Elder Peterson Week 28

This week we were helping the Barkers (a young family in our ward) move to Nederland. About 5 minutes from where they were. But they upgraded from apartment to house, and from Port Arthur to Nederland. Very good upgrade. They didn't have a ton of stuff, so it was quick and easy. We literally just used their van and just put boxes in the back and made a couple trips. Again, young couple, so they didn't have a ton of stuff. As we were driving to the house, on the 3rd load, I was holding a guitar. I started talking to him about it and he mentioned that he has 3. 85% jokingly, I asked if he would sell me one. He said he's got one in the closet (back at the apartment) that I could have. I was like, "oh cool, how much do you want for it?"

Then he goes "you can just take it."

"... really?"

"Yup, it was my brother-in-law's that he left several years ago. No one ever uses it, and he doesn't care to have it back."

"... AWESOME!"

So I got a guitar!  It's not brand new, but it's still super cool. I am very excited to have. I don't know if Elder Child is happy that I have it though... 

Elder Heiner took Elder Child's spot for an exchange on friday. We went out street contacting and after 10 minutes we were talking to a very nice man. John Royal, an older fellow, told us that he's been fighting (and winning) against pancreatic cancer for several years. We got to talk to him for a bit and we were able to give him a Book of Mormon and extend the invitation to read. He said that he would try it and that we could come back any time to talk some more. You betcha we will. We also met another guy, Alfred, but he was extremely high, so I'm not sure we left any kind of impression. Oh well, his dog was pretty nice. 

The next morning we met Elder Child and Elder Masaki to go to the Nederland Festival. Brother Feidler, an awesome member in our ward, asked us to come vote for his car in the show. We gladly did so and we had a blast walking through the whole thing. We were very sad that we couldn't go on any of the rides, but it was still fun to walk through. We found Brother Feidler chatting with several people who loved his car. We talked with him and his wife for a bit, he gave us each a sprite, and then we went and voted. We also saw some other super cool cars. I got a picture of a couple of them, including the batmobile slingshot. We also saw this guy walking a snake around... that was weird.

In Sunday School yesterday we were talking about Joseph and what he did with his brothers. for those who don't know what I'm talking about, it's around Genesis 42 I believe. I could be wrong... oh well. We talked about how clever he was with his plan to see if his brothers had changed. One thing we talked about was how he wanted his whole family around before he revealed himself. He wanted to make sure his dad was okay and he wanted to see Benjamin. Probably the coolest part about the story, to me was that he was able to forgive his brothers, yes, but also that he kept the faith. Joseph had been with the Egyptians, a polytheistic people, for a long time. Many years. Yet he still remembered and followed his parent's teachings. He stayed close with the Lord and did all the things he was raised to do. Brother Fruge, in our ward, said that that's a parents' dream come true. That their child, who has been away from home for YEARS, has remembered what they taught him and stayed true to the values they helped him develop. Joseph wasn't just a very forgiving sibling, he was also a very diligent son. Let us remember his example and follow the teachings of our parents, especially our Father in Heaven.

Stay strong, stay happy,

-Elder Peterson

Lots of pictures... uhhh

I'm not gonna label these ones. If you have any burning questions about them, write me

Happy 15th Birthday Rylee!!

The morning of Rylee's 15th birthday I made pancakes and added sprinkles to them. This was an exciting birthday for Rylee in that this is her first year to go to school on her birthday. I kept teasing her and telling her that school was going to be closed on her birthday but it stayed open and she was off to school.

When she came home I asked her how it was and she said it was not fun...hahaha. She did get sung to in one of her classes which was embarrassing for her and she had lots of people telling her Happy Birthday. She discovered that celebrating your birthday while going to school is not that big of a deal.

Kenedy posted this story on her Instagram and I posted a video I made of Rylee with pictures of her set to the song "Fifteen" by Taylor Swift. I also posted a birthday picture of her.

For dinner she requested Beef Stroganoff and fruit salad. I made the Stroganoff and bought a bag of frozen fruit from Costco. Delicious! Avynlea brought her home a drink from Dutch Bros which was super sweet of her.

Rylee opened her presents after dinner, she got a card and a colored picture from Atticus.

Her friend Avery Miller dropped off a gift of a bag of green apples and a bracelet with a cactus charm on it for her birthday, Rylee was pretty excited about both gifts.

From us she got a pencil case, a body scrubber, a true crime game, an eyeshadow pallet...

DragonWatch books and some new Nike Blazers that she designed herself.

For her Birthday cake Rylee wanted a chocolate Costco cake which I was happy to get for her.

