Saturday, December 26, 2015

A Merry Peterson Christmas

Oh, hey there. Soooo...whoops. Sorry its been so long y'all! I'm mostly writing on here again for three reasons...

1. One of my New Years Resolutions is to blog more because I like pictures and writing so why not, right?
2. I need to be better about writing in my journal so I figured that this works basically the same. Can I get an amen?!
3. My RSP (relief society president), L. Flo (Lauren Flores), reaaaalllyyyy wants me to and I love her so here I am. This is for you boo!

So many things have happened since I last blogged but here are just a few Christmas updates with cute pictures! Yesterday was December 25th, 2015 otherwise known as Christmas as some of you may know... It was the first Christmas that my whole family has been together in about four years. So that was pretty monumental in itself. It was also my first Christmas home from my mission and it felt so good to be around family again for the most wonderful time of the year. 




Me, Jenna holding baby G, Jessyka & Oma Vest

  OKAY baby overload time. #sorrynotsorry #auntielife


Claire & Autumn in their Christmas Outfits
Leah
Claire & Autumn

I was able to meet my two month old nephew, Gordon (Baby G), for the first time. What a squish.
Claire, Me & Autumn 
For our Christmas Eve dinner we eat all sorts of appetizers like chips and homemade salsa (thanks dad!), taquitos, shrimp, mozzarella sticks and homemade sushi (thanks dad!)

Every Christmas Eve we watch Albert Finney's "Scrooge" per my father's request. This kid/line is a classic inside joke with my family.

Back in the 90's when my family lived in California my parent's friends hosted an annual Christmas breakfast where they had an open house type deal. When we moved to Pennsylvania in November of '97 my parents thought that it would be a great way to meet new people so they decided to start their own Christmas breakfast. 2015 marks the eighteenth year!



Christmas Dinner
Mmm Christmas Dinner: Prime Rib, Cheesy rolls (not pictured because I had already eaten it. See that little plate with crumbs on it?), Garlic mashed potatoes, Asparagus and salad (also not pictured because.. hunger.)
"As the Christmas season envelops us with all its glory, may we, as did the Wise Men, seek a bright, particular star to guide us to our Christmas opportunity in service to our fellowman. May we all make the journey to Bethlehem in spirit, taking with us a tender, caring heart as our gift to the Savior. And may one and all have a joy-filled Christmas." -President Thomas S. Monson

Merry Christmas! xoxo

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Family Matters






For my family foundations ( I like to refer to it as marriage and family 101 plus a million) class at BYU-Idaho this semester we have a final project (yesssssss the end is in sight) called the family citizenship capstone project. Basically it’s just a wrap up project of the things that you took away from that semester. You could either pick one of the teacher's suggestions of projects or you could come up with your own idea. Pretty obvious decision. I came up with my own idea for this project. I decided to interview different people like a single person, an engaged couple, a newly-wed couple and a couple that's been married for basically ever (thanks mom!). I asked them questions about their children (future and now), their goals, dreams, advice and what's so great about being married and having a family with the one that you love most in this world. WHY do we get married? WHY is family so important? Being an LDS woman (in Rexburg Idaho, of all places) these two things have come to mean so much more to me over the last couple of years. I wanted to find out what they mean to others. I believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. And I believe that that law will never change. Don’t forget what your family means to you. The family you have now and the one that you someday will have. Prepare now to be the kind of person that God knows you can become. If you're not married, work on being the person that your future companion/children need and the right person will come along. Just remember to be happy! If you are married, resolve to work on being a better wife/husband, father/mother. There is always time for improvement within the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 



                                                                       THE SINGLE LIFE: MEET MEG (watch out boys;))


  
1. What are your goals for your future family? Have you thought about any?
Yes, I want to establish spiritual patterns early on in my family so that we can continue to build off of that foundation throughout our lives. I want to establish a home where the spirit can dwell and where evil influences won’t be allowed to enter.

2.What goals do you want for you and your future husband?
 I want to strive to ALWAYS have open communication with my husband, I want us each to encourage us to be better in all aspects of our lives, I really want us to be a team (equally yoked), TRUST, always put God first.

3. Is it important to you to have regular family home evening? Why?
 I remember in my family growing up we weren’t always amazing at having family home evening but I do remember that we had it enough that I was this pattern and I want that. I feel like sometimes the littlest things can give the greatest spiritual strength. It’s something I want to start even when it’s just me and my husband even before we have kids because then it will already be a habit.

