FIESTA

When this Ward holds a party it is no small affair.  We had a fiesta for el dia de los padres on Saturday and there was so much heavenly food!  I overeat every day here.  When we first came to the mission the Sister Training Leaders told us they don't know any Sisters that haven't gained about twenty pounds here.  Whoopee!  We can't ever turn down food, so our fridge is usually full and our bellies bulging.  I'm carrying on the reputation of a Peterson Pig with incredible skill.  I hope you're proud.

Mom, I was with those Sisters you ran into literally moments before you ran into them!!  We were so close!  How did the race go? Did you win?  I sure hope so. :)  It was crazy to think that we were both here and not seeing each other.  Super weird.  But I hope you had a great trip.  Isn't Chicago the best? Yep.

I don't have much to say since I just wrote a few days ago...  Giovanna got baptized!  She is eight.  Baptisms are so stressful!  They are obviously the greatest as well, but planning them and being in charge is stressful.  According to mi companera this baptism went incredibly smoothly, but I was sweating.  Her family, none of which are members of the Church except for her mom, all arrived twenty minutes early.  The bulk of the people from the Ward came a half hour late, and the Primary kids were singing the musical number, so we had to wait.  Now that I write it that doesn't seem stressful at all, but you know how I like to be prompt.  Jaja. I'm slowly numbing to that though because riding the bus and train we can not arrive on time to save our lives.  We go new places every day so we try to guess how long it will take to get somewhere and give ourselves plenty of time to stop and talk to people along the way.  We either arrive twenty minutes early or fifteen minutes late.  That what it seems like to me.  But we're slowly getting better.  So, after that tangent, the baptism went well and it was very happy. :)

One of our miracle people, Guadelupe, is never ceasing to amaze us.  She came to the baptism of Friday and afterwards helped set up for the ward party until almost midnight with the Relief Society President.  Our Relief Society is so wonderful.  I don't know if I've talked about her before, but she is a Regina.  She works, is finishing up her Masters, and raising four young kids.  I feel like I've already told you this.  Sorry if it's a repeat.  But she's very to the point and we are so grateful for her.  Powerhouse. So Guadelupe!  Sorry, it is kind of loud in here and it's making it difficult for me to focus!  Then the next day Guadelupe came to the party and helped clean up afterwards, then she came to all three hours of Church yesterday!!  Oh, we just love her so much.  She has the ability to act on what she wants and feels and knows.  That is not a common trait.  Most of us humans are quite stubborn and we don't like to be uncomfortable or have lots of change, even if it is good change, we have a lot of difficulty doing things even when we know without a doubt that it will be good for us.  Not Guadelupe.  Ah, I just love her.  I'm grateful the Lord is trusting us with her.  She is special.

So, mother, you asked me before I left to please be honest.  So here it is.  I am so stubborn!! I am one of those people I was just talking about.  I am having such a hard time opening my mouth.  Here I am surrounded by people who I can share this beautiful gospel with and I am not doing it.  I feel so good about myself if I've approached one person and shared my testimony with them before the day is done.  I am so stubborn.  My roommates are probably thinking, "Yes, of course you're stubborn, we all know this." :)  I've always known it too, but this is on a whole new level.  I get so pumped in the morning while I'm studying and I'm like, "Yes! This is the day I will open my mouth to everyone!  I'm finally humbled, ready to turn my will over to God, ready to be awkward and stop people on the street, ready to care more about their salvation than my own worries.  Let's do this!"   And then I see someone and I think, "Yes! I want to talk to them!" And we get closer and suddenly my thoughts have transitioned into a desperate prayer that Hermana Williams will stop them so that I can still bear my testimony to them and I walk right past.  Luckily, sometimes Hermana Williams does stop them, but not all the time.  And then I feel sad.  My will power is failing me day after day and I'm having to rely on Heavenly Father to lift me, but my heart is still so hard.  He is teaching me the same lesson I felt many days in the MTC:  that this is not about me. It is about Christ.  I cannot do it alone.  This is His work.  It's just taking me a whole lot longer to learn than I was expecting.  The more I love, the easier it is to speak.  The easier it is to speak, the more I learn.  The more I learn, the more focused I am on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and this work.  It's a beautiful process.

