May 27, 2009
Well, busy p day today, we moved the rest of the furniture out of the old house and divided it between our house and two others here in the city. We had the help of one of the members here, Irmão, who as I think about it, reminds me of Brother Gordon, except this brother is big, dark skinned and likes Rapadura (think sugar cane juice made into a bar of sugary goodness), but the same qualities of humble service apply.
Made a cake without flour today and I don’t know if Mitch will ever read this, but things without flour remind me of him.
Pastries, depends, I’ve never seen goiabada in the states, (made from goiaba which I found out is guava)(side note for dad) but they have more or less donuts, fruit breads, coconut is used often in the sweets here as well. Good stuff all around, (That all round part includes me after I finish making a run through the bakery 9 or so at night)
Loved the talk, (General Conference talk on Respect and Reverence) and its def. true, and at times this makes teaching interesting here in this area, very often if there is a bar nearby, there’s a car load of speakers blasting music of far too often vile quality. This being the case we usually mark for another appointment.
Update on investigators, woohooo!! Larissa was baptized and confirmed this past weekend, and her brother and 4 next door neighbors (three kids Bruno, Stephanie and Susie, as well as a man Jair) are looking at getting baptized as well. Her cousin Fernanda wants to be baptized, but her grandma and mom aren’t too fond of the idea (due to false information) and she hasn’t been coming as often to the lessons we teach at Larissa's place anymore. The kid's parents are too busy to go to church on Sunday, but we've contacted their mom and she is more than happy to have them go to church. (I might add that the first Sunday we passed by to pick up Larissa and the kids I think they were ready to go 7 in the morning for us to come by about 8 o clock, always a good time there. Ioná is coming to church and I hope reading as of yet, it’s been awhile since we've passed by since she stopped progressing without an answer concerning the Book of Mormon. But she went to the hot dog activity last weekend, which btw was one of the best activities I’ve been to here in Brazil. (It was pretty good stuff to see a bunch of adults play musical chairs) We had... 6 investigators show up, and all had a good time. The other woman who came to receive some answers the other Sunday didn’t go to church, but she has decided she wants to continue to progress towards baptism, we've also contacted her ex husband who still lives there and he is interested in learning more as well. all in all the work is progressing, I’m working on being bold but not overbearing with people in those situations where people believe their baptisms were performed with the authority of God, or that any form of baptism is ok, or whatever else, but I’m trying to trust more and more in the fact that we don’t make the elect, we are led to them.
BTW hot dogs in Brazil are a little bit different with a kind of amazing sauce they put on there, with corn, potato sticks and I don’t even know what else on them, they're really good though.
Well, that’s about all I have time for this week, I know the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored with all the truth and authority to help us one day return to the presence of our Heavenly Father, and all that remains now is for us to choose His ways. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.
Elder Pettit
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 20, 2009
I have found the limits of my patience here on the mission and I feel as though at least on a patience level my limits are being pushed and stretched to meet the limits the Lords needs for me, being none, but it’s a struggle as you might imagine. Recently I’ve also been recognizing a lot of pride in me which I’m working on rooting out, Satan is relentless, but he has only the power over us we give him, that’s something that is constantly being reaffirmed in my mind here on the mission.
Let’s see, benefits of the new apartment, we have a "believer" who lives upstairs our evangelical radio "live". There market is just across the street, it is a good bit closer to everything, there’s a bakery where the owner knows the missionaries and at times gives a free pastry etc. Not to mention the banana man at the market who has a tendency to greet us with an oi garoto and a less expensive set of bananas :). Also we’ve spent some time moving things around and made a couple additions to the kitchen, including a table cloth if you can believe it. Its lacking only flowers to bring it up to par with the Relief society president's house
Also of note is a cheesecake sort of deal I made this morning, homemade to the cookie crust, btw, did you ever send those recipes my way? If so, they never got here. Do you crazy cats want to try some sort of deal from here in Bahia?
