Week 17: Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!

First, Let me tell you as a missionary you come to dislike holidays because everyone is gone or busy! BUT! Then

Wintry Ocean/Icy Roads

Christmas Eve Dinner

Hermana Wilson

you have a Christmas miracle and it's super cool! Earlier in the week we got a call from this potential who we had gave our number too but we had no way of contacting him. He called and said that he was in the hospital and wanted to talk to us! We went and ended up saying a prayer with him and telling him about the plan of salvation! It was so cool that he reached out to us! On CHRISTMAS EVE EVE! We drove down island for a meeting and by the time we got back around 5pm Campbell River was a winter nightmare!!! It had snowed like crazy and because it's right next to the ocean it was VERY ICY!!! My driving skills are improving though :) no crashes yet! It's still on the ground 4 days later! Every one says it's not super common. I much prefer the snow than the rain though :) it's so pretty!Christmas Eve was fun!! Here in the mission we don't get "holidays" and we work right through them! I've heard other missionaries say that they get the day off on Christmas!!! WHAT?!?! Anywho...on Christmas Eve we dropped goodies off at Less Actives houses and met a lot of new people! We had dinner at a member's home and we acted out the Nativity! I was an angel!!!  Hahah Sister Macara {we were at her home} surprised us by emailing our moms and asking what our family Christmas tradition was. All night I was like...oh my goodness I wonder what my mom said ....then she brings out the little cups of rice pudding. I instantly said "Oh man you guys are going hate me!!!" We were playing Ricalamande a.k.a. Rice Pudding. It was so fun to play a game that we play every year as a family!! Thanks Weaver Family for the fun tradition!! We got to open a little gift too! It was a really special night and made us feel right at home :) We spent the rest of the night with our favorite member Sister Mills :) We sang and shared lots of great stories!!! Christmas Morning we awoke promptly at 6:20am and had a little Christmas! I got some great things! New knit headbands to keep my ears warm! Bath and Body works my fav! Hot hand warmers {lifesaver thanks Mom and Emma!} It was lots of fun and I felt very loved by Home :) Christmas morning we spent with another member family and we had Santa Crepes! Yum!! Side note: here in Canada they have Christmas crackers which are like little poppers that have a crown, a joke, a sticker or a toy in them! We got to open 3 or 4!! So fun!!! We watched mormon messages and opened some presents and it was so fun!!!! The members in the ward here take really good care of us :) Love them!! Then the best part of Christmas....I GOT TO SKYPE MY FAMILY!!!!!!! IT WAS THE BEST!!!! I love them so much and it was great to see that they are still normal :) Haha Being away from Family is VERY hard and email just doesn't make up for it so my Skype call was pretty much the best thing in the world!! AND I only cried at the end!! Hahaha The Sister Training Leaders cam Christmas Night to do exchanges and we got to carol to some people! So fun! I love going on exchanges and seeing how different missionaries do the work! I went with Hermana Wilson from California and we had so much fun trying to walk around

Christmas Crackers!

downtown on the icy sidewalks!!! Hahah great memories! On Sunday we were asked to help teach PRIMARY AND RELIEF SOCIETY!!! We gave a little talk in primary about how we can live with Jesus again and our RS lesson was on the talk "God is at the Helm" it ended up being pretty good!! Sister Christensen and I were so unified in our teaching we just bounced right off each other! It was a cool lesson! This next week we are preparing for Diane's baptism!!! She is so ready and we are excited for her to take this big step!! It's my first baptism on the mission so I'm kinda freaking out with everything we have to do but it's so fun!!! I can't wait to send pictures! Diane's the best!!!

That's it I think!! Lot's of good things happening here!

Hope you all have a fun and safe New Year!!!!

Love you :)

Santa Crepes

Sister Peterson

P.S. There was another bear in our yard and I HEARD IT BUT WAS SO TIRED I DIDN'T GET UP TO SEE IT! These bears don't hibernate apparently!

Okay I'm finished :)

Week 16: Best Week Yet!

Sister Bratt! We love her!

