Mexico Day 2

On Day two Rylee sent e a picture of her "Dress Like a Tourist" outfit for school, they had school dresses week the week of Prom. I don't know why they felt a need to do dress up days but Rylee nailed the tourist look.

Our first morning in Mexico was pretty awesome. We were able to sleep in and when we woke up and got ready we went to get Breakfast and it was delicious, the best part is not having to make it myself, I love that!

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After we ate I asked Kefford if he would talk my picture in front of the resort sign. We were staying at The Occidental and the Riviera Nayarit was the part of town the resort was in, I think.

We took a morning stroll along the ocean enjoying the weather and the beautiful scenery. I love the beach and was definitely in my element.

We booked a zip-line tour for that day and I was so excited, I have been wanting to go zip-lining for a very long time and I was super happy that I was finally getting the opportunity! We were told to wear swimming suits under our clothes because we would have an opportunity to go swimming and so I did. We were taking a boat to get to our destination and we got to the meeting point a little early so we spent the time being forced into conversations with some of the other people who booked the same tour. Haha, it was fine talking with the other people, we met couples from Chicago, London and Seattle and they all seemed pretty nice.

We stopped off at the dock in town to pick up more passengers and Kefford had me take a picture of the art sculpture that was on the dock. He said that when he was looking at pictures of Puerto Vallarta that this was featured in a lot of them.

We rode past lots of different resorts and destinations and it was cool to see some more of Mexico.

Our boat tour guide took us by some big rock islands and gave us some history on them. He said they were over 80 species of birds that reside on these rocks and that the blue footed booby was a bird that resided there and it was one of a few places you can find them. We looked and looked but didn't spot one of them. There were a lot of birds and a lot of bird poop :)

Once we got to our dock we unloaded from the boat and then we had to take a jeep to the zip-lines. I couldn't get a seat next to Kefford but I got a picture of the two of us and he managed to sneak a picture of me. While on this ride we were able to see a lot of residential places and scenery. I was not too shocked by the homes I saw but it is pretty humbling to see how people live in some areas of the world.

Once we got to the actual zip-lining spot we were geared up and then we had to wait while everyone got their gear on. Then we were introduced to the guys who would be taking us on our tour and then they went over all of the safety and zip lining rules. 

Kefford and I were in the front of the pack for the entire zip lining tour and I thought it would be a constant ride with us going on the next one as we got off the previous line. It was not like that, in fact we had a lot of waiting as others were helped along their ziplining rides. I think we had 15 zippiness to go down and after the first couple I was asked if I wanted to go upside down. I said I didn't think I was ready for that yet and that Kefford would but Kefford said no he wanted to go upside down by himself and they were sending someone with us to go upside down. They said that he could not do it by himself he had to have someone with him but by that time I said I would do it and I did. It was a lot of fun but it made me a little dizzy and nauseous so I only did it the one time. I am proud of myself for doing it and I really enjoyed the entire experience. 

After the zip lining we were let off at their restaurant area where they tried to sell us pictures and videos of our experience. I would have liked some of the pictures they took but it wasn't worth it too much for me when I found out it cost about $50. Kefford and were a bit hungry so we got a quesadilla to share and it came with the yummiest rice and beans and guacamole, it was so tasty!

I thought these signs int he bathroom were pretty funny. Surprisingly the bathrooms did not stink like you think they would with all of the used TP going in the garbage.

After we ate we walked around the little area and walked across a cute bridge where we took some pictures. 

After exploring the bridge area we went over to where a Lady had her toucan and monkeys that we could interact with. The Toucan immediately bit my finger and Kefford's arm when it was first put on us, it didn't hurt just surprised me.

After we had our turn with the Toucan she gave us each a small bowl of mango juice and let us into the monkey enclosure. I was not prepared for the monkeys immediately jumping on us and going for the mango juice. It was hard for me to feel comfortable because they were all over the place and I was not liking them getting close to my face. My favorite part was when the monkey was on my arm and reached out his tiny little hand to pull my hand closer to his face so he could get at the bowl, that was super cute.

