Second letter

 Our investigators are doing well! Hopefully, Peter (Commited to be baptized on the 26th of April) will make his date. He won't keep his commitments and its really frustrating but we had a really good lesson with him yesterday.  We taught Tisha and Naomi (Mom and Daughter) on Thursday night with Sister Banks (an amazing member) and invited them to be baptized! It was amazing. Naomi (The daughter) said she had already been baptized catholic and Tisha explained to her that we werent asking her to be baptized right away, and that they had time to think about it. They both are going to be baptized I know it.
Yesterday afternoon, we were in Angwin and we felt prompted to go visit a former investigator. We knocked on his door and started talking with him, and then ended up teaching a doorstep lesson to him!!! He asked us to come back on Thursday. It was so amazing. The spirit was so strong!
Yesterday night, we had an amazing Power Hour with some members, Brother and Sister Edward.(Power Hour is when we ask a member family to keep us in their thoughts and prayers for the hour and we go and teach or contact and AMAZING miracles happen when we do it!) We went contacting and found some super awesome people. We talked to this older couple who are Jewish. They had a ton of questions and asked a lot about temples. They weren't really interested but they had a bunch of questions. Sister Decker and I answered all of their questions and It was a really awesome experience. We talked to them for about 20 minutes. Then, about 3 minutes later we contacted this man and woman sitting on a bench. The woman was so interested in the Book of Mormon and we gave her a run down on the whole story. It was so cool. We talked to another woman about family history and she asked about the family search website and she asked how much it cost to use it. When we told her it was free, her eyes lit up! It was amazing. When we returned and reported, the Ellis' were so excited to hear about it. It was all around an amazing power hour.
Our members are amazing. They feed us almost every night. They are so loving and so helpful. They are really getting into the spirit of missionary work, which is so good because this branch really needs it. I love the people here. The members are so helpful and loving and make me feel right at home. Me and Sister Decker got our first 20-3-1 on Friday! (20 contacts. 3 lessons. 1 Baptismal invite) It was the greatest feeling ever knowing that we finally got it. We definitely have been working harder for it every day. 

The missionary work is the best. I love it so so much and I love how hard it is. I can feel myself becoming stronger everyday. Its the best. I really love how much support I have. Im grateful for all of you guys and love you so so much! Be member missionaries, because even though your ward may not seem to be in need of more members, it is! Feed the missionaries because they need it! I such faith that if members strive to be missionaries they will be so so blessed! The branch here wouldn't grow at all if it weren't for the members. so become member missionaries because it is so so so important. You da best. Love you so so much! 

1. to Berryessa we go! (the letter I sent today explains about berryessa)

2. Me and sista decker!

(investigators names have been changed)

The Struggle

So wow where to begin, so the night before we flew out I got 2 hours of sleep, then we had to get up at 3:30 and be out of the MTC. it was crazy. So I got to call you (mom and dad & sistas) and that was amazing. I'm so glad. So then we got on the plane and I had a window seat, it was beautiful to be able to see the rolling hills of beautiful california. When we got off the plane we passed some missionaries heading home which was really cool! Then we met Pres. and Sis. Alba, they are AMAZING. they are so so loving and so amazing. They run a tight ship which is awesome cause I have already seen the blessings from being obedient. We had to wait at the airport for 2 hours for the missionaries coming in from the Mexico MTC. I fell asleep on a bench in the airport cause I was SO tired. hahaha. it was rough. we finally got to drive to Santa Rosa which was about an hour drive from Oakland. We got to the mission home and talked for a little bit then went to the mission office. Then we had another talk I couldnt even keep my eyes open. hahaha it was rough. Then they finally took us to our hotel which was amazing cause I stayed in a room with Sister Whimpey but we both got our own beds. I have never fallen asleep faster in my life. hahaha. the next morning we met our trainers, my trainer is Sister Decker. She is a saint. The most encouraging. she is the best. She is from Arizona and just the greatest person. hahaha. Any ways we get done with everything and we are about to leave and she hands me the keys.... IM A DRIVER. hahahaha she doesnt have her lisence so I am the driver. greene driver sup. we have a really nice car, but i cant park it to save my life. hahaha. Its a struggle. So we get to our area which is St. Helena. It covers Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville, Pope Valley, and Angwin. Its a pretty big area BUT the towns are tiny. It's in the Napa Valley and it is BEAUTIFUL. We live in Calistoga, which is the cutest little town. It is 50% Hispanic and 50% 7th Day Adventist. Which a religion that was created in Angwin. hahaha. its rough. So the first night we were teaching at a members home. It had been raining on and off all day and it wasnt raining when we went to the members home. I wore my coat inside and Sister Decker decided to not wear her coat. when we opened the door to leave, after the lesson, It was POURING rain outside. it was coming down so so hard. hahaha. So The member gave us an umbrella but since I had my coat I gave the Umbrella to sister Decker, I thought "oh I'll go hurry and unlock the car" so I ran out into the rain trying to get to the car as fast as i could so I wouldnt get completely soaked and I was half way across the street when all the sudden my feet slipped out from under neath me and I fell flat on my back in the pouring rain. hahahaha. It was soooooo funny. hahahaha THEN sister Decker gets in the car and the cell phone we had fell into the gutter that had a river of water rushing down it... hahaha. When we got our phone back it was completely fried. hahahaha. so that was my first day in the mission field. it doesnt get much better than that! hahaha. It was rough.

