Another Week

Hola family and friends,

Another week almost passed...really? I agree that time is speeding up and it always surprises me when another P-Day arrives but each day can feel so long sometimes...But less than 4 weeks until New Jersey! In about 2ish weeks I should be getting my flight plans and I cannot wait!!

Some pretty hilarious things have been happening this past week. Let's see where to start... This past Saturday was my District's halfway mark at the MTC. My mom was so kind to send me a couple of goodies but the last day was the best. She sent a long, triangular shaped FedEx box that was filled with candy, party poppers, blowers, and stickers. I shared them with my district. We decided to throw a "rave" (aka party) with one of our teachers because a previous week he had said he had gone to a rave with his girlfriend and we somehow joked about it...anyways on Saturday, the plan was to surprise him but the keyword was "rave." We finally got him to say it so we popped the poppers and blowed the blowers and one elder flicked the lights on and off really fast, it was awesome! Totally shocked my teacher. He's a good sport about it :)

Another thing that happened with the package was one elder decided that the box was the perfect shape to play baseball with. One of my companions "pitched" him a small bag of peanut M&Ms and he hit it. HARD. We opened the bag after and he actually cracked some of the peanuts! Though that was epic, the best (or worst) part was he hit the bag at just the right time for our strict teacher to walk into the room. She was not happy, to say the least. She took the box away and scolded us and then left. We kinda got right to work...after some more giggles...

The fire alarm went off last night while everyone was preparing for bed. We were told to evacuate to the nearest parking lot (it was only the girl's building) and were there for about 45 mins. I'm so glad I wasn't in the shower!!! That would have been terrible... They still expected us to be in bed by 10:30...yea that didn't happen. We were close, though (10:45) So that's whats been going on this past week that's pretty out of the ordinary.

I'm so excited that Aunt Connie and Uncle Dale are coming into the MTC THIS Monday!!!!!!!!!! I have seen where most of the senior couples sit in the cafeteria and auditorium and I know what building they live in so I think I'll be able to find them...It's going to be GREAT :)

Well sorry this isn't the longest letter but I'm almost out of time. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and letters. I love getting emails (from family), DearElders, and especially handwritten letters. There's just something extra sweet about them...but don't stop! I love ALL forms of mail :) It's been nice, this week especially I've received some mail from people I wasn't expecting and it's always a sweet surprise. Please keep it up.

I'm grateful for your prayers and know they are a huge strength. Thanks to everyone and I selfishly ask for you to please don't stop. Thank you :)

Until next week, have an awesome one!

Love,

Hermana Peterson

Pictures!

DaNae's first full day... still wearing her "greenie" stickerFamous World MapDaNae with her companions Hermana Wagner and Hermana Henderson (both going to New Mexico)DaNae's going to New Jersey!

Another Week Gone By

Hello family and friends,

Crazy to think it's been 4 weeks tomorrow! The "hump" mark at the MTC is this Saturday! Woot woot :)

Let's see where to begin...Life is pretty repetitive. Samet thing everyday without much variation. Wake up, get ready, plan, eat, class, study, eat, language study, gym, teach, and study some more. But it's good. I feel like an old pro here because I've been here longer than English-speaking missionaries are...I leave for New Jersey in less than 5 weeks! I'm excited :)

Well some stories though about the week that you might enjoy....

My companion is very exact in following the guidelines sent to her in the missionary packet (more than me! It's weird...I never thought that was possible...) and she only brought 8 outfits and 1 pair of PJs. Well her PJs is actually a nightgown. An old lady nightgown...embrodiered and all. Well she one day was wearing her nightgown and as a joke was trying to dress it up with a belt and cardigan and it actually looked like an outfit. We dared her to wear it all day long but she resisted at first because she didn't believe that we were being honest. When she realized we weren't lying she took the challenge and wore her nightgown as an outfit. Everytime she was complimented on her outfit we died laughing...oh the joys you have when finding fun ways to "party" within the bounds the Lord has set :)

The other day was just one of those days and I was having a rough time. I didn't feel like myself and couldn't grasp the Spanish and whatnot. You know those types of days...just like nothing is going your way. Well the Elders in my district are a hoot (though it can be annoying when you're trying to focus) and they decided they would sing me a song. They love Disney and teenage girl music then us, the Hermanas. They are more girly than we are, it's like somedays we switch rules. (We have Star Wars stickers and they have Princesses -- seriously!) Anyways, they let me choose the song for them to sing and can you guess what I picked? Hannah Montana's "The Climb"!!! It made my day! :)

