Querida family,
I can’t believe that I will be talking to you all In just a couple of weeks, like Chanelle said I feel like I seriously just talked with the family like a month ago; it’s crazy! I’m excited to talk with everyone! Also yes I can use Skype; do you want me to use it?
Thank you for the video, I love getting videos. That awesome that you all memorized the living Christ! I was laughing my head off because I could tell some people didn’t know it as well as others lol. But it’s all good, you did it!
I loved reading Chanelles letter, whenever I read her letters I can feel the excitement that she has for everything. It gives me a boost of energy.lol she is so awesome and I can’t believe that she will be leaving the mission in no time! It’s so weird how time flies by. In about 2 months I will be hitting my year mark! It’s insane.
This week was a good but weird one as well, at church no one really talked about Jesus Christ. It was a weird Easter. Just Spanish wards in general are sometimes weird to go to. I loved reading about how your sacrament meeting went, It seems like the spirit flooded the sacrament meeting.
Me and my companion elder Tooley are trying to work together better and are a better team. We have are differences and some kinks to work out but we are doing well. I’m learning to serve more and have patience especially when it’s hard to do so.
This week I have had the chance to visit alot of people and serve. Some of the people that we visited were poor or poor in spirit or people that had physical disabilities and visiting them I really felt the love of the that the Savior has for them and while visiting them I felt the spirit because I felt like I was really a representative of Jesus Christ and I was doing what Christ would be doing if he were in my place. I felt the joy that comes from serving those who don’t have much whether it may be spiritually or physically because that’s what Jesus did when he was on the earth and I have found the desire to serve and look for those people who are lost and need help. We can truly be a useful tool in the hands of the lord if we truly look for what god would have us do so we can bless the lives of those around us daily. There are so many people in need. I love this gospel and I love going out everyday testifying that Jesus lives and that he can truly heal all those who come to him. I truly would not be any happier doing anything else with my life than be out here on the mission serving my Heavenly Father.
Thank you for all your prayers and support.
Stay strong and do what Kenny says because it’s doing those
Simple things that make all the difference.
Have and great week!
Con Amor,
Elder Pedersen
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
From Chile with LOVE!!
Thank you dad for your e-mail. I needed that because sometimes I feel the spirit to do something or to talk to someone but I end up not doing it because my fear gets the best of me which I really have no reason to be scared. I guess it’s just a tool that Satan can use on me. But that is changing a lot, because I’m not anywhere near where I was when I started. I like what you said dad on how sometimes it’s just a test that God gives us even though the person may not even be ready. I have experienced that a lot on my mission, that when I actually do what the spirit prompts me to do, then the lord knows that he can trust me with those promptings. I have seen it a lot on my mission and I always want to be among the ones that the lord can count on like President Uchtdorf said.
This week has been a great one. We are helping the young girl that wants to get baptized on her way to baptism. She got scared when we asked her to be baptized her mom told us. But at the moment we are trying to resolve her doubts and make sure she is ready and committed. It’s also helping a lot to have her mom their as we teach her, because the mom is wanting to learn as much as she can because she can’t remember barely anything about the church.
Also this week we taught a recent convert about temples with her less active mom who got excommunicated from the church (which there is a lot of in this ward) and we invited the mom, the daughter and her little girl that wants to get baptized and we took them on a tour around the temple with the hermanas that do the tours. It was really spiritual for them and especially for the mom because I don’t think that she has felt something like how she felt at the temple in a long time and so she just kept going on and on about how much she just wants to stay and how gorgeous the temple is.We told her that what she felt was the spirit, and we could really tell that it was good for her and it gave her that desire to come back to church.
