WalkSTRONG

Email sent Monday 14 November 2011

This week was the best of times and the worst of times in the Texas McAllen Mission.  November 8th will forever be remembered as the best day and the worst day this mission has had.

Tuesday we held a Valley Wide Zone Conference with all but two zones of the mission in which Elder Claudio Zivic of the 70 was presiding and offering instruction.  Elder Strong, Walker and Harris were in attendance at this zone conference and we were all instructed and inspired by the leaders of this great mission and by Elder Zivic who brought instruction from the general authorities of the church to direct the missionary work.  It was a wonderful conference in which he recognized us for our efforts and the great success that the many faithful missionaries have gained in the Texas McAllen Mission.  My personal favorite quote from him went something like this, "We would love it if every mission in the world could have the success that you are having here.  You have nearly doubled convert baptisms in the matter of two years.  This kind of growth is not seen in many missions in the church.  President Trayner, you are doing great things here!"  Yes, those were the words we heard from Elder Zivic, among many other counsels on how we can make it even better.

Even at one point in his training he called on Elder Walker to come up to the stand and teach us how to tie his shoe without being able to demonstrate.  He used this as an example to show us the importance of practicing and roleplaying our teaching and demonstrating to each other how we will do things so that when we actually teach lessons we will be prepared.  Elder Walker had us all laughing at his facial expressions and his fun personality as he roleplayed this with Elder Zivic.

The Conference was held in McAllen and afterwards we departed back to our own areas to work for the night.

Unknown to us at the time, but around 7:30 that same night, Elders Strong, Walker and Harris (a trio serving in Donna) were hit while riding their bikes after leaving a lesson in which they had set a baptismal date.  Elders Strong and Walker passed away this horrible night and Elder Harris was in critical condition in the hospital.

We found out through a phone call from a member on Wednesday morning at 6:46am.  To be honest, that was the begining of the longest day of our lives.  My companion, Sister Mazey was in the same MTC district with Elder Walker.  She knew him very very well, and had served under Elder Strong as zone leader.  Though I did not know these two elders personally, I knew who they were and as with all of the missionaries in this mission, they are family.

Many thoughts start to run through your head when you recieve news like this, and among them was the thought "why them? how could this happen?"  But those thoughts were quickly removed by the comforting knowlege of hte plan our heavenly father has for us.  These two elders were examples of the believers, livers of the gospel and defenders of truth.  Their love of missionary work was recognized by all around them.  God had a plan for them and we now have to accept this as part of it.  We sat and we cried and we cried, and tried to pull it together to study.  We attended our district meeting as normal and held back the tears.  It was one of the most spiritual district meetings i have had on my mission just because of the renewed sense of urgency and great importance of this work.  Bearing your testimony of the plan of Salvation takes on a new meaning when you are living what you are preaching.

A special meeting was called for the brownsville and harlingen zones in the harlingen chapel at 1:30 that day.  We went and sat in the chapel waiting for presidents arrival for about 45 minutes with all of the other missionaries.  That was a meeting I will never forget.  I can not forget the tears streaming down the elders faces and all of the hugging and statements of "I love you" that were heard that day.  Though two of our brave soldiers were transfered to heaven, those of us left here were brought closer together and strengthened by one another.

It seems that the last section of the Doctrine and Covenants was written about our two great elders.  D&C 138:55-60 reads, 

55 I observed that they were also among the ^anoble and great ones who were ^bchosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God.

 56 Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first ^alessons in the world of spirits and were ^bprepared to come forth in the due ^ctime of the Lord to labor in his ^dvineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.

 57 I beheld that the faithful ^aelders of this dispensation, when they depart from mortal life, continue their labors in the ^bpreaching of the ^cgospel of repentance and redemption, through the sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son of God, among those who are in darkness and under the bondage of sin in the great world of the ^dspirits of the dead.

 58 The dead who ^arepent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ^bordinances of the house of God,

 59 And after they have paid the ^apenalty of their transgressions, and are ^bwashed clean, shall receive a ^creward according to their ^dworks, for they are heirs of salvation.

