All I Want for Christmas...

Don't worry, I'm not getting homesick. And, even with Elder Bronner counting down the days (33 left) I'm not getting trunky. . . not really.

So we were walking through the amazing two-story dollar store megaplex recently, and Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" was playing on the radio. That brought back good memories ;)

Elder Bronner and I are doing great! We have been receiving a LOT of apples lately. WAY too many to eat, so we've made a few apple pies to give slices away to investigators and less active members. Wow, it smelled kind of like Christmas. We're feeling very optimistic, especially since one of our Philipino investigators looks like she's really close to baptism. She has been in contact with her member sister and brother, coming to church, and is still interested in learning more. We talked about baptism last time, so we hope to have a date set this week.

I think having Elder Bronner around is good for me. It's helping me get used to the teasing of an older brother (didn't really have that growing up). We're pretty unified, and are trying to be obedient and work hard. We have a goal to see a baptism before Elder Bronner heads home. I'm excited! We spent some time today with our other two Philipino Investigators, translating for them at a Job Assistence center. Things didn't really work out, but we took them out to eat at a REALLY delicious Indian and Tai all you can eat restaurant. So delicious!

Not too much to report on this week, but I am loving life.
Please keep me in your prayers. I'm doing okay, but the opposition is trying to rear up again. No worries, in the strength of the Lord I can and will do all things! Zone Conference on Wednesday! Yea!

We might be over at a member's house for Christmas.
Hey, is the 'Lude still alive and kicking? Or has good ol' Rusty passed away? (The car)

I'm thankful for you and your love. Yes, this is much more bearable thank boot camp. And wow, I keep having military dreams, once a week or so. I need to write Sergeant Walker, probably today, for my Annual Muster.

Anyway, you are amazing!

Love,
Elder Peterson

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful...

Actually, it's not too dreadful (although it is taking a toll on my Brazilian Companion, he can't BELIEVE that I don't feel that cold), but the cold weather has indeed started. Thankfully, we've been blessed to have a few air-conditioning/heating units in the apartment. They kept us cool during the hot months, and now they work for warmth!

No, I did NOT catch what my companion had. In fact, I wonder if it was the same thing I got in Izumo and passed on to Elder Kajiuchi. Or maybe it was just the fact that I drank just about 2 gallons of water every day we were in the apartment, in an attempt to keep whatever he had out of my system. Ooh, and lots of vitamin C (the oranges and mandarins here are DELICIOUS!)

Sunday was a tad bit stressful, but good. The reason: we had 9 people who are not members come to church! Only four were actual investigators (and one of those only made it for Elder's Quorum), but still! One of our Philipino investigators brought ALL of her daughters (she has four), and one of them brought a friend! And it seemed like they enjoy it. Rosalie is amazing, I can see her getting baptised VERY soon.

Well, my Japanese comprehension is growing. It's alot easier for me to follow along in conversations now. My speaking ability is getting better too, but sometimes I still can't express exactly what I want to say. Or maybe I just need more confidence. . . that's probably the problem.

We're going to Takahashi city for an activity with some ward members today. YES, we have an investigator, and a potential that we taught last week coming. We'll be hiking up to the Bichuu Matsu Yama Castle. Then we'll actually be staying for a bit to try to contact some former investigators.

So Transfers are this week. . . I try not to think about what happens with transfers, but I'll be fine no matter what happens. I would LOVE to stay in Kurashiki; we've been getting a lot of exciting things set up, and I would be blessed and honored to stay and see the results. But it's all in the Lord's hands.

We had an amazing Zone Conference this last week. Elder Aoyagi of the Seventy Came. It was very good. They took time to shake everyone's hands at the beginning and end. His wife even thanked me, commenting on how attentive I was (usually I'm not that attentive, but I've been trying... and it's hard when you can't understand what they're saying!!!)

During the Morning Session, we had some spur-of-the-moment interviews. Senior Companions were interviewed by Elder Aoyagi, and Juniors by President Isa. I was very thankful for that opportunity. I never cease to be amazed and impressed by Pres. Isa; I am very blessed to be here.

Side note: my fellow combat engineer in the ward showed me a picture from the conference ensign (we don't have English copies yet) of a Chaplain in full dress uniform! AWESOME!