After what felt like an eternity we were loaded back onto the trucks and we headed back down to the dock so we could board our boat. The entire time we were on the trucks I kept thinking about the scene in the second Twilight book where Bella goes to meet the leaders of the vampires and she sees a group of tourists being ushered into a large room and being locked in where upon they were used as food for the vampires. Obviously that wasn't the case here but it made me feel a little funny being in those trucks and really having no idea where we were headed and not being able to speak the language.

When we got back I changed and then Kefford and I went to our dinner reservations at the Mexican restaurant in our resort. The food was really good and the salsa we got was amazing, it tasted so good!

Mexico Day 1

I have been wanting to go to Mexico for the past half a year. Last Summer some friends went to Mexico and in November some other friends went and hearing their stories and seeing their pictures just put the bug in me and I told Kefford we should go within the next year. He came home from work one day and said that he will have two weeks off in May because Kelsey and Brit were planning a trip to Jerusalem. As soon as he told me he had days off I said lets go to Mexico! I wasn't too sure on how to find the best deals for a trip like this because I definitely wanted to stay in an all inclusive resort plus getting air fare and finding the best place to stay seemed a bit overwhelming. I was talking to my friend Stephanie about it and she clued me in onto Costco Travel. I looked up a stay in Mexico for a week at an all inclusive resort and I found one for about $1800 for both Kefford and I. I was amazed that it seemed so much cheaper then I expected, the cost included flights, shuttle to and from the airport and the a inclusive resort. After talking about it and figuring out where exactly we wanted to go we booked a weeks stay at The Occidental in Puerto Vallarta. I was so excited and really looking forward to this time with Kefford. The last vacation we took just the two of us was to Australia for our ten year anniversary, it was definitely time for another trip.

May is recital month for me, the girls are still in school and we just had a lot happening so we decided to leave on Monday and come back on Friday, a quick trip but that was ok. Avynlea and Rylee are old enough now, we felt, to stay at home on their own so I took them grocery shopping before we left and I left some cash for them so they could eat out a couple of nights or just have money if they needed anything. They were actually pretty excited to have the house to themselves and even though we told them not to tell anyone Avynlea couldn't help herself and ended up telling everyone she knew. Crazy girl. Rylee moved herself into our bedroom and lived the high life while we were away, I wondered if we would get our bedroom back when we returned..hahaha.

Avynlea took us to the airport before school Monday morning and we flew to LAX and then boarded our flight to Mexico. The mask mandate in airports has been lifted so we were able to fly to LAX without wearing a mask which was amazing. Unfortunately we learned once we landed in California that the flight to Mexico still had restrictions so we had to wear a mask for the flight into Puerto Vallarta, booo.

 

We have some friends, The Heslops, who just took a trip to Puerto Vallarta and they gave us recommendations on things to do while down there. One of the things they told us was as soon as we got through customs to just head outside the airport to our shuttle. They let us know that there would be people inside that would try to sell us timeshares and other things but to walk past them and get outside. As soon as we land and got through customs we were hit with the exact scenario he told us to avoid. We were doing good getting through the mass of people trying to get at us but then one guy asked what shuttle we were looking for and once we said gray line he said oh that's over here and ushered us over to a guy at a desk who proceeded to try to sweet talk us into buying timeshares, or trips or change our stay at the hotel we were at. I really don't know what he was trying to sell since I quickly realized what was going on and proceeded to open an email from Avynlea and I ignored him leaving Kefford to deal with getting us out. Kefford was also ignoring the guy and looking around trying to figure out how to get out when the guy told us e were being very rude. We said we didn't want what he was selling and and after him calling us rude a couple more times we were able to extract ourselves and we got outside and found our shuttle.

