The Lord Never Leaves His Servants . . .

Dear Brethren,
I don't have a whole lot to say this week. This week has been pretty good, and the work is continuing to get better. We are still meeting and teaching new people, as well as helping the ones we have been meeting with for a while progress. Everything is on the brink of exploding out here in Broken Bow, and we should definitely baptize some of these people soon enough. However, when the greatest good is being accomplished, opposition occurs. This last week I got to face anti-mormon views THREE TIMES in THREE DAYS!!! Of course, they were ridiculous, and our testimonies are still very strong. The Lord never leaves His servants, and thus, if we always have the Spirit with us and don't let our anger drive it away, the Spirit will always show us the way to conquer the enemy.
Anyway, I do not have much to say today, other than that things are going well. The Lord is constantly answering the prayers of those who truly seek with real intent, for the truth. Testimonies of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon are being born every day. My testimony always remains firm of its truthfulness. In my entire 19 months as a missionary, I have talked with many people. Of all of them I have talked to, the promise always stands that if one will sincerely read the Book of Mormon and then pray about it, really wanting to know whether or not it is true, they will always come to know that it is in fact true. I have never met a person who received a "no". The Holy Ghost is constant, in that all who will read and pray, will know. However, unless you want to know, you will receive no answer at all. I have met some who maybe read a chapter over a six-week period, prayed a couple times, and waited for an answer that isn't going to come, because they didn't do their part. So if you are looking for truth, and you have not yet read the Book of Mormon and prayed about it sincerely, do so!
Love you guys! Have a great week!

Love, Elder Christopher Petersen

The Lord's Work is Thriving in Broken Bow . . .

Dear Brethren,
"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life" (3 Nephi 5:13).
This week has been an amazing one. Transfers just took place, and I am still in Broken Bow, for what I assume will be one last six weeks. Making it through this transfer will amount to four transfers here. So much has happened, and we are teaching many. I do not know that I have ever had this many wonderful people to teach. They are so great, and I believe many of them will receive the Savior, and be baptized in His name.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, I hope that all of us are declaring His word to the people we are around. Every one of us should be a missionary. I have been "called of him to declare his word" full-time, among this people, but you have also been "called of him to declare his word" part-time among your people, if you are not currently doing so full-time. The Gospel of Jesus Christ should be the center of our lives in all that we do. It's okay to have fun, live life, etc., but we should also remember to keep our covenants and in all things, in all places, take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ--acting as His disciple; or acting as He would.
I've been putting a lot of thought into some things this last while, striving to refine my teaching skills. Being a full-time missionary for the past year-and-a-half, you can imagine that it becomes easy to get stuck in a rhythm of teaching. I have been working on breaking it, and always trying to find new things to better teach to the needs of those I'm teaching. But without fail, I find that the simple testimony of things that we know are true, always brings the most power--especially testimonies of Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon.
Today, I would like to share with all of you something I came across in my reading of the Book of Mormon. I am currently in 3 Nephi. There is a passage that really struck me.
At this point in the Book of Mormon, destruction has come upon the land, in which many people died. The signs of Christ's death over in Jerusalem, are taking place on the American continent (three days of darkness, fire, earthquakes, tempests, etc.). Those who are still living are mourning for their dead, when suddenly a voice comes to them from the heavens, announcing the cities that were destroyed for their great wickedness. Immediately after that announcement, that same voice--the voice of Jesus Christ--says the following:
"O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me" (3 Nephi 9:13-14). (I encourage you to read the whole passage of 3 Nephi 9:13-22. It will be well worth your time. Will you read it?)
Christ loves each of us so much. For all of those who are troubled, He offers peace. For those who are hurting, He offers healing. To those that mourn, He offers comfort. For those who have trials, He offers strength. He beckons, "come unto me". He pleads, "Return unto me...that I may heal you." His very motive--the love that brought about an infinite atonement--is His love for you. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Brethren, are we denying ourselves of His love and healing? He begs us to come. Will we not do so now? And are we sounding this glad message abroad to all of our fellow men that they may feel His love and peace in their lives?
This world has so much pain. Few people are truly happy, and instead of seeking happiness, they seek all of the evil pleasures that last only for a moment, because that is all many believe they can truly find. But there is peace. There is love. Sometimes we need to go through the pain of trials for a time so that we can grow, but at the perfect moment that we need Him, Christ will always be there to succor us according to our needs.
I love Him, and I hope you love Him. Feed His sheep. Come unto Him always, and repent everyday so that you might take advantage of the gift that He bought for you with a price. I love you all! Have a great week, and go forth with a steadfastness in Christ.

Love, Elder Christopher Petersen

A Tribute to Fathers . . .

Dear Brethren,
I hope you all had a great Father's Day! It is a great time to
reflect on Fatherhood, and the Priesthood. I am very grateful for my
father, and all that he has done for me in my life. I love him very
much. I am grateful that I always had him there to bless me with his
company, his advice, his love, and his Priesthood. Having a worthy
father has always been a blessing for my life. I am so grateful that I
have always had a father who has been able to teach me in the ways of
God, as well as how to survive in this hectic world. He has provided
so much for me, and I have been able to live a comfortable and
meaningful life. I remember my childhood as one filled with happiness,
and I greatly attribute that to both my father and my mother. They
raised me in such a way that I was able to learn much by the Spirit of
the Lord. I am eternally grateful.
I hope all of you are able to feel that gratitude and love for your
fathers. Truly our family is a blessing from God, and He gave us
parents for a reason. I am grateful beyond words for both of my
parents, and the wonderful relationships I have with them. Not
everyone has that, so I find it a rich blessing. I am also eternally
grateful for my loving grandparents, and I hope they know I love them
deeply.
On top of celebrating our earthly fathers, I hope that we were each
able to think of our Loving Heavenly Father. He truly gave us
everything, and I hope that we will do all we can to show that we love
Him. I hope that all that we do will bring honor to our earthly
fathers, and glory to our Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father has
made us His work, and His glory. He has always been glorified through
His children--mostly through His only-begotten Son of the flesh and
spirit, but also through us. We can do things to bring Him glory every
day, and as we reach out to our brothers and sisters, we will be
assisting Him in His great work.
Let us show gratitude for our fathers, and go forth living life
in a way that will make them proud. I love you all, and I urge all of
you to keep going forward in righteousness, with a heart full of love.
Have a great week brethren!

Love your
brother in the Lord,


Elder Christopher Petersen

A Tribute to Grandmothers & Grandfathers...

Dear Brethren,

Let us also not forget our beloved grandmothers. I am grateful for my grandparents. This life has given me two wonderful grandmothers, a wonderful great-grandmother, and two wonderful grandpas. As well, my Grandpa Petersen has left great wonder in me, but he passed on before I was born. I am grateful for his life, especially because of how he touched my father's life. Anyway, just wanted to get a shout out to the past grandmas ever! I love both my Grandma Lui who is here with us today, and my Grandma Brown. Although Grandma Brown is in the Spirit World today, I hope that she is aware that I am grateful for her. Love you all! I hope you all got to tell your grandmas how grateful for them you are. Love you brethren and family.

Love, Elder Christopher Petersen

A Tribute to Mothers and Fathers ...

