Thanks for ALL the emails...3.6.17

Note from mom: Adam emailed me and said that was the most emails he has EVER received on his ENTIRE mission.. Thank you to all who wrote.  

Family and friends,

 Thank you so much for all the love and support! I love and miss you all so much! 

 This week was another great week! Elder Gutierrez and I are working really hard and are receiving lots of blessing for that! We have found lots of new investigators and they all have real interest, something we have been looking for for a while here in Arco Iris! We are also working on taking out some wrinkles in our teaching so that the Holy Ghost can testify to the people. Something I have been working on a lot lately is praying for my companion while he is talking so that he can have the right words at the right time to help every person we teach and it has helped because he teaches very well and really knows how to help the people! I look forward to learning each day from him! 

 A really cool experience we had this week was on Saturday visiting all our investigators to make plans with them to come to church on Sunday. We didn´t have much success in the morning because appointments fell and no one really received us until we met Diego. He was outside working in the yard and came up to us and said hi. We thought it was kind of weird at first, but gladly starting talking to him. He toald us that he had talked to other missionaries about a year ago but then went on vacations and never was able to contact them again. He brought out some chairs and we were able to teach him right there! He remembered quite a bit and still wants to be baptized! He accepted to go to church the next day and when we went to pick him up he was all ready and wating for us! He really enjoyed the meetings and is progressing towards a baptismal date on the 25th of March! We also had two other investigators in church that we weren´t really expecting that surprised us and made us super happy!! We are looking forward to another great week here with lots of new investigators and all of them in church! 

Love,

Elder Petersen

Pic's from January 30, 2017

Shaking hands with Elder Stevenson.

Eating homemade pasta with the Gonzalez family.

Hola familia,

I am sorry I haven´t written in a while but I just wanted to let you know that I am doing well! I am still In Arco Iris which is one of the ugliest parts of Buenos Aires but the people here are awesome! All the roads are dirt roads and even though we live on the second floor when we mop the floor stays clean for about two hours because all the dirt! We are living in a new apartment with just me and my companion that is big enough for four, just like the area but we are hoping for four missionaries soon! My companion, Elder Ortolano, is from Brazil but has lived in Canada for the past 7 years. He is going home this transfer and we are working as hard as we can to make this last month his best! We have had lots of amazing opportunities to listen to great church leaders that have taught me many great things! We also have had many changes in the mission with how we will be doing things that I am very excted for to end these last 7 months. I never thought I would be able to say that, but it is passing by too fast! I enjoy seeing your pictures and how much you have changed, especially the kids! Thank you all so much for the Christmas cards, I loved hearing from each and every one of you and am so lucky to have the best family in the world! I would like to let you know that I know this is the only true church in the earth because after many centuries with the heavens closed, they were opened again with the calling of Joseph Smith as a prophet, seer and revelator. I know he and every single prophet we have had since the restoration of the church has been called of God to guide us as His children so that we will be able to return to His presence one day. Obedience brings blessings, especially when it is hard to obey. I know as we all "perseverar hasta el fin" we will be able to live as an eternal family! I love you all so much just as I love my Savior! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be one of His representatives. I share this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,
Elder Petersen

January 22, 2017

Candela one of my favorite little girls and then her three other sisters Florencia, Camila, Aldana and then Candela! 

This is arroz chaufa a Peruvian food that is super good that i made.

Hey mom, sorry we didn´t email yesterday we had a meeting with ELDER STEVENSON!!! It was super awesome! We got to shake his hand and the whole area presidency and it was so awesome! I got picked to be the microphone runner so whenever he asked anyone to talk I had to run them the mic let them talk and then take it back, pretty embarassing haha but fun! After we had concilio that was also super good! Really good day yesterday!! How was your week?? I was going to ask about rocky basketball because the Chattertons sent me a roster of the team. How is everything with Trump??

January 16, 2017

(I am NOT sunburned mom!)

So I got accepted to the U? That is good to hear!! You are going to be mad at me but I forgot I gave my license to the offices when I got to the mission so i don´t have it but I will call them this week to get it or so they can send it to you this week.