We had a crazy haircut fiasco. . . And let's just say it was both of our faults, and my companion now has an army-esque buzzed head. . . a bit longer than that. Pres. Isa even asked me about that (laughingly, it's okay. . . ;)

Well, I've got to run, but I love you dearly!!
Elder Peterson

Transfer 4 Comes to a Close

Halleluja! I have a giant bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Barbeque Sauce ALL to myself. . . But I'll probably share with my companion ;) Elder Kajiuchi had his first pack of pop-tarts. Oh they are so delicious! Hey, can you send me some good recipe ideas for the cream of mushroom and chicken soups that don't require chicken? We can buy chicken, but it's kind of a hastle to deal with. . .

Oh, random side thought: I went to Yonago on Monday night. Elder Bronner had this book "Where's Mom Now that I Need Her" It's like the ultimate cook book with laundry tips, maintenance help and more! Pretty funny.

Yonago! Excellent! We had a lesson with this man named Kondo San, who had been taught by Sister Mortensen (from my MTC district) when the area was run by Sisters. I met him back in Transfer 2 at Yonago's English class on the day of a Zone Meeting, and there was a noticable difference. Since that time, he started reading the Book of Mormon, and I got to see once again the power this book can have in someone's life. Like Umetani san! These two people are my first in-field example of the Book of Mormon's power. The light and joy it brings. . .

During the exchange, we went to visit Elder Nakatsuka of the Seventy. He came to Izumo a few weeks back. What a spiritual powerhouse. . . That visit boosted me, and strengthened my resolve to overcome my fears and talk to more people. And I have been! Yeah, I'm still passing a few people by, but we're trying!

We went to Unnan City, Kakeya town again. . . But this time, we took a route through the mountains. Yes, it was shorter, and took about half the time. . . But WOW it was in all reality uphill BOTH ways. I didn't think I would be able to make it up the mountain on the way back. Sure enough, upon starting up my strength was about to crash. But I felt a very literal flow of the atonement's power. It was similar to my hardest moments at Boot Camp. When my strength is exhausted, and I can't do any more, with faith, Christ helps me and gives me strength. This was a physical example, but that just goes to show that the Atonement is eternal and all-encompassing - Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, Physical. . . all difficulties can be lessened and/or overcome. That was one of those lessons that I've needed to learn multiple times.

On the way back, we stopped to try and visit an investigator, but were greeted by a man from China! He was very friendly, and started talking to US. He asked why we were in Japan, which led to a very good conversation about Christianity and the church. He said a couple of times that he was thinking he might like to become Christian, and told us that we had given him a very good impression of Christians. Man. . . If I transfer this week. . . too bad!

We also met with our investigator from Bangaladesh. He's doing well, and the meeting was great. I called him to see if we could stop by to give him a Japanese Language book, and we ended up having a discussion about Jesus Christ. Wow, he was once again very kind, and at the end of our visit told us that he considered us close friends! He wants us to pray for him.

Things in Izumo are becoming quite wonderful. I've been trying not to think about transfers too much, but we'll see what happens.

Thank you SOOOOO much for that wonderful package, and mom, that letter was just what I needed. I haven't opened the Sauce yet, but eagerly await that long awaited barbeque taste!

Well, time is growing short. Know that I love you, and am thankful for your prayers. I love being here in the land of my dreams . . . I love these people, the food, the scenery, the weather (even though it's hot!)

Love you,
Elder Peterson

Banana Bread, Bicycles, Blunders, and More

Dear Family,

I love you, and love hearing about all the fun stuff that's going on. The 80th Stake Birthday Party sounds fun. I remember when our Stake had it's "Diamond Jubilee" (75th anniversary).

Mom, I'll look forward to that care package you're sending. . . I could use some pop-tarts ;) I bought a little pack that looked like pop-tarts, but wow, it was COMPLETELY different. Nothing whatsoever like a pop tart. . .

Well, this week was pretty cool. We did have a bit more down time as my companion needed to recoup a bit more from the crazy cold that attacked last week, but I think he's doing okay now. During that time, of course I was excited to try my hand at some new baking! Steamed Bread (a first for me, kind of like cupcakes), Banana Bread (another first, it actually turned out okay!), and a wretched Caramel apple upside-down cake in the frying pan. I burnt the caramel twice, and then the finished product cooked a little too long and was burnt as well.

