Hey You Ok Man?

Hey guys! so this week has been so lazy haven't found anyone not very happy about are area right now. I'm so sick of no one wanting to talk to us. It sucks so bad, I hate that they think Mormons are the worst. We tract like all day every day this week no one talked to us. No new investigators! They will talk with us but when it comes down to asking when can we come back and teach you some more about the Book of Mormon or just asking when is a good time we can come back and share the restoration with you they never give us a day. They just say um I'm going out of town I'm so sick of people saying that. ha they say your mission is the best two years of your life and your going to love it. I'm already like sick of doing all this studying all day and no one will listen.  I'm pretty sure its just our area because all the ether Elders have a lot of investigators. But so this week we had two blessing one was this old guy that was getting surgery on his eye they had to put something in his eye so he could see better. He called us over to give him a blessing that it will go well. The second person was this older lady ha lot of old people here. We went to her house for dinner and then after she asked if we could give her a blessing. She had a cold that she has had for like a month now so we blessed her that she would feel better and be able to go back to her job. We got a new district leader Elder Hernandez, he is Mexican from Texas. How in the crap did that even happen, haha a Mexican from Texas.  But he is waiting for his visa to go to Brazil.
I think the craziest thing that happened to me this week, there was this kid leaning on a car holding his head and I was like what is this kid doing? Is that his car but as we kept walking past him I looked back to see what he was doing and there was blood dripping from his head. I hit Elder Brady on the shoulder and ran over to him. Elder Brady had no idea what was going on but then I got up to him and I was like hey are you okay man and he shot up and was like "oh yea, I'm okay. I just got jumped" and I was like what? He said two guys in masks came and hit him in the head with a board a took his wallet. haha its crazy here. So then I was like I'll call 911 and he was like no please don't. I live just around the corner I'm going home, "I'll have my mom drive me" and I was like you're bleeding really bad you need to go now! And he was like "I'm just going to run to my house and go with my mom". So we said alright are you sure and he was like "yea ill go right now". So he left to his house! haha Bakersfield is crazzzzzzzzy!!!!!!!!!! That's what happened to me this week!

Our Baptism!

On Mon, Mar 10, 2014 at 11:32 AM, Tavin Peterson <tavin.peterson@myldsmail.net> wrote:

I'm pretty happy that I'm staying with Elder Brady, but the only bad thing about it is are area is really dead.  Not a lot of people to teach.  Our baptism went awesome!  I wrote you a letter about it.  It was so cool!  We were the witnesses for it and gave a talk on the restoration.  It was a full house!  So many people were there.  

We watch conference in a church with other missionary's!  That's awesome your going to have the missionary's over.  This week has been pretty good I have  been staying so busy we did a lot of service this week.  We helped a lady in our ward.  Her house flooded so we went and painted her house for her.  It took us FOREVER!  There was also this young family that needed a blessing because she was sick and pregnant.  I guess they found something in her body under the baby, they think it might be cancer so we gave her a blessing to heal. It was way cool.  I hope they find out its just a twin and not cancer or something.  We will see though.  

Sister Maxfield was baptized.  It was the best baptism ever.  We got to stand in the circle when they ordained her a member of the church.  She was so happy and crying it was so spiritual!  We did a lot of tracking also but did not find anyone new but we are use to it now haha so it's not to bad.  I am still working hard!

Love you,

Elder Peterson

 Look at the feet in the baptismal pic they are glowing its so cool! the Holy Ghost was definitely there and ready to enter there lives!

Trying Our Hardest!

My ward is pretty awesome, we are called the primary ward because we have a lot of huge families in our ward. Like parents with like 9 kids all over the place.  They are an awesome ward though. They feed us every night, they make sure we always have something to eat - every night.  
Well transfers came and I have been freaking out about whether or not I would was going to stay or go.  I'm staying and so is Elder Brady, so I'm pretty happy I guess. We're not getting along very well lately but I'm still pretty happy I'm staying.  I have had a better week this week, we got two new investigators and we have the baptism coming up which I am excited for because me and Elder Brady get to stay for it. We are still working really hard but nothing to crazy has happened this week.  We have just still been looking for more people but haven't found a lot.  I'm kinda of sick of our area because we can't find anyone to teach, no one will talk to us so idk know how I'm going to do this area for another 6 weeks! haha  It's going to be rough but I think I will be okay. Brittany Maxfield is all ready for her baptism, she is just waiting for her baptismal interview which she should pass easy, so I'm pretty excited for that!

Brit sent me a pretty sweet tie.

Elder Brady thought it would be funny to mess with me while I was reading letters.

My companion wanted to tuck me in.

Utah Truffles Are A Big Thing Here

These last two weeks have been crazy! I have had a lot of homesickness this week. I hope it doesn't get too bad but I'm trying to keep it out of my head still. I got your letter today loved it thank you so much! i have been pretty busy this week knocking on doors like crazy but haven't had a lot of new people this week, just a lot of people that will listen but they won't tell us to come back or anything. They hate Mormons haha not even kidding. It's seriously so hard to study as hard as we do and then get the door slammed in are face, I hate it. But we fought two new part member families this week which was way awesome! We went to dinner with the bishop this week he took us out to eat. We didn't have a lot of success this week but were trying our hardest.
I really hope my home sickness goes away soon. This week has been tough, no one wants to talk to the Mormons like always. So we talked to like 7 people this week that were actually interested. W are going to keep working hard. Utah Truffles are a big thing here!

