Arrived in Croatia!

I'm here! I love it! My mission pres is the best thing of my life and his family is amazing! I just got out out of an interview with him and it was so powerful! Tomorrow i will find out where i am going!

I've already had some crazy experiences. I played it smooth and asked someone aka a Slovenian who spoke English to help me  high light this passage in Croatian  (playing it smooth cause i already knew but but i wanted her to read off a passage so i had her read Alma 36:3 or 33:3! Then i talked to her in English and at the end i wrote a note to her and said i didn't have any paper so i wrote a thank you know  to her in the book of Mormon!  She was so grateful she goes to school in Houston! It was bent to be!  So my first book of Mormon was gone when i got off the plane! She gave me a great hug!  

Every one is so nice here! The people are so easy to talk to and really will listen! Its beautiful here!  I'm excited to find out where i go! ps when i first got off the plane i like tripped trying to the bus hahaha something will never change! love you so much! xox talk to you next Monday i sure that's my pday! 

love sestra peterson 

Last post from the MTC.

Well it has been an eventful day here in the MTC! I got most of my packing done! I got my music and it felt so good to have it have it back in my hand aka it felt like gold! Speaking music i just got picked to sing at the departure devotional! I thought i was not going to get pic but gods knows our hearts so I'm singing  for everyone that's leaving "Make Me Whole!" I'm so excited!

So a funny story: We had some clothes to fix and they were finished but we didn't get to the place on time and my comp ws freaking out cause they open at 10 on Monday! And here is me relaxed about it  saying i know it will all be ok so don't stress.. ps she has bad OCD. (hahaha)  And sure enough afters about 20 min of trying to get our clothes they were at the front desk!  God knew need needed all the long skirts!  

Well thanks for the pics and tell Cami her BDAY card is going in the mail tomorrow because the book store was out of envelopes! Love y'all and good night! I cant wait to talk to y'all Monday!

Packing Up.

Mom,

We were on the computer at the same time this morning!!!! i could have talked to u as i saw u wrote a dear elder at 6! I always wake up at 530 even on pdays!
 well its really happening! I'm like nervous/ super excited to call Europe  my new home! I'm so excited to talk to y'all in the air port and I'm sorry i forgot to tell you that hahaha! but i will be calling home like 9/10 here so 10/11 at home! I really have been dying to talk to y'all! I better talk to everyone of y'all and so happy Nissa that y'all could still be there so i can talk to you! we have to be in the travel office at 8 and we leave at 11 so just be bye the phone! mom thanks for the pic and Nissa they are the best thing ever! Can i just say holy freak! baby boy Stratton  has gotten so BIG! I was looking at the family pic we took to the one at the baseball game and wow!   i didn't know a person could change so fast! HE is so cute and chubby, never know he was born early! Dad you look amazing! PS i told these missionaries to baptize your family! UM and guess what I'm eating today for breakfast.... the lulus Cinnamon roll with my rommies! so excited for that! Sister Allen thanks u so much for the gift! i have wanted one of those for so long! Sorry i don't know what its called but its perfect and pink!!! Nielson Family thank you as well for the package! i killed me know to think that you were right outside the MTC gates!  

we both could have seen them! I should be getting my music today mom=) and yes they will send it back to you if i don't get it! Well a lot has happened this week! so sat I found out that one of our teachers here was the one how baptized the boy the the conference talk by elder Ering! i was amazed so he told us all of the story of Valentino  and how he was freaking out when his story was told in conference! 

Well somethings that were not mention in the session were that we made money by washing windows and one car was the elders! He said talked to them and wanted to meet with them so when the missionaries asked for a phone number he gave them a fake one cause he didn't have one cause i was homeless like Aladdin style! so after that he lost in touch with them. then he met the Nurse just by walking on the street and that's were the story continues ion the talk! but then this is the cool thing, when he was baptized in Bosnia they wanted to make it special for him and their is now where to baptize cause there is  not a church building so cause he was the only member so it was held in the elders apt  so they payed some money and he got baptized in a swimming pool of a  5 star hotel!   So it was super special for him and so they said when i go to Bosnia if i do, which i really want to go there the most,  I will most likely pay some money and hold baptisms there and will get to meet Valentino!  apparently we have 30 missionaries in my mission now,. but when we get there while i am there the number is expected to go up to 70!  