 60 Thus was the ^avision of the redemption of the dead revealed to me, and I bear record, and I know that this ^brecord is ^ctrue, through the blessing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, even so. Amen. 

As president trayner said, "we can not control the great transfer board in the sky."  God has his plan, and we are trying to learn what is part of it and accept it.  In the meeting President and Sister Trayner both spoke to us, as well as a man from LDS family services that the church flew out here from Florida.  I don't know if there was a one of us that was not in tears that day, but the tears did not fall without hope.  We all have the hope strong and the faith strong that it will be ok.

Elder Harris, also was there with us that day.  We were able to shake his hand and he bore his testimony to us.  Our love goes out to him and he truly is an example because of his strength and continued desire to serve.

Sister Mazey upon looking through her journal found a quote from Elder Walker, on meeting God again at judgement, he had said, "I want to want it to happen." (Oct 28, 2010 - see below).  As well she found his favorite scripture that he had told her while they were in the MTC, which is Moroni 10:34, which reads, 

34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to ^arest in the ^bparadise of God, until my ^cspirit and body shall again ^dreunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the ^eair, to meet you before the ^fpleasing bar of the great ^gJehovah, the Eternal ^hJudge of both quick and dead. Amen.

Elder Walker was truly ready and needed in Heaven to further the work of preaching the gospel to the dead.  There is so much more work to do there than there is here and he needed them.

We have talked with many people this week who have expressed their sadness to us for our loss this week, and we know that the work here will continue to move forward.  Great things are happening in this mission.  The spirit is here with us and nothing will stop it from progressing.  We pray for the families of Elder Strong and Walker and have a renewed desire to be the servants that God wants us to be.

I am doing well, don't you worry.  Glad to hear that Spencer is back and doing well.  Sorry I don't have time to talk about much else.  Thanks for being awesome.  I love you all so much and hope you always remember to accept whatever Heavenly Father puts in our paths.

Love,

Sister Petersen

ps. remember: WalkSTRONG

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The following is from Melinda's companion, Sister Mazey:

Last night I had the humbling experience of rereading some journal entries I had written during my time with Elder Walker in the MTC. I'm not sure how to express how much it means to me now so I thought I could send you what I wrote; maybe his parents would appreciate it:

My Journal Entry October 28, 2010

“Wow so many things were awesome about today but the part that really hit me was during our teaching experience with Elder Walker and Elder Brown.  I did not realize until this last week that you can feel the spirit even in fake teaching situations.  Since then I have really made it a goal to teach and ask questions according to the spirit.  We were practice teaching “Francisco” and  “Gordon” about the Plan of Salvation – mainly the Resurrection.  I then had a question come to my mind along the lines of how they envisioned, personally, reuniting with their body to meet God.  Elder Walker…told me something afterwards I did not expect to touch my heart so deeply.  He said that the one question was so strong for him that it made him reflect on himself as Elder Walker not as Francisco.”

Next page of my Journal says:

“On seeing God again at judgment:

‘I want to want it to happen."

-Elder Walker

This is our motivation to be righteous, have faith, and endure.  We are on our way back to Heavenly Father now!”

 I hope his family treasures this memory as I do.

-Sister Mazey

 

Page from Hermana Mazey's journal

Sister Mazey's favorite picture of Elder Walker(left) from the MTC.

Please stop the time. It is flying too fast.

Email sent Monday 7 November 2011

Greetings again, from Port Isabel, the best area in the Texas McAllen mission.

This week was such a whirlwind. It was crazy. We just didn't even have time to breath. Not to mention that yesterday was daylight savings time and nobody told us so we got up an hour earlier than we had to and missed that extra hour of sleep that was much needed. :( but we'll get over it. But really this week flew by. Sister Perkins and I carved a pumpkin last p-day of two sister missionaries, it was cute, when I get home you can see the picture. sorry, don't have time to send it now. haha. On tuesday I got to pick up my new companion. Sister Jenna Mazey is from San Diego California, well Carlsbad really I guess. She is super cute and lots of fun and talks a lot. My throat is getting dry from talking so much :) but that is good cuz I love it. haha. People ask us all the time if we are sisters, cuz we are kinda the same height and sort have the same hair and eyes and blah blah blah, so everyone here thinks we are really related. It's funny. But it also is funny how alike we are in other ways too. It will be a fun last transfer.