Once we got to our hotel we got checked in and we received bracelets that had our room tag on them. All we had to do was hold our bracelets up to our door and it unlocked it and we were in, super easy and really nice to not have to worry about carrying our room key around. Once inside we changed out of our traveling clothes and headed out to explore our resort and find some food. We were pretty hungry after all day traveling and our hotel had buffets for all meals so we were able to find some yummy things to eat.

That night while I got ready for bed Kefford went to get himself some ice cream, when he got back he told me there was a show going on out by the pool and to come look at the sunset. We saw the most amazing sunset and we headed out to take some pictures of it. We got some from the balcony on the outside stairs and then Kefford and I headed down to the beach to try to get some different views. It was beautiful and it really felt like we were in paradise. After we took our sunset pictures we stopped to watch a little of the show. It was people dancing in different styles and while it was interesting for a while I was done after about 20 minutes. It was ok but the girls suddenly had on some pretty revealing outfits and the dancing was more of the same so we went back inside and went to bed.

 

Elder Peterson week 34

As you can probably gather from the email subject, things are starting to get going a bit!

This past week Elder Mangan and I were at the Butler's home for dinner. Their a young couple with a hilarious 8 month-old son. We had a good meal and we talked about missionary work for a while. After the meal we were walking down their sidewalk and we saw a nice looking couple sitting on their driveway talking. We walked up and asked them if we could share a Bible verse with them. The woman, Norma, said we could. I wanted to share James 2:17, but I gave a little context first. I told them it's one of my favorite scriptures concerning faith and we started talking about what faith means. I then shared the scripture:

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."

They loved it and we kept talking about faith for a while, it was awesome. We then explained who we are and what we as missionaries do. We asked them if we could come another time to talk a little more, and they agreed. I gave them a pamphlet that had our number on it, got there number, and said goodbye. 

It was such an awesome conversation and they were so nice, they even gave us some soda before we left

As we continued down the street we came across 8 (give or take) kids playing some basketball. They approached us and asked if we had guns. Then they asked if we were police. We told them who we are and they just kinda went "oh! Cool..." Then we started playing basketball with them  It was pretty fun, they had their hoop lowered a bit, so I was able to dunk (barely) and they were loving it. They had some pretty good shots themselves though. After about 15 minutes of playing with them we told them we should go. They were a little disappointed, but we all had fun.

Elder Mangan and I decided to do a little walking around on the beach a couple days ago, and it was pretty cool. The beach is only about 15 minutes from our apartment, so it wasn't a hard decision. There wasn't a lot of people, so we weren't able to talk to anyone, but we got a couple good pictures (down below). The beach is kinda funny, you've got 30 feet of sand until water, the waves are very small, and in the distance you can see oil drills (or some kind of oil machines). Fun! Unfortunately I didn't get the oil drills in the pictures, so you'll just have to believe me.

We found a guy who missionaries in the past couldn't get a hold of and had a great talk. We caught him outside trimming his bushes with scissors () and asked him about his experiences with missionaries in the past. He didn't answer that question, instead he told us that he has a ton of weird questions () and asked if we would listen. We told him we'd hear one and they come back another time for some others. He basically asked if we existed before the world was created. I said yes and he went "Really? Cause I haven't seen that anywhere in the Bible." I refrained from rolling my eyes and then read Proverbs 8:22-26 with him. He read it over about 5 times before finally admitting that it does confirm. It was a good conversation though, he didn't try to bash us or anything, so that was good. We scheduled another time to meet and then wished him a blessed day.

This week has been great, we've been finding more people and setting up more lessons. You really get out what you put in. We've been out everyday as much as we can trying to get lessons, and it's starting to pay off. One struggle I've been having is finding peace. If you know me you've come to understand that I like my personal quiet time and I get frustrated with people pretty quickly (something I'm really working on). Because of this I really enjoy little breaks throughout the day where I can read some scriptures, pray, and do some pondering. These are 3 things that have been extremely refreshing for me. I've come to understand that studying the scriptures prayerfully and with lots of pondering brings a lot of peace. Jesus Christ truly is the Prince of Peace and as we study his life and his words, we can become a happier, more peaceful people. I strive to emulate that calm peacefulness that Christ had when he taught people. A scripture I heard recently shows that the Lord is not heard in loudness, but in the quiet stillness.

