The corn is as high as an Elephant's eye!

Hello from IOWAYY!

I have been singing "Oh what a beautiful morning" from Oklahoma all week haha because the "carn is a' growin!" as the locals like to say!

What an amazing week. What a crazy week. I dont think i have ever been so exhausted in my life haha. or as sweaty! It is SO HOT. I feel like i was just writing home saying that it was SO COLD, and now i am drenched in sweat 24/7! it is HOT, and HUMID, and i love it. Nothing better than taking a freezing cold shower and not having to wear make-up because it just drips off. i'm in heaven.

haha first off, can you believe that i forgot how to spell the word "ought" last email?? what is happening to me?!? haha thanks for correcting that!

Here are some of my favorite words/sayings of the past week that i hear every day:

1. the word "waRsh" : for example: "you better warsh your hands before you eat"

2. the word "Meelk" : for example: "meelk is up to $3 a gallon!" (sister baggs says it so funny, i have to bight my tongue every time she talks about milk.)

3. everyone loves the word "sure" : for example: "that shirt there sure is too loose for you, honey" or "it sure is a nice day" or "it sure looks like a starm!"

4. "it ain't got nothin to do with nothin!"

5. preface: i have heard this line/joke AT LEAST 6 times : "On a 90 degree day with high humidity, you can sure hear that carn (corn) a growin'!" hahaha.

i love the midwest.

Sorry to be e-mailing so randomly. The situation is that the Tabor library (which is an old victorian house - so cute. i will send pictures soon) is closed on mondays, which is our P-day. So, we have to drive out to Glenwood (which is 20 minutes away) if we want to email on mondays. yesterday it was super starmy(!) so we just waited till today. sorry if i threw you off!

Here are some highlights of the week:

We have been visiting a TON of less actives this week, and really trying to get to know the ward. it's definitely different for me, to not have any investigators and to only be working with less actives. but, the Lord's work is all the same, and so i have been loving it! On Saturday we went to the "Victorian Inn" (Sister Baggs little Hotel) and helped her clean it! it was SO much fun. and it is absolutely SO beautiful and Anne of Green Gables-esque i was in heaven. Sister Baggs is 85 years old and still gets up every morning and goes into her "shop" to sew and quilt, and then heads over to the inn to clean! she is incredible. (when we come back here after the mission hint hint we are going to stay in the inn, k?) :)

One of my favorite things about serving here, and being a full proselyting missionary (finally!) is that we get to do a ton of service/manual labor! haha that probably sounds strange but i love it! We have helped people garden, been painting a ton!, and cleaning. it is so much fun. We have been working with a less active woman named sister Lamkins, and boy is she a character. haha. i love her. we have been helping paint the entire inside of her house, which has been quite the job! i have been reminded of painting our house a couple of years back... anyone need a painter? because i am becoming quite the expert!

One of the best moments yet since being here was visiting a couple named the Tillmans. They have been less active for about 5 years. We saw their name on the list the bishop gave us, so we stopped by to meet them. Sister Tillman opened the door, saw that it was sister missionaries, instantly started jumping up and down, CRYING!, saying "FINALLY!! NOW we will go back to church!!!" hahahaha! sister palmer and i busted up laughing. She LOVES sister missionaries and has now become our best friend. we love her. (side note: we have met a ton of less active members and almost all of them have said they prefer sister missionaries over elders. It is amazing how the Lord works, and how He has put us here to help reactivate these amazing people!)

So. let's talk about the BROADCAST on Sunday! oh. my. goodness. Ain't that the best thing you've ever heard!?!? If you arent exciting to do missionary work after hearing Elder Perry, Elder Holland, Elder Andersen, Elder Nelson, Elder Packer, AND the PROPHET bear their testimonies about member missionary work... i dont know what could excite you. AHHH. I cried. and have not stopped smiling since that broadcast. i hope we ALL have a greater desire to share the gospel! because truly, this is the LORD's work not just the missionaries! i am so grateful to be on a mission RIGHT NOW. I dont know how i got so lucky.

I hope we can all take Elder Perry's advice in being so bold as to ask "Are you a Mormon?" and if the answer is no, to say "Well, you should be!" i loved that. definitely going to try that one.

i love you all. the church is TRUE! and Let's ALL do this?! Keep praying for me, and i will be praying for you!

Here is a commitment that we have been leaving with the members we visit, and i leave it for anyone who is reading this letter: pick a day to fast and attend the temple to know who you should invite to hear the message of the restoration. i can promise you that the Lord will inspire you, and will help you with this great work!

love love love you all!

Sister Peterson

ps. add me on facebook? haha. just kidding. but really, can't wait to hear how the computer thing works out! we havent heard anything yet, but i will keep you posted on what happens! :)