Nov. 5, 2012

Mom,
     Sounds like Wood Badge was a great experience for you! Sorry if there are a lot of spelling mistakes today, I am really trying to hurry because we have a lot of stuff to get done! It’s great to hear that you were able to have the spirit there! It can really change the lives of people who feel it strongly!
     It really is terrible that that hurricane hit the coast. I am proud to know that most likely my father will help to restore power to those people and to help them in any way he can. What a great blessing to have such an amazing example for a father.
     Not too much happened this week, it seemed like it passed very quickly for me! The weeks seem to go faster and faster! The less I have to wonder what people are saying to me the faster the weeks go by! :)
     George our investigator is still very active in coming to EVERY activity! And he is smoking less and less but it is very difficult for him to quit. I have faith that he can get it! He came to our Halloween party and he had a pretty sweet mask on! He had made it that night and I am pretty jealous of it!
     Oh yeah, we had a Halloween party on Wednesday! It was a great success and about 25 people showed up. We played some little games and craved pumpkins. Then we had a dinner together and it felt like we were one big family. It was really great! The members here are more like a tight family than a branch! It really is great!
     This week also my companion got a phone call from one of the members who is having a trouble with smoking again. He handed me the phone and said talk to her because he was going to get a haircut. She was very upset and thought that she might never be worthy or clean again. I couldn't understand everything she was saying through her tears, but I knew all I could do was testify about the atonement. After about half an hour of talking with her and reassuring her of the power of Christ's forgiveness, she was calm. What a great power is the Holy Ghost!
     Well that’s all I have for this week! I’ll try to send you some pictures though!
Love,
Elder Petersen

Most of our party group! the one with the blue mask is our investigator!

Really foggy!

It was really foggy and my companion had a lazzzzzzer.

The sea

Oct 29, 2012

Mom,
     For some weird reason when I told you I would be serving in Burgas I didn't tell you that it is on the coast! My bad! Well yeah I live about 10 minutes’ walk from the beach, and we really enjoy playing beach volleyball in the mornings! Maybe I'll be as good as you one day! I live in an apartment that could fit into the living room of the apartment I was in last transfer, but it's okay because I can clean the whole thing in about 30 minutes!
     It's too bad that Highland isn't doing so hot this year. I thought they might have a chance! Karl needs to keep working hard anyway! He can be the greatest in the world! And hopefully one day we could go and do DCI together because it is pretty awesome!
     We have some really cool investigators here in Burgas! George is my favorite; he is the most patient man I have ever met, which is really good because I'm still not fluent in Bulgarian. He smokes, but he is making a lot of progress to quitting, and then he will be baptized! We have another whose name I can't pronounce, he is from Pakistan and he is super smart! The members here are also really great! There is an 86 year old lady who we call Bobche it means little grandma. She is the sweetest little old lady in the world! I’ll have to get some pictures with her! I couldn't help but love her when I first met her! She is truly great!
     I had my first opportunity to bless the sacrament in Bulgarian this week. I haven't really practiced the prayers before, but I said it pretty perfectly, and I didn't have to say it again! Also we took the sacrament to an older lady who can't come to church anymore. It was heart breaking to see this lady, who wants to come but doesn't have the strength.
     Well I’m out of things to tell you about this week, but I’ll send some pictures if this computer will let me!
Love,
Elder Petersen

Man i am glad to get out of Sofia! that air is gross!

Oh yeah i forgot to tell you that on our way to Burgas the tire of the bus exploded. The bus almost fell off a bridge, but the driver managed to react fast enough to save us. No big deal.

Elder Van here in burgas is from Florida and he wrestles, so we had few matches on the beach. I won, but not without a battle scar.

Oct. 22, 2012

Mom
     You would be surprised how many BMW's there are here. I have never seen so many in my life actually. Like tons and tons. Everyone says that the country is poor but there seems to be a lot of rich people for so poor a country.
     I did end up getting transferred. I will be serving in Бъргас, Burgas I think is how it is written in English. My companion will be Elder Dropla. He is about 6 months out from going home, so he is nearing the end.
     So as of this transfer we opened up 4 more cities. so NOW there are 2 branches in Sofia and 1 in Plevin 1 in Blagov grad 1 in Plovdiv 1 in Pazardjeek 1 in Veliko Turnavo 1 in Sliven 1 in Haskavo 1 in Shumen 1 in Ruce 1 in Varna 1 in Burgas and 1 in Stara Zagora. Maiking a total of 14 branches 0 wards 0 stakes and some groups in random cities. People who are baptized seem either to go inactive after a while or move to the U.S. We have about 500 active members in the country. With the new President we plan to have much, more growth however. Everything is only looking up from here.
     Packages seem to be fine here. They are usually big enought hat they won't get lost. I have seen people put Jesus stickers or Mother Mary stickers on packages. I don't know if it really helps that much. Most people don't though. They all seem to get here just fine. Normal mail is not super great however, but it seems that it is better than it used to be.
     Sounds like everyone is staying pretty busy,that's always good! Idleness is of the devil, or something like that. I hope Karl keeps up the practicing after he finishes, and maybe he can do the winter drum-line with ISU. That would be a lot of fun for him. Scott is pretty much already married it sounds like. They have already been to the temple together! :P Hopefully he goes to school first though.
     This week was kind of hard, we didn't have to many great things happen. It was kind of hard with everyone being sick and everything. Oh I guess I should tell you that yesterday I woke up with a little bit of a fever and some chills. I was out for all the day and just lied around. I guess my fever at the highest was like... 103.1, but I got over it. Well I hope you guys have a good week! I know I will, because in Burgas for exercise every morning they play volleyball on the beach!
 Love, Elder Petersen
P.S. Happy Birthday!

