Hey everyone!

I'd say this week has been eventful, but then again, that is nothing new. I have settled in nicely to the new transfers, though I will have to move again soon. Apparently, Elder Goodsell, my new companion, is returning home early this Thursday, so by the time some of you read this, it will have already happened. Luckily for me, the rest of my district (one companionship) is living in a two-companionship apartment, but the extra bedroom is currently empty. So it seems I will be going into a tri-companionship with Elders Lindsay and Reeves, at least until the next Transfer Conference. What is more interesting, is that this is the apartment I had just moved out of. Well, I left a couple things back there on accident anyway, and I do like that shower better. 

The week has not been too bad, however. Elder Goodsell has been more outgoing and neighborly than Elder McElwain, so we have spent more time hanging out with the elders living on our same floor. It has been quite a bit more fun than staying cooped up in the apartment! I just hope that it can keep up without him around...

Work has been going quite well, and I am a bit proud of my progress! This is because I have been noticed for how well I can research Danish records, so I am now recognized as a research assistant for the country. This means that, instead of just helping out guests with computer problems, as is the main responsibility of Young Elders in the zone, but I will now directly help patrons get started on doing research in this country, and help them find their Danish ancestors. I feel like this is nice, steady progress for me! I hope to become able to work in some more countries now, and be able to serve better for as long as I serve in this zone!

How did you all spend Memorial Day? I am sure it was a nice celebration, to remember those who had died for our freedoms! Now, when you are serving a mission, you don't get to directly celebrate most holidays, and I don't know if Memorial Day is an exception in most missions or not. All I know is that the Family History Library closed down in recognition of the holiday, so the Young Elders had a "day off" of sorts. This does not mean that we had a day to ourselves. The first part of the day was kicked off with a breakfast of pancakes and bacon prepared by and served to the Young Elders (I was in charge of the bacon, along with Elder Lindsay). After that, we hiked up to the Salt Lake Cemetery, which contains the graves of many notable church figures. After this experience, we returned to watch the movie Forever Strong together (this is the movie featuring a Coach Gelwex, whom you may remember presented a fireside to the Young Elders of the mission a while back). 

The next thing we did, the biggest event of the day, was a service project. The project of the day was going down to Jordan River Park, and removing thistles growing along the river. We did this job in companionships: one wielded a shovel to remove the thorny annoyances from the ground, and the other grabbed them up and put them into trash bags. Of course, me, being the lucky guy that I am, got to tackle the second part of the job. It didn't help that some of the thistles were as tall as a couple of the shorter Elders. I am not complaining, however, it is good to serve in such a manner. All in all, it was a pretty good experience for us all, and we got to eat pizza after. So, it has been a good, memorable Memorial Day. 

Finally, last Sunday, I was called on to prepare a lesson for Priesthood Meeting. I did not have a ton of time to prepare, as I only got word Friday. Fortunately, from some mission-supplied New Testament reading articles, I found a talk given by President Monson back when he still served as Second Counselor in the First Presidency titled "The Paths Jesus Walked." It is pretty much what it sounds like, though that is quite general, and I would advise you to look it up and give it a nice read-through. Anyway, through prayer, study, note-taking, and a bottle or two of root beer, I was able to pull together the lesson, and for a first time on the mission, the lesson went well! 

So, for a shorter six-day week since I last sent an E-mail, it has been quite an adventure. My loss of my current companion will virtually guarantee that I will get yet another new companion next conference, and maybe even a new zone. But now is not the time to think about that. For now, I must focus on serving to the best of my abilities in the International Zone, especially with my new responsibilities. So, I will let you know how all that goes as it happens. Your weekly challenge from me is a repeat of a previous challenge, because not only am I running a bit low on original material, but because this is, put simply, so important! President Monson, in the last General Conference, has implored us to study the Book of Mormon every day to strengthen our testimonies. And so, we must read this if we are to make it through the challenges of this day and age. So, I challenge you to keep reading it every day, and study it as you read. Take notes, highlight significant scriptures, and memorize the best. If you do so, I testify that you will have stronger testimonies of the lord Jesus Christ. Okay, that's all from me for this week. Have a great week guys, and know that I love you all!



From,

Elder Bryce Petersen