Hey, onto better, and more important topics. Umetani San! Still amazing, still wonderful! We have lessons with her roughly twice a week, and see her on other occasions too. She accepted our challenge to read a page a day from the Book of Mormon, but is reading more! And to make things better, she's earnestly asking questions to help her understand more! We were able to meet with her and her husband for a bit yesterday, so hopefully we're getting a bit better of a relationship built with him. No new baptismal date yet, but it could potentially happen this month. I don't want to try to rush it though, so I might not be here - depending on if I transfer in September or not.

The bad news is that I'm once again riding a wretched grandma bike (mama chari), while I wait for my new wheel to arrive. Yay. . .

Random by-the-way announcement: August 6th marks one year since I graduated Basic Training (ROTC/National Guard)! Yay!

Saturday morning, we biked up to the Hei Sei Sports Park to participate in the last half of Branch Camp. We got to help host some games with the group (there were quite a few young, non-member friends there). I introduced the game, "Do You Love Your Neighbor". Wow, the scenery was SO cool. It made biking through the crazy rain so worth it.

Well, this week's Zone Conference, so we leave for Okayama tomorrow. I'm excited to see Atkin Choro again.

Thank you for your prayers, I've needed them a lot this week. I'm doing okay; but as usual, this week was rather topsy turvey with highs and lows.

Next week then,
Love,
Elder Peterson

There Can Be Miracles

I am in quite a good mood this week. I received Mom's package this week and I am so excited to make those brownies (and the BBQ Pringles are almost gone. . . :) we found an old cook book from the Okayama mission that has a brownie recipe in it, and it works out great too, but I am SOOOO excited to try those Duncan Hines brownies!!! MMMMM!! I love you! Thank you again for your sacrifices for me! I love you so much! I'm thankful for all the help you've given me. I'm thankful that you have supported me in my decisions and have trusted me to make them. My one year anniversary of actually starting Basic Training (ROTC/National Guard) is on the 6th of June. That was the beginning of a journey I needed to take. And it has all led to the here and now.

Thank you for the taco seasoning!!!! I made taco stuff twice this week. The first time I put in way too much water, but we had it over rice, topped with Doritos and salsa, and it was okay. But then we pulled out the tortillas that Kobayashi Choro left and we had real taco/burritos -- even with Taco Bell sauce left by a former missionary. Delicious! The oven in our apato (apartment) actually works, but just barely! It's pretty ancient and limited to 250 degrees.

Mom, I'm glad you liked my little package. I'm guessing this year's birthday was a lot better than last year's ... It's hard to believe a year has already passed since I left you all and headed to Missouri for Basic Training! Time seems to fly right by. I don't think I was able to adequately express my thanks for your last letter. Thank you for your words. When I received your letter, I was going through some rough times and your letter really helped a lot. I want to talk about a couple of things that have changed for me. One is doing dishes a lot. Yeah, back when I was home, I didn't like to do dishes at all. It might just be that if I don't do dishes, we won't have clean dishes... but I have no problem doing them sow. So I'll make sure to help out a lot more when I'm home.

Last week's Zone Meeting and Interview with President Isa were both very good. I'm slowly understanding a little more of what Pres. Isa says in Japanese. . . but I did need some help from Atkin Choro for translation. Yeah, Pres. Isa is fluent in English, but there are a lot of Japanese Missionaries in the Zone, and not all of them speak English. But that's okay! It's hard to understand sometimes, but when I do understand parts and things start to click together, it's awesome!