That is crazy that it is snowing for you. Sad there are no piles of leaves.

We are teaching this one kid, and he is really funny. He is a jokester. He is 18 and is a "cool kid" if you know what I mean. He has a tatoo of "misunderstood." His name is D... and he knows that baptism is something he needs to do, but he also knows, even without being told that he needs to stop drinking...and some other things in order to be ready. He just says it is really hard because of the "scene for kids his age." He is amazed by us, being 22 and 23 and that we don't do that stuff. He comes up with the funniest analogies for things, for instance when teaching the sacrament he saw a picture of the sacrament cups and called it "shots of holiness." It is hard to not laugh while in lessons with him. Stay serious stay serious stay serious, but afterwards when we get in the car we just bust up laughing over some of his lines. He is really cool though. He is probably one of the smartest people I have met here on my mission. He picks up on things so fast and understands the scriptures so well. It is incredible for someone who didn't finish high school.

Umm, g... is doing well, we're just still waiting on approval. I really hope it comes before I leave. That would be so sad if it didn't.

We are still teaching i... and i... and debating about their baptism, because they are 10 and we want to make sure that they can stay active afterwards even though their parents aren't interested. Their older sisters were baptized three weeks ago, and they are doing great but we will keep working with the twins to help them too. It is sad if children have to pay for parents wrong choices. That, too me, is against the 2nd article of faith, it really frustrates me that maybe because of the lack of desire to follow christ of their parents, the children have to suffer. ugh. Being a missionary makes me want to be such a good parent someday.

Well got to go, I love you all. Write me letters!!!! I think my mailbox is broken maybe cuz it never gives me letters. hint hint.

Love,

Sister Petersen

Hope you carved some pumpkins for me!

Email sent Monday 31 October 2011

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

 

Well, well well.  Today is halloween and we are not allowed to work really.  We have to be in our apartment by 7.  :(  And tomorrow is transfers!  After 3 and a half months with sister Perkins, President is splitting us up.  I will be getting a new companion tomorrow.  Sister Mazey!  I have met her before and she is great!  Super cute and a hard worker.  So I am really excited to spend the last 6 weeks with her here in port isabel.  I am glad to have a change, and not a change of area.  I love it here, but getting a new companion will keep me on my toes.

 

Yes mom, we have primary programs here, they are so cute.  I love them.  Also we had some ward halloween parties, with costumes, they were fun. 

 

Something that I have been studying lately is the new Relief Society book, Daughters in My Kingdom.  I guess before I never really understood or fully appreciated the relief society, but reading about it's history has really opened my eyes.  That book is awesome!  I encourage all relief society sisters and even priesthood holders to read it to better understand the purpose and divine mission of this auxiliary organization of the church.  It is really cool, and I have a much stronger resolve to do my part as a relief society sister. 

 

Dad, what size t-shirt do you normally buy if you were to buy one?  And what do you all want for christmas.  I think I will do my christmas shopping here, cuz it is much cheaper.  So let me know what you want.

 

Port Isabel gets all decked out for Halloween, there are decorations everywhere, and people are dressed up, I'm sure tonight.  It gets really crazy and that is why we have to be inside. 

 

But I have to go, sorry the library is closing. 

 

Love,

Sister Petersen

Sister Baptisms!

Email sent Monday 24 October 2011

Happy October!

Sounds like y'all had another fun week. Glad state went well and Quinton could make some cash from doing somethign other than donating plasma. Silly kid. haha. Hope you had a good birthday mom! That makes me so sad to hear about Vernon. I thought of him the other day. He was such a nice man. I wish I had got to know him better. That's cool that you had regional brodcast and got to listen to Elder Bednar. What did he talk about?

