Kong Fu Skills

Hey guys! I miss you all. My week has been pretty crazy busy we got a new investigator this week and his name is Aaron.  We took him to church with us on Sunday.  He Is really cool.  He has already asked if he could be baptized. He is 13 years old but he acts like hes 20 ha, so we took him to church with us on Sunday and a member knew him, his name is Ronnie. I guess they knew each other from school or something. We thought they liked each other so we told Ronnie to take him to class with him so he did and when classed ended they came out yelling at each other and try to fight in the halls so we had to break them up and hold them, I was holding Aaron back and Elder McKnight was holding Ronnie back and they were swearing so much at each other it was bad. We took them to another room and talked with them.  I guess they know each other from school and they have a past at school. So that was interesting.

Also yes we did win the Book of Mormon competition. The closest ones to us were 22 Books of Mormon by the sisters. They weren't very happy with us when we won. Also this week I got punched in the head by some kid that was showing me that he knew Kong Fu. We met him knocking doors and he invited us in.  He was like "Hey you Mormons want to see my Kong Fu skills"?  We were like "alright sure I guess", then he punched me right in the head.  It hurt pretty bad.

We have been staying super busy this week.  We did a lot of tracking and a whole lot of teaching. I totally forgot my camera today.  I was ready and everything and then forgot it. I will send them all next week though. I was hoping that you have been saving all the pictures that I send you so I can delete them on my camera im running out of memory.  Oh and Elder McKnight got bit by a pit bull the other day, it was crazy.  We all knelt down for the closing prayer after we had just gotten done teaching one of our investigators, we have we taught their whole family, the dog was chained up in the corner and he knelt down closed his eyes and Elder McKnight got to close to it and it just started attacking him.  He has all these scratches on him arm from it.  It was crazy, I thought it was going to rip him apart.  Then our investigator said "oh he's just playing, just pet him".  haha  It was scary.  Anyways besides all this craziness nothing to much happened just really busy.  Love you all! 

Placing Books of Mormon Competition / Baptismal Date for Areana

Hey family, the chocolate got lost in the mail. I don't know where it is.  They are trying to find it right now. I hope you liked the picture we sent on Father's Day.
This week we had a competition in our zone to see who could place the most Books of Mormon in one day. That was two days ago on Saturday. We think we're going to win. We find out today who wins. But we have been texting all the other missionaries in our zone to see what their score was. We weren't supposed to, but we did anyways haha. It was killing us to see if we won. The closest companionship to us so far is 22. We placed a total of 26 Books of Mormons in one day! There was no cheating, it had to be a door contact. We had to put it in their hands. We worked all day! So we're crossing our fingers that we won. We don't win anything which I think is lame, but we just get to brag haha. 
Also this week we set a really nice lady with a date to be baptized. Her name is Areana she is way cool. We found a lot of potentials this week also. This area really is probably the most ghetto I have been in yet. Homeless people everywhere! Everyday when we go out to work I feel like I'm going to get jumped! I like my new comps but I'm still having a really hard time with the stress. Oh and the medicine I took from rite aid helped a lot, but the make me feel all loopy. My comps thought it was so funny. But they make me feel so weird. But the doc said that they will do that for awhile then I will get use to them.  I'm still dealing with the stress trying to take it at a day at a time. 
I love you all here are some pics that I haven't been sending sorry!!!!

Meeting one of the Twelve (Nelson)

Hey guys,
So I'm just going to jump right in to what's been going on this week. The first of all the good things, Elder Nelson was so amazing. It was one of the coolest things ever. I got to shake his hand and talk with him for a second! It was crazy to be so close to one of the twelve! I loved every second of it! Yes this week I was emergency transferred and I still have no clue why? They didn't tell us anything, they called us while I was on an exchange and said Elder Peterson and Elder Marrott pack your bags your leaving. I tried to ask everyone if they knew what was going on but know one knew. So I am back in Bakersfield, in a trio! So there are three missionary's, so im with two elders. Elder Henderson and Elder McKnight. I really like them they're so cool. Our area is very small and I'm back to a family ward. It's weird.