Remember that we had to take dessert to the Zone meeting: Well, my Cinnamon Cake and Apple Crisp desserts worked out okay, but I forgot the cinnamon in the apple crisp, oh well. . . :)

Things in Izumo are doing quite well! Umetani San CAME TO CHURCH on Sunday!!!! It was the first time I've had an investigator at church with me! Her daughter Haruna came too. Elder Atkin went with her to Primary, and I *"ganbaro"'d with Umetani San in Sunday School with Brother Hamamura (he is such an awesome, fun, enthusiastic teacher!) *Ganbaru is a Japanese word which here means "to hang in there" or "try hard" etc. Sometimes it's easier even in our English conversations to still use the Japanese words, because sometimes, the translations in Japanese are easier than the English way of saying things. . . ;)

Umetani san loved church! And she understood things for the most part. She wants to be baptized; now we're praying for her to gain the courage to tell her husband. . . But hey, one of the miracles from this last week is that she was way nervous to ask her husband if she could go to church. She finally asked him and . . . He said "Yeah, no problem"!

And Haruna was amazing in Primary! She was the first person to raise her hand when the teacher asked, "Okay, who knows who God is?" She was also the first person to volunteer for prayer, and gave both the opening and closing prayers! And this was her first time at church!!

Things are just working out -- with our investigators, with contacting people who showed interest in being taught, and such. We must be doing something right. When I get those down notions that "I'm not doing enough" and “I need to be doing more" . . . Maybe for the current situation, I am doing enough.

One of our Zone Goals is to find something new from Preach My Gospel every week that we're not doing and to try doing it. I've been experimenting with Praying in Faith. I think Sundy told me about that activity from Chapter 4 about having prayers led by the spirit. I tried to work on my prayers a while ago, but I kind of slipped back into a little routine. Well, anyway, I've been really focusing on avoiding the whole "pick up the phone, order groceries, and hang up" style of prayer. I've been trying harder to pray in faith for things like my relationship with Elder Atkin, our Investigators, being able to meet with people, etc.. I'm not saying it's just because of MY prayers, but I think it's been having an effect. Prayer really is powerful when it is offered with a sincere heart. It seems like sometimes we fall into these little ruts of praying to God, but not really thinking about how he can actually hear us, and about how he actually cares about us. Try it out, look at that Evaluate your Prayers activity from Chapter 4 of PMG.

I'm glad I get to be working with Atkin Choro. We are pretty different; we share some similar interests but our senses of humor are completely different. And, I get the feeling that he thinks I'm a stick in the mud when I don't laugh at all of his jokes. Don't worry -- things are fine. We just both need to appreciate and understand each other better.

Well, transfers are coming up soon. It's crazy how time has flown by! And here I am in the start of my 6th month of the Mission. Wow. . . Well, obviously, we can't know ahead of time if we'll be transferred or not. . . But I would love to stay in Izumo another transfer! Elder Kobayashi got three transfers here, so maybe I will too! We'll see!

Sharing the Gospel: No More Comfort Zone

I was very excited Thursday afternoon after a lesson with Umetani san when she agreed to come to Church with her daughter on Sunday! Alas, the opposition that seems to never cease from the adversary got in the way. It looks like her husband doesn't really like religion, and she didn't want to cause any problems. We tried calling again later to see if she could come, but alas this week was no good. The good thing: she wants to come to church! So, we're still praying that the way will be opened for her, and I know it will!

Wednesday was a Zone Meeting and interview session with President Isa. They did most of the meeting in Japanese, and most of it flew by me. However, I did get some of the gist of it, and there were parts that they did in English too, so that's good. It made me so excited. I keep hearing of miracles, and coming up soon, there are six people in the Kure area about to be baptised. SIX, in the same area, it is possible!!!

However, I haven't been giving it as much as I should be. There was an article from March's Ensign from Elder Don R.Clarke, Learning to Share the Gospel. The article was talking about people being placed in the Missionaries' path because they were striving to talk to everyone. The Lord knew that he could trust them to talk with everyone, so that's why He was placing the people there. I want this to be fulfilled in my mission, and for some reason, I've been hiding behind some kind of comfort zone barrier. I've resolved to stop. I want the blessings. I want to help these people, I want my mission to mean something. And if I can just step up to the bat to do my part in really talking with everyone, I'm going to start seeing a lot more miracles.

From March's presidency message, near the end, Pres. Monson talked about a story where he made a promise to one of his missionaries that would be fulfilled if he honestly and diligently served God in proclaiming His message. Well, the first night at the Mission Home, I received a promise too. It wasn't a real formal one. After a lot of awesome Japanese conversation that I didn't understand, President Isa asked us new Missionaries: "Did you understand that?" Obviously we hadn't. "You will."

