Elder Petersen the puppy-napper :)

Ya'at'eeh! This week has been awesome! http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/apostle-throws-first-pitch-dodgers-game  <-- This made my day! The rest of my week has been really good too! Last Monday we cleaned and emailed and all that stuff but in the evening we went teaching again and had some good lessons. Tuesday we worked in Dennehotso with the senior couple out there and we were able to get a lot of garden work done with them. We also helped put in a new sink for a member and organized the Garden map for them so they know where everything is. It was funny because the Napierski's are not very savvy when it comes to electronics so we have been helping them with computer stuff. They think my companion is the technology whisperer haha. Wednesday we went on exchanges and I went with Elder Tipitts in Kayenta. It was my first time meeting people in Kayenta so it was fun teaching and meeting them for the first time. I learned some things that were helpful like the importance of bearing testimony throughout the lesson and offering service in door approaches. I'm hoping I'll be able to apply what I learned to Chilchinbito. Thursday was our Zone training in Tuba city so we drove an hour to get there. It was pretty good. The zone leaders told us we are the smallest zone in the mission with only 12 missionaries. The rest of the day was limited on time so by the time we got back we were only able to have two lessons. Friday we worked our heads off looking for anyone who was home but with the holiday everyone was ether out of town or with family so they didn't want to see us. We did see one person and found a new investigator so it was worth the effort. Later in the evening we went to President Holiday's house for dinner. He is the Branch president for Dennehotso so the Napierski's were there and we had fun eating and talking. That night Elder Acaylar and I sat outside and watched the fireworks for a while and then called it a night. Saturday we met TWO new families who are awesome! Both times they let us right in, we had a lesson and told us to come back. One of the families is a part member family and they came to church yesterday. Their son wants to be baptized so we are going to work with him too. Should be a great week ahead of us. Sunday we had a great fast and testimony meeting, very spiritual. And then we had two lessons and had family home evening with a member family that cant do it on Mondays. They are unfamiliar with how to have family home evening so we have been helping them. Last night we had a fireside. Before it we picked up some wood from the second counselors home and while we were picking up wood their 3 month old puppy kept getting in the way. As a joke I put him in back of the truck with the wood and he stayed. As we were driving away Elder Acaylar looked back and was like "What the??" He kept driving though so we sort of stole their dog for the evening. It was fun having the puppy at the fireside and later when we took him home the owners started laughing because they didn't even notice he was gone. It was good because we got to Laugh and break the ice with the family and talk to the second counselor about maybe even teaching with us. Pretty funny experience, I'll have to send a picture next week because I forgot my camera. lol That was my week, hope yours was good too. Until next time, Bye! Hagonee'! talk to you next week!   --Elder Sen of Peter

This mission is awesome!

Ya'at'eeh!! Sorry for last week. The Library computers are lame and like to crash a lot so last week I ran out of time. I'll try to make this weekly report a good one and I might add some stuff from last week if I can remember what we did. I didn't have time to explain the picture. A member family called us in a panic and said there was a snake in their house so we went over to help them out. (Natives hate snakes) and so we were the ones to get it out of their house. We tried to find this thing in their back room for 15 minutes and had no luck. The oldest son was helping us and finally we heard him start flipping out and yelling like crazy! we rushed over and lifted up a bed frame on the floor and there it was! we hit it with a stick and dragged it outside. Elder Acaylar went super commando and cut its head off and threw the head far away. Turns out it wasn't a deadly snake, but hey! we did give service in a way that you wouldn't even think about giving anywhere else! This mission is awesome!

Last week we  painted parking lines in the school parking lot for service..  you probably already know, but Elder Acaylar and I are still companions in Chilchinbito and stuff so I'll move on to the big stuff now. Last Saturday an investigator got baptized in Kayenta (Chilchinbito doesn't have a font.) He is 10 and has been meeting with the missionaries for 4 months now. He is very converted, and he knows more than your average kid. In the interview to be baptized he was asking our District leader a ton of questions and was interviewing him almost. In two years he will be ready for the Priesthood and can pass the sacrament for the branch, which has not had a deacon in over 5 years!! 