You have known my release date for a long time. It's on that calendar I made for you last year. I believe that I will be flying out on Dec 14th and get home that same day. As far as I know that is still the plan. But now, you know, and I don't want to think about it anymore.

This week was a great week with a great ending! M... and C..., two sisters, entered the waters of baptism yesterday! They are so cute. M... is 16 and has two daughters and she knows that the gospel will help her to raise them the way God wants. The gospel really is going to change her life. She now has many examples to look up to and a big ward family to help her through the trials that lie ahead in life. Her sister C... is 13 and is loving young womens. C... is very shy but we have seen the gospel and the other young women help her to open up and develop more self-esteem and a brighter light in her eyes. A great door has just opened for these two girls. They come from a familiy life where they don't have much in the way of parents as examples to look up to, but they now have many people aware of them and ready to help them along the path to return to their Heavenly Father. The also have 2 younger sisters, 10 year-old twins, that we have been teaching, but the aunt is putting up a fight about their baptism. So maybe a little later on those two as well will be able to experience the blessings of the gospel.

This week, I encourage you all to study the Doctrine of Christ. This is found in many places in the scriptures, but you can focus on 2 Nephi 31 which lays it out perfectly telling us that baptism is the "door" that gets us on the path to heaven. For those of us who have been baptized, we have already opened that door. But now we are on the path. and "all is not done." Recieving the Holy Ghost, for men-recieving the priesthood and magnifying their office therein, and preparing for , recieving and keeping covenants made in the temple are all steps along that path that will lead us to the kingdom of God. If we are at a halt anywhere on that path, we must pick up our feet and start moving again. Analyze what is ahead, be proud of how far you have come, and make plans to move forward. Part of enduring to the end is helping others along the path. God's work and his glory is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Part of our baptismal covenant is that we will take upon the name of Christ and by so doing, represent him, do what he would do. We need to help others along the path as he did. Is God's work and glory our work and glory? If not, analyze your life and figure out what to do to fix it. I know that no greater joy comes, than by helping one soul return to God. The worth of souls is great (D&C 18) and we need to help each and everyone recognize their greatness and help them return to God. That is my invitation to each of you this week. Study the Doctrine of Christ. And write me an email or letter about what you learned. And better yet, apply what you learned, cuz if you don't apply it in your life, what good did it do you. "Be ye doers of the word not hearers only." -James 1:22

Well I love you all a lot and am so grateful for your prayers. Hope you have a great week!

Love,

Sister Petersen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Email sent Monday 17 October 2011

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear mo--om, happy birthday to you!

I don't know how old you are turning, but I'm sure it's a good number. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and that everyone takes you out to do do something fun tomorrow. Sorry I can't send you a package or gift. I looked last p-day but was not able to find anything that seemed to work. I didn't have enough time to look for my liking, but I didn't forget it was your birthday. Thank you so much for being an awesome mom. Being out here I ahve realized a lot of the sacrifices that you and dad have made for us over that years and the example that you always gave to us. I am so grateful for everything that you have done to help us reach our potential and live our dreams. I really am grateful! I hope you ahve a great birthday!

That's fun that everyone is home for the weekend. We are having a sister's conference! The first one ever. All of the sisters int eh whole mission will be coming. I will get to see everybody again! I am excited!

This week was good. I realized the reality of the gift of tongues. This whole time in port isabel I haven't really found it very hard to understand anyone's spanish. I for the most part, understand all the words people say. But this week I went on exchanges in Brownsville, and I don't know what happened but that day, I felt like I was lost half of the time when people were speaking. It was so weird. And then I thought about it. God blesses us with gifts of the spirit to use them to help others and be able to bless teh lives of others. In port isabel with sister perkins, I NEED the gift of interpretation of tongues, cuz if I don't have it, then we would not understand what anyone is saying. So God gives it to me. But that day in Brownsville, I was with sister Ruano, and she is fluent in english and spanish and so I didn't need the gift to be able to teach. Sister Ruano had it under control. So I really saw the gift of interpretation of tongues come and go this week. It was an interesting experience. It makes me wonder that if I go home I will still be able to understand spanish. hmmm I don't know. I sure hope I still understand it. haha

We had 3 investigators get their interviews for baptism this week. Two of them will get baptized next sunday! The work is moving forward!