Mom!
     Okay well I'll give you the scariest thing that has happened to me since i have arrived on my mission. Yesterday, after we finished watching conference, we were walking home to take a little break. At the top of our street my companion stopped to talk to four big guys. Three of them standing in the street and one was in a BMW that they were all standing around. I noticed that each one had a gun and the biggest of them had two. But my Dear Companion was oblivious to such things. He talked to them for about a half hour and I just stood there awkwardly because I realized that they were part of the Mafia. One of our members also walked by and stopped to talk with us. She wouldn't speak directly to them though. after a while they pretty much said get out of here, so we left and walked the 10 yards to our apartment. The member who was with us said "Elder Ferwerda, did you know that those guys were part of the Mafia?" Of course he didn't. He actually asked them a few times what they were doing, and they just kept saying oh nothing! it was pretty scary.
     Other than that we went on an excursion up Vitosha Mountain. it took all day and it was pretty awesome! I took tons of pictures and actually filled up my card so I have to buy a new one now. I'll send you as many as I can! At the top there is a bus to get back down, but when all of the Members who were with us got in, it was filled up. So the missionaries had to RUN down the mountain. Me and 2 others made it down in 35 minutes what took us 4 hours to climb up. It was pretty awesome! But now my calves are pretty sore!
     Well I'm pretty short on things to say other than that, but I will send lots of pictures!
Love,
Elder Petersen

The whole gang! We are just starting!

We saw about 100 of these guys! They are everywhere!

Our excursion group! There are about 5 missing from the picture :(

Yep thats me! Oh yeah I got a hair cut

River of rocks! Super cool

Standing on top of the waterfall!

That water tasted yummy!

Also yummy water!

I can take underwater pictures! This is Elder Gardner

My companion fell in a little!

2012 Zone Conference

Elder Petersen & Elder Ferwerda

Zone Conference 2012 Zone 1

Mom,
     Sorry i didn't tell you last week, but my p-day got switched to Tuesday just this week. We had Zone Conference on Monday! It was great of course! The mission president really tightened down the rules so we don't have anymore people like my trainer. We should have a lot more success in the mission now! We did get to listen to conference but only the Saturday stuff! We will get to see the Sunday sessions on next Sunday! They have to translate it you know! That is so crazy about the missionary age changes! So many more people will have an opportunity to serve now!
     We have a great investigator named Stoyan (стоян). He tells us that every time he comes to the lessons he can feel the light of Christ! It is a great feeling to be able to convey that to people! What a wonderful opportunity to be the carrier of the Holy Ghost and be able to share it with the world! He has told us that he knows that the things we teach him are true. Multiple times he has pounded on the table and said this! We believe he will be baptized before the end of the year! Also he usually brings friends with him who are also interested in learning! It is wonderful what the Lord has planned for His children!
     The mission right now is better than it has ever been! We are on track to have about 70 new members in the church by the end of the year! It's so exciting to see the change in happiness and countenance of all these wonderful people!
     What else to tell you... Transfers are coming up on Friday the 19th we will receive our calls then on the 22nd we will transfer. That's the day after your birthday! Cool! So, I'll know if I'm staying or where I'm going! They are opening 4 new small small cities so I may get to open a new area! How cool would that be???
                                                                                                                                                                                           Love, Elder Petersen

The Mission Home

Sweet Jedi Companion

"Yummy" Peppermint Drink

Children don't have brakes!

10/1/12

Mom,

Not a very exciting week! That happens every now and then. We just had some lessons and looked for some people. We didn't have much success and we only had a few lessons. I'm sorry to say this letter will probably be pretty boring! We had 5 investigators show up for church and we had about 70 people present! That's pretty good! Like really, really good! I'm really lucky to get to see the church grow here in Bulgaria! It is really awesome! Today our Mission President challenged us to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover before the end of the year. Easy. I'm going to get that and the D&C half way before Christmas! :)

Well Mom I'm really terribly sorry but I don't have much else to tell you this week :(                                                 LOVE, Elder Petersen

A nice looking church

The National Cultural Center!

Don't forget your umbrella!