Growing up, sizing down...

Hey everyone!

It has been a good week for me in the library. It may be my final week serving in the International Floor, as Transfer Conference is coming up in just a few hours. However, I doubt it, as neither me nor Elder McElwain has received a moving notice from the AP's. However, there is still that chance that I may moving to my new zone. I will let you know how everything goes. 

There could be worse weeks to end off on, I will say. I have been going through a training for a new service model. The mission has been having more people going out than coming in, so our work force has been shrinking a bit. Also, the new RootsTech thingy on the main floor has been bringing in more visitors than ever before. Therefore, it has been decided that we would rearrange our customer service, and the International floor has volunteered to give the new system a test run. It was implemented yesterday, but I did not have any special assignments then, so I have not personally experienced it yet. If I do stay on the floor, I will have a couple shifts as Floor Supervisor, so I ought to prepare for that!

However, there was an interesting experience that happened this week which kind of shows how far I have already come. I was asked to help a guest use a microfilm reader, which I was able to do quite easily. However, when the images came up, they were Norwegian church records, which are quite similar to the ones in Denmark -- even the language used was legible to one with experience in Danish records. So, I was able to guide them through the records to the entry they were looking for. I was quite impressed with myself. I am definitely further along than I was a couple months ago, when I first said goodbye to friends and family to serve the Lord. I know that most missionaries are noticeably different when they return at the end of their two years, but I feel like I have already changed quite a bit in these few weeks I have been a part of the team. However, I know that there is more for me to learn, and that I cannot stop just because I am proud of what I have become in relation to who I was. There is only one way to go, and that is up!

I did get a haircut yesterday. I don't have a ton of money to spend on haircuts, but there are a couple missionaries who do give haircuts. Yesterday, the AP's came to our apartment to talk to Elder Desotel about him getting a haircut (which he did kind of need). I decided to go on an exchange with him, as my hair had been getting a bit longer than I would have liked. I wanted a sort of the hairstyle I left for my mission with, but that is a bit less than possible with standard clippers, Elder Wilkes, the AP who cut my hair, did give it an honest effort, and it does still look pretty good, but I won't be quite able to comb it over like I did. Oh well -- it does look better than it did before! Or at least, I think it does. I will let you guys be the judge of that, I will send a slightly embarrassing picture.

As I am sure my mom has marked on her calendar, Mother's Day is coming up in a couple weeks. That means that I will be able to call my family, and talk to them for a while! However, this mission will be doing things differently with these calls now. There was a time when the mission just called their parents with the phone of a district leader or AP. However, now we have the opportunity to talk to them through a video chat! This will happen on the 15th of May, meaning I will have been out for just over two months. I am truly excited for this, the chance to talk to my family face-to-face! There will be much to catch up on in this 40 minute chat! 

Finally, I was able to go through the temple with the ward last Friday. This is my second time going through the Salt Lake Temple during my mission, and so far my first time going through the same temple a second time. It was also a little extra special, because this was my first time going through for a name which I had found in my tree (a distant cousin, but nonetheless, he is in the tree). I chose that particular one because I felt like he truly wanted to have it done - not some imaginary feeling that he would be the one to want it, but a true confirmation that he had been waiting for some time for the work to be done, and had a real desire for me to do this for him. When the session concluded, I truly felt he was there in the room. I have not felt the spirit quite this strongly for as long as I can remember, and I am truly happy to be the one to have done this! It has surely been my favorite session that I have done for another!

Well, it has been nice being able to talk to you, and share some of what I have done this week. Of course, it was not much, I have had more exciting weeks. However, every week on this mission has been great, and I am truly thankful for this opportunity to serve a mission here in Salt Lake City! My challenge for the week is this: have you done any Family History work? If so, do you have a name with which you can go through the temple? If so, then I would recommend you do go through for that name. If you do not have a name, that is alright. Go through the temple anyway, it is always an experience like none other! Thank you for the support, and I will talk to you all next week!

Hair Cut

Elder McElwain

No Longer the Baby (kind of)

Hey everyone!

     First and foremost, I hope everyone back home had a great Easter Sunday! As you can probably tell, Easter was a busy for me as it was wonderful, and I had quite a few opportunities to serve, for which I am thankful. It is a pleasure for me to serve the Lord and his children, and this mission has opened up opportunities for this which I had not foreseen. 

     In my standard duties, things have been fairly typical this week. I think I might finally have settled down into this lifestyle. I am sure that, by now, going home will almost feel as alien as when I first arrived on this mission! I have been learning slowly but about the many aspects of my assignment, including the work itself, the training, and learning Danish. By the time I get off this floor, I hope to be proficient in all, so that I may be able to use my talents when I return home. In the meantime, I will try doing the best I can here to help and learn, like I have been doing.

     This weekend has actually been quite eventful outside the library itself. This Easter Sunday, me and some of the other elders got the opportunity to visit a retirement home and help administer the sacrament to the residents there. It has been a while since I had exercised my priesthood authority to perform this ordinance, and it felt almost like visiting an old friend. I actually did this twice that day -- once in the main center where most of the residents were, and once in the memory care part of the facility. It is quite a humbling experience to work with such people, and I felt the Spirit there very strongly. It is an experience I hope I can do again. 