It's true what has been said (by Elder Packer?) that the strengthening and forming of a testimony is found in the building of it. We bear testimony all the time (one of the many great perks as being a servant of the Lord) and it is wonderful. I can tell I have grown so much being here in just 4 weeks...I can't imagine what the next 17 months-ish will be like. I'll be a whole new (better) person! Last night we taught one of our "investigators" about the Plan of Salvation. I was responsible for teaching about the Pre-Earth life and the Creation. It was the BEST lesson we've ever had. The Spirit was incredibly strong and I could literally feel the Spirit working through me. It is such a privilege and honor to be a chosen and worthy vessel of the Lord. Everyone else could feel the Spirit present...my companions and I and our teacher (who is our investigator). She told us twice after what a good lesson it was (something she's never done before). I'm not a huge fan of role plays because they feel fake to me and all I think is this person is an endowed member of the church...what can I do? But so much more! Bearing testimony of the gift of our physical bodies is where the Spirit came with full force. So, I've learned at least 2 things from that experience...even in role plays I can be a missionary and the importance of the spirit and of our bodies (I guess that was 3). I hope every lesson from now on can go like that!

Oh one more thing...another Elder from our district went home last weekend. It was very hard on everyone because he was making such progress in his Spanish and teaching but he didn't see it in himself so he went home. I was incredibly disappointed to say the least. I have a little better understanding of how our Heavenly Father feels when we're doing great but we lack enough faith to keep going forward. But one thing is for sure, He still loves us and there is no point in life where we can't return to Him nor does He wish otherwise. The Atonement is wonderful. I can feel of it's power so strongly in my life. It's incredibly difficult being here. Waking up at 6:30 can be the worst thing ever, let alone getting out of bed, but Christ is there. Sometimes I think He is pulling my blanket off of me and tugging at my arm to get up. I know that everything wrong in life can be made right in Jesus Christ. I'm reminded of this truth everyday and I'm so grateful that I can be one of the special messengers of God to invite others to come unto Christ.

Well that's it for this week. The days are slow but the weeks are flying. I can't wait for NJ, though it is scary, but go forward with faith and all will be well :)

Love you all,

Hermana Peterson

PS If you see any missionaries out there, say hi and be kind to them...maybe even listen to their message (whether you're a member or not!) ;)

Another Letter from Our Favorite Missionary

Hello family and friends,

Well the rumors are true that times does go A LOT faster after the first 4 days. 3 weeks tomorrow! Well a lot has happened this past week...I'll try to get it all done before time runs out (that timer is so distracting!)

One of my companions, Hma Henderson, pulled her right quad muscle Thursday so that was rough for her. It was getting lots better but then she pulled it again in the same spot this morning. Poor girl. Please keep her in your prayers. My other companion, Hma Wagner, has been having chest pain and difficulty breathing so on Saturday we went to the front desk to ask the on-call doctor and he ordered us to go to InstaCare and have them check it out. So, we got to go into the real world! A shuttle driver drove us there, picked us up and then took us to the pharmacy, and then picked us up to take us back to the MTC. It was great. EVERYONE was looking at us and most everyone smiled and waved and said hello (I guess because we're in Provo...) but it was weird to actually stand out. At the MTC everyone has a nametag so I tend to forget it won't always be like this.

On Sunday, I gave the closing prayer in Sacrament Meeting. Everyone in the branch/my zone is going on a Spanish-speaking mission so Sacrament Meeting is all done in Spanish except when a member of the branch presidency speaks. I was so scared and even had written out a prayer to take up there and read but the whole meeting was about faith so I figured that was a sign to me to exercise some more of it so I didn't take my "script" with me and it was a SUCCESS!!! It was a very simple prayer but I'm so happy :) Baby steps, but I'm getting there :)

So some people have been asking what my days are like at the MTC, especially Sundays. Well, if you're doing everything to the T you're never to have a down minute. If you finish something early, you are to study or fill it in somehow. We wake up at 6:30 and go to bed at 10:30 and those 16-hour days are full with class time (learning how to teach), teaching fake investigators, language study, personal study, companionship study, gym time, and eating. My day revolves around when is the next meal and when can I go to bed. Then we look forward to Sundays because there's no class and Tuesday's because it's P-Day and Wednesdays because new people come and we realize we made it another week and we're not the newbies any more!

