A better week

Email sent Monday 13 September 2010

Ok so this week was better than last. Anything would have been better than last I think, but this week really was good. Let's recap.

Monday: we went bowling for p-day! I decided to try see if I could whip out my skills, but I fell a little short. I took 2nd out of 14 missionaries and I only lost by 3 points. What was my score that got me such a high place you ask? 128. Let's just say that the missionaries here in McAllen Texas stink at bowling, only 4 of them getting over 100 , but it was really fun nonetheless...especially since I did it in a skirt. Funny looking with the bowling shoes I know. Also on Monday night Sister Smith and I went over to the Trayners to help sister trayner cook the meal for the new incoming missionaries. That was fun. So we didn't work any on monday.

Tuesday: At 9 am I said goodbye to my trainer, Sister Smith, because she got transfered after only 6 weeks with me to Raymondville. But my new companion, Sister Morrill wouldn't be getting here till later that night, so for the day from 9am -7:30pm I was in a trio with Sister Nelson (who is training and has only been out here since may) and her BRAND new companion Sister Ruano. So it was a trio of newbies. It was fun. We worked in her area all day and then went to the Trayners again to help with the meal for the missionaries who were leaving. Then at 7:30 I got to go pick up my new companion! Sister Morrill is awesome! I already knew that from having worked with her before, but she still is. She is from West Jordan and went to WJ high school. So it's really funny when people ask us where we're from and we are basically from the same place. Funny. She knew Chase Petery also. So when we picked her up we went straight to our dinner appointment with awesome Gutierrez family.

Wednesday: So after 2 whole days of having no one work in our area, we went to work. Sister Morrill and I decided that what we need to do to turn this area around is to get to know the members better. You know me, I like organizing, so we are going to fix up the area book and the member book and turn this area back into a baptizing machine. :) So anyway we have decided to focus on going by member and getting to know them all and get referrals from them and stuff. And we are going by former investigators and talking to everyone we see throughout our travels, maybe knocking some doors on the streets with member and formers. It's a really great system I think. It's starting to work really well. We have found that a lot of members (people on the ward list we got) are inactive. Or there are part-member families. So this will give us a really good start at finding new people to teach. Because we had a big investigator pool before but no one was progressing really. So we just want to start new, and since we are both pretty much new to this area it is sweet. We feel like we're really on the same page. She's only been out for 9 months, and me almost 4 months, so both being pretty new, hopefully we can figure something out. ;)

Thursday: We were knocking in the middle of the day wondering if anyone would be home because everyone should be at work, but we knocked by this place where a member should've lived, but must have moved, and we knocked into this awesome couple. This man, Cruz, had been taught by missionaries int he 90's and actually had a baptismal date but backed out the day of the baptism...the font was already full. But anyway him and his wife are awesome. They have both been through a ton of crazy health problems and Cruz just had heart surgery on Saturday. They have had a lot of near death expereinces but they are still here and they know that it is because God still needs them here, they have a purpose to fulfill before they go. And mind you this is a pretty young couple probably in their 30's. But anyway, we found them and are really excited to be working with them and to help them realize the blessing the gospel can bring to them.

Friday: So once upon a time before I came here, Sister Smith had taught this crazy guy. And we hadn't heard from him in forever, but he called last week and said he wanted to be baptized. That is so not possible, but we went and taught him tonight. It was crazy. We brought two members with us which was awesome because the Roque's (from Puerto Rico) rock, but this guy just doesn't listen. He even came to church yesterday and the bishop had to be brought into our gospel principles class to control the false doctrine and random outbursts. The poor teacher. We just couldn't stop him. But whatever, it makes the mission intersting to have some crazies. One day he'll understand.

Saturday: Fiesta Mexicana! I love our Spanish ward. It was awesome.

Ok so anyway the two main things that I realized this week were that we take the temple so close to our home so much for granted. The people here have been waiting forever to have a temple closer. There are some, those without papers that will never be able to go to the temple because they can't go back to mexico and they can't go up to San Antonio because of the check-points. It is really sad. But also for those who can it is a long drive. Like 3 hours or something. They have to plan ward temple trips to get people to be able to go. I think of how it is back home, when we have "Ward temple night" and how not everyone even cares enought to take the little time to go when the temple is so close. These people ahve to take work off for a whole day and pay lots in gas money to go to the temple. They are amazing.

Also, I have realized that the members who are the most actively involved in the missionary work are the converts. Basicaly all of the families that feed us are converts to the church. Whether it be recent converts of a year or less, or those who joined 10, 20 40 years ago. They are the ones who are bringing people to church, giving us referals, and actively seeking to share what they know with others. I think this is because they know what it's like to not have the gospel. We should follow their leed and share it as well. Missionary work would progress so much more ever member was really a missionary. Think about a way you can be a better member missionary and do it. Make a plan and put it in action. Everyone deserves to hear this gospel and have it bless their lives.

 I love you all and hope you have an awesome week.

Love,

Sister Petersen

Also, we have a Mission conference tomorrow with a 70! That should be cool.

Rain: the hurricane just kinda came and went. It rained a lot that day I told you about and the streets were crazy rivers, but then like an hour later everyting was dry and it was over. but now it's really humid. ugh