4. What are some family traditions that you want to have?
I think it would be fun to go on a road trip together once a year. In our family we would have family movie night every Friday so growing up that would be something we would look forward to so that's something that I want to implement in my future family because it’s something really simple but it’s a great way to bond and create memories.

5. Growing up, what have you experienced that would help your family? What wouldn’t work?
I’ve always believed very strongly that the best thing a mother and father can give their children is to love each other. Taking the time to talk about hard things is a worthy investment otherwise problems just get shoved under the rug and are never dealt with and that allows things to fester. You can’t be afraid of communication.

6. Family dinners? Yes or no and why?
YES. Some of my favorite memories were Sunday dinners. We would go around the table and share the best part of our day with each other.  It was a way that we could let steam off and laugh. I look forward to making those memories with my family someday.

7. How do you want to raise your future family? Discipline your children?
I’ve heard it say that “the best teachers let their students teach themselves.” So in my future family I really want to instill gospel principles in children’s lives but as they grow grant them freedom in increments to make their own decisions and learn from those consequences, whether they be good or bad. I also want my children to know that they can come to for anything. I want to be the first person that they go to when they are hurt or confused or alone. I want to teach them about the royal heritage that they come from.

8. What do you look for in an eternal companion?
I want him to put God before anything else (and then me… ha ha!) I think you can tell a lot about a guy by the way he treats his mother and I would hope that he knows his standards and never justifies lowering them under any circumstances. This is important. I want someone that can make me laugh. I feel like laughter keeps you young. I’m a sucker for guys who love children. That’s a huge deal breaker for me.

9. What do you look forward to most in your eternal marriage?
Sex! (just being honest), living with my best friend, experiencing pregnancy, the ups and downs of motherhood, seeing my posterity prosper, flirting in old age *I think that’s cute ;)

10. Why is obtaining an eternal marriage important to you?
It’s everything that I’ve looked forward to since I was five years old, I remember doing the temple in a can activity in young women’s just dreaming about the day that I could find someone who would be mine forever. I love the concept of forever I don’t think that there’s anything more divine. I think that level of commitment scares a lot of people in the world but for me I think the idea of being able to spend eternity with someone that I love is everything that I’ve ever wanted. There’s nothing more romantic. 


                                                                                          THE ENGAGED COUPLE: MEET KYLE & VAL

Inline image 1


1. What are your goals for your future family?
I want to be a stay at home mother for the first couple years for my child’s life because Kyle and I realized that’s important. Give my children what I didn’t have. Make sure they get to go to every activity, they are part of clubs. I have a goal of being sealed in the temple so that my children can be born in the covenant.

2. Do you have any goals for you and your future husband?
We want to travel. We have a goal of scripture study together every night. Listen to each other more. Making communication a priority. Be as a debt free as possible.

3. What are some family traditions that you want to have?
Mother goose tradition that Kyle’s family does. You give each other gifts on New Year’s Day. It’s unique to his family so I want to keep that going. Since being best friends our sophomore year in high school we have gone to warehouse beach in Oregon. In my family growing up we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve and then open our stockings on Christmas day.

4. Is it important to you to have regular family home evening? Why?
It’s extremely important to me and mainly for the fact that I didn’t have it. I really enjoyed doing family home evening with others on my mission and I thought “I want to do this with my family”.

5. Growing up, what have you experienced that would help you with your future family? What things did you see that you don’t want to do?
I don’t want to get divorced! Definitely not. I really like how my grandparents have always, always been loyal to each other. I heard in life that you should always be loyal to your spouse first. Even when my grandpa was wrong, my grandma would back him up and of course apologize later… haha.
I want to be affectionate in front of my children. My family is not like that but Kyle’s family is and I really like that.

6. Family dinners? Yes or no and why?
Oh! Definitely! That was one thing that was constant when I was at my grandparents and they were the best!

7. How do you want to raise your future family? Discipline your children?
I want to raise them a home where they can be totally honest. I want to raise them where they are not afraid to say them wrong thing. I want them to feel safe and loved.
I would never hit my kids but I want to explain why things are wrong. I want my kids to understand why they are in trouble and not just tell them they are in trouble because that happened to me growing up.

8. What do you most look forward to for your marriage together?
Can I answer that honestly?  … Sex!
Having a best friend forever. Someone that I will see every day. I will always have a shoulder to cry on, someone to laugh with, to watch movies with. I don’t have to worry about “Oh what if we break up or what are we going to do next year” I’m just excited to have a companion… a forever companion.

