2nd P-Day? What!?

October 10, 2016

I can't believe it's already my third week here in CA! (Probably each week will be like this :)) 

This past week has been really great! Thank you so much for all of your prayers. I truly feel them! Over a week ago on Saturday we were riding our bikes to an appointment and talking to everyone we met. As we were riding we saw two ladies who were unloading a car full of stuff. We stopped and asked if they needed any help, and they said that they did. So we helped them unload the car into a duplex. It turns out that one of the them (A.) had just gotten kicked out of her house by her daughter, and had miraculously found this new place to live. Her counselor was just helping her to move. She was super sad that day. We asked A. if we could come back another day and she said sure. We went back on Friday, and A. and her friend C. were there finishing unpacking. We told them who we were and what we did, and then taught them the plan of Salvation. It turns out that they both really want to start going to church again. C. was even asking about repentance and baptism! We committed them to come to church on Sunday and set up a return appointment! It was so neat, because I had been seriously and sincerely praying to find those who are ready to teach. A. and C. seem to be prepared! I know that the Lord is answering my prayers. It turns out they couldn't come to church though because they forgot. :P They said for sure next week though!

We have also found several other people who are interested in learning more about the gospel and we are going to go visit them this week! Preach My Gospel talks about those who are prepared, and so I know that God will help us to find them!

On Thursday I got to go on exchanges with Elder Mclaws! We basically tracted the whole day. :) There are some pretty weird people out here. One guy answered the door, asked us how we were doing, then slammed it in our face! Tracting is super ineffective! :) 

But we were able to find a few potential investigators.

It is very easy to get discouraged while tracting, and for part of Thursday I was discouraged. But then I changed my view from trying to get everyone we talk to, to convert, to finding the people who are prepared. We knock on a door to find, to extend an invitation to learn, and to find the people who are ready. After I looked at it that way I felt like I had a purpose, and wasn't wasting my time.

Holy cow, we had a legit dog story last night! Elder Shumway and I were just casually riding our bikes (and btw our average speed is like 12 MPH). So we're just biking around in the dark, looking for people to talk to, and out of nowhere this big black dog comes sprinting at us! He literally tried to bite Elder Shumway's leg but missed. We both just started yelling and peddling as fast as we could, but the dog just kept up with us. We got up to 25 MPH before the dog couldn't keep up, and our max speed was about 28! Finally the dog stopped chasing us and went back, but because we were focused on getting away we had missed the street we were supposed to turn on! So we armed ourselves with bricks and went back. :) We seriously though that we were going to have to save our lives by throwing bricks at it. But it turns out it was like going after this other kid, so we quietly sneaked past and went down the right street! Man, it was crazy!

Thanks so much for the pictures I love getting them! It looks like you're having fun in NH at the flume! (if that's where you've been) I've been telling people about that place to describe NH.  I am so glad I did Robotics! Tell everyone there Hi for me!

Well life is pretty good; we're still working hard on finding people to teach so keep the prayers up! :) Each week my testimony is strengthened of the truths of the restored gospel and it is such a blessing that we have it. Love y'all!

Elder Petrie

Welcome to California!

October 3, 2016

Hello Everyone!

I am here in CA! It is definitely different from Utah, and definitely different than the MTC. We got here last Monday, and did training and preparing (getting the bikes and bedding) for the rest of that day and Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon we met our new companion! My companion is Elder Shumway from Alpine UT. He has been out for 20 months and is super cool. He is tall (6'3") and plays basketball. I'm probably going to be his last companion, because he is going to train me for two transfers then go home! It's weird being around people that are about to go home. :) Our area is the Ranchos, Apple Valley area. If you look up Apple Valley CA that's where I'm at. One of the interesting things about this area is that we are on bikes! I never really thought about biking around on my mission, but that is what I'm doing. It's pretty hard, and each night our legs are super sore. :) We are whitewashing an area, and the missionaries before us didn't have anybody solid they were teaching, so we are focusing on finding people. As we're biking around we stop and talk to almost everyone we see! I am still getting used to talking to random people, but I hope I'll get better. :) We still don't have anyone solid yet, so your prayers in helping us to find someone would be greatly appreciated! We have a few people for return visits, but they didn't seem that interested. As we've been tracting we have met some pretty interesting people! One lady talked to us about her thousands of dollars of Halloween decorations for over an hour! We decided that we'd try to get out of those situations a little faster. :)

