Piquete Cue...Special change

Hey Everybody,

This week was dope. I got special changed out from being the traveling Elder to an area called Piquete Cue. 

Elder Pech and I got a call from President McMullin this past Wednesday telling us that we would be having special changes. We packed up our stuff and headed to the office. President called my companion into the office and took about an hour talking to him. He then called me in and told me that my companion would be going home.  Im still not sure why. He then opened up his change board and told me I would be going to Piquete Cue with Elder Pickering, and now I am here. 

Im loving it. We have a great area with lots of potential. We have two baptisms coimng up and im so excited to be a part of the work here in Piquete Cue. Its a good area, it just hasn't had missionaries in it that have given their all to the work. Im grateful for the opportunity to take what I have learn in the mission thus far and see what i can do in this area. Wish me Luck!!

I have only been in the area for a couple days but we have already put a baptismal date with a lady named Mariela. She is so nice and wants to know so much more about the church. Yesterday was our second visit and we left a lesson two pamphlet the first lesson. She read it twice and as we explained the lesson she already new what we were going to say next. She has an autistic son who is 14 years old and a crazy little daughter who is 2. I have never seen someone so prepared to recieve this Gospel in my entire mission. I hope she sticks with it and gets baptized. 

Im so excited to see what I can do in these last three months in my mission. I love this Gospel.  Its true! 

I love you all and I hope you have a great week.

Love Elder Petersen

Chatting:

So tell me about Elder Pickering.  I haven't heard of him before.  Where is he from?  So you have a photo with him and you?

He is from the salt lake valley! I forget what part but he goes to Jordan High School. He is really cool he just has been having a rough time in the choosing friends department and unfortunately his missionaries friends are kind of bringing him down. 

When you say his missionary friends, does that mean his comps or his friends from home that are serving elsewhere?  How long has he been out?

He has been out for a little less than I have, so about a year and 7 months.  His past companions. He just is bitter about the whole mission in general and its starting to take its tole just constantly hearing how sucky everything is. He even talks bad about the mission president. That's something that i don't take very lightly, but he is coming to his senses.

Oh boy, sounds like you've got your hands full, but I have NO doubt you can handle it.  Show him that it can be fun while working hard.  You have the potential to help him turn his whole mission around, but it is HIS choice.  Teach him to love and serve the people, without that he'll get nowhere.   Remember, in your famous words..."teach people not lessons."

So he's had a long time to have bad experiences and to build up this attitude.  I was hoping he was newer than that so that he could turn it around and have a positive mission.  So what are you doing to help him?

hahaha i don't know! Im just being a good example and working his butt of!! jajaja it seems to be working little by little. 

Does his seem to be receptive to you and your tactics? I hope you can help him change his thinking before he comes home.  He'll regret it if he doesn't.  He'll never get this opportunity again.  

Yeah I hope he is receptive!

Stitches out and lots of talking

How are you bud?

My week kinda sucked but i'm still a Child of God so that's something to look forward to! haha
I just haven't been able to sleep very well lately! Hopefully today will be different! Today i feel much better!! Oh i also got my stitches out this morning!!! woo hooo

How is your mouth?  Once it calms down you might sleep better.  Do you think its because of your new place or that you were in the office so long you got used to it. Now your out in the wild again. How is it?

Ah its great! I love it! I fell like a Jaguar that was in captivity for his first years of his life and now they have set me free to roam and hunt and baptize and such!

Well!  That is quite the description!  But your week was rough? Just because of sleep or something else?

No just sleep!! I don't know why but i seem to wake up at about 1 or 2 every night and go to the bathroom cuz i have to pee so bad! then i lay back down and i cant got to sleep until about 4 or 5! But last night was a lot better. Hopefully tonight will be better too!

Sounds like your dad! Except he's a lot older.  I think while you were in the office your sleep pattern got messed up bad and you're going to have to retrain your body to sleep again.  Too many all nighters and random early morning runs to the airport.

hahaha yeah i think you're right!! I think my body is mad at me for all of the lack of sleep that it has!!

Yes!  So what the most interesting experience this week.  Or interesting person you've met?

I met a man on the bus that was bringing flowers to his mom! It was a little bit awkward because i went and sat next to him and to strike up a conversation i asked him if the flowers were for his wife or girlfriend. Hahaha yeah . . . awkward!  after the awkwardness passed I told him who I was and what i was doing. He told me that he had a friend that was a member for all her life and that he knew a lot about the church already. Now, I know this is a little bold but i asked him why he didn't get baptized. He told me that he had had doubts about the Book of Mormon and he never found an answer. So i told the answer that he needed to hear and the Spirit let it sink in to his heart. He asked if we could come by and teach him this week. So that's what we will do!

That's my success story for this week! Out of the 150+ people that i talked to this week 1 seems to be promising. hahaha 

Wow, cool story!  And think of all of those seeds that were planted for next missionaries. 

The Rios family that Jeffrey came to love

Wisdom Teeth!!

Hello Family and Friends,

First of all, I will have to recommend not getting your wisdom teeth out in a third world country!! haha I don't think your supposed to feel it that much!! luckily it is over now and i never have to do it again! So having said that, I'm out for a day or two until i can talk normally again. And for my new assignment I'll be doing a lot of talking!

Wisdom teeth removed today!

Picking up Bro Fardos at the airport

This week i was pulled into Presidents office when he told me that i should make sure my trainee is ready to go by the end of this week!! That automatically means that he has plans for me somewhere else. A couple days later we found him and the Hermana McMulllin at the airport while taking a missionary there to be sent home early! He pulled me off to the side and told me of my new assignment. 

I will be the new Elder Viajante (Traveling Elder). This entails that my companion (Elder Pech) and I will not have an area nor the same schedule. My area is all of the mission! And my schedule will be Wake up at 4:30 and go out and contact those who generally will never see or talk to missionaries because they are also working. We will very rarely ever have lessons but we will have about 400 to 500 contacts in a week! Im so excited for this new opportunity that the Lord has entrusted me with. I'm ready to work my hardest these last four months of my mission.

Thank you for all of your support. It means a lot! Have a great week.

I love you.

Elder Petersen


Email conversation:

Are you okay?
yeah I'm fine no need to worry!!!! but I did get my wisdom teeth out like an hour ago!!! wooooo hooooo
I have to say, it makes me a little nervous that you had it done in Paraguay!  Did they knock you out first?  How are you doing?  I’m not sure why I was surprised…after the Patriarchal Blessing experience.  lol  You definitely don’t do things the conventional way do you?
hahaha no they didn't knock me out but it hurt like crazy!!! hahaha now im sitting here with a bag of ice on my face!!!
OH MY GOSH!!!!!  Are you kidding me?  Dude, what am I gonna do with you?  It couldn’t wait 4 months?  Did they numb you at all?  Are you taking anything for pain?

yeah they numbed me like freaking crazy!!!! haha but it felt like they took a jackhammer to my beautiful face!!!

Well at least you still have that beautiful face that I created!  : )  How is the pain now?

yeah I have some pain medication that will help a lot!! i also have brother fardos helping me out if i need anything!! he is down here picking up his daughter!!

I know he’s there, but is he a dentist?

haha no!! he offered to buy me a milkshake though!! i think that deserves credentials!! haha i also received a new assignment!

Extra Photos!