Did u know Croatia invented the TIE! So they have the best ties over there so be ready for a package of them! Ans that famous basketball player Kosovic that played at BYU did the translation for the Book of Mormon to Croatian, but now they are coming out with a new one soon cause its really really old Croatia.  New York Times just did an piece on Croatia, it was written July 7 so look it up!  i really cant believe that i have been here all summer and how fast it has gone bye!  Well i have not check out and pressing forward as i have continue to study but i have been going be at 12 every night cause we just stay up talking to the girls! The other night i laughed so hard i made the Asian face! yikes it just came out! Speaking of Asian I have a new bff who is going to Asian but from Australian she lives is a Penthouse there and her dad also has a house in Hawaii so she said i must come visit her! she is the sweetest thing ever as she heart attacked my whole zones door back inside the residents hall!  He name is sister Choi! she is also beautiful! I have met amazing people form all over here that I'm going to stay in touch with forever!  Yes mom me and Kat have become great friends as we see each other are with each other 24/7 cause we are in the same class which we have 10 hours a day. I stop by Alexis room every night as her roomies think i am crazy probs and i see Taylor all the time !  but i had a really good experience with her! we see so many tender mercies here and i was able to be part of one as it was 8 pm and my class for some reason got out early  so we went to study out side and guess who i saw! Alexis! She was having a hard day  and i though it was ironic how Monday of my first week i had a break down too!  Hahaha she just walked into the laundry  room as im speaking! But I was so happy i could help as i new exactly what she was feeling!  GOD is great as he work other peoples thought process to help out just one person who is in need!  We never finish early and yet he made my teacher end class to study outside! I brings be back to one of my fave talks by Bednar saying if we are a good girl or boy doing whats right we just have thees nice thoughts and think nothing of it but  another person it could change their life. Those as also promptings of the spirit that we are not aware of.  Look up Patterns of Light by Bednar  on Mormon Messages  cause i love how he says we don't need an angel to tell us to be better and know we are loved, but that's why he sends us our angel mother " to get through the day, to help us grow  to feel of Christ pure love, Aden mom you are an angel Mother! Thank you so much for all the dear elders!  They make my days everyday and my comp loved hers! a huge smile over came her face and just love it so so much! 

Well wed was the last day I got to tell the new missionaries that the pitchers change cause i swear they do! Then we taught our investigator who will just not commit to baptism! HE had been so hard to teach but its good practice for the field!  Nissa i don't know if you heard me but I sang happy birthday to u as i ran outside to watch all the fire works that were going on here! I was surprised that we didn't do anything here but because Fire works are my fave I ran from place to place to see them!  yesterday i had training all day and it was long but good as the second half they showed the video of the churches around till the world getting missionary work done and my countries were not even touch! I'M Just want to know where i am going first and to meet these people! Blair don't worry these places are very safe and the people are so loving and will just love your smile!  well i have to pack up everything today to i love you all and will talk to u on Monday! 

love sestra peterson!

Travel Plans!!

AHHHHHHHahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i just got my travel plans now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the elders in are distric are so amazing that they thought it would be no fun to just give it to us, so  they planned out a scavenger hunt for us!!!!! It felt like christmas at home!!! it was so much run as all the girl were running around the MTC doing push up to get our next clue! And more elders were in on it as they were wearingmustaches! Then we had to contact our elders in croatian pretending we were on the streets  to get the plans from their hands! well are u ready!!!! cause elyse i dont think you can handel it!!!!!  our flight is at 11:10am  to Detroit MI then  we leave there at 6 PM  to got to PARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAHHHHH we only have an hour lay over but we get into paris at 8am them leave at 9:50 and  arive at Zagreb at 12 PM!!!!  ahh its real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im so ready to go and so excited to leave to get out their and do this for real!  Mom so i will be calling you when i get in salt lake so aka u need to miss swimm camp on Next Monday! I cant wait to hear the whole family!!!!!!!! Wow is this real zivot!  And this we we have all oriantaion!!  I want to send my card home so i can show all the videos but yall are just going to have to wait a week and ill send you lot of videos once in croatia at least i hope i can! yall should send me a small sd card with yalls fun activites yall are going like nissa birthday and just fill it up and send it before next monday so i can put it in my camera adn watch it on the plane! MOM im so happy my comp mom sent you that text! we sing all times as our zone is know as the singing zone, i swear god put all the best singers over here!  and when we sang "nearer my god to thee" in church eyerone was amazed and the spirit was so strong!  Like Elders came up to us and was like that thats the best we have ever heard as we had chills! sister Adalphson said more importantly she could see our relationship as companision is so strong as we sang. SHe is a country singer and  im opera but our voices sound so amazing together!!!!!  We are already planing on doing a church a CD with her producers! So im going to be on a real CD on itunes when i get home. have u listen to her country music yet? well MOm she doesnt get any dear elders so can you write her some when you have time?   Anyways i loved singing it it felt so good, I know that what im ment to do with my life!

Well im sitting at dinner and Taylor Allen comes up to me!! she got here saturday and it has been a blast seeing her!!! Then when i was talking to taylor, Alexis came up to me!!!  thats not all, alexis lives in my building 3 m on the irst floor with me on the otherside so i stop by her room everynight! and i just met connor when i saw alexis  so i finally met the kid!!!!  It has been a blast o see them and taylor is leaving the same days as me!  

Well family can i just say fasting does work  a big mirical may not happen but if we show the lord we are willing to give up somthing for his help he will answer! it may not be a big one right away but he answers through other people! so i fasted that i can better retain the language and the next day i felt ok about it and then we contacted on the street and i contacted to my friend who is form slovania and he said i did a good job and then at trc Brat bell said you sisters are really great and will he honestly great missionaies!  As i was watching "Mormon messages" my heart was full as i watch Ukrains open house for there temple and understood some of it, and then i watched someothers abou people repenting and i got so excited as I will see people change their lives before my life and make a diffrence in their life!  I have been studying really hear these last week and feel like i know more in these last weeks then i have the whole time i have been here ha! I love my zone and all the great friends i have met here adn will keep forever! I just am so excited to flying paris and ind out IF I WILL BE SPEAKING CROATIAN OR SERBIN FIRST!?  unlike normal people i have no clue what country i will be serving in!  oh mom look up this website  cause im in the paper evern though spelled my name wrong!

"magicvalley.com/missionaries/  

  This week has gone by so fast like aka he fasest week ever so i really dont know what to say cause i forgot my journal cause i was to excited about getting my travel plans!  i have learned some valuable lessions on how to be a missionary and a better teacher! So ps keep my updated Has Princess kate had her baby yet?  Um mom Should i buy a cheap hymn book the gray one or do you think you sould send me mine, i think i brought it home along with some of my opera sings i think they are in a green folder in the bench I thought i would not need them but on ps just to practice would be nice so like  any  oper books or my music like the willow song and ah ju ver vivru please. I sent another package home with some surprises but dad it you dont get this till laters if you have any carolina stuff u dont want my  other rommie/ comp /teaxan friend would love some stuff sheis jealous of mine if not i may just have to give her my shirt=)  I love how everone her shares everything hayley i dont think you chould live haha!  we share food close packages we are all one big family! 

 

I love you all and thank you so much for the dear elders!

love Sister Peterson

MONTENEGRO!!!!

FAMILY,

I CANT EVEN EXPRESS HOW EXCITED I AM!!!!! AHHHHHH OH MY GOSH YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEMILY I CANT EVEN EXPRESS HOW EXCITED I AM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO ARE U READY??????  WE JUST FOUND OUT THAT A NEW COUNTRY IS ADDED IN OUR MISSION! ANY GUESSES!? WELL IT THE COUNTRY OF MONTENEGRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm so excited! We found out in Sunday and i have been dying to tell y'all! So now our mission has 5 countries in it but i will only go to 4 probs cause i wont go to Slovenia cause they have there own teacher and own class just for that country but im glad i got called speaking Croatian cause i really will get to go to all my countries they said  and 3 out of those countries speak Serbian so i need to get really good at the cryrillic alphabet cause we are learning it on our own for the most part! So in class we have started singing more Serbian now then Croatian  but speaking wise they sound almost the same  ex for a few words!  And apparently Prez Row likes to send new sisters to new open countries or a very good chance i will go to Montenegro first!  apparently a church building got build in Croatia!!! The work is starting to build up there!  

