so I'll keep doing my best to make them exciting.
This past week was a weird one. I don't really know how to explain why though... Just believe me when I say a bunch of little weird things kept happening. Only a couple of them were a little dangerous. No casualties though, so no worries. I also only recall one lesson from this past week. Technically there were two, but I missed the second because I was on an exchange. Probably a good thing though, if I was there I probably would have lost my cool a bit. Not really. I'll explain later.
The first one was with Carlos, this one was actually really cool. We talked about the Restoration of the Gospel and he really loved it. He hasn't read very much at all, but we just encouraged him to keep trying and to make sure he gives time everyday. He was asking fantastic questions and making thoughtful comments. He also kept expressing how he was feeling the spirit and was smiling the entire time. He's super excited to come to church and he said that he already feels like it's going to be an amazing experience. We shared our testimonies about the Book of Mormon and about church and really emphasized the importance of experimenting on our words. You cannot have questions answered unless they've been thought about and asked, that is the way God works. He's tries our faith and our desire to gain knowledge.
That reminds me of my studies this past week. I've been diving deeper into the Book of Mormon and the New Testament (everything but the Come Follow Me, lol) and I've been learning some really interesting stuff. Specifically, I was diving deep into Alma 40 and 41 to learn more about the spirit world and the resurrection. It's brought me a lot of light and excitement to share what I learn with others. I was also finding some things I didn't completely understand and it's stuff I'm pretty sure we won't understand until a later time, but even the mystery is exciting! I love the fact that God continues to expound and reveal things to us, it makes life so much more interesting. It's kind of like watching a movie or reading a book. You can usually tell if a movie or book is going to have a happy ending, but that doesnt't take the excitement away. The fun part is going through the story and putting things together. You come to understand more about the plot and the characters as the story progresses, but you never know all of the specifics. With good stories, you have to go back and study it even after reaching the end. WE ARE LIVING THAT!! We aren't going to understand everything for a long time, even though we know how the story ends. Even after reaching heaven and mortality has passed, we still get to progress and study our experiences and the plot twists that didn't make much sense until after the fact. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are such good authors...
Anyway! Elder Nelson and I did a lot of walking around this week since we can't get people to keep their commitments and meet with us. We didn't have much success with our walking and knocking either though. Oh well, that's missionary work. I must say though, I'm fairly unimpressed with the lack of bashers we encountered this week. Come on Texas, step it up, give me something interesting to write about. No more crazy animals though please.
On Friday Elder Bengtzen and I switched for an exchange. I was with Elder Morrow in their area. Unfortunatly we didn't have any lessons, but we had a good time street contacting. We met some stubborn people that believe we can live however we want and that Grace will save us in the end. JAMES 2:20 PEOPLE! The exchange was fun, but I missed a lesson with Marie. This is the one I'm kind of glad I missed. Apparently she started arguing about the Word of Wisdom and how she doesn't thing God cares if she drinks coffee and smokes. WRONG. I think the other Elders handled it well, but boy... I'm getting real sick and tired of these coffee and tea addicted Texans. "I can't go without my morning coffee..." THAT'S BAD!!! God's commandments usually make sense when you really think about it, and even when they don't at first, I have faith they eventually will.
I can't think of much more to write about, so I'll leave you with one of my new favorite scriptures: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22). Practice what you preach/believe!
Have a great week, email me if you have any questions!
-Elder Peterson
*that burger down there lasted me 4 meals. I'm not even kidding. The patty was 1lb
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