     This announcement is probably the biggest one of the week, which is why it is where the title of this update comes from. The mission, despite all expectations, actually got two more young elders! As I probably said before, me and Elder McElwain have been living by ourselves in a two bedroom apartment, with two beds in each room. As a result, we had room for the two new guys, Elder Desotel and Elder Crapo (pronounced Crepe-Oh). Elder Desotel came inMonday, two days before Elder Crapo, so Elder McElwain and I had to move his bed into our room for those two days. So therefore, I am technically no longer the baby of the mission! However, Elder Desotel has been serving in California for nine months before coming here, and Elder Crapo has served in a proselytizing mission here in Salt Lake City for three. So, I am still technically the newest missionary here. Oh well :/

     Yesterday morning was quite different. Usually, we have a Monday morning devotional every week to prepare us spiritually for the days to come. This week was no different in that aspect, but since it was Easter, a little something special was prepared: a special performance from the mission choir, which I am a part of. We got to perform and narrate a set list of five hymns, which I enjoyed very much. I enjoy singing with the choir, as well as the spirit which comes with such performances. There is nothing quite like it!

     While most of the week in the library was fairly typical, like I said, I give another lesson to some of the senior sisters yesterday. It was an orientation of sorts on how to use the microfilm readers so they can show patrons how to view records of their ancestors. I have spent some time getting used to all the readers, so I have kind of an idea what I am doing with these things. Of course, as we become more and more digital, use of these things will go down and down, until all of the records will be online and viewable through a computer screen. Until then, we need to know how to use the readers. So I have given a little class on that, and I must say, I did not know I could teach as well as I did that day. I am thankful for the spirit of the Lord which must have helped me teach these sisters how to use these machines. I know that my tongue could not have been as strong without it!

     Yesterday was another big day for us (as I am sure you have all guessed by now). In addition to all the other activities of the day, Elder McElwain got to celebrate his 25th birthday (yep, he's the big boy of the group)! As a result, we ate out yesterday night at a nice Italian restaurant called Michelangelo's. It is a popular place among the missionaries, as we can eat there for only half the price of the meal! Aside from myself and Elder McElwain, the two new guys and the other two young elders in our district, Elders Lindsay and Ludiker, were the ones who traveled there today. It was a very nice dinner, I must say. However, when the bill came, the restaurant decided to "save us some trouble" by automatically adding on a 20% tip to our meal. Oh well, the food was still pretty good for what we paid anyway. 

     I must say, this week has been quite interesting. I am blessed to be able to serve in a mission like this, and I want to never forget what I have felt this past month, and for the next two years. I leave you all with another challenge. I have been reading this month's First Presidency Message, an article written by Presidetn Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Just Shall Live by Faith." It talks about how faith must be acted upon, as explained in James 2:17. So therefore, my challenge to you is this: pray for the spirit to let you know of opportunities to serve this week, and whenever you get a prompting to serve, act upon it in faith. I can testify that when you do this, your faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will grow, and you will become closer to them both. I hope you all have a great week, and I hope that you can make someone else's day a little bit brighter. 

From,

Elder Bryce Petersen

So much stuff, so little time...

4.11.17

Hey everyone!

So, I will not have a ton of time to send out emails today. I was about to begin my two hours earlier, but I had prior obligations, specifically a mission conference which I had to sing in the choir for. So, I was able to reschedule my emails for later, but I only have an hour which already began a couple minutes ago, so I will not have time to send many personal emails, so if I am not able to send one out to you, its nothing personal . I do have a lot to talk about this week, however, so I will try to get it all out as quickly as possible. 

The first notable thing I did this week was my first "special assignment." Specifically, I was able to represent the library, along with other missionaries, in visiting a local school, Rowland Hall. The purpose of the visit was to introduce genealogy to the students and faculty there. I feel like we accomplished that quite well. Me and Elder McElwain had some nice discussions with the people at our table there, and all in all, it was a good experience. 

Lets move on to Saturday, which was the day of my first swap meet. Essentially, a swap meet is an event where missionaries go through the donated stuff of other missionaries (mostly missionaries who have gone back home), and take what they will need. I am a new missionary, so I was allowed to go first. However, I arrived late, so my first companion, Elder Hauswirth, beat me to a nice food processor. Oh well, I still got some nice things, most notably a George Foreman grill and a blender.
So, all in all, I got some pretty good gear.

I have been helping a lot of the senior missionaries with technology related issues, and I have gained a bit of a reputation for that. As a result, I was called to teach a thirty minute lesson to a group of them on how to use the printers in the library yesterday. I was excited, but a bit nervous about the experience. In the end, I was not able to cover the entire subject, and I will teach another lesson next week. My "students" said I did a good job though, so I guess that means I did a thorough job. 

