Weeding the Garden

This week has been crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We went to a less active family to visit and see what their dealio was this week. Grandpa was chillin' on the porch so we talked to him and shared a message with him. When we were talking to him we noticed that he had a bowl of weeds next to him and a shovel was right there in the garden so we told him we would come back the next day and help him in his garden.

 

HAHA.

 

So we came back the next day and Grandma was just pulling up right when we got there. Perfect. So we taught her and they both committed to come to church... which they didn't, by the way. Anyway, after our super spirit lead lesson, we went to the garden to do some weeding. OK. SO. I have never really liked weeding. Actually, I kind of hate it. I don't do it very often. BUT. I know what weeds are. We start pulling up the weeds and Grandpa comes out and just to be safe we ask him if we are pulling out plants or weeds. WE DON'T SPEAK SPANISH. So it took us a while to figure out he was telling us that he eats this stuff. Awkward. I had a handful of weeds. OK. I know they are weeds. He is just from Mexico and eats the roots of some things. But anyway. That explains why he had a BOWL of weeds instead of a BAG of weeds next to him.

 

So we are teaching this other lady. O my word. She talks SO MUCH. Usually, you are supposed to asked inspired questions and all that but we were scared to ask any questions because LITERALLY after every question, or even a comment, she would go off for twenty minutes. K, lessons are only supposed to be like 40 minutes. HaHa. Our lesson lasted FOR EVER, but we didn't even finish or get through the whole thing. We had a member with us, who is pretty assertive too and she only got a couple of words in. I felt so bad for this investigators kids because she woke them up to come in and listen. And she just talked the ENTIRE time. We had been trying to figure out why her kids were so quiet the last time we taught them...

 

Anyway. We are coming up with a game plan for next time.

 

K, I love you guys so much!!!!!!!!!!! Have an awesome week! 

Moroni 7:48 Pray with all the energy of heart

 

Love you all!

Megs

 

Washington's So Chill

O my goodness!! Sorry!!!! Everyone wants pictures! But it stresses me out because the computer literally shuts off after 1 hour!! And you know me. It's just a struggle when it comes to figuring out the camera and cords and all that. So I'll try really hard to figure it out! I always panic when I get here to the library. But, I'm glad mom gave in and finally sent me a picture. You guys are adorable. I love it.

 

Life is great. Sooooo crazy. Always an adventure. My companion and I get lost approximately 800 times a day. Vancouver is huge! And we locked our keys in the trunk the other day, too. That was fun.

 

I hate it when people are rude to us and slam the door. I don't think I'm ever going to become immune to that. So every day is pretty emotional. haha. But, I'm slowly learning that we aren't here to teach EVERYONE. We are here to teach the people that are prepared. And you can totally tell who is prepared. There are so many times when we have been teaching people and they will say things like, "That's crazy that you came by today because I was just reading a little bit in your book yesterday," or little things like that. SO COOL.

 

Ya. EMOTIONAL. Not even just day to day, but within the day. We will be totally stoked and high on life and then the next second be crying because of lessons.

 

Hardest day in the mission:

 

We were so excited because we were planning on asking two people to be baptised. Our lessons were all planned out and they were really great investigators.

 

This lady has been taught by the missionaries so many times. She's had every lesson plus some. Tons of different missionaries have taught her. She still doesn't come to church. We set it up so someone would pick her up and take her to church. Members are so great in helping her out and Hermana Garcia comes to the lessons with us. We were super excited and when we got there and started teaching it all went DOWN HILL. Both of us during the lesson knew we were going to have to drop her. Wouldn't commit to a date and it's been several times that she's been asked to be baptised. So we were super sad about that.

 

Then, we got in the car to go to our next lesson with Maritza and her mom called us and canceled. We were so excited about her lesson because she seemed to be really interested but her mom just keeps getting in the way. AND our phone died, so we couldn't call Hanny, the member that was coming to the lesson with us, to tell her not to come. We stopped at a gas station to try to call Hanny. She didn't answer, so we left a message and prayed that she would get it in time.

I'm on the verge of tears and: Tender mercy. TAYLOR SWIFT WAS PLAYING. I know I know, it's the small things. Also, guess what else happened. Hanny's dad told her she couldn't take the car so she ended up not driving all the way to the lesson! Oh man. God is great.

