New York Day 3

 Wednesday was Broadway show day!! When we were planning our trip to England I had bought tickets for Kefford and I to go see Harry Potter and the cursed child. It was a two part show 2.5 hours each and I was excited to see it but very worried about how long we were going to be watching it. When we cancelled our trip I was able to sell our tickets to Emily Walker who was going to be taking her daughter I the fall. I was very grateful that I was able to find someone who would use them rather then just having to eat the cost. 

When we decided to go to New York I was excited to find Broadway tickets to t Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and this show had the two parts condensed into one, yay! I really would have struggled with the length of the two parts so I was so happy to find a show that it was combined. The Theater was just around the corner from our Hotel and we were able to walk on over. It was a beautiful theater and the show was so magical and amazing, I really loved it and was so happy to have been able to experience it.

Nptoce y screenshots throughout our New York trip, get a good chuckle over them and move on :)

Kefford and I figured out the subway system this day and learned it was pretty cheap for us to swipe our credit cards every time we needed to ride.If we lived here we would absolutely get a metro card but just being here for the week it was only a couple of dollars each trip and worth it. 

We decided to eat at a cheesecake place  called Juniors we were told about and were heading over when we heard someone call out Kefford's name. We turned and Kefford found his MTC mission companion, Josh Probert there. What a crazy coincidence. They chatted for a few minutes and then I invited him to come to dinner with us. He helps design the inside of our LDS Temples and travels quite frequently to New York. Josh and Kefford had a good catch up during dinner and the food was really good. He suggested getting a couple of meals and sharing them which I had to green to so I didn't look like a jerk. I got a club sandwich which I only ate half of and just as I was thinking how happy I was that I could take this and eat it the next day as leftovers Josh took it and ate it, I was greatly disappointed but hid it well. After dinner we ordered a chocolate cake cheesecake again to share and I was proud of myself that I was able to share with a stranger and not get grossed out. I did keep track of where he put his fork and made sure to not eat off those areas. Josh and Kefford were able to have a great catch up over dinner and they exchanged numbers as we left to go back to our Hotel. Maybe there was a reason for us to be in New York to run into Josh Probert, maybe it was just a crazy coincidence but it was a nice visit and trip down memory lane for these two. 

New York Day 2

After eating Breakfast at the hotel we found that we could walk over to the Ferry for the Statue of Liberty. I was really excited to go and see this famous landmark and it did not disappoint. I was able to buy tickets to go inside up to the pedestal, I would have loved to have been able to get tickets to the crown but those were all sold out the week we were in New York. The ferry ride over was good and it was fun to see the Statue of Liberty at all angles. I was impressed with the workman ship and I loved being able to get a closer view. After the Statue of Liberty we got back on the ferry which took us over to Ellis Island. I was really looking forward to Ellis Island and being able to explore and get a feel for what the Immigrants went through in coming to America. There were some interesting things to see but it was pretty disappointing. Most of the Island was closed off to visitors and what I thought in my head as to what I was going to be able to experience did not really come to fruition. I did take a citizen test which I passed and that was fun and exciting. There was a small group of people huddled around watching me take the test and they cheered when I got the results that I passed, I was pretty happy that I did not fail which I thought would be the case. Kefford helped me on a few questions but I was able to do most of it on my own.

After Ellis Island we got back on the Ferry and it took us back to the mainland where we got off and then walked over to the 911 Memorial. I really wanted to go into the museum and after much discussion Kefford finally relented and paid the fee to get us inside. It was very sobering and had a heavy feel inside, I really did get a lot out of the experience, I don't want to say I enjoyed going in and seeing everything because that feels wrong but I was glad that we were able to see it. 

I was pretty proud of myself this day that I figured out how to take selfies with my phone. Upon returning from our trip we were showing Kenedy, Tyler and Rylee our pictures and Kenedy let me know that I was not taking a selfie I was actually taking screen shots this entire time. I had to decided in that moment how I was going to feel and react and at first I felt pretty dumb but I quickly decided to see the humor in it and I just laughed with everyone else and let them poke fun at me and took the joke.

