Blackmail

Hey everyone!

Well, transfers were exciting as always. My entire district got moving notices, except for myself. That is fine my me - I quite like the apartment which I am in. The major changes are as follows:
First off, the Srokas (the senior couple who were in charge of training new young elders) have finished their mission, and have left. Elders Jacobson, Tribe, and McGrew have also finished their missions, and have returned home. The former two have been released from district leadership as a result. Elder M. Snow has also been released from district leadership. We only have two new district leaders - the mission has been rearranged so that it now has one less district. The two new district leaders are Elders Hartner and Walker. The two Elders who are training this transfer are Elders Yeoman and McNeely. Finally, as Elder M. Snow was the "head district leader" in our current zone, but has been released from that, I have been assigned to take his place in this regard.

Now, for me, aside from the previous announcement, not much has changed for me - obviously I am still in the same zone, and I have not moved. My P-Day, as I predicted, is still on the same day. However, I do now have a new companion named Elder Black - he joined the mission at the same time as Elder Beeson, though he is much older than me - 24, to be exact. So far, he and I are getting along quite nicely, and I look forward to spending the rest of the transfer with him. Attached is a picture of us together, taken just a few moments ago.

This month, we had our regular Hail and Farewell dinner to celebrate new missionaries, as well as those who are leaving the mission. I had planned on bringing a meal for the potluck, but unfortunately, I was struck with an unexpected bout of forgetfulness. But, it was still a good event to celebrate the service of some wonderful missionaries. Also, I have taken a couple of pictures at this event. The first attached picture is myself with the former Elder Jacobson, who left last Tuesday. He is a good friend and a great leader. Then again, perhaps I should not write this as an obituary - he's just going home. Anyway, the next picture is one of me wearing the glasses of another missionary. Others have said that I look like Clark Kent when wearing them - I will let you guys be the judge of that.

I have already covered the changes resulting from the transfer. To be honest, I am not overly surprised that I am staying in the zone for yet another transfer - the mission is now working to keep young elders in the zone for a long while (about a year, I hear), and President Fenn had hinted in our monthly interview that I'd be there a little longer anyway. Speaking of President Fenn, he conducted transfer conference a bit differently this time - rather than show the transfer presentation before or after his message, he decided to compromise and show it in the middle. He had two different subjects to talk about, you see, and so he interjected the presentation between the two of them. Such was a unique way to conduct this, but hey - it worked!

Now, I had mentioned earlier the absence of an Elder M. Snow from leadership. Because of this, and my experience in the zone, I have been assigned to take his place as "head district leader". What this essentially means is that I represent the young elders in the contact center, and I represent them at staff meetings for the North America division of FamilySearch support. The first of these took place last Wednesday. I can't say that this was the most exciting of events in this mission. But, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. The meeting was able to achieve it's purpose, which purpose was to organize certain issues which are going on, not just in the zone, but for North America in general. I was able to bring up some issues which were currently going on in the zone, and bring everyone a bit more up-to-date on the state of the zone. So, I feel like I did my job correctly.

The young elders on the mission have also had a monthly temple trip last Friday. This time, we visited the Bountiful temple. Now, temple trips are always special, but I feel that this one was even more so - I was able to receive answers to questions which have been weighing on my mind. Such a place is a great setting in which to receive revelation, and that which I have received clarified much for me. I have also attached some pictures from the trip to the temple - one is the outside of the temple itself, and the other is the view of the Salt Lake valley from where the temple is.

Anyway, there is my week. I enjoy typing these E-mails, and being able to keep in touch with you. I love you all, and hope you have a great week!



From,

Elder Bryce Petersen



Challenge: If one is to maintain his/her testimony of the Gospel, one of the most important facets of this is the reception of personal revelation. God wants to speak to us - we are His children, and any father would want to be able to speak to his sons and daughters. Even so, there are prerequisites which are needed in order to receive these words of wisdom, and more ways beyond this to make it easier to do so. We must first have the Holy Spirit with us - if he is not present, then we cannot receive revelation. To have him with us, cleanliness must be present (see Helaman 4:24). This surely applies to spiritual cleanliness, the importance of which cannot be understated, but this actually applies to temporal cleanliness to some extent as well - though it is possible to receive revelation in a messy house, who would want to spend a lot of time in a house whose owners did not make an effort to make clean? Once this is done, one must be in the correct mindset to receive revelation. This can be done with prayer and uplifting music (see D&C 25:12). Once this is done, revelation can take place. However, the Spirit cannot draw from an empty well. Therefore, one must have resources to study - this can be scriptures, the words of modern prophets, other inspired writings, or even reflection upon personal spiritual experiences. During such study and reflection, one must ask for answers from God. This is when revelation happens. This will likely not come as a marvelous vision from heaven, or as a light flooding the room, but rather in "a still, small voice" (1 Kings 19:11-12). This is my challenge: follow the described steps to receiving personal revelation. Following such steps will open the windows of Heaven, and one can know the will of the Lord for his or her current situation, as well as their life as a whole.