HI Mom!
We are in a trio for now because of all the things we have to do this change with the Christmas dinners and stuff but also because Elder Valenzuela will most likely be going back into the field after this change to train or something, so Elder Fredrick is just getting some extra training as an assistant this change. With the new missionaries we usually get to share a personal experience from the mission about finding people or something and our testimony.
This week has been really busy. We had Christmas dinners with the zones: Los Chillos, Ambato, Turubamba, and Riobamba. Those are some of the biggest zones as well so it was kind of hectic. This week we will only have three. Everyone has to get a flu shot at the conference. I have been helping the nurses give shots. I'm pretty good at it now haha! We have been learning a lot about tithing, discipleship, and temple covenants. It has been really helpful. Christmas is coming up. It is funny because last Christmas I was also with Elder Valenzuela so we make the joke now that Christmas just wont be Christmas if we aren't together haha. My spiritual thought for the week comes from Alma: We know that the Nephites grew up their whole lives knowing the Lamanites as a wicked and savage people. Especially the more wicked part of the Nephites. Ammon was at one point one of the more wicked Nephites, but he converted and leaves on a mission where he makes himself a servant of King Lamoni and something I like comes from Alma 17:30. It says that Ammon, while talking about the servants of the king (lamanites) calls them his brothers. The Atonement not only offers us forgiveness of our sins but gives us new eyes and a new heart, he no longer saw them as a savage and wicked and hated people but as his brothers. The Atonement gave Ammon a new perspective, new eyes, he stopped seeing people for their outside appearance but for the beautiful potential they had as sons and daughters of God. The other example that I liked is in Alma 20:23, where the father of King Lamoni who was king over all the Lamanite people and Nephite dissenters, was about to be killed by Ammon and because he feared losing his life he said that he would give Ammon up to half of his kingdom. In chapter 22 Aaron goes and teaches the king about the plan of salvation and the atonement of Jesus Christ (vs. 14). And how that knowledge changed the king! In verse 15 he says that he was willing to give up his kingdom (all of it) to be able to be changed by the atonement and put off the natural man. But when he was about to die he was only willing to give up half of his kingdom. SO interesting. The Atonement changes us, so much. It has changed my life. I was reading in my journal and last year at the end of 2014 I said that I wanted this year to be a year that would forever change my life. It has been and I owe it all to that great and loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I love you all so much! Have a great week!
Oh! Jorge and Luz, the ones that just got baptized are in Guayaquil right now...in the temple. It was a huge financial sacrifice for them to be able to go but they did.
Elder Peterson
We are in a trio for now because of all the things we have to do this change with the Christmas dinners and stuff but also because Elder Valenzuela will most likely be going back into the field after this change to train or something, so Elder Fredrick is just getting some extra training as an assistant this change. With the new missionaries we usually get to share a personal experience from the mission about finding people or something and our testimony.
This week has been really busy. We had Christmas dinners with the zones: Los Chillos, Ambato, Turubamba, and Riobamba. Those are some of the biggest zones as well so it was kind of hectic. This week we will only have three. Everyone has to get a flu shot at the conference. I have been helping the nurses give shots. I'm pretty good at it now haha! We have been learning a lot about tithing, discipleship, and temple covenants. It has been really helpful. Christmas is coming up. It is funny because last Christmas I was also with Elder Valenzuela so we make the joke now that Christmas just wont be Christmas if we aren't together haha. My spiritual thought for the week comes from Alma: We know that the Nephites grew up their whole lives knowing the Lamanites as a wicked and savage people. Especially the more wicked part of the Nephites. Ammon was at one point one of the more wicked Nephites, but he converted and leaves on a mission where he makes himself a servant of King Lamoni and something I like comes from Alma 17:30. It says that Ammon, while talking about the servants of the king (lamanites) calls them his brothers. The Atonement not only offers us forgiveness of our sins but gives us new eyes and a new heart, he no longer saw them as a savage and wicked and hated people but as his brothers. The Atonement gave Ammon a new perspective, new eyes, he stopped seeing people for their outside appearance but for the beautiful potential they had as sons and daughters of God. The other example that I liked is in Alma 20:23, where the father of King Lamoni who was king over all the Lamanite people and Nephite dissenters, was about to be killed by Ammon and because he feared losing his life he said that he would give Ammon up to half of his kingdom. In chapter 22 Aaron goes and teaches the king about the plan of salvation and the atonement of Jesus Christ (vs. 14). And how that knowledge changed the king! In verse 15 he says that he was willing to give up his kingdom (all of it) to be able to be changed by the atonement and put off the natural man. But when he was about to die he was only willing to give up half of his kingdom. SO interesting. The Atonement changes us, so much. It has changed my life. I was reading in my journal and last year at the end of 2014 I said that I wanted this year to be a year that would forever change my life. It has been and I owe it all to that great and loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I love you all so much! Have a great week!
Oh! Jorge and Luz, the ones that just got baptized are in Guayaquil right now...in the temple. It was a huge financial sacrifice for them to be able to go but they did.
Elder Peterson
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