(BEST parts of this week: FAMILY! BEACH! FAITH! MIRACLES!)
Starting off the week with the new six month training was incredible! I really needed it emotionally. I know my purpose and LOVE this work so much! It was so inspiring to be on mini exchanges with Sister Thomson to go down to the training as well. We were both so excited to go and were able to reflect on it with each other on the way back and how we can help each other with our goals and apply what we were trained on. She is such an inspiring missionary! The training breakouts were on the perfect topics to uplift and inspire me at this point in my mission. I am now even more aware and striving to have that same drive and motivation that I had when I entered the MTC and when I arrived here in Los Angeles. It hasn't faded it just needed to be a little brighter. So I am so grateful for that training and can’t wait until I can attend another training! (Hopefully sooner than in another 6 months)
I have been struggling a little bit the past few weeks showing my emotions. It’s hard to explain. I have always been known as the one that is always smiling. Then the other day I realized that I wasn't and that I hadn't been smiling as much recently and that it was more difficult for me to smile. It’s not because I’m not happy because I feel I am happier now than ever. I realized that it’s because someone else doesn't talk much or show emotion unless we are in a group or with certain people and I don’t want to seem too happy if she is not. This realization was frustrating to me. At the training while talking about our purpose I read the first part of what our Heavenly Fathers ultimate goal is for us, to be happy. I realized that I don’t need to suppress my happiness because of my uncertainty. But I can do what I did the beginning of my mission and throughout my life and uplift people with smiling and being happy. Just as in 3 Nephi 19:25 “And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them..” Christ’s smile and positive countenance uplifted his apostles. As a representative of Christ I realize I can lift others with my smile too. So the rest of this week I was me, happy smiling me and it was great! I noticed a difference and others did as well and even thanked me for my smile again. Little things truly make a big difference.
Wednesday was SO great! It was our Temple Day! I love the temple so much! I received more out of it this time than any other. The Love our Heavenly Father has for us I don’t think I will ever fully be able to comprehend. It was a temple experience I will never forget.
At the Visitors’ Center (VC) I was able to apply one of my training goals which is to commit ever elder whether from our mission or from a surrounding mission to refer someone back home to one of us Sisters in the Visitors’ Center. Elder Chavis and Elder Bauman were here at the VC while there companions were in Departing Missionary practices and meetings. So I grabbed a Sister and practiced a couple of my Visitors’ Center tours and greetings with them. I was able to use that as a preset and I was able to get real referrals from each of them. Then Cindy, who has come into the visitors’ center a couple times over the past few months, came in and I was able to have a really inspiring conversation with her. She is incredible and such a great member missionary! Then after the vc we got a text from our investigator Chen Chen who had been not feeling well and she asked if we could come over and pray with her. So we headed over there and her neighbor Sis. Manoogian is a member so we had a thought with Chen Chen at her house and then all ended up at Sis. Manoogian’s for a member present lesson. It went really well. She is seeing and recognizing the Hand of God in her life for the first time. The gratitude she is feeling is so real and new to her. It is so special to be able to be a part of this!
So once or twice a week whenever we come home there is a bag of goodies and food hanging on our door. So we started leaving little thank you notes for our “food fairy”. Well Wednesday night we caught her leaving eggs and a rotisserie chicken! She is a member of the Westwood 1st ward and is so sweet! She just loves the missionaries and is serving here as well so since she isn't able to have the missionaries over for dinner she goes around and leaves treats for the sisters in the apartments around her.
VC TRAINING THURSDAY!!! Training on how to preset people to prepare them to hear new doctrine such as baptisms for the dead and the restoration of the priesthood. For us it is something that we know but for others it is very new so by teaching with love and and teaching it simply after presetting it helps them understand and gain a stronger testimony of it. Then after the VC we went straight to the Merrill's at 3pm to help them get all moved out. They are such a sweet couple and we live just a few apartments down from them and were closer to them. I would take there trash down for them every morning and we would help them carry their groceries up and such. It was quite the project clearing them out though... I no longer have the desire to ever keep anything. It is such a miracle that we got them out that night. It was just Sister Merciales, Me, Sister Bateman, Sister Abellan, Elder Chestnut, And Elder Adair for the majority of the time. All of us were there from 3pm - 9pm. We got done just in time. I don't have any idea how we got everything they wanted into their little car. Miracles happen that's for sure! It was such a blessing to be able to serve them one more before they left. It was such an answer to Sister Merrill's prayer that morning. It was so good to be able to all serve together too! We were able to have such uplifting conversation as we worked. Sister Abellan and I had a great talk on The Book of Mormon and how we have since its value change for us on our mission and share the scriptures that have helped us with each other. She is such a strong missionary I am so glad I was able to share my testimony with her.
