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
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