We had a really good week! We went to Lobos and barely made it to the train on time last week but we made it and then had a two hour train ride or more in the pooring rain! I tried my best to sleep but it didn´t really work and there was like no one on the train to talk to so it was kind of boring. Then we went to the district meeting out there and did divisions with another area out there and it was really good! They have a basketball court right next to their pench so we went and played on Wednesday morning and it was super fun! Then on Saturday we had a special meeting with the zone and the stake president and his counselors because this Sunday Elder Texiera our area President is coming to our stake so we had a meeting to puta goal of how many investigators and recent converts we are going to bring, the goal is 100. They are going to reserve 100 sports in the very front just for investigators and we are super excited! It should be good! Then we had Pedros baptism. The youth who was supposed to baptism couldn´t end up making it so I got to baptize him. He is an older man and used to be catholic and is kind of crazy. After his baptism when he came out of the water he said I have been born again, I have been baptized. I was pretty embarassed at first but then I was just happy for how he understands that and is so happy about it! He paid his tithing before he even got baptized too! 

We had transfers today and Elder Ortolano and I are staying together!! We are super excited!! 

Happy New Year 2017

The cutest little girl ever Angelina! 

Sweat lines from my backpack...

My new Boca jersey!

104 degree weather is worth it to see a sunset like this!! Happy New Year

Wow that is super disappointing about the buckeyes!! Oh well, next year will be better! They just didn´t want to win while I wouldn´t be there to see it haha I cannot believe it is already 2017! A year with lots of changes! I am glad you enjoyed your new years! Elder Ortolano and I went to sleep at like 9:30 until 11:30 and then woke up to watch all the fireworks haha we bought watermelon and then ate our oreos! There were some pretty good fireworks and lightning at the same time, pretty crazy! It was SUPER hot this week!! On Saturday it was 104 degrees and we were dying! We just sweat all day and all night as well! It has been pretty rough but just gotta enjoy it while I can! This week it isn´t going to be as hot and is supposed to rain as well which we are excited for haha For it being so hot I didn´t get burnt too bad this week which was good! Yesterday Karina got confirmed which we were super excited about and Pedro also came to church so he will be getting baptized on the 14th! Overall it was a really good week but we are looking forward to a better week this week! 

Cool experience of the week: 

 We found an investigator Elder Ortolano and I named Rosanna and her daughter Ada. At first she was a little hesitant to talk to us but we were actually jsut looking for another person but couldn´t find the house. She helped us and was about to walk away but we kind of just started teaching without letting her realize it. She listened, paid attention and accepted a Book of Mormon and a date to return. We went back and decided to invite a member to go with us. We get to the house and Rosanna comes out and says that she is comfortable with her religion and doesn´t want to make any changes without reading or praying. Elder Ortolano and I were shocked because the first lesson we had with her was great and we were super excited to go back! We didn´t know what to say and did everything we could to convince her to listen to us and to read and pray. The member that we brought butted in and ended up saving us! She just testified of the gospel and her love for it and how much it will help her and her family. Rosanna ended up accepting another visit and this member saved any chance we had of teaching her. Us as missionaries can do a lot of things that members can´t do but there is no way we can have success without the members, WE NEED YOUR HELP! I hope you can continue to share your testimony and love for the gospel to everyone! 

Elder Petersen

Don't Judge a "book" by its cover! 12.12.16

This is from my last area Mariano Acosta, it is Morena and Juan. Juan is a member  and Morena is going to get baptized.  She is 12 Years old!

This is the Flores family alsofrom Mariano. Our last night there they floured us... A lot of missionaries have ended their missions there recently so they started a tradition in doing that and they did it to us as well... 

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend and are getting as excited as I am for Christmas! Only 13 more days!! Keep "lighting the world" and remembering why we celebrate this time of year!

