My Last Week!!!!

MISSION STATISTICS BOARD

Name: Elder Peterson 

Mission: New Hampshire, Manchester

Current Location: Topsham, Maine

Current Companion: Elder Merzlock

Current Transfer: 17/17

Week: 6/6

Total Weeks: 105/104

TOTAL YEARS!!!!!: 2!! 

Address: 

Reece Christopher Peterson 

105 Wind Song Avenue

Manchester, NH 03104

(Home Address: 1603 W Havenwood Ave Nampa, ID 83651)

Holy crap guys this doesn't really seem real, I've been a missionary for over 2 years now and gosh this time has changed me and I'm. Grateful for New England and the Time I've had to serve the people here and learn from them!!! 

My flight home is on Friday at 8:45 and I get home at 10:25 Idaho Time!!

                  

Click This for pics

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RxYwgsYvN69f83Ev5

Highlights:

GOSH this is hard to choose!!

-Hey I found 2 people this transfer and taught them in a gas station while I was getting a drink in other peoples areas!! One in Portland and one in Augusta!! #Talktoeveryone

-We helped a family carry in groceries a couple weeks ago and Elder Merzlock went near their house on an exchange and they gave him their number. We had a lesson with them on Wednesday and when we gave her the Book Of Mormon she hugged it and said "I love this Book"!! She came to church on Sunday with her 3 kids and they're from the Congo and we have a family from the Congo and they're all getting along great!!!!

-I had an exchange with my MTC comp and it was dope cuz we got to talk about being comps 2 years ago and the other exchanges we've had throughout our mission and it's dope to see how different we are from 2 years ago!!!

GOLDEN TRUTH: In our mission all departing missionaries write their "Golden Truth" which is basically the biggest thing they've learned on their mission and here's mine if you wanna read it!!! It's hard to narrow it down and that's the point to make it meaningful but with a lot of Prayer I did it on Gratitude.

Golden Truth: “Gratitude converts dull and daily Activities into luxurious enjoyment”

In my First ever Interview with President Hayden we were on the topic of Gratitude and we talked about the way gratitude and the surrounding Christlike attributes can change someone's outlook on life. He shared with me a quote from a Philosopher named Aldous Huxley "Habit converts luxurious enjoyment into dull and daily necessities". I liken this to the Important work we do every day, As missionaries we “Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel” and we try to do it in the most efficient ways possible and that sometimes ends up with us having our days look very similar to one another and that can make the Luxurious Enjoyment that comes from The Gathering of Israel feel like those dull and Daily Activities that Aldous talks about. But President Hayden put a spin on the quote that I've loved and shared with many people throughout my mission and that's “Gratitude converts dull and daily necessities into luxurious enjoyment” This change though simple put a completely new meaning to the phrase and helped me be more intentional in the work that I'm doing as a missionary and helped me through some difficult times during my mission. 

One of those such times was when I was in Rutland Vermont. I had hit a point in my mission where I knew a lot of the basics of missionary work, been out for almost a year and a half and I was doing just about the same thing every day. I felt like I was in a “Rut”. Though I was having success and I was happy to be in the area I was in and with the companion I was with, I was having struggles finding joy in the work. One night I was reading through my journal, an entry from a year prior in my first area speaking about the things I did that day. I was in a smaller area than Rutland and I had less success than Rutland but I had a different focus. I was in the early stages of my mission and I was grateful for every single thing the lord had given me and it was apparent by the way I talked about knocking in the rain and getting soaked in North Brookfield Massachusetts. At that point I decided to be grateful for what I had and to make the best of it. That started with my prayers, I made my prayers more personal and I emphasized my gratitude for the blessings in my life. I counted my many blessings and I started to look at missionary work and the tasks that I had to do with a new light and I had a deeper appreciation each day. 

President Monson Said once “gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.” I've tried to “touch heaven” by living with gratitude in my heart every day since my experience in Rutland and I've been able to have more joy since learning this truth and I know this can help you Elders and Sisters as it's helped me. If you feel like your mission has become “Dull and daily” I promise that by prioritizing Gratitude in your heart you can make each day of trying to bring Heavenly Fathers children back to him a “luxurious enjoyment”. 

I'm grateful for the blessings I've been given and for the opportunity I've had to serve in the New Hampshire Manchester Mission I've met so many amazing people and Grown Closer to Jesus Christ than I ever thought possible and I know that I have so much more to learn and I'm excited for the new opportunities that are ahead. You're called to be here. You are needed here. Know this and cherish this time. I leave you these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.