May 6, 2013

MOM,

     My companion is Elder Breeze, from Indianapolis Indiana. He is a trombone player! How cool right? Two companions in a row that play trombone! We have quite a bit in common if you can imagine.
Pleven is nice. It is really hot here! I miss the breeze from the black sea, but at least I have another breeze with me! Elections are coming up on the 12th (mother's day!) So we have been a little more restricted in what we can do and how much we can talk to people and stuff, so we have spent some time walking around the city and handing out candy to everyone! It is a lot of fun and it's nice to see someone who is looking down get lifted up by some candy! We actually met a really nice lady and had a lesson with her because we were handing out candy!
     Our branch here is a lot smaller than the one in Burgas, but they are still strong. We have about 20 active members and we are working very hard to active the rest of them! Give us some prayers!
     We got invited to our landlords place yesterday, and we had dinner with her and a couple of her cousins. It was very nice! There is a very cool tradition here in Bulgaria, on Easter (that was yesterday) after they paint eggs, they each grab one and hit them together to see which one will break first. It was a lot of fun battling eggs!
     Well I don't have much more stories yet, but I can send you some pictures! I love you mom and happy moms day!

Love,
Elder Petersen

Sea Garden Burgas

Burgas Sea Garden

These are everywhere in the Sea Garden

We call this the Jedi Temple

April 29th, 2013

Mom,
   
     This week was at first rough, but we we kept working hard, then we got some more restrictions so it just got even harder. We are now not aloud to go contacting in the sea gardens. I don't know if I explained ever what that is, but it is just a really long nice park next to the sea. Lots of benches and trees and flowers. I will be taking pictures of it today, because I will be leaving Burgas on Tuesday :( Also we got restricted to not contacting on the main street. So we are almost not aloud to contact in Burgas at all. It makes it pretty hard to find new people.
     So, I will be leaving Burgas. I will be headed to Pleven. The hottest city in Bulgaria! I'm hoping to get a nice missionary tan with the watch line and everything. My companion will be Elder Breeze. He has been in Bulgaria for 4 months now. It should be a fun transfer.
     The family we are teaching here did not manage to get married. We reset their baptismal date for the 18th of May. they asked me to baptize the father and Elder Goodwin to baptize the mother, so I will most likely be able to return  to Burgas when they get baptized! Pretty much my dream is to come back to Burgas.
     So... I know you wanted a long one this week, but i'll have to put it off for one more week. OHHH I convinced Elder Goodwin to become vegetarian for the next two months. I guess that's pretty cool. Well, love ya!
Love,
Elder Petersen

Zone 3 April 12, 2013

Our District, me, Elder Willie, Elder Bryce and Elder Goodwin

Elder Goodwin & Elder Petersen

The zone when I was in Burgas. Zone 3 April 12 2013. The people are from left to right front to back: Sister Davidson, Cross, President Willstead and sister Wilstead, Sister Bingham, and Sster Cambell,  Elders Adams, Greenacre, Bellows, Christiansen, Barber, Van Nerderhauzern, Hill Jr., Walters, Sanft, Parkinson, Me, Goodwin, Hill Sr., Bryce, Hammond, Willie, Wehner, Madicks.

April 22, 2013

Mom,
     We had a couple interesting things happen this week. We were out visiting the family that needs to get married, and they were driving us back home. He cuts off this van pretty good, and the van has to slam on his brakes to not get smashed into. It was pretty crazy, but apparently he didn't see it at all! And then we got pulled over. The cop asked for all the papers and stuff and they talked abut what happened and what not. He ended up not getting a ticket, but that is not the interesting part. Another cop walked over to the passenger side of the car and asked for all of our Identification cards. SO me and my companion and the member who was with us all had to show identification. I don't know why but he asked for it and we gave it to him. All 4 cops went to the back of the car and were talking to themselves for a little while then they asked The driver to come and open the trunk so that they could see what was in it. They actually just started asking him a lot of questions about who were the two boys he was driving and whether or not we were from some type of cult. After that another one came and started talking to the girl in the passenger seat and asking her lots of questions like where we live and what we had been doing. he had no idea that we speak Bulgarian, so I just started answering all his questions and I think it scared them that we knew everything that they had said, so they let us go without any more problems. It was very interesting.
     Another time we had 6 cops come talk to us while we were contacting on the main street and they told us we had to leave, nothing big but I thought it was funny that 6 cops come to stop 2 20 year old guys from talking to people.
     In other news it looks like we won't be having any baptisms this week. The family still needs to get married. It is possible, but not too likely. Keep them in your prayers please!
     Thats all I have to say... I love you mom!
Love,
Elder Petersen