This area is growing faster than it has in the past, which shows me that it has been waiting for missionaries for a while. Elder Acaylar and I are the second set of missionaries they have put here so it is very new! We have 3 more people who are getting close to baptism as well and there are two less active families who have started to come back to the church. Lately we have been relying on the members to tell us what to do for the branch and it has helped a lot. Two member families have been on board with missionary work and have shown us people that are interested but just haven't had anyone there to show them how to join the church. It has been more less active members that they are referring us to but it is great because then we can invite the members who referred us to go with. We are going to ask a newly activated member to go teaching with us this week so I'll have to let you know how it goes. If we can get all of the members active then this branch would easily become a ward. Last Monday we ate dinner with the Branch president in Dennehotso and we were able to get something going there too. The Senior couple there appreciates our help every tuesday. We have been providing the service work so they can concentrate on the teaching the rest of the week which has really gotten Dennehotso going. Their attendance in sacrament meeting is going up each Sunday. Wednesday we went on exchanges and I had to take over the area again, which is scary because I'm new. and we were able to see every recent convert in Chilchinbito which was really good. We tried stopping by a ton of other people but Wednesdays are when everyone goes to Kayenta to sell stuff at the Flee market so not a whole lot happened other than the three lessons. Thursday we took our truck to Farmington because it was having problems (chevy Colorado = piece of junk). And the driving coordinator for the mission found out it was problems with the hub and transmission so he had to give us a new truck. We ended up with a used Nissan Frontier which is a good truck but this one was secretly broken too. The people who had it before us used the e-brake while the car was moving and it snapped the cable so it didn't have an emergency brake. The mission knew this but said it would be safe for us to drive for now as long as we came in and had it fixed in a few weeks. While taking it home from Farmington the whole inside of the brake pad ripped to pieces and the whole E-break system shattered into little chunks that jammed and locked up the wheels. Elder Shrum the Mission truck coordinator said that it was his mistake and that we could have gotten in a wreck on the freeway. 

We then got another truck to replace the replacement so it's been a little crazy. The truck we have now is another Chevy Colorado (an old one) which we aren't to happy about but at least we can drive to appointments. While driving to Kayenta this morning the right signal light on our truck rattled loose and fell out. The Colorado's are cheep. This is why tithing is so important, so that the mission can buy more Nissans haha. The Colorado's are being taken out of the mission and they are buying more Frontiers because the driving coordinator hates the old trucks so the mission will be swapping out the truck we have now with a new one within the next two months. That will be exiting! The Nissans are super tough and Elder Shrum says there have not been any problems with them since they got their first group last year. So that took up pretty much the rest of the week. Saturday was the Baptism, Sunday was the confirmation of the Holy Ghost. Despite all the trials the missionary work is continuing to grow here in Chilchinbito and it is great! I love it here and it is going to be a great week. Talk to you next Monday! Hagonee'!

...playing catch up from the last 3 week's emails from Josh

Sorry I haven't posted Josh's emails from the last few weeks. Its been a little busy and we've been on vacation. :)  I'll post them oldest to newest.....

Mon 6/2/2014 

Ya'at'eeh! This week has been great! The Senior couple missionaries in Denahotso are awesome! We were able to put two more people on date to be baptized and everyone wants to talk to us all of a sudden. It's cool! Monday we had family home evening with a member family and that was good because they had never had family home night before. The two youngest daughters and the youngest son were baptized a month ago and are supper smart when it comes to the gospel. The oldest son just got the priesthood and the Mom is just starting to come back to church because of her kids. Really cool success story for the area because her family fills up a whole row at church now! Hopefully they will continue to have family home night because it will help. Tuesday and Wednesday we met with a few people in between a bunch of service. It is time for the gardens and Farms so everyone is asking for help with fencing and planting. When I get home I want to have a garden, now that I know how to set one up. The Church is providing a lot of materials because it will help the area to have farms and produce. Thursday we had a Zone Training in Tuba City, Az, so it was nice to see a bigger town. It is still small but at least they had a Taco Bell haha. Our Zone leaders are Elder Fonsbeck and Elder Livermont. Elder F. was in my first district on my mission and Elder L. was my first district leader on my mission! So its sweet being in this new Zone! Friday we met with one of our investigators on date and they are still good to go. Saturday we helped an investigator on baptism date paint her house and we got to talk with the family while we helped so that was good. Sunday we had a smaller turn out for Church but it was still good. The testimonies of the members are really strong and it is great being in a branch where everyone knows each other. Later in the day we met with an investigator in Denahotso on date and the senior couple helped us teach. That evening we had a fireside in Chilchinbito with a real fire and the Branch president was able to be there. He lives in Kayenta so it is difficult for him to come to all of the Branch activities. Well I love it here and my Companion's awesome. The work is progressing so there is not much to complain about. Have an awesome week and I will talk to you all next Monday! Hagonee'! Love you Mom! :)