Dear Brethren, my fellow Sons of Mosiah--and you sons of wonderful mothers,

Yesterday we had the wonderful opportunity to recognize--and thank our Heavenly Father for--the sanctity of Motherhood, and of Womanhood. I am eternally grateful for a loving mother who has always cared for me, and who taught me in righteousness. In no way am I perfect, but I feel very indebted to my mother for teaching me how to receive a testimony of things that are true. Though I know that in the end, receiving a testimony had to be a personal thing between me and my Heavenly Father, I feel very much that my mother showed me that path of how to do so. I still remember the first time that I recognized the Holy Ghost consciously--I was seven years old. I was sitting in my bed, and my mother was sitting with me. We were reading the Book of Mormon, and if memory serves me right, we had been talking about the Holy Ghost just beforehand. We talked about how we can feel it even before baptism, but that the Gift of the Holy Ghost is essential to have him with us all of the time. After such a conversation, we read from the Book of Mormon, and then a powerful feeling came over me. I told my mom what I felt, and she told me that it was the Spirit. It was an important moment in my very young life, and I do not think that I will ever forget it. Of course, many times since then I have had to gain my own testimony of different principles of the gospel--and also of the Book of Mormon. I have had to find for myself that this Church is true, that Jesus is the Christ, and that Joseph Smith really was His Prophet that restored His church to the earth. Concerning the truthfulness of these things which I have come to find out for myself, I feel that I grew up being able to say--as the Sons of Helaman could say: I "do not doubt [my mother] knew it" (Alma 56:48), for these things are true. Because she knew it, I knew I could know it.
Now, I do not wish to leave my father out, because he has impacted my life so much more than he will ever know. My father and mother have been huge examples to me, and I love them very much. I know also that my dad has a very strong testimony of the gospel, and I learned a lot from it. The nurturing love of both of my parents has given me the support I needed to be here and serve a mission. They gave me support through my trials at home, and out here on my mission. I will forever love them, and I am forever grateful for them. They magnified their calling as parents, and I know the Lord will recognize them for it at the last day.
Brethren, I hope we let our parents know often, how much we love them, and how grateful we are for them. I do not doubt that many of your mothers "knew it", and I hope that we can have the same confidence the Stripling Warriors had in the gospel their mothers had taught them--and I hope we have the same trust they did, in their parents, and in their Eternal God. They knew if "they did not doubt, God would deliver them" (Alma 56:47). Let us honor our fathers and mothers by becoming great warriors, and men who are "exceedingly valiant for courage; and also for strength and activity...men who [are] true at all times in whatsoever thing [we are] entrusted...men of truth and soberness, for [we have] been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him".
I fall short--and I know we all do at times--but let us always keep these things in remembrance and strive to become better. I love you all! I know you are engaged in great works--even the works of the Lord. Remember that we have also Heavenly Parents, who love us. I had a wonderful experience concerning this thing, this last week. I will not type it all out for sake of time, but it suffices me to say that this truth is very real. We had a powerful experience with an investigator who believed this thing already, and the night before I was impressed to share with her that we have Heavenly Parents. I hope we can keep this truth sacred, as Heavenly Father does. Let us not take this truth lightly, or make blasphemy of it. If we do this thing, the curses of God will fall upon us. We are privileged to have such knowledge.
I love you all, and I hope we can keep these things in our hearts always.

Love your brother, Elder Christopher D. Petersen

Successful Families . . .

Dear Brethren and loved ones,

I am very grateful for the event of Mother's Day this coming week. Once again, missionaries get to call home. I hope all of you that are out on your missions right now will enjoy and savor that call home, as well as be motivated by it to serve strong! I know that motivation can help me. Our time to serve as full-time missionaries is short. For those of you who have not been out long, or who have not been out yet at all, I am sure that sounds ridiculous to you--but it is so true. I struggle to comprehend that I have been out on my mission for nearly a year and a half. I have been about seven and a half months LEFT!!! It is crazy to me! That's just a measly five transfers or so.
The Lord is very grateful for all of your service, and I hope all of you at home are finding time in your lives to serve. I look forward to doing member work again. I do love full-time missionary work a lot, through the rough times and the good times. So far this has been the best year and a half for my life. You will all find that in full-time service. In your service as member-missionaries you may find that those will be the best times of your life. There is nothing quite like seeing our friends and loved ones accept the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us also not forget that raising our families, and doing temple work, are also forms of missionary work. President Harold B. Lee said, (I hope I get the quote right from memory, but if not it should be close enough) "The greatest of the Lord's work you will ever do, will be within the walls of your own homes". Raising our families, inviting friends into your home to feel the Spirit there, inviting the missionaries into your home to teach a friend or family member--all of these can be very sacred experiences that take place in the walls of our own homes.
Knowing these things, it is no wonder to me that the prophets of our day have said that the place of most sacredness on this earth, next to the Holy Temple, should be our own homes. Think about the profundity of that message. I cannot wait for the chance I have to set up my home one day. I hope to be able to do it right. I have had the opportunity to observe many different family situations, enter many different homes, etc. while serving on my mission. Hopefully I have learned something of great worth from this, as far as how to raise children, and organize a home. One thing that we have taught people that is important, is to keep their homes clean, and watch the content of things that enter their home. Entertainment should be clean--and that can be hard! As far as cleanliness goes, on a grade-scale, I definitely do not get an A. I hope I can even manage a B. But the principle exists that the Spirit of the Lord can better dwell, and be felt, in a clean home.
In Gospel Principles this week, we learned 9 keys to a successful family (by memory, but they should get across the message well enough):
Have family prayer, and pray as a husband and wife.
Have family scripture study.
Have Family Home Evening each week, and teach your children principles of the gospel.
Do things together--such as decision-making, recreational activities, etc.
Have dinner around the table as a family.
Follow the counsel of the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants 88:119: "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God"
Be kind, patient, long-suffering, full of charity.
Attend Church Meetings Regularly
Do Family History Work, take part in temple ordinances for the dead, and be sealed as a family in the temple.
If we will follow those nine steps, we will have a successful family. They are as outlined by the leaders of Christ's Church. I hope we can all remember that, and remember to do the Lord's work. I love you all! Talk to you next week!

Love, Elder Christopher Dennis Petersen

Church Talk Given on Easter Sunday (Emailed April 25th) ...

Dear Brethren,

Happy Easter! I hope you all had a great one! Mine was a lot of fun, and I got to speak in Sacrament Meeting! It was a very spiritual meeting--not just because I was speaking. We had some other good speakers, and blessing the sacrament really added to my feeling the spirit. It was just a great day.
So some of you have inquired as to what I spoke about, and how it went. My Mom even wanted a copy, so I decided I'll just type it out and send it to all of you right now.