So there I have it. I have received a promise from my mission president that I will understand this language, and that I will be able to communicate with these wonderful, kind, amazing people. He didn't talk about the underlying sacrifice/commitment to do my best that's involved, but I know it's there.

So please pray for me that I can just burst out of my comfort zone. I know, I've done scarier things, but at Ft. Leonard Wood (ROTC/National Guard) the consequences for lack of action were a lot more obvious and painful. These consequences are subtle and spiritually painful. I can do this. I know I can, but only with divine help. I will do my part.

I love you. I am so blessed. The lord's tender mercies are so evident sometimes.

MTC #9: No Proof, Just Faith

I thought I'd start off with a little spiritual thought this week. This morning I read Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." I had heard this scripture before, but for some reason, it meant a bit more to me today. If you remember, I chatted with a person named Jesse Cattell a week ago in the referral center. She wanted proof - "Tell me one thing that will make be believe in religion, that there's a God." Oh wow - we watched Testaments on Sunday Night, and the scene of the Trial with Kohor and Helam is very applicable to this thought. Kohor goes about using logic, reason, and cunning intellect to try to win over the governor. He said, "There is no cause, there is no guilt, and there is no Messiah." But then Helam steps in and talks about how he is not a man of clever speaking, and a stranger to lawyers and the artifice of law. He bears sincere, simple, powerful testimony of the messiah! This concept is amazing!

I've said it before, but religion cannot be proved by logic or physical evidence. This church is true, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is real, but we're not going to convince anyone using hard facts. Faith is our evidence. It is after the trial of our faith that we receive the witness, proof, and confirmation that we need (Book of Mormon, Ether 12:6). Once you soften your heart, let go of your fears and concerns, and pray in faith, truly and sincerely desiring an answer, THEN you will receive. You have to have faith. We have it, and it is ALL the evidence we need.

Well, still no word on whether Elder de Menezes will stay longer or not. Thursday is the day; he will be going with an interpreter up to Salt Lake City for a consultation with the surgeon. He thinks it's going to go through. I want it to, I want him to be happy. If I could just have all of you meet him and have him bear testimony to you, you would feel his spirit, and the power of his testimony. I hope he gets this, he deserves it. Please pray hard for him. I'll let you know next Tuesday what the verdict is.

Today we took a little trip off of the MTC campus - down to BYU Laundry services to get Elder D's suit coat altered (too long). It was kind of nice! Walking on the sidewalk, seeing cars and people pass by. Wow. Oh, and the weather was SO wonderful today. Perfect Preparation Day weather! Someone even pulled over to ask if we needed a ride, but we politely declined - the Laundry building is a few hundred yards south of the MTC gym, I don't think MTC missionaries are allowed to accept unauthorized rides anyway. So we had the seamstress pin up his sleeves, and all will be well. But, check this out: I noticed a few green Army ROTC Class A uniforms lying around. I even brought my ROTC uniform in way back in the day. I asked the seamstress if they got a lot of ROTC uniforms in. She told me that the supply man from BYU's ROTC had just come in this morning. (Now, remember, BYU and UVU share the same over-all ROTC battalion). He said that the Cougar Battalion is now the largest. At UVU, there are now about 300 cadets signed up! Holy cow, when I was there we only had like 50 or 60! I don't know if you'll think that's cool or not, but I sure thought so!

So, I had a really good interview with Jacobson Sensei on Thursday night. I had been kind of down for some reason, and the talk really helped. I had been letting concerns about classroom behavior, attitudes of other missionaries, and other things tear at my thoughts. I was encouraged to just let those concerns go. If I don't want to deal with them, I can give them to the Savior. The atonement can cover these types of feelings as well. Amazing!

Dad, could you possible send 3 or 4 of those ties that I left with you. I might be sending some back - yes I probably will, but there's this whole tie-exchange craze happening, and I want to trade with a few elders, just for memory's sake of course. I'm even trading one with Durney Sensei tomorrow, and I already traded with Elder D.

Oh, Yoshihiko Kikuchi of the 70 spoke tonight! Awesome! He talked about how our bodies are temples, and then on self mastery. Amazing!
I love you so much! Hope to hear from you soon.

