Swim Team & Missionary Work

 Große Neuigkeiten aus Deutschland

     As my time on my mission is wrapping up, I am feeling more nervous about becoming trunk-y. I think I'm more worried about avoiding feeling trunk-y than I actually FEEL; regardless, it is a big worry for me!

     I want to make sure that I am working with an ever increasing fire and excitement, even to the very last minutes on my mission. But sometimes, the goals and things that we are expected to do are just too big:

       How are we supposed to talk to every single person we see?  

       How are we supposed to extend the baptismal invitation to total strangers on our first meeting?          

       How am I supposed to keep my thoughts and mind focused completely and 100% until I take my name tag off after my release?

How do I stay focused when I know my days are numbered. I want to avoid these thoughts, but sometimes it seems like that's too much, too scary! 

Dinnertime

In missionary work, and really in life, there are goals that we set or expectations we need to live up to that might seem too big; it happens to me all the time. But when it does, I remember something that my swim coach, Coach Mike, would say to me all the time..

As a swimmer, I naturally hate any sort of sport that is done on dry land. I really don't like running or jumping jacks, and I can't even start to explain my deep hatred for climbing stairs. But whenever we were asked to do something that seemed hard at first, Coach Mike would always say ''You can do ANYTHING for 30 seconds.''  

And its true. When put like that, anything can be endured for 30 seconds! And the amazing thing is that after 30 seconds, it gets easier. It gets easier to keep going, to muster up more energy, until I have been running up and down stairs for 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, more!!  

I might not think that I can succeed at talking to every single person I ever see, but I CAN talk to the person who is sitting next to me on the bus. I might have difficulty staying focused for 3 more months, but I can control my thoughts for the next 5 minutes until we get to our next appointment.  And then it gets easier, even exciting, to be diligent :)  

Thank you, Coach Mike!

And another transfer calls come and gone! (Sister Peterson has two more transfer calls left, the second transfer calling being the one that sends her home)

I feel like they keep coming faster and faster..eep!  

Well, Sister Erdenesogt and I are staying together for another 6 weeks! We are super excited!! The funny thing is that when Sister Erdenesogt first left me and went to Munich, we had only been together 9 weeks and she was the companion that I spent the shortest amount of time with. But after this upcoming transfer together, our total time together will be 21 weeks- that's about 6 months together! Crazy! By then, she will definitely be the companion that I spent the most time with. 

The Lord has continued to answer my weird prayers and requests. I remember praying to go to see Switzerland just once on my mission, and the Lord sent me to Freiburg. Then I asked to go to Austria for Christmas, and he sent me to Linz. Well, last year, I found out that for the July MLC, President Miles scheduled it for the 4th of July, and so all of the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders had a fun little 4th of July party in Munich.  I remember setting the goal that I would be STL for the 4th of July.  Just a silly goal, but I always teased about how I would be made STL in July.  Well, President called us Friday to tell us we would be the new STLs for the Munich Zone.  And this transfer happens to cover July! The Lord really does care about us; the big things and the little things- they all matter to Him if they matter to us!  

Remember last email I told you that I had the weirdest feelings that we might be put in a driit. My dreams were weird because sometimes I felt like it was going to be Sister Henry I served with again and sometimes it was Sister Pentz... even though it was in my dreams, it felt so real that I was super confused. Well, I understand now what the dream was about- Both Sister Pentz and Sister Henry are going to be STLS!!!! 
This is so cool to me- I will get to see ALL of my babies (well, except sister wunderli, but she is a step child) at Mission Leader Conference! Aww, I am the proudest mama in the history of the world :)

I had to give my very first talk while serving as a missionary in church yesterday. I have always served in big wards, so I have avoided it for 15 months. I started to boast about that fact (I thought it was pretty impressive!) to the other missionaries, and of course, that's when bishop called me and asked me to speak. It was very short notice, but I was able to whip something up and I felt good about it.  

Sister Miles and I

The Miles' with the Munich children

That is Until I showed up the next day at church and saw President and Sister Miles, who were also giving their going-away talks! (President and Sister Miles' mission service is complete and they will be returning home) Gulp!  But it went okay I think! Not too scary- I don't do very well with ''soap-box'' teaching so I kept forgetting that I wasn't allowed to ask the congregation interactive questions!  They got to sit and watch me teach about the spirit and use fish analogies to explain my jumbled thoughts.   The good thing about being a cute American blonde girl, is that even when you look dumb, the people think you still look sweet ;)

Slack Lining

Popsicle time

Such a fun day

Trying it alone

 Thanks for all of your prayers and support!  I love you all so much :)

Ciao!

Sister Peterson