9.  How’d you know that you wanted to be together forever?
He’s been my best friend since sophomore year. We have known each other since seventh grade and I’ve always wanted to marry my best friend. We were sitting in the temple and he and I just knew. He had called me up and said “Hey I want to marry you!” and I was a little skeptical and he and I just knew that next weekend that it was right.

10.   What’s the best advice that anyone has given you as you prepare for marriage?
Sacrifice and compromise. My grandma told me that and I was like that’s so right!

                THE NEWLYWEDS: MEET CJ & CORTNEY (Fun fact: They got married on my birthday. How perfect.)

                                                    Displaying IMG_6514.JPG

1. What are your goals for your future family?
To have all of our children endowed and in the temple with us at least once! (And to have children!)

2. What are some goals that you two have together as a couple? 
Currently, we attend the temple weekly. We rotate through the ordinances. 
We pray and read scriptures together daily. We also try to always eat dinner together and go for a walk or something together at night. 
We also want to go on as many missions as we can later in life (especially CoCo ;))

3. Is it important to you to have regular family home evening? Why?
It is super important! It's also really hard as a married couple because you kind of just stare at each other. We have used it as a tool to get to know others in our ward. But we know it will be an important tool in our future family because it will be where our children learn the foundations of the gospel.

4. What are some family traditions that you want to have? Or that you have already started. 
We definitely want to have family prayer every morning. 
Cortney- I was from a family where my mom would wake up the older kids (high school started later) to make sure we always had family prayer. I always appreciated that. 
Of course we have other traditions for Christmas and stuff that I love as well.

5. Growing up, what have you experienced that would help your family to be better? What wouldn’t work? 
I loved that my parents instilled the knowledge of who I was. I knew I was a daughter of God my whole life. That defined every choice I made and gave me confidence before the Lord and the world. I want to continue that. 
More individualized parenting for each child

6. Family dinners? Yes or no and why?
We love family dinners and both came from a home where they were important! It was great and is great to reconnect at the end of each day. It's also important for us to have the opportunity to remember Heavenly Father. It's not a coincidence that we pray over food.

7. How do you want to raise your future family? Discipline your children?
Come back to us in a few years Hahahahaha. We have no idea. 

8. How would you describe “the honeymoon phase”? Myth or reality? 
Cortney- We were both trying to be realists before we got married, but we still had a slight honeymoon phase where we were totally obsessed with one another. It's a special time, but its better when you're out of it. That's when you really get to choose to love each other. And you stop thinking "Ohhh they're so perfect". You get to have a real shot at a real marriage and getting better together. 
 CJ- I think its truth. It's a period of time where you have no worries. All of your attention is focused on your spouse. 

9. What surprised you the most about being married?
CJ- All of it!  
Cortney- I think just how different it is living with a boy who isn't your brother haha.

10. What’s the best part about marriage?
Cortney- going to bed and waking up with your best buddy. 
CJ- getting to wake up next to Cortney every morning. 
Cortney- that's what I said!!!!! 

THE BEEN TOGETHER FOR THIRTY TWO YEARS COUPLE: MEET JORDAN & ADRIENNE (The greatest parents that ever existed... do I get money for saying that?)

                                   

1.  What were some of your goals for your family when you were newly married?
Raise children in the church, my husband to have good paying jobs to provide for our children, my children to have a good education, live in a good neighborhood, and be raised in a happy family, good experiences with family.

2. Why is family so important?
Side note: *started singing families can be together forever*(more like an outburst). “We need people in our lives that love us and that we can love”

3. What were goals that you had for you and your husband together as a couple?
Be financially stable, Stay healthy (exercise and eat healthy), always stay close and stay friends through communication and living the gospel.

4. What’s the importance of family home evening to you?
Time to spend together as a family. Night set aside specifically to us. I remember when one of my daughters was older, she moved out and came home every Monday night for family night and that is when I really realized how important it is.

5. What are some family traditions that you had when your children were growing up?
Christmas breakfast for neighbors/friends and watching Scrooge on Christmas Eve, visiting family every year (we don't mess around with family reunions), watch general conference together, Christmas time in Philly, fourth of July fireworks at a park.

6. Why are traditions important?
It brings us closer together. They are HAPPY TIMES (for the most part). 
7. Family dinners? Yes or no and why?
YES. Expectation to sit down and eat together. A chance to talk and communicate every night. 