"11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

   12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice" (1 kings 19:11-12).

I know that as we seek moments in our lives where we can quietly ponder the words of Christ, we will receive much peace and many revelations.

I hope you all have a great week!

-Elder Peterson

The only one I have to comment on is the one with words. I found that scripture in my personal study and found it very applicable to missionary work. The picture may be a bit cheesy, but I like it.

Elder Peterson Week 33

How's the weather over there? We've got 70s with 75-95% humidity pretty consistently. It's alright though, I'm getting used to it (not really).

Last week Elder Mangan and I met with a woman named Audra Rodriguez. She was referred to our Bishop by a guy at a car dealership and Bishop Dinsdale referred her to us. We sat down to get to know her for a minute and has a super great discussion. She said she believes that Jesus Christ is real, but she doesn't know much about him. We shared a couple scriptures and basically told her we can help her learn. She also expressed concern with scriptures and how it's hard for her to understand them. We can help with that too! We asked her to read 3 Nephi 11:10-12 (I think) to get a good start on who the Savior is. We are super excited to meet with her again and learn about Christ together. 

We also did a lot of service this past week. We (and other Elders) helped a lady do some yard work in her jungle of a backyard. We had to clear out her yard and then we just took a couple weed wackers and made it look waaaay better. We and some other Elders also helped a woman in our ward, Sister Lerdo, clean out her garage. It was pretty gross, it smelled not too great and there were more roaches than I've probably ever seen, along with other bugs I can't identify. It was a good time though, we cleared out a ton of junk. In this part of Texas you can throw your garbage on the grass space between the curb and the sidewalk and it will get picked up. No can or bag even needed (makes the streets smell awful sometimes). So we threw all the trash on this little section by the curb and filled it up very quickly. After being there for a couple hours we told her we had to go, but that we'd love to help finish up some other day. Hopefully she lets us help again!

In missions where phones or ipads are used we have an app called areabook. All the files and information that used to go on the physical areabooks (those 5 pound binders the missionaries used to lug around) is now digital and way easier to use. Unfortunately, with technology comes new problems. Like your areabook not recognizing you're in a new area and failing to sync, or instead of sending someone's information to the correct missionaries it will send it to no where (this is rare though). In our case, we have no area. Since Elder Mangan and I are technically opening an area, the app has to draw new boundaries, give us stewardship in the ward, give us the teaching records of people in our area, etc. Areabook I'd being stubborn and has decided to take its sweet time with the process, so we have been basically starting from scratch. Eventually (Hopefully within the week) it will update and then everything will be fine, but until then we are pretty much using the spirit to guide us. The situation isn't as bad as I make it seem, but it's slightly annoying. The Great news is that we've been able to meet with people anyway, which is a tender mercy for me because I really enjoy talking about the Gospel with people. 

So even though this past week has been a bit hectic (I forgot to mention we moved into our own apartment finally), the work of the Lord continues.

Hurrah for Israel!

If any of you have any questions or I forgot to write about something you are curious about, feel free to email me!

I hope y'all have a great week! 

-Elder Peterson

 1. A chicken from a BBQ place.

2. We had a leak last week. Luckily it got fixed very quickly.

3. A nice, classic Texan sign.

4. The missionaries on the left in this picture are from the Texas Houston SOUTH Mission. It was funny to see them at that bowling alley, so we got a picture.

Sunday Walk

 My friend Stephenie sent me a text saying she just saw Avynlea working at Sodalicious and took a picture of her to send to me. She hasn't met Avynlea before but has seen pictures and she recognized her when she pulled up through the drive through to get a drink during Avynlea's shift. She said she asked her what her last name was and then if she was my daughter and when Avynlea said yes she got really excited and had to take a picture. Avynlea said she felt really awkward but se looks super cute in the picture. I found it extra funny because I was just there with Kefford and hour before buying a gift card and cookie to give to Stephanie on Monday for her birthday. 