Felt the Holy Ghost Do It's Magic

I have been doing really good. I have been working hard. I'm almost two
months in. So crazy this is going pretty fast! So far I have been working my
butt off by knocking on as many doors as we can and teaching non member families. There is A LOT of non members.
There are so many different churches here. It's crazy how many
there are! So there is a lot of work to do here. I have my first baptism
March 8th.  I am so excited about that.Her name is Britany Maxfield, she is really cool and totally ready to get the Holy Ghost. I have felt the Holy Ghost do its magic. It was
awesome! I gave my first blessing and I was just opening my mouth and the
Holy Ghost did the rest! I have handed out like 7 Books of Mormon, taught
12 families and knocked on like on thousand doors! haha I have shaken so many
hands, I think I'm growing a mold on my hand haha. I have had a pretty fun week, we got so many new people to talk to this week.  There are a lot more people wanting to hear what we have to say lately.  It is super nice to actually have people want to hear what we want to say.  We do a lot better at night, we do this thing called the spirit walk.
It is where we go and walk and we don't knock on any doors, just walk and get
people to talk to us when they are already outside. It is so much easier that
way because they can't close the door on us haha. But we have had a pretty
busy week. We are teaching a new investigator, his family is Mormon but he's not. We told him to pray and read the Book of Mormon and he said he would, but every time we go back he tells us he doesn't feel anything and that he would rather just go to the Baptist church. He did say he wants to know more about our church and we were teaching him the Plan of Salvation last night. He was so in to it. It was awesome, he just kept
asking questions and wanting to know more so sweet! It was an awesome night!

I love every one and I am doing pretty good!!!

Ps  I got my tie and the package from the young woman that was awesome. I wore the pink tie to church, IT IS SOOO PINK haha. People were like "Wow Elder Peterson not a lot of people can pull a pink tie off but you look good" haha. But thanks for the tie i love it!

First Commitment for Baptism

Hi,

Oh my gosh this week has been so crazy!  Yea I'm eating really good.  Yes, I need more ties.  Yes I'll wear pink. I don't have a lot of ties.  I miss you guys like crazy!  I have been working so hard this week.  I have taught the restoration to like 15 families now and taught it to like 45 people on the streets.  I have given out like 12 Books of Mormon.  Oh and best of all I HAVE MY FIRST BAPTISM ON MARCH 8th.  She is a mom with 4 kids and married.  She's been fighting it all her life but then we started giving her the lessons and she's doing it.  I can't wait! So awesome!  My first baptism.

I have been studying like crazy. My brain is going to die I swear. ha  But doing good and working hard.  I went one my first exchanges a couple days ago. It was crazy.  I got bit by 3 dogs, we said Hi to this guy and his dogs were like protecting him and then they attacked me. haha It was so scary, I was trying to kick them off me.  haha Bakersfield is crazy.  MISS YOU ALL!!!!  Elder Peterson

We Knocked on like a Thousand Doors/Spirit Walks

So I have had a pretty crazy week, we went and knocked on like a thousand doors and went on these things we call spirit walks. And oh my gosh soooo scary . . . these guys were like yelling at us and calling us the F word and like following us.  I thought we were going to have to throw down right then and there. My companion was just like don't worry about it, this happens all the time. I was like are you crazy, they are going to kill us and he was like just keep walking haha. It's sooo ghetto here haha but we have had lessons with a total of 13 families now I think.  So I'm getting use to teaching and bearing my testimony like every 5 seconds! ha On our spirit walks where we pretty much just walk without knocking on any doors, we run in to the funniest people but there like all drunk haha.  But I think the freakiest thing about this place is at night when your outside you can here gunshots! So we have to be inside at 9 o'clock no later!  We hear them from our apartment too and at our apartment everyone that lives around us are always having parties.  They are so loud and yelling at each other at 3 in the morning. It's really hard to sleep with them partying all the time!

I am proud to announce I have gained 20 pounds, yes yes it is a miracle sent from the Gods haha. I have been praying a lot and I get the best feeling in the world that He is really there and listening. I love it, I have been studying like crazy and I feel like I'm going to explode. Oh and yes it was Bednar who spoke in the MTC.  It was a very good talk, I got to sing in the choir so cool!
Trasen love you bro miss you so much man you have no idea. I hope your having fun with football. Kassi hows dance, you look so old already in the pics your growing up so fast haha, keep those boys away!!! Miss you mom, I'm doing a lot better with my home sickness but still miss you so much, I miss your cooking so much haha. I'm eating pretty good but not really cooking but that's okay to lazy haha. I miss and LOVE YOU.  I'm just out here working hard. I cant believe its already a couple of days away from a month. Sorry I only get to write a little it stinks but here's some pics love you allllll!!!!