The great news is that I am called of God to be a missionary and that a true and living prophet approved my call to serve, both here in Chicago and in Buenos Aires.  The Lord knows my heart will soften and He is softening it, poco a poco.  I love Jesus Christ so much.  I feel the hand of God in my life every single day.  It is undeniable.  He is blessing us to the point where we don't have room to receive it.  He blesses us with joy, understanding, courage, love, the ability to speak Spanish, to teach by the Spirit, to learn, to change, to find.  He forgives.  He inspires.  He uplifts.  And we are so happy.  Hermana Williams and I get along so well.  She has five months left as a full-time missionary and we decided we'll both just stay here until then.  After that I'll go to Argentina. :)  

Did I tell you I tried mate for the first time?  A woman in the ward is from Argentina and they had us over for dinner last week.  That mate was hard to drink, but I hear it is an acquired taste, right Logan??  I'll drink it every time we go over there and hopefully I'll be a pro before we know it.  Don't worry, it's the missionary-approved kind. 

Heidi, I loved your letter.  You are beautiful.  Thank you for the love.  

Madi, please tell the Branch and your sisters thank you so much! That was so thoughtful of you.  It made me smile.  Tell Ellie I will answer her questions she asked, it might just take a bit. :)  I love you.

Family, you are strong and that gives me strength.  I love you with all I've got and I am so grateful to have you supporting me.  Thanks for all you do for this wonderful world in which we live.  Jesus Christ is the Savior of us all!  He is just what we need.

Loves and prayers,

Hermana Peterson

MIRACLE PEOPLE

A few weeks ago we went to an appointment and the person wasn't there, wasn't answering her phone.  Whenever something like that happens Hermana Williams says something like, "Well, we're here for a reason! Let's talk to people!"  So we crossed the street and there was a woman outside with her kids, just about to walk back inside.  Hermana Williams, in a hurry, said, "Hi, would you like to hear a message about Jesus Christ?"  The woman turned around and said, "Yeah, sure, do you need my phone number? It's....., and this is my address, right here, basement.  Wednesdays are best."  Well.  That was awesome.  Last week we finally had our first appointment with her and it was amazing.  She has three kids, two were there, and one was distracting her like crazy.  The other, a little girl who is eight and the sweetest thing you've ever seen, sat quietly and listened, asking intelligent questions about all sorts of things.  We shared the story of the Restoration and the room got quiet.  We told her about the Book of Mormon.  She held the one we gave her tightly in her hands and asked if that was her own copy.  "How long have you known about this?" she asked.  We told her our whole lives.  She looked at us in amazement.  "Here I am, thirty years old, and this is the first time I've heard about this!"  Her prayer at the end was incredible.  She asked God to help her in this new life.

Two days ago we met with her again, and this time her son was there, too.  He is fifteen.  I don't think I've met another fifteen-year-old like him.  She told us about him last time, said he was such a good boy, never getting involved in all the bad things the other boys his age are doing, in the IB program at school, and just very good.  Well she wasn't just saying all that.  He joined us for the lesson and we reviewed the Restoration for him.  We asked what he thought about it all and all he said was, "Awesome."  I don't think he ever stopped smiling the whole time we were there.  We taught the first half of the Plan of Salvation and invited them to be baptized.  Yeses all around.  6 de julio.

They weren't the only miracle people this week, either!  Last Sunday we were just about done with Church when somecame came and told us told two women needed us at the front of the chapel.  It was Guadelupe and her tia.  Guadelupe went to Church three times in Mexico three months ago and then decided she wanted to learn more, so they looked up what time Church started and decided to come.  Every missionary's dream, I tell you.  Sadly, the time was incorrect online, so she came with only a few minutes left, but she met people and is coming this Sunday at the beginning. :) Her tia just came for support and isn't interested, but Guadelupe!!  She's planning on being baptized 29 de junio. 

We search and search and search, and we got dropped by a couple people this week, but then there comes a miracle person.  And how many people are here in Chicago just like the miracle family, prepared and waiting for the truth to be made known unto them?! Hundreds.  The Lord is hastening His work.  There is no doubt about that.  So share it.  Who knows, maybe your friend is a miracle person but nobody knows it yet, because he/she hasn't had the chance to discover it yet.

I love you all.  I hope you are well.  Heavenly Father loves you SO MUCH.  Trust Him.  I'm learning to.  It's not easy, but it is lovely.

