End of the beginning

Hey guys!

Well, this E-mail is a big milestone for me. This is because last Wednesday was the thirteenth of September. The reason this is so significant is because, exactly six months ago from that day, I had said goodbye to my family for the last time for two years. So, this means I have officially passed my six-month mark! Of course, there is still a ways to go, but I am excited to see what these next three quarters brings me! For now, however, I plan on going out to eat with the rest of my district tomorrow at Lion House Pantry, so I look forward to that!

However, that milestone was not the only significant happening of that day - we have also had our monthly Young Elders Mission Conference. This one was a bit different though - aside from the typical message from the assistants to the president, and of course the message shared by President Fenn himself, we have also had a message shared by Elder and Sister Healey, the senior couple in charge of inspecting the Young Elders' apartments (specifically the cleanliness thereof) periodically. As I may have mentioned before, they are quite thorough with their inspections - if we have not dusted the apartment, they will notice it. Anyway, their message was about keeping the apartments clean even after these inspections. That is something which, admittedly, I could work on improving. I am not the cleanest of people - my mom can approve of that. I have gotten better on the mission at that, but I still have room for improvement. So, therefore, I have resolved to a goal of keeping the apartment clean, and working on it a bit whenever I have spare time.

Anyway, after their message, President Fenn shared his message with us. His was on the cycle of gaining conversion and power. What this essentially is, is that if we are obedient, study the scriptures, and pray always, then we will gain greater conversion and power. There is a lot more to this part of the lesson, though it was not all shared today - he will share the last part at a later fireside. I actually quite enjoy President Fenn's talks, to the point where I actually look forward to them. His type of delivery is not the type which puts one to sleep. I have already described his speaking style in previous E-mails, but it is enough to say that this talk was no different, in delivery anyway. His messages are also quite deep - it is worth taking a notebook to anything he speaks at. 

This reminds me, he will host a Book of Mormon conference for the mission in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square this Sunday. I believe this is a part of the Book of Mormon classes he had begun last Sunday. These classes are mostly for the Young Elders, as we have been specifically asked to come to these, but the senior missionaries on the mission are also invited. We have had one last week, which covered the entirety of the first book of Nephi. It was a lot to take in in just two hours, but it was still great. I look forward to the conference this Sunday, as it seems to be a much bigger thing!

The choir will actually be singing at that conference as well. The choir has had a lot on it's plate as of recently - we have of course had the Monday Morning Devotional, as well as both sessions of mission conference. Add in the conference, and we are officially having a lot of fun! Sadly, I was not able to make the devotional this week or the first session of Mission Conference - I had an interview with President Fenn which conflicted with choir practice that week, so I felt a bit out of practice for those two performances. However, I was able to catch the second session of mission conference, and I do not plan on mission the Book of Mormon conference or the Monday Morning Devotional this week. Also, I have wanted my companion to consider singing with the choir. He was interested at first, but he then learned about the choir's rigorous schedule - practice every Wednesday, then wake up at 5:000 A.M. every Monday to practice for the devotional. He is still adjusting to missionary life, so we have both decided that it would be better if he took more time to settle in and learn how to better deal with the stress before considering an obligation such as the choir. I do hope he eventually joins, but I understand the situation.

As I have said, the choir did sing at mission conference this month. However, this time, it was not President Fenn and his wife who shared a message, as had happened with every conference President Fenn had been here for. Of course, he was there, presiding over it, but it was the first counselor in the mission presidency, President Hansen, who shared a message along with his wife. They both had shared a bit about their pre-mission lives, and President Hansen had shared a message as well. It was good to be able to attend this conference, despite it not being specifically for the Young Elders - in fact, the only Elders who could attend this meeting were the ones who perform in the choir. I enjoyed the meeting though, and I look forward to the conference next month!

Well, that's my week summarized - a lot of good spiritual experiences. I am doing well, and so is Elder Stacey. He is definitely improving a lot in this mission, which is good. I want him to know that, if he learns nothing else from me, I at least want him to learn how to keep learning, and keep improving. I am not perfect, but I have tried to set as good an example as I can for him, and I am told that I am doing well, so that's good, I guess. Aside from that, there's not a lot on my mind that worries me. I will let you know how Book of Mormon conference goes, as well as my six-month milestone celebration. Catch you all next week!

From,

Elder Bryce Petersen

Challenge: One of the biggest things President Fenn emphasized at the Young Elder Mission Conference earlier this week was the principle of obedience. He shared D&C 130:21, which says that "When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to the law upon which it is predicated." I do agree with him on that - we can pray to wake up the next morning feeling awake and refreshed all we want, but if we stay awake for hours past curfew, then it will have no effect (see James 2:17). It may seem, at times, that the commandments are a bit strict - I have known missionaries who see the mission rules as such. However, laws of the gospel are not in place to restrict us - they are there to protect us. For example, we are commanded to limit the type of movies we go out to see. It may seem harmless at the time to see movies which promote inappropriate behavior - after all, so long as we do not perform the actions portrayed, then it does not seem that there is any harm, right? Remember the words of Elder Jeffery R. Holland: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so, watch your step." A small violation of the commandment can turn into two, and then more. Eventually, you will find yourself in a place you did not ever want to find yourself. Exact obedience to the commandments is necessary to obtain all the blessings of the restored gospel, and I can testify that if you work harder to obey the commandments of the Lord, you will be able to see his hand more in your life, and he will bless your life for doing such.