Busy in Brazil

2010-07-08T17:16:00.000-07:00

July 7, 2010

Well, well, well indeed, interesting how I got one day older today but everybody seems o be making a big deal... I got the package and really enjoyed it, thanks for the talks and a special thanks to Elizabeth for the birthday brownies!! Amazing how good they taste after having gone so long without them. I really enjoyed and am trying to apply the principles in that talk about excellence, trying to do excellent work sure does get tiring and it takes a good bit of self control, but its worth it and its all we can acceptably give in this the work of the Lord. The interior of Bahia.... its good, and this city in and of itself is pretty big. As is the ward, (did I mention its getting pretty close to dividing?) The interior means lower education (usually) wooden shacks are more common, and we have a greater chance of running into bizarre food at lunch. (I had cow's tail the other day, imagine a backbone looking thing with a really fatty meat wrapped around it... mmmm mmmm, it wasn't too bad to tell you the truth)

Our teaching group is wearing a little thin at the moment but we met a man yesterday who seems ready for the gospel. He just got into town after years working out on a farm. He had great plans to buy a house and start a new life here with his ten year old daughter but he met with some difficulties and temptations and unfortunately spent that which he had on that which he truly didn't want or need. I hope that he will accept the gospel and find the happiness we all seek where it truly exists, in the gospel of Jesus Christ as restored through Joseph Smith. Delile, that lady who just showed up at church one night a bit before english class, is progressing and is eager to share the gospel with her family though unfortunately no one else seems to have really picked up on her excitement yet. Though in saying that it also seems like her step dad is not a big fan of Maristella (Deliles mom) going to church. We hope to resolve that though he stays in the other room when we visit and seems petty shut as far as conversation goes.

I know this is God's work and that Christ is our Savior. In the name of Jesus Chirst, Amém.

2010-07-08T17:09:00.001-07:00

June 16, 2010

Transfers will be next week. Monica was baptized his past week and her son Caiu will be baptized this coming Saturday. We are also helping an inactive mom come back to church and then we will baptize her son. We had what you might call an iceburg moment Monday night as she really opened up and finally told us about the problems she has had in her life, her true desire to go back to church, her worries and doubts and her desire to be a faithful follower of Christ. Her words made me think of just how much Satan uses doubt as a tool in our lives. How he also tries to stop us from beginning something great with thoughts and feelings of I'll never make it to the end, or I'm not worthy. That’s the importance of a firm foundation of Christ, if we are faithful, we can have the hope that we will be able to do our part and that God will do His if we continue acting in accordance with His will. Interesting to think of big buildings, there is usually a lot more material in the foundation under the ground then there is above...

I've been studying Humility read a scripture that I'd never seen in this light before. King Benjamin in the 4th (think) chapter of Mosiah tells us that we can remain humble through prayer and that the pure love of Christ is one of the blessings we receive as we humble ourselves. If we want to be humble we need to work on having fervent thankful prayers and if we want to be full of Charity we will need to be humble.

June 23, 2010

I was transferred this morning at 1 am, it was a long night/morning and I am now in Itabuna, area São Caetano. The transferencial cleaning has begun and once it’s done the house will be really nice which is always a plus...

I would have been happy staying in Amaralina as I really came to be friends with so many there and the way the work was progressing, it was easily one of my favorite areas on the mission and also one where I learned the most.

Elder N. is my new comp here. I am really looking forward to working with him and helping the Lord's work move on here in this city and a neighboring city called Jequié.

Don't have a whole lot of time today though as we will be having a meeting with the Mission leader here in a little bit but I love you all and will send more next week.

Love,

Elder Pettit

2010-06-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

June 9, 2010

I think I'll be transferred this next time around, we are on week 5 of 6 here in the transfer.

The work is going well, though Carlitos and Dorita didn't go to church this last Sunday. We talked to Dorita and she told us how she has started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning though and how she feels a "homesick" for church when she does. Her grandson Carlitos was also progressing well last week but then it seems he got a girlfriend who is drawing him away from the gospel we'll be fighting to help him this week but we don't seem to be able to find him at home anymore.
We have been blessed with a mother and her two kids being interested in the gospel though. Monica is going to be interviewed tonight and has a date set for this Friday. She has been coming to church alone these past two weeks and is excited for her baptism. We will be baptizing her eight year old son next week as well. Her little daughter Clara is probably the cutest little four year old I've ever seen btw.

Sunday night we also got to know another lady named Roseangela who is quite interested in getting to know the church as well. She had been going to several churches at varying points in her life but had left them behind as she found things that she didn't think were right. It's always a great experience to be lead to people who truly want to know more about the gospel, those who the Lord is preparing.

I know this is God's work, that Christ is our Savior and that they love each and every one of us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Pettit

2010-06-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

June 2, 2010

Jey hey hey!!!

Just about done with the move here, our new house is pretty cool, the only problem might be when the ocean breeze comes in so strong it blows pillows off beds, papers off tables and brings in the corrosive salty air. (it also spins the fans turned off in the room, making me think of dad for some odd reason as I ponder the possible alternative energy solutions...battery powered fan which recharges itself while we missionaries are out and about as the wind turns the fan blades)

The work is going well, Dona D's grandson, (not the little one) but another one named Carlitos will probably be baptized on Saturday, it was kinda funny he was going to be baptized on the twelth but in the gospel principles class our Mission leader invited him to be baptized on Saturday and he accepted... We've also had some tender moments with the Marília's mother Claudia. From the very first day we met her she told us of a difficulty she has with certain things in her life, feelings she has trouble with but that with this time that we have been stopping by and leaving messages at her house, her reading the scriptures and going to church she is feeling changes in her heart. She is a very humble woman and has had a good bit of difficulty in her life.

This past week we were able to have a meeting with a member of the 1st quorum of the seventy (I think) Elder Godoy. He taught a variety of different things to us and we also had a meeting with President Vecchi. Something that stands out more and more to me here on the mission that was also mentioned in the counsel with President is the importance of having people take action and not just to receive action from others. The both of them also talked in sacrament meeting at church as well. We were blessed that day as we had a good number of investigators come, investigators that are truly interested in the gospel. Interesting how the common theme of the talks were on friendship even though they hadn't planned it out like that before hand. That is one thing this ward is in need of unity in friendship.