Well, let’s see, the work here is going well, Iona still hasn’t felt she has received an answer about the Book of Mormon, but is still planning on going to church, and the hot dog activity this Saturday. Elder N. and I were blessed this past Sunday with 9 people at church, not to mention we got there a half hour or so before church began, twas pretty sweet to say the least. An interesting story that may make a little bit clearer for you all the confusion and ignorance about the church here is that one of our investigators who came to church for the first time this past Sunday (alone I might add) said to her family and friends that if she didn’t come back, they would know where to send the cops. And upon arriving at the church, she saw all the rooms there, and began to wonder in which we locked people in, and in which we killed people in, (I’m speaking seriously about what she said here btw) she put up a good bit of courage, deciding to either find out if what people said to her about "the Mormons" was true, or die trying I guess. In speaking of the morning she left for church, she told us how one of her neighbors said to her something to the effect of, "What a pity, you're so young, and you are going to go sacrifice yourself." Ridiculous, but true. She went though, and loved it, and we hope that she will continue investigating, even with her initial doubts about the Book of Mormon.
Grasielle will give birth this week; she goes into the hospital for a c-section tomorrow I believe.
Larissa a 16 year old girl that Elder D. and Elder L. were teaching before they left will be baptized on Saturday, through her we’ve already been led to 4 or 5 people who have interest in the church, three kids (neighbors) a cousin, and another man who I think is just a family friend. She is staying firm and even bore her testimony of how she knows the church is true last night for her cousin when we were teaching.
Well, that’s about it, I love you all; I love the Lord, our Savior, and our Heavenly Father, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.
I have found the limits of my patience here on the mission and I feel as though at least on a patience level my limits are being pushed and stretched to meet the limits the Lords needs for me, being none, but it’s a struggle as you might imagine. Recently I’ve also been recognizing a lot of pride in me which I’m working on rooting out, Satan is relentless, but he has only the power over us we give him, that’s something that is constantly being reaffirmed in my mind here on the mission.
Let’s see, benefits of the new apartment, we have a "believer" who lives upstairs our evangelical radio "live". There market is just across the street, it is a good bit closer to everything, there’s a bakery where the owner knows the missionaries and at times gives a free pastry etc. Not to mention the banana man at the market who has a tendency to greet us with an oi garoto and a less expensive set of bananas :). Also we’ve spent some time moving things around and made a couple additions to the kitchen, including a table cloth if you can believe it. Its lacking only flowers to bring it up to par with the Relief society president's house
Also of note is a cheesecake sort of deal I made this morning, homemade to the cookie crust, btw, did you ever send those recipes my way? If so, they never got here. Do you crazy cats want to try some sort of deal from here in Bahia?
Well, let’s see, the work here is going well, Iona still hasn’t felt she has received an answer about the Book of Mormon, but is still planning on going to church, and the hot dog activity this Saturday. Elder N. and I were blessed this past Sunday with 9 people at church, not to mention we got there a half hour or so before church began, twas pretty sweet to say the least. An interesting story that may make a little bit clearer for you all the confusion and ignorance about the church here is that one of our investigators who came to church for the first time this past Sunday (alone I might add) said to her family and friends that if she didn’t come back, they would know where to send the cops. And upon arriving at the church, she saw all the rooms there, and began to wonder in which we locked people in, and in which we killed people in, (I’m speaking seriously about what she said here btw) she put up a good bit of courage, deciding to either find out if what people said to her about "the Mormons" was true, or die trying I guess. In speaking of the morning she left for church, she told us how one of her neighbors said to her something to the effect of, "What a pity, you're so young, and you are going to go sacrifice yourself." Ridiculous, but true. She went though, and loved it, and we hope that she will continue investigating, even with her initial doubts about the Book of Mormon.
Grasielle will give birth this week; she goes into the hospital for a c-section tomorrow I believe.
Larissa a 16 year old girl that Elder D. and Elder L. were teaching before they left will be baptized on Saturday, through her we’ve already been led to 4 or 5 people who have interest in the church, three kids (neighbors) a cousin, and another man who I think is just a family friend. She is staying firm and even bore her testimony of how she knows the church is true last night for her cousin when we were teaching.