Later that day, me and Elder McElwain learned that another young elder, Elder Fennemore, would be leaving us the next day (that being today) due to some medical issues. As a result, we decided to eat out with him one last time. Now, I don't know what I was expecting when they said we would eat at a place called Tucano's, as I have never eaten there before. But I knew it would be good. And good it was. Almost too good. Now I have eaten at a Brazilian steakhouse like this before called Rodizio Grill, but for those of you who dont know what that is, basically the waiters bring you meat on a skewer. It was a great meal! The thirty dollar price tag was a bit unsettling though. Oh well, I have quite a bit of food in the pantry for if I run out of money.

Oh, and one more notable thing that happened in that restaurant: I ran into my first familiar face, a person I acted with named John Smith (some of you may know him). 

So, that's my week in a nutshell. I better get to my personal emails quick, so I can send enough of them out. My challenge for the week is this: this week is considered by many Christian faiths as the Holy Week, commemorating Christ's Atonement and Resurrection. My challenge to you is to prepare for Easter by studying the Atonement in the scriptures, General Conference talks, and similar places. A good place to start would be with the video the Church made for Easter this year. Have a good week everyone, and know that I appreciate all your support!

From,

Elder Bryce Petersen

Conference

4.4.17

Hey everyone!

     I must apologize to everyone who's personal letter I thought I had to cut short because of the time limit. As it turns out, I actually have two hours to write emails to everybody. So, I will try and put some more personal flairs in each email. Of course, I will also use some of this time to work on some more of mine and others' genealogy. I should have plenty of time to work on all of that! If anyone of you has questions about FamilyHistory, or other genealogical research questions, be sure to ask me about them, and I will try to answer them!  

     I did bring my flash drive with my mission pics on it. Sadly, I have not been very good at photographing the mission. As a result, I do not have many pics, and most of the ones I do have were taken on day 1 of the mission. I will try and take more pics to share with everyone. I really should have taken some during conference. Oh well, at least I will have other opportunities in the future. Just let me know what you want pictures of, and I will give an honest effort to include them in my emails. 

     I feel like I am getting more used to this missionary lifestyle. I have been trying to learn how to best budget my money for when I go grocery shopping. I thought I did pretty well last Tuesday when I went shopping, but by the end of the week, I had run out of nice things to eat, and was surviving on Ramen noodles (not that Ramen is necessarily a bad thing, of course). I tried to do better this week, I bought a bunch of Hot Pockets to cover all of my lunch needs. I will probably begin buying more things in bulk next week, as well as go over my priorities a little better. Eating is hard to be able to do, but I am learning. 

     I have enjoyed being in the choir, and I do feel like my presence there is appreciated. I have been getting up at 5:00 every Monday morning to arrive at the JSMB so I can warm up for the early morning devotional. It is probably worse for Elder McElwain, though, as he is not in the choir. He seems to take it well though lol. Singing has been great for me, it is an opportunity for me to keep making music out here in the mission. It will also make my singing voice stronger than ever, which is also good!

     I am not helping a ton of patrons at the library outside my more specialized assignments, or at least not as much as I thought I would. I guess that is to be expected, most of the help with research is outsourced to the research experts on the floor. These are the people who specialize in researching certain areas of the world, such as Asia. The missionaries mostly are assigned to help with people who are just getting started with their research, or have some other relatively basic library need. Needless to say, I am happy to help however I can, and I treasure the moments I do get to help people. 

     I am not only helping patrons at the library, however. The mission itself is a very large mission, though I believe there are less than 100 young elders in the mission. Everyone else is actually a senior missionary. As such, they sometimes need assistance with technology, which I am more than happy to provide for them. Even if the majority of my mission is spent helping other missionaries with technology issues, then I will be perfectly fine with that!

     I did get to attend General Conference this weekend. I did get a free ticket to attend the Priesthood Session live, as promised. However, I also got to wake up early on Saturday (Me and Elder McElwain woke up at 4:00) and wait outside the conference center to get a ticket to attend the morning session of that day. It was a great experience, being able to attend such an event live and in person! As for the rest of the sessions, I watched them from the JSMB theater, where they were streamed live. The seats were not quite as nice as they are in the Evanston theater, but they were the next best thing. But I would have also endured the hard wooden benches of the Temple Square Tabernacle if I had to do that to watch Conference. It is that great of an experience, and I hope you all tuned in to watch it.

     Well, that is it from me in my General letter for the week. I want you all to know that I appreciate the support you all have for me, it really does mean a lot to me. I am glad to hear you are all doing well back there, and I want to make you all proud! I do have a challenge for you this week. President Thomas S. Monson addressed us on how important reading the BoM is, and he advised we read it every day. My challenge to you is just that: read it every day. I would also advise you do so for at least 15 mintues, and preferably together as a family. As you read, study and discuss the verses you read, so that you may learn as much as you can from those scriptures. That is my challenge for you. Have a great week everyone!

From,

Elder Bryce Petersen

 apartment kitchen ft. elder young, living in first apartment with us

 creme brulee crepe at the nauvoo cafe on day 1

 hail and farewell pic 1

hail and farewell pic 2 

 jsmb with family, day 1 of the mission

 mission pic

the apartment