What a great day! 01/14/2012

Thank you! (and just to let you know I had help eating all those cookies)


Hey Family,


This week  we had a wonderful family night with some of the members about love in the home. My companion and I sang Love at Home and I accompanied on the guitar (Thanks parents for starting me off young). It was a wonderful night as a less active, now getting active father gave his lesson about how we should demonstrate or love for one another. He mentioned how often times its easier to give love to those outside of the home and how we can tend to forget to demonstrate it to those who really we most deeply cherish.


While we were at a doctors consult (my companion has a bad blister or something on his foot) we started talking to the doctor and he mention how he had heard about the Mormons and said how he hadn't really been attended his church seriously and could be interested in learning more. My companion gave him a Book of Mormon and invited him to read the introduction. We will see what happens with that at our next appointment (medical or religious, I'm not really sure, but I hope things go well on both ends.


We visited an inactive in the hospital who has between 90 and 100 years old who fell out of his bed the other day and fractured his hip. It was good to visit him, he was happy to have visitors, I don’t think he recognized us but it was great to see that he was still with it and doing his best to recover.
I received my Xmas package from Jordan and from Kay! It was so great thank you so much I loved it!! And the members loved the jellybeans, its new for them! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder Peine

Thank you! (and just to let you know I had help eating all those cookies)

Happy New Years to all! 01/07/2013

Well as of yet I still haven’t received any Christmas packages but I heard there is at least one waiting for me in the mission offices and I should be able to receive it this week.
This week was passed by to visit an old investigator (in the fact that shes been listening to missionaries for a long time, shes not that old). We hadn’t been to visit her for about two months and we decided it would be a good time to see how she has been doing. She told us that she has been feeling quite sad lately and that coincidentally the very morning she had said a prayer to help her be guided in the right direction. It was a little miracle that helped her get on her feet again. She came to church this week and really enjoyed it.

In district class we spoke about love and charity. It was a wonderful class and to finish we had several practice teaching circumstances. But this we different than pretending to be teaching investigators, we were to teach other as who we are. So my companion and I taught Elder Restrepo (as Elder Restrepo, from Colombia). We talked about the mission, the difficulties, how we’d like to have things easier, but then we talked about how the Lord is preparing us and guiding us through these experiences so that we can learn and grow. Elder Restrepo has had ups and downs but I love him so much. I shared D and C 64:33 with him (about laying a building a strong foundation) and he looked up at me and smiled. He said he shares this scripture with everyone but had never really applied it to himself. He started to tear up. He thanked us but really it was us who needed to thank him. He is a wonderful hardworking missionary who loves the work and it was a joy to be able to share our appreciation for him.

We visited a referral, a single mother of three kids. She said when she was younger she and her friends had always laughed about the missionaries, but now that she is a bit older has grown a curiosity as to what it was that they taught. We shared about the plan of Salvation with her and we had a great conversation. She thanked us for taking the time to talk with her and found herself surprised to find out that many of our beliefs are similar to hers.

I hope you all find yourselves surprisingly happy. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. We are enjoying our time here in Pemex City and look forward to another 6 weeks here. (Transfers happened today but we are both staying). I'm sorry I can’t send warm weather to those in the cold so bundle up! Stay happy fam! You’re so great!

I love you all!

Elder Peine

Merry Christmas to all! 12/24/12

What a wonderful Christmas eve. To all those who have snow and pine trees I’m a bit jealous, but I can’t complain with 80 degrees and palm trees. This morning our district played a game of soccer in the heat and cooled off with some cold mandarin oranges. Life is good.

This week we held the branch Christmas activity with skits, songs, pinatas, and tacos. Each organization was to participate and for our part (as missionaries) we made a slide show of the members. As we watched the presentation my companion and I sang carols (since the music we put to the slide show didn’t end up working, but that’s okay). We enjoyed the night were happy to see that several investigators could attend and enjoy themselves. I was thinking about the daily lives of many of these people and what they go through to maintain strong in the gospel and in their families and I just felt grateful that the Church opens up opportunities for people to enjoy each others company and puts effort to into letting us celebrate together. I know the Church does amazing things for its members and have seen the blessing that come from the Gospel as members work together. 

I had a wonderful  birthday on Sunday. And although I wasn’t able to have a famous Aunt Ruth chocolate cake like usual a member cooked some wonderful chicken instead (not quite the same but it was still delicious). I also was asked to speech in church, teach a Sunday school lesson to the youth and then we spent an entire afternoon with a member visiting her friends who aren’t members and singing hymns. Our mission president called me on the phone at night and sang happy birthday to me with his family (in English), it was great.

I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas eve and that you have a wonderful Christmas day. Thank you for all of the love and support. I apologize I didn’t send anything in advance but Ill do my best to make up for it next year. I keep you in my prayers always and hope you all enjoy this wonderful time of year as we commemorate the birth of our Savior. His gift is surely the greatest of all. May we all remember him and focus our efforts on doing his will and loving others , as he would have us do.

Merry Christmas to all!

Much love from Mexico,

Elder Peine

Christmas Activity

Morning soccer

Feliz Navidad!!

Merry Christmas!!



