May 6, 2013
"You need to make brownies!" "What?"
"Brownies." "Translate please." "Брауниз."
Hey there everyone :)
Well, nothing too crazy this week actually, but it was still really
great! The branch mission leader put in his predictions as to when he thinks
I'll be getting married (a year and a half from my release date is his guess)
and this year the Russian muffin/cupcake things for Easter were just as gross
as they were last year, but the boiled eggs sure were tasty!
The coolest things that happened, I think, were related to what
happened on Tuesday. So, we were supposed to go to a District Leader conference
shindig, and I had everything all prepared and I had a lot of things that I
wanted to bring up on the council, but about 5 minutes before we were gonna
walk about the door, we got a call from the assistants saying that President
Sartori had just canceled the conference and was now asking us to go out and
work,
Well, shoot! That shot a couple of cannon balls into the weekly
plans. The ride to Samara is 6 hours by bus and so a good 6 hours that day and
the next two days in which we hadn't planned a thing because of the conference
just opened it's gaping mouth wide for it to be filled with...something! I was
a bit peeved, because that was pretty last minute there, but I wanted to figure
out why God told President Sartori that we all needed to stay. So, I prayed
about it, and we went to work.
We came to find out that Sister F was in the hospital and needed a
blessing pretty urgently and that no one else could come (because of work,
illness and so forth), so we were in the right place at the right time to help.
Also, her newly made friend who was in the bed next to Sister F, after having
seen us give the blessing and hear about the Gospel a little bit wanted a
blessing too. We gave her one, and a Book of Mormon, and we plan on seeing here
again this week.
What was even cooler, too, was getting to the hospital. We were on
the bus, and of course I get lost in White Rock without my trusty, slightly
dusty, GPS, so getting my way around Balakova is as difficult as navigating
more poor self around any other city of my mission, but we met a woman on the
bus who, coincidentally, was also going to the hospital to meet her friend. As
we walked together she told us about the upcoming Easter holiday and how she
wanted to understand Christ more. "Oh boys, I've just got so many
questions about religion and God and stuff, and I don't know how to find the
answers." Well, we sure had some! :) In the end we gave her a Book of
Mormon and both bore testimony of God's love and her personal relationship to
God as His daughter. She was touched, so let's hope to get some future contact
from (the lady!)! :)
The other cool thing, albeit not during the time of the canceled
council/conference thing happened on Sunday. The Branch President was gone and
Sister F, while in the hospital, didn't have time to prepare a lesson for
Sunday School. Well...no one more than Elder Peterson loves to teach Sunday
School, so I got to give a nice 45 minute lecture on the Plan of Salvation and
the members personal role in the plan in relation to missionary work.
Something a member said touched my heart. We were talking about
where we all would be whoever it was in our life (whether it be the
missionaries, friends, family/parents) hadn't introduced the gospel to us. We
all agreed that, at some point, we'd felt the Spirit that had brought to our
heart the conviction that we know have that the Church is true. A member
grandma, who is going through a bit of a hard time right now, said "I
don't think that nonmembers can feel the Spirit at all! They don't even believe
in God, Elder Peterson! How can you believe that they feel the Spirit." I
was taken aback, and I didn't mean to, but I actually cried a bit. The members
took their part in answering her question, but it reminded me of a time in my
life when I thought that people who did bad things couldn't feel the Spirit.
God has led my life to teach me that important lesson: every single person on
this good Earth is given the spiritual sensitivity and gift to feel the Spirit.
Of course, we do things that put a limit on how much we can feel and what
effect it has on our hearts, but I reminded the members, like it says in Preach
my Gospel, that no one has ever desired to salvation of men more than the very
God that created them. If he desires their salvation so much, who are we to
hold back our testimonies and our belief because we think that God has cursed
others or damned them to certain doom. I know that as we put forth our efforts
those who do not believe as we do will feel the turthfulness of this Gospel and
this Church by our testimonies. I saw it many times before my mission, and I've
seen it countless time here and I hope that I'll see it much more as I return.
If only I could express just how much God loves His children and show you the
evidences of that in my life and in the lives of those I've seen. It's true,
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and the Book of Mormon
is solid, concrete spiritual proof of everything I've said and done for these
almost 2 years out here in Russia and all the bits of missionary work I did
before my mission.
Man, can you imagine what the world would be life if we all bore
powerful testimony life the prophets, like Paul or like Elder Holland? I wish I
could, and I'm working on it. I'm so glad I get to learn all of this now :)
Anyways, enough of my yapping. Thanks a bunch for you letters
and support! It's always awesome to open my e-mail and see all of you still
talking to me and rooting on the work here in Russia and all over the world. By
the way, 5 PM my time will work out just great! We'll see you all next Sunday
(weird, right?). I hope you have a great week! Thanks so much!
I love you lots
--
Elder Peterson
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