My Dear family! August 30, 2010

My Dear family!

Can I say that I love Christopher!!!! He is a Stud!! All of my brothers are. I'm so happy that everyone is doing so well. Yes I got Daniels picture. It was amazing! It's up on my wall with McKenna's drawings. It was so good. I can't believe he can draw that well and he is in a musical!!! Oh my Gosh! So Stinkin Cute! Kellin in football? Holy Cow~ everyone is going to be so big when I get back!  Wow you only have four kids at home crazy. (oh, side note, I want to do EFY the summer that I come home. I was just thinking about that today. That would be so fun! But you have to have paper work turned in by the fall.. So I was wondering if you could look into that for me because I can't. Thank you! Maybe in Idaho or Utah)

I loved the package! OH my gosh I taped me opening that package. It was so amazing! My companions had made it an amazing day for me by decorating the entire apt., thanks to the Coffman's it was amazing! I love it so much and I got to listen to the family sing happy birthday! While I was eating crepes! Then the Elders surprised me and took me out to eat lunch while wearing hats and blowing on noise makers. Then the office called and sang me happy birthday. I just felt special all day long. It was just so amazing and you did not crash and burn on clothes last time. I wear them all the time. I just said they were a little long. Some of them are just too hot to wear right now so I'll have to wait but they are cute. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you failed in that department, you didn't.

But the package made me cry! I loved it so much. The book was probably the best present that you could have ever given me. It was so amazing! I loved it so much! Thank you!!!!! I loved all the other stuff too. I can't believe the work that must have taken for everyone to write in it.
I gave a talk on Sunday about testimonies so it was totally amazing to get that and then use it to empower me in my talk and in this work. I loved it!!!!!

Not much has gone on this week investigator wise. One of the guys in our district went home because it was too hard and it about killed me! I thought of Jason and I lost it. There was so many things that I wanted to say to him and all I could do was cry. He apologized for not being a good missionary and I told him he was a good missionary and that we needed him. Satan has really worked hard on him and he has only been out almost two transfers. I hated it and I hate Satan!!! If he can just help people to forget who they are, they lose this great battle that we are fighting. When he told us he was leaving it felt like someone died. I was so sorry for him and that he couldn't see how much God needs him here. I don't want any of the boys ever thinking that they can come out on a mission knowing if it gets too hard that they can come home. That is not ok. This work is not about them but it's much more than that and goes above and beyond anything that they can comprehend. He left on Tuesday and his comp was transferred out. Then he called us on Saturday to say goodbye before his plane took off. We all took turns pleading that he stay and baring our testimonies of how much God needs him personally and how no one can take his place. (mean while since he left we had to take over that area along with ours and it was stressful, but we were seeing so many miracles in their area. we wanted him to experience them. so that made us sad.) On Sunday morning however we were a little late getting to church because we had to drive clear to the end of our area to try and get a gator to church (He wasn't home :( ) When we pulled up to the church there stood the elders. He didn't go home!!!! He changed his mind at the very last min. after talking to his comp from the MTC. I don't know what his MTC comp said but I was thankful for the Inspiration God gave him to get him to stay. I was so excited I could have peed my pants!! He said he is still taking it a day at a time but i don't care, he made the decision to stay and that is a start. We'll work with that. I hope he sees how great this work is and catches a glimpse of why he is needed here. We listened to a talk called "conversion of a catholic" with him. (The family needs to hear it; it was a talk that changed the way I looked at my mission.) I hoped it helped.

If anything this experience taught me how much I Love my Heavenly Father for sending me here. This work is so important and when God calls an Elder or a Sister to serve in whatever mission, he doesn't call them just because they need missionaries in that part of the world. God matches up there personalities, talents and experiences to match those that they will teach and bring unto the fold of God. God calls you~ I cannot express how important missionaries our in this great work. If God calls you, go. I guess I found that out the hard way by not listening the first time I knew I needed to go but I will forever be grateful for listening to that sweet spirit and finally making that decision. It has forever changed my life. I don't know who I'm suppose to find but I know I have been sent here to this place right now at this time to find them. I love my Savior with everything that I have and will give it all to know him. It is because of my love for the Savior that I'm here and obedience to God that I have stayed and pushed through, and nothing and no one can take away from the experiences that I have had and learned from and the people that I have met that have changed me for the good. I know that they were all heaven sent. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity to serve.

I love you all so very much and am so thankful to be a part of our family. I really believe we chose each other and as I have gone through many experiences I see why. My family is my rock and my best friends. I don't know what I can do without you. I love you all so much. till next week.

With so much love!
Your sister Pedersen



President Berry~

This week has been good all things considering. Sister Baker was sick a lot this week so it made it a little harder but I’m glad that she is doing better and got the rest that she needed. The member work is going good and our ward mission leader is helping a lot with getting the members going on the mission work.

This Sunday all three of us had the opportunity to give a talk on missionary work and how much the members play a role in this great effort to build up God's kingdom. Sister Curly talked about the first vision, restoration and why that makes this church so different. Then I gave a talk on finding your own testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and becoming a light that will motivate you in sharing the gospel. Then Sister Baker taught about how their homes can become gospel sharing homes and what they can do to share the gospel. It was so nice to be able to bare testimony to the members of the ward about how important they are to us and how great this work is.

The third hour consisted of Relief Society and Priesthood, both English and Spanish. Bishop Ross taught about the spirituality of our ward and how it has sort of diminished and what we can do to build it back up. I really think these helped members to share their feelings. I think this Sunday was a very good step for the ward in bringing them back. It was a very nice bonding experience for everyone.

Our teaching pool is still small and we are working to build it up as much as we can but people seemed to be very flaky and they don’t keep their commitments. We go through a lot of people every week in order to find the elect and we are still on a search. But I have faith that God will provide as long as I’m doing everything that I can and am listening to the spirit.

My studies this week have been mostly review from Preach my Gospel but I love it more and more each time I read. I love reading the scriptures and doing the activities, although it takes a lot longer than skimming I’m really enjoying it. It makes my testimony grow every time I read the Bible because it completely backs up the Book of Mormon. I don’t know how people can say that it doesn't. It just makes me realize that people don’t read there bible as much as they say they do or else they would realize that this is God church. There is no other church that comes close to what Jesus Christ has set up when he was on the earth and we  know that because of the Bible. It just amazes me. I love this Gospel so much and am thankful everyday that I get to share my testimony with everyone that I see because I know that what we teach is the truth. This is God's church and we do have a prophet, President Monson and he is called of God. The Book of Mormon is scripture and it blesses my life everyday that I read from it. I'm so thankful that God has called me here so that I could be a part of this wonderful work in sharing the gospel. I would have never chosen it for myself but I’m glad that God know best and is control of my life. I have truly been blessed by following the spirit and this mission is perhaps one of the greatest blessings of them all.

Until next week~
Sister Pedersen