The MTC can be rough too. With nearly 2,700 missionaries they have to be very strict. We're not allowed to listen to music at all (major bummer) unless a teacher does during class (which has yet to happen), you can't dance, sing, or clap (in the cafeteria). It feels like the movie "Footloose" sometimes! I'm sure you've heard the analogy that it's a "Spirit Prison" here, but I don't like that term. The spirit is strong and I'm happy to be here but I'll be even happier when this is all for real and not just training (I know, I know, I maybe thinking differently when that time comes). The Elders in my district came up with the new nickname of "God's Boot Camp" for the MTC. That's a little more fitting. Especially since we are joining God's army ;)

This past Sunday we had an amazing fireside by one of the MTC administrators. He talked about the definition of Success and determining if you have it on your mission. It was really good and I'm pretty sure it will have a lasting impact on my way of thinking throughout my mission. Basically, he said we need to have a "perhaps" mentality as it's mentioned a lot in the Book of Mormon, especially Ether 12 and Alma. We work hard and do all that we can that PERHAPS someone will be receptive to the gospel. Contrary to popular belief, Baptism is not the guarantee that Heavenly Father gives to faithful missionaries, but JOY is. Wow! Soooo good :) We're told that an apostle is coming tonight for the MTC Devotional but they won't say who exactly. I'm excited!

Well, I think that's about everything. 2 of the Elders, Wall and Timothy, are leaving Thursday morning for the Dominican Republic MTC and we'll be left with just 6 people in our district (which is very unusual especially to have half of them girls) but I'm excited for more one-on-one time with my teachers but they will definitely be missed. I need to get going. Time is almost out.

I love you all and don't think you'll fully realize what great strength your prayers provide for me. Thank you. I hope to hear from you soon. Until next week, take it easy.

Love,

Hermana Peterson

Week 2

Well this past week has definitely gone faster than first 4 days :)

The Spanish is coming along which is such a blessing! Don't get me wrong I still have a long way to go but I'm constantly amazed how much I can understand and kind of speak. (Speaking is perhaps the hardest for me along with hearing words but writing and especially reading are more of my strengths). My zone (or here in the MTC my branch) is all Spanish-speaking missionaries so most everything is done in Spanish -- the prayers, the Sacrament, some talks (except if someone from the Branch presidency speaks), and testimonies are in Spanish. This past Sunday I was surprised how much I understood what was going on. I'm so grateful to have the gift of tongues and Heaven's help with learning.

It feels like not much goes on here. Our lives revolve around meals and gym time because that means we get to eat and go outside lol. I feel like I'm getting so fat here because I eat so much more than I used to with significantly less exercise (I underestimated how much walking to class and around Rexburg did for me). The food isn't bad. It's definitely not Mom or Kevin's delicious cooking but it's enjoyably edible haha It's also nice not to have to cook my own food either. I always try to make a conscious effort to thank the workers though because feeding nearly 3,000 people 3x a day is an intense job.

Some very funny things have been happening in my companionship (I hope you can sense the hilarity of it all!) Well we have been learning easily 50 words a day and it gets very challenging to remember. Well Hma Wagner was trying to ask, "Do you have hunger?" (aka are you hungry) instead of using hambre (hungry) she said hombre (men) so she asked do you have men?! Then our "investigator" Ismael we said his last name was Jones but you pronounce it differently with the Spanish alphabet so Sis. Wagner kept saying the last name which we came to find out by our teacher was not a good word, it's part of the male anatomy...oops! Then this morning at laundry Sis. Wagner again (it's so funny this keeps happening to her) accidentally took one garment bottom from one of the Elders who left it in her dryer. We didn't notice until we got back to the room and started folding our clothes...oh man we died laughing in hysterics!!!!!!! Speaking of, that is something our companionship is VERY good at: LAUGHING! We laugh all the time. They say laughter is the best medicine which is good and it definitely helps alleviate some of the stress we constantly face.

So, I was reading in Moses 6 last night about Enoch and how he didn't understand why God had called him to the work because he was hated by the people and slow of speech. I can understand where he is coming from, but I love the Lord's response and gives comfort that he will help him. However, my favorite was the end of verse 39, "for he walked with God." My brother, Brian, wrote me a note on my family-signed pillowcase that said enjoy my walk with God and I didn't understand until I read that last night. Then it hit me, WOW!!! I really am walking with God. It's very humbling that He trusts me to help bring souls unto Him. I was reading in Preach My Gospel yesterday (can I just say how much I love that book?! It's so inspired.) that says as you bear testimony and share spiritual experiences with those you first meet they will recognize you as servants of the Lord. That hit me too. I absolutely love wearing the black nametag but I tend to forget how important and special it is because everyone around here has one too. It will be awesome though when I'm in NJ and everyone is staring at me. It'll be weird at first, but yes stare, talk to me, let's learn :)

I'm running out of time. I can't upload photos again so I went to the bookstore and ordered some to be printed so I can't send them out until next P-Day but they are coming :) Thanks again for all those who wrote me this past week and sent stuff (the cookies were delicious Mom! We all enjoyed them thoroughly). Thank you also for your prayers. Please don't let either of them stop. It's amazing the support, strength, and encouragement they bring, and at just the right time. Hope everyone is doing well. You're in my prayers but I know Heavenly Father is watching out for you for me, He definitely does love His missionaries.