 nametag Josh sent home because the pin was broken. thought it was cool in Navajo! :)  

Mon 6/9/2014

Ya'at'eeh! Hello everyone! This week was crazy in a good way but very satisfying too. Last Monday we went to Farmington to replace a flat tire and were able to do some shopping at Walmart. We got back with enough time to see two people and call it a day. Don't get to do much during trips to the city but it needed to happen so its alright. Tuesday we went to Dennehotso and went finding the whole day. That branch has a lot of Less active members that could help out the unit a bunch. All they need is to start coming and except a calling, which shouldn't be too hard with the new senior couple out there. Elder Acaylar and I like the Work out there and are trying to visit more and more and maybe even work in a plan to have one of us at each branch that we cover on Sundays. Wednesday we had Elder James the housing coordinator show up very early in the day and he was able to fix some much needed repairs on our camper. We now have a working fan in our ceiling to vent out air when we are cooking and stuff, and we have a third carbon monoxide detector haha. 4 Months ago the elders in Lukachukie got carbon monoxide poisoning from their camper so now they are making it a priority to have triple protection and that we test our alarms every week. Pretty crazy but our camper is very new so he said we have nothing to be worried about. Living in a camper is cool because it is like camping every day. I thing the Lord only sends missionaries who like small homes to areas with campers because Elder Acaylar and I love it. We were able to meet with some Recent Converts and get them ready for the Temple trip this Saturday so that was good. Thursday we went on exchanges with the Elders in Kayenta and I had to take over Chilchinbito for a day. Elder Tipitts and I tried our best to navigate the area but we got lost a few times. It was good though because despite me being very new to the area it all worked out and we were able to meet with some people we have been trying to see for a month. Tender mercies are there when you need them so I'm glad that I was able to at least try taking over. Friday we showed up to a members home and right as we got out of the car all of the kids started pelting us with water balloons. From there it escalated very quickly and we had a full on water fight in the streets! We got soaked from head to foot and it was awesome! We then shared a message with the family on the Youth standards of the Church using the "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet. We are having another water balloon fight with them today for a rematch. We had a total of four lessons that day and they were all very good. Saturday we did some service and went finding. We have a sports night every Saturday night at the school gym next to us and it has been a great finding tool. New people showed up Saturday and we were able to talk to them about the Church while playing basketball and dodge ball. At the end, the Recent converts that went to the temple came and told us how great their trip was. Sunday they all gave talks on their experiences in the temple doing baptisms for the dead. It was very touching listening to them describe what they felt inside the temple. We had lunch with the Senior couple in Dennehotso and saw the investigator on baptism date out there. He is going o be baptized this Saturday and we are exited for him. That night we had family home night with a member family and then had a fireside at the church. It all went well and it is great serving these people. I have seen the people here grow in the 5 weeks I have been here and it is amazing. Thank you for your letters and emails this week. I appreciate your support. Talk to you all next Monday. Bye!

Love you Mom! :)

Mon 6/16/2014

I sent Pictures of our hike this morning. We got the "Sunrise Blessing" that every native talks about. Very spiritual to watch the sunrise

Sooooo.... I ran out of time. My email is simple though. Elder Acaylar and I are staying this transfer, and we were able to help out with a converts baptism from Dennehotso. We have been teaching this 12 year old with the Napierski's (senior couple in Dennehotso) and it was great to see him get baptized. We hope his dad, who is not a member, will follow soon hereafter. Everything is awesome in Chilchinbito. We went to a Mission tour in Chinle to listen to Elder Carolson from the 70 speak. He was awesome! I got to see the missionaries in my last area and they told me the ward is doing really well so things are good for me. Gotta go! Bye!    Love you Mom! :)

for my 19th birthday we .... went soda bashing which is when you shake a soda can and then whack it with a golf club. it was fun getting soaked in soda and hanging out with our district leader.