8. How did you discipline your children?
Sometimes we did time-outs but not really
Jordan would take our children into the den and talk to them one on one, lose privileges; we didn't ground our kids (I had to remind her that that is totally false because I was grounded all.the.time. OOPS)

9. What advice would you give about the married life?
Make sure you pray together, have family home evening, and go to church together. Have common values and morals, communicate- talk to each other often, be best friends. Put that person first. Think about what would make that person happy. Do things together. Talk (its super important) look at them as your family. “Don’t look at them like oh, I can get rid of them someday” they are family.

10.   What’s the best part about being married?

You have someone to be with. You’re not alone. You have someone to talk to, cry with, do things with, and raise your children with. When your babies are crying you have someone when you can’t do it anymore hehe.




                                                                                  

                                                                                  REMEMBER WHAT MATTERS MOST






Sunday, May 10, 2015

Motherhood: God's Gift to All


Meet Adrienne Jo.




She is a daughter, wife, cousin, niece, aunt, sister, convert to the church. Side note: Hearing her conversion story is the coolest. Y'all should ask her about it sometime if you haven't heard it yet. (seriously guys..get on that!) She is also a role model, an inspiration to all but most importantly she is MY mother. I can't imagine my life without her. As I've grown up, I've realized how much she truly means to me and how much she has done for me and how much she has sacrificed for me throughout my life. She's basically the coolest person ever and if you don't know her, you probably should. She's loyal, caring, trustworthy and fierce (she passed that one onto me ) She inspired me to serve a mission because she set that example by serving one herself. I remember asking her one day before I left on my mission why she decided to serve. At the time she had been a convert to the church for less than two years. Can you even begin to imagine what that would have been like?! She told me that when she had daughters of her own (little did she know that she would have SIX!) and they asked her why she did or didn't serve a mission when she had the opportunity to she wanted to be able to look them in the eyes and tell them that she served a mission because she loves God. She was my biggest support system while I was on my mission. She never missed a single week of emailing me and always spoiled me with letters and packages. I love our mommy daughter dates which mostly... usually... okay let's be real always consisted of Costco runs (trying all the samples.. YOLO. Its a must okay! Hey ma, remember that time you told me to get the strawberries so I was searching high and low for the perfect box of strawberries for you and finally found them but there was only one slight problem... so I made the classic mistake of grabbing the box that was underneath like a million other boxes just to watch the other boxes fall all over the floor and all you did was laugh at me? Real nice. Real classy. And Costco didn't even kick us out guys! What nice people. Let's keep in mind that this was the summer before my mission haha) This woman makes me laugh. All of my friends tell me how hilarious my mom is and its true! Especially on social media.. that woman writes some hilarious posts. Add her on Facebook! You'll see what I mean :) 
I know that no one could have raised (and handled me) as well as my mother has. That's because she is the perfect mom for me. I'll always be your brown eyed baby girl. 
Happy Mother's Day! 
I love you mommy!!  

Monday, March 9, 2015

RM LIFE

The Philly airport @ 1am.
That's a normal time to be at the airport, right?
Friday, February 27th 2015
Welp. I'm home. I'm a Returned Missionary... That's crazy to say. But also so so so awesome.

This is week two of being home.
It's weird.
But a happy weird.
<---Here's proof

I love reconnecting with family, old friends, mission companions/friends. Its been super fun. But I do miss my mission a ton. I miss Colorado. I miss wearing a nametag. I miss teaching the gospel. And I even miss having a companion... did I just say that? Totally kidding but that alone time thing though...
RM life is a tad bit awkward. Even though I didn't learn a new language on my mission. I feel like I did! (mission lingo for the win) I keep mixing up words and phrases, stumbling over my words. I think the universe just likes the fact that RM's are super awkward. I'm sure that its charming, right?
Enough about my awkwardness, lets get to the spiritual aspect of this post...

I LOVE my mission for several reasons but just to name a few:

It changed me. You can't learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teach it every day and NOT become more fully converted to the gospel.
It strengthened me.
It made me think about my life and how I needed to change to be who Heavenly Father knows I could be.
It gave me hope. The kind of hope that helped me to know that I can get through anything with God.
My relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ is so much stronger because I was allowed to feel just a sliver (probably smaller.. so maybe a speck? or a dot?) of how he felt while he was on the earth.
It helped me understand the scriptures/doctrine better.
It helped me to gain a better eternal perspective.
It was the best thing for my life.
It helped me make better goals for myself.
It helped me to know where I want to go after this life.
It helped me to know who I am and to act accordingly.
I was able to feel Godly love for those around me. You just learn to love people when you see  them through God's eyes.
The people that I met. (Probably one of my favorite things about the mission)
 The laughs, inside jokes, awkward funny moments AND the hard trials, the heartache, and the  disappointment. I know that there must be opposition in all things. And that's okay.