 

We are teaching the cutest little girls ever. They are adorable. 8 and 9. They call us to say hi and see how we are doing. Love them. Also, there are these little girls in our ward and they drew us little pictures and cards. Um SO CUTE. I just about die every time they give us little notes.

 

Sarah goes to the MTC on Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU SAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have to email me on your mission email so I can email you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are gonna rock it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, have mom get you one of those blankets she got me. It's my favorite thing ever.

 

I love you guys sooo much. I miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!! Be good. Make sure you guys all read scriptures together and say prayers and all that :)

 

Meg

 

Also, I don't have Emily Lambs address or anything so I can't tell her congrats, but tell her that I love her and I'm so excited for her that she is going to Chile!!!! That's awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sarah, Natalie, Abby & Jackson Peterson

Myrtle Beach, SC

Washington is Awesome

Family!!!

Washington is awesome. So pretty. I love it. It's perfect.

My companion is awesome. She's only been out for 7 weeks so she's pretty new too. We are figuring it out together. They combined missions and split them and added stuff and missionaries are here from other missions because the Vancouver Mission is brand new, so it's all a little crazy but way fun!! They didn't have enough trainers for all the new missionaries so there are two girls in our zone that are training themselves. So I'm feeling pretty lucky, haha.

Part of one of the training activities this week was to find someone to commit to baptism by Sunday. Soooo. We prayed super hard.

Friday was rough because everyone fell through or wasn't interested and we had 0 return appointments.

Saturday. Miracle day. We set all our goals for the day and prayed that we would accomplish all our goals and find someone to commit to a baptism date. I learned a ton about the power of SPECIFIC prayers.

The elders called us and said that they found a girl that might be interested, so we stopped by. She had to leave to go to work, but her sister and her cousin were home and they wanted to listen. GOLDEN. This girl, I'm telling you, is so ready for the gospel. Andrea. She's 15. She's the cutest. SHE CHECKED THE BOOK OF MORMON OUT OF THE LIBRARY. Wait. Remember how she is 15??!??? We showed the Book of Mormon to her and she was like, "oh, I've read that. I liked it but I had to return it to the library. IT JUST STOOD OUT TO ME." ok. We are probably a little excited about that. She loves it. She was going to come to church yesterday but then ended up not being able to come. BUT. She and her cousin committed to be baptized August 17!!!

Also. We prayed that Mara's husband would be home when we stopped by. She is an investigator who was about to get baptized but her husband doesn't want her to so she hasn't yet. We wanted to be able to teach him because he is never home or around when the missionaries come. So ya. We prayed that he would be home. He was totally home... but he was ASLEEP. Very funny. Now we know. haha

Guys. Be specific in your prayers!

Spanish is great. Most the lessons we teach are actually in English because people either want to learn English, speak both Spanish and English or their kids speak English. We are serving in a Spanish branch. There are 12 of us in the branch. TWELVE. Crazy, I know. The members are seriously sooo good to us. They feed us dinner every night. It's so hard for me to accept food from them because most of them really can't afford it, but every week, they sign up to feed us. SWEETEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.

Also, cutest thing ever. The stake primary kids put together bags of letters and treats and notebooks and sticky notes and pens and toothpaste and all kinds of fun things for us. SO CUTE. I was dying.

Also, in church I had to bear my testimony in Spanish. HA! The building is exactly like our old stake center in the 3rd ward so I felt right at home.

We live at a members house. The Bonnevilles. Nicest people ever. When we were driving to their house for the very first time we got lost. We needed to back up, so I got out of the car to tell the other missionaries that were following us to back up and there was a dog barking at me. When I got back in the car, I told my companion how I'm secretly really scared of dogs and how I'm so glad that wasn't the house we were living at.

Haha. Don't worry. The Bonnevilles have three dogs. But you know what the worst part is. They are super nice. And they love us. And they always come sit right in front of my feet for me to pet them. So who knows. Maybe I will become a dog lover. Hasn't happened yet. But it totally could.

K I love you guys a ton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have the best week ever!!!!