Well I have to go, but I hope you all have a great week. Keep reviewing general conference and find ways to apply it to your life.

Love,

Sister Petersen

Great week in PI!

Email sent Tuesday 11 October 2011

wow you sent a long email this week! That was cool. :) I was glad to hear about all of the things going on. Thanks for the updates about Elder hales and everything else in life. I'm sorry to hear about Jana's dad. But so grateful we all should be to know of God's great plan for all of us and our families. We will see them again. That I know is true.

This week was probably the best week of my mission, numbers wise. The Lord really blessed us with being able to help a lot of people to come to church and accept the invitation to be baptized. We had about 14 or 15 people at church today, granted only 10 of them are over the age of 8, that is still a really good week at church. I would say. It was a miracle. The members were so willing to help us to get them rides and everything. Two people drove all the way down from Los Fresnos, 30 minutes, to pick them up and take them to church. the sacrifices people make here are incredible.

G... is still progressing great. We are teaching a couple of families and I love them all so much. Port Isabel is awesome. We just need to keep helping these people have the faith enough to enter the waters of baptism. it is awesome to see them grow from week to week as they make the gospel a part of their lives.

My pinkie is fine, I guess, It doesn't really "hurt" persay, it just feels a little wierd. It looks like it has a bump, and I'm pretty sure it didn't used to be like that. but it's fine I guess. There's nothing I can do about it really, so oh well.

Thanks for everything that you do!

love,

Sister Petersen

Conference Weekend!

Email sent Monday 3 October 2011

Dear family,

What an amazing weekend we had, didn't we. You are right, it is different to finally be able to watch the saturday sessions of conference live, since cross country and track took up our lives for so many years. haha. But yes we were so blessed to be able to listen to all of the sessions of conference this weekend. We watched them at the church in Brownsville. Our investigator G... came to 4 of the sessions. We only met him 2 and a half weeks ago, but he is progressing so fast! He had an interview for his baptism this week, and now we just have to have president interview him and then wait on first presidency approval. The waiting will be the hard part.

But conference was so amazing. President Monson is so funny. "Hello" haha, I love how that is how he started his talk. Can you believe the Provo tabernacle is going to be a temple?! I feel really blessed to have lived in the only two cities in the world that have two temples each. Go South Jordan! We recieved a lot of great counsel from the leaders this weekend and I hope that each and every one of us takes the time to ponder the things we ahve learned and make specific plans on how we are going to apply those things into our lives. Conference does us NO good if we do not make what we learned a part of our lives. Take the time to sit down, and write some notes and make goals and plans of how to practice these things. I really loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk about how each of us matter to God. The worth of souls really is great in his sight. And not just all of us souls as a whole. But each and every individual one of us. He knows us and he knows what we are going through, our successes, our struggles, our happy times and our times of trial. He is aware, and we need to not forget that. I have seen that this week in the life of one of our investigators. God is there to answer whatever little prayer he says. Because what matters to us, matters to him because he loves us.

Do you all know what has happened to elder Robert D. Hales over the past months? He looks so different and was in a chair.

The talk about hte Book of Mormon was SO awesome! That was very bold. That is the kind of boldness we need to work on as missionaries. I can not sum up sufficiently all of the things I learned or liked from the conference, but I encourage you all to ponder those things you liked and take steps to apply them to your life.

I don't know if I will stay here in PI till the end of my mission. I hope so. I don't want to move. But I feel like one of us will be moved next transfer which is like Nov. 1st. But I don't know if it will be me or sister perkins. Who knows. But that would be sad if I had to start in a new area for my last 6 weeks. BUt whatever happens will be fine.

Well, that's all for now. Have a great week! I love you all and appreciate all that you do and your prayers and letters.

Love,

Sister Petersen