Atonement and New Gators - 07/13/15 (Belleville, IL)

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been a nice hot and moist week here in the Missouri St Louis Mission.. Some days as we are walking around in the hot sun and humidity I feel like I am swimming or just breathing in water. It is so different than the dry heat out in Utah. But this week has gone by relatively uneventful, but we were able to see a lot of success.

I forgot to mention that last week we had our usual district meeting down in Waterloo, but we joined together with the O'fallon District and combined our meeting. So Elder Julian and I, we get ready to leave to go get the East St Louis Elders. We get in the car, and I start it up... except it wouldn't start. We had a neighbor come and try to jump it, but it wouldn't even take a jump. We had to call our district leader, Zone leaders to help us out. Finally we ended up having to get a ride from the O'fallon Elders and the Shiloh Elders. After our meeting we had exchanges and Elder Suchomel and I had to get back to Belleville to fix the batter. A member drove us to an auto zone close by and they tried testing the battery. They informed us that the batter was to low to even test! So we left it with them to charge it. 

After the battery charged up, we got it back in the car and it worked great. Then This Week we had District meeting on tuesday. We get all ready and get in the car. I try and start it, and of course it doesn't start! But luckily the members who live across the street from us where able to come and jump it for us, but got it started and we were going to take it to a Chevy dealership in waterloo before our meeting. The only problem was that when we got there, there was no dealership! So we went to District Meeting, and after the meeting of course our car wouldn't start... We had to wait almost an extra hour for a member down there to come and jump it for us. We got back up to Belleville and to a dealership, they told us that we had a bad battery, but they were able to replace it for free.

Luckily everything worked out, but it completely took us out a whole day of working, which stunk..

This week our District was challenged by the Edwardsville District of who could get the most New Investigators. Here in Belleville we were able to pick up 3 new!

Thursday we went down to Mascoutah and saw a young lady named Alexis Bird, she was been a member for a few years now, and she goes to the YSA ward. We were able to stop by and talk with her and teach her a lesson, along with her Mom. Her Mom is from Panama and works at a convenience store on Scott Air Force base. We were able to teach her about Joseph Smith and the restortation, and next week we are taking her a Spanish Book of Mormon so she can start reading it. 

Our next new investigator we picked up on Friday.. We were out trying to see a few of our old referrals and potential investigators. We were gonna go home and eat lunch, but I noticed we were pretty close to this one lady that Elder Jones and I tracted into last month. We had tried stopping by like a hundred times, but never could catch her again. We've stopped seeing her now. But Elder Julian and I decided to stop by before we headed home. To our surpirse, she was home! Her name is Barb, and she let us right in and we were able to sit down and talk with her. As soon as I started off talking she started gettting all choked up and teary eyed. You could tell through the whole lesson that she felt the spirit! We committed to pray and read the Book of Mormon, and to ask God if it's true and if Joseph Smith truly was a prophet. She said she would.

Our 3ed investigator we picked up on Saturday.. We got a call from a lady who just joined the church in October and just moved from Mt. Vernon to Swansea/Belleville. She called us and told us she wants to start going to church again. So we went to Visit her. Her name is Kodie Martinez! She is super funnny and awesome. She has two kids and a husband who is from Mexico. She had a friend there named Amber and we were able to teach them and pick Amber up as a new investigator. 

we had a great day at church on Sunday! Kodie and Amber showed up, and so did Jermain, so we had 2 investigators and one recent convert there. We had a less active there, David Hampl, our rugged manly Air Force Fire Fighter guy! It was his first time at church in a long time, and his first time to Belleville ward. During our Gospel Doctrine class, we had a great lesson on the atonement, and I looked over and I could see him getting all teary eyed. It was just great! Truly amazing to see how the atonement effect each and every one of us and how it can change us! 

This week at church we also had a great opportunity of seeing and participating in giving The Priesthood to our Recent convert Logan who got baptized last week! It was a very special experience! 

I think that is all I have to report for this week! I just feel like I have been able to see a lot of miracles this week through the Holy Ghost testifying if things that are true. I am so grateful for the Gospel and the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ! It is through him that everything is made perfectly right, we can change our very nature, we can grow and live, and love those around us! The Atonement doesn't only allow us to be forgiven, but gives us purpose and the ability to reach our great potential! I will just end with these scriptures..

ALMA 26:13 - "Behold, how many thousands 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?

ALMA 26:35 - "Now have we not reason to rejoice? yea, I say into you, there never were people that had so great reason to rejoice as WE! and my joy is carried away, even unto the 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."

Until next week,

Elder Chase Peterson