I finished the Mermaid quilt I started a couple of months ago and it turned out so cute. I had it professionally quilted at JK Quilts and the pattern I picked had mermaid tails, tridents and bubbles so the quilting looks so cute and adds more fun to the overall design. I picked a dark navy minky material for the backing and it is so soft and cozy. Doing the binding took me a bit longer then I would have liked but I got it done and all by hand...I feel pretty accomplished that I now have two quilts made by me. 

Sunday evening the weather was really nice so Kefford and I along with Rylee and Avynlea went for a Sunday walk. It was fun being with the girls and I loved that the weather was so nice.

Elder Peterson Week 32

On Tuesday I pretty much assumed I was leaving the area, so we went and said bye to some people. When the transfer board came out that night my assumptions were confirmed, I was headed out. That made Wednesday another day of goodbyes. We went to the soup kitchen that morning and had a good time there, I once again had crazy people yelling at me for simply doing what I was told, which is always fun. But I'm gonna miss going there, it was good service. We later went with some other Elders to say goodbye to the Fontanozas, McHughs, and Jeters. Great families, I'm really gonna miss that ward. 

Wednesday was also filled with packing and figuring out what to take and what to leave. Luckily I didn't have too much junk, so I was able to keep most of it. I did have to leave some though. 

Thursday was transfer day and I sat in a car for probably a total of 5 hours that day. Not particularly fun, though I do like road trips. I got to see some friends, like Elders Webb and Westover, so that made the day better. I met Elder Mangan, my new companion, and we headed home. Our area is directly neighboring the one I was trained in, Broadway. So it's kinda fun to be back. The area is the one Elder Frogley started in, so there's stuff he left behind all over the place.

The work since transfers has been less than ideal. I'm currently living in an apartment with another set of Elders (for now, we get our own soon), and it seems to me like there's a little too much downtime around here. We've all spent way too much time in the apartment, which I'm not a fan of. So this next week I might have to push my companion and myself out the door sometimes, which is fine. I've got no problem doing so.

Despite that, and it's not as bad as I may have made it seem, we have talked to some great people. Our area is huge and covers a ton of neighborhoods and apartments, so it's not hard to find places to go. The people are also pretty nice as well, so far. They at least understand basic principles of the Gospel, something the people in Port Arthur seemed to struggle with, so I have high hopes for my time here. 

Easter Sunday was awesome! The talks given at church were fantastic and I felt the spirit very strongly throughout the meeting, despite the elderly man snoring right next to me. Sunday school was just as good, I love talking and learning about the Resurrection of the Savior. There's so much symbolism in everything, which helps us understand even more. I love these words from the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 16:

   "8 But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.

   9 He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death."

I've always loved the phrase "the grave hath no victory." Jesus Christ conquered death and in turn has made it so that we all will do the same. Yes, we will eventually die, but because of Him, it is not permanent. Because of Him, we cannot be held in the bands of death, for He has broken them. Our Savior suffered all that mankind will experience and then was crucified on the cross. Simply because He loves the Father and because He loves us. Then he rose from the dead and became a perfect, glorified being, just as we may some day become. 

Easter is a wonderful time to remember these truths (and many others), but we should always have them in our hearts. Take time every day, every hour, to remember Jesus Christ's love for us. Because of Him, we can change.

Because of Him, the grave hath no victory.

Because of Him, we can have everlasting happiness.

He is the light and the life of the world, and I testify that it is only through His light and the life He gives us that we can find everlasting peace and happiness. I am forever grateful for my Savior's love and I know that He lives.

I'm excited for what this transfer has to offer, and I wish you all a safe and enjoyable week.

-Elder Peterson 

That's Elder Mangan

Those are the Fontanozas 

That's the mission office, never been there before

That's a model home with no access to the garage

Those are delicious eggs that Elder Hunter made for breakfast