Good Living

Abi!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You guys are all grown up these days. I hope you had an awesome birthday and week!!!!!!!!!!!!

It´s comforting to know that I can find all the respuestas I need in the gospel. This week we talked to a Lady, Ruth, who was telling us that her daughter has TONS of questions relating to religion and church. Stuff about what happens after death, what a profeta is, how do we know if the church we are going to is right. And she was like, "After she goes to bed, I pull out the bible and try to find the answers to her questions." She found the right people to answer her questions, right? Haha, we teach those things EVERYDAY. A bunch of times a day. But I really do know that por media de el libro de mormon and profetas hoy en dia, we have all the answers we need!!!!! We don´t have to live in confusion!

Another guy, Carlos, told us that he feels like a bad parent and wants to help his family but doesn´t know how. Through the gospel, we find all these answers! There isn´t a manual for good parenting or good daughtering or good living, but we have the scriptures and the profetas to guide us and help us out!! We really don´t need to stress out about that if we are trying our best to follow Jesus Christ. 

Speaking of profetas, are you guys stoked for General Conference???? It´s like Christmas for us here. We´ve got our count down going. Be thinking of your questions!!!

I love you all. Muchas gracias por sus oracions!

Amor!

Hermana Peterson

Gone to the Dogs

I feel like it´s about time I said something about the dogs here. Hopefully, this doesn´t turn into a venting session. haha 

So the very first night I got here to Argentina I remember that I couldn´t sleep because of all the dogs that were barking right outside the window. I remember thinking, "This is going to be a really long year and a half."

This week I was thinking about how I hadn´t really heard the dogs barking outside lately. That same night when I went to bed I realized that there were still hundreds of dogs barking outside but we are just so tired at the end of the day that we fall right asleep. 

Every time we walk past a house, the dogs run up to the fence jumping and barking. Every time we knock a door, the first thing we do is close the fence or look to make sure the wall is high enough that the dogs can´t jump out. We have weekly scares of almost dying and fighting the stray dogs off. 

This week I had the biggest scare of my life. Honestly nothing even happened, but I really thought in my head, "This is it." Haha! So, nobody ever ties up their dog unless they are REALLY bad. If they are bad, they roam, free to bite and attack. But if they are REALLY bad, sometimes they tie them up. My comp wanted to clap this one house that had the meanest, scariest, blackest, biggest dog I´ve seen in Argentina. It was chained up and had this full on harness thing and the chain was attached to two different stakes in the ground. Obviously we examined the situation before we knocked. We started clapping and the Dog started running FULL SPEED at us. The first stake ripped out of the ground and I literally thought I was dead. I started bookin' it. The dog got super close to us and luckily the second stake held in the ground. #almostdied

We had a lesson with this really sweet family. All the children have special needs and problems. They live in a really humble home with hardly anything. We introduced ourselves and were asking the mom about her family and she asked us if we would go in and see her daughter. We were a little confused, but we walked to the back of the house and one of her daughters that is handicapped was laying on the bed. The mom was asking us to try to get her to get up and bathe herself and talk to her. The daughter, Fransica, has been there for months and wouldn´t move or talk to anyone. We talked to her for a little bit and she started crying and got up to take the picture of Jesucristo. When we left, she was on her bed but sat up for a minute. That moment humbled me so much. 

I couldn´t help but think of the people that begged Jesus Christ to help their sick and afflicted. It is so amazing to me that we are complete strangers but because we represent Him, this lady invited us into her home and wanted us to help her daughter. I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I have to be a missionary. 

Love you!

Daily Plans

Hi family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well.

I just have such a strong testimony that this is God´s work. He literally leads us and guides us and all we have to do is be willing to follow the spirit. We make plans every night and then carry them out the next day. Not gonna lie, I don´t think there´s been a SINGLE day on my mission that our plans have gone exactly as we planned them at night. But, it´s cool, because God´s really the one making the better plan and it works out the way he wants it. 

We were looking for an address this week and we knocked on this door, and a lady came out and was like, "Can you guys come back and teach me tomorrow? Right now I can´t listen but I want you to come back." OK. So. We hear that every day. "Maybe another day." But. She talked to us a little longer and it turns out that her husband is a member and they just moved here and she wants to listen and come to church. 

There´s no way that we just "randomly" found her. There are thousands of houses in our area. 

Felix and Carlos. They were our other miracle this week. I wish I had time to explain every miracle that happened up to the point of meeting them. But. Carlos tambien is a member who isn´t on our list of members. We talked to a chain of people until we ended up at their house. The next day, we passed by their house for church and Carlos was all ready. (Uhhh. That alone is a milagro). When they got to the church Carlos was like, "Wait, I got baptized here when I was 8." Hahaha! So cool. 

I love you guys!!!!! Read your scriptures! Say your prayers!

Besos!

Hermana Peterson

Watch This Video!

I love you all. 

https://www.lds.org/training/wwlt/2013/hastening/members-and-missionaries?lang=eng

Hey, Check out this clip!!!! I love it!! We watched this in a conferencia that we had this last week and I absolutely love it.