I love the Lord, this work and each of you.

Elder Pettit

PS: The internet access here is kinda different. It isn't common for people to have internet access in their homes so they have these little internet house where you go and pay between one and two Reais for an hour.

2010-06-01T19:16:00.001-07:00

May 28, 2010

Hey Hey!

We had a meeting with president yesterday and another one with Elder Godoy (an area 70) this morning. As always they were inspiring and full of learning.

As a leader on the mission often times I would feel so unable to really help others who seemed to have either more experience etc. as I often I wouldn't see ways that they really needed to improve. Today we discussed "traps" in the missionary work. Ways that at times we work hard but have little results that come out at the end. We discussed specific measurable ways to evaluate teaching, planning and other aspects of the missionary work and how to evaluate where the problem is so as to be able to really help.

Afterwards Elder Godoy finished up reminding us about the importance of repenting, sanctifying our lives to bring them in line to the Lord's will, letting Christ's sacrifice take effect in our lives. How so often we in our lives and at perhaps a faster rate on the mission we may recognize a problem that we have, a "favorite" sin and we put off the repentance process.... With thoughts of, "oh, I'm junior and just have to follow my companion, when I'm senior and I really need to be in tune, I’ll change." then, after becoming senior and seeing one is able to be senior even with that little sin etc. one might put off the repentance for a bit further down the road..." And so on to Zone leader, than Return Missionary, Married man.. bishop.... etc Until it becomes deeply embedded into our character and as a result much harder to "root out".
May we all remember that today is the day to perform our labors, to repent, to prepare to meet God, before we come to that day, in which no repentance can be done and we will stand before Him to report that which we have done with the time he has gave us here on Earth.

I know God lives, this is His work. Thomas S. Monson is God's prophet on the Earth today. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Pettit

2010-05-23T09:06:00.001-07:00

May 19, 2010

We have yet to move into the new house though the time is not too distant when the long awaited move will take place. Elder W. and I are having a good time as companions and I really enjoy his sincerity and optimistic outlook. It hit me the other day that the one year and eight months mark is already coming about... really kind of weird to think about, time goes so fast.

Investigators this week, not a whole lot of new people to work with but Dora is progressing slowly but surely. She is an older lady raised catholic but after many missionary's efforts, her faith and God's goodness she is having what you might call a paradigm shift. Suane and Marília are undergoing some great changes as they submit to the spirit's guidance and have been sharing the gospel with their friends and neighbors. Marílias mom has also been talking up the gospel message as well and has already invited one of her neighbors over to hear the message in addition to having encouraged Marília to do the same. We are currently going about the separation process of João (Marília's dad) and his ex, he and Claudia have tried doing this before but there is an unfortunate catch in the law here in Brasil. If the husband or the wife desire to divorce, but the other one doesn't there is a somewhat lengthy political process involved requiring a bunch of documents showing this and that, in addition to having a lawyer running it through the judicial system, and going over to the soon to be ex partner's house to have them sign the necessary documents. if he or she doesn't sign them after three attempts (or something to that effect) the case will be reviewed by a judge... a rather drawn out process to say the least. Fortunately they have already been doing their best to start this process and have already gotten most if not all the documents, and just need a little push to help the ball get rolling again. Interesting how we happen to be teaching a lawyer at the moment... we are hoping that she will be able to help this issue come to a close.

Until next time,

Elder Pettit

2010-05-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

May 7, 2010

Howdy Neighbors!!

I wasn't able to write on Wednesday because we had a meeting with President. It was a great experience as always and I came away feeling very much inspired and ready to go forth and do better. Of particular interest in the meeting we discussed the need to do more as a mission. I think I already explained how the work has been changing in general here on our mission and at this point many missionaries are still working on bringing about that change in their work. One of the biggest challenges as a leader is not only being an example for others but also inspiring others, helping them to feel the desire to change, to do more, to "spin all the plates" increasing the quality and the quantity of work.

The Lord has been blessing us immensely this week. Last Thursday night we visited a guy we had contacted on Tuesday or Wednesday only to find he hadn't red and basically told us he didn't really have any interest. When we got to his house he was leaving to go buy something from the bakery (or something like that) so contrary to what would have made sense based on what he told us about his lack of interest, we marked to pass by a half hour after to talk a little bit better. When we came back his attitude was the same, but he told us that two girls had come up to talk to him after we left who asked him about us and wanted to know more about the church we were from. They had since left but as we talked in those few minutes with him, they appeared and we invited them to hear our message. The next night we went over to one of the girl's houses (Suane's) and her friend Marília came over with her mom. They opened up to us asking sincere questions and as with anyone who is eager to learn the Spirit taught them. The two girls went to church on Sunday had a great experience, (Marília's mom couldn't go because she was taking care of her husband, but she is reading the BOM) they will be baptized this next Sunday after church, Suan's mom has also begun reading the book of Mormon, the members are eager to help out and... well, life is good.

We also met another family (Grandma Dorita, her daughter in law Rafaela, and her grandson Juraci) who will be going to church on Sunday. Juracy has been going to church with one of the members from the primary presidency and he and his aunt will probably be baptized next week. It was pretty funny as we taught them this past Monday, Dorita has already been taught several times by the missionaries and feels that Joseph Smith was a Prophet so as we started teaching the first lesson she cut us off as we were talking about Christ’s ministry (or thereabout) and said, "tell her about Smith, about how the Mormons started, she needs to hear it!"

Afterwards she staring talking about baptism for the dead too which was kinda funny as someone who is just hearing the 1st message won't understand the need/the doctrine of it but it worked out and they are all excited to read the Book of Mormon and visit church on Sunday, Juraci will be participating in the Mother’s day program as well which could help his mom have a greater desire to visit church as well.

