Semana Dos en el Campo (Week Two in Country) Aug 11, 2014

So..........I´m exhausted in every way possible. The Lord in his infinite mercy has blessed me with just enough strength to get through each day. But I still am doing wonderful, frustrated and confused at points, but I´m not letting it keep me down. 

One of the wonderful things about this place is that it´s not hard to get people to talk to you. The major problem is that they´ll listen and then not want to do anything. I´m starting to be able to understand people better and am slowly getting starting to be able to talk better, but I´ve still got a long way to go, but that´s just how it works, the gift of tongues is real. But like all gifts it only comes to those who are willing to work to get it. 

Apparently number wise me and Elder Saldaña are doing amazing, 19 baptismal dates, and stuff like that, unfortunately not a single person came to church and most of those baptismal dates have since chosen not to follow through... yep it´s sad but I can´t take away their agency. 

This Saturday I had a wonderful experience, the day had been rather disappointing, all our 5 appointments including the one with our most promising investigator had fallen through. We did manage to have a few discussions with others but they didn´t really seem to go very well. It was 8:40 at night and we didn´t know what to do but go looking for people, yep tracting, that thing that the MTC said was a thing of the past, well i´m not so sure if that´s true, so far all work with members has proven fairly fruitless. 

Anyways my companion asked me where I wanted to go. I had know idea and he seemed really discouraged. I´d heard lots of stories about missionaries saying prayers and then being lead to houses of investigators so I decided, why not, I´m a missionary, I´m trying to be obedient, although I haven´t been perfect I´ve tried to plan and none of the plans have worked, I believe the Lord will guide me if there´s somewhere he needs me to go. So I said a really short prayer, and it was as if in my head my vision zoomed down the street about 4 or five houses turned right to face a cement house with lights on. I opened my eyes and wasn´t sure if it was my imagination or not, but I decided why not, it won´t hurt to try. 

So we walked down the street, and there was a house that looked very similar to the one I thought I had seen in my mind, I clapped at the gate (in Argentina you don´t knock on doors), and out came an old man, in broken Spanish I tried the classic horrendously awful door approach (because that´s all i know how to do in Spanish) and he wasn´t very interested, my companion asked if he knew someone that would be interested, someone who had possibly had a relative pass away and could use some comfort. At that point the man told us that his wife had died just three months ago. Because of this we were able to share with him a brief message about the plan of salvation and we gave him a pamphlet, we had to leave because it was late, and he didn´t have time. 

But we returned Sunday night and he had read the whole thing and was very excited about it, once again he didn´t have time and it was late so we gave him a pamphlet on the Restoration. I truly hope that he continues to be interested, he seems to be the most interested person of all the people I´ve met so far. But he has his agency and will choose his own path. But I do know of a surety that we were led to that house and that my companion was inspired as he told me later as to what question to ask.

I love you ALL

Elder Peterson

I'm in the Field (Aug 4, 2014)

So a lot has happened since I last sent an email.

I am now in a country where everyone speaks an alien language which is not the same language that I was taught in the MTC. haha I´m suffering from the interesting phenomenon of being able to speak much more than I am able to understand. I can answer all sorts of questions and tell stories and stuff in spanish, but since I have no idea what other people are saying to me.... well I tend to spend a lot of time confused and silent because as soon as a person learns that I can't understand Spanish they only want to talk to my companion and they ignore me, and make fun of me because they think I won´t understand, interestingly enough the only thing I can understand is when they are talking about me. But I truly do like it here. The food is actually really good, and the people are very friendly for the most part.

So the Sunday before I left I sang a musical number with my district, it was a compilation of Nearer My God to Thee (English) and Lead Kindly Light (Spanish) we had an amazing piano player in our zone who through together an arrangement in two minutes. Apparently he has been studying piano performance in college.

So I left early in the morning for the Airport and after long flights and layovers I made it to Posadas. My mission President is so awesome and so is my companion Elder Saldaña. 

Currently I am living in a hole in the wall. It´s small but not too bad, but it´s very rundown. The walls are covered with mold. And anything that is clean in the apartment is clean because I cleaned it (mom and dad be proud). When we first moved in there was dirt and mold covering the floor, the table was black(when I cleaned it turned white) and the kitchen was stuffed full of moldy food and dishes. We don't have a lot of time to clean but little by little we're making it hospitable. I just try to pretend I'm in another place while showering and that there are not more spiders in there than there are sand in the sea. 