CHURCH TALK (Modified just a tad)

My dear brothers and sisters, it is my pleasure to address you, and to speak today on a subject that is very dear to my heart. In preparing I prayed for the divine guidance of the Holy Ghost--and even now I invite the Spirit of the Lord to be here that He might uplift our spirits, that our minds might be enlightened, and that the Spirit may give me utterance so that we may be taught from on high.
This morning I wish to open with the words of a tender parent, the Prophet Lehi, to his young son Jacob, that are recorded in the Second Book of Nephi, Chapter Two, verses six and seven in the Book of Mormon, which read: "Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered". (Continue to 2 Nephi 2:8 later)
These words of a prophet spoken very plainly and simply to his son Jacob, give us a very simple summary of what things must take place in any individuals life in order for that individual to return to live with God. This scripture passage teaches first that redemption comes only in and through Jesus Christ, the Holy Messiah, and through His atoning sacrifice for us. This is the truest and purest doctrine of all the doctrines of the world or the church, that salvation comes through this loving Son of God, who is merciful to all mankind who will come unto Him and allow Him to take them into His outstretched arms. He lives today brothers and sisters, and His is the power to heal even the most broken, torn, and despairing soul. "The worth of every soul is great in the eyes of God" (Joseph Smith), so please, all who are feeling broken, torn, discouraged, or defeated, come unto Him.
Secondly, (referring back to the scripture read earlier) the Book of Mormon prophet teaches his son what the Lord requires of him. he taught that we must come to the Savior with a broken heart, and a contrite spirit. This is truly what the Lord requires: that we come to Him with a humble and willing heart.
King Benjamin, a Book of Mormon king, taught these principles in his angelical sermon, saying: "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19)
King Benjamin again taught these things when pleading with his people to put their trust in the Lord. He said, "Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins, and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you.; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them".
Speaking somewhat on the subject of humility, I wish to touch just momentarily, on the subject of pride. I am pleased to say that I have not seen many instances of prideful behavior among you, and for the few that I have seen, I do not feel that I should judge, for I too struggle greatly with pride--but every time I start to exalt myself, the Lord brings me back to earth. I find I am humbled, and who am I to fight it? I am nothing before my Father, yet I mean everything to Him. When He humbles me, I have learned to take joy in it.
Pride is a very dangerous thing, brothers and sisters. It is a cancer that easily spreads--a plague that can easily take hold on one's heart, and then it will harden that one's heart until their heart fails them completely. Speaking in a poetic sense as Elder Holland did in his beautiful sermon titled, "Safety for the Soul", the heart in this case become the center of our emotions, the indicator of our character, and the listening device for sensing the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. A humble heart is indeed the key to the doors of heaven. Should we allow our hearts to become hardened and prideful, we shall find that our spiritual sensitivity will decrease greatly.
Many times, pride has been referred to as the "universal sin", and in my opinion, there are two reasons for this title. The first is that pride is a very common sin. It can take hold on anyone. I firmly believe that every man who has ever lived--save Jesus only--has had at least one prideful moment. Each of us should examine ourselves and seek to correct our pride with charity, service, and gratitude.
The second reason I believe pride is called the "universal sin", is because it leads us into other sins. A hardened heart leaves the word of God at naught. We start to sin and justify our sin. Pride causes us to not repent, and to turn away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His true church.
[ A quote that I find we each need to consider, says: "Sin will not keep you out of the temple. Pride will" (Kearney Stake Conference).-wasn't in my talk, cause they have already heard it.]
I do not wish to speak any more of pride, but to instead refer back to my original topic that redemption can only come through Jesus Christ. If we are burdened by this sin of pride--or any other sin--He can take the burden off of our shoulders, if we will repent. His invitation as recorded by Matthew, in the Bible, reads: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30)
As Latter-day Saints we are a very blessed people. We have great reason to rejoice! For us the fulness of the gospel has been spelled out in such beautiful simplicity. By the good graces of our Eternal God, we have been given a knowledge of our Savior's infinite atonement. We have been given the miracles of both The Holy Bible, and The Book of Mormon. Through these sacred records we can more fully come to know our Loving Savior, and more fully come to understand His atonement. What a rich blessing! And glory be to the Father for it!
I wish to conclude with my final point in 2 Nephi 2:8. Previously in verses six and seven we learned that redemption only comes to through Jesus Christ, and that that redemption only comes to those who will come unto Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Now, verse 8: "Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise" (2 Nephi 2:8).
Brothers and sisters, we use this Easter Season to celebrate our Savior's great victory over death and hell, and we do this because we know what that means. It means that if we will repent, we too can conquer death and hell, through Jesus Christ. Christ can enable our souls to be free.
We now have a responsibility to make these things known unto all men. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the Gospel". Let us not forget that before this life on earth we promised our brothers and sisters, who we loved so much, that we would find them and bring the Gospel to them. We knew the end goal--we wanted it badly--and we knew what it would take to get there. The Prophet George Albert Smith said, "We will attain our exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom only on the condition that we share with our Father's other children the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and observe the commandments that will enrich our lives here and hereafter".
It is my testimony that Jesus the Christ lives. Redemption does come through Him. This is His Church, and it is true. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, and was truly translated by it's unlearned translator, Joseph Smith, who was a chosen prophet of the true and living God. We can find relief and forgiveness in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we strive to become like Him, we be transformed into something far greater than we could ever make ourselves. I wish to leave you with the dying words of the Prophet Moroni, in the end of the Book of Mormon: "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot" (Moroni 10: 32-33).
I love you all brethren, and I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Work of the Lord is Going Forth . . .

Dear Brethren,
This last week has been a good one, and the work of the Lord is going forth in Broken Bow. We are starting to see more success, which is great!
I do not have much to say this week, but I hope all of you are doing great. I definitely have all of you in mind, and I cannot wait to see you all again. I'm sorry I don't have anything else to say, but the life of a missionary often is quite repetetive. I'll strive to find some good insight to share on my next email. I do get to give a talk in church this coming Sunday, so I'm sure I'll probably do a bit of preaching. Love you all!
Love, Elder Christopher Petersen

The Words of Alma . . .

(Sons of Mosiah Blog 4/13/11; Likening Alma Chapter 26 unto us:)



"And now, these are the words of [Elder Petersen taken from the words of Ammon] to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of [Lehi] that God would have granted unto us such great blessings? And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell? Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren [the Gentiles, and the Lamanites, and the people of the world] were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work. Behold, thousands [will] rejoice, and [will be] brought into the fold of God. Behold, the field [is] ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye...thrust in your sickle, and...reap with your might, yea all the day long [do] ye labor...Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever. For if we had not come up out of the land of [Lehi], these our brethren, who have so dearly beloved us...[would] still be racked with hatred...yea, and they would also have been strangers to God.
Behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. Behold, how many...of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice? Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell. Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work. Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent. Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing--unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.
[Brethren] we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us.
Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren...and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success. And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world--not upon the mercies of the world lone but upon the mercies of God.
Now have we not reason to rejoice?...Yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name. Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people.
Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen"
(Alma 26:1-5, 8, 11-16, 20-22, 30-31, 27-28, 35-37)

Rob Morin was set for baptism this week in Broken Bow, for the 14th of May. I cannot wait to bring yet another soul into the fold of Christ. Rob also has a fiance we will be working with, and a one-year old son named Isaiah. As well, his fiance's mother will hopefully come. Brethren, what a great work we are engaged in. I hope we do not forget it. I love you all! Keep safe, keep faithful.
Love, Elder Christopher Petersen

The Sons of Mosiah . . .

Dear Brethren,

I have today scripture I wish to share with you, of sorts. Nephi
instructed us to liken the scriptures unto ourselves. One day, as I
was a little down, I turned to Alma Chapter 17, in the Book of Mormon.
I began to read, and soon realized that it is about the sons of
Mosiah. This became very easy to liken unto us "Sons of Mosiah". This
chapter helped me realize what I want it to be like when we get back
together, what I hope our missions are like, etc.