Later that night she got gifts from Tayci...soda, skittles and socks, from Ella... skittles and a gift card and Mikell sand her kids topped by with chocolate and a puzzle. 

5 things I love about Rylee

1) Rylee is so funny and sometimes has such a dry sense of humor and other times can be so goofy and silly, she makes me laugh all of the time and is good at finding the joy in life. I love it when I can hear her laughing as she is watching a movie or TV show and when she finds life amusing.

2) I love Rylee's confidence and how she is who she is. She doesn't change herself to fit in with others, she doesn't need to because she is amazing just how she is. She has her own style and is very opinionated on what she likes and doesn't like. I love that she knows what she likes and isn't afraid to tell me when she doesn't like something I think would be cute on her. 

3) I love that Rylee likes to write letters to Ryker. I suspect that if he didn't write her back she wouldn't be as enthusiastic about it because getting a letter in the mail is always fun. She writes him letters and also enjoys talking to him on the phone when he calls. Rylee is really good at maintaining a relationship with her siblings that have left home. 

4) Rylee's favorite store to go to is the used book store and I love that she still finds so much joy in reading. She always has a book with her and will spend more time reading than doing anything else. I love that we share a love for reading and I hope that she will share that same love someday with her kids.

5) I love that Rylee is willing to do hard things. We have signed her up to do the Associates degree program through her school which means that if she is able to stick with it she can graduate High School and get her associates degree at the same time. When we met with the counselor about it it was pretty overwhelming but Rylee is willing to try it out. I think it's cool that she is ok with trying hard things and is willing to give this a go. 

Rylee's Favorites:

1. Dinner: Any kind of pasta
2. Dessert: ice cream cake
3. Candy: skittles!!
4. Color: purple
5. Scripture Story: Alma joining the church and his life
6. Primary Song: A child's prayer
7. Radio Song: 21 Pilots (Any of their music)
8. Book: Percy Jackson series
9. Movie: Harry Potter series or The Hunger Games series
10. TV Show: The Office or Phineas and Ferb
11. Thing to do: read, go on trips, swim, draw, babysitting, drive!!
12. Place to go: anywhere if I get to drive
13. School Subject: English
14. Store: The Half-Priced Bookstore and Target
15. Drink: lemonade 

 

Elder Peterson Week 27

We went to the soup kitchen again, it gets more and more fun each time. Now that I recognize people and they recognize me, I can have conversations beyond "you come here often?" The answer is usually yes btw. They are all super nice and incredibly humble people (90% of the time). This time towards the end, the woman who runs the thing gave us shirts. They only had XLs though... so mine is a little tight.

This one guy that I haven't seen before came in right before we were going to leave. He sits down and starts going crazy on his guitar. He was crazy, it was so cool. We stood there for about 5 minutes and just watched in amazement. He was singing too and it was surprisingly good. I wanted to talk to him, but we were leaving and he was still singing, so I didn't get the chance. 

This past week I did two blitz-exchanges with Elder Heiner and Elder Masaki,  respectively.  The first one was Elder Heiner and I in their area, it was a good time. We were riding bikes and I got chased by a dog. So that's fun. And then on Saturday I went with Elder Masaki in their area again. I also got chased by a dog on that blitz. Like I said a while ago, I'm really starting to dislike dogs. Texas dogs. Although we did see one puppy that was TINY. It was also very nice and it let me pet it. Perrito. (Puppy)

The blitzs were great though, I got to know them both a lot better, they're great guys. I'm excited to do actual exchanges next week.

Yesterday Elder Child and I were wandering around street contacting, cause we had nothing else to do, when Brother Jeter called us and told to come over for Crawfish. Their neighbors had given them A TON. And since they're an old couple with no one else in the house, they wanted help eating it. Also, Sister Jeter, who grew up in this area, had NEVER eaten crawfish before. Ever. Thus was her first (and she said last) time. Crazy. Afterwards we went over to thank the neighbors while they were still outside. I got talking to the mother, Angi, and she started talking to me about when she visited Utah and went to one of our churches over there. FIRST OF ALL, why was she not introduced to the missionaries when she visited. Wards need to watch for people who visit, and fellowship them. But whatever, I was talking to her and I invited her to come to church with us again. I also got her information and gave it to Elders Heiner and Masaki since she lives over in their area. 

Very effective use of tike if you ask me. Free dinner and a new friend. Boom. 

I also got to talk to Sister Jeter about her family. She has 11 children! Crazy.