MTC #7: Teaching with the Spirit

Well, there's no verdict yet about Elder D. We found out some time last week that Elder de Menezes will have to wait for a consultation with the surgeon on March 5th (11 days before our scheduled departure date). It looks like the surgery to reconnect the severed nerve is quite expensive - VERY expensive. The only way Elder de Menezes will get to have the surgery performed is if the surgeon will offer a discount - something that has happened in the past. Please pray extra hard for this whole situation. As I thought about it a few weeks ago, I got a good feeling about Elder de Menezes serving in Utah for a few months before Japan, but who knows. . . Only the Lord.

Wow, last night was amazing. We practiced teaching Lesson 2 in Japanese with another district. We were all really worried, because our district didn't have all of our outlines finished yet, and hadn't gone over all of the topics in Japanese yet. Oh, and we had just barely learned about the Atonement in Japanese. Yeah, it was a little frightening. Anyway, Elder D and I started teaching Elders Allen and Dadivas. At first, I had my outline notebook out, flipping through it to try and find ideas. I got the feeling to just close it and not worry about it. So I did. I started focusing more on what Elder de Menezes was saying, I started praying harder for him. It was taking us quite a bit of time to explain some of the doctrine, and then Bro. Durney popped his head through the door saying that we had three minutes left.

At that point, I moved into teaching about the atonement, or testifying about it, or both. . . I can't remember exactly what I said, I just remember how it felt. Yeah, Elder De Menezes and I have taught with the spirit before, but never quite like it was last night. I can't really describe what it felt like, just that it was so amazing. I wasn't saying anything profound, they were little, simple statements - but they came from my heart. Wow. . . I hope and pray that we will be able to have that spirit every time we teach.

Hey, can you remember Elder Rea (Ray) and Elder Childs in your prayers. Last night after we got done teaching, Elder Rea wasn't doing too well, he was really frustrated. I was talking a bit with Elder Childs after and he's having some hard times with patience and loving. Please think about them. I think sometimes we get caught up in not knowing what exactly to say, or how to say it in Japanese. But that's not what matters. As Elder Allen said last night, "The investigators won't remember what you said, they'll remember how they felt."

Thank you for the packages and goodies. I'm going to make a confession. . . At first, I tried to give up sweets. It lasted for a few weeks, but then people kept sending me cookies and goodies and sweets. There is NOTHING wrong with that, however, as I have decided to give up my anti-sweet crusade. I figure that when I get to Japan, goodies won't be as readily available, and the food will usually come in really small proportions. I'm sure I'll be able to stay healthy. Although I do have a request. . . Maybe sometime, like at my half-way mark in Japan, you could look up this service Bro. Jacobson told us about. I think it's called Flying Pig (search for it), it's a service that will send actual Costco Food to Missionaries in Japan (yes, they have Costco in Japan). It might be a little pricey, so if so, don't worry about it. But wow, it'd be nice to get something like a nice Costco Apple Pie, chicken bakes, or tortillas - items they don't normally have in Japan, but which do exist at Costco. Again, if it's too pricey, don't worry about it :)

Hey! I just remembered some tender mercies I'd like to share.

Last week, as we were walking up to the temple early morning, we passed some ROTC cadets from BYU. I didn't know any of them, but I called out "ROTC, Hooah!" They responded with "Missionaries, Hooah!" That was pretty cool. THen, on my way back from the temple, I ran into Chris Dunning from my math class, the one we ran into at the Distribution Center that day. Okay, and this morning, my alarm didn't wake me up! But, someone pounded on our door when I needed to wake up. It woke me up, they pounded again. "Oh, sorry, wrong floor". They had unintentionally gone to the wrong room, but it was awesome! We wouldn't have made it to the temple on time if they hadn't made that mistake.

I want you to know how much I love you, and how much I love this Gospel. My testimony of the atonement has grown quite a bit since I've been here. Sometimes, I think the adversary wants me to forget, and those are the times when I get a little down. But then I just get back on my feet and head on upward, remembering that this isn't about me. I know I've got to focus. There is a lot I still have to work on and learn here, so I will.