This is the place... for great barbecue!

This is the place... for great barbecue!

Hey, everyone!

So, first and foremost, the week in general has gone quite well! I feel like I have been productive with my work at zone, and I have been getting along well with both of my companions. Elder Rasmussen is not quite as quiet as Elder Cole, and he enjoys music as well. he has been fun to have around! Of course, I remember to not make Elder Cole a third wheel in the companionship. I know much what that is like, and so I try not to leave him out whenever I go about my business. So far, judging from my talking with him and observing him, I feel I have been successful at doing this. I guess this potential third-wheel effect is why companionships of three are so conscientiously avoided in the mission. But, we get along quite well; it's almost a shame to see it end at the end of the transfer. Nevertheless, the Lord knows best, and I will leave such things up to him.

As I had mentioned, I have been productive in doing things in zone. I was even able to pull together a meeting with the district leaders in the zone with our newest zone leader. It had been a while since we had even held such a meeting - this is partly because of the disconnect between parts of the zone. The young elders are in the Family History Library, and the rest of the Data Services zone is located in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building - in other words, there is an entire Temple Square between us. So, communication has been difficult; however, I have been making some moves to bring our zone leader in touch with the elders of the zone, and we were able to get a lot done in the meeting. Such a meeting will now be held every month so that we can all counsel together, and figure out how to best run the zone. I am happy to see this happen, and I can see much good coming of it!

Things have been cooling down here in Salt Lake City for a while, though recently they have warmed up a bit again. The weather is actually quite nice, just perfect for going out and doing some nice, hard work in! Coincidentally, the mission was scheduled to put on a service project this last Saturday at the This is the Place heritage park here in Salt Lake City! Essentially, the establishment wanted to make a new path with some monuments along the side; however, they first needed to clear out some brush along the area they were clearing up the trail. So, for them, it was either spend man-hours and money to dispatch some employees to take the time to clear it out, or recruit a group of about one-hundred young elders to volunteer for free their time to get much of the job done in an evening! So, that is how we spent half of our last Saturday, and as always, it was a great change of pace from sitting behind a computer screen two-stories underground - fresh air, physical labor, and another good cause are all good things to go out and take care of!After the project, we were all permitted to explore the park a little bit. Much of the place was a model of what the Salt Lake valley looked like in the late 1800s, when the community was still fresh and new. Of course, after all this was said and done, we all had a nice dinner, catered by a barbecue restaurant, Bam-Bam's Barbecue, based in Orem. And that barbecue was delicious - well worth a night's work! (I swear that they did not pay me to say that.)

I have continued to keep busy with singing with the Elijah Choir! I have actually been much better with attending rehearsals and performances which the choir puts on. I did even get to sing last Wednesday at senior mission conference, meaning I had a good excuse to attend that! Of course, all the young elders were required invited to attend that. Still, being able to participate in the choir is truly a blessing. I am required to wake up at 5:00 AM in the morning, but I don't care what other people may say about that schedule - it is definitely worth it! I feel that being in this choir, as you probably have already seen, has taught me self-discipline and how to keep a commitment. Though I still am not perfect, I am much better than I once was, and I continue to improve and learn - that's good enough for me!

Anyway, that is about all I have for my week. It's great to message you all like this, and it is great to hear how many people read this E-mail. I hope you all have a great week, and make the most of your time!



From,

Elder Bryce Petersen (and yes, I did remove my automatic E-mail signature so that you wouldn't have to click on the dots at the bottom to read my challenge)



Challenge: One of the biggest frustrations for many people (myself included) is the imperfections in other people. We experience such issues on a daily basis - a driver will cut you off on your way to work, an acquaintance may make an offensive remark, or someone may lose their temper at you or a loved one which you did not feel was justified. Such experiences are simply due to the fact that "we live in a fallen world and for now we are a fallen people" (Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually, Jeffrey R. Holland, 2017); therefore, we cannot expect people to always perform perfect actions, for we all slip up sometimes. Very rarely is this ever done, as we sometimes assume, with malicious intent - most people are good people, trying their best to do the right thing in all places. I feel that this is the reason behind the Lord's commandment to us "to forgive all men" (D&C 64:10). So, how do we live up to this commandment? The first step to this would be to remember that each person who we come across is a spirit child of the same Being whom we also refer to as our own Heavenly Father, making them our spirit brothers and sisters. To put this in a bit of a different way, everyone who we come come across is like us in many ways - wanting the good, and striving to do better. So, remembering this can be done by giving others the benefit of the doubt, and assume good - or at least innocent - intentions behind their actions. For example, the person who cut you off may be a father desperately trying to keep a promise to make it to his son's basketball game, and therefore not being quite as attentive as he ought to be. When you think about it, this is a more likely reality than a simple disregard to the law and others around him. Of course, there may be a certain few people who really don't care. What is to be done then? Remember that "ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto [the Savior] with full purpose of heart" (3 Nephi 18:32). They may one day realize their mistakes, and regret whatever it is they had done that had offended you. But, even if this does not happen, remember the Old Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (see Daniel 3) - their obedience was not based on whether or not it would make a difference in this earthly life; they knew that their obedience to God's commandments would eventually make worlds worth of difference in the life to come. It is not easy to forgive and not judge in such a way - I personally struggle for it. Therefore, ask the Lord for help, for he will "give no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them" (1 Nephi 3:7). And as you forgive, so shall the Lord forgive you (see Matthew 2:7).