Pray for missionary opportunities every day! As a family and individualmente!  

We had a talent show this week in the branch. SO FUN. Every one participated! I´m in love with our branch. My favorite little girls danced and sang. I was dying of cuteness. And us four hermanas changed up the words to this song that they love here. And then the branch made pastafrola. SO HEAVENLY.

Have an awesome week!

Mucho Amor!!

Hermana Peterson

Be Like a Little Child

This week was really great. We´ve been putting a lot more emphasis on Menos Activos and retention as a mission so it´s definitely been a little different with some new rules and goals and stuff, but I love it. 

Our branch wants to be a ward so badly. They are the most amazing members ever and are working so hard. (Something Sarah said last week) I LOVED how she talked about her Mission president saying that it wasn´t HIS prayers and faith but the prayers and faith of his stake that helped him get better. I totally felt that way this week. We have been having a lot of success with menos activos but I know it´s because of the effort of everyone here in the branch. Because of all their prayers and visits and fasts and meetings and studying. We´ve got a couple returned missionaries that are coming home now that are gonna help out a ton in the branch! 

After we get baptized we have to perseverar hasta el fin! You can´t just stop right there and think everything is done. If you aren´t going to church, get back to church! Repent! You can´t be fully repented or clean until you participate of the sacrament. Nothing unclean can be in the presence of God.   

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. I love being a representative of Jesus Christ. One of my favorite things in the world is teaching or talking to little kids. We were walking away from a lesson with these adorable children and they waved and yelled goodbye to us until we couldn´t see them anymore. They were jumping up and down and wanted us to wave at them for so long. I can´t help but think about His teachings to be like the little children. And when I see Him again, I´m probably gonna be jumping up and down like that too. :)

I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Have an awesome week!!!

Remember who you are!

Hermana Peterson

Waste and Wear Out Your Life

HAPPY DAUGHTERS DAY!!!

Cool! Yesterday was Daughters Day for our family & "Dia del Nino" [Children's Day] in Argentina. We didn´t even plan that! haha! But, they also have a holiday for just about everything here. My companion and I made heart shaped cookies to celebrate. Keeping the Peterson tradition alive... Argentina style.

We always invite the investigator to say the closing prayer in lessons. Fabricio has had a TON of lessons so he totally knows the drill. This week we had our first lesson with him as a member. When we asked if he or his wife wanted to say the closing prayer he put his hands up and was like, "Ya me bautice" or "I´m baptized now!" hahaha! They have some friends and family they are going to bring to the next lesson so maybe we will have someone to say the prayer then. :)

This week we went to visit a family menos activo [less active] and, I´m not gonna lie, I walked away from their house super sad. They told us that they just didn´t want the responsibilities that come with church attendance or to DO anything: Scripture study, FHE, church, nothing. The mom felt like the church requires too much. Just that morning I was reading the talk from Pres. Uchtdorf, Come Join with Us. 

He says, "We do not require anything, but the Lord asks that we consecrate all." And it reminds me of a quote from Joseph Smith that says, "A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation."

I wish I could quote that whole talk for you because it is SO GOOD. So maybe you can read it this week!!! Ya? 

And also, we are focusing on family history a ton these days. I know that everyone feels like there isn´t missionary work to do in Utah... but there is! Also, don´t forget that family history is the same work= Missionary work for the other side!

D&C 123:13, "Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them." Waste and wear out your life sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ! We are so blessed to have it!!!! 

Love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

I miss you tons

I'm so grateful for you guys

Mucho amor,

Hermana Megan Peterson

Foto:

Selfie with Daughter's Day cookies  

"So ganster you can find us bakin' cookies at night..."

[technical difficulties- sadly, I can't load this year's Daughter's Day selfie] Sooo-

 

Last Year's Daughter's Day Selfie :)

& ...a bonus pic...

Daughter's Day 2006  :)

Very Good!

Fabricio got baptized this week!! He has demasiado verguenza so he didn´t want anyone there at his baptism to see. So it was a VIP baptism. Just the people that were necessary to hacerlo were there. And guess who he wanted to baptize him. The abuelo in the branch that is SO OLD. Hilarious. He didn´t want anyone else to do it. Only the abuelo. Haha! Apparently they are BFFs. We asked him how he felt after the baptism and he said, "Very good." In English. hahaha! That kid.

Our Sunday School class was SO HOT this week. At the end of the class one of the guys finally turned on the fans. An investigator that came to church for the first time this week was asked to say the closing prayer and said, "Thank you so much for the air." We were cracking up. He definitely understands the concept that we say the things of our heart.

At the baptism on Saturday, there were HUNDREDS of little children. And while we were waiting for the people to change the rama was singing some hymns. Justo, the first hymn we start singing is Love At Home. There were children screaming, running up on the stand, car alarms going off right outside, moms yelling at their children and this super loud toy going off the entire song. I was dying. That song. Classic.

Sunset- You can´t tell very well in the pic. Argentine sunsets are my new obsession. Right after the Book of Mormon, of course. ;)

Isidora, her daughter and her nietos at the Relief Society Activity.