Joy to the World! 12/17/2012

Things are going really well. I enjoy the mission. I love being with a new missionary as well, it make me feel young haha. This week we had a Christmas Devotional with about half of the mission and each zone presented a slide show and a musical number. President Castaneda and his family shared a few musical numbers as well which well all enjoyed. The President selected several missionaries to bear their testimonies about the Atonement of Christ and what they are doing to strengthen their area. I had the opportunity to be one of those who he selected to bear their testimony. I cant help but just feel overwhelmingly grateful for all that I have learning here in my mission and more than anything how I have felt my testimony grow. I love this time of year and am so happy that we can commemorate the birth of our Savior.

This week we had 10 investigators in Sacrament Meeting, which for a branch of 40 active members was great! We were of course thrilled. A large part of it had to do with the primary presentation which was performed and everyone wanted to be there for the occasion.

We are very busy and I wish we had extra hours in each day. I know just one thing at a time and we will manage. But we are happy and working as best we can. This week we read about Ammon and how when he was working in the fields and all the flocks were dispersed, he reacted not with frustration, angst, or stress, but with joy. He seized the opportunity to make a missionary moment and helps others know of the greatness and goodness of God. I know that the Lord can bring me peace as I strive to do His will. I love the scripture in John 14:27 about the peace and comfort. I hope each of you have a wonderful joyous week enjoying the Spirit of Christmas.

Love you all,

Elder Peine

Elder Rojas and I (a former companion)

Elder Jepson and I (my companion for the MTC)

Mission President Castaneda and his family singing for the missionaries

12/10/2012

This week was a wonderful week as we had the opportunity to work with several of the members. At one point we were with three of the members visiting their friends and neighbors. Between these three members I think they know every person who lives in the area. We talked with just about everyone we saw in the street and we had someone to visit on every street. I loved it. I felt happy to be there. It’s just so great to see the members animated and looking to share the gospel with others. It’s just a little branch, but some hearts of the members are huge and sometimes they don’t have very much but they give more than I could imagine with their time, testimonies, and love for others. I have seen that it truly is better to give than to receive.

Sometimes I have a lot of things on the front of my mind like, lesson at such and such a time, remember to call so and so, send copy of the rent to the mission office ect. And sometimes it’s a lot to think about and do. But as I grasp hold of the thought of the life of the Savior my stress seams to slip away and I feel happy. I think behind all of the things to do and places to be, my testimony of the Savior is what helps me have peace and a calmness. He lifts me when I am tired and He gives me drive and purpose when my heart isn't fully connected the work. It is easy to just do, but to do with purpose, full intent, with full love for the work and for the people, takes something more and I believe that something more is a testimony of Jesus Christ. When I know he is behind everything that the missionary work stands for and is it helps me understand the urgency, love, and focus, needed to stay the course and work with joy.

Thank you for your support, love, and prayers. May you all enjoy this special season.

Love,

Elder Peine

Miguel, Manuel, and Elder Morales

View from the Tortuguero hill (district activity)

Me

New Companion 12/03/2012

 I have a new companion! His name is Elder Morales and I very excited to be working with him. He is from Guatemala and he is just starting his mission! He arrived super excited and has a great heart and loves to share the Gospel. He came very well prepared and I am enjoying learning together with him.  He has a wonderful testimony and it brings a smile to my face to be able to work with someone so happy.


We held a baptism Saturday for Daniela (who's family are members) and it went very well. The other ward actually had a baptism as well and we held them both together. It makes me remember mine when about 5 or 6 of us were baptized all the same day, its something Whit Morgan and I have in common.

We enjoyed the Devotional. During President Eyrings talk I thought about how different this Christmas will be from all the rest and how I might not have many material things to give. Then an image of the missionaries came up and reminded me of the gift that I am to be sharing with others, the gift of Salvation and the Restored Gospel. I am thrilled to be here, it has been really beautiful; we are excited for this Christmas Season and are looking forward to the joy of sharing the Gospel with others.

Thank you for all of your love and support, may your smiles be grand, your spirits uplifted, and your lives enriched. Hasta Luego!

Love you,

Elder Peine

 Baptism of Daniela with the branch

Daniela, Soraida, Ballam

The branch Sunday Morning

Special Baptism- November 26, 2012

Hola!


I will be staying in the area I am currently in. My companion will be heading off tomorrow this new area and a new missionary will be arriving in my area. I will be training again and I’m very excited, yes I little feverous but I know if  I’d what I’m supposed t and if I love the people with all my heart things will work out and the work will progress. Many people have been receiving new callings in the branch and it’s very exciting right now!


This week we held a very special baptism of Patricia whose sister is a member. Everything was going according to plan until the Elders called us and told us that the water had been shut off at the church and there wasn’t any water for the baptism. But after many prayers during the day, 2 long hoses, a very friendly neighbor and an hour and a half of waiting we finally held the baptism. It was very special. The sister who was baptized started to cry as she bore her testimony, just knowing that what has happened in her past is in her past and now she can press forward. It was one of these moments surreal. It was night, the crickets were chirping, everything was still, and she was standing in front, bearing her testimony. I will always remember it. I felt so happy and know what a great step this will be in her life.


Thank you for the photos and the letters, I love you all and wish you my best!


Elder Peine

Baptism of Patricia

Baptism of Patricia