Heidi, thank you for the card.  You are gorgeous and graduated!  Your letters always make me smile so hugely.  Have fun at school and let me know when you arrive so I can send you a letter to your new address. :)

love love lvoe lovemvojeovj,

Hermana Peterson

I'M GETTING A WHITE PEOPLE COMPLEX

White people are so scary. We try to talk to them and they never want to listen!  Obviously this is an exaggeration, some white people talk to us, but those numbers are few.  So I'm getting a white people complex, but then I remember that I'm white and I'm the same way- someone comes up to me and I don't know them, it's likely I won't talk to them.  It's rough.  Because then I go to Church on Sunday and I am so spoiled.  Sisters from the ward make us lunch every Sunday and we eat it and it is so delicious.  They tell us that since we are away from our mothers they need to make sure we have lots of mothers in the ward.  (So don't worry mama, I'm still getting plenty of mother-love.) :)  And then take yesterday, for example.  We were walking down the street, looking for an address, when we pass by a family having a Memorial Day barbeque.  And oh my, was it a barbeque. She had hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, chicken, you name it.  Hna Williams said, "Hello, how are you? Wow, it smells good!" and the next thing you know we're sitting down being served a full Mexican meal.  You just don't get that with white people very often.  So yeah, I love the people here.  There is so much love.

That doesn't mean everyone we talk to wants to hear what we have to say, but people are truly kind.  We didn't get fake numbers or addresses that we know of this week, so that is always comforting.  Actually, this past week almost every appointment fell through.  But we improved a lot of things and we are so ready to go this week!  We are practicing testisfying with power.  It's a vulnerable thing to do.  It hurts more when someone rejects your message after you've just born your soul than it does if you give a true but rehearsed statement.  We're working on it and the results are great.  We are able to have more powerful lessons, where the Spirit is felt and hearts change.

Also, members are they key.  We went out with a member last night and we hardly had to do a thing- people are so much more willing to talk to us if we have a member with us.  So all you members out there, help the missionaries.  You bring miracles to God's work, literally.  Having a member in a lesson is powerful.

Oh family. So much to write and so little time.  By the way, my next Preparation Day is June 7 because we are going to a baseball game! Fun. Guess what else is happening on June 7? A baptism!  She is eight, and her mom hasn't been coming to church for a very long time. Her mom is from Argentina!  I love listening to her talk, even though I can't understand the accent super well.  But her mom died recently and she wants to live with her forever so she decided to come back to church and help her daughter get baptized.  So we've been teaching her the lessons and she'll be baptized on the 7th.  We're excited.  They have a very close and special mother-daughter relationship and I like it.  Hopefully you can sort out all those "she"s and "her"s I just used.

We met a man who has been put through the wringer yesterday.  We were meeting people in the park since it was a holiday and he walked past us with music blaring through his headphones.  Hna Willaims stopped him (I'm still pretty terrible at the initial contact so it's usually Hna Williams. I'm so grateful for her. Don't know what I'd do if she wasn't so good at talking to people.).  We talked for a few minutes and he seemed interested in what we were sharing, so we sat down on a bench and had a full lesson with him.  Impromptu lessons are usually awesome.  So it was with this one.  He might not even be twenty and yet he has lived just about every horrible thing you can think of.  He doesn't feel things anymore, he told us.  He has searched and searched, going to many churches and he's read "seven bibles" as he put it, including parts of the Koran.  So we gave him another book, and he's excited to read it.  I know that for him to have a new life that is lasting it will require miracle after miracle for quite some time.  He has so much going against him.  But as we were talking to him and teaching him about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I could clearly see him as he can become.  And I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is powerful enough to have that be a possibility for him. His name is Tommy.  He needs all the power and blessings from God he can get.  We will likely have to refer him to the English Elders because he prefers English over Spanish, but we'll meet with him on Thursday and see what he says. 

Our District Leader gave us the challenge of talking to 100 people this week about the Gospel.  So far we are doing well.  I am always worrying about being a nuisance and annoying people by talking to them, but I'm slowly learning that more often than not, God is putting specific, prepared people in our path, and by not opening my mouth and talking to everyone I can, I am missing those that are ready to listen.  We are repeatedly surprised by the people that do call us back, that do want to hear more, that do come to an appointment we made in the park, that do make changes to their lives.  We are always amazed and in awe of how much Heavenly Father's hand is directing our day.  Trust in Him.

I love you. Thanks for all the letters this week, from everyone!  Thanks for the prayers.