On Friday I, an English speaking sister, taught a Spanish lesson in the teaching center. I was trying to follow up with one of the memebers of a referral but it turns out she just left on her mission and one of her friends has her phone now. He is a member from Mexico and served his mission in Honduras. I taught about the importance of member missionary work and the continuation of reading our scriptures daily after our missions. Do I have any idea how I was able to communicate with him? Not at all. But it just testifies to me even stronger that through the spirit we can do anything. It was such a special experience! Then I came out of the teaching center and had the coolest conversation with an eight year old that was getting baptized the next day. He had already read the Book of Mormon once, prayed about it and new it was true, could recite all of the articles of faith, had his favorite scripture (Alma 37:37) memorized and why, and was rereading the Book of Mormon and is in 3 Nephi again! He is inviting his friend from school to church next Sunday and is planning on giving his neighbor a Book of Mormon when they get home. He is the coolest eight-year old I have ever met! He definitely inspired me for how I want to raise me children!
I have been struggling a little bit the past few weeks showing my emotions. It’s hard to explain. I have always been known as the one that is always smiling. Then the other day I realized that I wasn't and that I hadn't been smiling as much recently and that it was more difficult for me to smile. It’s not because I’m not happy because I feel I am happier now than ever. I realized that it’s because someone else doesn't talk much or show emotion unless we are in a group or with certain people and I don’t want to seem too happy if she is not. This realization was frustrating to me. At the training while talking about our purpose I read the first part of what our Heavenly Fathers ultimate goal is for us, to be happy. I realized that I don’t need to suppress my happiness because of my uncertainty. But I can do what I did the beginning of my mission and throughout my life and uplift people with smiling and being happy. Just as in 3 Nephi 19:25 “And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them..” Christ’s smile and positive countenance uplifted his apostles. As a representative of Christ I realize I can lift others with my smile too. So the rest of this week I was me, happy smiling me and it was great! I noticed a difference and others did as well and even thanked me for my smile again. Little things truly make a big difference.
Wednesday was SO great! It was our Temple Day! I love the temple so much! I received more out of it this time than any other. The Love our Heavenly Father has for us I don’t think I will ever fully be able to comprehend. It was a temple experience I will never forget.
At the Visitors’ Center (VC) I was able to apply one of my training goals which is to commit ever elder whether from our mission or from a surrounding mission to refer someone back home to one of us Sisters in the Visitors’ Center. Elder Chavis and Elder Bauman were here at the VC while there companions were in Departing Missionary practices and meetings. So I grabbed a Sister and practiced a couple of my Visitors’ Center tours and greetings with them. I was able to use that as a preset and I was able to get real referrals from each of them. Then Cindy, who has come into the visitors’ center a couple times over the past few months, came in and I was able to have a really inspiring conversation with her. She is incredible and such a great member missionary! Then after the vc we got a text from our investigator Chen Chen who had been not feeling well and she asked if we could come over and pray with her. So we headed over there and her neighbor Sis. Manoogian is a member so we had a thought with Chen Chen at her house and then all ended up at Sis. Manoogian’s for a member present lesson. It went really well. She is seeing and recognizing the Hand of God in her life for the first time. The gratitude she is feeling is so real and new to her. It is so special to be able to be a part of this!
So once or twice a week whenever we come home there is a bag of goodies and food hanging on our door. So we started leaving little thank you notes for our “food fairy”. Well Wednesday night we caught her leaving eggs and a rotisserie chicken! She is a member of the Westwood 1st ward and is so sweet! She just loves the missionaries and is serving here as well so since she isn't able to have the missionaries over for dinner she goes around and leaves treats for the sisters in the apartments around her.