I know that this is the Lord's work and the diligence in obedience to the Lord brings His blessings into our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

Elder Pettit

2010-04-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

April 1, 2010

The work is coming along pretty slowly thus far in this area though I found out that a family we had started to teach back in another area may be receiving the lessons again here. We had a conference with President yesterday and as such I wasn't able send a little letter until today. The mission is focusing on using the Book of Mormon in contacting and teaching people and helping them to achieve the lasting conversion neccesary to help them return to the Lord's presence. President Vecchi feels this is the key (stone) to real success here and I felt that too as he spoke about it at the conference.

I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that this is His work, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Love,
Elder Pettit

April 8, 2010

Don't have a whole lot of time today, transfers were yesterday. Elder M. should be getting home about now and Elder H. (yes, my MTC companion) has come here from the interior and we are companions for the second time. It’s been a great 24 hours and it’s a breath of fresh air being with him after being with a "dying" Elder last transfer. As always he is ever in the pursuit of knowledge and in this short amount of time we've been together he has already shared an interesting "conspiracy theory" with me, one of the biggest I think I've ever heard actually, maybe we'll talk about it one day...

Not a whole lot to report, we have started trying to "invade" the apartment complexes here, contacting people as they are taking their garbage out, going to work or coming from it. so far without much success but with patience we will go on (check out Uchtdorf's talk btw, twas a good one).

Elder Pettit

April 14, 2010

We have had some cool experiences this past week as Elder H. and I have begun working in this area. It has been refreshing working with him and we have found a very different group of people interested in the gospel than I have ever had before on my mission. The most notable of our investigators is João, an older man in his 60's. He has studied a lot of different religions and currently seems to be following one of oriental origin. He has begun reading the Book of Mormon and plans to read it from cover to cover which is an exciting change from many of the half interested people we find so often in the nets of our finding efforts. Time once again is short but and promise I'll write more next week.

Elder Pettit

2010-03-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

March 24, 2010

Unfortunately Yessica didn't get baptized, her mom didn't want her to meet with us anymore. Sorry to hear that Uncle Lynn is suffering so much but am grateful for the knowledge that all families can be reunited on the condition that we make and fulfill the necessary baptismal and temple covenants made possible through the Priesthood authority restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Recently I have been learning better to recognize and follow the promptings of the Spirit and to trust that He will guide us in this work. We have still been working on bringing recent converts/less actives back to church but are trying to "keep the plates spinning" as President puts it. Working with new investigators as well as part member families and inactives. This past weekend most of a less active family we are working with came back to church which was very rewarding and we were blessed to find that a recent convert (João Vitor's) mom came to church as well. Elder L Tom Perry has introduced a plan for missionary work in the wards/stakes called united in purpose which we are working to bring into play here in the Salvador stake. We are also working at getting a ward missionary program up and running with the support of an amazing missionary couple here.

I am grateful to be on the mission at this point in time helping to edify the Kingdom of God on the earth. I know that He lives and that this is His work, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Love,

Elder Pettit

2010-03-21T15:28:00.000-07:00

March 17, 2010

Of all the areas I’ve passed through I think I’m most likely to gain the most weight in this one. We have a "grandma" figure living upstairs who cooks as good as any grandma for her grandsons and she does it quite frequently to boot.

This week we have a doctors conference going on in the stake center and so Elder M. and I did a division with a soon to be elder from the stake and one who came home last week manning a little table there with materials to give out etc. While my comp and the RM stayed there handing out materials and answering questions, Ismael (soon to be elder) and I worked in the area going through a list of recent converts of which a saddening large number are inactive. Of those which we found at home we had some success, not so much in the reactivation end of things as finding new investigators. Jassi is a RC's mom who wanted to hear the message and seems really interested in the blessings of a family more united. interesting note, her nephew who I got to know in another area went on his mission a couple weeks ago, (the Lord prepares his elect and leads us to them when we qualify ourselves for His trust) Our hopes are that as we bring her into the church that her son and perhaps other relatives that live close by will either come back to church or join.

We also had another great experience with an inactive family holding a FHE in their home on Monday. They recognized the Spirit's influence and after a discussion in which the mom spoke of her conversion they decided to come back to church on Sunday.

I’m being blessed to recognize how the Lord works in small ways through us if we let Him. The other night as we were returning to a chapel to finish the division, we felt prompted to make one last visit. As it turns out the guy we planned on visiting wasn't home, but we contacted one of his neighbors who we hadn’t ever seen before and she is eager to learn more about the gospel.

I know this is the Lord's work that the Spirit's influence is real. If we live worthily and listen we will hear Him, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Love,
Jacob

2010-03-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

March 11, 2010

The work is coming along though we are having difficulty getting a solid teaching group together. Solange and her daughter don't want us to come back though they won't tell us why... A bit of a downer but we'll leave them in the area book for another time when they are ready. We tracted into another girl named Yessika, (Yes, her name is Yessica) who is really firm. We talked with her a bit before leaving the 1st message and found out she has always been one to seek out the Lord's will in her life. The Spirit testified strongly of the truthfulness of the Restoration and she agreed to be baptized on the 20th of March. This last Sunday she missed the meeting because of her work and an emergency trip her brother had to make to the hospital, but as we were out and about Sunday night we felt we should stop by and see how she was doing (though previously our plans were different) so we gave her a call and found out she was heading to church thinking there was a meeting still going on. So we met up with her there and gave her a little tour of the chapel after which she decided to sing with the stake choir that was having practice at the time. Twas a cool experience and testifies that the Lord does guide us in this work.

Jacob

2010-03-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

March 3, 2010

I dreamed of snowboarding the other night though I woke up right as I was strapping in at the top of the run...