Oh! The address. All mail just goes to the Mission Address:

Hermana Jamie Peterson

Illinois Chicago Mission

1319 Butterfield Rd Suite 522

Downers Grove, IL 60515-5621

LOVES!

hna Peterson

HOW TO WRITE HERMANA PETERSON

She wants everyone to know that you are allowed to email her directly now at jamie.peterson@myldsmail.net
She didn't remember to give us her address in Chicago yet but hopefully next week.

CHICAGO!!!!

I love it!!!

I'm in your turf, Gabriella.  Right in Chicago! I'm sorry I don't think I could ever get permission to set anything up with you, but my goodness, what a city.  I am so excited to be here and the people are wonderful.  I'm sure all the other areas in the mission are wonderful as well, but I'm pretty sure this is the best place to be. :)  They call us "the Loop Hermanas."  Also known as the Wilmette Warriors. Take your pick.

Heidi, so proud of you.  I love all the pictures.  Jonah, you too!  I have such impressive siblings. :)  I'm so excited to hear all your successes and you both look smashing.  And mama,  you did it, you're official, and I'm so happy for all the people you will get to help.

I don't know how to tell you everything I want to tell you!  So I arrived in Chicago and met President and Sister Fenn.  They are so solid.  President Fenn speaks with power.  We spent the day at their home, me and 33 other missionaries- the biggest group yet.  I actually went and spent the night at the Sister Training Leaders' apartment because they couldn't house all of us at their house.  The other missionaries are such excellent examples and everyone loves each other a lot.  Then the next day we had some Orientation things and then I met my trainer! Her name is Hermana Williams and she is so wonderful.  She hails from California and she is a lot of fun.  She talks to EVERYONE.  That is the area in which I need to work quite a bit.  I'm so awkward and timid about approaching strangers.  Working on it.  So she is a great example and I feel like I've already known her much longer than a few days.  We work hard and miracles are approaching.  She's only been in this area for a few weeks because of an emergency transfer so we're both learning the city and we get lost frequently, but now we are getting the hang of things. 

Being in the city is awesome for so many reasons.  We get to walk everywhere, or take the bus or train, which means we have a lot of time to meet new people.  It's incredible how quickly some people trust us and give us all their contact information.  Others, however, and much more sneaky and they act completely interested and then give us false addresses and numbers (not surprising- "Hi, I'm so-and-so and we have a message about Jesus Christ..... So, what's your name, last name, number, address?" Jaja. Don't worry, we try not to be so creepy.)  But that makes for some funny stories.  We get so excited to go and teach someone we met on the street only to ride a bus for twenty minutes to find that it is not a real address at all.  The burdens of not having internet access...  Last week someone gave Hna Willaims the number to Pizza Hut.  I was impressed that they had it memorized. But it usually leads us to someone else who actually does want to meet with us and then all is well.

The people here are incredible.  Our ward just split a few months ago and we a bit sparse in numbers but the ward members are so loving and it's inspiring.  One miracle we had this week was a referral from mormon.org.  Her name is Elena and she asked us to visit her.  It turns out her sister-in-law was just baptized yesterday, and she had heard a little about the Church and wanted to learn more.  We walked into her house and she and her two daughters were simply beaming.  They told us to wait because her mother-in-law also wanted to hear and was on her way.  There was a powerful spirit with them. Then Hna Williams found out these were the family members of a family she taught in her last area- the woman who got baptized yesterday.  She was ecstatic   So at this point there was quite a lot of smiling going on in that room.  We didn't have much time to teach so we left a brief message about prayer and gave them a Book of Mormon to read and asked them to come to Church on Sunday.  And guess what?  They actually came!  And they loved it!  They are golden.  And they were made so very welcome by the whole ward.  We didn't have to do a single thing.  The bishopric, Young Women President, Primary President, and ward members just jumped right in from the moment they walked in the door and it was beautiful.  We are excited to meet with them this week.

Okay, so Jose.  I love Jose.  He was also a referral and his heart is so good.  He didn't come to Church yesterday and when we called him after he said he got called into work and we said, Oh, it's okay, and he said, "No, it's not okay. I lied. I said I would come and then I didn't!"  He is eager to learn and we have another lesson with him tonight.  We need to help him meet people in the ward so he will feel more comfortable there as well.