Alma 17--Likened unto us (Think about it as if they are us)
My goal when we meet again: (See verses 1-4)
And Elder Petersen did (haha)..."rejoice excedingly to see his
brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren
in the Lord; yea, and they (all of us) had waxed strong in the
knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and
they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the
word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much
prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and
the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power
and authority of God. And they had been teaching the word of
God...having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the
truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the
altar of God, to call on his name and confess their sins before him".

Our Missions and Before Our Missions: (Verses 5-)
"Now these are the circumstances which attended them on their
journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both
in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, and also much
labor in the spirit. Now these are their journeyings: Having taken
leave [of their families]...they departed out of [their lands]...And
thus they departed into the wilderness...to preach the word of
God....And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the
wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would
grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide
with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to
bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanties [and the
Gentiles], to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the
baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.
And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and
said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted. And the Lord
said unto them also: Go forth among...thy brethren, and establish my
word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that
ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an
instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls. And
it came to pass that the heart of the Sons of Mosiah, and also those
who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites [and
Gentiles] to declare unto them the word of God. And it came to
pass...that they separated themselves and departed one from another,
trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their
harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had
undertaken. And assuredly it was great, for they had undertaken to
preach the word of God to a wild and hardened and a ferocious people;
a people who delighted in murdering...and robbing and plundering...and
their hearts were set upon riches, or upon gold and silver, and
precious stones; yet they sought to obtain these things by murdering
and plundering, that they might not labor for them with their own
hands. Thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship
idols, and the curse of God had fallen upon them because of the
traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding the promises of the Lord
were extended unto them on conditions of repentance. Therefore, this
was the cause for which the Sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work,
that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they
might bring them to know of the plan of redemption. Therefore they
separated themselves one from another, and went forth among them,
every man alone [with his missionary companion], according to the word
and power of God which was given unto him...and thus they took their
several journeys throughout the land"...
It goes on from here to tell of some of the journeyings of the sons
of Mosiah, after they split. For us "Sons of Mosiah", our story is not
yet complete. I cannot wait to hear what each of you do, and have
done, individiually with the Lord and His work. As you can see, the
sons of Mosiah were very tried, and things were sometimes very hard. I
hope it is not quite as hard for us as it was for them, but it is
through our trials that the Lord refines us, uses us as an example,
and accomplishes His work. Too often as we see people reject us, or an
investigator drop us, we feel as though we have failed in this work,
but there is a principle I want you to all remember. Joseph Smith
said, "It is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of
men". Never will the work of God be frustrated, but the work of men
is. Even if we did something terrible to go out and destroy the work
of God, as Alma did, we would not succeed in destroying His work, but
we would be accountable for it, thus destroying ourselves and our own
work. God will always make a way for His work to go forth. Our
responsibility is to be obedient to His word (scriptures, the
commandments, and the mission rules), and learn to become consecrated
beings; giving our time, talent, energy, means, and will to the Lord.
That is the only surrender that is a victory (see John Tanner:
Treasure in Heaven movie).
Love you all! Keep record of your journeys that we might share our
journeys one with another. Love you all! Keep the faith!

Love,
Elder Christopher Petersen

Simple but Sweet . . .

No Sons of Mosiah this week. I forgot to bring what I was going to
write. Yeah...however, I hope everyone is keeping happy. Love you
guys!

The Work of God is Never Frustrated . . .

Dear Brethren,

I have much I wish to say to you next week concerning some of my discoveries during my personal study. It reminded me you, and the work that we are doing. I was actually really reading about the sons of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon. I wrote down some impressions that I had as I was reading. I will hopefully bring those next week, and share them with you all.
I do not yet know what to say, so I probably will not say much this week. The work here is picking up, which is absolutely wonderful. Things are going forward. An interesting lesson I learned last week, that I will probably say again in my next email, is that truly the work of God is never frustrated, but only the work of man is frustrated. I laugh at the old saying, "If the church isn't true, the missionaries would have destroyed it a long time ago". Haha! Of course, that is only referring to those missionaries who weren't really doing what they ought to on their missions. God truly has given us power and authority if we will but use them. Preach My Gospel says to not be shy about the power and authority we hold. You should read it. It's at the beginning of Preach My Gospel.
Anyway, I will have more to say next week. I love you all!
Love, Elder Christopher Petersen

Become as Little Children . . .

Dear Brethren,
News on the front, there was just another baptism here in Broken Bow--only if you want to get technical it "doesn't count", but if you ask me, all baptisms count. It's another soul brought to Christ. His name is Tryon, and he's eight years old. Most of his family are members of the church, but for one reason or another, he was taking forever to be baptized. He will be turning nine this summer, so my companion and I were like, "what the heck?" and then we went into their home, and came out with plans for him to be baptized on Thursday. However, the most impressive thing is that we didn't have to do much. Just our presence made Tryon say to his parents, "I wanna be baptized", before we even brought anything up. Then we got to work it from there.
It was actually such an awesome experience for me, and I was amazed at the example that this young man set for me. He was continually persistant that he wanted to be baptized. Apparently they had talked about it many times, but this time he was determined. It's strange, because I know that my knowledge is far greater than that boy who has a mere eight years under his belt, but I realized how much more willing he was to simply submit to the will of the Lord. He probably doesn't comprehend to the degree that I do, the baptismal covenant, or the principles of the gospel, but his faith is outstanding. I could not believe how happy he was. He just wore a constant smile, simply knowing that what he was doing was right, and that he was doing the will of his Father in Heaven. I hope that we can all become like that.
Jesus Christ said, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven"(Matthew 18:3). He continued, "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:4).
King Benjamin, a great king in the Book of Mormon, taught: "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
Truly children are to be not only our students, but our teachers. In my couple of times visiting this family, I doubt that I have taught him nearly as much as he has taught me. His example was great. The scriptures teach us that we are to become as this boy is. We are to become as children--not childish, but submissive as a child is. How hard this journey is! Sometimes it seems impossible. but that is why in the sermon delivered by King Benjamin, he strictly included: "...through the atonement of Christ the Lord...". That is the only possible way we are to become a Saint, or become like a child. We must always remember to utilize both the cleansing, and enabling power of the atonement. I'm working on it myself.
Love you all! Have a great week!
Love, Elder Christopher D. Petersen

Written March 7, 2011

Dear Sons of Mosiah,

I don't have much to say today. There aren't really any doctrinal
subjects that I wish to discuss or anything. I just wanted you all to
know that I love you, and am proud of you for all that you do. Keep
happy, and keep up the work.
I am serving in Broken Bow, Nebraska, now. There are not even 3,500
people here, according to the sign with the population on it. The
surrounding towns are even smaller, and I'm going kind of crazy
because there isn't even a Walmart here. However, the people here are
really nice, and I look forward to working with them. Here in the
Kearney Stake, the Stake President makes a big deal out of trying to
get members to stay here in the Stake to help it grow. In fact, he
tells the missionaries to go home, find wives, and move back. Lol. I'm
not planning on that one. Still, I have to say, this place almost
seems like it came out of some old book or movie. Toria, if you are
reading this, Broken Bow should totally replace Carbondale. Lol!
Either that, or I have a few other places in mind. (For all of you who
don't know, we were working on a book. That's what I am referring to.)
Anyway, I hope you are all keeping happy. I love you all! Have a great week!