I just like to look at it as: I'm Kyra 2.0 ;)

I couldn't have asked for a better experience and I thank my Father in Heaven every day that I was able to serve a mission. It may not have been part of my life plans a few years ago but I KNOW with all my heart that I needed to serve a mission. There are people that I met on my mission that I know that I needed to find and teach. We can have such powerful influences on others lives whether we realize it or not. I learned that its important to share the gospel at. all. times. We can do that by our words or actions. Choose to do both!

The gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone. It changes people. It saves their lives. I know this because that's exactly what it did for me.

                                            Happy Monday y'all!

Monday, February 23, 2015

My eighteen month adventure

Hey everyone!!

So the baptism on Saturday was amazing and  a huge miracle!! C, A and T ALL got baptized. Probably the best day ever. Everything ran smoothly and worked out perfectly, we couldn't have asked for anything better! So let me tell you how that happened. So we went over to their house on Tuesday and C said "T wants to be baptized but he said you never asked him. (but we all know that you did)" So we talk to T and ask him why he wants to be baptized and then we had the elders talk to him to see if he was ready and they agreed that he was! So they were all interviewed and were ready for Saturday! Talk about a miracle! The Spirit was so strong and it was a good reminder to us all that this gospel is all about the family. They are great examples to me of faith and hope.

This is weird (I've been saying that a lot lately). I have loved the past eighteen months of my life while I have served the Lord and the people in the Colorado Colorado Springs Mission. It has changed me for the better. Here's a little re-cap about what I've been up to for these eighteen months:

NorthGate
Sister Mangisi
Sister Ercanbrack
My first area where I learned HOW (honestly that took me my whole mission because we are constantly learning and messing up and then trying again) to be a missionary because I had an awesome trainer that showed me the ropes plus I literally had no idea what I was doing. I was in this area for six months and I learned a ton here because then straight out of my training, I trained a new missionary which was really scary but I needed it to help me learn and grow more. I did a lot of growing in this area, it was a good place to start my mission!

Pueblo YSA Rescue Team
Sister Bush
Sister Clawson
My second area was sooo different from my first area because 1. its pueblo haha (you have to go there to know what I mean!) and 2. we were working with the ysa, talk about awkward moments (like all the time, awkward). But I loved being here and working with the less active ysa. I learned the importance of bringing those lost sheep back into the fold. This is also where I met Amber and Alyxx who both got baptized! I love those girls so much and am so grateful that I met them.

Lone Tree
Sister Bjarnason
Sister Harrop
This area taught me to work no matter what is going on in an area. There were a lot of days here that I wanted to give up because we literally had nothing to do. It helped increase my faith in God and in HIS timing. I learned that things will work out the way God wants them to, not how we want them to. Transfer of 1,000 ringing a bell? Highlight of my mission for sure! Also, that it doesn't matter which ward a baptism takes place in just as long as that person makes those sacred covenants with their Father in Heaven. Its not about the credit, its about helping others.

Meridian
Sister Stock
This area taught me to love people no matter what. It doesn't matter how they treat you or what they may say about you. We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. I can now say that I see people through God's eyes and I try to see the good in people because everyone has a family that loves and cares about them. "We are just simply walking each other home" President Uchtdorf

Manassa First Ward
Sister Bush
Welp, I couldn't get away from this companion. She just loves me too much (she's watching me type this... pressure haha but really). I was only in this area for my last six weeks but I learned a ton here. I learned that people are prepared and some of us may plant the seeds and others may harvest the seeds. It doesn't matter who does what, as long as we are in the right place at the right time. God has many people that are prepared to hear the gospel and it is our responsibility to find them! This work is so important. We are talking about our brothers and sisters that are lost and need to be found or those that don't know where to find it. I was so blessed to meet Crystal, Akyera and Tarzan and to be able to witness their baptism. It isn't anything that I did because we don't convert anyone. The Holy Ghost does the converting but that we need to make sure that we live our lives so that He can work through us.

All of these places and these companions have changed me. I have grown and learned so much about this gospel. I KNOW without a doubt that my Father in Heaven and Savior, Jesus Christ love me and want me to come home. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that He is my rock and that we have a really good relationship because I have let Him help me in my life. Seeing the gospel change lives has been worth all of the hardships, trials, tears, heartbreaks, emotional breakdowns because it has taught me how to love others more fully, how to be happy and to have joy which is what this life is all about. Serving a mission was by the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life but it was the BEST thing that I could have done with my life and I will never regret or forget these memories. Colorado stole my heart and I am so lucky that its close enough to come back to visit. I now understand God's plan for me and who, with his help, I can become.

