Wow, this has been one exciting week!  I had Monday off like most of you readers.  I went out with one of my new sister friends.  We took the Trac (trolly) and went to the planetarium.  It was fun.  We saw "The Ultimate Wave, Tahiti" on the Dome screen.  It was just like we were surfing.  The weather here has been up and down the thermometer.  We have had quite a bit of snow, too.  It is amazing how quickly they clear the roads and sidewalks.  The biggest concern our leaders have for the senior missionaries are falls.  I was told there are "Two Rules" for the mission.  Of course this is not official but it sounds good.  Rule one is that we are not allowed to fall down.  Rule two is that "there are no coincidences."  Wonderful unexpected things happen all the time.  It is the Lord and his work and He is giving us lots of help!  I began training in the zone that I will be working in for the remainder of my mission.  I am located on the 6th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  It is right next to the temple.  Imagine my delight when I went to get a paper from the printer and I looked out the window.  The next day I brought my camera so I could post some pictures here.

In this second picture you can see the Tabernacle.  It is the domed shiny roofed building.  For my non- Mormon family reading my blog this is the building that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform the weekly "Music and the Spoken Word."  Since I am talking about the choir I will tell you that I went to today's performance.  It was wonderful.  The BYU singers performed with the choir today and the selections were beautiful. Among the selections were "Jesus, The Very Thought of Thee" and "I Love the Lord."  And I do love the Lord and His work so much.  I feel so blessed every waking moment of every day to have this experience.

In these pictures you can see the choir after the program was over.  They then turned to the audience and sang "God be with you til we meet again."  It was so sweet and meaningful for all.

On Tuesday the temple reopened after being closed for several weeks for some renovations and deep cleaning.  Everyone was so happy to be able to enter this sacred building.  On Wednesday after work I went to the temple to participate in a sealing session with other members of my Branch.  After-wards we went to pray and meditate  in the Celestial Room.  What an absolutely beautiful room.  It was so peaceful and inspiring.  As our stake conference is next weekend we had a stake designated day at the temple this week.  It was all day on Friday.  I went to the four o'clock session and it was full.  At seven our stake held a meeting in the third floor chapel.  I have never before had the experience of a meeting with music and speakers in the temple.  Right in front of the room is a huge, floor to ceiling picture of the Ascension of the Savior.  What an inspiring picture to be looking at when I was listening to the speakers.  Our stake president spoke first and it was almost a farewell as he is being released this next weekend.  He and his counselors stood outside the chapel doors as we all were entering.  They took the time to shake the hand and have a short conversation with each person.  The other two speakers were President Edwards and his wife.  They are serving in the temple presidency and assistant to the matron.  I left the temple walking on a cloud.  I was so spiritually fed.  To top the day off 3 other sisters and I went out for a snack and congenial conversation.  Afterward we all walked home together.

I forgot to mention that some of my friends and I went to a lecture at the Church History Museum on Thursday evening.  The speaker was a renown medical doctor and author - Dr. Anne Osborn Poelman.  It was a very stimulating talk titled "Our Genes, Our Selves: Is There a 'Believing Gene?'"

Packed into this busy week was the task of learning my new job.  My trainer is from Melbourne Australia named Sister Bignell.  She is a great trainer and sweet patient woman.  I have my own cubicle with two computer monitors.  I use multiple programs and go back and forth between the two monitors.  I am so grateful for a husband that very early embraced computer technology and he taught me well.  Those skills are serving me well now as I learn to help patrons having problems with FamilySearch and Family Tree.  There is a huge backlog of requests for assistance and everyone is so happy to have two new missionaries to join them.  Our zone has the nickname of  The Happy Zone and it is.  Everyone is more than willing to pause in what they are doing to answer a question.  Well that is all for now but I will be back next Sunday to tell all about my stake conference and other bits and pieces of my week.  May the Lord richly bless you and your loved ones this week.

As promised in my first posting I will highlight the two weeks of training that are now all over.  It is equivalent in my mind to leaving the MTC (Missionary Training Center) but ours was on site on Temple Square.  All 22 of us who began their mission on February 1st went through this experience together.  We all got very close. There are 8 couples and 6 single sisters from all over the United States.  Three people transferred from foreign missions.  Our day began with a prayer meeting at 7:30 AM on the 3rd floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  From the 22 our leaders assigned one of us to give the Inspirational Thought and another to give a scripture reading and prayer each day.  I was assigned the Inspirational Thought on Valentines Day.  That was a no brainer.  I talked of love of family on this side and on the other side of the veil.

 The above picture is of a sealing room.  They are essentially the same in all of the temples.  The story I told occured in a sealing room in the Kansas City Temple.   I am so grateful for the priesthood ordinance of sealing the generations for time and all eternity.  This sealing was of my eternal companion, Don, to his parents.  But that was not all - Don's grandparents were sealed to each other and then Don's mom was sealed to her parents.  This is a Sacred Ordinance performed in a special sealing room in the temple.  Present and participating were all of my family members who lived in the Kansas City area.  The most sweet spirit was present when Don and his deceased sisters, Kathy and Janice, where sealed to their parents, Mary and Del Winkie.  I felt so close to my mother-in-law and know that she accepted this ordinance and was so grateful to us, the living, for acting as proxies for those who had passed on.  For those reading this blog please understand that the work that is done in the temples for those who have died is not binding unless the person on the other side wants and accepts it.  I know that this family accepted and was so grateful to now have the assurance that they will always be together.  I love them all so much.  I miss Don but I know he is happy to once again be with his family and he is busy doing important work for the Lord where he is.

