Letter #67

Dear family and friends,

To start, if you did not have time or take the time to watch General
Conference this weekend, please do so in the coming week. I don't care
if you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
or not. And if you are a member, I don't care about your level of
activity. These men that spoke this weekend are true prophets of God,
and the women that spoke are likewise called of God. And when they
speak, they speak the words of God, just as when Moses spoke to the
children of Israel. Their words should be heard and heeded. Only by
following the living prophets and apostles of Jesus Christ can we
learn of His gospel and how to navigate the challenges of life. Only
by following the living prophets can we find lasting inner peace. They
testify and prophecy of Christ and they lead us to Him. If there is
something in our lives that may seem unfair, study their words, and I
promise you that you will find your answer.

The work of the Lord continues to move forward in the Bradenton area.
Rhonda continues to progress in her study of the scriptures. She wants
so bad for it to be true, and she is finding her answers as she
studies and prays. She is working towards baptism the next couple of
weeks. We also started last week teaching Sam. He is the neighbor of a
member family. We were leaving an appointment with this family,
getting on our bikes, and Sam was checking his mail. He asked if we
were from a school and we told him we were missionaries. We talked
briefly with him about how we can know what truth really is. He has
just found his faith again and is looking for it. He is a very
intelligent kid and loves what we teach. The Lord blessed us so much
in finding this honest seeker of truth.

I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission. Especially
in the last few months, I have been learning so much. About myself,
about the gospel, about the atonement, and about families. If you find
yourself facing opposition, the best thing to do is to be thankful for
the opportunity to learn. Then seek the Spirit and let is teach. And
don't forget, we seek the Spirit through prayer, studying the writings
of the prophets, and through righteous living.

Hope you all have a great week! Love you all
Elder Petersen