April 15, 2013

Mom,
     I probably told you the story of the family pretty well already, but here it is again.

We have seen a fasting miracle this week! For most of this transfer we have been working with a family towards baptism on the 27th of April. They have been progressing very well, but there have been a few speed bumps along the way. First they don't have consistent work. They are looking and usually in the summer they get a lot more work because of the influx of tourists. So they weren't sure whether or not they would be able to make it to church every Sunday. But they have been coming for the past 2 weeks and they love it! this week we found out that in answer to a prayer they were blessed with work! They were so happy that they would be able to come to church! The second little bump is that they need to get married before they can be baptized. We have been trying to find a way to get them married, But the mother of the to be husband just wouldn't agree, and they would be kicked out of their house with their two kids if they got married. We have been praying much for them and telling them to pray as well. We met with them on Friday and we decided to go over fasting and prayer, because this Sunday was our fast Sunday. They committed to fasting and praying to find a way to get married and they asked us and President N….to join in with us. As they came to church on Sunday they were very excited. After the service they told us that they would most likely be getting married this week! They had discussed it over with the mother, and they just now need to go get all the official paperwork done! They are more excited than ever to get baptized! I am so happy that we have this gospel and that we can see it bless the lives of the people who exercise faith in our Savior! Also my testimony of fasting has grown greatly because of this experience! Now we are looking forward to the 27th!
     I made it into the mission news letter with that story! :D
They still have not been married be we still have a lot of hope for them and we are still working with them. Please help with some prayers! You know, There are not many things more powerful than the prayers of a faithful mother!
        Things are not really better in Burgas. Actually we have received council to not tract. anywhere. We are still under curfew, meaning that in Burgas we are not allowed to be out at dark at all. But other than that we only almost got beat this week. We were walking home from a lesson and it was pretty dark already. A teenager and 2 of his friends stopped us and said he wanted to become friends. So we introduced ourselves and then he asked us if we were from a cult. We told him no and that we were from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (we always say the full name,because the word Mormon has been related with the cults in Bulgaria sadly.) Then he proceeded to tell us about how he had found and beat up some missionaries from another church. he was telling us about this when my companion (Who was not listening to what he said) told him three times that we were from the Mormons. I couldn't stop thinking that we were about to get jumped from these guys. But for some reason The guy didn't hear what he had said. SOMEHOW he just didn't acknowledge at all what my companion had said. Then he just peaceably left. It was literally a miracle. I then told my companion to never do that again. We laughed about it later.
     Conference was great. We watched the Saturday sessions yesterday and we will watch the Sunday sessions this coming Sunday! It was a great opportunity and we noticed a lot of things that our investigators needed to hear! The apostles are truly inspired!
     My letter will be short this week, because my companion has been sick and we have spent a great deal of time inside letting him recover. It is very hard to be inside all day long. VERY HARD.

