Rejuvenated by Conference - April 3, 2017

Wow Conference was amazing this time around. Every single talk was directed specifically to everyone and I loved how we were shown who we really are in this grand plan that Heavenly Father has for us. I loved how every apostle and prophet showed that and afterwards they all told us that we can live up to the potential that we have by simply saying our prayers, keeping our covenants and studying the Book of Mormon. I loved Elder Nelson's challenge to read every scripture of Christ from the Topical Guide and highlight it. That night I took a soft bound blue book of Mormon and began marking each scripture. It has helped me to see and come closer to my Savior and I invite each of you to do the same. But each talk was so inspired and straightforward and I am so thankful for the Prophets and Apostles whom we have to guide us. I am especially grateful for President Monson and his straightforward direction to us to READ THE BOOK OF MORMON. If you arent reading it, then begin doing so now. If you arent reading it as a family, then begin doing so now. It is the single greatest protection that we have against the adversarys attack against families. So this week was so awesome!! We started out this week with our activity at the beach, one which we burned to death and were suffering sun burns for the rest of the week but it was still fun. That afternoon as I was writing you all, President Madsen called us and said that he was going to be coming with us to teach that night. For that we went running out to get ready to have him with us. But then as some of you saw, he got caught in a road block and he couldnt get here. On Tuesday we had our zone conference. The work is truly hastening. In the past few weeks we have recieved several letters from area authorities about how it is time for the Book of Mormon promises for this area to come forth and that we needed to be the instruments to be able to carry those promises forth. We recieved several new area goals that we were expected to meet and it has been a huge challenge to our faith. In that zone conference President Madsen told us that we had stopped relying on the Lord and had just been relying on our own personal talents to do a sacred work. He told us that it was time for us to humble ourselves and ask the Lord what he needed us to do, because it was him who gave those promises and it is him who will bring them forth to those who are willing to humble themselves and be instruments in his hands. That night, we went home and I went up to our bedroom and I knelt down and asked for forgiveness for my pride to not do his will. I asked for his guidance. Yet the answer did not come. That next morning, as we woke up I once again knelt down and said the same prayer, and that is when we heard a shout "Elders, Elders" it was our Ward Mission leader Oscar. He had in his hand a missionary plan for San Blas to be carried out for the next 3 months. He said that he had to go to work but that we should read it and see what we needed to add or take away from that plan. He said that he had felt inspired to do it the day before and that is what he had felt like should be inclueded. I read through it, and the inspiration was so strong in what we needed to do. This week, the focus has been doing what the Lord wants us to do and keeping his commandments to continue to recieve his inspiration. On Wednesday, we had President Madsen come with us to teach afterall. It was a great experience to be able to teach and testify alongside him. We went and visited Juan, and saw that they were going through a lot of sickness and despair. We were able to testify of the power of prayer, and our willingness to follow through with what the Lord wants us to do. Another experience has been teaching a teenager named Carlos, who is 17 years old. He has been super shy in teaching him but the other day we were able to share with him Matthew 11:28-29. We helped teach him that if he had a desire to change, he had to do it alongside Jesus Christ, using the power that is in Christ by taking up his yoke with Christ and not alone. Carlos opened up and said that he was willing to do what it took to change. It was a great experience and lesson. San Blas has been changing a lot for me. At first, it was hard and difficult but now I am seeing the hand of the Lord in his work here. I am thankful for the opportunity to be here. I hope that you all take what you learned from conference and apply it now! You will be blessed and protected. Elder Peterson As for pictures, I am sorry to say that for the rest of my mission I will not be able to send pictures. The only "safe" computers here in San Blas are ones that have a lot of viruses on them. Last week I plugged my card in to send pictures and when I got home to look at more pictures all of them were gone. Thankfully I had a backup of everything up until the San Blas stage and right now President Madsen is trying to recuperate them as he has for a lot of missionaries. But, I wont be sending pictures for these last 3 months just to keep my pictures safe.