Bitain

Bitain is creole for "thing"! I'm not sure I even spelt it right but sometimes we have a good time trying to see who can speak creole the best between the missionaries! We probably sound pretty ridiculous but we have a good time doing it! A quick story about creole: The other day we were teaching english to some younger kids when a man and his friend pull next to the house. We didn't think much of it until the guy driving the car decided to honk like 8 times facing right at us. He was trying to get the attention of his friend that was now out of the car. It scared us all haha but I leaned over to the kids and said watch this, thinking I was going to be funny speaking in Creole and I yelled to the man "hey what are you doing?" Come to find out, I didn't really say anything like that and the man got offended and said, "I'm in my own country!" and then drove off! It was pretty funny because I was just trying to play around but I guess that is what I get when I can't speak creole haha! We had another great week full of awesome blessings! I have my new companion now and things are going great! He speaks really good French and I'm looking forward to what he can teach me! We were blessed with some awesome member work this past week and that was sweet! We went and saw Francoise and her daughter and we had a sweet lesson with them and they even invited the son and his friend to join in with us!

We had a member there with us so it was perfect! The two boys had a lot of really great concerns and we responded to a good amount of them thanks to god, but they still have a lot more thanks to what the world teaches us today! We are playing soccer with them on Wednesday and they are going to destroy us but it will be worth a try haha! We have been seeing Lucienne and she is doing awesome as always! Her daughters are starting to accept us a little bit more as well so we have been blessed there also!

That is about all for this past week! We have a great one ahead of us and we are looking forward to it! I love you all and I hope you have a great week! I think about you a lot and I thank everyone for the prayers and support on my behalf! I've been truly blessed! I love you all! Have a great week! :) Love Elder Peterson!

Some kids the Elders are teaching English to.

New Companion

We had a pretty sweet miracle this week with one of the daughters of an investigator. With the investigator (Francoise), we set a baptismal date for nov. 22 and she gladly accepted and told us that she would prepare for that date. We had been teaching her with her daughter but when we set the baptismal date, her daughter wasn't present. This wee the opportunity presented itself and we invited the daughter to be baptized along with her mother and the response we received brought a smile to my face. She said, "I'm ready, I know I will have questions but I'm ready!" The cool thing about it all is that the mother was testifying about things like the Prophet Joseph Smith and the restored church and they both love the Book of Mormon! Francoise has really marked hers up and I can't help but smile when I see someone festing upon the words of Christ! We have another investigator that we were able to set a baptismal date with but we know things will be a little bit challenging with her. She has a really spunky personality and she has a challenging time accepting some of the doctrine but so far we have been doing well! The Book of Mormon has really helped her see things that she didn't see before and I love seeing that happen!

We are in need of more progressing investigators, as always :), so this week we will be doing a lot of finding! I know we will will find those who have been prepared, especially if we work through members as much as possible!

Well, I will be receiving a new companion this week! Elder Christensen is leaving to Martinique! I have really enjoyed serving with him and he has really taught me a lot! He has also been a great friend to me and we have had some great times together! I also enjoyed watching him learn to drive stick! :) My new companions name is Elder Johnston! I don't know to much about him yet other than he is really sincere!

I can see that things are starting to cool down back home, enjoy that for me :) Also this past week I have really seen the importance of not having doubt and not being discouraged! It is a nasty disease! As President Mehr would say about doubt, "get rid of it!" haha! I love you all very much and I hope that things are going well as usual! I send my love and I say, read the book of mormon, cause it is awesome! :) Love Elder Peterson!

Zone Conference Tour with Elder Zivic

Rain!

Well it has been raining so much lately and I'm loving it! :) It is pretty good stuff and it really comes down! You could only be out in it for like 3 seconds and you come out entirely soaked! It always amazes me! This so called storm that is supposed to be coming through today hasn't impressed me to much! It did rain for a little while this morning but nothing to special!

This week was a super busy one as we are coming toward the end of the transfer we needed to do some exchanges and a shadow with the sister missionaries! We also had one of the missionaries in our zone just fly to another country to get a legalisation card so we had his companion for a day! The whole week kind of just blured together but we still did fit in some really cool stuff! We had a lesson this past week with Francoise. A lady we have been teaching for a little while now and who had a baptismal date but hasn't had one for a little amount of time. We were blessed to plan a baptismal date for the 22nd of November! She seems really determined and that makes us pumped! We still have a lot to accomplish with her but it will come along! Lucienne is still doing awesome as a new member of the Church! She is even starting to have family home evenings with her family which is a huge miracle with her daughters! We love that family so much! It is crazy to think that six weeks has come and gone again! Goodness! I've been learning a lot lately on how important it is to let God's plan for life ingulf our personal goals for life! It is easy to forget what God has instore for us and worry about what we want. What we should really want is God's divine help and put our trust in him to become what he wants us to become!

