sharing the gospel is like eating pie

So last week was a good week, it was a little slow. A family invited us over for Christmas eve dinner. It was a lot of fun, and spiritual.  They had some non-member family over, it was great experience for them, one of them commented that he didn't know that Mormon's knew how to have fun. And they totally felt the Spirit there. Christmas day was spent at the Arellono, the family that let us use their tablets for skype. And at the Marshells. We had a good time at both of them.

We were able to meet with Henry, we had a good lesson with him, we talked to him about church attendance. The concern there is that he thinks church is supposed to be loud with the Hallelujahs and the amens, he thinks that he doesn't like quiet hymns. He did agree to give it a try, but he didn't show up. So we are hoping we can get him to come this week

We also meet with Ruben, he is doing good, his faith is growing and he is starting to answer his own questions after we gave him a push in the right direction. He is still a little agnostic and doesn't really want to come to church, but he has agree to baptism.

On Sunday for the combined Priesthood Relief Society lesson, our ward mission leader Bro. Long was in charge, we went over the ward mission plan, and talked about missionary work. He asked the missionaries to speak, and some converts. The he had a object lesson on how members can do missionary work. Which by the way none of us knew he was going to do. He compared the Gospel to a delicious pie.  He had me come up and put a plastic garbage bag over my head, so the bag covered my suit. I was a little worried, knowing Bro. Long, plus pie plus plastic bag probably was not going to end well.  So he started to demonstrate how we need to shared the gospel one spoonful at a time. So he feed me the pie as he shared the gospel with me. Then he started to sharing everything. My thought then was maybe I should take my glasses off. Then I had a pie in my face. He did that to show that we can't throw the gospel in peoples faces, or it won't be delicious to them. Then he let me go get cleaned up. But just so you know my face, my glasses and my suit are okay. The pie was good and not everyone can say they got pied in the face as a missionary

So that's my week. Thanks for the love and support.

Elder Peterson

kinda slow right now

So last week was an alright week. It was also kind of slow right now in Temple City. So Dylan doesn't want to meet with us right now. He haven't been able to meet with Henry, and Kelly is on vacation until January. We did pick up a new investigator, His name is Matt, the missionaries found him on the bus a couple of months ago, and we meet with him and are hoping to keep meeting with him. Reuben is doing good, still a little agnostic, but he wants to believe in God. He tried to come to church on Sunday but he missed the bus and couldn't make it. He still wants to meet with us, so we will keep going by.

So recently they have started a new way to teach investigators, I'm not sure if it is world wide but it sounds like it might go that way, because it came from the church missionary department. Basically it makes the lessons shorter and simpler. We have started teaching using the pamphlets, so lessons are now around 15 to 20 minutes, and it simplifies the teaching.

This week we are going to receive training for Facebook proselyting, so once again you can't contact me on Facebook or chat with me. I'm not sure all the details about it so at the end of this week or next week you will start to see me on Facebook. We will also be getting tablets and the end of January.

So nothing else to exciting happened. Thanks for the love and support, I really appreciated the Christmas letters I received from the ward thanks.

Elder Peterson

We are planning on calling around one, because of the time difference it will be two for you. I'm not sure if the members we are going to have Skype, but if they do I will probably do that.

dreaming of a white christmas

Well first off, I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. It's strange being in the middle of December with no snow, eighty degrees and sunny.

So last week was a slow week. We currently have four investigators, and I've only meet one of them. His name is Dylan, he is eighteen. We schedule appointments and when we get there he is in the middle of doing something and can't meet.  Our other investigators are Henry, a guy named Kelly, and Reuben. Reuben was picked up as an investigator this week from a pass off lesson with the Spanish Elders. The Way pass of lessons usually work is in this case one of the Spanish Elders who had been teaching went in with Elder Stinson. It's done this way because four missionaries would be intimidating so that's why I haven't meet Reuben, but I will be meeting him this week. Henry won't answer his phone, and the only days that work for Kelly are Monday and Friday afternoons, we can't do Monday because that's P-day and last Friday didn't work for us because he had a Mission Christmas training/devotional/party so that took up most of the day. It was fun, I think everyone had a good time.

