turns out I WON'T be the next Gabbi Douglas. It's fine. I'm fine.

BEUNO BEUNO. that's how our Spanish Elders ALWAYS answer the phone hah. But hey y'all I hope your week was as crazy beautiful as mine!

Fort Walton Beach, where the sun is hot, the rain pours, and the missionaries cannot do a cartwheel to save their lives. except sista E. haha today one of our ward members let us play around in her gymnastics gym and it was so much fun!!!! BuuuuuutttTTT all of us totally suck at doing stuff. 

A lot of people ask what your plans are after the mission and so today at Sister Steven's gym I looked her in the eyes and very seriously said, "When I grow up, I want to be an olympic gymnast." AND SHE LAUGHED! So that dream was shot down very quickly!!

but moral of the story is, I will be that crazy mom coach who lives vicariously through their malnourished, emotionally unstable, gold medal children. It's gonna be lit. They'll thank me when they're older right?

Secondly, I hope you all had a chance to see the women's broadcast because it was SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR. I loved it. Especially President Eyring. "You are holding a great person" Those words pierced my soul as I thought about all my brothers and sisters God has entrusted in my watch and care right now. Have charity people. Have charity. It never fails.

Also whilst watching the truly inspiring session, I was deeply touched at the thought that my mom and sisters were most likely watching it at the exact same time. And I was sitting next to my companion Sister Ramadhar. Sister Evensen (my bff for life and probably all eternity) I knew was watching it at the church, and I imagined my dear sweet Emma Jade watching it in Washington. Along with so many of my beautiful sisters around the world. LADIES LISTEN UP+++ We are a part of the most beautiful sisterhood in the world. Like dang it you are a Daughter of God! I just have so much dignity and pride in that divine nature. I love who I am and I love all the sisters I have been blessed with in my life. Ah. I just love it. 

and yeah I guess the men are alright. but just alright.

ANYWAY GO SPREAD SOME SUNSHINE 

OKAY? OKAY.

love y'alllllllll

-sister P E T E R S E N 

FWB: freshest wonder bread

I love my area. We went tracting A LOT. And let me tell you, I am not the biggest fan of Jehovah's Witnesses... they are just feisty little ones.

Well let's see... me and Sister Ram made a music video in the car and it was legit right? So we go to watch it and it wasn't even recording!!!! What are ya gonna do.

Ok Fort Walton is a lot like Ogden. Um not like the pretty mountains and stuff but the downtown side of Ogden, at least that's how our area is. But whoever designed this city was whack. It's way confusing at first. There's no "nice neighborhoods" it's all just a huge mixing pot. Like trailer parks next to a strip of townhouses, and then there's sketchy apartments, and then there's gated driveways for mansions on the water. It's so random! but it's so fun because you meet A TON of different people just in one day! It's made up of Military, Southerners, and all walks of life really. 

The food down here is the same. But there's a lot of chicken. There's this seafood shack owned by a member and they feed us for free whenever we want. So we stop by there about once a week and get some potato salad and fish tacossssss. But other than that food is normal. 

This week in Fort Walton Beach:

- JW's bible bashed

- I got a strike in Bowling at the Old Folks home we visit every Friday

- Sister Bird, a ward missionary and my bff with the cutest kids, got us 4 pizzas for coordination!!! YOU ALREADY KNOW I PUT AWAY 2 1/2 of them!!!!    

- We got a really uncomfy referral so we checked it out with our body guard who also happens to be our ward mission leader, Bro Attrice. He played football for Air Force. And long story short the guy didn't even open the door and later he texted told us to never come back haha. So yeah we'll be taking Brother Attrice with us more often... Angels homies. And the priesthood. It's real.

- Caught up on the District DVD for training. It's like missionary Soap Opera. Everyone knows the people on it and we watch it with popcorn! hahaha last episode Jackie and Caleb got married! Woot woot!

- Bro Brock (1st Counselor in Bishopbric) strongly asked us to join choir for Easter. Sis Ram has the voice of an angel so she rejoiced at the opportunity

Can you see the deer?

- While tracting I saw this random stuffed deer head in the bush like for decoration or something, I pointed it out and sister Ram screamed so loud and fell into the road! hahaaa

- Yesterday we taught this inactive sister in our ward named Marie. She's 88 and stopped going to church 60 years ago. She has so much faith in Jesus Christ and as we taught her she accepted the gospel with an open heart. But her only hold back is that she feels she is too old to truly change her life. She told us that it would do no good for her now to change her habits. This is just like us!!!! Sometimes I think the past happened and there's nothing I can do to change it, no! Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ we ALWAYS have another chance. We can always change. Whether you're 19 or 88. Let the Redeemer change you. Marie is coming back into the fold. Slowly but surely. So for those of you who aren't 88, don't be like Marie and wake up one day to missionaries knocking at your door, choose today to be anxiously engaged in the gospel. Choose today to Come Unto Christ.

That's really about all the exciting news. Peace and Blessings. Love y'all. Go make a difference today.

-Sister  P E T E R S E N 

I love you! I know.

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in retuuuuuuuuuuuurn."

Wednesday we had the opportunity to go and teach Jim and Vickie. Both of them have extremely poor health and because of some circumstances they are not legally married. Because of this Jim is prevented from being baptized and they continue to wait to be sealed. They are amazing. I love being in their home. They have been together for about 15 years and the love they have for each other makes me emotional. I have never seen love like theirs. I AM DETERMINED TO HAVE A LOVE ONE DAY LIKE THEIRS!

Every time I see them they hug me and tell me how much they love me. 