We had a rough couple first days last week but the Lord has blessed us this week with a pretty solid group of people ready to seek out their testimonies. Of greatest note was yesterday as we were out knocking doors/talking to people in the streets we met a girl and her grandma who invited us in and let us teach them. Right about the time we got to talking about the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ the Grandma Solange asked us how much time it took for someone to be baptized. A bit taken aback we explained there isn't a set time but that usually people are baptized after about two weeks or so, she than accepted the invitation to be baptized on the 20th of march as did her g-daughter. She than told us how she had been praying at the time that we began talking to her grand daughter Yasmim. Apparently after the Solange realized that her g-daughter was talking to someone she called to her and asked her if we were wearing black pants and white shirts. (this being before she saw us) She was quite touched by the experience and the Spirit was felt very strongly throughout the lesson. Further proof of the Spirit's work was as she asked us afterwards about stopping to smoke. We hadn't talked about the word of wisdom yet, but she knew and felt that she needed to stop and felt that desire after our short time being there.

I know that God led us to her doorstep and that he hears our prayers when they don't stop with amen. In the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

Jacob

2010-02-25T12:13:00.000-08:00

February 25, 2010

Hey hey hey!!

Transfers happened and after a long three week stay in Itapuã.... I’ve been transferred again. Unfortunately right when we started picking up some good solid investigators but its all good. We had a really cool experience with one man, Elso, who truly seemed to be taught by the spirit. One of those lessons where you feel that true comprehension has been reached. He began to finish sentences with us as we were explaining about the Priesthood being restored and as we invited him to read and pray about the Book of Mormon he told us that he didn’t want to read it alone but rather would read it with his wife and afterwards wanted to pray about it with her. Interesting how often people who come into contact with the truth and truly are touched by the Spirit have a great desire to share the gospel with those they know and love. Also had a girl who we invited to go to church on Saturday night who showed up alone to church on Sunday. When we had passed by her house Sunday morning to go to church her neighbor told us she had left a little while before we got there. A little disappointed as nobody else had decided to go to church on Sunday, we got to church only to find her in the hallway talking with a relative of her's, a member of the church. There was also a brother of a recently returned missionary who decided he wanted to be baptized and will be this coming Saturday. I was really liking the area but I am also excited to work here in Amaralina with Elder M. He is from Natal which is up on the northern end of things here in Brasil. Thus far we've done a pretty good clean-up of the smallish house here and after a bucket shower we came here to the LAN House to send some emails and pick up the weekly boletin. Other than that not much to report. I'm going to be studying Christ's life and teachings a good bit this transfer and am looking forward to gaining a stronger testimony thereof.

Jacob

2010-02-23T16:01:00.000-08:00

Feb. 17, 2010

Life here in the field is good though the results aren’t immediate in coming. We are currently working with an unmarried couple who are progressing slowly in their reading of the Book of Mormon (though the wife is really the only one reading as of yet I think) and another family who really seem quite excited about the gospel though they will have to get married before being baptized as well. We also were led to another woman who is extremely excited to know if the church is true. We taught her husband and a good number of family members though she seemed to be the only one who was really into the message. Recently Elder P. and I have have been trying to narrow in on how we can have the Spirit's influence stronger in our lessons and something we have been finding is the simpler we say things and the less "fluff" we throw in the better. A principle taught all over Preach My Gospel (PMG) but I just hadn't applied it. I feel like I haven’t used PMG as much as I could or should have here on the mission and am working on changing that around.

I know God Lives and this is His work, that through the prophet Joseph Smith He restored His gospel in its fullness and I feel that as we teach these principles each day. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Pettit

2010-02-23T15:54:00.000-08:00

Feb. 10, 2010

Don’t have a whole lot of time today but I'm really liking this area though we have been having difficulty in finding people interested in the gospel. We are keeping in mind though that while we are being obedient to the rules and God's commandments that the difficulties we face are according to the will of God so that we can learn and grow. In this light we are trying to bring our lives closer to the standards the Lord has set forth for us as His Sons and representatives. I am feeling a greater desire here in the field to grow closer to the Lord and be more responsive to the Spirit, a feeling I wish and need to feel for the rest of my mission and life. I am currently in Itapuã in the Imbui stake here in Salvador. The ward members seem really excited in general and have a desire to help with the work. Even though we weren't really expecting o have any investigators show up to sacrament meeting we came to know of part member families and we have already started teaching two of the three this week. I find inspiration and a greater perspective of the gospel of Christ as I come to know these families and think of how prevalent the doctrine of eternal families must be for them as they have members of their immediate family still unbaptized and unsealed to them. It is inspirational as well to think of one of these sisters, who has recently started working on her genealogy as a result of her testimony and her desire to have an eternal family, even traveling to the interior to talk with people who knew her relatives. Well, I need to go but I love you all and know this is God's work.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Pettit

2010-02-03T09:32:00.001-08:00

February 3, 2010

Woohoo!! I've been transferred and as such now have p-days on Wednesdays again. My new area seems pretty cool all three or four streets that I’ve walked on until now anyway... Elder P. my new companion and I came in last night and spent much of this morning unpacking and doing a bit of much needed cleaning. Our new house is spacious but the area is swarming with mosquitos at night so we have to sleep with the windows shut (we're thinking of investing in installing screens of some sort here) but thanks to a wonderful invention called the fan it works out well enough in the end. ELder P. was one of the guys waiting for his visa long enough that he had started serving in another mission (Tennessee Nashville area ) He seems like a good guy and speaks really well considering it's his second day out here in Brasil.

Not too much else to report for now. Christ is our Savior, this is God's work, and obedience to the commandments brings forth His blessings from heaven. In the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

2010-01-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

January 30, 2010

Looks like I typed in your email address wrong last week but the email is attached to this one.

It’s been another good week here in the good ole mission office. Highlights of the week include a missionary from one of the mission branches going out to serve (though as all understand it he has been living elsewhere but decided to leave from where his non-member parents are living so we got to send him off after he got here to Salvador) Concerning missionaries from the mission area we are coming up on an important mark in church growth here as we come closer to sending out more missionaries then the number we have here in the mission serving. Who knows, maybe in just a bit Salvador will have the privilege of building one of the next temples in Brasil. President took us all out to a crazy Brazilian barbecue place called Sal e Brasa. Along with the amazing hunks of perfectly grilled meat brought out on giant spits which they would cut off as you ask for a piece but we also ate a variety of "gourmet" sea food, including muscles, shrimp, octopus and/or squid.