Welp...we got our first snowfall!!! It was so pretty :) I much prefer the snow!! So much easier to tract in :) This week started out slow! Everyone is leaving for Christmas and we weren't sure we were going to have enough plans to last us for the next two weeks! But people have started popping up and miracles have been happening in this area! First, I road the public bus for the first time this week. We decided we should use the bus because we are running out of K's! At first I was nervous to talk to people on the bus because lets be honest...people on buses just keep to themselves and sometimes look angry. 
HOWEVER, as I just started conversations it became super easy! I met some cool people! One

Sister Christensen! My new companion!

of the coolest days was when a potential called us to set up an appointment! Most potentials or new people we meet forget to call us or just can't be bothered BUT he remembered to call us back and wanted to meet THAT DAY! We scrambled to find a member to go with us it was so last minute we were scared!!! But the Lord provided and we were able to have a lesson!!

Side Note: WE HAVE THE BEST BISHOP IN CAMPBELL RIVER, HE JUST SURPRISED US AT THE CHURCH AND BROUGHT US ICE CREAM TO EAT WHILE WE ARE EMAILING!! Love him!

The moment we hit standards!

We worked super hard this week and I tried really hard to just focus on the work and not think about Christmas time and Home and I found that as I focused on the Atonement and Jesus Christ I became happier. In all of our lessons this week we tried to share the Atonement and I was amazed at how much more participation we got from non-members. Seeing them talk about what the Savior did for them was an AMAZING experience and brought such a wonderful spirit. Diane's baptism is officially 2 weeks away!!! She was able to come to

This rock is from the Ice Age!

church yesterday and stayed all 3 hours!! We are so excited for her! We meet with her tomorrow and she has her Baptismal interview!  I've never planned a baptism and I'm stoked!! I want to make it the best day ever! We are also going to start planning an MTC night for our ward to get them excited about missionary work! It sounds SUPER cheesy but I promise it's legit and it's going to be SO GOOD!! This week was way good and we were busy and got a lot done! We were able to HIT STANDARDS for our mission as a companionship! We had the right amount of member present lessons, Gospel Conversations, Investigators at church, and baptismal dates!  It's amazing how one week can be really gloomy and then the Lord blesses you the next week with the best results of your mission thus far!!! I've never hit standards before so this is a BIG DEAL to me!! The area of Campbell River is being BLESSED and the work is starting to pick up! I'm happy

Sister Foote - I love her!

that I was able to stay another transfer to see Diane get baptized and to meet all of our new investigators! Heavenly Father knew that I needed to go through some tough times in order to see how MIRACULOUS this week was.  Christmas is coming and I'm stoked!!! First, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO GET SNOW!! Second, I'm SUPER excited to see my family and talk to them!!! I've missed them so much!! I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and can take some time to remember our Savior Jesus Christ and all he did for us. The Video "Why We Need a Savior" helps me to remember him and is my favorite one to share with people! 

I better go! My Ice cream from bishop is melting! 

Love you all,

Merry Christmas

Sister Peterson

Week 15: New Companion, CRAZY STORM, and some Miracles!

Because of transfers this week was quite different! We drove down to Nanaimo Wednesday to get Sister Ricks on the ferry but before that we met with Diane and taught her about tithing!!! She is so solid and prepared for the gospel!!! We are excited for her baptism on January 2nd!! It's going to be great! Her lesson also took our minds off the fact that we were splitting up and everything was changing! The drive down to Nanaimo was fun and we talked about all the good times we had in Campbell River :) After Sister Ricks got on the Ferry I got my temporary Companion Sister Wright from Payson, Utah! Our new companions weren't coming in until 10:15pm so we got to visit some people in Nanaimo and knock some doors! We decided to knock this door that had pretty Christmas decorations..She just felt inspired :) and it ended up being a long lost Less Active lady!! It was so cool!!! We were also able to set up an appointment with a past investigator for the Sisters in Nanaimo!! It was lots of fun and super successful :) We also talked to this girl about missionary work so it was a successful visit!!!! We also were able to go to the MALL!!! We talked to people there and one of the best parts I GOT TO GO TO BATH AND BODY WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I haven't been there for a