This past week I studied a lot about the Plan of Salvation. There's a lot of misconceptions about the Plan in other faiths. One of the biggest being about Heaven and Hell. I'm grateful for the knowledge we have and that our loving Father in Heaven has prepared such a perfect plan for us. Of course, the biggest aspect is whether or not we choose to follow the Savior. 2 Nephi 2 is a fantastic chapter for this subject, and verses 24 & 25 will be some of my favorite scriptures for a long time. Probably forever. 

The Plan is real! And for those of our loved ones who have stepped off the path, we must be loving examples to help them see the blessings that they are depriving themselves of. In the end, every knee shall bend and every tongue confess. I probably botched that, but ya'll get my meaning.

Have a great week! Be careful with your gas...

-Elder Peterson

1) Little Puppy (perrito)

2) Little Puppy

3) Antique Organ at the Jeter's

4) Crawfish at the Jeter's

5) A cool train parked at a... park. I don't like how that sounds. Whatever. Train.

It's Pi Day!

 On Sunday we were playing a game and one of the questions we had to answer was along of the lines of naming something that is not true. I wrote down Robert Pattinson is a good-looking guy because I just don't see the attraction. Rylee took a little offense to it because she thinks he is good looking. Later she took my phone and said she wanted to change the Lock Screen on it, I didn't look at my phone that night but the next morning when I woke up and opened my phone I got a big laugh over what picture she put on it. When I confronted her about it later she laughed and laughed, I could tell that she was tickled over how clever she was about it and it made me laugh even more. What a funny girl.

I talked to Ryker for about 20 minutes the phone this morning and then he called again when the girls got home from school so he could talk to them. At one point I was listening to Ryker give Rylee advice on Seminary and getting what she needs out of it and it made my Mama heart so proud to hear him giving her gospel related advice. Avynlea took some screen shots when she was on the phone and I don't know why she did but I will include them here in my blog for fun.

I love celebrating the little tings and one of the little things I love celebrating is Pi Day, also known as 

3-14, March 14th. It is a fun day to celebrate because we get pie! This year I made a chocolate pie with an Oreo cookie crust and a pizza pie with pepperoni and bell peppers. Both pies tasted so good and it was another successful Pi Day Celebration!

laundry Room Project and Avynlea is Great

My friend Katie Williams is a master wood worker in my opinion and has a sop in her garage. We have been wanting to get to gather to build a project but I needed to come up with an idea. I finally figured out something I have been wanting for a long time, a pedestal for my washer and dryer. I knew what I wanted it to look like so I went on Pinterest and searched DIY pedestals until I found the one that matched the idea in my head. We bought the wood and cut it out one day and we put it together and stained it another day. The sealant spray took longer to dry because of the cold, wet weather but it was finally done and we brought it home Friday night, March 11th. I asked Kefford if he would help me get it in the laundry room when he came home that night and he said we could do it tomorrow. I was cool with that and I went to bed that night. he next morning Kefford and I got up to go to the Temple and as we were on our way out I went in the laundry room to get a bandaid, I opened the door and got a shock, my pedestal was in place and it looked really awesome. Kefford and Rylee put it in the laundry room after I went to bed the night before and I didn't even notice that it was missing from where we left it by the front door when I got up that morning.

Later that day Kefford and I went to lunch at Cafe Zuppas with Avynlea and Rylee. Avynlea has been asking if we could go out to eat for her birthday since it never happened in February and we finally found a time and day to do it. It was fun being with my family and I am glad we were able to finally take Avy out for her birthday.

I saw on Instagram that theVarsity athletes who made 3.5 and higher for the first semester were listed and I went to the webpage to look it up. I was not surprised to find Avynlea's name on the list and am very proud of her for her accomplishments, especially since the list was fairly small for who made 3.5 or higher on our cheer team. Way to go Avynlea!

 

Elder Peterson Week 26

Hello Everyone!

We got to do an awesome amount of service this past week. We helped the Olvera family move some junk out of their house so they can do renovations on their home. Brother Olvera was going to throw out a rusty electric guitar, but I told him I'd take it. It just needed new strings and now it works fine. We finished helping them throw junk away and my nose was going crazy from all the dust. The next day we went to the soup kitchen and had a good time there. As usual, not a ton of people came. But it was still super fun. Then, on Thursday night, we helped a lady in our ward take apart a chair she wanted to return. It was a very quick job and she was super greatful. 

On Sunday there was a baptism! Just not someone I taught. Elders Heiner and Masaki helped a kid named Preston get ready for baptism. Then, the night before (Saturday night) they asked if I could conduct. Sure! Man, that was embarassing. I did fine, or at least that's what all the sweet old ladies said. Luckily, I didn't ruin the whole thing (it actually went great, I didn't do bad I dont think). It was really cool though, I haven't been to a baptismal service in a while. It was awesome to see the excitement and pure joy on Preston's face afterwards.