In my studies this week I came across a parable in Lucas 17:7-10 where Christ is speaking to His apostles,

"7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do."

Likewise in our lives whether we be missionaries, Relief society presidents, Home teachers or 2nd counselors in the ward primary presidency even if we all that is asked of us we are unprofitable servants and yet God still blesses us for doing so. Let us always remember this and then go forth and learn our duties to act in the office in which we are appointed, in all diligence that we may be counted "worthy to stand" at the last day (DC 107:99-100)

I know that as we do our best to be obedient to God's commandments and the duties of our callings that we will be led to complete the Lord's work and to one day return to His presence. In the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

Love,

Elder Pettit

Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:58:06 +0000

Thanks for the many emails I received this past week I feel blessed to receive so many which have left me feeling edified and determined to press forward in this the Lord's work. This week has been a good one as I have been getting to know Elder J. and we have also been leaving the office pretty much every night to work in our area. Sidney, his wife and one of their daughters are excited to go to church tomorrow though it is still sad that he doesn't want to get married. It is interesting to see the difference the gospel can make in our lives. I hadn't ever thought about its effect in my your (mom and dad's) marriage. The gospel truly does teach us to love, to forgive, to help, learn and teach one another all of which are essential principles in a successful marriage. It is sad to see some of the people with either a lack of commitment or trust in their marriages keeping them from receiving God's blessing of an eternal family let alone Eternal Salvation. I am grateful for the protection the Lord gives us missionaries here on the mission and the righteous desires he gives us as we seek and ask for them. I am grateful for the testimonies of the apostles and prophets both ancient and modern that strengthen my own and help me to learn. I am grateful that our family can be together forever that Christ paid the price so that we may become clean if we but repent and come unto Him. The Lord lives and loves us and this testimony I leave with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Jacob

2010-01-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

January 16, 2010

It went through eh? Well that was easy enough. My current Companion Elder W. will start at BYU-I that semester as well. Speaking of companions we have a new one here at the office, Elder J. of Salt Lake ( I think) just came in.

In other bug news we started going out at night and have been blessed richly for our efforts. On Thursday night we went on splits so Diego (a kid going on a mission in a bit here) and I went out to work in the area near his house. After contacting some of his friends and neighbors without much success we were heading over to visit a Brother's house in the area and we ran into Sidney. After talking with him a bit, inviting him to church (to which he said yes) and asking if we could leave a message with him we got to meet some of his other family members (his "wife" with whom he has been living together with for 17 years and their 3 kids though only 2 were home that night) He has been a member of several different churches the most recent being the Baptist, but he described himself as inactive but wanting to stay firm in a certain denomination with his family. What a blessing he will get in the true church of Jesus Christ where we know that as we make and fulfill our covenants in the temple with may receive the promised blessing of being with our families for time and all eternity. Pretty much the whole family is going to go to church tomorrow and we hope to help them get married asap to help them prepare to one day receive the fullness of the blessings God has in store for them.

I was talking with a good friend Elder S. at transfers while we were all together here in the Salvador stake center and we had an interesting discussion about things that we are learning. He said something that kind of struck that I have been trying to apply in the work here. Why question promptings to do good things? Just do them. I feel that we found Sidney because I was trying to apply that principle.

I know this is God's work and that our family will be eternal if we but do our part, those small and simple things that allow the Lord to guide us and shape our lives and characters. In the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

Jacob

2010-01-02T14:33:00.001-08:00

January 2, 2010

Happy new year to you all!!

We had a barbecue in the house (yes I mean in the house, the way the wind passed through the house sucked the smoke right out the window by which the little homemade sheet metal barbecue stood) of the other Elders in our district which was quite good, I was able to learn a few helpful barbecue hints as well. I have a goal to pick up cooking tips and recipe with just about everyone who has them.
Our house is a bit of a sick bay these days with two Elders passing time with else while doing treatment at the nearby hospital. One of them, Elder R. has taught me by his example and just through some conversations we've had walking behind everyone else (he is on crutches at the moment due to a knee problem). I have found myself with a "second wind" of sorts these days, with a greater desire to do what I need to do, so I can learn what I need to learn and then be who I need to be.

Elder Zwick told of a complicated structural situation in Utah with a plan to build on top of an active fault line. He spoke of a complex foundation that if built properly would secure the building in earthquakes up to the 6th magnitude (I think that’s what he said, maybe it was 6.5, the idea being a strong foundation) he then pointed out a couple interesting facts. First, compared to the amount of material used in the part of the actual building, there was about three times the amount used in the foundation which extended way into the earth, and second that the slightest bit of impurity in this foundation, even the slightest bit of air, would foul up the whole process and leave the foundation insecure. Meaning that much care had to be taken to do it right the first time the whole time. He then compared this to our own foundation in the gospel and how we need to make the consistent effort now to build that foundation the right way so that when the 6.5 earthquakes come in our life, (and they will come) we can stand strong. If you find you have "impurities" in your base, take care of them now, confess the sins you need to confess, make the changes in your life you know you need to change, create the habits of scripture reading, and real, sincere, humble prayer that you need to create. If we don't do this know a day may arrive when the strength we needed in our spiritual foundation isn't there but if we do, we will find it being edified, tested, proven strong and our spiritual progress will continue onward until the day which we hope to all come to, when Christ will say to us, "Well done thou good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored, that through Christ we can become clean of our sins, work out our individual "foundation" and one day receive salvation. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Pettit

2009-12-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

2009-12-12T15:25:00.001-08:00

December 12, 2009
What a cool experience we had today with a multi-regional conference broadcasted from Recife with Elder Scott, Eyring and Zwick. (The last of who is coming to our mission this Monday and Tuesday) It was interesting they way they started the meeting with a question and answer session, with two mikes in the audience there in Recife, and two phone numbers to which anyone listening/watching in other locations would be able to text questions to. The best part of the meeting was towards the end when Elder Eyring got up and spoke of obedience and committing ourselves to God's commandments. I felt the Spirit testifying to me of the truthfulness of the principle of obedience and that I have a good ways yet in my application of it in my life.