The investigator that keeps texting, you her name is Katharine from Palmdale. She is super nice. Sister Carter did get ahold of me. I stopped taking the medicine right when she talked to me about it but no luck, I still feel very sick when I wake up. I have been feeling really sick lately and really stressed. It's not getting better. I have been talking to President for a while now and he asked if I wanted to go home awhile ago, I said if I don't feel better than yes. He called me this morning and I told him I wasn't doing any better than he called you about it. I just have been super stressed and its been going on for awhile now and it is now making me very sick! To where I have to throw up.

Things aren't going to great for me right now. I don't know what I'm going to do or what's going to happen but I will try and keep my head up! Love you all!

Emergency Transfer

Tavin was transferred last minute yesterday.  He is now back in Bakersfield.  He and his companion both transferred.  An Elder in serving in that area received his Visa and they needed missionaries to replace him.  If you write to him please address it to the mission home we won't find out his new address until Monday.

Thank you so much for all your support!

California Bakersfield Mission

3512 Coffee Road Suite B

Bakersfield, CA  

Read the Book of Mormon and Receive a Testimony

Hey family,

How is everyone?  Miss you like crazy. So my week has been so crazy busy,we have been tracking more than ever trying to find new investigators.  So we're dropping a lot of them and picking up new ones because they haven't been progressing.  So we have been searching like crazy.  My headaches are doing better, but I haven't felt good.  I'm just going to keep taking it day by day and try and get lost in the work so I won't be so stressed.  

This week we got 2 new investigators and a bunch of potentials, like 14 of them haha. You have to teach them on the doorstep and leave a prayer with them to make them your investigator, if you don't there just a potential.  So we have 14 of them because we forgot to say closing prayer haha. We were so mad.  We are still working with Gabriela getting her to her date for baptism which is July 13th.  It is far away but we can get her there she really wants to have a testimony like us before she gets baptized so she wants to push her date even farther.  I promised her that if she read the Book of Mormon and prayed to have that testimony before her baptism then she will have the testimony that she wants before she gets baptized. Then I promised her that if she kept her date she would be able to not only the testimony that she wants to but get a huge testimony after she is baptized way more than she asked for.  She was so excited, she wanted to pray right there and then to ask our Heavenly Father for that testimony.  It was way cool. Katheryn we also set with a date but.... its so far away that I won't be here anymore. She doesn't want to be pregnant while being baptized and we told her it wouldn't affect the baby at all, but she really was just scared that she was going to slip and hurt herself so...its pretty far.  We had a lot of really good lessons this week, about 12 of them.  We gave 4 blessings this week. 

I love you guys so much thanks for all of the emails Jaydn and Jake and Lacey and Tyson and Talen. Thanks for everything mom! I love you so much mom! Love you all

PLEASE WRITE

Elder Tavin Peterson

38417 Fifth Street West #D-57

Palmdale, CA  93951

Tracting, Teaching and Searching!

Hey Family!!!

So to answer your questions me and Elder Marrott are both staying, I really don't know how I feel about this. haha  He has some serious anger problems.  Elder Nine is leaving. haha He's right here on my right and wanted me to say that haha.  This week has been so bad haha.  We have done so much tracting and teaching and searching and only got one new investigator so we're really bummed and tired. But we're still planning on Gabriela getting baptized in July and we have a investigator named Fritz that said if we both stay, like if we don't get transferred he will get baptized. haha  So we have a really strong feeling that's why we stayed.  Also this week we went on exchanges with the zone leaders and it was way cool to work with them and see how they work and learn from each other.  All of our district is being transferred except for me and Elder Marrott and 2 sisters ha. 
 Crazy Elder Marrott was released being the district leader now we're waiting to here who the new one is.  I'm really hoping I'm not it.  But everyone thinks it might be ugh. haha  That would be hard. 

This week we had a lot of people yelling at us though it was weird a lot of saying that we're false prophets. we don't get that a lot but this week we got yelled at a ton.  I still am getting a lot of headaches.  The hike looked so fun, I miss you guys!  Elder Nelson is coming to speak with us on the 7th that should be so cool so I'm looking forward to that love you all soooooo soooo much!!!  Elder P.