Meg

Hermana Peterson & Hermana Patton

New Address & artwork :)

Sister Megan Peterson

Washington Vancouver Mission

2223 NW 99th Street

Vancouver, WA  98665

or email: megan.peterson@myldsmail.net

Family! I made it to Washington!
It was so good to talk to you guys this morning! I'm glad I got to hear from all of you, even if it was just for a little bit.  I'll get to talk to you again when I leave for Argentina!
Basically, I'm way excited.  Our mission president, Pres. Taylor, seems awesome and this mission has only been open since July 1st!!

July 6, 2013

Oh hey!!!!

Guys, how was the beach??????

I totally want to see some pictures!!!! Just email me some so I can see them!

My week was so great.

We just try super hard to study our little hearts out. I'm so excited to go to Washington, but I'm also a little nervous because I definitely don't speak Spanish! Panic. Oh. right. I'm going to WASHINGTON!!!! So excited. So grateful that I'll have a Wal-mart for at least a couple more weeks of my life.

My district went to the travel office this week to interrogate them about everything they know about our reassignments and visas and stuff. Apparently, the Argentina Consulate Guy that we have to sign stuff in front of has been on vacation FOR A MONTH!!! Probs hanging out at his Island Villa in the Bahamas. It's cool. We are just hanging here in the US. NBD (No Big Deal). With that being said, I think we still have a long time to wait for our stuff regardless of whether Argentina man comes home  soon or not. There are SO many missionaries here going to Argentina and not a single one has a visa. Everyone is getting reassigned. Argentina man is just an itty bitty problem to the big pic.

This week we had our first Skype lesson. So weird. SO, we did that instead of TRC this week. We weren't really sure if we should offer a prayer over Skype, you know? Kinda awkward. Totally didn't. But apparently the missionaries will be teaching a lot over Skype in the near future so they will probs come up with some curriculum for that.

Sunday I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. In SPANISH. Say what?? It's slightly stressful because they give everyone a topic and then we all find out who is speaking after we take the sacrament when the Branch Pres. stands up to announce the program. Probably the first of many times I'll be asked to speak like that. Don't worry guys. TOTALLY PREPARED. Rocked it.

Oh, and Audrey Clifton is here at the MTC! She got here Wednesday. Fun to see her!

How was the Fourth of July?????

Our curfew was extended til 11 on the 4th so we could watch the fireworks from the stadium. 11! SO LATE ;) but really. So late.

And we also watched 17 Miracles on the 4th. The pioneer movie. Shout out to the family because guess who stars in that movie?! Jens Nielson and his fam! You guys probably already knew that. But if not, watch it! Totally wouldn't live here in the United States without him and the faith of his family to come to America and then travel to Utah. I basically felt famous. And super blessed. It's so cool to think about how America was the land God chose to restore the gospel in and we get to live here! Holla!

Cool story I heard about President Eyring's Dad I think. He had bone cancer which makes it extremely painful to move. He went with his ward to pull weeds at the welfare farm. He dragged himself along the ground for hours in this little patch, pulling all the weeds and when he was done, someone came up to him and said, "You didn't pull these weeds, did you? We already sprayed them so they will just die." When he got home, he was relating the story to his son and laughing about it and his son was like, "Why are you laughing??! Aren't you mad??" And his dad just said, "I didn't go for the weeds, I went for God."

I'm not here on a mission to learn Spanish or any of the little things or "weeds." I'm here for God.

Oh, also, as a missionary we talk about obedience so much. COOL STUFF. So there's that scripture in D&C 130: 20-21 that everyone talks about that I never thought was that great but it totally is.

God is bound to bless you based on obedience to the laws you follow. If you want blessings, you have to be obedient to the laws related to that blessing. And the coolest part is, if you do obey exactly, God HAS to give you those blessings. He is BOUND. If you don't obey, he can't give you those blessings.

SO, challenge for the week! Think of specific blessings in your life that you want or need and then do what you need to do to get those blessings with EXACT obedience. Totally works. I know, I'm being such a missionary. Sorry.

I love you guys!! Miss you a lot!!!

I'll try to send pics later today!

Meg

MTC for Life?

Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GUESS WHERE I'M GOING???!?!?!?!

Vancouver Washington.

SO EXCITED.

I'm leaving Tuesday morning, like, way early. Like, 4:30.

Our flight from Salt Lake is at 8:30 and then to Portland Oregon at 9:21. So specific. Anyway. I'll call you then!

STOKED!!!

Love you!

Megan