Kind of a short letter but I hope that everyone is doing well and I love hearing about all of the great things that are going on back home! The Lord has blessed me with awesome family and friends and I love you all! I'm thankful for the change that has been wrought in me by the atonement of Christ! I love Him! Have a great week everyone! I love you all! :)

General Conference

Well, since everyone wants to know what conference is like here I will try and explain what happens! Since we are two hours ahead, it starts at 12 each day and is done at 6 in the afternoon. Priesthood was from 8 until 10 at night! The three branches of Guadeloupe (basse-terre, lamentin, abymes) all go to the Abymes chapel! All the members listen two it in French and the missionaries that want to listen to it in English go to a different room in the building! We all stay at the church and just talk with Member/Investigators. But yeah it goes kinda like that! Conference was amazing! Five years ago, I don't think I ever thought that I would love Conference as much as I do now! I long for it and I love the messages that are shared. I'm so grateful for a living Prophet and his Apostles! I could feel the Lord's love for us and he servants talked! Something that I thought was really cool during General Conference was the Love that the Apostles showed towards the Prophet! Elder Russell M. Nelson really made it known to me of the brotherhood that these mean have! I love them and will thank them forever for their devotion to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In our Zone meeting a little while ago and we talked about the fears that we have as missionaries. One of the fears that I added to the list was the fear of change! Well change was talked about in General Conference and how we should welcome change! I thought that was really cool! Also, I know that coming out on my mission, I didn't want to change some of my characteristics and others I felt free to change. After listening to the messages, I know now that I have to whole heartadly turn towards the Lord and let him change me into what he wants me to be! I was really inspired this Conference and I'm thankful for that! I sincerely love this Gospel and I'm thankful for the changes it has wrought in my life! The Lord has truly blessed me!

We had a great week and my companion is back to good health and all is going well with that! We are keeping pretty dang busy and it doen't ever seem like there is enough time! I guess that is just a part of life!

I'm proud to know that two other of my family members are out on missions! I've been blessed with an amazing family and with amazing examples who have helped inspire me! I thank you all and I send my love and prayers! Have a fantastic week, and as President Monson said, "be a little better!" Love Elder Peterson!

The half puzzle he recieved for his half way mark.

Lucienne

We had a pretty awesome week, even though Elder Christensen was a little bit sick! Lucienne was baptized and it was an amazing baptism! It was a miracle because her two daughters, the ones that looked up ex-mormon stuff, acutally came and supported their mom and they were very nice! Such a huge blessing! A good amount of the members of our branch were there and that was also a blessing! For a good amount of the time that we have been teaching Lucienne, we have been seeing her with President Eclar's wife but it was pretty much the whole family! Anyways, since Sister Eclar has been battling with Cancer it was awesome to see the spirit touch her life in helping bring someone to baptism! As Lucienne came out of the font, they both hugged and Sister Eclar teared up. It was something special for me to see! Lucienne not only bore her testimony at her baptism but also in Church! I can tell this has changed her life and she has a special glow about her now! We were blessed to have two of our other investigators at her baptism as well! The members are doing wonderful work and we have been blessed! It has been an interesting week for me as I have had some time to ponder and look on some things personally in my life. I'm thankful for the changes that I have made spiritually, thanks to the Atonement of Christ! I still have a lot of work to do and I need to put my will into God's and let him shape me into who I'm supposed to be! I'm thankful for the chance I have to be on a mission. Every day I grow more and more to love the Gospel, it is true! And God lives, along with his son and we can know of it thanks to his spirit! I love you all and I hope you have a great week! Thank you for your love and your prayers! :) "Christ can change men/women, and changed men/women can change the world!" Ezra Taft Benson, with some alters! Love you!

Family

Well I wanted to start off by saying happy birthday dad!! :) I sure hope you go out and do something fun for me! Maybe a nice harley ride :) Happy birthday again!!

Zone conference was super awesome this past week and it was super great for all the missionaries here on Guadeloupe! Elder Zivic is an amazing person filled with love for everyone! We got to hear him give a devotional in Spanish and Elder Gamiette translated it to French! It was super cool! Elder Zivic also speaks really good English! We received instruction on a lot of things but I guess the them was how to be more effective missionaries! and also how we can have more faith! It was super great and we learned a lot of things! I don't really have a lot of time to talk about that today! But I can say the upcoming weeks are going to be awesome, because we are going to try our best to apply all the things we were taught and we know that our zone here will start seeing miracles!

Lucienne had her baptismal interview and she is preparing for baptism this saturday!! :) It has been awesome to have had the chance to work with her and watch her testimony grow as mine has grown a long side of her's! It was pretty cool, last night we sat down and listened to a talk by President monson and she goes, "wow, that was edifying!" haha she is so awesome!

I'm personally going to be working hard these next couple weeks on sanctifying myself and becoming more virtuous! It has been a work in the progress but I know it will come a long and I have my whole life to try and perfect it! That's about all for this week! Time to go out and baptize!! I sure do appreciate all the prayers and love in my behalf! I thank everyone for all the support! I think about you all often and you are in my prayers! May the Lord bless you! Love elder peterson!