I wake up at 5 30 to study the Croatian Book of Mormon  then gym at 6 and then during study time i ready the English and at night i write in my journal and then read the little baby kid BOM stories with the pic in it that we have at home in Serbian. SO I'm the First to wake up and the last to go to bed! I know shocker that I'm the last one to go to bed when i was the first one ... besides Nissa to pass out at home!ha  We will be like Travis and teaching ton of English  classes in my mission as well! PS did i mention i suck at English and i basically learning 3 languages here cause I'm learning English over again too! like indirect objects and yeah well its bad haha but I'm sure y'all are not surprised! bust apparently i the lord likes my English cause i will be teaching haha!  Its now staring to get real and crunch time is now!  I have never wanted a p day so bad cause for the first time  here i have on my schedule to nap haha!  My brain was dead as the other day we made up cheer  and skits to remember all there cases and as when other start talking me and my comp go in the other room to study we have 6 cases so its going to be a challenge ha! but I want to go their to see where i will be assigned but at the same time i just feel like me comp is just taking off with the language and im coming along slowly!  

This week was filled with every emotion as as i felt hollow on Saturday cause i felt like the spirit was not as strong as it was sometimes as when i was at home like burning  when i should be feeling it 24/7 here but then my comp cave me great advice that  here we always have it and its all about endurance  but at home we have it only like on Sundays. So i look at it like running, Here we have it as its a marathon runner  but at home i used to be a sprinter and could feel the impact immediately! At home Sunday was a sprint a boost of energy as i felt the spirit right away for me but here sometimes its can be harder to tell cause its that slower building up feel that keep on going!  enduring to the end   is what its about and finding how to endure in all thing! we taught that in TRC the other days to a member  actually my comp super cute friend! I love TRC cause i reminds me that i know more than i think as we don't use notes anymore!  But anyways then Sunday came and it was testimony meeting and it was just great! i bore my testimony and other around me really brought the spirit! The lord truly uses other around us to be our angels.  Our zone is such a strong special zone with so many different stories and hardships that have made them the strong person they are today as on person father died, other father was in jail something he didn't do it,  another person went to live with this other family cause for a year before going on his missioning he went through a problem alcohol and other things that he found out that brought him to a low point  so he picked himself up and moved from home and is a change person. It so amazing because I look at them and see them as people who have the light of Christ in their eyes and cant even imagine them as anything less then what they are!  People can change and never put limits on anyone one.  There testimonies are just so rock solid! 

So Sunday was great and then Monday SOMEONE put the iron so hot that it MELTED on of my shirts! haha just my luck! the only time i decide to iron my clothes of course it would get get a hole in it and be melted haha! But on the bright side I got an amazing Package for my college rommies! I love them so much! it was filled with just the best stuff ever as everything was pink! i amtruly blessed to have the most amazing friends!  An then surprise Janet Lake sent me a package of the most amazing Cinnamon rolls! they had a surprise filling inside! i didn't even know that existed! Thank you so much!!!! They made my day!!!!!  Ya ll are too sweet! 

Then Bulgarians left but their plane got cancelled so they were here for another day ha, hope that does not happen to me! we got new sisters in our room, it was had at first cause it was nice having space but u love helping them out as they ask question and i know exactly what that were thinking!  I really feel old here now hahah as we have everything down to a tea!  we have class about 8 hours a day and then gym an hour and then out side the class we do a computer program they says the world and we repeat it back for an hour. together we learn about 13 hours a day!  oh did you get the article of me in the new paper! my photo is in it! ill send it to you in another email!  but everything is going good as the lord hears and answers all his children's prayers i know this to be true!

love you love and love

Sestra peterson!