I tell this story now on my blog because my mission is to assist those patrons who are diligently working to find their ancestors in what is popularly known as genealogy.  During my first two weeks I was assigned a one-on-one trainer.  Sister Carolyn Gilbert was my mentor for two whole weeks as we sought to find my elusive ancestors.  She taught me how to identify sources and to correctly post information so others can benefit from my work.  We also scanned old family pictures and put on my Personal Ancestral File.  When I scanned the photo to the left I told Sister Gilbert what I knew about "Mrs. Harry Barnhart"  as that is what is written on the back of the picture.  She was born Catherine Scutt and was married to Henry Barnhart and they are my 2nd great grandparents. As I was talking about Catherine I felt very close to her and that she was happy with what I was doing.

During the two weeks I found a lot of family information but none as exciting as finding a "Locke cousin" on Ancestry.com.  Dick Locke is descended from one of grandma Libbie's brothers.  I talked to Dick on the telephone for almost an hour.  It seems he lived "around the corner" from Libbie's sister, Bertha.  Dick has in his possession a little book that Bertha left.  She wrote of the children's life after their mother died.  Dick is going to send me a copy of all his research, including a copy of the book.  I am so looking forward to reading it.  I will share what I learn with anyone who requests more information.  I know Susie does.

On Friday we had an important devotional called the "Go Forward" Meeting.  It was very nice and was held in the Chapel of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. 

An important part of the meeting was to read off the names of the 22 new missionaries and give them their assignments. I was assigned to work on the 6th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.  A picture of the building is on the right.  The zone I will be in is the "Data Quality" zone.  I will be assisting people who are using family history websites and have hit a glitch.  They can call or email for assistance.  I will have a one on one trainer until I feel ready to work on my own.  My zone leader, Elder Roberts, said it is like finding the pieces to a puzzle.  After the meeting we boarded vans to drive to the Jordan River Temple for a session with our Mission Presidency.  We then had lunch in the temple cafeteria.  Very nice time had by all.  It is a beautiful temple and it was very busy on this day.


On Thursday evening some of my new friends and I went to the Assembly hall on Temple Square for a free lecture sponsored by the Church History Library.  Steven Snow, the Church Historian, spoke on his ancestor, Erastus Snow.  Brother Snow was an early pioneer, missionary and colonizer.  He helped found the City of St George Utah.  The lecture was very interesting to me as I love history and even minored in history in college.  In a few weeks the lecture will be available online.  If anyone wants the url ask me for it.  The Assembly Hall is so beautiful with ornate ceiling and a wonderful wrap around balcony.  As you can see it also has a beautiful pipe organ.  If you go to this link https://www.lds.org/locations/assembly-hall#d   you can view several shots of the Assembly Hall but I will post one I found online.  I am sorry it turned out so small and I can't figure out how to make it larger.  It is very imprssive on the outside as well as inside.  They just don't make architecture like this any more.  

The coming week will be very busy with beginning my Data Quality training and I have something going on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the evening.  I will tell you about these events next week.  I am so happy and excited to be able to be here in this facinating city with so many opportunities to serve the Lord.

This is a picture of me and my mission president and his wife.  It was taken on the first day of the mission, February 1, 2013.  

President and Sister Peterson.


I love you all very much.  Make comments so I will know who is reading the blog.  Bye until next week.
May the Lord richly bless you and yours!

I begin this blog with a little trepidation as it is new territory for me.  A good time for new things as everything is new except my testimony.  I know of the Love of the Savior for all of His children.  I love the Lord with my whole being and I am so grateful to be called to serve Him. On December 12, 2012 I received a letter from the First Presidency to call me to be a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I was called to serve in the Church and Family History Headquarters Mission in Salt Lake City, Utah.  It will be a 18 month mission but senior missionaries have a lot more flexibility than traditional age young missionaries.  I have no companion and live in a apartment complex with many senior missionaries - some married couples, many single sisters and even some young elders. Our mission has the largest number of missionaries but it is the smallest geographically.  Our mission is exclusively in the Temple Square area of Salt Lake City.  At the time of this writing we have 1,197 missionaries serving in the Lord's work.