It has been so crazy up here. I have taken tons of pictures and I can’t send them because I can’t find my cable to plug into the computer. I’m bummed because I can’t send pictures until I find that. But yes my companion has loosened up a lot and we are having fun working together. It just took us some time to get to know each other a bit more. He is from Nashville Tennessee and it 21. His name is elder Tooley. He is a way good guy and we are learning a lot from each other. I really love to teach because we have a lot more companionship unity when we teach people. It’s also weird I’m living with the pentionists if that is even how you spell it, but they are the ones who fix pensiones around the mission. It’s been fun but they are crazy and they basically are not even missionaries because they are always fixing things around the mission. So if they have time then they will work in our sector with us. It’s cool cause they also have a car to take us around so that really nice. Also what I have noticed up here is that kids and adults don’t yell at us saying ¨hello! ¨ or cussing at us. It’s very different and I like it. lol
Also we had lunch in the president’s house for the first time last week cause the week before something happened, but we don’t actually eat with president because he is always doing stuff but I guess sometimes he will be in his house when we are there. But it’s really fun to look around his house and to see pictures and of what he studies with his family and for his personal study. lol I don’t know why it’s fun to me but yeah it’s cool to go over their every Thursday to eat. I feel special lol.
Well I’m glad that everybody at home is doing well and you all had fun this last week. It seems like dad had a pretty crazy week. I love hearing about the family since I don’t really hear about anybody unless mom or dad tells me. I can’t believe that I get to talk to the family again! I seriously felt like I just talked to you all. It’s crazy but I’m way excited. By the way I need to pick it up on the living Christ because I’m sad to say that I’m slacking on it a bit. But its hard cause I used to do it every night before bed but now the other elders always come in at night and want to talk so I have to pick it up a bit.
That so funny that McKenna said that to Shanna. I cannot wait to pick her up and give her and big hug. I love that little girl. I bet she is having a ball having Shanna and Adam there. It’s weird because I cannot even imagine a little child talking in English anymore. That will definitely sound weird for the first time. lol
Oh by the way thank you for the package that you sent me. I actually needed a pillowcase so it was perfect and I like the picture of Oregon because I need more pictures to show everyone because nobody knows what Oregon looks like but now I have at least 1 I can show them.
I love you all and thank you for everything. I miss every one of you. Stay safe
spiritually and physically.
Con Amor,
Elder Pedersen
This week has been a great one. We are helping the young girl that wants to get baptized on her way to baptism. She got scared when we asked her to be baptized her mom told us. But at the moment we are trying to resolve her doubts and make sure she is ready and committed. It’s also helping a lot to have her mom their as we teach her, because the mom is wanting to learn as much as she can because she can’t remember barely anything about the church.
Also this week we taught a recent convert about temples with her less active mom who got excommunicated from the church (which there is a lot of in this ward) and we invited the mom, the daughter and her little girl that wants to get baptized and we took them on a tour around the temple with the hermanas that do the tours. It was really spiritual for them and especially for the mom because I don’t think that she has felt something like how she felt at the temple in a long time and so she just kept going on and on about how much she just wants to stay and how gorgeous the temple is.We told her that what she felt was the spirit, and we could really tell that it was good for her and it gave her that desire to come back to church.
It has been so crazy up here. I have taken tons of pictures and I can’t send them because I can’t find my cable to plug into the computer. I’m bummed because I can’t send pictures until I find that. But yes my companion has loosened up a lot and we are having fun working together. It just took us some time to get to know each other a bit more. He is from Nashville Tennessee and it 21. His name is elder Tooley. He is a way good guy and we are learning a lot from each other. I really love to teach because we have a lot more companionship unity when we teach people. It’s also weird I’m living with the pentionists if that is even how you spell it, but they are the ones who fix pensiones around the mission. It’s been fun but they are crazy and they basically are not even missionaries because they are always fixing things around the mission. So if they have time then they will work in our sector with us. It’s cool cause they also have a car to take us around so that really nice. Also what I have noticed up here is that kids and adults don’t yell at us saying ¨hello! ¨ or cussing at us. It’s very different and I like it. lol
Also we had lunch in the president’s house for the first time last week cause the week before something happened, but we don’t actually eat with president because he is always doing stuff but I guess sometimes he will be in his house when we are there. But it’s really fun to look around his house and to see pictures and of what he studies with his family and for his personal study. lol I don’t know why it’s fun to me but yeah it’s cool to go over their every Thursday to eat. I feel special lol.
