Happy Easter!/Happy Baptism!

Email sent Monday 25 April 2011

Dear Family,

I can't believe yesterday was easter. I mean I knew it was easter all along, but half way through the day it hit me that it was easter where you all are too and that you would all be getting together at Grandma's and you would search for chocolates in our living room and all that jazz. It kinda made me sad that I wasn't there to be with all of you guys. But easter is for celebrating the life and resurection of our Savior Jesus Christ and so I did that over here too. I actually do that every single day of my mission since our purpose is do "invite others to come unto Christ by helping them recieve the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement, repentance, baptism, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end." All of these things are made posible becuase Jesus Christ came to the earth and fulfilled the purposes of His father by paying for our sins and dying for us so that in him we might all live again. That is what Easter is about.

Yesterday we had the awesome opportunity to watch the play The Savior of the World, except it was put on in Spanish, so it was literally "El Salvador del Mundo." Brandy, remember when you and I went to that about a year or year and a half ago at the conference center? Well it was the same play, but they just remade it in Spanish and they broadcasted it to the church yesterday. It was cool. We had two of the people we are teaching come and see it with us.

Also yesterday J... was baptized! She is the sweetest woman. This week she fed us every time we went over. She was so excited for her baptism. Her family multiple times invited her various places that would have made her miss her baptism, but she just told them no. There was not a doubt in her mind that God wanted her to be baptized THAT DAY and that she could not put it off at all for any reason. She is amazing. Most people would say, I need to be with my family, can we do it next week. But she saw the importance of "not procrastinating the day of her repentance" she was so happy after she came out of the water. She is awesome! Us four sisters also sang a musical number at her baptism, she cried. We felt the spirit very strongly yesterday.

Also this week they randomly asked all of us missionaries to sing a musical number in Sacrament meeting as part of the Easter program. It was a song I had never heard before, and on Friday they decided that I was the one that had to play the accompaniment. I learned it, with the help of God, in one hour just trying to site-read it while they sang. It was crazy. But it ended up being really good. I am SO grateful for Leslie and that she always made us practice all the hymns and that I can for the most part play any hymn in the book on the spot. That has been a big blessing here on the mission, especially here in laredo.

I got your package on Saturday!!! They just delivered it to our apartment!. Here at our new apartment the mail comes in the morning and so we are almost always here I think, so packages will be given to us. I was VERY happy to get what was in the package. With the weather how it is already here in Laredo, I am going to need all of those things. We may end up showering and changing mid-day because it gets so gross here.

Our new apartment is nice. Our beds are not so nice. Well mine is fine, but my companions is so annoying. The elders gave us there beds when we did the move and we gave them ours, and well...her bed is so annoying. The box spring stinks so bad. You move one muscle a tiny bit and it squeaks like crazy. We haven't been sleeping very well for awhile because she moves a lot. So I am kinda tired. But we'll figure out how to fix it.

That's sad about the trees (Melinda is referring to a tree that was blown down in our neighborhood with the wind this last week, and then a neighbor cut his down probably so it wouldn't fall on his house in a big wind). Quinton finally wrote me. Hi dad. Thanks for the neclace mom! And the potatoes...I am a little confused about those. I will try them and see if they are good, but I don't know cuz I have not found any fake potatoes that I like as of yet. BUt thanks. :) haha

Well enjoy the nice weather. It has been about 107 every day this week. Minus sunday. But ya. It's hot and I hate it. Good thing I didn't come to texas to enjoy the weather. There are bigger purposes of being here.

I love you all. Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Petersen