Ya'at'eeh! Hello from Chilchinbito! Good news, a proselyting senior couple moved into Denahotso which is part of our area. They are retired but young enough that they want to go out and teach like us. Their mission is to help and support the missionary work in Denahotso for us because we don't get to go out there very often. They have already found a young man who is prepared for the gospel and is ready to start taking the lessons. We have sat down and talked with them twice now and they are very cool! It will be fun working with them. Last Monday for my 19th birthday we spent the whole day as a district in kayenta. The four of us went soda bashing which is when you shake a soda can and then whack it with a golf club. it was fun getting soaked in soda and hanging out with our district leader. On Tuesday we spent the whole day in Denahotso finding and now we know the area and the people pretty well. Every house we knocked at people were home and it was very obvious how prepared that area is. Everyone we found was cool! Wednesday we helped out with the 8th grade graduation here in Chilchinbito community school. everyone was there and some of the kids we have been teaching were promoting to high school. We know and teach the principle there so she let us help serve the food. We got to talk to a ton of people there and that helped. The rest of the day we went and visited with the people we talked to. Thursday we taught three families and invited a new investigator to be baptized. We have been teaching her nephew and she wants to be baptized the same day as him. Friday we did the same old same old. Saw a bunch of people and visited with the recent converts in the area. The Recent converts that were Baptized two weeks before I got here have a very strong testimony in the gospel and are very smart for their age. I might send a picture next week but there are five of them and they are cousins too. All under the age of 17. The younger generation is more excepting of the Gospel than the older generation. They are even getting their family to come to church! That evening we taught the principle of the school at another recent converts home. Baptisms have been a regular thing the past two months! Saturday we visited with a lady named Patrita who is preparing to go to the Temple for her endowments and later we played basketball at the school with some people in the area. More and more people keep showing up to our Saturday night basketball and it's a great finding tool. Everyone is willing to talk to us when we play basketball with them since it is so popular out here. It makes us seem more normal to people when they see us playing and having fun. Sunday was great at church. Us missionaries were able to speak for a few minutes on how to prepare for a mission and then the branch president encouraged everyone to prepare the younger generation for missions. It got me exited and I'm already a missionary haha. The rest of the day was pretty normal however so not much to report. I love it here and the people are awesome! Thank you for the emails this week. Talk to you next week! Peace!


Our celebration at home for Josh :)

Living in a camper fifth wheel is fun because its almost like camping.

Ya'at'eeh! This week has been good! I don't have much time to write but to sum up.. We did a lot of service like putting up a fence for a Less active member and we also weeded a back yard for a Recent Convert family in the branch. Investigators are flying at us all over the place and we now have some pretty cool new families to teach. 7 investigators showed up to church yesterday and even more Less active people showed up. The small branch building could barely fit us all! Chilchinbito is still awesome! The area itself is more green than my last area and there is a huge black mesa next to where we live. Makes things more scenic and exiting. Living in a camper fifth wheel is fun because its almost like camping. we have a fire pit outside and everything with small trees all around us. Elder Acaylar and I are getting along really well. We share the same sense of humor so we have been laughing at just about everything. Pretty fun being a missionary so I recommend it to everyone who can go on a mission. Thank you for listening. Love you all. Bye!

Investigators are starting to pop up like daisies!