Well I’m glad that everybody at home is doing well and you all had fun this last week. It seems like dad had a pretty crazy week. I love hearing about the family since I don’t really hear about anybody unless mom or dad tells me. I can’t believe that I get to talk to the family again! I seriously felt like I just talked to you all. It’s crazy but I’m way excited. By the way I need to pick it up on the living Christ because I’m sad to say that I’m slacking on it a bit. But its hard cause I used to do it every night before bed but now the other elders always come in at night and want to talk so I have to pick it up a bit.
That so funny that McKenna said that to Shanna. I cannot wait to pick her up and give her and big hug. I love that little girl. I bet she is having a ball having Shanna and Adam there. It’s weird because I cannot even imagine a little child talking in English anymore. That will definitely sound weird for the first time. lol
Oh by the way thank you for the package that you sent me. I actually needed a pillowcase so it was perfect and I like the picture of Oregon because I need more pictures to show everyone because nobody knows what Oregon looks like but now I have at least 1 I can show them.
I love you all and thank you for everything. I miss every one of you. Stay safe
spiritually and physically.
Con Amor,
Elder Pedersen
Monday, April 11, 2011
First Transfer after 7 months
Congratulations ADAM!! I bet Adam and Shanna are super excited. By the looks of the video that you sent me I could tell. I was cracking up watching that video of Adam lol. That's totally Adam, I miss hanging out with him. I didn't even know that you all left for Idaho this weekend. Kenny looks older in the picture that you sent me, it's crazy.
I could not believe what the whole family went through this past week with everybody puking their guts out. Lol but I was laughing, it was a good story to read. What a great week to be away from the family lol. I love the quote though I hope that's not true. (A family that pukes together, stays together) I would hate to get the flu or food poisoning; I would rather knock all day and get every door slammed on me than to go through that lol.
Well I'm glad you all had a great weekend with Shanna and Adam and the rest of the family. I miss Shanna and Adam and wish I could be there to have fun with them and the family.
It's been great being in this sector and by the way it's called Apoquindo and the zone is called las condes so that you know if you want to look at it on the map witch I'm pretty sure mom already has. Also there is hermanas in my zone which is way cool cause we have like the coolest ones in our district and I talked to the one from El Salvador, I totally thought of Chanelle because she goes home when Chanelle does. I like having sister missionaries in the zone, that is another cool thing.
But up here its seriously like a new world, there is a lot of rich people that live here with nice cars which is a total change from where I was for the past 7 months, it’s really different. The ward is so cool, I have met a bunch of people in the ward and they are way awesome. There are 3 seventeen year-old kids that are so amazing and they love the missionary work and love going with the missionaries, they are like my favorites because you don't see that a lot here in Chile; kid's like that don't usually want to go out with the missionaries.
So tell Kenny he better start going on splits with the missionaries. So yeah those three are my favorites along with some other adults who are way cool and love the missionaries. This ward is one of the best wards because they give so many referrals to the missionaries and are not scared to share the gospel with their friends.
This week we got a reference from a member because the members are awesome here, so we passed by the house and we started teaching her and she is interested, and when we were teaching her, her mom came in the room and talked with us and told us that she is a member but has been inactive for a long time and so she is glad that we passed by because she says she wants to go back to church but her husband doesn't want her to. So the only way that she will go to church is if she tells her husband that she needs to accompany her daughter to the church. So it's really cool because the mom sits down with us as we teach and we leave with a commitment to read and go to church and they accepted them both and the mom and daughter both read in the book of Mormon and learn together. The mom is great and is really helping the daughter get over her fear to be baptized. So the daughter will be baptized in a couple of weeks and the mom has been coming to church with her daughter. So it's been a great experience teaching them and helping them come closer to Christ. Its been cool too because I teach a lot more than I used to, as I am teaching a lot more I'm really coming to love teaching these people. It's so funny how much more I understand having a companion that has the same time out as me cause I know if we don't pay attention then we will be lost. So we are both always paying a lot of attention.
