Hello everyone!
So, I am sure that most of you are wondering how the trip to the MTC had gone for me. Well, first of all, it is good to now be able to say that I have actually gone to the MTC on my mission without first being called to another mission! The trip was great! Those who went were those of us involved with Mission Support (myself and Elders Hunsaker, Harris, Yeoman, and Rasmussen) and Elder Melling, as well as Todd our manager. Todd had borrowed a church van Wednesday, which we used to take the trip down to Provo. When we had gotten there, we were soon joined by Wayne, Todd's manager. We were all shown around the MTC a bit, including one of the classroom buildings which had the most impressive scriptural murals, a picture of one of which I have attached to this E-mail. After this brief look around, it was time to begin helping. The way this happened was that missionaries who had not set up their phones prior to coming in to the MTC came in to a room with us missionaries, as well as some MTC staff. If the phone was not working correctly, they would receive technical support from the staff; if they simply needed more help setting things up, they went to us. So, we helped them out with this for about an hour, which hour was definitely a great experience to have been able to take part in. After this, the original plan was to eat lunch at the MTC cafeteria; however, we found that lunchtime at the MTC happened at the same time as our service; therefore, by the time we were finished, the cafeteria was closed down. So, we instead went to Pizza Pie Cafe for lunch. After this, we returned back to church headquarters. I am happy to have been able to do this - working with other missionaries to help them prepare for their missions is truly a unique experience! The best part, however, is that we have plans in place to do it all again next week!
This is only one major event that happened this week though! The very next day after this, those of us who are normally scheduled to do a service project for Thursday were instead invited to President Fenn's place for pizza! (Yes, I know, this makes it pizza two days in a row.) As you may know, he has his own outdoor pizza oven, which I hear he had imported from Italy. We were each tasked with making our own pizza - we shaped our own dough, added our own toppings, and slid the pizza into the oven, where it cooked up in just a couple of minutes! The end product of this process was absolutely delicious! I was also assigned to help set things up, and later assigned to help take people back and forth between President Fenn's house and the missionary apartments, so there was much driving done here as well. The party, however, did go on a bit longer than we had originally thought, and as me and Elder Melling were the ones ferrying in the last group of elders, we returned to the apartment complex at about 10:00, which time is normally bedtime for us. But, nonetheless, it was a wonderful gathering!
Anyway, I should also mention that at the beginning of the week, me and my companion have visited the Avalon care facility again. The group which came up there was quite small indeed - aside from the Neimans, the senior missionaries assigned to serve there (who have recently completed their missions), there were only me, Elder Melling, and another companionship. But, there were a few people serving from wards in the surrounding area as well - that's probably why they needed so few elders. I will say though - the opportunities for serving in such a facility are endless. It is truly a humbling experience, to see these people who had previously lived such full lives, now having to receive care at a place such as this. I am glad, however, to be able to bless their lives through service. Though I don't get to go here every week, I cherish those opportunities which I do.
I had also recently been asked to sing with a group of singers from the men's section of the Elijah choir for an upcoming performance. I think the performance will be for a Sacrament meeting soon, though I am not sure. I had not been able to attend the first practice for this, as this took place on the same Wednesday as the mid-transfer changes discussed in the previous General E-mail. I was able to attend for a moment on Wednesday after choir practice, though I had to leave pretty soon as the companion with whom I had done an exchange to go to choir had places to go. But, I think I will be able to get some more practice in on Monday. I am glad to be able to participate like this - it seems that, for a while, I had not been able to do so. Musical opportunities are one of my favorite things.
So, all other things have been pretty good this previous week. I am getting along with my new companion; the choir is still singing strong; and the zone work has been a satisfying challenge to me! Next week will be interesting for two different reasons. The first is the fact that I will be going down to the MTC again for more assisting with device setup, though i don't think we will be doing it again for a while after this time; the second is the fact on Monday, we will be getting thirteen - yes, I said thirteen - new young elders in the mission! I will write you and let you know how that goes next week. Have a good one!
From,
Elder Bryce Petersen
Challenge: In my current zone assignment (which I have had for almost a year now), it is absolutely essential to develop good listening skills. It is these skills which help us accurately determine what a patron's problem is, and ultimately provide him/her with the correct answer. However, the skill of listening is not only valuable in call centers. This skill is valuable in every aspect of life, including the spiritual side of things. We are asked to listen for the still, small voice which can guide us through the correct path in life. The only difference in this case is that listening to this voice will help us discern how to resolve our problems, rather than those (nonexistent in this case) of the speaker. Learning to listen to the Spirit of revelation is one of the most valuable skills which one can develop, as the Spirit speaks to everyone; however, some may not hear it, or at least they may not realize that they can hear it. Remember, the Spirit rarely speaks with a voice of thunder, but rather with a still small voice (see 1 Kings 19:11-12). In other words, if we expect a great and glorious vision every time we go to the Lord in prayer, we will walk away quite disappointed; though it is not impossible for omnipotent God to speak to His children with the voice of a hurricane whenever we pray, the Lord will not send an angel to declare a message which can be properly conveyed by the whisperings of His holy Spirit. Instead, we must reach out so that we hear and recognize this Spirit, so that it's message can be delivered to us. So, I challenge you all to take some time before, during, and after your personal prayers to not just talk, but to listen. When you listen, you will be able to hear what the Lord wants revealed to you, and it will be just as wonderful as if the message were delivered with the fanfare of trumpets and heralded by an angel. Then, as you apply what is heard, your life will end up where the Lord would have it go.
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