Apparently it´s a really bad pension even for Posadas, so the Assistants to the Presidents are trying to get us a new one.

So Important stuff, we've had some success. We've got several investigators a few even with baptismal dates that we've found just this week we had two investigators at church this week!. And we've had reasonable success with encouraging less active members to attend church. 

Goof Reel:

My companion decided to tell a less active member that I was an amazing singer and that if they wanted I would sing a solo. I couldn't really understand what was going on..... so yep I sang a solo ¨Divina Luz¨ (Lead Kindly Light) It actually wasn't to bad, and since singing isn´t really something anyone here seems to be good at, they seemed to think that I was pretty good.

Love you all!

Elder Jonathan Peterson

Hola, Mama (July 30, 2014

So they told me to write you an email telling you that I made it and that I am alive, so I´m alive! And i´m doing great, I´m just about to find out who my companion is and head out to my area! I met my mission president and everything is absolutely wonderful. And that´s all they´re giving me time for ahora. I love you!

Elder Peterson

Pictures! (July 26, 2014)

So I've heard of things being held together by duct tape,.... but our vacuum is literally held together with this mechanical pencil!

I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation, one of the Missionaries in our district found out through email that his grandmother passed away. Finding out in that way was really hard for him, but he immediately realized that she was once again reunited with her husband in a place of rest. We doorbell ditched this missionaries apartment with these stickie notes, treats, and a letter for him.

Ok... I am a little ashamed of myself for taking a selfie but oh well. Far left is Elder Winston, Elder Graves (companion), Elder Nielson is hiding next to him, Elder Wendt (otro companion), and then some unknown super handsome man on the far right.

Zone Picture at the temple before the two senior Districts depart to Argentina!

District Picture, Left to Right, Elder Wendt, Elder Winston, Elder Nielson, Hermana Finlinson, Hermana Hanson, ME, Elder Graves

​

Time to Go, July 26, 2014

This time next week I will have been in Argentina for almost a week! I'm really really excited to leave! This last week has been just phenomenal in so many ways that are so hard to describe. The Lord truly does promise blessings beyond that which we can receive when we do what he says. 

Here's an interesting thought on obedience. A lot of people say " It's ok if I break this little rule, I'm not going to go to hell for doing this." Ok they are probably right about that, but the Lord has promised that when you do what he says he will protect and bless you, and when you do not what he says you have no promise. Any time when you decide to justify your way through a little bit of wrong because it's not "that bad" you are giving up that promise. If you choose to follow through with your action it is possible that God will help you, but you are sort of leaving it up to chance. If however you are exactly obedient then you have a 100% chance of having the Lord's help. So no it won't curse you forever, but why would you forfeit such help and blessings for something that I can promise you will bring you no lasting peace or happiness? If it is against the teachings of the prophets then it is because it is not good for you. No amount of logic or reasoning of men can change that. If you don't see the reason for a rule try this, live it. The Lord will tell you after you show your faith. I know this to be true.

Another thought that has been really important to me this last week is on following the Spirit. So many people wonder, "How can I now if I am following the Spirit's Promptings or my own thoughts?" In the words of Elder Bednar, "Stop worrying about it." Elder Bednar goes on to say that as long as we are being "good boys or good girls" it does not matter if it is the Spirit or your own thought. If what you are doing is in line with what the Prophets and scriptures have said then it is ok. Often times you will be unable to notice the way in which the spirit works in you, that's why it is called the still small voice, only afterwards will you realize that God had a hand in it. In addition, as you grow closer to God and Jesus Christ, your thoughts will come more in line with theirs. And their will be no need for the spirit to prompt you to do something because you will already be doing it. So really just be a "good boy or good girl" like Elder Bednar said, look for opportunities to do good and don't worry about the rest. If the Lord needs you to do something different then what you are doing, you will know. 

It's been a real blessing to be in the MTC these last few weeks, I've had so many wonderful spiritual experiences, prayers have been answered time and time again. I hope to hear from you, I love you all. Probably the best way to get a hold of me if you wish will be through DearElder.com I don't know how it works but my companions family has used it to write to me, so I'm guessing it's not to hard.

Elder Peterson