TOTAL ECLIPSE of the HEART

classic pics

Boy, do I have a treat for you..... The last 72 hours have been the most emotionally exhausting in my entire life. More than my breakups, my makeups, death, life, high school, mtc, my soul is spent. But I mean, every now and then I fall apart ya know? Here's the gist.... Thursday evening President Smith swung up here to the boonies and we had a good quick interview. His love and piercing eyes just spoke to my spirit so closely. I got an overwhelming feeling like something was about to change. I laughed and kind of started bawling and told him I did not want to leave Marianna. He nodded and said, "I wouldn't be moving you Sister Petersen." Well obvi, I was uber on edge the next couple of days in anticipation for our Zone Leaders to call about transfers. 

eclipse I legit took this pic

For 72 hours my heart felt as though it was being ripped apart. I cried like 28 times. Well I was studying, and in my papers I found Elder Bednar's last address about serving as a missionary and being assigned to labor in a certain area of the world. This scripture pierced my very soul.

“Wherefore, go ye and preach my gospel, whether to the north or to the south, to the east or to the west, it mattereth not, for ye cannot go amiss.”

I suddenly became completely aligned with God's will no matter what it might be.

Sunday afternoon as we were driving through some back roads we got a phone call from President Smith himself. What. I pulled over because my whole body was shaking. He informed us that Sister Anderson is going to be training a new missionary here in Marianna, yep the tears started rolling. Well what happened next changed my life. President got very quiet and said, "Sister Petersen are you there?" Through a little voice cracking I answered. Next he said, "You will be serving in Fairhope, Alabama, with Sister Evensen."

Sister Evensen. 

SISTER EVENSEN.

SISTER EVENSEN.

!!!!!SISTER EVENSEN!!!!!

I sat completely shocked. I didn't even answer. And then I said, "Are you pullin my leg President??" HAHAHAHAHAAHAH SO EMBARRASSING. OH MY GOSH THEN THE CHEERING SCREAMING AND JUMPING UP AND DOWN TOOK PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ON SOME ABANDONED DIRT ROAD. I think President was very inspired because God knew I would go kicking and screaming unless in some way he could top the miracles I have been experiencing in Marianna. He knew I need her now tonight, I need her more than ever! We will be holdin on forever. He knew this is the only was I would truly react all in, cheerful, about my assignment!!!! HE IS SO WONDERFUL. Literally I am full of wonder and awe that He thinks the Mobile Zone can handle what me and my best buddy are about to hit it with. BOIIIIII

yours truly with all that Southern Charm

So in my farewell to Marianna.. My heart has been Total Eclipsed. This is a very very BITTER SWEET move. But I love my dear friends I have here with all my heart. We will meet again one day, I know it. This morning we stopped by one of my dearest friends Ms. Mary Ellen and she told me I'll always be her missionary, then she pinky promised me that she is going to take the lessons from the missionaries so I can come back and baptize her. <3 This week we worked hard. We started a Book of Mormon class that we had many people come to, we saw a lot of people and our group of investigators truly is God's elect. I love my friends and family here and I know God has a plan for them.

Other sheep I have which are not of this fold...in Fairhope Alabama. (: So turn around bright eyes because the Mobile Zone's gotta big storm a comin'

Ms. Mary Ellen and us with our gnarly shades

Go do something amazing while the Fire Nation is at it's weakest! GOD SPEED KIDS

SISTER  p e t e r s e n 

Long Live the #MaryHadALittleLambDistrict

These are the days you will remember!

one for the BOOKS. JW's, Dogs, Gunpoint, Ant bites, Peanuts, Gators, and Rain. LOTS AND LOTS OF RAIN. stay tuned.

I really had to use the bathroom in one of our small towns (Sneads- yes it's a place, we also have 2 Egg, yes the number is in the title) with no members. So we rode our bikes to the school football field park hoping the bathroom gate would be open. It wasn't. But across the street was a family getting ready to leave for bible study. We stopped and talked to them and as it turns out the mom was taught by sisters in Panama City a few years ago, so she recognized us and was totally willing to talk. As we stood there teaching, this car pulls up with a nicely dressed couple. The homeowners who were talking with us looked at us in question if the people were with us, we looked at them thinking the car was with them, both of us shrugged and out of the car came two Jehovah's Witnesses. So what do you get in a trailer park with 2 Baptists, 2 JW's and 2 Mormon Missionaries? 2 New investigators. HAHAHA. They turned the couple of JW's away and accepted a return appointment with us! All the while, I never did get to pee. 

HUUUUGE (Trump voice) pitbull almost ate my head off when I walked into it's chain radius. I didn't see it hiding under the trailer we were knocking on. Tap the tag. It's fine, I'm fine. Just peed a little but it was all fine. Probs pee from the JWs.

I was standing on an ant hill while we got stopped by this lady and got huge ant bites all over my feet and they have itched like no ones business! I keep waking my comp up at night because I itch in my sleep. Lol the mission doctor lives like .5 miles from our house and he's been watching my bites like a hawk. 

I went up to ALABAMA!!! For exchanges.. Lol so Dothan is like the Peanut Capital of the world and they have all these statues outside of businesses with huge personified peanuts. I guess a few years ago the stake center up there ordered two painted like missionaries and as they were putting them up in front of the building a guy from Salt Lake came and put a huge kabosh on the whole operation.... which begs the question, is our church also anti-peanut? What will hit the headlines next???

Our ward mission leader gave us a referral and she greeted us around the corner with a huge shotgun on her hands questioning who sent us. HAHAHA we threw Brother Wimberly under the bus faster than you can say sweet nibblets! Our area book description of her goes, "Threatened us with a gun, referral from Brother Wimberly, SUPER NICE, try again in 6 weeks." Hahahaha. Oh what can ya do.

It's Hurricane season. Nothing too exciting there. But the rain is hot. It's like I'm taking a shower all day long, IT'S AWESOME HAHA

Ok spiritual note. I had a really humbling experience with my STL Sister Housel this week. We talked a lot about people that live in the past and the future and they're always missing out on the present. Life is just a small small small moment in the eternities. Enjoy the eternity of every moment because you will never live it again. I love being a missionary. Yes there are days when it's pouring rain and all your appointments fall through and a little girl pours her juice all over your favorite skirt and ants bite your legs and you get 5 'check your speeds' from TIWI, but you just throw your hands in the air and laugh at all the fun stories you'll tell your kids about your life. Learn to love the moment. 

master your moment.

-sister  P E T E R S E N