long time and It was AWESOME!! I got new hand sanitizer {I use it a lot because people have germs...gross!} and I bought the new scent!  {Cambria and Emma will understand my Joy from the Bath and Body works visit...they think I'm addicted...maybe} This may seem silly...but Campbell River has a Walmart and a superstore...this Sister was deprived!! hahaha So...late at night...we picked our companions up from the Ferry and all of the sisters in the zone stayed the night at the Sister Training Leaders' apartment in Nanaimo! Always a fun time :) Sister Christensen...my new companion is from Logan, Utah!! She has been out 15 months and is a year ahead of me! She loves to bake and I love that she loves to bake :) hahaha today we are going to make some yummy treats! Our first day in the area we hit the streets and found 4 potential investigators!!! They said we could come back and teach them more! It was a miracle!! We have been looking for potentials for a while and then we found a lot!! Our first night we met with this lady Michelle and she became a new investigator!! First one in a while! It's wonderful to meet people who are interested in the gospel and want to learn more!! There are super exciting things happening in the area! Saturday it was SO STORMY!! LIKE A HURRICANE!!!! Saturdays are park the car days so we started walking and within 10 minutes we were SOAKED!! I officially dislike rain and wind :) We were walking along the Ocean to get to a street and I was LEANING BACK IN THE WIND AND IT WAS HOLDING ME UP!!! We tried so hard to brave the storm but after changing our outfits 3 times we decided to just grab the car and warm up! It was tough! Mother Nature was having one heck of a tantrum!! The members said that it usually doesn't get that bad and this week we should get snow!!! Much rather have a little snow than CRAZY RAIN!!! That night when we finally dried off...we met with Dorothy and Wayne!!! They are so good! We taught the Plan of Salvation again and we had a great conversation about living with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Before Dorothy didn't really think she could live there but in our

lesson she started to gain some hope and it was SO COOL!!! The gospel really changes people's lives and gives them hope that they couldn't find before. Heavenly Father really does have a plan for us and it's a plan that brings happiness to his children US!!! He loves us so much that he provided a way through his Son Jesus Christ that we can be cleansed from sin through faith and repentance. I know that as we follow Jesus Christ we can live with Heavenly Father again and that he will be SO HAPPY to have us return home :) 

I've been thinking a lot about HOME lately, especially with Christmas coming up. I think about the feeling of safety, comfort, love, and joy that we feel when we are "home"...I imagine that our Heavenly Home is going to be 10million times better than our Homes here on earth and how I want to do all that I can do make it back home. While it's hard to be away from my home and family this holiday season I know that the wait and the experiences will one day be worth it. I hope you all hug your families a little tighter this Christmas and remember the true meaning. Without a Savior, we would be completely lost, but because of Jesus we are able to return back Home and be made perfect in God's eyes...that will be a wonderful reunion :)

Love you all 

Sister Peterson

Week 14: End of the Trio :( and TRANSFERS

First things first....TRANSFER NEWS:

I am STAYING in Campbell River and my new companion will be Sister Christensen who is coming from the very cold Kelowna so she will probably be so grateful to come to the Island!!! Sister Ricks is going to Surrey on the Mainland!!! Today is our last full day together!! :( I'm glad I'm staying and I'm excited to see what's going to happen this transfer! We have a few people who have committed to baptism in the next couple months and I'm excited to find new people to teach!!! This week started off AWESOME!! We had a Senior couple drive up and take us out to lunch which was so nice!!! We don't see other missionaries very often or senior couples so it was very lovely!!! It feels like we are so secluded sometimes :) 