Love, Elder
Christopher D. Petersen

Written Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Dear Sons of Mosiah, my fellow brethren,

This week has been an interesting one here in Columbus. Transfers just took place, and I am going to Broken Bow, Nebraska. It is in the western part of our mission, so it should be interesting for me. I am definitely not a cowboy, and it got described to me as a "cowboy town", so we'll see how that goes. It has been interesting being here in Columbus for just shy of six months, and I have really grown to love the people here. I am really going to miss them, however (at least for some of them), this is not goodbye. I am convinced I have made some life-long friends, and I believe that the Lord has a work for them to do too. You already know that Jake Williams who we just baptized recently, is now in Utah, and will be attending school at UVU. As well, I have other great friends--especially Josh Johnson, Jana Hager, and Scottie Leifert. Though they are not yet baptized, I strongly believe they will be. They told us last night when we went to say "see you later" to them, that they could not go away from this religion, because it would always be in their minds what they know they need to do. I plan on coming back to Columbus, but they also plan on coming out to visit in Utah. Josh even wants to be in the next movie we make from "The Series" (Divisions being the only one we have made so far). It's way awesome. I know we have found more brothers and sisters in the Lord, and for those of you that are, or will be serving missions, I am sure you will find us some as well. Bring them all home into our family.
I have learned a lot from being here and serving a mission. I have gained a great love for people in my life, both past and present. I appreciate all of you, and am extremely happy for the things you have done for me in my life, and also what you have done for each other. Keep being an example of the believers, and being my brothers and sisters in the Lord. We have such a tight bond, and I hope that bond will always remain. On missions, people often try to measure success on how many people we have enter into the waters of baptism. Though that is a goal that is worthy, and though we are called to baptize, I had an interesting realization last night. We are called to bring people closer to Christ. If we do this, we are succeeding as missionaries and as people. The impact we make cannot be measured in a mere two years. Two years makes up only a tenth of my life so far, and far far less for a whole life time--and even less in the eternal perspective. Brethren, we carry the world. Never in the history of man has a group made more impact for the good and well-being of mankind than Christ's true church. Jesus Christ leads this church, and He truly leads us where we need to be to do the most good. I have a testimony of that now. I wondered for a while, as I watched all of these investigators struggle, if I was really helping them. So few of them have been baptized--but many of them have been brought to believe. Josh, Jana, Scottie, Shannan, Katie--all of these individuals have not yet been baptized, but they believe, and I believe in Christ who knows His sheep, and will call for them. He knows their lives, and He has prepared them. They will come and be part of our family.
For the longest time I feel I always paid too much attention to the justice of God, and not on His mercy. I have known He is merciful--and that the atonement is real--but I guess it just never clicked. I was pondering this, when I realized something wonderful. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us so much, and they will do EVERYTHING in their power to let us into the Kingdom of God. Heavenly Father wants us to return to Him. I knew that, and I was teaching that, but I hadn't really thought about it. He loves us, and will do everything He can to bring us back. Jesus Christ has done, and will do, everything He can to bring us back to Him. I forgot to bring my scriptures into the Library, but there is one time I recall where Jesus sat looking over Jerusalem and with sadness he proclaimed how oft He had tried to bring the Jews in, like a hen gathers her chicks, and the would not come. He mourns when we will not come. Many of you are probably thinking, "yeah, I knew that". So did I, I thought, but somehow it seems I understand even more--and I believe I will continue to learn even more. It is such a miracle how it is the simple principles of the gospel that are so profound, if we will just take the time to think about them, and try to really understand them. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want all of you--each individual. They know your pains, and cry with you when you cry. They hurt with you, and want you to be free from the heavy burden of sin. Oh how touching is the mercy and love of a Father, and our perfect Brother. Understand, for all of you who have ever felt a grief or anger toward God, thinking that He doesn't want you because of the way you have lived your lives, that He does love you, and want you.
I love you all brethren. God speed the right!

Love, Elder Chris Petersen

Written Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011

Hey, no Sons of Mosiah Today. Sorry. Love you all!

A Wonderful Baptism . . .

Dear Brethren,

Jake Williams was baptized last Saturday, and confirmed yesterday (Feb. 13th)!!! He is now a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and has the Gift of the Holy Ghost! How wonderful! We've added another soul to the fold, and great will be our joy with him in the kingdom of our Father!
He actually just took off to Utah today, quite suddenly. He will be attending UVU in Orem soon, so maybe you people in Utah should look out for him. He is really cool! He will definitely not only be added to Christ' true church on the earth, but also to the Sons of Mosiah and the League of Unextraordinary Gentlemen that we so proudly call ourselves. He is awesome, and will be an awesome addition to our friendships, and to God's work. I confirmed him yesterday, and it said he would be mighty in the work. j
Well, I am sorry this email is short, but I have to go. I love you all!

Love, Elder Christopher Petersen

Miracles Still Happen . . .

Dear Brethren,

This scripture I submit to the world: "And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yeah, and who can comprehend the marvelous works of God? Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought? And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty miracles? And there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles. And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles. And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust. Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth."--Mormon 9:15-21
I confirm this scripture true, today. We have been witnessing many miracles from the hand of God, because of our belief in Him--not that ours is perfect, but that he makes up the rest. Did not a man in the scriptures say to Jesus, "help thou mine unbelief"? Surely we can say the same, but we should learn not to doubt our living God. It is a hard thing--and I fall short often--but there are blessings for those who strive to conform their lives with the will of the Father, and keep the commandments of God. The commandments of God are not a burden--for God does not force us to obey them--but they are directions back to His presence. How can one make it to a destination unless he is willing to follow the directions which he is given? It is the same with the commandments. We are given blessings for obedience, and when we choose to follow the commandments of God and follow the Savior, we are given the directions in which we should travel to the kingdom of our Father.
My companion and I have been striving to become even better missionaries, and as God is aware of our efforts, He suddenly poured out blessings upon our heads. A few weeks ago a young man walked into church, and found us. We began to teach him, but he knows a lot already. He has been studiying the LDS religion online for some time, and has some LDS friends in Utah. He wanted to be baptized, and Jake Williams will be getting baptized this Saturday! Truly a miracle. Also another woman got on mormon.org, and requested a visit with us missionaries. We are now teaching her and her husband, and they are amazing. They took us to a really fancy resturant, but there is much more to be excited about than where the took us. I just thought that was awesome. Made my day.
So I have an experience to share with you brethren, that goes to confirm the scripture above. It happened to me and my companion, and is a true witness that God answers the prayers of His servants. He loves His children, and wants to answer our prayers. This is a story about an investigator of mine. I will refer to her as K, and to her boyfriend as J:

K has wanted for some time to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and we have been meeting with her for a while now. Eventually, it got to the point in our teaching her, that she needed to make some decisions. You see, she has one thing yet to do, and that is to live the Law of Chastity by either moving out (because she lives with J), or by marrying J. She wants to marry J, but J "is not ready for that step". Well, I guess she was just in a bad mood one day, because she had promised us previously that she would be coming to church that week, then we talked on the phone, and she told us that basically she might not keep her promise. Now, really she didn't promise US--that is an error--we actually asked her, "Will you commit to your Savior, Jesus Christ, to come to church and remember Him during the sacrament?" She had said yes, and was now going to back out. She did back out.
On the phone call, she was grumpy. I told her that we cannot force her to do anything, but unless a person is progressing in the gospel, we cannot teach them and need to spend our time elsewhere. I told her we had been trying to do all that we can to help her, and have been putting an amazing amount of effort into her--and if she wasn't going to progress, I didn't know what more we could do for her. I asked her if there was more we could do for her. She said no, and said "J and I aren't ready to take that step yet". And I said, "Ok, talk to you later". Then later, she text us saying she didn't want to meet with us anymore. She was mad at us, and at another member who told her not to meet with us unless she was going to do something about her newfound belief in the gospel.
Elder Pauni (my companion), and I, decided there was only two things we could do. Pray, and then wait. We were confident that she would come back, and I knelt down to offer up a request to my Heavenly Father. I asked him to bring K back, and do whatever is necessary to help her know that she needs to act on her belief in the gospel. I even requested a few possiblities saying I didn't care how it was done--whether it be by her feeling the lack of the Spirit in her life, by vision, or a dream, or anything really that God willed to be done--I just wanted it done.
A few days later, she sent us a text, asking us if we needed a ride anywhere because it was cold outside, and our cars were grounded. The Spanish Missionaries decided to take her up on it, and gave her a call. After saying she would give them a ride, she asked to talk to me. They gave me the phone, and she asked us what our plans were for that day. I replied that we didn't have much going on, and she asked if we could come over. I said, "To do what?" She replied, "Umm...I don't know, to read from the Book of Mormon or something". It was her way of asking us to come back and teach her. We went back, and she asked us if we wanted to know why she had chosen to invite us back. We said yes, and she went on to tell us a story.
She said that she had a dream earlier that day, and when the Spanish Elders called, she awoke from that dream. She told us that in the dream she was walking down a path, and eventually she came to fork in the path. She told us that down one of those paths, she saw us missionaries, and down the other, she saw "her friends". She told us that in the dream, she decided to go down the path with "her friends". She told us that she soon regreted her mistake, because as she was with "her friends" they got wild, and soon they all suffered an accident. She broke her leg in the accident. Wisely, she decided to then come over to our path, and found happiness there with us. She told us that she then looked back over to the path with "her friends" to see that they had been in yet another accident that this time, took all of their lives.
She then laughed a little and said that the funny part was that in the dream, she didn't even recognize any of the people she knew to be "her friends". She just somehow thought them to be her friends. We then interpreted the dream for her--it was very simple, and in fact, the member told her some of the interpretation before we did. "Her friends" represented the world, and the things of the world. The path with the missionaries (us), was the path that would lead to happiness and eternal life. It was the right path to choose, that wouldn't end in "death". We told her that even though in the dream the physical death she saw was a tragedy, even more tragic is that of spiritual death which it represented. We told her that she needs to act, and that even inviting us back will do no good unless she is willing to act, and rid herself of the things of the world that she holds on to so desperately. Those are "her friends", and we saw what would have happened has she stayed with "her friends".
God gave her a dream, and to add to it, her boyfriend J also had a dream. He woke up from his dream at the same time that K woke up from hers, and the spanish missionaries called. His dream was that he was being held down in darkness, suffocating, and he could not move. He told us that he had had this dream before, but K pointed out that the last time he had this reoccuring dream, was before he started taking lessons with us and now that he was no longer taking lessons with us, he was having this dream again.
Jesus is the Christ, brethren. He lives, and God our Father is also aware of the things that His children need. If we ask, he will give them to us, as long as we ask not amiss. If we ask with faith, and in righteousness, he will grant unto us according to our desires. He answered my prayer, and the prayer(s) of my companion. This is His work. Let us not doubt it ever, and let us remain faithful. I love you all! Have a great week!
Love, Elder Christopher D. Petersen

The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ . . .

Dear fellow Sons of Mosiah,

I lately have been left to marvel about the wondrous Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It is a beautiful display of God's love for us, His children, and His desire for us to return to live with Him again. His arm is extended to all of us in mercy, and not one of us is ineligible for the Kingdom of God if we will but repent and come unto Him. This is a wonderful Plan of Salvation that He has made for us so that we can become like Him. It is a plan of happiness that is meant to result in a fullness of joy, and eternal life with those we love most. It is so important that we do all we can to help those around us realize that they are living this Plan of Salvation, and to help our loved ones stay on the path of righteousness so that we can be with them hereafter. I am eternally grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ, and His atoning sacrifice. We teach all of Christ so that all of God's children know where to turn for a remission of their sins. Repentance is a gift we have been given, and it was bought with the price of our Redeemer's blood.
I am also eternally grateful for Christ restoring His church to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, who acted as an instrument in the hands of our Savior. He was a loyal servant of the our only true and living God. His role was also so important in this plan that God has for us, and he and the Book of Mormon have both been prophesied about for centuries long before the Restoration of the Gospel took place. Isaiah said concerning the Book of Mormon (the words of the Nephite Prophets), "And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust" (Isaiah 29:4), and prophesying about apostasy, and what sounds to me like the Restoration, Isaiah said, "And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid" (Isaiah 29: 11-14). "And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah" (Jesus Christ speaking in 3 Nephi 23:1).
It's interesting to me that Christ would say that last part concerning the words of Isaiah when there are many prophets who have written many things. All of them are important, and we should search all of the scriptures--but very plainly, in Isaiah 29 it tells us concerning the Nephites, the Book of Mormon, and the Restoration of Christ's church after an Apostasy. What other wonderful things are to be found in the words of Isaiah? Sometimes it is so difficult for me to understand his words, but they are great. Anyway, that was a tangent.
So Isaiah's words were fulfilled! Truth came from the ground, a voice that has the fulness of the gospel--a voice that changed the world! The Restoration of the Gospel has had an effect on the entire world! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is being spread! All are coming to know of us. Some will embrace the truth; others will fight against it because of the Adversary's power over their hearts. This world is riping in wickedness, but also the strength of the righteous is stronger than probably ever before! Jesus Christ's church is on the earth again, and it is a wonderful time to be here on this earth! There are many who are seeking for truth, but kept from the truth only because they do not know where to find it. Let's help them find it.
I love you all! I'll step off my soapbox now, but I am currently experiencing the battle. We cannot ignore that many of our brothers and sisters do not have the gospel, and we promised them we would bring it to them. There is real fight for the souls of men between the cause of right, and the powers of darkness. God is real, and He loves us. Satan is real, and he wants to lead us carefully down to hell. Many of died for the cause of truth, justice, and mercy to go forth to all the inhabitants of the earth. "Shall we not go on in so great a cause?"

Love, Elder Christopher Petersen

Spiritual Gifts . . .