It's been good with my new companion but he is definitely different that my other companions. He is not weird at all and we really get along. The only thing is that he is a lot quieter. He just doesn't say a lot even though I love talking lol. We get along great but the only thing is that I will just have to get him to talk more.
This week I also forgot was my birthday. I didn't do anything. We were going to go to some restaurant with the four in our pension, but it didn't work out so instead we went to some nice restaurant on Saturday and that was about it. But it's all good cause I already threw a party in my last sector with 6 other missionaries before I left and thanks to the Coffman's we were able to put up decorations and make a cake lol. I love the Coffman's.
I love you all, no more throwing up ha-ha
I'm glad everybody is doing great, thank you for all the prayers, they are
Definitely felt everyday I'm here.
Con Amor,
Elder Pedersen
I could not believe what the whole family went through this past week with everybody puking their guts out. Lol but I was laughing, it was a good story to read. What a great week to be away from the family lol. I love the quote though I hope that's not true. (A family that pukes together, stays together) I would hate to get the flu or food poisoning; I would rather knock all day and get every door slammed on me than to go through that lol.
Well I'm glad you all had a great weekend with Shanna and Adam and the rest of the family. I miss Shanna and Adam and wish I could be there to have fun with them and the family.
It's been great being in this sector and by the way it's called Apoquindo and the zone is called las condes so that you know if you want to look at it on the map witch I'm pretty sure mom already has. Also there is hermanas in my zone which is way cool cause we have like the coolest ones in our district and I talked to the one from El Salvador, I totally thought of Chanelle because she goes home when Chanelle does. I like having sister missionaries in the zone, that is another cool thing.
But up here its seriously like a new world, there is a lot of rich people that live here with nice cars which is a total change from where I was for the past 7 months, it’s really different. The ward is so cool, I have met a bunch of people in the ward and they are way awesome. There are 3 seventeen year-old kids that are so amazing and they love the missionary work and love going with the missionaries, they are like my favorites because you don't see that a lot here in Chile; kid's like that don't usually want to go out with the missionaries.
So tell Kenny he better start going on splits with the missionaries. So yeah those three are my favorites along with some other adults who are way cool and love the missionaries. This ward is one of the best wards because they give so many referrals to the missionaries and are not scared to share the gospel with their friends.
This week we got a reference from a member because the members are awesome here, so we passed by the house and we started teaching her and she is interested, and when we were teaching her, her mom came in the room and talked with us and told us that she is a member but has been inactive for a long time and so she is glad that we passed by because she says she wants to go back to church but her husband doesn't want her to. So the only way that she will go to church is if she tells her husband that she needs to accompany her daughter to the church. So it's really cool because the mom sits down with us as we teach and we leave with a commitment to read and go to church and they accepted them both and the mom and daughter both read in the book of Mormon and learn together. The mom is great and is really helping the daughter get over her fear to be baptized. So the daughter will be baptized in a couple of weeks and the mom has been coming to church with her daughter. So it's been a great experience teaching them and helping them come closer to Christ. Its been cool too because I teach a lot more than I used to, as I am teaching a lot more I'm really coming to love teaching these people. It's so funny how much more I understand having a companion that has the same time out as me cause I know if we don't pay attention then we will be lost. So we are both always paying a lot of attention.
It's been good with my new companion but he is definitely different that my other companions. He is not weird at all and we really get along. The only thing is that he is a lot quieter. He just doesn't say a lot even though I love talking lol. We get along great but the only thing is that I will just have to get him to talk more.
This week I also forgot was my birthday. I didn't do anything. We were going to go to some restaurant with the four in our pension, but it didn't work out so instead we went to some nice restaurant on Saturday and that was about it. But it's all good cause I already threw a party in my last sector with 6 other missionaries before I left and thanks to the Coffman's we were able to put up decorations and make a cake lol. I love the Coffman's.