This week we have finally had lessons. I knew that we'd eventually get back into it. There was one last night specifically I want to share. We went to talk to a guy named Davis. This man... I want to be his friend so bad . He loves the outdoors and goes fishing constantly. His dream is to go on an adventure, just camping and fishing across the country. Then he wants to start a non-profit to help teach kids to fish. SO COOL. We talked for a good while about these interests of his and then the conversation naturally merged into the Gospel. We were able to share several scriptures and share our testimonies several times. At the end he said he would like us to come back on Friday to talk some more. It was awesome, I haven't had a conversation with someone non-member go to Gospel, without them trying to bash us, in a long time.

I'm very grateful that we've been able to teach people and that they've been understanding our message. I've been praying for a while and we finally have the opportunities to share my testimony and those opportunities are coming back. Patience is a virtue, one I normally lack, but I'm glad I've been able to be patient with this. I know the Lord answers our prayers and I'm grateful He does so. 2 Nephi 32:9 guys... 2 Nephi 32:9

I love ya'll and I'm praying for all of you!

-Elder Peterson

Ps: Elder Fisher is gone. Transfers were today and everyone stays but him. Elder Gale's new companion is Elder Morly

1) One of the Olvera's puppies

2) Elder Fisher looking like a wizard

3) puppy

4) A woodpecker

5) A lizard

6) A man

At Mikells and State Basketball Finals

We went over to visit Mikell Sunday night on February 27 to return some puzzles we borrowed during covid, to drop off boxes for them and to visit. We love going over to visit them and they are planning on moving to Montana which makes us really sad. Steve got a really great job in Montana and is already out there working and Mikell plans on moving when the lease on their house is up which is in June. We don't have too much longer to take advantage of them living a couple miles down the road from us so we have to visit as often as they will let us. 

Luke has been a tough nut to crack but slowly we have been melting away at his defenses and he will now smile and interact with us. Kefford hit the jackpot by getting him to sit on his lap while Kefford showed him funny filters on his phone. It was fun to see Jason and Luke having fun with their Uncle Kefford. 

                   

March 4th Owyhee played Meridian in the State playoffs, Rylee went and sat in her student section to support Owyhee and Kefford and I sat in th eMeridian section because Avynlea was cheering and I wanted to support her. I support Rylee also but as long as Avy is cheering I will be wearing blue and sitting with Meridian. In a year and a half I will be in red and sitting with Owyhee to support Rylee and her school.

So Owyhee played Meridian and Meridian played so good and almost beat them. They came back from about a 16 point deficit and just about had it but lost in the last minute by three points. It was an exciting game and I think my favorite parts of the games are the chants that go back and forth between the student sections.

We were bummed for Avynlea and Meridian, they played and fought so hard but we were happy for Rylee and Owyhee.

Rylee and Avery Miller

Saylor, Addi, Ella, Rylee and Avery

Every year for banquet we give gifts to the coaches to thank them for all they have done for our kids. This year Avynlea has talked with all of the captains, both JV and Varsity, and they have decided on what they want to give to their coaches💙💛. Blue heart sunglasses and Tumblers. They wanted to have Carrie cut

the vinyl with her circuit but after not communicating very well with Avynlea she finally told her that she couldn't because the circuit was broken. I thought the Cheer boosters would be more helpful with the coaches gifts since I along with Carrie did them last year but she was pretty snotty to Avy and to me when I was talking to her about it and was not inclined to be more helpful. After talking to Carrie I told her that Avy and I would take care of it and I sent a text to my friend Cristal to see if we could use her circuit she said we could but told me that my neighbor Michelle cuts out vinyl and has a business doing it. I contacted Michelle and she said she could help us out and asked if we wanted vinyl or she also has an engraving business and could engrave the metal tumblers. I thought that was way cooler and longer lasting then vinyl and Avy agreed so after making sure it was ok with her Captains we went with the engraving. I had Avynlea send me an idea of what she wanted and once again she discussed it with her Captains and they came up with an idea which Avynlea then mocked up on a picture and I took it to Michelle so she knew what we wanted and she created a design based off of Avynlea's. I am so excited to see the final result.

Throughout this entire process I was so impressed with Avynlea's leadership skills and how instead of making all the decisions herself like someone else might have she involved all of the Captains to get their input and ideas. She is such a great leader and I am so proud of how she handles herself and works well with others.