Week 27: Bringing Souls Unto Christ

Hey guys!

We have been really busy this week visiting members and less active members in the ward. The most spiritual thing that happened this week was helping a less active member quit drinking coffee! Remember the picture I sent you of me and another guy standing in the Sacred Grove? That’s him! It’s so amazing to see how the atonement can change people so much. I love the atonement of Jesus Christ. It shows me how powerful it is to change a soul to what Heavenly Father wants him to be.

We also spent part of the week helping one of our potential investigators move. Their names are M and J Abbate. Their son just passed away not too long ago. He froze to death while trapped in his car during that huge snow storm here in November. It’s so sad. We have been helping them with anything and everything we can do for them. I love how serving others like this can really strengthen your testimony. Showing love to another, no matter how different their background might be from yours is a great feeling. By small and simple things great things come to pass. :)

We have also been attending a Lutheran bible study for a while. It’s so different from what I’m used to haha but it’s interesting. We are always welcomed to the class by the Pastor. He’s a really nice guy and hasn’t bible bashed us… yet haha

I’ll be going on exchanges with a new zone leader in my area tonight in West Seneca. Hopefully he can see that I’m trying to do the very best I can to help the area progress and really make it boom for the future missionaries coming to the area. I want to make West Seneca better than the day I found it. Wish me luck! :)

K. L. has been trying to keep her commitments on reading the Book of Mormon but hasn’t been doing very well. I hope she doesn’t keep dropping her commitments but I know that everyone has their own agency and has to make their own choices.

I can’t believe Briggs is old enough to get baptized! I hope I can find some time to write to him. I’m so proud of him and his decision to follow Christ! I love seeing that happen. :)

I love serving a mission. It’s amazing working with other missionaries and leaders with a common goal of bringing souls unto Christ.

Recently I have realized it’s not how many baptisms you get on your mission. It’s about how big your desire is to help others come unto Christ. Just like Elder Holland says, it’s so important to not treat people as a number or a baptismal statistic.

I love seeing how much my mission has already changed me and I love seeing the atonement change others. Everyone I have met in West Seneca has been so great. I love the ward and the bishopric. They are really dedicated to missionary work and re-activating less actives. It’s awesome.

I love and miss you very much!

Elder Peterson