A lot has happened this week with the Zone leader's counsel, continuing the process of shutting down the old house, working through the new system the church has brought into use for administrative purposes around the world and getting some more details worked out for the Christmas conference.

Elder Pettit

The Christmas Spirit

2009-12-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Spirit

2009-12-05T10:21:00.000-08:00

December 5, 2009

Indeed it has passed past quite quickly, it is really cool but almost scary as I think of how much growing and learning I'd like to pass through here on the mission, though something I've learned concerning that is the more I focus on what I want rather than what needs to be done in the work, the less I grow.

The move is pretty much finished here in Salvador for the staff, the assistants went to another house and now Rio Vermelho (the area in which we live) lives with us. The house is great and will be even better once we finish setting up all the beds and wardrobes etc. We successfully got one of the houses shut down here in Salvador and also another in Teixiera de Freitas thanks to the help of the Elders in those areas, all in all bringing alot off my shoulders. All that’s left now is to finish shutting down the old staff house (which will probably happen Monday) move the Elders in Engenho Velho and finish renewing all the expired/near expired contracts. Then the new setup of organization will have to be put into place. The idea or renovating/innovating the current setup was inspired by Elder C's example, he was always ready to go out and do a bit more, make a change to improve the system for those farther down the road. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to be his companion and am even more so for the opportunity I have to continue being his companion at least for now. President decided to leave us here in trio for at least until Elder W. gets the hang of things in the mission office.

Elder B. fresh in from the CTM is living with us now to with Elder K. his "father" on the mission. It’s been great to get to know them and I've been learning/trading new words with Elder K. as he is learning English while I try to continue learning Portuguese. I look at Elder B. and admire his veracity at moving forward with the language, he still needs to stop speaking to all Brazilians in English expecting them to understand (principally his trainer) but when he does speak Portuguese he isn't afraid to be corrected. Just in these few short days he has been here though I've already seen him become more prone to speak Portuguese with people.

Last night as we were coming back from the bus station where we had to grab some tickets for the assistants to come back from the interior (where they were doing a blitz in lieu of the dedication of a really nice chapel in Vitória da Conquista where tons of referrals were received) we were waiting to grab a bus or taxi and this hobo came up and asked us for some money to grab a bus. As it turns out he was heading the same way we were so as we already had three people the taxi wouldn't be any more with 4 so we let him grab a ride with us. It was quite humorous to say the least as he went to climb in, the three of us snagged seats in the back while he clambered in the front startling the taxi driver who confirmed at least once or twice the fact that yes, this hobo was coming with us. I couldn't help but smile the whole ride back to the office thinking of the taxi driver's reaction and that of the hobo who sat chatting away admirably with him not to mention I just felt good about it.

Something was brought to my attention the other day in my reading in 2 Nephi Chapter two. I think of this chapter as a memorable change in Jacob´s life, a "north star" moment that helped him get on the track that he took later in life as a leader and teacher among the Nephites. Lehi says to him in verse 3, " Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men." Lehi tells Jacob that his life will be spent in the service of God (Mosiah 2:17, in the service of fellow men) and that as such he will be saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I think of Christ's example and teachings as He lived here on the Earth, ever of service to us even to the very end of His life, the very purpose thereof was to be of service to us. When asked about the greatest commandments he responded to love God with all our heart might mind and strength and to love our neighbor as our brother and what better way can we show our love for another then through simple service. I also think of great parents, siblings, leaders, and friends who have shown me great examples of this loving service and want to thank you all for that. In this scripture I felt of the great importance that service can play in our eternal salvation. I remember a quote I heard once that went something like this, "It won't be how many callings that we have served in that will make a difference in the end, but how many we have served through our callings."

I know God lives and loves us and am grateful for the testimony I have of these things of which I leave with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Pettit

2009-11-29T19:29:00.000-08:00

2009-11-29T19:24:00.000-08:00

November 28, 2009

Sounds like everyone had a good time, Thanksgiving for us here was a bit crazy as we have transfers next week, President was traveling in the interior, and we are shutting down several houses including our own.
Transfers are always a time of big changes but they are even more so these days outside of the usual transfer rush the church is upgrading the system we use here for just about everything, (You might even say it’s a mighty change of...system) we are shutting down and opening up various houses, my companion is getting transferred, 9 missionaries are leaving and about 12 are coming in, and president President Vecchi moving forward in faith, changing the way many things have been here on the mission. It’s something I've noticed about him, he is very much a man of action, of new ideas, ideas based on correct principles as he sees and feels in the moment, trusting that as things move along he will be led onto the right path that the Lord would have Him take. It’s something very cool about working closer with him is the opportunity to see how he works and to be able to learn from that. I see much of the "move forward in Faith" principle within him.
Elder C. is leaving which is a bummer for me, it has been a great time here with him, he has a great potential and has been another one of those companions that has inspired me and from whom I have learned alot. He will be close by though so I should get to see him every once in awhile. Elder W. will be my next comp. and I am also excited to work with him. I met him once or twice in zone conference and I remember Elder N. and I went to his area once to do a baptismal interview. So as you might guess I don't really know him, but from the little time I spent with him it seems he is a missionary of integrity and I look forward to learning and serving with him.

