What happened to the transfer??

Hey everyone!

     Wow, this transfer seems like it has gone by so fast - much faster than any up to this point! I have reached my five-month mark earlier this week, and things do not seem to be slowing down at all! However, I am still happy to be here, and to be serving the Lord and his church. I don't plan on slowing down any time soon, either!

     We have gotten a new group of four Young Elders last Monday, including an Elder Stacey, whom I have heard was the nephew of someone from the community. The world is a small place, especially within the church - I have heard that, at one point in this mission, we have had two brothers serving on this mission! Anyway, I have not yet learned the names of all the new Young Elders as of yet, but I do plan on it. Then again, learning names on the mission is a bit difficult - as soon as you think you've learned all the names, a new bunch of Young Elders joins, and so you start all over again. But, I do look forward to seeing where they go to serve in the mission.

     As always, new Young Elders is always a sign of an upcoming transfer - whenever Young Elders sit in the part of the chapel reserved for new incoming missionaries at the weekly Monday Morning Devotional, that is my signal that Transfer Conference is coming in a week and a day. It is times like this when things change a bit, as you do not know whether or not you will be with the same companion this week. And so, you must prepare for anything. This was the week of the month in which we did not collaborate our meals. And so, I have a couple less fancy meals planned out for myself, and I may buy some more things during the week. I do hope things stay more or less the same for me.

     We also had Mission Conference for the Senior Missionaries in the mission, the one which my Choir obligations mean I show up to both sessions of. The message was a great one. President Fenn spoke at this one - by this point, we all understand he likes to teach a good lesson - about how the Book of Mormon explains the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I would like to share a bit about President Fenn's style of giving talks and lessons - the Church is not known for it's firey sermons, but President Fenn is, in a good way, as close to a Baptist preacher as they come in the Church - I have had multiple people, including my companion, tell me this. He speaks very powerfully, enough to wake most people dozing off in the congregation right up, but he knows how to speak gently as well. He switches between both styles in his lessons. All in all, his talks and lessons are very unique and memorable, in a good way. So, this makes mission conference much different than I am generally used to, though I have no problem with that!

     Last Tuesday, me and Elder Garfield had worked together for running the first day of the new exercise program. We had called coordinators of the previous exercise program together to give advice and brainstorm ideas, and we have put together something quite nice - a combination of traditional exercise and fun, less-competitive outdoor games. The workout last Tuesday was not quite as intensive as I would have liked, but we will work on that in future workouts. There was another exercise yesterday, but I was not able to attend that due to a schedule conflict between this and Mission Conference. I will be there tomorrow though, and I look forward to helping the mission attain some degree of physical fitness!

     And there is my week for you. I love you all, and appreciate the support! Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or anything along those lines. Just shoot me an E-mail at elderbrycepetersen@gmail.com. Thanks again, everyone, and have a nice day!



From,

Elder Bryce Petersen



Challenge (D&C 58:27): I am not an idle person here on the mission, idleness has always driven me crazy! It always feels a bit boring to have nothing to do. However, there are other problems which come from having nothing to do - nothing gets done, and your mind is more open to temptation. However, a thing which is just as bad as idleness, if not more so, is spending too much time doing the wrong things. These things are not necessarily sinful, and can be considered wholesome activities, if done in moderation. However, excess of anything is bad, whether it be television, video games, or even work. None of these things are bad if they are controlled, but we sometimes let them take up way too much of our time - I know that I did before coming out on the mission. So, what can we do to combat idleness and time-wasting? A surefire way could be to take up a wholesome hobby. This can include a variety of things - it can range from reading, to cooking, to hiking, to making some form of art, to serving others. Of course, not even these things are worth setting aside excessive amounts of our time for - we must keep our priorities straight so that what needs to be done gets done. So, my challenge to you is to find ways to avoid idleness and time wasting, and work on getting those into your schedule so that you can find yourself enjoying such activities.