Fourth of July

Dear Family,

HAPPY 4 OF JULY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #PARTY #INDEPENDENCE #FIREWORKS  #MISSING Y'ALL #FREEDOM

Well how was everyones day????? I'm so jealous y'all are camping cause i have always wanted to do that with the family ... but its ok my heart is crushed a little!  how was the 4th party at the club with all the swim camp kids (I can just see little Gorge flying through the air off the lifeguard stand), soaking up the sun josh beeing so dark by now , dad making snow cones and dancing to "Mombo #5 HAHA"  Ill start  Sunday and  save the best for last about my zevot i mean life.

Sunday well I just wanted to to saying how truly blessed we are  to be born in these times!   Sheri dew came and talked to us about the holy ghost and knowing why were and here and who we are! I have seen my fave talks ever here in the mtc as last night i  watched Holland talk her gave last year at thanksgiving. He talked about how how blessed are we that we have been chosen or these days and  he doesn't know why we are so lucky he said" well some people say we were some of the most righteous.... well i hope that right with big eyes ha! But he went on how all the Prophets fails before Joseph Smith  cause the gospel  didn't say on the earth so why did they do it! I Have played in enough

sport teams to know losing is no fun and playing is no fun if you already know your going to lose anyways.  But these Prophets of old burned at the stake, Peter hung on the a cross upside down  for what:CAUSE KNEW IT TO BE TRUE AND CAUSE THE LORD ASKED THEM TO. NOT ONLY THAT BUT THEY GAVE IT THEIR ALL BECAUSE HEY KNEW THAT ONE DAY THE GOSPEL WOULD COME BACK TO THE EARTH AND STAY, THE ONLY THING THAT MADE THEM GET OUT OF BED DOING THE LORDS WORK AND CONTINUE ON THEIR JOURNEY WAS HOPING THAT WE WOULD LEARN OF THEIR EFFORTS,  WE WOULD FOLLOW THEIR EXAMPLES AND KNOW NOT TO GIVE UP."  

I loved that and thought WE ARE ASKED TO INVITE OTHERS TO COME UNTO CHRIST HY HELPING THEM RECEIVE THE RESTORED GOSPEL THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST AND HIS ATONEMENT, REPENTANCE, BAPTISM RECEIVING THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST AND ENDURING TO THE END.  CHRIST DISCIPLES WERE ASKED TO DO THE SAME THEM  AND THEY ENDURED  SO CAN WE. HOW ARE WE SO LUCKY  TO BE BORN IN THIS LAND WHERE WE DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HOW WE PRACTICE OUR RELIGION  UNLIKED ALL THE PEOPLE BEFORE US. RELIGION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING AS YOU  LOOK BACK AND THAT'S WHAT MOST OF OUR WAR HAVE

BEEN ABOUT! THIS IS OUR TIME ...THE CHOSEN TIME ... ITS MY TIME TO LET ALL THESE MEN WHO DIED FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, WHO DIDED ON THE LORDS ERRAND NOT GO TO WAST BUT TO BE MAGNIFIED MORE THEN EVER THROUGH OUR GENERATION AS WE TEACH ABOUT ENDURING TO THE END STANDING STRONG FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN and share their stories .  i ASK AGAIN HOW ARE WE SO LUCKY AND BLESSED!  I am so bless to be able to give up two year of my life to become closer to them as i am on the same errand as them.

 then I was watching a MORMON MESSAGE BIBLE VIDEO about the story in the bible about the harlot who was taken before Christ. I love watching them because it makes it so real and you see thing you wouldn't other wise by just reading. when i was watching i noticed that  Christ who is a King , The Savior  got down on the woman's level and then wrote " those who have not sinned cast the first stone. and then they all left! there is a very important lesson i learned that... Christ is not quick to judge but gets on our level, kneel with us and then trying to understand where we coming from and then picks us up with him!  He is perfect , think about when we get frustrated at someone cause we don't understand what people are doing and we lose our temper and think" i cant believe they did that" or "what are they thinking," well Christ who is perfect could have said " why would you do that cause not i have to deal with all men question me and its becoming my problem now, but instead he stops thinks of the woman to best understand her situation from her eyes and then evaluates the situation to declare just ace for all. Christ this king hung around the poor and sick and treating them as if he was one of them. We have so much to learn from him and i love it! if you look up to someone would you want to know everything about them! he love us like we are is sisters and brother  we should do the same and get to know im on a personal level.

