Last week at MTC
Hello everyone! (I feel so awkward starting these emails, bear with me)
This past week was my last week at the MTC! It honestly went by so fast and I was not ready to say bye to the friends I made. But I am also so excited to start the work in Phoenix!
Remeber last email when I joked about thinking our service would be serving food? Well I guess the joke was on me because we did another service where we literally were serving food. Honestly, how much service does one girl need to do, they should just hire me at this point. It was actually quite a lot of fun, and after serving all the missionaries we got to clean the cafeteria (seriously, don't they hire people for this?!) I got to wear a fun backpack vacuum that got me a lot of Ghostbusters comments. After a while it got a bit heavy but it was still fun to use. Despite the jokes, I was grateful for the opportunity to serve and help others, and I feel like I got closer with my district! So all in all, service is good! Even if it is just unpaid labor...
Unfortunately this week was pretty uneventful. We had a lot of classes, and we were able to go to the temple one last time. It was a great experience and I am so glad I will be able to attend the temple while in Arizona. My district was able to go to the gym quite a few times to play volleyball and even though only two of us were good, we all had fun (No, I was not one of the two that was good). 
On Monday me and Sister O'Loughlin were asked to help with a tour group that would come in. We of course agreed and got to sit in a room with a bunch of parents, teenagers, children, and older folk while we answered questions and bore our testimonies. It was a really cool opportunity and experience because I remeber being those teenagers a year ago, trying to decide if a mission was right for me. Luckily for these people I did a pretty awesome job and helped some of them decide to serve a mission probably...
I am actually currently writing this email on a plane believe it or not. I am flying to Phoenix right now and I am so excited. I know I am where God has sent me and He has been preparing these people for ME! How cool is that. I can't wait to serve these people and to bring more of His children home. One thing has been on my mind lately, a phrase my professor once used: "My salvation is mine". I feel like this is relevant because while I will be here trying to teach people about Jesus, their salvation is their own. I cannot force anyone to turn to Jesus, all I can do is invite them. God gave us agency for a reason, and I have to be mindfull of that when people turn me down. I will also have to work towards my own salvation by serving God and becoming more and more like Jesus the best I can. I invite you all to think about how you are working towards your own salvation, because it is yours and you control it. Find ways to do be more like Jesus, and just keep doing your best. That is all He asks!
I know Heavenly Father and Jesus love all of you so much, and so do I! Please send me updates or any kind of mail, it makes my day! Love, Sister Peterson
Me, Elder Roberts, Elder Melton, and Sister Wilkinson absolutely serving
Me, a Ghostbuster
Us sisters decided to fast for our missions on Sunday and this was my long awaited meal at the end of the day
Me and Elder Gius on the plane to Phoenix AZ!!
I realized the picture I sent last week of my district didn't have all the elders... woops haha. So here is all of us
We've been to the temple twice since we got here and both times it was so fun and good. I LOVE THE TEMPLE, and the Mount Timpanogos Temple is so pretty. It was also HUUUGE haha. I swear I got lost just in the dressing rooms, it was a maze.
General Conference was so good! We were all sitting in this big room on these hard chairs (my rear is still recovering) but I think it was the first time I actually paid attention to the entire 8 hours woohoooo. I got such good notes and man there was so much good stuff! I hope most of you listened to it but I will highlight some of my favorite things:
Easter night we had a music devotional and man it was so good. The first three people got up and I was thinking it was going to be another long hour in the hard chairs, but then this one man got on the piano and my jaw dropped. IT WAS INSANE! They got three random songs for him to play about Jesus - I will walk with Jesus (suuuuch a good song) Jesus Wants me for a sunbeam, and Amazing Grace - and this guy whipped out a beautiful medley of all three songs on the spot. I swear I could hear angels singing, I am not joking. It was the most beautiful thing ever, I was crying my eyes out. Then this one Elder got up and His voice was a m a z i n g. So so good.
Today I was put to work. We got a service assignment and I was like oh, maybe some gardening or helping with meals (IDK I'm used to young women activity service) and it turns out I would be elbow deep scrubbing toilets. I was like are you kidding me. It was only an hour and it went by fast due to the fun girls in my district but still. But then I was thinking about it and I was like if I owned a training center, yeah I would make the people attending clean for "service". It's actually pretty smart. I would also make it a lot harder than what we had to do... that's all I can say. So no hate to the MTC, I get it.