We were able to have a lesson with one of the young men's friends named D. We have a return appointment and asked him if he'd be willing to begin reading the Book of Mormon. One of the talks that really inspired me was LeGrand Curtis' talk about the Book of Mormon. He said that the Book of Mormon will testify of itself with power as someone reads it with faith. I pray that D. will have that desire to read it and gain a testimony of it

I loved Conference so much! I feel like it went by so fast! I missed watching it with the family though, and eating the snacks. :) During the Sunday afternoon session four of us Elders were watching it at a member's home with some possible investigators and we were all soooo hungry! None of us had had lunch! But then the member brought out some food at the end and we were all okay. :)

Today we get to go shopping! Elder Shumway and I have been struggling finding things to eat, so I've made a whole shopping list for today. :) Our apartment is super small! It's nicknamed as "Da Shak"



I'm sorry I don't really have any pictures from this week. I've also sent some belated ones from the MTC (it feels like forever ago.....) :) I love being out here in the mission field. It's hard work, but it feels great when we keep busy!

Oh, also I met Elder Lanier! He was at the stake center for one of the sessions of conference. We talked for a little bit to catch up. He's doing great and it was so cool to see him!

I love you all so much! God loves you too!

Elder Petrie

MTC Week 2

September 20, 2016

Time is really flying here! I feel like I just emailed yesterday!
Not a lot of new things have happened; each day is pretty much the same. We get up at 6:30, exercise, personal/companionship study, teach a lesson, lunch, class, study, dinner, teach a lesson, class, then bed at 9:30. I feel like the days are both long and short!

We have had several funny experiences this week though. Elder Reeder dropped a quarter down the stairwell (it's only an inch wide) It goes down about 4 floors and we hear it hit the rail down there. We get down to the bottom, and Elder Talbot is there just holding his shirt with a funny look on his face. He starts feeling down his shirt, and there at the bottom is the outline of the quarter which is inside his shirt! Somehow, the quarter had bounced into his shirt! It was the funniest thing ever. We had just learned from our teacher that there are no coincidences in life, so we concluded that the Spirit had directed the quarter into his shirt, and therefore we all initialed it and gave it to Elder Talbot. :)

Another funny story. Back on Wednesday or Thursday we got back to our residence after exercise time to shower and dress. The showers and bathrooms are a seperate room from our room, and each of the dorm rooms lock. (you probably know where I'm going with this) :) So I'm hurrying really fast, and I get out of the shower first. I go back to our room and the door is shut. I knocked but no one answered. At first I just thought my roommates were just playing a joke and wouldn't answer, but as I continued to knock there was no response! "Uh oh." I thought. I went back into the shower room, and the conversation went a little like this. "Elder Reeder?.........."yes?" Elder Manfull?........."yes?" Elder Prestwich?........................"yes?" Nooooooo! We're locked out of our room!" Haha! Then we all started freaking out because we were locked out of our room in our towels! :) Luckily, the zone leaders were there, and when they were ready we sent them after the janitor to get an extra key for us. But we were waiting outside of our room for 20 minutes in our towels. :)

This week we are teaching two people from the TRC (aka two people who we don't know at all and are not our teachers and could possibly be real investigators). The first is L., who just graduated from BYU, and is looking for a teaching job. Our goal is to commit her to be baptized at our next visit. She definitely wants to learn more about our church and really likes our standards. The next person is A., who is from Japan but is studying English at BYU. In our first lesson with her yesterday we challenged her to be baptized, but she said she wasn't sure if this was the true church, and wants to learn more about Jesus Christ. We asked her to pray if this was the true church and she said she would! Committing an investigator to baptism in the first lesson is hard! Each time we're preparing to teach I get worried and nervous about it. But once we start teaching I feel fine. I know the gospel, and I know that it can help these people have better lives. It is a really cool experience!

I miss choir! The other day my district started singing Newsies, and I told them about our awesome song! I may be doing a musical number in church this Sunday, either playing the piano or singing! I love to sing! I'm sorry that B. is not feeling well! Ya everyone get sick at some point here in the MTC. My whole district got sick but with varying severity.

I love you all so much! My district asked me "does it make you homesick to see your sister here?" and I said "No, it inspires me to be even better! I love you all because you inspire me to be better!

Love,

Elder Petrie​