While we were at their house last week we taught them about temples and what it really does for us. I showed them a picture of me and my family the day I was endowed and made sacred covenants with the Lord in the Salt Lake Temple. I had the opportunity to testify of families to them and the importance of the sealing covenant. We set a BCD with Jim to make his first covenant of baptism and with faith, prayer, and fasting, we know they will be able to make and keep sacred covenants to be together forever. 

Why do I tell you this? Because we are sent here to love. To learn to have perfect love. Our ward mission leader challenged us to study what it means to have perfect love. I've learned that perfect love is accepting the Savior's love and emulating that in everything we do. We learn perfect love when we truly view and love people as daughters and sons of God. Our BROTHERS AND SISTERS! Now I don't have a perfect family, but I sure love them like crazy.

We have much to learn and we are imperfect, and so is everyone else. Give people a break. Have patience. Stop criticizing people. Have charity. Make it who you are. 

"To love another person is to see the face of God."

Is that not true? A member expressed to me how beautiful it is to hold your newborn baby who is completely innocent and you have a perfect love for them. God loves each of us so much. He loves us enough that he sent his perfect, perfect, son to die so that we could return to Him. Guys, just love. That's all we're sent down here to do. Find strength in the power of Christ's love. I'm not talking like puppy love and lust, but real love for the children of God in our everyday lives. Because of the infinite atonement we are never 2nd place to the Savior, and his love never runs out.

Accept other people's love as well. My companion Sister Ramadhar shows her love very differently than I do, but I know she loves me. The other day I was really struggling during studies and she stopped everything we were doing and she made us sing hymns at the top of our lungs for 20 minutes! She hates singing. But she did it because she knew I needed to feel the spirit. Look for those opportunities to serve around you. 

I'm so grateful to be a missionary. I'm so grateful to have Sister Ramadhar as my trainer. Missions are hard. But the knowledge and testimony I've gained of my Savior and his love for me, I wouldn't trade for the world. Let love be your motivator. 

We are worthy of Christ's love, simply because we are His. My name is written in the palms of His hands. And so is yours.

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. I LOVE Y'ALL. I LOVE GOD. I LOVE FLORIDA (ps Christian they only call the elect to the sunshine state, might as well call it the celestial state, basically you're now part of the elect) I LOVE LOVE.

I LOVE YOU, THE LORD LOVES YOU, and satan hates your face. 

-Sister  P E T E R S E N 

#petersenpreaches

Y'all Need Jesus

alright alright alright.

Well nothing toooooooo exciting this week. Me and Sister Ramadhar tracted a lot. We are searching out the elect that will respond to the message of Christ. You meet some crazy people tracting let me tell ya. hahah. It's crazy how much people will talk to complete strangers about their life story. But I love hearing about what makes people who they are.

Wednesday we had Zone training alllllllll dayyyyyyyy. It was really good though. Our challenge from the ZL's was 'No Faith Killing Comments'!!! I challenge all of you to that. Don't kill your faith with negative comments or thoughts!

basically everything down south is awesome. The members are awesome. The food is awesome. The work is awesome. 

Mannnnnnnnnnnn people need Jesus. Like the real Jesus. haha at the beach there's this dude that does sermons that's shirtless and probs has so much skin cancer, but people call him "Beach Jesus" hahaha. 

It's challenging finding teachable people down here that are humble to our message. They know so much about Jesus Christ and they have such strong faith in Him as their savior, but all of their views are a little skewed and they don't have the FULLNESS of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I've thought a lot about why I was blessed to be born into the church and have that knowledge and I came to the conclusion that Heavenly Father truly blessed me so I could be a tool in blessing the lives of others. When we're out tracting or meeting people, a lot of them will open the door and be like "Oh I'm baptist(or whatever religion they are)" and go to close the door, and I always give the same reaction of telling them how cool it is to talk to someone else that believes in Jesus Christ. Most of the time we don't get much further in the conversation but their hearts are softened when they acknowledge that we believe in the same things as them. 

So yes, being in the South are the celestial missions, but they also have challenges. And I think one of those challenges is overcoming the fear of offending people. As missionaries our purpose is to bring others unto Christ and His restored Gospel and when we reach out with love and charity, the spirit will not offend the elect. I was set apart as a representative of Jesus Christ by priesthood authority, that means I have been given the authority and power to teach people repentance and the things necessary for them to be baptized. I've had confirmation over and over that this is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and that priesthood authority is legit.

So real talk, this is the true church of Jesus Christ and if you don't believe me, ASK THE MISSIONARIES.

"Foreign missionaries become humbled, State-Side missionaries become refined, and Southern missionaries become scholars."

I have been humbled in this foreign land of the southern culture, I am being refined every single day, and hopefully I can become a scholar of the doctrine so I can truly help change the lives of so many in need.

ok last thing to lighten up this email. hahaha. We were doing yard work service for a family in our ward and while we were bagging leaves me, my comp, and Elder Waddell look over and their kid was just standing with no pants on peeing into the pool!! hahahahaha I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Let's see weekly email winner goes to Spencer. 

DCK. Remember who you are. Look both ways. Don't forget about me. Don't start Grease fires, unless the floor is smoking from your John Travolta dance moves. Love y'all  
- sister  P E T E R S E N☀

Angels Among Us

Ok you know how Brother Brock texted you?!?! I LOVE the Brocks! they are some of my favorite people in the ward! well I have a lot of favs but they are up there! They are just so awesome! I love them. Friday was kind of killer and I wasn't having the best day so we were driving in our area and I just pulled over at the Brocks house and Brother Brock was standing outside and I didn't even say hello yet and he just turned and opened the door and they fed us dinner hahah. They are the best! Sister Brock is the sweetest lady! Brother Brock converted her when they were gonna get married years ago and she is an amazing woman. I love them. haha long story short. I was sitting there when he was texting you and I was like "Man brother Brock I guarantee you made my mom cry" hahahahaha