VC TRAINING THURSDAY!!! Training on how to preset people to prepare them to hear new doctrine such as baptisms for the dead and the restoration of the priesthood. For us it is something that we know but for others it is very new so by teaching with love and and teaching it simply after presetting it helps them understand and gain a stronger testimony of it. Then after the VC we went straight to the Merrill's at 3pm to help them get all moved out. They are such a sweet couple and we live just a few apartments down from them and were closer to them. I would take there trash down for them every morning and we would help them carry their groceries up and such. It was quite the project clearing them out though... I no longer have the desire to ever keep anything. It is such a miracle that we got them out that night. It was just Sister Merciales, Me, Sister Bateman, Sister Abellan, Elder Chestnut, And Elder Adair for the majority of the time. All of us were there from 3pm - 9pm. We got done just in time. I don't have any idea how we got everything they wanted into their little car. Miracles happen that's for sure! It was such a blessing to be able to serve them one more before they left. It was such an answer to Sister Merrill's prayer that morning. It was so good to be able to all serve together too! We were able to have such uplifting conversation as we worked. Sister Abellan and I had a great talk on The Book of Mormon and how we have since its value change for us on our mission and share the scriptures that have helped us with each other. She is such a strong missionary I am so glad I was able to share my testimony with her.
On Friday I, an English speaking sister, taught a Spanish lesson in the teaching center. I was trying to follow up with one of the memebers of a referral but it turns out she just left on her mission and one of her friends has her phone now. He is a member from Mexico and served his mission in Honduras. I taught about the importance of member missionary work and the continuation of reading our scriptures daily after our missions. Do I have any idea how I was able to communicate with him? Not at all. But it just testifies to me even stronger that through the spirit we can do anything. It was such a special experience! Then I came out of the teaching center and had the coolest conversation with an eight year old that was getting baptized the next day. He had already read the Book of Mormon once, prayed about it and new it was true, could recite all of the articles of faith, had his favorite scripture (Alma 37:37) memorized and why, and was rereading the Book of Mormon and is in 3 Nephi again! He is inviting his friend from school to church next Sunday and is planning on giving his neighbor a Book of Mormon when they get home. He is the coolest eight-year old I have ever met! He definitely inspired me for how I want to raise me children!
Saturday! BEACH!!!!!!!!!
Pres. Gave us permission to go participate in our ward service beach day! It was such an incredible opportunity to work with them and get to know them more. We have been having a hard time meeting with our members so this was perfect. We were also able to do a lot of contacting and has a lesson with a young man from Holland who was going back that night. (He is totally the prince of Holland! or at least looked like he could be! ;) )He accepted the missionaries and committed to having them bring him a Book of Mormon and reading it. He gave us his contact information. Since then, Sister Merciales has been able to call him in the teaching center to have a lesson over the phone and send out his referral to his local missionaries!
Yesterday the experience I was able to have at the VC was so special to my heart and I will never forget! Auntie Lani,Uncle John, Nani, TJ, Johnny, Korina, Mai'ila, Mitch, Leilani, James, TJ's parents and all the little kids from Arizona were here in CA for vacation and surprised me at the visitors center! They were my second family growing up. Whenever anyone asked my name as a child my last name was always Petersen/Auwen. We were able to take them on tour and it was so incredible being able to be with them all! It was so surreal and I still can't believe that they were here! I want a copy of the picture of everyone in front of the Christus! :)
Such a good week!
I am so excited about our special Zone conference this weekend too!!!!
RAP OF THE WEEK:
WALK INTO A CITY SO OPPOSED
MAKES ME THINK OF AMMON MY HERO YA KNOW
FAITH LIKE A SWORD ITS ALL WE HAVE
GIVING OUR BEST TO OUR HEAVENLY DAD
WE GO HARD ALL DAY AND NIGHT
CONVERTING THESE LOS ANGELITES!
Love you all!
Sister Jordyn Kealoha Lani Petersen
California Los Angeles Mission
1591 E. Temple Way
Los Angeles, CA 90024-5801
Love,
Sister Jordyn Petersen
Sister Jordyn Kealoha Lani Petersen
California Los Angeles Mission
1591 E. Temple Way
Los Angeles, CA 90024-5801