Tuesday the three of us did a service project for a lady in our ward and put up 2 Christmas trees!!! It was so fun :) Sister Holbrook and I did the white one and Sister Ricks did the Green one. We had some good lessons this week and saw our investigators faith grow! We met with Dorothy and had a great lesson about how the Book of Mormon is what holds it all together! Once we pray and have a spiritual confirmation that the Book of Mormon is true that it means that everything we've been teaching her is true. The the Church has been restored through Joseph Smith, That God has indeed called a modern day prophet, and all the good stuff!!!! It was super powerful! We had another lesson with her about prayer and she is sometimes scared to say prayers without writing them down but we asked her and she said THE MOST HEARTFELT BEAUTIFUL PRAYER!!!! She is such a gem!!! She has such a strong desire to know if all of this is

Dorothy & Wayne <3

true and she is so motivated to keep on praying and reading her scriptures. She knows an answer will come :) She totally embarrassed me this week too! She said in a lesson that I've changed that she can see I'm more committed to the mission...I almost cried!!! I told her it's because I had a very strong spiritual experience with the Book of Mormon and it's changed my whole outlook on the Gospel. I told her that a witness from the Holy Ghost can change everything!!!! The gospel is amazing and I've seen how living it everyday has influenced me :) The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to have true happiness!!! I've been trying so hard to be happy and to soak everything in {except the rain} and I'm glad that it's working :) Wednesday I hit my 3 month mark!!! I'm 15 in mission years!!! {add 5 years for each month : )}

To celebrate we got those yummy soft sugar cookies which I love! We found out Thursday that Sister Holbrook had to leave earlier than planned so we had to take her to Nanaimo to ferry out on Saturday not Sunday...it was one of the hardest things! I love her so much!!! She has helped me understand the gospel and the Book of Mormon better than I ever have and has helped me develop a real love for them!!! 

Before we drove Sister Holbrook...we went tracting...it was SO RAINY and WINDY!!! But it was cool to see how Sister H. didn't even care...this was her last time to be a missionary and she was singing and stomping through puddles and basically running to all the doors. Her enthusiasm made me realize how awesome it is to be a missionary. At no other time in your life can you do something quite like this!! It

was just Sister Ricks and I this weekend and we both agree that it was weird!!! We miss our trio!!! Saturday it rained like crazy and it's our walking day so we couldn't use the car!!! Sister Ricks umbrella broke and so we bought her a new one then 30 min later mine broke!!!! We had to walk all the way to the store...by then I was SOAKED!! I could literally wring the water out of my skirt!!! IT was so cold and we still had to be outside!!! We went to a lesson and it looked like someone had gotten out of the bathtub when we were leaving...oops!!! I found out I have a decent hole in my rainboots and that my jacket doesn't keep any water out!!! What a blessing ;) hahaha Sunday was the same crazy weather and it was so hard to work up the motivation to go out in the rain and tract but we had nothing else to do :( We looked like wet dogs and people gave us the funniest looks!!! I found out that my hair naturally curls itself when it's extremely wet and wind blown!!! my jackets and purse are still wet...and today is Tuesday hahaha We were soaked, but I was reminded that the sacrifices we make for our missions just shows our dedication and love for Heavenly Father and

the Savior. It's not easy to voluntarily get pelted with rain and soaked but when you have the right perspective it makes it worth it! We were able to find some people who are interested and we ended up getting a lot done!!! 

There are a lot of changes happening but it's good!!!! We don't have to worry so much when we put our trust in the Lord :) I've heard about some crazy things happening in the world and I just think how different everything would be if people just put their trust and faith in the Savior. One thing we have been sharing with people is the new Christmas Initiative "A Savior is Born" it's one of my favorite videos!!!! So good!!!  I challenge you this week to share that with others. Let them know of the Savior and that He was born for all of us to save us and allow us to return to live with God again. It's a perfect time of year to share this message! Help your local missionaries out and tell your friends to watch this

video and learn more about Christ. They have these cool red cards that you can give out too!! I am so happy to know that I have a Savior who knows me and loves me more than I can comprehend. That he was born 2000 years ago to save me and to save all of us. I've seen how the Savior changes people's lives how His teachings and gospel brings happiness and joy to all those that exercise faith in Him. 

It's been a GREAT WEEK!

Until next time,

Sister Peterson