I love you all, no more throwing up ha-ha
I'm glad everybody is doing great, thank you for all the prayers, they are
Definitely felt everyday I'm here.
Con Amor,
Elder Pedersen
Monday, April 4, 2011
I LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!
Dear Family,
Wow a bunch has happened this week and thank you to all those who sent me a letter this week, every one of them has given me that extra strength to push myself even more. And sorry if I didn't get a chance to write some of you guys back.
This week seriously has been like Christmas. General conference was so amazing!! Gosh I got so much out of it. I'm always left a better person and with a greater desire to be so much better and as well I'm left with not knowing how people cannot believe that this church is true. It truly is the church of God with our Savior Jesus Christ at the head of it. And this entire week I have been with my companion trying to get through to people how important it is to go to general conference and nobody ended up going. It was really disappointing; I just wish it was as important to them as it is to me.
Priesthood session was so amazing! They talked about priesthood in a totally different way that I needed to hear. Every person truly gets something out of conference that others don't. Like I felt that they were talking a lot about the second coming and how we truly need to prepare because times will get worse and it's my responsibility to declare repentance and to prepare them others for the second coming. And I as well really loved the talk by christopherson about chastisement, and also Uchtdorf's talk was amazing.
I absolutely loved conference. I'm always filled with the spirit every time. Even though I wasn't there to eat crepes or go to priesthood and be with the family, I felt the love from the family and it made it so much better knowing everybody was watching it at the same time. I was also glad that they taught about marriage in conference because some of these families here really needed it.
By the way thank you for the video, lol I was actually surprised to receive one. It was basically my first time being able to see my family in action lol. I was laughing so hard watching Daniel and McKenna swing their arms up and down. They make me laugh so hard.
And why is everybody freaking out, I'm not 20 yet I still have a couple more days to be 19 even though I already celebrated it with my comp. and a couple other people from the zone with all the things that the Coffman's sent to me which I'm super grateful for. Don't worry I will get them a letter. I love them so much; they are so awesome to even think about me. And by the way no one needs to send me a package; I already know its super expensive sending a package here. And no I haven't got a package from the Grows and yes there is a letter on its way to Devin. Except I sent it before I knew he was going to go on a mission. Man when I heard he was going, I wanted to stand up and scream and cry. I'm so happy for him and I know the mission will seriously change his life. I know because it has mine.
Oh yeah the most important part. I got transferred to a different sector! I'm freaking out. That night when we were to get the call to go I was so scared to stay. I knew I needed a change even though it was sad leaving the sector where I have been my entire mission. But that night I seriously never thought that I would hear the words: Elder Pedersen, Se Va.
So I got to changes and our President spoke to us and then I received my comp. I was so scared to hear where I would be sent to because I have heard some scary things about a lot of sectors.
But I got called to a place called "Apoquindo" or "Las Condes" I think that how you spell it. I was freaking out because its one of the richest sectors and one of the best wards as well I found out that the Presidents house is in our sector! And we eat at his house every Thursday. I don't know maybe president wanted me super close to him. But I was so ecstatic and my companion came with me here to Chile even though I had never really talked with him before. But he seems cool and like a hard worker. His name is Elder Tooley. It's going to be a blast! Seriously this place is so much nicer than the south. The people and everything is different. It just stinks because everything is more expensive. Oh and I stay in a house with two other missionaries who are the people who have a car and go around fixing pensiones. And they are way cool. I'm excited for this change and I know I will grow a lot. It was sad saying goodbye to all the people since they are all I know since being in the mission. It was also crazy splitting me and my companion up since we have been together for so long. Me and Elder Fiscus really got along and had a good time together. Our personality's fit well together.
Wow a bunch has happened this week and thank you to all those who sent me a letter this week, every one of them has given me that extra strength to push myself even more. And sorry if I didn't get a chance to write some of you guys back.
