Bitter Sweet July 1, 2013- THE FINAL LETTER

Hello Family!


What a wild week! On Thursday my companion got a call that he was going to be transferred to a new area the following morning. So I have a new companion! His name is Elder Hunsaker for Arizona! The mission president told me I have 1 week to teach him the area. So we have been really busy! We have been going to all the members’ houses and getting to know where everyone lives and who is progressing more and everything before I leave on Monday.  Our mission President also finished his mission and a new one arrived Saturday. I find it interesting that the first interview I am going to be having with this mission president will also be my final here in the mission.


The week has gone by well though. Several of the inactive members whom we taught came to church on Sunday for the first time in a while which was exciting. We are currently teaching 3 families of which all are members but not of the fathers are. All 3 of the fathers seem to know that the church is true but just lack the commitment to get baptized and become an active member. The members here are incredibly generous and we have be receiving lots of free mangos, bananas, melons, tuna, cereal, milk, etc.


Well this is my final letter apparently as a missionary. Thank you all for reading my letters week by week, even though I am sure they may have sounded a bit repetitive. Thank you for all of your love and your support. As a missionary sometimes just the simplest hello can mean so much. Thank you for your love, prayers and support. You are a fantastic family and I am so grateful to be a Peine! I am grateful for the gospel that means so much to me. It has a value without comprehension and I have been incredibly lucky to have been placed in a family where the gospel has been embraced. I have grown to love the Book of Mormon and have felt my testimony of God and his Son Jesus Christ grow. I have felt part of the love that God has for his children and have been astonished at incredible members, missionaries, and investigators what obey, sacrifice, and serve in order to live the gospel. I look forward to all seeing you all soon personally.


Will much love,


Elder Peine

Elder Sosa and I

 

Elder Hunsaker and I

Loving the work! Its better every day! 06/24/2013

We had just finished an appointment and where walking through the park to head to lunch and I saw someone sitting on the bench who I thought I recognized. I realized it was someone from my first area whom I had baptized and hadn’t seen in practically two years! It was great to see her! Although she isn’t fully active in the church right now she does have desires to come back. Her boyfriend goes to a different church but she wants to invite him soon to a sacrament meeting. She has changed a bit; she was talking a lot and was really active compared to when we taught her she was really shy and timid and didn’t speak much. She is actually living in the area I am serving in right now and we are going to visit her and her family soon!


We are still working with the investigator Jesus and he is excited about his baptism still but he is going to have to wait until the July to be baptized and I won’t be here sadly when it happens. But I am so excited for him and know he is going to be a great member. He came with us the the missionary transmission we had on Sunday and he enjoying hearing the prophet and apostles speak.


I will see you all soon! Only 2 weeks! Wow! I can hardly believe it!


I love you all so much!


Elder Peine

Jose, a future missionary!

Natividad! The convert from my first area.

Sunrise!

Cristhels Baptism- April 29, 2013

This week we held the baptism of Cristhel who has been awfully excited about this special day. She actually just got married to a member about a month ago and her husband was able to baptize and confirm her. She has such a warm and happy personality and is just a blast of life. It has been a great experience being able to teach her and be part of this experience. The members have been very supportive and welcomed her with open arms. They have been making plans to be able to get sealed in the temple a year from now and we are excited to see them progressing.


We met someone the other day who let is into his him and we were able to teach about the Restoration of the Gospel. When we started talking about Joseph Smith, how he had been looking for the truth and had been confused by so many different denominations. The investigator paused, looked at us and told us how he had been feeling the same way. He was baptized as a baby but really hadn’t participated in his religion during his life. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he committed to read and pray about it.
The Lord has been blessing us and I am so thankful for his help and for this wonderful opportunity to be here in Mexico.


I love you all,


Elder Peine

Cristhels baptism!

Cristhel and her husband and us

 Helping a member harvest his beans and corn

¡¡Hola!!- June 17, 2013

Sitting in church, all is calm, the air conditioning is on, we just finish the sacrament. The bishop stands up and announces that we will be hearing from the 2 missionaries today, starting with my companion Elder Sosa. I should have been ready beforehand. But I scrambled my thoughts together and managed to give a talk based on following the promptings of the spirit without delaying.  Apparently those who were to give talks were unable to attend and we were called upon last minute. But I am thankful that I was able to speak on Fathers day.


Our investigator (Jesus) is really excited about his baptism. He came to a talent night with his brother and his friends and they all participated and had a fun evening.


At the seminary graduation our Mission president invited a non-member father from our ward to be baptized, he accepted. So we will be working a lot with him now so he can join the rest of his family as members of the church.


We have to run but I will see you all soon! Soner than I can imagine! I love you all so very much! Have a wonderful week!


Love, Elder Peine

City Life- June 10, 2013

Hey family!


Things are going well here in Villahermosa! I am getting to know the area more and more but am afraid that as soon as I learn it well enough it will be time to come home! I can’t believe it is only 4 weeks away!


This week we went to the temple since one of my companions converts received her endowments since she will be going on a mission.  We are working with a young man who has desires to get baptized but hasn’t attended our ward yet since he works early Sundays. 


Time ran out, but I love all of you and am thankful for your support! I am reading the Book of Mormon and am in Alma 14. I am loving it! We had a fantastic capacitation about the Book of Mormon and we are just enjoying it more and more!

River on the way to Frontera

Zone class

Sunrise

Villahermo​sa, hot but worth it! 06/03/20163

Hello family!


I am enjoying my new area. All is going well. My companion Elder Sosa is a great companion and we are looking forward to helping out this ward. We have an energetic bishop and are going to be working on activation some of the less active members. I am right in the center of Villahermosa and it is actually pretty great since there are a lot of historical sites and monuments. The families here are wonderful and I love getting to know them and find out how they are doing.

We actually have to run right now so I send more next week. But I hope all is well and that everyone has a rather happy joyful week!


Love,
Elder Peine

  My new friend from the park!

Bishop McDonald asked me to draw him...

Elder Sosa, my companion

Off to a new area! May 27th

Hey family!


Well the first photo is of our little district! Our last photo together since today there were transfers. Turns out both my companion and I are leaving the area and one of the Elders from the district will change from his area to our and receive another Elder. So it is a little sad to see the both of us go but I know the Lord has other plans. I will be heading to Villahermosa (again) but in a different area and will be serving as a zone leader.


The next photo is of Elder Rosales who is a wonderful missionary and does an excellent job at helping members who never had testimonies gain them. He is a great friend.
The other photo is of the English class that we have been teaching and things have been improving! One of the ladies that have been attending English class came to Sacrament meeting for the first time yesterday and made some new friends. We were super happy about that!


It’s hard to leave this area because it feels like we were just getting into the thick of the work but I know everything will work out. I still can’t believe I only have 6 weeks left in the mission. I am looking forward to this last little while though. There are just such great people here and a lot are just looking for that something (the gospel) that they have been missing in their lives.


What a wonderful time and age to be alive! I have been reading the Book of Mormon through and I am in Mosiah 2 and it’s amazing to know that we are part of the fulfillment of the prophecies written by the ancient prophets! What a treat it is to learn about the gospel! I hope everyone enjoying the gospel and has a wonderful fantastic week!


Love,
Elder Peine

The District

Elder Rosales!

English class