Love,
Elder Petersen

April 8, 2013

Mom,
     First of all we have been wearing our name tags for a few weeks now. I maybe forgot to tell you but it was only for that one week. Also we are not allowed to do any tracting at all and we are not allowed to be out after dark at all. And yes it is only for Burgas. Even Bulgarians think that it is the most dangerous city in Bulgaria. No I am not nervous. It's not much in my character to be nervous of getting  beat up, especially since I am bigger than A LOT of people here. It turns out that most of the incidents leading up to the stricter rules in Burgas are due to alcohol. Meaning alcohol makes people do stupid stuff, like attack missionaries. Don't worry, I still have not even been so much as pushed yet.
     About our meeting house, We rent a building. It is actually very nice. It was remodeled for our church, and you can hardly tell it wasn't made to be a church. It actually used to be a Japanese sushi restaurant. People in Bulgaria don't usually have homes. They live in apartment blocks. Only the very poor and the very rich have homes, and those are all in the villages, not in the cities. Also there is no city in Bulgaria with more than one branch. Sofia used to have 3, but then they closed one and made two, but now there is just 1.
     I have been telling you a little bit about that family we have been teaching that lives a little bit out of the city, and how we found out that they aren't married. Well this Wednesday we went and had a lesson with them again, and they shared with us that they had found some temporary work. (We prayed with them that they could find work.) That was great because they could come to church for the next few weeks without any problems! We shared with them how this was a blessing from God and that if they keep striving to be baptized and finding a way to get married, they will be greatly blessed. On Friday we went back to see them on George's Birthday. It was very nice and after we had some cake and Musaka we had a lesson with them about fasting and prayer (This week was fast Sunday after all.) They committed to fast and pray to find a way to get married. They asked us also to join them in the fast for this purpose. On Sunday they showed up to church and were looking pretty happy. I Play the piano for sacrament meeting so I didn't have a chance to sit with them, and after the meeting I was playing some music while everyone went to their next classes. My companion was talking to the family and I could just see a huge smile on his face! Afterwards he told me what had happened. THEY ARE TRYING TO GET MARRIED THIS WEEK! They have figured everything out and they just need to go to the judge and sign the papers! They asked Elder Goodwin to baptize them as well! I can't wait to see them after they are baptized and confirmed on (most likely) my last Sunday in Burgas! We are planning to have 3 baptisms on the 27th of April, Plus the other companionship here should have 1 but maybe 2. How great it feels to find and teach and bring a FAMILY into the waters of baptism! I can't wait!
   
Love,
Elder Petersen

Primary!

Spring time in Aheloi Bulgaria ахелой

April's Fool Day

Mom,

     That's way cool that you got to go to New York City! I've always thought it would be really cool to go there! and y'all figured out the bus all by yourself! It's like when I figured out how to use the Metro in Sofia, except I had to do it in Bulgarian! I always imagine the sacred grove with lots of blooms and leaves and stuff. It's better that way.

     We had an interesting week. That is to say the least. We are teaching a family right now, and I don't remember if I told you , but they are not married. we went to see them on Thursday and talked to them about the law of chastity and how then need to get married to be baptized. they were in agreeance and they were even planning on talking to a lady who is a judge to see what they could do about getting married. We came back to visit them on Saturday, and it turns out there are a lot of complications. The mother of the man doesn't want him to get married because she think that the To be wife would just steal everything that he has. So now if they get married, they will be kicked out of their home and they will have to find something to do with 2 kids no job and nowhere to live. It's pretty sad. We are still working with them to see if we can find some way to keep their house and still get baptized and everything. It's complex stuff.

     Also this week we had the opportunity to travel to Sofia to attend a baptism. It was very nice to see a lot of members that i know from when i was there. It was nice to be able to speak to them in Bulgarian as well, because when i was there i couldn't really speak to well. I also got to see Stoyan, a member who i found and taught that got baptized after i left. He has now become the Branch mission leader. I have had a lot of members and other missionaries thank me for finding him and teaching him. It feels really good! 

     Also this week, tracting (knocking on doors) has been banned in Burgas (my city). Now we can't even be out after dark at all. It really makes it a little harder to find some more people, but our safety is very important to the mission president. 

     At church this week we had our other family come to church. The mother with her 5 kids came and stayed for the first 2 hours. It was a lot of fun being the primary leader, but 5 kids is a handful! Thanks mom for not killing all of us!
    The weather has gotten warm again and I am actually wearing a short sleeve shirt for the first time since October! Isn't that great? :) I think so. Well that is all I have got for this week! I hope to hear more about things next week too! Give all my love!
Love,
Elder Petersen