Well, that’s about it, I love you all; I love the Lord, our Savior, and our Heavenly Father, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
New letter address
May 13, 2009
My new address for letters is:
Avenida Itabuna 2557
Vitoria da Conquista-Bahia
CEP 45-025-090
BRASIL
Well, I think I told just about everything on Sunday, though of recent note (being yesterday) two of our investigators who were planning on being baptized here soon met some opposition from the world and one from her family as well, and as we talked with them about their various concerns, my comp. (Elder N.) was inspired to open up the Bible to John chapter 10, and while reading there, a part was brought to my attention, as the people who are listening to Christ speak about the parable of the sheep and the good shepherd, turn around and call Him as a demon or at least being possessed by one, and Christ says, "These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?" In the same way, here in our days, people say a lot of things about the church, about the book of Mormon, but those who take the time to read even a small part of it, and then pray and ask God if it is true, or if the church is true, they feel good about it, they receive those feelings of peace and happiness described as the fruits of the spirit in Gal. 5:22, and we can apply the same statement (granted changing it to speak of the feelings we receive as we read and pray) when people say it is incorrect or of the devil, "these are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a thing of the devil bring good feelings as those that come as we read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it is true?" People just have to have a desire to know the truth, and act on that desire, exercising their faith that God really will answer their prayers, and that He won’t lie, but those who are for one reason or the other, closed to such an answer as to even try to seek it will never know, you can lead a horse to the water, but you can't make him drink.
I know this is God's work, that He lives, that the Book of Mormon and the Bible contain the words of the ancient prophets of God, that we have a living prophet today that can and does speak face to face with Jesus Christ, our loving Savior.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.
Love,
Elder Pettit
My new address for letters is:
Avenida Itabuna 2557
Vitoria da Conquista-Bahia
CEP 45-025-090
BRASIL
Well, I think I told just about everything on Sunday, though of recent note (being yesterday) two of our investigators who were planning on being baptized here soon met some opposition from the world and one from her family as well, and as we talked with them about their various concerns, my comp. (Elder N.) was inspired to open up the Bible to John chapter 10, and while reading there, a part was brought to my attention, as the people who are listening to Christ speak about the parable of the sheep and the good shepherd, turn around and call Him as a demon or at least being possessed by one, and Christ says, "These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind?" In the same way, here in our days, people say a lot of things about the church, about the book of Mormon, but those who take the time to read even a small part of it, and then pray and ask God if it is true, or if the church is true, they feel good about it, they receive those feelings of peace and happiness described as the fruits of the spirit in Gal. 5:22, and we can apply the same statement (granted changing it to speak of the feelings we receive as we read and pray) when people say it is incorrect or of the devil, "these are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a thing of the devil bring good feelings as those that come as we read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it is true?" People just have to have a desire to know the truth, and act on that desire, exercising their faith that God really will answer their prayers, and that He won’t lie, but those who are for one reason or the other, closed to such an answer as to even try to seek it will never know, you can lead a horse to the water, but you can't make him drink.
I know this is God's work, that He lives, that the Book of Mormon and the Bible contain the words of the ancient prophets of God, that we have a living prophet today that can and does speak face to face with Jesus Christ, our loving Savior.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.
Love,
Elder Pettit
Monday, May 11, 2009
Swine flu? Sounds... interesting, but no haven’t heard anything about it, it’s part of well, being on a mission I guess, there’s still a bubble of sorts even outside the mission training center.
Thanks for the scriptures each week mom, I really love the perspective and Spirit of rededication I get each time I read them, your thoughts on the natural man and our faithfulness in reacting to temptation is one of the challenges of the mission as well, where mediocrity seems to be the sin of the mission, getting the "required" numbers and taking it easy after that seems to be the norm.
Frustrating when you have a companion who thinks that taking that sort of stand is a "wider frame of mind" that "comes with greater experience".