To end on a spiritual note, I want to say I know I am doing what Heavenly Father needs me to be doing right now. During the Easter Music Devotional I said a prayer saying "here am I. send me" (Susan Porter' talk ;)) and I felt confirmation that I am where He already sent me. He needs me here right now and that I am doing the right thing by serving a mission. I love my Heavenly Father and I love Jesus. I love that I get to spend the next year and a half teaching about Him and bringing others home. I love you all and hope you have a great week!
I had my last zone conference and genuinely it was last one best one. We talked lots about the Book of Mormon which was perfect because I am getting through my goal of reading the whole thing this transfer. One of the things talked about was that we really do not understand how special it is that we have the Book of Mormon and how much it is worth. 
Kameda. Oh Kameda. I will never get over this man haha. He really wanted to come to church for my last Sunday but buddy fell off his bike right in front of his house and hurt his γγγ, so he couldn't make it. BUT we went over to see try to get him to come anyways Sunday morning and although he declined our kind invitation, he himself brought up the Book of Mormon. How he is still reading it and trying to understand it. He is trying because he feels its truth and it's importance. AHHH THIS MAN I LOVE HIM. Before we met him he was NOT religious and now he is talking about the Book of Mormon and asking us to pray for him. God is so perfect.
We had a busy week with lots of member meals! More member meals in 1 week than I have had my whole time in Nagano. Jk, but the numbers are pretty close.
There have been a few full circle moments as I have reached the end of my mission which has been really cool. Let me write out a list for ya.
Because of these full circle moments, I have also reflected a lot on my testimony and the things I have learned. I wish I could write them all in here, but there are too many. But I will bare simple testimony to you of the most important things I know.
I also want to add how grateful I am for this beautiful country. Japan will always be a super holy place to me. You look around anywhere and see God's beauty jumping out at you. Whether it is in the BEAUTIFUL lush and green mountains or passing by all His busy children on the street. The Japanese people are so polite, considerate, and respectful. I am honored to have learned this language and embrace the culture. I wish every single person here could understand the true gospel we have to teach because they would live it so well. I mean look at the members here who are so strong and sacrifice so much. I know someday the church in Japan will be HUGE and pray I will get to see it. I will forever associate this place with the tiny and big miracles from God. It gives me goosebumps thinking about how much it all means to me. Japan and its people will forever hold a special place in my heart and I couldnt be more grateful! 
We had district Pday on monday! Yay! We decided to go to a lake and wear our matching toe socks around there, but when we got there, we were like what do we do... we cant even swim. Well, about that... boy do I have a good story for you!!
Elder Russon was standing on the end of a dock peacefully looking out on the water. Elder Donovan thinking he is all funny starts running down the dock to pretend to push him in. THEN GOD STRIKES DOWN. BAM! Dock plank breaks and next thing we know my ZL Elder Donovan is in the water, bag and all. It was one of the funniest things I've seen and I still die laughing thinking about it. God gave him what he deserved.
On Wednesday we basically took a road trip all around town with Ezaki ε
εΌ and Toriko ε§ε¦Ή. It was so fun. We visited a handful of members and felt the spirit realky strong. Even in situations where it wouldn't seem we could feel the spirit.
KAMEDA! We had another amazing lesson with him, and he is really progressing nicely! He is reading the Book of Mormon to understand. He is intently listening to our teachings. He asks really good questions bc I know he wants to understand. I don't think I will ever get over how blessed I feel to have found him and have the opportunity to teach him so much. Unfortunately that kind of situation doesn't happen too much in Japan. But it sure makes me appreciate it so much more when it does! I love Kameda!
Friendship bracelets are not a thing in Japan. But we had a young woman's activity and I broke out my girl's camp memory and taught all the YW how to make friendship bracelets. It was really fun and they were really excited about it!
Went to a festival and ate octopus (takoyaki)
We took a group picture at eikaiwa and I made everyone do hearts. Then, because they like to tease me about Idaho potatoes, someone calls out "make potatoes"! So that picture you will see is of everyone doing potatoes for me. 
I love these people.
I have been reading a lottt of Book of Mormon recently. And the more I read it the more I just love it. I have never studied it harder or trully read it in a way that I can understand how to apply it to my life. I feel so close to Jesus Christ right now because of it. I know this book is true. I know it for a fact. I stand right next to Elder Holland when he says
"I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true, that it came forth the way Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the latter days."
Everyone, I want you to know that I, Avynlea Jem Peterson know the Book of Mormon is true. ITS TRUE!
