Monday, June 6, 2011

Joy in this Journey...

Wow I opened my inbox to see a bunch of letters with so much information. I felt like I was truly filled in with all the news that happened this last week. First of all I can't believe that Elder cook came!! I'm so jealous and even more jealous that he sat right next to Dad during lunch. I've always wanted to sit down with an apostle and just talk with him. Lol I hope to be informed on the things he said.

I also can't believe that Skyler is so close to leaving! I cannot believe that it's coming so soon, and I'm glad that he was able to basically be healed from the priesthood blessing. That's amazing!

So you didn't tell me either, the kids get out soon from school right? What are the trips that you are planning.lol It's crazy to think that 11 months and two days I was in summer weather and now its freezing cold and pouring down rain. Well today isn't so bad with the weather but yesterday we were pretty wet.

I'm surprised that dad was able to arrive late to a race and pass everybody up and also put out a good time. Well I guess I wasn't really surprised I knew my dad could do it even with his knees.

Well this week there is not much to tell but it was kind of a weird and difficult one because the first couple days of the week I got sick, I think because of the changes in the weather, but I'm good now and I still tried to work. Right now we are trying to work really hard with a bunch of people toward baptism even though it's been a bit hard because the church is a bit far away and its cold outside which is usually their excuse. Their is one lady that we are teaching that it's hard to get her to progress because she can't read because of her eyes and can't get them fixed because she is poor and she can't go to the church on Sundays because she takes care of her dad who is disabled and always needs someone to watch him or else she would go to the church and get baptized. So we bought her CDs of the book of Mormon to listen to and give her that excitement to get to church.

I have been learning a lot with my companion and with being district leader and in preparing the lessons for the classes each week. I have learned that the attitude makes all the difference in the success of a missionary. I have been preparing the class on successful missionaries, and turning to the scriptures I have learned a bunch. If we truly go to the scriptures with a question or with a subject already in mind you truly learn a lot more. I went to the scriptures and thought about those missionaries who had such great success and to find out why. Even though Ammon and the sons of Mosiah were about to preach to people who delighted in bloodshed and were a ferocious people there was many souls brought to the knowledge of the gospel. And I wondered if we as missionaries can be like those great examples in the book of Mormon. The sons of Mosiah and also Alma and Amulek truly went to preach the gospel with faith trusting that the lord would provide a way. We can truly be like those examples because if we truly do everything with an eye single to the glory of our God, we can be true disciples and become worthy instruments in the hands of God.

After the disciples in the New Testament saw the resurrected Christ and after Jesus taught them they didn't just go on normally with their occupations or continue going through the motions of life but rather they went out and taught and bore the testimony that they had of the Savior in temples and in the synagogues and to everyone. And that is what we as disciples and members should do with the testimony that we have. God will never hold back the growth of anybody's testimony who shares it. God didn't give us a testimony to hide it and bury it, but to share it to bless the lives of many others. That's how we become TRUE disciples of our Savior.

I love this gospel and I know it's true as well as the Book of Mormon; hopefully we can always go forth to do the work of the Lord with a perfect trust in Him with an eye single to the glory of God. I truly have come to love the chapters in Alma. The ones of Alma and Amulek and the chapters after the conversion of king Lamoni.

I love you all tons and even though I'm so far away I feel so close,
Thank you McKenna for the drawings! Seems McKenna is getting her teeth back. Lol

I will try and buy something to where I can send pictures since I lost my last one.

Work hard and become the person you want to be each day!
Con mucho Amor,

Elder Pedersen

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