This place is amazing though. We have about 5 investigators. Hopefully soon one of them will be ready to fully commit to follow the Savior. Its so hard cause people don't want to change, but I know how AMAZING this gospel is. I know that it's true. Its hard being here too because no one wants to listen to us so that's also hard. But the members here are amazing. I love them so much. Our Branch is tiny but its the best. I felt so at home going to church yesterday. It felt so good and everyone is so welcoming. I really love how well they have excepted me into this place. There are so many good people here, and I that one day they will really want to be baptized. We have an amazing mission. Everyone here is the best. Our district leaders are the best as well, they are awesome. We teach at the veterans home in Yountville. There is a man there that we are trying to get through to. He has been taking the lessons for 1 1/2 years. but me and Sister Decker both feel that this may be the perfect time for him to accept the gospel. We taught him an amazing lesson yesterday and finally gave him motivation to read the Book of Mormon. It was awesome. I really hope and pray that he finally keeps his commitment to read. We have had some amazing miracles happen since being here. Its amazing. We typed in an address in the GPS for this less active, but it pulled up 2 addresses one that was north and one that was south. so we decided to go to the one that was south and we met this guy who was SO cool. He was in the marine corps and He had the cutest daughter. He is so nice. I want to start teaching him soooo bad. He was the best.

Well, There are about half a million other things that happened this week, but I can't remember cause they all blur together. I am tired all the time, but its awesome. hahaha. I am so grateful for everyone's support. This place is exactly where i am supposed to be and I love it with all my heart. Its the best ever. I miss home but I know that I am supposed to be here. My testimony has already grown a ton and its coolest thing to see the change that has already happened from when I left to now, and I know its only the beginning. I love this work and I love the people here so much already, all of you wrtie me letters more cause it sucks to come home after a long day to an empty mail box. Its rough. hahahaha. K cool. Love you all. You da best. pray for all the 7th Day Adventists that they will realize that Joseph Smith is the real deal. Keep it real out there.

Love Sister Petersen.

 ps write me k thanks.

Last week in the MTC

Soooooooo. Mtc life. Feels like an hour but its actually a whole week. I feel like I just had pday yesterday. I am going to do my best to remember what happened this week! Sister Holguin (From El Paso, Texas) Learned that DAYYYYYUMMMMM is a bad word. hahahhahahah. apparently down there in El Paso the d word (mormon lingo) is a bad word. hahahahaha. neither is a lot of bad words. TEXANS amirite? hahahaha. On sunday we had mission conference because it was fast sunday. Every missionary in the MTC goes into the gym and its basically the most boring meeting I have ever been too (if the mtc board reads my emails before they get sent out I'm sorry) ANYWHO. They tell us to be 20 minutes early to this meeting, so we can get seats. So we get there and sit by our district. APPARENTLY they make us SING to the prelude music. so we are singing all these songs that I have heard maybe once or twice in my life, then the chorister stands up and says "for our last song we are going to sing I am a child of God" and All the sudden I here Elder Rahm (he's in my district) say YES!!! way loud (Meanwhile the entire gym is silent) hahahahahahha. It was sooooo funny. He was STOKED that we were singing I am a child of God. hahahaha. 

We went to Infield orientation and it was 9 hours sitting in 2 classrooms learning about how to get members to help you............. aka 9 hours of pure torture. literally the worst part of the MTC. hahahahaha. so we finally think we are down to 30 minutes left of this hell we are in, and we are sitting there thinking, "okay he's going to summarize then let us go to dinner" (we were starving) then this guy is there and he says "I have a really cool mission story.... (this guy is like 40 trying to relive the glory days) raise your hand if you want to go to dinner... or here my story" I PROMISE you that enough people raised their hands to go to dinner...... He says "Oh looks like you wanna hear my story! it will only take like 12 minutes!" Me and my companion got the tired giggles 3 minutes in and I almost died I was laughing so hard. hahahahahahahahahaha. I swear this Elder in front of me almost started to cry! hahahaha. It was horrible.

Not only has there been really hard times this week, but there have been some AMAZING times where I have looked back and seen that God is right there. We taught a lesson to our teacher to try and help him with his life and help him be motivated to sharing his testimony more! Anyways, we learned that if we prayerfully plan a lesson for someone the spirit will guide you to teach them what they need to learn. We planned this lesson for our teacher (with some serious help from the spirit) and we planned to talk to him about how having faith will help him. When we sat him down to teach him we asked him if he was afraid to share his testimony and he said no............. there goes my whole lesson plan! ugh. hahahaha so I was like CRAP what now. he is a teacher he knows way more than me how do I teach him?! Then I just felt like I need to share with him what I had prepared. I shared a personal story with him because it just came to my mind. and I testified that If You pray for an opportunity to be a missionary God WILL give you one! Then I shared the scriptures and things that I had prepared, The spirit was REALLY strong and when the lesson ended he toldd us we helped him a ton and the spirit empressed to him things we didnt even teach! It was so cool! I was so stoked. the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. and The church of jesus christ of latter day saints contains the fullness of the gospel. Christ DID atone for our sins. He is our greatest advocate. I have grown so close to my heavenly father since I have been here, and learned that Prayer is so important. Remember to keep praying especially for us missionaries! The struggle is REAL out here. I can't wait to leave to cali (mostly cause my skin hates me for living somewhere so dry.) I love it here and relationships i have made. My companion is a saint and I know that God put us together for a reason. I am really sad to leave here but so excited!!! this work is real! INVITE OTHERS TO COME UNTO CHRIST