This week was a really good week with lots of special experiences! This Wednesday we had to travel to Ramos to the mission office for a meeting we had and we were there all day. On our way back we were waiting for the train and we were hot and tired and just ready to get home take our suits off and work in our new area! While we are waiting for the train an older man was staring at us and wouldn´t stop looking at us. I looked over to my companion and asked him what the guys deal was. Before we know it he came over and started talking to us. The first thing he did was thank us for our work and for dedicating time as young people to help other people believe in Jesus Christ. After this I felt really bad. We continued to talk to him but we was partially deaf so we had to write down all our questions and everything we wanted to ask him down in our agendas and then he would answer. He was a very special man and it was one of the most humbling experiences I have had in my mission. We ended up letting three trains pass by just to be able to talk to this man and help him learn a little bit more about Jesus Christ. The cool part was that he knew by memory about half of the bible! I learned a really big lesson from this experience! The gospel of Jesus Christ is for EVERYONE! Men ,women, old, young, black, white, rich or poor, Jesus Christ suffered for each and everyone of us. It is our responsibility to use this soecial gift He has given us! Many times we forget that the atonement doesn´t only clean usfrom our sins, but it also helps us to do hard things. We can do hard things! As we rely on the Lord and put our faith in Him, we are able to accomplish anything! I hope you can all remember that always and put it in practice in your lives! I am very grateful for this humbling experience that the Lord gave me because it was a special moment an dlesson that I really needed! 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy this special time of year!

Love,

Elder Petersen 

More Changes 12.5.16

Happy December to all! I hope everyone has put up the Christmas tree and all the other decorations and started listening to Christmas Music, we sure have! 

 This week was one of the best weeks of my mission! We worked super hard and our hardwork paid off! Something we are focusing on right now in the mission is working with the members and we had lots of success doing that this week! Elder Ortolano and I are super excited because we are going to be able to do that even better this new transfer. This week we had a meeting with President Robertson and our stake president and it went really well! President Fernandez wants to help and has always loved doing visits with the missionaries but for the past year and a half ever since the zone leaders were taken out of his ward he hasn´t worked with them as much as he would like. President Robertson was happy to hear about all the things the stake of Marcos Paz is doing to help the missionary work and granted President Fernandez wish; We will now be working in Arco Iris! I didn´t think I would be getting a new area so soon, but I am very excited for the new oportunities that will come in Arco Iris! The good thing about only being in an area for two weeks is that it isn´t as hard to say goodbye to the people. Although I will miss the many great members and people I got to know here in Mariano Acosta, I am very excited to be in Arco Iris. On Saturday when President let us know what would be happening I went to my new area to be able to get to know the people a little and I loved it! It is similar to where I am now but there was just something special that I am super excited to figure out what it is! 

 Yesterday the stake of Marcos Paz had their stake conference and it was super good! We made plans with 12 investigators to go and were super excited to have them all there! The plans didn´t turn out as we had hoped and only one was able to make it.. Although it was kind of discouraging, I know next week will be better and that the two new missionaries in this area will have all of them and more in church next week! I would like to share a story that was shared in the stake conference with you all. President and Hermana Robertson were driving down the streets of Brazil in the poring rain when they passed a bus stop where a young mother was waiting for the bus with her little child in her arms. They passed the women and then Hermana Robertson asked if President had seen the woman on the side of the road. He replied that he had seen her and that he felt very bad for her. She then told President how she had a strong desire to tell her that she is loved by her Father in Heaven and that He has a plan for her and her young family. They decided to turn around but when they had gotten back to where she was standing before, she was gone. For 25 years this experience haunted the both of them and how they missed the oportunity to share the gospel with this woman. Years later a similar experience happened in Peru. They passed a man on the side of the road crying. This time without hesitation they speedily returned to talk to this man. He had reently been robbed of all the items he was selling on the side of the road and the money he had. The Robertson´s were able to help him buy some new items to sell but more importantly testify of the Savior and His love for each and every one of us. We can learn a lot from this experience of the Robertson´s. I hope that we can all quicly recognize the promptings of the spirit, not hesitate and speedily act on these things. This week I invite you all to do this. I invite you to make goals on what you can do to better recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost in your lives. I know you will be blessed as you do this and will be able to receive even more of these promptings! 

 I love each and every one of you and am so grateful for your examples. I hope you all have a wonderful week! Talk to you soon! 

Elder Petersen