Ya'at'eeh! I am no longer in the Farms of Many!! D= After a nine month stay in Many Farms I have been transferred to Chilchinbito or "Chilly Burrito" as said by an Investigator. It was sad leaving all the great people in the Many farms ward. It's hard leaving an area you have grown so much to love. Hope I get to visit after my mission.. The past week has made it easier to transition than I thought though. Chilchinbito has great potential and the members here are very welcoming. To tell you the truth, this new area is super sweet and is exactly what every Rez missionary wants! It is a small little branch in the middle of nowhere with a Branch President that is ultra gung-ho about missionary work! My companions name is Elder Acaylar and he is from Idaho. His Parents originate from the Philippines though so he is full Philippino! Pretty cool! In the last few months they have had 8 Baptisms so that means we get to visit with a bunch of very cool recent converts! All of them have strong testimonies in the gospel and are getting their friends and family to listen to the gospel. Almost half of the recent converts we teach, and Investigators two, are the rising generation. 10-18 years old. It's crazy how much more receptive the youth are to the message we share. Some of the older Investigators have a harder time giving up their older ways and following Christs example. It's cool because the people we are teaching are energetic, and exited to learn. Well, overall, just exited about everything haha. There is this little kid named Adam that sat between Elder Acaylar and I in a lesson and started teaching his family with us. He is 10! Told us we were his bro's haha. Our Area covers Chilchinbito branch and Denahotso branch so we get to decide where we go to church. Tons of work to be done in Denahotso too because the past missionaries didn't like driving that far. We are going to explore the area on Tuesday and go finding. I am already starting to like it here and i can tell that it isn't going to take much for this area to grow. We have a ton of help from the members and Investigators are starting to pop up like daisies! Well, Thank you for everything. I love you all! Talk to you next Monday!

Elder Petersen (heehehe.... still want to call him Josh all the time!)    :) mailed this broken nametag home - it's in Navajo - cool! :)   he mailed home an sd card with some pictures too - some date back to other blog posts but i thought they were cute 

So I have a new address. It's P.o. Box 151 Kayenta AZ, 86033. I will be transferring to Chilchinbito, AZ, Tomorrow.

Ya'at'eeh! Big News! I am leaving Many Farms :( not fun! So I have a new address. It's P.o. Box 151 Kayenta AZ, 86033. I will be transferring to Chilchinbito, AZ, Tomorrow. It is sad to be leaving Many Farms but I figured something would happen since I have been here for just about 9 months. Doesn't feel that long, its almost like I got to Many Farms yesterday. There is a small branch where I am going and the word on the street is that I will be staying in a fifth wheel camper trailer. Pretty crazy but I'm ready to work hard in Chilchinbito! I'll let you know what it is like in my next email in a week. This past week has been a surprisingly good one. I thought for sure that transfers was going to get to me and this week wasn't going to be as good but it is amazing how going out all day and working hard can get your mind off things. We met with a ton of Less active members this week and yesterday 11 of them came to church! The whole chapel was full and it was awesome to hear some of them bear their testimonies! Bishop's opening testimony was on missionary work and service and that was the theme of every ones testimonies. Looks like Many Farms is going to explode with missionary work and stuff! Pretty cool. Tuesday we lucked out because a lot of people were out of town but we were able to get a lot of finding done. We talked to 6 new people who said we could come back so that was good. Wednesday we had a sweet lesson with a family in Valley store. The Dad is a Less active member and his wife and kids are investigating the church. We watched a 20 minute video about the life of Jesus and then afterwards it turned into a big testimony. All 7 kids shared their testimonies about how they could feel that Jesus Christ really is their savior from watching the movie. The parents testimonies were the best because without them knowing it, they shared their testimony on how the Gospel strengthens families. They want to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ because they know it will keep their family safe from bad things and thy will be stronger. Its cool when Investigators share testimony without them knowing it. Best way to invite the spirit into someones home is to let them speak truth so the spirit can bear witness to them that what they are saying is right. Thursday we met with 3 investigator families and they are all really cool. One of them came to Church yesterday. Friday we met with a nice Less active couple that we have been working with since I got here and they came to church as well! Saturday we spent all day in Rough Rock and that was good. We usually don't see many people out in Rough Rock but with three new member families moving there and a Recent Convert who is on fire. We were able to get referrals for some families that are genuinely interested in learning about the Gospel. Now we have tons of people to see each time we go to Rough Rock. Yesterday We drove around and said goodbye to some people. Today we will be saying goodbye to the rest of the people. Well, I'm super bummed that I am leaving but I know that I am needed in Chilchinbito so that makes it easier to leave. Well, Talk to you next Monday, Love you all! Hagonee'! (bye)

Bishop Logan's family :) (missing Kaiden - he was asleep)

Josh pinky swear Lisa he will come back after his mission. :')

(I looked up some information on the area he's transferring to the population of Chilchinbito is 506. Here are some images of where he will be... )

this is where he will be living

driving to pick up his mail  41 min!