This week seriously has been like Christmas. General conference was so amazing!! Gosh I got so much out of it. I'm always left a better person and with a greater desire to be so much better and as well I'm left with not knowing how people cannot believe that this church is true. It truly is the church of God with our Savior Jesus Christ at the head of it. And this entire week I have been with my companion trying to get through to people how important it is to go to general conference and nobody ended up going. It was really disappointing; I just wish it was as important to them as it is to me.
Priesthood session was so amazing! They talked about priesthood in a totally different way that I needed to hear. Every person truly gets something out of conference that others don't. Like I felt that they were talking a lot about the second coming and how we truly need to prepare because times will get worse and it's my responsibility to declare repentance and to prepare them others for the second coming. And I as well really loved the talk by christopherson about chastisement, and also Uchtdorf's talk was amazing.
I absolutely loved conference. I'm always filled with the spirit every time. Even though I wasn't there to eat crepes or go to priesthood and be with the family, I felt the love from the family and it made it so much better knowing everybody was watching it at the same time. I was also glad that they taught about marriage in conference because some of these families here really needed it.
By the way thank you for the video, lol I was actually surprised to receive one. It was basically my first time being able to see my family in action lol. I was laughing so hard watching Daniel and McKenna swing their arms up and down. They make me laugh so hard.
And why is everybody freaking out, I'm not 20 yet I still have a couple more days to be 19 even though I already celebrated it with my comp. and a couple other people from the zone with all the things that the Coffman's sent to me which I'm super grateful for. Don't worry I will get them a letter. I love them so much; they are so awesome to even think about me. And by the way no one needs to send me a package; I already know its super expensive sending a package here. And no I haven't got a package from the Grows and yes there is a letter on its way to Devin. Except I sent it before I knew he was going to go on a mission. Man when I heard he was going, I wanted to stand up and scream and cry. I'm so happy for him and I know the mission will seriously change his life. I know because it has mine.
Oh yeah the most important part. I got transferred to a different sector! I'm freaking out. That night when we were to get the call to go I was so scared to stay. I knew I needed a change even though it was sad leaving the sector where I have been my entire mission. But that night I seriously never thought that I would hear the words: Elder Pedersen, Se Va.
So I got to changes and our President spoke to us and then I received my comp. I was so scared to hear where I would be sent to because I have heard some scary things about a lot of sectors.
But I got called to a place called "Apoquindo" or "Las Condes" I think that how you spell it. I was freaking out because its one of the richest sectors and one of the best wards as well I found out that the Presidents house is in our sector! And we eat at his house every Thursday. I don't know maybe president wanted me super close to him. But I was so ecstatic and my companion came with me here to Chile even though I had never really talked with him before. But he seems cool and like a hard worker. His name is Elder Tooley. It's going to be a blast! Seriously this place is so much nicer than the south. The people and everything is different. It just stinks because everything is more expensive. Oh and I stay in a house with two other missionaries who are the people who have a car and go around fixing pensiones. And they are way cool. I'm excited for this change and I know I will grow a lot. It was sad saying goodbye to all the people since they are all I know since being in the mission. It was also crazy splitting me and my companion up since we have been together for so long. Me and Elder Fiscus really got along and had a good time together. Our personality's fit well together.
I really hope this ward likes me even though I heard that they are awesome. But its okay, my excitement in being here and for the work will make them like me. Oh also I'm close to a place to send letters now, so I will be able to send them more often.
I can't believe that BreAnne is getting married; it's kind of sad cause I really thought we would be able to hang out at BYU when I got back. Man I wish I could be there so bad for her wedding. I guess you will need to send a bunch of pictures.
Well I love you all and thank you for the happy birthday wishes and video. It made my week to see my family.
Love you all and thank you for your prayers.
This church is true!
Love,
Elder Pedersen
I can't believe that BreAnne is getting married; it's kind of sad cause I really thought we would be able to hang out at BYU when I got back. Man I wish I could be there so bad for her wedding. I guess you will need to send a bunch of pictures.
Well I love you all and thank you for the happy birthday wishes and video. It made my week to see my family.
Love you all and thank you for your prayers.
This church is true!
Love,
Elder Pedersen
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