Hey everyone!
I hope you have all had a great week, I know I have! So, right after I have finished my E-mails last Saturday, me and the rest of my district went bowling at Fat Cats. I had rented out a van the night before, and so I took it down. I found that the quickest way to get there would be to take the freeway, so I did that. There were no accidents which happened, but I was a bit on edge the whole time. I will probably have to practice more freeway driving when I get a chance... Anyway, we got to the bowling alley with no problems, and we were able to have a good time there. I found that the "free bowling for missionaries" deal which I may have talked about in my previous E-mail actually was not exclusive for weekdays - we were allowed to bowl for free that day as well! Of course, we still paid for the pizza we bought, which was fine with me - it made it feel a bit less like we were mooching off of the establishment. Anyway, you can see how my bowling game in the picture down below. I had not bowled in a while, so my game was quite lackluster - up until the end, at least. I still do not know how I had scored those three consecutive strikes in that last frame! But, that did happen. We were able to get halfway through a second game, until the hour which we got to bowl for free expired. That was alright with us - we only had rented the van we took down there for so long anyway. So, we took a non-freeway route home this time, as we had not planned a freeway route for the trip back. We were still able to make it back alright - the valley is well enough organized that anyone can find their way quite easily!
Anyway, aside from bowling-related activities, zone work goes on. I am still working on the project of creating a training PowerPoint for new missionaries in the zone. Not only will it be used to train new Young Elders who will be working with us - both the mission and our staff leadership want to use the training modules we create to train other new missionaries in to the zone. I have been told that the training we are creating right now - a more fast-paced type of training which will be more effective for anyone who already knows how to use a computer - will be quite widely used here. This will even be used outside of the standard church headquarters - there are many church service missionaries doing this work who serve from home in taking calls and offering support for FamilySearch. It makes me feel more accomplished, to be able to work on a project which will help move this work forward more effectively than it has ever done before! It is also nice to be able to use my creative side in this zone, to be able to make something to assist in training others - to help people help people!
So, I may have talked to you about having taken a vocational assessment test a while back. It had been a while since I had actually taken the test, and my results had still not come back to me, so I sent an E-mail to the person who had helped me out. She did have a busy holiday season, so I understand the delay, but she was then able to send this out to me. The final conclusion was that I sort of "broke" the test. I still don't quite know what I do and don't want in a job, so my answers brought forth some conflicting information. So, the advise I was given was to get more experience working in the real world, trying many new things, and find out what I do and don't like in a job. This answer makes sense to me - I have not done a whole ton of different types of work, and I could use a clearer picture of what type of work I would like to spend my life doing. So, when I have done this, I will probably take the test again. Then again, this sort of stuff is more after-mission advice, so I will probably give these results more thought when I come home from the mission, and continue to focus on the work while I am out here.
Some of you may know that a young adult fireside with Elder and Sister Uchtdorf took place last Sunday. I was not able to attend in person, but I was able to watch the broadcast in the Family History Library. There were some good stories and messages shared here. They had talked some about their life, mostly from when they were young adults themselves. Of course, as the discourse was intended for young single adults looking to get married sometime in the near future, not everything which was shared this night directly applies to me, but there were still some words said that night which I could apply to my own life, including in my service as a missionary. For more information about what was shared in the broadcast, I invite you to click the following link to a news release about the event: Elder and Sister Uchtdorf Encourage Young Adults to Trust in God
This week, we got more new young elders - 6, to be exact (there were actually 7, but one of them had to be sent back home due to medical issues). One of them is actually also named Elder Peterson (spelled with an -son, differing from my name). This is not the only time we have had elders with different names on this mission - when that happens, we refer to them by their first initial as well as their last name. So, despite the one-letter difference between our two names, I guess that from here on out, I will be known as "Elder B. Petersen". Anyway, as nice as it is to have new young elders on the mission, it does bring with it some unique challenges. Specifically, the mission needed to make more room for a training apartment. As a result, some missionary companionships had to move out of some 4-man (2 bedroom) apartments to make room for training apartments. Me and my companion were some of the "lucky few" who had to move as a result. The move itself was quite stressful - for some reason, I could not focus on actually doing the work of moving, and so it took a bit longer than it probably should have. On the other hand, there were definitely some nice benefits for me from it. For one, the apartment we were moving in to was vacant beforehand. As a result, the people who manage the apartment complex in which we live had the apartment deep-cleaned, like they do to all the vacant apartment. Also, all the furniture in the apartment was in good repair, unlike in the last apartment. The mission housing coordinators also gave us a lot of brand new equipment, like pots and dishes. So, despite the stress of having to move halfway through the transfer, I feel that in the end, me and my companion have actually gotten the better end of the deal!
Thanks a ton for the continuing support. I appreciate all the messages from home, and just all of you reading my weekly E-mails. I'll catch you all next week. See you all then!
From,
Elder Bryce Petersen
Challenge: When one is serving a mission, it is easy to find ways to serve others - it is part of our job description. We help people find their deceased ancestors, as well as performing various other service projects for the community. In the normal rumble and tumble of life, however, it can be tough to find other opportunities to serve. It simply is not a part of the schedule of the average man or woman. Of course, participating in organized volunteer work is definitely a wholesome and satisfying pastime, and it is definitely worth considering if it can be fit in to a schedule. However, there are various ways to serve our fellow man every day, and most of these can be done without spending more than a few minutes of your time. One may think that, in a typical day, that they do not have many opportunities to lend a helping hand. It should be noted that many of these opportunities are around all of us every day, but they can easily pass us by if we are not looking out for them. If we can open our eyes to our surroundings, we will notice more readily certain situations in which our help can make someone's day (for example, an elderly lady struggling with a heavy load, or someone in the household rushing to get everything ready for an event). Not everyone who could use some help will ask for it, so it is our responsibility to ask if we can provide this assistance. So, my challenge to you is to be more attentive to your surroundings so that you can see opportunities to serve your fellow man. Pray to be able to see opportunities where you can serve, and if you make sure to keep your eyes open, you will notice them, and you will be able to make someone's day a little bit brighter.
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