Letter #71

Hey everyone!

What a great week! Still teaching all of the time, and everyone is doing really well. No one new that we started teaching this week, but this coming week has some exciting prospects.

We've been working a lot with a young man named Josh. He's really a cool kid. His grandma is a member in our ward, but neither of his parents really like the Church much. He reminds me a lot of myself when I was in middle school and high school. He always asks such awesome questions and really wants his life to start making sense. He soaks up everything we teach.

We're also still working with Mike and Nami, two kids who's mom, Hepi, is a member. They're doing really awesome. They will be getting baptized next week. They are the most spiritual kids ever! The insights they have in our lessons and the experiences they have had that have brought them to this. Just wow.

We also have Bruce who is getting baptized next week. He comes from a rough background, but snatched up the Gospel the first time he heard it. He has really helped me learn just how much spiritual knowledge is different from intellectual knowledge. He is a very simple man with a very strong and abiding faith in Christ and in the restored gospel. He knows who he worships.

Yesterday we were able to participate in the Fort Lauderdale Temple dedication. It was an incredible and spiritual experience. The power of godliness was truly manifest that day with a great outpouring of the Spirit. This is a wonderful blessing for the saints in south Florida. A House of the Lord is a wonderful blessing to anyone who lives near by or is able to visit. It was awesome to see so many participate who hadn't had the opportunity to participate in a dedication since the Orlando Temple was built 20 years ago. With all that was said in general conference about the importance of the Temple, and then the dedication, it has really been impressed upon me the importance of attending and worshiping in the temple on a frequent and regular basis. We are all familiar with the blessings we extend to our ancestors through temples. But in the dedication, Elder Christofferson reminded us of the blessings we receive through the ordinances of the temple, especially the strength to stand against the storms of the world.

Love you all, have a great week!

Elder Petersen