Those two excursions took up a good chunk of our day. After walking around a bit we found a pizza place for dinner and the pizza was delicious. We got a slice of Carrot Cake to share which was also really good. This was a 10 out of 10 day.

Sister Peterson Week 64

Jesus the Beloved Son and a Beloved Daughter?

It was another good and crazy week!!

️I spent almost all week in the BEST TRIO EVER in Matsumoto and the miracles never stopped!️

Let me just say, I kind of understand how someone might react to hearing the story of Joseph Smith for the first time. We went to lunch with an amazing Christian named Hiroko... she part of the unification church. This church is the reason Japanese people hate Christians (someone in this church killed Japan's prime minister or something) やばい！We had an amazing conversation about Jesus though! Then she started telling us about the beloved daughter who lives in South Korea. Very interesting. Very weird. I tried to hold back my laughter. We had a good talk though and bonded over loving Jesus which is never a bad thing.

 I had a little taste of what it would be like to serve stateside and not gonna lie, it was nice! There is a couple who is literally from Boise Idaho who moved here 2 months ago for work. The husband was a member when he was a kid but stopped going to church in his teens. We went over and they served us an amazing dinner and then we had the greatest bible study ever. The Matsumoto sisters had told me they are hesitant to give the couple a Book of Mormon because they didn't know how the wife Shannon would react. We brought one that we had marked with our fav scriptures just in case and we ended up giving it to them and they were very grateful! We left that house feeling very spiritually uplifted and LOVING JESUS!

I had an amazing time being in a trio with Crockett 姉妹 and Terry 姉妹 and I am a little sad its over so soon! I feel like a new missionary after being with them. I just started my second to last transfer which means I have about 3ish months left. WHAT. I feel a lot of anticipation for the work and for Nagano area. My new companion is Sister Wentz and boy do I love her. She is definitely my most quiet companion but in a very good way. She is calm and ready to work and I just feel so excited and ready too! 

Friday was transfer day and I had the bestest time seeing my friends and also the saddest time realizing that was probably the last time I will see a lot of them. Ahhhh. We will all reunite someday though!

The weather has been yucky but that hasn't stopped the work! Me and Wentz 姉妹 went out streeting yesterday in very windy cloudy weather and managed to pass out 2 Book of Mormons and get someone's contact info in about an hour. I hope this is telling me how the next 2 transfers will go because I am ready! 

1 more thing! Nobue was able to come to church!! Saturday night we went to visit her with our member Noriko 姉妹 and it went sooo super well! They bonded over lots of things and they became good friends! Yayy! I love Nobue so much, she is so sweet and fun! She will get baptized soon, I can feel it! Idk if it will be during my time of being here, but she is making her way along!

During my studies I read D&C 88:86

This verse really stuck out to me during my personal study, and Im gonna break it down for you!

"Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free;" 

Through the atonement, Jesus Christ set us free. He gave us liberty! We are free to choose and act how we want. To be able to make mistakes, learn from them, and grow.

"entangle not yourselves in sin," 

When we choose to sin, we are binding ourselves back up. Self sabotaging I guess. We are making room for satan in our lives. The only way satan can have power over us, is if we let him. Believe it or not, we are stronger than he is!

"but let your hands be clean, until the Lord comes."

Thanks to the atonement, we can free ourselves from these sins. We can be made clean and shake off satan's grasp on us. YAY THANK YOU JESUS! 

Just remember God loves you and is very merciful! 

I love you too!

Make it a good week!

<3 Sister Peterson

05/26/2025

Matsumoto's Ando 兄弟. An icon

Hiroko!

Frestie Dy!!

Had to travel 2 hours with a group of only elders :/ all they talked about was working out and Minecraft.

The dream trio! 

Noriko 姉妹, me, Nobue, Wentz 姉妹