Dear Brethren,

I have to keep it short today, but I am so grateful for all of you, and especially for our loving Heavenly Father and for our Lord Jesus Christ. Their continual love and support is all that can keeps me going sometimes, and I know that they are playing the same roles in your lives. I hope all of you have opened your eyes to their continual blessings in your individual lives--even just a little bit. I cannot say I even nearly comprehend all of the blessings that they have given me, but I am grateful for all of those blessings that I do see. This is such a wonderful plan that we are living, and it truly was designed by our loving Father who is in Heaven. I hope all of you are keeping an eye out for the brothers and sisters that you promised you would find, and share the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with. Look for them.
I also hope you have all been able to obtain your copies of the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History set. Watch the John Tanner Movie, and also the Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration movie. Watch them as a family--all immediate, extended, and friend families. They will life your testimony if you hearken unto the Spirit of God as He testifies of the truthfulness of those events. It is powerful. Open up your hearts, and listen.
My mind has been brought to the reflection of a topic today, and I received some interesting insight in my studies today. All of us have been given gifts by our Heavenly Father, and many of those are referred to as "Gifts of the Spirit". For most of us (including myself), it is often hard to recognize those gifts that we already possess. As well, it is hard for us to know how to go about receiving more of those spiritual gifts. We are taught by church leaders that we are to seek after these spiritual gifts. We are also taught that we are to use those gifts for the welfare of God's children. We are to use them in service, and to help others receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. May I suggest that you strive to recognize your gifts. Pray for recognition, review or obtain your patriarchal blessings, and read from the scriptures. Become familiar with them. Moroni 10 is one place where some of them can be found listed. I know Gospel Principles has a chapter on Spiritual Gifts. As well, there are other places of scripture to look to. I intend to look into these things myself.
As I was reading in Doctrine and Covenants today, near the beginning, I came across passages of revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, to Oliver Cowdery. Now, I pray that the Spirit will help me that I will not err in any of the things I do say today. My understanding of it was that Oliver Cowdery desired to translate parts of the Book of Mormon from the gold plates as well. It must not have been an unrighteous desire, because the Lord said he could do it. However, when he went to translate, he found himself not very successful. The Lord said it was because he lacked patience, and also because he wasn't being as sensative to the spirit as he needed to be. Oliver had been given the gift of translation, but because he was struggling so badly, the Lord told him that Joseph needed to translate the rest of the record and that in the future he could translate other records. Now, I do not know what happened, but I learned some interesting things there. We may have gifts that we are not using because we are not being patient, and listing to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Now, like I said, I hope I was not wrong in my comprehension of what I read--I was very tired this morning--but even so, I believe the principle stands true that we need to tune ourselves with the Spirit of the Lord, and exercise patience to truly be able to use our gifts.
We should seek after these gifts, and identify them. Truly these gifts exist, and we should not doubt--but go forward with faith. I used to think of the gift of prophecy, or of dicernment, and think, "wow, it would be so cool to have those", but I doubted I could ever obtain such gifts. I was wrong. I have truly seen the Spirit use me to prophecy, and those prophecies came true. I have prophesied concerning my investigators who are under our stewardship (being mine and Elder Pauni's--or other companions at other times). We have been led to discern many things. We can have these gifts if it is the Lord's will, and use them within our stewardship. Now, I can obviously not just go and start prophesying for the world at this moment. That is President Monson's stewardship, but we should not fear learning how to use our gifts for our own stewardship. Obviously we need to use them in harmony with the Spirit so that we are doing the Lord's will, but the Lord will allow us to use them.
Anyway, I am just rambling, hoping I am just getting the points across I was aiming for. I love you all! Have a great week!

Love, Elder Christopher Petersen

The Spirit Testifies of the Truthfulness of the Book of Mormon . . .

Dear Brethren,

I had the privellege this last week of visiting the Mormon Trail Center in Omaha Nebraska, again. It is a visitor center that is sort of like a museum showing things about the pioneers that crossed the plains and came to Utah. It is right next to a pioneer cemetary for those that died at Winter Quarters--which is actually positioned right next to the Winter Quarters Temple that is now there. There is a great deal of historic information that is given there, but much more important is the Holy Spirit that is there. Among the many things at the Trail Center, is the Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration movie. Just recently the movie got released on DVD in the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Box Set. I would encourage any and all of you to get this box set, because there are many powerful movies on there--including the Stone Cutter, and a movie about Jacob Tanner, which is absolutely amazing! I would encourage you to watch all of those, and more.
Anyway, we had three investigators, a less-active member, and an active member all at the Trail Center with us. It was a great experience. The Spirit was strong, and powerful testimony was born. I am especially grateful for the Trail Center Sisters, and the Spirit that they carry. I've been there a few times, and I am astonished by some of the profound things they say--especially this time. Powerful witness came of the truthfulness of this Gospel, and of Joseph Smith being a Chosen Prophet of God. The divinity of the Book of Mormon was witnessed to all of us there by the power of the Holy Ghost (for most of us a reconfirming witness). Our investigators all felt it, and admitted to it. One was brought to tears several times. You could see the Spirit in the countenances of all three of them. A profound calm, yet a powerful surge of the Spirit was working within them.
I cannot adequately describe our experience, but I can relate it with my testimony.

Jesus is the Christ. Who can look at this world, and doubt its creator--the Great Jehovah, and Son of the Living God? He lives today, and guides and directs His Chosen Prophet, Thomas S. Monson. He called Joseph Smith to restore His church to the earth. A man cannot truly read the Book of Mormon with sincerity and real intent, without knowing it is from God. Elder Holland's father spoke of the Book of Mormon, and though I will slaughter the quote, he did say something along the lines of: No evil man could write a book like this--and no good man would do it, unless it were true, and he were commanded of God to do so. The Book of Mormon was written by Prophets of God in the Ancient Americas, and it was translated by the gift and power of God, through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Who can doubt? If we read it sincerely, and ask God, willing to act on His answer, He will tell us that this is true. My whole mission, I have never run across somebody who has asked, and received a no. Not one. There has only been one person that I have met who has ever claimed so, and she admitted to me later on that she read piecies of it already not believing it before she read it, and she did not ask God wanting to know. Everyone who has ever asked, either did not receive an answer because they lacked sincerity, and real intent (they did not do their part), or they received the answer that the Book of Mormon is true. It is without fail. No man has ever been told no. Our Heavenly Father loves us, and He has promised us that if we lack wisdom and we ask Him, He shall give unto us. What else could you expect from a Father? He is the Father of our spirits, and He wants us to be happy. That is why He gave His only-begotten Son to be offered as a sacrifice for sin. Christ's Atonement makes it possible for all of us to lead happy lives, no matter what the Adversary will do to us. I love you all! Talk to you before you know it!

Love, your brother, Elder Christopher Petersen

The Work of God is Going Forth with Powe and Great Glory . . .