I want to tell you some about preparation to come to Salt Lake City.  From December 12th to January 28th was the time for me to make many decisions regarding leaving my family, my home and my farm.  It was decided by my sons, Robb and Wade that I should take my 2005 van but to conserve miles on it Robb would rent a tow Dolley and tow the van with his extended cab big truck.  Wade spent an entire day going over the van and replacing parts he thought would give me trouble.  Thank you, Wade for your kind service to me.  Knowing that I would have the van space and the back of the pickup I could take whatever I felt I might need or to make my life comfortable for the time I would be gone.  Since I retired as a geriatric social worker I had some insight to the aging process.  I knew that seniors do much better with moves/transitions when they have familiar things around them.  I prayed and thought hard about everything that I packed to bring here.  Today I am very grateful for this insight as my apartment is now familiar with some of my favorite things.  My bedroom even has my own nightstand with all the same things on it including my favorite picture of my husband, Don.  I will take some pictures of the apartment and post some day.  On Saturday morning (January 27th) Theresa came over and helped me finish loading the van.  Robb had come a few days earlier and took the bigger boxes and the few pieces of furniture I wanted to take.  The apartment came furnished with the necessary items but remember I wanted it to be cozy and familiar.

After Theresa and I were done loading I drove my van to Robb's home where I would spend the night.  That evening we had a family dinner and farewell at Wade's home.  We had a meal that has been a family favorite since 1976.  It is called Japanese Sundaes.  If anyone would like the recipe you can contact any of us Winkies. Theresa, Collin and Isaak came to Wades as did Elizabeth and Ryan from Jefferson City with their 3 children.  Granddaughter, Reanna Matthys and her husband Zach came from St Joseph with their 4 little girls, including baby, Jane, who was only 2 weeks old.  Robb and Julie were there with all their children as were Wade and Kathy and their children.  We missed not having Kris/family, Donnie/family, Mike/family, Bobby/family and Ellen/family. They live too far away.  I did talk to all of them before I left Missouri.  For those who don't know my latest family count Don and I have 8 children, 32 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.  I love them all so much and will miss them but I know that the Lord has called me to serve and I am determined to be obedient to the call.

On Sunday we all went to church where Robb and Wade attend and then we went to my stake center to meet with President Morgan, my Stake President, and was set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was a very special spiritual time and many wonderful things were said.  Good-byes were said and many hugs were given.


About 8:00 PM Robb, Julie and I left Kansas City, MO to drive all night to Salt Lake City, Utah.  The drive was uneventful until we reached Wyoming.  The weather began to get bad and in Laramie we found I 80 was closed due to snow on the pass.  We had no choice but to pull off so it became time for a leisurely breakfast.  After 1.5 hours the road was still closed and truckers were saying it probably would be closed for several more hours.  We decided to wander around Walmart for awhile and began driving there.  When we approached the entrance to I 80 we noticed that vehicles were moving on the highway and feeling very blessed with the timing we once again began our trip.  We were about the 12th vehicle to get back on the road.

Soon we discovered why the road had been closed.  It was snowing and sticking to the payment.  We drove slow but steady for an hour or so.  I was sitting with my eyes closed when I felt the truck sweve bad. We went into a very bad fishtail which was complicated by the fact that Robb was towing the van.  I reflexly yelled out a quick prayer of help - and we received it!  After what seemed liked forever and being all over the road we came to a stop on the shoulder of the left lane.  The van had slipped off the dolley a little and Robb had to drive it off and then pull it back on to secure it.  We were so grateful for Robb's driving skills and for protection from the other side.  It was scary but we came out of it just fine.  Robb drove many miles going only 35-40 miles per hour.  I was so grateful for his 4-wheel drive truck, his patience and his skills in driving.

Anticipating our arriving in Salt Lake City about 4 PM I had called Sister Karren, who was in charge of my housing.  She gave us direction to the apartment and even met us there to give us the keys.  Robb and Julie unloaded the vehicles, detached the van and parked it in the complex's secured parking area and went and turned in the dolley to U-Haul.  We had had a very long day but we weren't finished.  We then got back in the truck and drove to Alpine, Utah to have dinner with my brother, Art and his family.  What a wonderful visit we had at their beautiful home.  We spent the night there and after breakfast left for Hill Air Force Base's commissary so I could stock up on groceries.

Robb and Julie took me shopping to stock my cupboards and they took me to the Draper, Provo, West Jordan and Oquirrh Mountain Temples.  It was so exciting to visit that many temples in such a short time.  Of course I miss our beautiful Kansas City Temple.  I have a framed picture of it on my living room wall.

Some time early Friday morning Robb went out to his truck which was parked on the street right in front of  my apartment.  Funny thing was the truck was not there.  It had been stolen!  Robb and Julie had to leave Saturday to get back for work and were fortunate to learn that their insurance company paid for a rental car if you had your vehicle stolen.  They drove a rental back to Missiouri and arrived safely on Sunday evening. The following week the police called that the truck was found but it wasn't drivable.  Not sure what is going to happened with it at this time.  I am so indebted to them for all they did for me.   I am on the second floor and they must have each made a hundred trips up and down my stairs.  Robb hooked up my electronics and ordered my cable and WiFi.  They helped me unpack and settle the apartment.  They were disappointed to learn that the Salt Lake Temple was closed for cleaning but hope to attend it when they bring Daniel for his mission.  He is almost ready to submit his papers to serve.

I will end my post at this point and next week will blog about my two training weeks and inform you of what I will be doing during my 18 months here in Utah.  I have been so blessed in too many ways to say but of course I thank the Lord every day for this experience to be part of this latter-day work.