The package from the Relief society came today and brought me great "relief", getting something in the mail be it a package or letter is always an upper.
The Book of Mormon reading is coming along well and I'm really enjoying, one of the things I'm focusing on/looking for is principles I can apply better in my life to bring me closer to God. The idea came to me through one of the quotes (from Joseph Smith) we find in the introduction, that by abiding by the precepts contained in the Book of Mormon a man could get closer to God then through any other book. It has been a great experience though these days it’s sometimes crammed to keep up with the schedule with everything we've got going on around here.
We've worked in the area several nights this week and are currently working with an inactive guy William who has committed to go to church again on Sunday, we also started teaching his sister and one of her friends as well, though I fear his sister may make it harder for her friend to move forward. Juliana (her friend) seems to truly have a great interest in the church, (unlike William’s sister) but her personality isn't as strong so I fear that Tati (William’s sister) may keep her from visiting church. The member friend is what’s still missing, that helping hand from within. Without a doubt the best solution would be an activity as just going to someone’s house with the missionaries isn't the kind of atmosphere where you get to know each other etc. Bishop is thinking about starting up a mutual program I think and we will jump on that effort to see what we can do to help, it is of greater need now especially since seminary ended.

Well, I love and am thankful for you all, for the restored gospel, for my Savior, the opportunity to be here, the outdoors, friends and great examples, good music, camping, fishing, skateboarding, ultimate frisbee, snowboarding, water, service, the Spirit, the Scriptures, a Prophet on the earth today, experiences, the chance to learn and to still need to learn, the chance to repent, hard times, good companions, pocket knives, parents, siblings, Legos, letters from home and your support,

Until next time,

Elder Pettit

2009-11-14T13:14:00.000-08:00

November 14, 2009

Week passed by pretty quickly on our end of things here as well, just thought I ought to start off correcting the previously stated 8 months and pass it on to the correct amount of time being more or less 11 months. (just to clear up the confusion)

Highlights from this week... it’s been crazy as usual, but I think the new house contract for the staff is about set, though there are still a few small issues dealing with future repairs on the house that are being discussed. I'm really enjoying being with Elder C., he is a great missionary and a great friend. (BTW, are we related to any Hydes?) This week (as of yesterday) we've decided to leave. everyday at 6 to go work in the field, regardless of whether or not we have a lot to do, trusting that the Lord will bless us with enough time to get done that which we need to as we work diligently in our callings. Study time has been pretty good as well, and in addition to gaining a stronger testimony of the importance of studying the gospel, I have clearly seen again the strength gained against temptation as we do so. As I think of your thought (Mom) on the happiness brought about in the Christmas season through the service that people give, I have gained a testimony that service and focusing on helping others also brings added strength against Satan's temptations.

In district meeting we talked about planning and making goals and about our purpose here on the mission, which could be generally stated as fortifying the Kingdom of God in each area that we pass through. A question I think even those who aren't serving "missions" in this same sense I think would also benefit from thinking on the answer to this question, "What am I doing to help God in His work in my family ward, stake, neighborhood etc.?"

I know that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, that the Bible and the Book of Mormon contain the words of their prophets and that by following their counsel we can have greater peace and comfort in knowing that our lives are in accordance with God's will and that we receive strength beyond our own in standing against Satan's temptations. In the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

Love,

Elder Pettit

2009-11-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

November 5, 2009

Progress on the Mission Mansion is slow, but moving, and I'm learning a lot in the process, I think before the mission I was very apt to let people walk over me, or at least around me, (I don't think that makes much sense so let me explain) If someone would do something that they were comfortable with before the mission, even if it made me uncomfortable I would let it go, bear through it/deal with it, or just leave and make way. Here on the mission we can't just let people do that, we are here on the mission to help them make changes in their lives, to warn them of the effects of sin. Life in the office brings a different application into play as well, if I just let people have their way in deciding the rent, or cost of repairs to a house, the church could lose a ton of money because I didn't have the courage to say/do something, or take the initiative to negotiate. Granted there is a limit to that end of saving money, others have to make a living, but I am learning to "stick to my guns" a bit on things as well as to make decisions that affect more than just myself, I'm grateful for the Lord's patience and willingness to let me learn here.

We haven't taught Rita (the house owner of the mission mansion) anymore yet, it’s even a rare moment when we come out of the office before 9 these days with everything that’s going on but the Lord has blessed Elder Cook and I this week in opportunities to spread the gospel. We were taking a taxi to (or from) the bus station to grab tickets for missionaries leaving the counsel here in Salvador and we met a man named Ribeiro. After talking a bit about little things and his family, we got on the topic of religion and he spoke of his experiences with a couple other churches, and I felt to speak of how leaders in the Church of Jesus Christ don't get money but rather how the tithing funds and fast offerings are completely voluntary and are used for the paying of bills, building of temples and chapels, printing materials for the church etc. After which he really opened up and wanted to hear a lot more about the church, to the point where even after we got to the mission office he stopped the car and kept talking to us, then we got his address and he his wife and two little girls will get a visit hopefully tomorrow (they live in the other mission's area).

I also received great news from the sister missionaries in Eunápolis, (a small town in the interior here) a lady Elder S. and I got to baptize had met with the Sisters in Eunápolis and went to teach her mom. (who I might have told you about a long while ago, a Glacia's mom was in Porto Seguro one time when we were teaching her daughter, she really opened up to us even though by her 1s appearance it seemed she might have rejected us had we knocked on her door) Glacieas 4 nephews/nieces ended up being baptized and her mom and dad are planning on getting married and as I understand what they said is that, "The 1st church they would baptize in would be the Church of Jesus Christ". It's a great feeling when I hear about someone I taught not just still going to church, but helping their families and friends find fruit of the gospel and the way to eternal life.
"You can't count the number of apples in a single seed."

Thanks for the verses and insights on faith, I thought it very well put the way you said that "faith really gives us the right to the power we need to accomplish what is required of us." A very true statement and it brings to mind an interesting thought. As I pray there have been times when I'll ask for something and a thought comes to mind, are you doing your part? Are you putting in the effort according to correct principles? I feel that as we can answer yes to that sort of question that we are truly going forth in faith and then miracles can happen in greater abundance in our lives.

I know that God lives, I know that this is His work, that he leads us to those He would have us lift along our way, even in things as simple as deciding to wear prosylyting clothes on P-day when you might have been thinking of doing otherwise, and as a result a lady comes up to you and talks to you about her son who has fallen away from the church, (standing a few people in front of you in the line to the cash register) who we will be visiting today or tomorrow. I know it is important for each one of us to be attentive to the feelings and thoughts that God will put in our heart as we live worthily of His trust. I think of that general conference talk awhile back about angels in our lives, and how perhaps the number of prayers we have answered may amount to something, but that the number of prayers we answer may be of far greater value. This my testimony I leave with you all in the name of Jesus Christ Amém.