Hope to hear from you again!

Until next week, all my love,

Hermana Peterson

First Email!

Hola Familia (y amigos),

You probably think I can speak Spanish now like crazy huh? Psych! This language is so difficult for me to grasp, but as I said at my farewell. Like my math classes, the Lord will help me :)

Well I don't have a lot of time (the countdown timer in the upper right hand corner says I have 20 mins left), so I'll do my best. I'm not going to lie, saying good bye to people and having been dropped off was very challenging. I had to hold back the water works (and was mostly successful). My original assigned companion never showed up so I'm in a trio with 2 other companions. Hermana (Jeanine) Wagner is from South Carolina and is a southern bell. I love her. She is kind and outgoing yet incredibly in tune with the Spirit. Hermana (Karen) Henderson is from upstate New York, near Palmyra. She is also great, very on key and focused and not afraid to work or laugh. I have been truly blessed with such great companions. Both of them will be serving in the New Mexico Alberquerque Mission so I will miss them, but it's nice to be with them now.

There were originally supposed to be 10 missionaries in my district, but my companion never came so now there is 10. 2 of the Elders, Wall and Timothy, will be serving in the Dominican Republic and leave in 2 weeks for the DR MTC. 2 other Elders, Flint and Johnson, will also be serving in NM with my companions. They are by far the hardest working elders in the district. They know what they want, why they're here, and not afraid to work. Lastly, the 2 other sets of Elders, Hanks and Winslow, will be going with me to NJ (!!!!!!!!!!!). However, Elder Hanks has been feeling very discouraged and is being transferred to an English-speaking district. So we're down to 8 in the district and in 2 weeks we'll have 6, so we'll be getting to know them even more. The elders...oh the elders. They're so....little. Haha but the maturation process has to start somewhere ;) but then again, I know I have more growing up to do too.

You're probably wondering about the Spanish. It's HARD. Whoever thought going on a mission was a break from school was sorely mistaken. As Elder Flint said, this is an INTENSE school. I feel like I haven't really been taught much Spanish, my teacher speaks, I look super confused, and then he repeats in English. I'm told eventually I'll get it. I have faith :) As you can guess, Tuesdays are my P-Days. We get to go to the temple in an hour and I'm SUPER excited! I know it's only been a week, but man that was a long week.

It's crazy to think I've only been here for 6 days. Those first 4 or so days were the longest ever! I felt like a year and a half would never come. Not that I'm eager for the end of my mission, but I want to enjoy it and not just drag my feet all day. It is getting better though, I'm feeling more confident, getting more comfortable, and getting into the routine. 9 mins left...ahh! I wanted to attach a photo but can seem to figure out how...If I can't get it next week, I'll send some out.

We taught our first "investigator", Ismael, this week and it was great! Well there was some significant language barriers but sharing the gospel is wonderful. Role playing is not as bad as I anticipated and I'm eager for the field even more. OH! I absolutely LOVE wearing the black nametag, to literally take upon myself Christ's name. Such a blessing.

I only have a few mins left (man does time fly) but I wanted to thank everyone for their letters, emails, notecards (that I keep finding amidst all my stuff!), prayers, encouragement, support, love, etc. It means the world. I can feel you and it's fantastic. Don't forget to write or be shy about it. I'll write back. Snail mail and DearElder.com (it's free for the MTC!) are wonder :)

My address is:

Sister DaNae Peterson

MTC mailbox # 261

NJ - Mor 0926

2005 N. 900 E.

Provo, UT 84604

Though it's hard, I won't give up. I've been called to serve a mission and in the Spanish language. I've been called to do it because He knows I can do it, what more can I need? It's overwhelming, frustrating, and even discouraging at times, but the Spirit is strong and I will not give up. Even if I know 2 words, I will still go to New Jersey with the Spirit as my translator and interpreter, but I'll keep working giving it it my all.

I need to get going, but thanks again. I love you all and will email and write next week. Those who wrote me, expect letters :)

OK I'm going for real now, 40 seconds!

Love,

Hermana Peterson