Written 01/03/11

"Our missionaries are going forth to different nations...The standard of truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done." --The Standard of Truth

My Dear Brethren,

Are these things not coming to pass in these great and glories days? Truly the work of God is going forth with power and great glory, and these last days are truly here with the Second Coming of our Savior nigh at hand. The Gospel is being taught all over the world, and truly these prophetic words, given by, I believe, the Prophet Joseph Smith, are being fulfilled! What are great day! We are preparing the world for the Second Coming of the Messiah, and helping our brothers and sisters to receive the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. Have we not great reason to rejoice in each other, and in the Lord?
At this time, I hope all of you will reflect on your personal testimonies, and remember how we came to know for ourselves the things that we know. They are true, and the Holy Ghost has testified it unto you. Some days I marvel at how quickly I forget the multiple witnesses that I have received, even for a moment. It is so easy to get caught in worldly cares, and to give in to the desires of the flesh. After all, for the many years our spirits must have existed to have progressed to the point of no progression until we received these bodies, controlling this body we each have is a fairly new experience. Still, the scriptures tell us what we must become. Mosiah 3:19 says: "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
Doesn't that seem like a fairly difficult task at times? It may seem very daunting, and it would be impossible if it were not for the atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. Too often, we as members of the church know that we can be forgiven through the atonement of Christ, but we forget that it is also through the atonement that we overcome our weaknesses. Ether 12:27 says, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for4 all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
The scriptures teach us that it is through the grace of Christ our Lord that we are saved, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23). In the Bible Dictionary it says the following about Grace: The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ. (I would encourage you to read the the entirety of what the Bible Dictionary says under Grace, but skipping down, it says:) It is...through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means."
I have spent much time on this blog, so I hope that it benefits all of you. We can overcome the things that we sometimes hopelessly start to believe we cannot overcome. It hurts inside to realize how inadequate we are sometimes, and how imperfect before God. Sometimes this leads us to turn away from God, and we must not. It is only by turning to God that we will be able to be forgiven, and overcome our weaknesses. We must humble ourselves before Him, and it is important that we humble ourselves. In Alma 32:16 it says: "Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even compelled to know, before their will believe." Now, it goes on to talk about the difference between knowing something, and believing--or having faith--in something. One is a sure knowledge, that if we sinned against it, great would be our condemnation--and the other is "...not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." (Alma 32:21)
I love the scriptures my friends! They are great! The Prophets have such wonderful words to help us understand the truths and mysteries of God. The light is revealed to us, and we have a great duty to reveal that light to others, and to help others know these things. There is such joy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ought we not to live it? Faith in Jesus Christ, Repentance, Baptism (Sacrament as well), The Gift of the Holy Ghost, Endure to the End! It is simple, but it gets us through the complications of life.
2 Nephi 2:6-8 says: "Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered. Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presense of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise."
My brethren, I love you, and I love this work. Let's do it together, and thrust in our sickles with all our might!

Love, your brother and friend,
Elder Christopher D. Petersen
P.S. I hope I typed all of the scriptures correctly. If I did not, look up the scriptures, and search them yourselves. Or just overlook my weakness.

The Power of the Atonement

Written Dec. 27, 2010

My dear brothers and sisters,

"We are not merely mortal beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a mortal experience." (Don't remember who the quote is by, and I probably slaughtered it, but think about it)

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! I know I had a good one out here on the mission field. Wonderful things are going on, as always, and I have had many growing experiences in the last week. I hope you all remember that you are in my prayers, and that I love you all so much. I hope you also took the time to celebrate Christ's birth, and remember His atoning sacrifice for us. The Atonement is real, and very active in our lives if we will but let it. Through the Atonement, we can find relief from guilt, and be washed clean from sin in the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. We can also find additional strength that will allow us to do works that we otherwise could not maintain if left to our own ability (look up Grace in the Bible Dictionary). Christ promised us He would make our burdens lighter if we will come unto Him, and strive to obey His commandments. In Matthew 11:28-30, he said: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and our heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light". A yoke is what goes on oxen when they pull a wagon, or other loads. It is interesting, because in a study, they took two oxen that could each pull 1,000 lbs. by themselves, and together they could pull 3,000 lbs. Incredible huh? So how do you think it would be if you and Christ were yoked together to face your challenges?
2 Nephi 31:19-20 says: "And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path (which is entered by baptism--insert by me), I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus sait the Father: Ye shall have eternal life". How are we enduring to the end? Are we trying to do it ourselves, or do we have the companionship of the Holy Ghost? Are we asking Heavenly Father for His, and our Savior's help? If not, we ought to be. Remember that the natural man is an enemy to God, and that we need to humble ourselves and ask for God's help. All of us are inadequate if we do not have God's help. Nothing is impossible with God.
Now one thing you may have noticed above, is the word strait in bold above. Pay attention to the fact that the word is not spelled straight, but strait. These words have two different meanings. The meaning in this scripture (being the meaning of strait), is not saying that the narrow path has no turns, or twists. A strait is kind of like a passage way that connects two points of destination. There is only one strait and narrow path that leads to God, but that does not mean it will be easy. The path does have twists, turns, and obstacles. Such is life, but all things that we suffer is common to man. God is faithful, and we learn from the scriptures that he will not suffer us to be tempted above that which we are able. However, that is on condition, that we plead for His help. Sometimes it is required of us to ask Him for things, even though He does know all that we need. This teaches us how to be humble, and to rely on our Loving Heavenly Father--and our brother, Jesus Christ.
Concerning the quote above, it obviously makes a point. We are all children of God who lived with Him before this life. In the premortal life, we were all a family together. Before we came to this earth, we knew it would be difficult. However, we loved God's wonderful plan for us. Before this life, we had reached our full potential as individuals without a body. We could no longer progress unless we would come to earth, gain a body, and learn from our experiences. We would prove ourselves before God that we are willing to live His Gospel. This would allow us to return to live with Him, now having a body of our own, having truly experienced the difference between good and evil for ourselves, thus allowing us to become like our Father. Because of Jesus Christ, we would be washed clean, and one day live in the presence of God, if we repent.
This is an amazing plan, but there is one thing I'm sure we were all afraid of. We are all family, and we knew it. We loved all of our brothers and sisters, and we knew that not every one of us could be born into the gospel. That would be impossible. He loves us all, and we all loved each other. Therefore, who can doubt that we promised one another that we would find each other, and deliver the gospel to each other. It seems to me that many of those that I have found, it's almost like I have known them before. They are familiar to me. I do not doubt these were my brothers and sisters that I promised I would find. Among the many, I know it of my best friend. I know that I promised him before.
Who did you promise you would find them? How will you recognize them? Did you miss them? We have a duty far beyond that which we know, to spread the gospel, and to help all of our brothers and sisters know how to repent, and come unto Christ. He is the only way. The Gospel will be preached to all of them, but nobody can deny that there are times in one's life that they will feel more receptive than at other times. Is it not our duty to present to them the gospel always, so that we can teach it to them while they are the most receptive? Who knows the pain they will feel in the last day, when somebody they knew comes up to them and asks, "Brother, why did you not share you church with me?"
I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's true and living church. There is no doubt in my mind. It is the only church that is complete, and there is none other. God loves all of His children. That is why He set up a missionary program. He wants us to find those that we promised we would deliver the gospel to. How merciful is He for the missionary program, both in this life, and in the life to come?! It is amazing! It is the only church where God is portrayed like that. In none other will He go to such great lengths to save His children. That is because no where else do they know God as we know Him, as a loving Father who is much like ourselves, but perfect.
I bear my testimony that Jesus is the Christ--the Son of the Living God. He lives today, and directs His church. He has called a living Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, to lead His children here on earth. Our Heavenly Father has also provided the means of prayer for us to have a personal relationship with Him. Let's all make that a close relationship. I also know that He and His Son, Jesus Christ, called Joseph Smith to be a Prophet, and to Restore Christ's Church, as an instrument in His hand. How wonderul it is to have this knowledge! Let us not take it for granted. And let us spread this knowledge with all of our hearts, might, minds, and strength. Love you all! Have a Happy New Year!

Love, Elder