The work is coming along really well in this area; we are currently teaching a family though only the mom is completing the reading assignments we leave with them, but even in that light most of the family was at church on Sunday. We’ve had the chance to see a miracle happen in their family though in the two weeks we’ve been teaching them, Iona (the mom) was struggling with coffee, and had much difficulty at the start with it, feeling it a task to hard to take by herself, but through her faith, prayers, and the help of the Lord, the next day when we stopped by to follow up and teach a lesson, she told us how that morning when she went to drink her coffee, it would go down, and as of that morning she hasn’t had a single headache, or bit of desire to drink it again, even the smell is unappetizing to her at this point. This coming from a previous stand point of drinking it as I remember morning afternoon and night. Not knowing this beforehand, we had come prepared and threw a small party bringing out several packets of tang juice, and two boxes of tea for her to use in the place of coffee. Man I love her and her family. At this point she is still struggling in raising her kids alone on an income of the little she gets from crocheting, while at the same time dealing with a car debt that her husband bought in her name before going on vacation and not coming back. We're praying for her, and if you like you can too. Her life isn’t easy, but she carries on, in hope, and ever searching to grow closer to the Lord, the gospel will undoubtedly bring many blessings for her and her family as she continues on in faith.
Grasielle was baptized and confirmed this past weekend as well, she is a great example of strength and sacrifice to me, willing to walk the hour to church (She’s pregnant btw) and hour back. She is also one of the happiest people I know, always waiting for us with a smile on, despite the difficulties of life. I hope and pray that she will continue firm in the faith there, and be a strong point in bringing many there to the gospel and helping those less active return as well. Its also kinda fun to let people who say the church is too far away know that we're teaching a pregnant woman who walks an hour to and from church.
Zone conference was yesterday, and I really enjoyed the topics of discussion; the atonement, obedience, and scripture study. Looks like I have to go though, more on this in the letter I hope to write.
Love and miss you all, and I leave you my testimony that I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, with the Bible as far as it is translated correctly, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet, through which God restored His church here on the Earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.
Elder Pettit
Thanks for the scriptures each week mom, I really love the perspective and Spirit of rededication I get each time I read them, your thoughts on the natural man and our faithfulness in reacting to temptation is one of the challenges of the mission as well, where mediocrity seems to be the sin of the mission, getting the "required" numbers and taking it easy after that seems to be the norm.
Frustrating when you have a companion who thinks that taking that sort of stand is a "wider frame of mind" that "comes with greater experience".
The work is coming along really well in this area; we are currently teaching a family though only the mom is completing the reading assignments we leave with them, but even in that light most of the family was at church on Sunday. We’ve had the chance to see a miracle happen in their family though in the two weeks we’ve been teaching them, Iona (the mom) was struggling with coffee, and had much difficulty at the start with it, feeling it a task to hard to take by herself, but through her faith, prayers, and the help of the Lord, the next day when we stopped by to follow up and teach a lesson, she told us how that morning when she went to drink her coffee, it would go down, and as of that morning she hasn’t had a single headache, or bit of desire to drink it again, even the smell is unappetizing to her at this point. This coming from a previous stand point of drinking it as I remember morning afternoon and night. Not knowing this beforehand, we had come prepared and threw a small party bringing out several packets of tang juice, and two boxes of tea for her to use in the place of coffee. Man I love her and her family. At this point she is still struggling in raising her kids alone on an income of the little she gets from crocheting, while at the same time dealing with a car debt that her husband bought in her name before going on vacation and not coming back. We're praying for her, and if you like you can too. Her life isn’t easy, but she carries on, in hope, and ever searching to grow closer to the Lord, the gospel will undoubtedly bring many blessings for her and her family as she continues on in faith.
Grasielle was baptized and confirmed this past weekend as well, she is a great example of strength and sacrifice to me, willing to walk the hour to church (She’s pregnant btw) and hour back. She is also one of the happiest people I know, always waiting for us with a smile on, despite the difficulties of life. I hope and pray that she will continue firm in the faith there, and be a strong point in bringing many there to the gospel and helping those less active return as well. Its also kinda fun to let people who say the church is too far away know that we're teaching a pregnant woman who walks an hour to and from church.
Zone conference was yesterday, and I really enjoyed the topics of discussion; the atonement, obedience, and scripture study. Looks like I have to go though, more on this in the letter I hope to write.
Love and miss you all, and I leave you my testimony that I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God, with the Bible as far as it is translated correctly, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet, through which God restored His church here on the Earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.
Elder Pettit
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