Members are crucial in this work.  We are working hard to get all the members involved in sharing the gospel because that is when lives are truly changed.  Most people aren't going to understand what the Gospel of Jesus Christ can do for them by talking to a stranger for a minute on the street, but it is far more likely if they have a first-hand example in the life of a friend.  So all you reading this, SHARE IT. :)  Your joy will be great, promise.

I love teaching.  I feel happiest when I'm in a lesson with an investigator.  It's also the only time I actually feel able to express everything I want to.  God blesses me to be able to speak in those moments when I'm fully focused on helping another learn about Jesus Christ.  Heavenly Father loves each of us so much and believing in that can give us the strength to choose Him above every other thing in our lives.  I'm learning, I'm growing, I'm falling short, and then Christ makes up for all my mistakes.  Mostly, I just feel grateful.  He's making me who these people need me to be, even if it's not the easiest route.  I love these people.  I love that THIS is the work and the glory of God, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.  What a God.  Spread the love.

I love you all so much and I want to to know that I know this where Heavenly Father wants me to be.  Thank you for all of your prayers and love!  Thanks for the emails and pictures (I can't watch the videos, sadly.).  Have a grand week and I'll talk to you...next time!! 

Loves and hugs all around.

Hermana Peterson

HERMANA PETERSON IS REASSIGNED!

She flew today to Chicago where she will be serving until her visa comes.  She traveled with quite a few missionaries going to Chicago.  We talked to her early this morning while she was in the airport.  She sounded great and is excited to to be in Chicago.  She doesn't yet know if she will be in a Spanish or English speaking area.

LAGRIMAS

I can't get the Spanish keyboard on this computer, but just mentally put an accent over that "a" and all will be well.

Many many lagrimas were shed this week. Our District is gone and it was sad to say goodbye.  The bonds we've grown are deep because they are bonds of the Gospel, of feeling the Spirit and sharing spiritual experiences every hour of every day!  It is truly a special bond and some of the Hermanas have been having a hard time.  Hermana Kitchens will be the last to go and she leaves tomorrow. Then it will just be me, Hna Tibbitts, and Hna Sagers, as a trio.

Let me tell you a little about Hermana Sagers.  She is drop-dead gorgeous.  People come up to her daily and stop her to tell her how beautiful she is.  She is also gullible and has the goofiest laugh you have ever heard.  Then you find out she went to BYU and wants to go to Law school, and then that she was Valedictorian and you kind of go, woah.  Then you find out when she was little her parents would give her quarters for memorizing poems and that she still has most of them memorized. She is a champion memorizer and several times while we've been here we'll be having a discussion and she'll say, "Is it all right is I share a poem?"  And then she'll recite the most perfect, beautiful poem.  She is diligent.  She's also going to Argentina eventually, Mendoza Mission.  Basically, Hermana Sagers is one of those people who the more you get to know, the more and more impressed you become.  So I am excited to be in a trio with her for the next bit.

My companion has had a rough go.  She has not enjoyed the MTC.  She's had the hardest time out of all of us, mostly because she doesn't really want to be a missionary, even though she knows very well that this is where Heavenly Father needs her.  And we're all sure glad she has pushed through. She has an incredible capacity to love.  She is very sad to see everyone go.  But I feel strongly that we still have lessons to learn here together, and so does she, so we are moving forward and trying to work with more diligence and determination.  I am so grateful for her.  She is helping me be the kind of missionary I know I need to become.  I love that we get to call each other "Hermana" because that is honestly what we are, hermanas.  

We were practicing giving away copies of the Book of Mormon yesterday and I approached three sisters and asked if we could practice with them and one of the sisters said, "Hey! Look at my name tag!" Guess who it was?  Sister Hadley!  I hadn't even recognized her!  So that was fun.  She seems like she's already doing very well.  She was kind enough to suffer through my sad attempt at making approaching a stranger and explaining the Book of Mormon seem almost (not!) normal.  Yeah, contacting new people out of nowhere is super awkward for me. It's bad in Enlgish, but 3000 times worse in Spanish. Jaja. I'll get there eventually.

I love the MTC.  I'm not bothered by having more time here, even thought I'm eager to go at the same time.  I feel the love of God with force.  God's love is a moving force and I'm trying to utilize that as best I can.  Paul, have safe travels to Jordan today and don't forget to email me about your adventures.  Mom, be safe, too.  I hope you're having a blast.  Family, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! Thanks for all your love and prayers.  You're the best family on Earth, just don't let the word get out. :)  The Church is true.

Mucho amor,

Hermana Peterson