A Week Full of Changes

Email sent Monday 25 October 2010

Dear Family,

This week seemed to be so full of changes. Boarders of everything got all changed because of the new ward in our stake. So we are in a new district as missionaries with a new DL and we even got a new sliver of area added to our area so we get to go explore it. We are also now in THREE wards! We have one at 9, 11, and 1. So basically we are in church from 8:30am-4:30pm every Sunday. Church is so long, Sunday is the most tiring day of the week. But it's ok. Change is good. We are excited for these next couple weeks.

We found an awesome new investigator this week named I..... It was meant to be that we find him. Because Tuesday we had an appointment set up with his neighbor who wasn't there, but his dad was sitting outside smoking and we were talking to him and hten I..... came out. We were talking about our beliefs and stuff and his dad said, "Well looks like I need to change religions." It was funny. So we set up an appointment for THursday. THen we went and knocked a couple more doors and then went across to this other building where we had another appointment and guess who answered the door? I...... THis was his sisters apartment. We were meant to find him. Also on Wednesday, we had an apointment below him, and he happened to be outside then too, so we decided to go up and teach him then. And we set a BD. He basically set it himself. He really wants to change his life. He had had a cigarette when we first got there, but he had put it out and he had this box in his pocket, and he had told us how he smokes a pack a day. And somewhere in the lesson he turns to me really sincerely and says, "Can I ask you to do something for me?" I said, "ya sure." He pulled out the box of cigarettes and said, "Can you take these from me?" It was awesome! We hadn't even taught him anything about it. He just knew that that would come with changing his life around. So I was then in possession of cigarrettes. :) I have never touched a box of cigarettes before that day. But it was a very happy thing for me to do! He hasn't smoked them since. But, we have also since found out that cigarettes are not the real big problem. He is extremely physically addicted to marijuana. He has real sincere desires to change, but this is an addiction that is 10 years strong and a daily habit. He is 18 years old and has been on drugs since he was 8. Welcome to the valley. When I was 8 I did not even know what drugs were. Last time he tried to quit for 3 months and he was violently ill every day, so he just went back to it. We know that this time as he tries to kick this addiction with God on his side it will be possible, but it will take miracles. But we believe it can happen.

Monday we experienced the most horrible thing ever. We were driving and we saw, right in front of us by the car coming the other direction, a dog get hit and killed by a car. Because we are in Texas and it is flat the light of the horizon could be seen under the car and between the tires so we had a very clear view of the dog getting hit and bouncing under both sets of tires. I don't want to be too gruesome, but we then saw it suffer and die in the middle of the road. At which point I stopped my car (yes in the middle of the road) and got out and had to pick the poor dead dog up off the road and move him to the side. It was the grossest sadest thing I have ever done. We were both crying and the car that hit them, the wife was crying and all these people in cars behind us were troubled too. That whole rest of the night we could not get the images out of our heads. It was horrible. But we decided, it's ok. THe dog is in doggy heaven and he is happy now. Everything is ok.

On a happier note, we think we will have a miracle baptism this Sunday of this 9 year old we met yesterday in Church who is from a member family, but he just never got baptized. They are active and everything, but they just never got him baptized. So we'll teach him on Wednesday and then hopefully he will get baptized Sunday! Which is awesome because our misison has this legit goal for October baptisms of 105 and it will take miracles to reach it, so this will be one of them.

I realized this week how much more things I need to work on to be a good missionary. The sisters we live with are having a rough time right now. The one that just got transfered here is the Senior Companion...and she came out with me. In other words this is her 3rd transfer. And the other one has only been here 1 transfer. They are both super young and didn't get trained very well it seems, because sister Morrill and I have been having to help them get a handle on everything. I am so grateful that I had a good trainer and a good comp right now.

Anyway, I'm glad Quinton's headaches are going down and everything is busy and good at home. I love you tons and don't go too crazy on Halloween!

Love,

Sister Petersen