Other than that it was a boring week. Thanks for the love and support.

info on Temple city according to google

Temple City

City in California

Temple City is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Temple City is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Rosemead, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a rapidly growing Asian population. Wikipedia

Area: 4.005 sq miles (10.37 km²)

Weather: 61°F (16°C), Wind NW at 0 mph (0 km/h), 0% Humidity

Population: 36,099 (2012)

Local time: Tuesday 12:05 PM

Unemployment rate: 6.6% (Aug 2013)

Transferred to Temple City Ward

Well sorry that I didn't email on Monday. So Saturday we had transfer calls both Elder Bell and I thought that both of us were staying, but we were wrong. I got transferred to Temple city ward, which covers parts of Rosemead, Temple city, Arcadia and El Monte. I live in an apartment in El Monte. It's kind of weird being back. The reason why I didn't email was because the libraries around here are closed on Monday kind of stupid I think. So my new companion is Elder Stinson from Portland Oregon.

 

My last week in Claremont was a good one. When I first got there, we had next to nothing to work with, in the last transfer we had several investigators we were working with.

 

We started teaching a guy named Andrew, he was a referral form the Spanish missionaries, we really seems excited to meeting with missionaries. The wright family (the part member family I've mentioned) have feed a dinner a while back and also seem excited, especially the kids. They made it to church on Sunday. John didn't come to church, so his baptism date will have to be pushed back. We meet Denise and started meeting with here daughter Brittney last week. They both came to church, Brittney seems really excited to meet with us. Saturday evening before we got transfer calls several missionaries were volunteered to help  be crowed control for a Chirstmas Parade in Covina, So we walked around in the cold for about 4 hours. 

 

So thats my last week in Claremont I was sad to leave, I'm not sure how a feel about this Temple City ward, the ward is split with us and a set of sister missionies so thats a first for me. It will be interesting and it sounds like I am going to have to be doing the same thing here that I was doing in Claremont, building the trust of members, started with next to nothing again. But is sound like it is better than what it was. 

 

Thanks for the love and support

 

Elder Peterson 

Thanksgiving=slower week

Last week was kind of a slow week mostly because everyone was out of town for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving day was the slowest, but a member invited us over to there house for dinner. It was strange both Elder Bell and I felt out of place.

We did meet with John and he is doing great he understands what we are teaching him and is excited to keep meeting with us. He didn't not come to church on Sunday, we aren't sure why but will are going to find out. 

Lorenc has moved out so he can be closer to school. He doesn't have a car so it took him about an hour and a half by bus. We are a little sad because he was doing great. We both know that he was a testimony but he doesn't know that he was a testimony. We was rent from John and Jerry so we kind of started teach John and Lorenc together. One time John asked us a question and Lorenc stepped in and answered it for him and pretty much testified to him without realizing it. So we are letting the missionaries that cover the area he moved to know so they can continue to teach him.

We meet with Denise but her daughter Brittney was not there, Denise told us that they would both come to church on Sunday. Denise walked in and sat down, we didn't see her so we thought she didn't come. So we stopped by and found out she did, once again Brittney wasn't there. Denise says Brittney interested, so we keeping hoping to teach her with Denise. Though working with Denise will be kind of slow, she didn't really remember much. 

So if I didn't mention it we live with our zone leaders, and at the start of this transfer the new zone leader Elder Davenport, came out with me and we had lived together in the Orangewood ward when I was in El Monte, then he trained while we were still there. Last week the other zl Elder Mendoza when home to Spain a couple of week early so he could go to school. His replacement was Elder Maybe, the missionary that Elder Davenport trained, so all three of us are living together again. To make things crazier Elder Bell and Maybe were in the same MTC district. That doesn't happen everyday. 

So that was my week transfer calls are this weekend, most likely I will be staying in Claremont. The mission office has moved to a new location to make more convenient to get there by bus. It is 614 west Foothill Arcadia. Another thing is that I'm not sure when but it will be soon we will start Facebook proselyting so don't freak out if when you see me on Facebook. And you can't talk to me when I am on there or my mission president will make me defriend you. That means you Kersten.

Thanks for the love and support.

Elder Peterson