I love you all so much. Thank you for the support and prayers, they have meant to much to me. SEE YOU ON THURSDAY!!!

Love from Manassa,
Sister Peterson

P.S. Please pray for the snow to stop!! Its insane out there!



Monday, February 16, 2015

Guided Safely Home

Hey y'all!! :)

This week was been super busy and exhausting... pretty sure I say this every week but yeah... its the truth! We have been preparing for C and A's baptism on Saturday and almost have the programs done! So we will be running around like crazy this week preparing for that. We are so excited for them to make these covenants with their Heavenly Father. They were so prepared and it just goes to show that timing is everything! 

Welllll the ward caught us and had Sister Bush and I both speak in church yesterday. It went super well! I spoke on President Monson's talk "Guided Safely Home" that he gave in the Priesthood session last October. It talked about how we need to not let our personal rudders get jammed. So I gave some examples on things that jam our rudders and then things that un-jam them. I talked about how pride, sin, discouragement, not going to church, not reading your scriptures and now praying can all jam your rudder. Now the way to un-jam your rudders is to have faith, go to church, read your scriptures, pray daily, follow promptings from the holy ghost, and doing missionary work (my personal fave. whaddup!). There are a ton of things that we can do to un-jam our rudders but its our choice whether or not we will allow those distractions into our lives or not. We can all choose to follow God or not and we have been given the map to get back home. That's what its all about.. going home back to our Heavenly Father. We have the responsibility to share that knowledge with those that don't know. It will change their lives. 

This week will be really busy with appointments, the baptism, specialized training on Wednesday and getting everything ready so bring it on! Serving a mission has helped me to know that I CAN do hard things with the Lord's help. He has blessed me so much in my life and has given me the strength that I need. I have literally felt Him carrying me through some of the toughest days of like ever and has lifted me up to higher grounds. God is our loving Father in Heaven and Jesus is our savior and elder brother. They love us more then we can comprehend and that love is worth all of the hardships that you may go through. That love can carry your through the darkest times and can help you to know that you are sons and daughters of the Almighty. When you have that knowledge you will act accordingly. I also started over on the Book of Mormon again! I love this gospel and I love all of you so much. I believe that I have the best family in the world (because its the truth!) Stay strong and keep going. You can do hard things!! Have a great week and I will talk to you next week! 

XOXO
Sister Peterson 

Pictures:
selfie with sweetpea, A's dog
Totally burned a shirt for my eighteen month mark... good times!



Monday, February 9, 2015

Eighteen Months!

Hey everyone!!

I had a great week. Very very busy which is like basically celestial for missionaries. Also, celestial is a great word. Use it. It will change your life.

C is still planning to get baptized on the twenty first  so we have been seeing her every day and helping her prepare for that. She has cut down a ton on smoking! She told us yesterday that she was fasting (her choice, we didn't tell her to) to help her to quit smoking. Its amazing to see how much faith she has. She's had a really rough life and it just goes to show that the gospel is really for EVERYONE and that the gospel does change lives. Miracle! A said that she wants to get baptized with her mom now! We were like kind of shocked when she told us because lately she has been pulling back from the church but she's really started to realize that the gospel makes you the happiest that you can be. Still waiting on T to see what he decides to do but we think that he will be baptized too! The gospel is all about the family so why not make it a family day?! They really are so great and I am so blessed to have met them.

Saturday is my eighteen month mark and something else is that day too but I can't seem to remember it right now.. oh well! I can't even believe that I am hitting eighteen months!! It almost feels surreal. I have been reflecting on my mission lately and thinking about everything that I have done. I know that I am a better person, disciple of Christ, missionary because of all of the experiences that I've had. Its been an amazing ride and I am glad that I still have time! Its been busyyyy with the member lessons and we got twenty one 45 minute preach my gospel lessons this week! (the goal is twenty other lessons each week and we finally accomplished that goal! plus one!) WINNING. And our zone leaders in zone training on Friday might have asked us how for tips for the other missionaries to learn from. That's what's up! The mission is great. Life is good.

Y'all are great! Keep the faith and help someone out in need this week! Sorry there are no pictures. I have been slacking with taking them lately:(

XOXO,
Sister Peterson