 Well the days been going bye and did you read the artical that was in the news paper? its www.magicvalley.com/missionaries then click LDS MTC! tell me what the artical says!

So lets skip to Fourth of July!

 Don't worry mom the day i got your package of stuff i put it up on everyones doors so we have had stuff up for about 2 weeks now! Then the day started off great as i went all out and loved life!   I had class. class was hard today for me.  We were going like if you saw somone on a park and stoped and talked to them really quick what would you say and eveone took about 10 min ... i took 15 as i taught a whole lesson in English... and i guess that was not the point of the excersie so i was bummed cause i felt that people were counting on me to do so well cause the were all like "

i wanna here sister Peterson do it and i felt like i let everone down cause it was not that good and then in croatian or hrvaski we did tracking and i was the investigator and i just couldnt speak, i felt like im mind whent blank!  I just feel like i have been progressing the language in like 2 weeks and so for me to see that it was hard. I just feel like i have been at a stand still 

so i started to get upset and because i wake up at 530 ever day to study a little then got to gym then get ready for the day but i realized that i need to talk more in hrvaski and SYL so much more! I went up to my teacher who is amazing (just got back 2 month ago and her has a light in his eyes and love love missionary work! when it come to missionary work he is like a little kid on christmas cause he get so excited!  basically we are going to be great friends when i come back!)  Im not the best at speak your own language day like at all so i need to improve on that! he said " i have heard you speak the language and i know you can do this just practice tracking with your companion everyday so thats my new goal! Im the worst at making goals and keeping them so that a huge thing i need to get better at! he said its ok to feel bad bad about this cause its your first time and when you feel bad or hard onyour self it a good thing cause you notice what you need to work on and I know you will chang it to become better.  AKA the lord is letting me know to be humble again and thank him for everything he has given me! so after that i wanted to study right away but he said  enjoy the night and tomorrow hit it hat which is what im going to do. "turn that frown up side day is so true as everything is about attitude! I went from wanting to cry to ok the past is the past look

forward and try to be better! my comp says "dont ever stop starting" she is great!  Then i think that there are so many of us we just   had normal schedual till 7 and we had a devtional about freedom and then we watch the 17 miricals!  WOW so amazing!  camie the pie story#unreal #blessing #socool!  i could never even imagin what it would be like to be pioneers back in the day! Once again we are so blessed to live in this time we do now. Then we went outside to see the fire works! they are my fave!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE fireworks!

like #realtalk fire works are going to be at my wedding!   the whole day i asked peole to call me lady LIBERTY! then would zone started singing the The sstar spangle banner and then the rest of the MTC sang it! I was my normal self like how i always am on hoildays thanks to you mom! =) I woke up and sang and told my comp " surprise  aritha franklin just entered the building" and then i look at her and her was praying haha.  Then we were having sing and yelling  i though i almost lost my voice cause i was commintating the whole thing haha  and screaming and some what dancing haha ! T

hen I was out at 1230 and thought of yall having fun! I was bummed that we couldnt hear kelly clarksons sing  cause she is one of my faves but i had fun with the people i was around they are truly great friends. I kept on saying all day to everyone happy 4th!

cause im not going to have one next year! I woke up at 520 so it has been a very productive day!  The Bulgarians are leaving on 

Tuesday and im going to be so sad cause those guys make the MTC a blast! its goin to be so different with out them! so i told everyone i am putting a zone reunion together when we get back!  





Did Taylor Allen come in yet cause i have been trying to look for her! i miss her and what to see her way bad!  

I went to get a check up dentist apt cause my tooth has been i just got filled has been sensitive to like anything but the dentist just told me that its just my filler i just had work on was sensitive to the whitening tooth past i am using so and he said i have lots of tension in my jaw! like i think i might be a little stressed hhaah but he said when i sleep i just really need to relax. i  though having your jaw always pop when you open it was normal... guess not haha.

love you lots!

xoxox

sister peterson!