I could write a very long email about all the stuff I learned and loved from General Conference, but I will instead just share one or two things I really liked.
Elder Renlund, Saturday morning, talked about personal revelation and revelation in general. I really liked when he talked about asking for something that has already been revealed. I wish I could put the actual quote here, but the talks don't seem to be on Gospel Library quite yet. He says something along these lines: When we pray about something God has already given clear direction on, we risk deceiving ourselves. He says that in this we may deceive ourselves into believing what we want to believe. I found this very interesting, I've wondered about this in the past. I think he gave an example about church going, which was also interesting to me because I know a lot of people that have deceived themselves into thinking they don't need to go to church or that working or playing is more important. Personal revelation is an amazing thing, I've gotten that "I've already answered this question" response many times actually. Another thing from his talk that is worth noting, ONLY the Prophet receives revelation for the church. "God's house is a house of order..."
I also want to mention President Nelson's Sunday morning talk. He spoke a lot about overcoming the natural man and staying true to our covenants. What I liked was his message that this world cannot bring the true joy that Jesus Christ brings as we turn to Him. You'd be surprised if I told you how many athiests I've met in Texas. Only about 2 or 3 actually. The reason I mention that is because of a conversation I had with one this weekend. I think it was Sunday evening. We met a man named Raul who claimed to be an athiest. I don't know if I've gotten into this before, but I find atheists very frustrating sometimes. Do you remember the story of Korihor in Alma 30? Well, essentially it doesn't work. There is absolutely no way to claim God is not real. It is completely impossible to prove that He doesn't exist. While on the other hand, everything that we can perceive points to the existence of a supreme creator. I will resist ranting about that and get to the point. Raul has had a pretty good life. He says that he has great relationships with all of his family members and that none of his relatives really ever fight. He is living in Kingwood, so he is probably doing just fine financially as well. He is the first athiest I've ever tried really hard to talk to. They've always brushed us away when we come across them, but I wasn't having it this time. I testified to him that while I also have a fantastic family, it would not be nearly as great as it is without the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He told us that his family is very important to him, so I told him that what we have to share builds on that and brings families closer together. No matter how close you think your family is, the bond can always be strengthened. Remembering President Nelson's talk I also testified that true joy does not come from the things of this world. I told him that my family is amazing because we have the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we strive to live by it. The conversation went on for a minute and eventually he agreed to let us come by sometime to share a quick message. He still doesn't seem very interested, but who knows? Maybe he'll drop the Korihor act and reach for a better way of living.
Oh yeah, Elder Simpson is getting transfered today, my new companion is Elder Dodge. I'll meet him later today. He's actually one of Elder Simpson's trainers. Another change is that I am now the District Leader. Along with District Social Media Representative and Technology Specialist. Lots of responsibility, this will be a fun transfer. As is custom, we were driving around the ward yesterday so Elder Simpson could say his goodbyes (he's been here for almost 5 months!). We also stopped by Linda and it turned into a little lesson. She asked some great questions about baptism and about some points of doctrine. We have a Come Follow Me manual for the Book of Mormon and she is really excited to have it, she has a hard time understanding the scriptures. She also said she wants to watch some General Conference as well. She didn't get to this weekend because she had a lot of family in town. But she wants to watch some since it is recorded. Elder Simpson shared his testimony with her and held nothing back since he's out of here. I really think she felt the Spirit, it was a powerful testimony. They got a picture and then we headed off. Elder Simpson will be missed by a lot of people, me included. We've had a lot of fun working together.
I think that's about all I've got right now. I hope you all have a good week. I'm excited to study the talks from conference this week, I hope ya'll are as well.
-Elder Peterson
I tried cooking a pound of ground beef into a patty... it didn't work very well...
And Elder Simpson totally broke the door frame 