2009-11-01T13:09:00.001-08:00

Oct. 31, 2009

We were blessed to find a great house for the staff this past week, 4 bedrooms 3 bathrooms, right across the street from president’s house, great neighbors, and 5 min from the office and maybe ten from the hospital. This new place will be the "mission hotel" for those arriving, those leaving, as well as those who are sick and are receiving treatment. In the down times though, Elder Cook and I will get a little spilled with a spacious mansion to our own. Also as a cool side note, the owner is now interested in the church, and our last pass through the house ended up turning into a little discussion about the plan of salvation. She'll probably be one of the easiest investigators to follow up with, seeing as she lives on the ground floor below us.

Elder C. is an amazing missionary and we've really connected in this short period of time we've already been together. Interestingly enough we seem to share a lot of experiences and attitudes, I really have to say he reminds me of me. We are going to finish combining with the elders quorum here on Sunday to do splits with them and help in reactivation of the (probably) several hundred inactive members in the ward. I'm really looking forward to doing missionary work again especially with a companion like Elder C.

The 60 referrals will be going to the missionaries in Amaralina, it’s technically their area and they could really do some good with them there.

Elder L. (who was sick) went home this past week, it was a sad moment as we walked out the door to grab a taxi for the airport, then leaving him at the gate knowing I very well may not see him before I leave for home. Oh, and mom you can relax, I'm fine :p, he wasn't contagious when he was on the antibiotics. (Not to mention I’ve already been vaccinated and I'm in the Lord's service)
his treatment could take up to a year, during which if he picked up even the common cold from someone on the street he could die. So, for they decided to send him home for a period of time.

Well, congrats to all who contributed to the soon to be (if not already) completed 2000 piece puzzle. Speaking of pieces, President Vecchi just came back from a conference where all the Mission Presidents of Brazil went to hear from Elder Scott and some area authorities and he shared a cool analogy with us that was given at the conference. Imagine a man, who has a bunch of parts to a really nice car in front of him, (Mercedes, something or other) within this mass of car parts, the man finds the carburetor, likes the look of it, shines it up, puts it in a nice place and spends much time examining it and taking joy in it's beauty. Is the man happy with it? Of course, but imagine how much more joy he could have if took those parts, put them all together and had the whole car before him? How much greater could his joy be. This can be applied in many different ways to many different things, but at the moment Elder Scott was speaking about learning of and writing down that which we receive concerning the "parts" of the "gospel Mercedes" we have available to us in these the last days. None of the general authorities came to the knowledge and spirituality they have today without effort. Just like becoming professional at playing an instrument or any sport, we have to spend the time working in accordance with true principles to achieve the goals and heights we wish to attain.

I know that God and Jesus Christ our Savior do to and am grateful for their love and patience, in the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

Elder Pettit

2009-10-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

October 24, 2009

Boa Noite!!

Well we had a crazy day today so I won’t be able to write much (I have 4 minutes)

Moved in some extra furniture in the sister's place, gained a new companion (the Elder who was in the hospital is now staying with us) cleaned a bit of the house cut my hair etc... full to the brim.

I've been studying that talk by Elder Bednar recently about asking with faith, after getting a great idea from one of the other elders here of studying and developing a specific Christ-like attribute each transfer, something I have found to be interesting is the importance of communicating and then following through w/ total commitment. Something I am trying a bit harder at.

Still no house,(for elders in an area town) but we will find one pretty soon, president is thinking of a "mission Mansion" staff house, sick bay and place to throw in the missionaries that come in and go home.

My new comp(s) is/are great, I think I have been really blessed this time around, I think the best way to put it is I will be (and already am) learning alot from him. I feel a sense of great potential already in this opportunity, we share the desire to have "effective days" everyday. Elder Lopes (the one who was in the hospital) is doing better but may have to go home for treatment, we'll hear the final answer on Monday from SLC. Here’s to hoping he stays though, he is a great guy and I fear he will have a hard time at home and even a harder time coming back. We've been walking masked with him in the streets and it draws a bit of attention to say the least, "Gripe swina!!" (swine flu) but it’s a good time.

As far as Adam goes see if you can snag his address I'd like to write him a letter one of these days. Speaking of friends from CT, I got word from Eric McDowell!! Sounds like everybody is doing well, it was pretty funny the way he started the letter with something to the effect of "pretty much the Mormons came to our door today saying Jacob Pettit sent them. Hope to see them take interest in the gospel.

I know that God lives and that this is His gospel and church restored here on the earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Pettit

2009-10-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

October 17, 2009

It’s been crazy as weeks often are here these days. Transfers are coming up/are happening right now and so the straightaway speed up in the mission grand prix is coming around again. My companion Elder R. was/will be transferred to a nearby area where he will have a great responsibility (2 areas and a three-elder-including him district) and a great time. I've learned a good bit with him and have really enjoyed being his companion with the never ending surprises that came as a result. My (almost) new comp Elder C. actually knows some people that lived in CT that I knew. (A nanny that helped out at the Zeiner's place) I got to know him a bit back in Porto and I'm pretty excited to work with him here, word on the street has it that he likes to work :).

Let’s see, p-day will be kinda interesting today, we'll be going house hunting here in Rio Vermelho for the assistants and their comps. We're hoping to get them moved in a ready to go before the end of the month. Fast moves are a blast.

Loved the pics, I think I'll be sending those on to president and then I'll ask him if we can do that here, there are several missionaries I know that have some good artish talents. On that end of things it looks like we may sing in the malls here around Christmas time, should be pretty good stuff.

I don't remember if I told you guys, but awhile back Elder R and I were blessed with about 60 referrals from a family here and though we haven't been able to follow up with all of them yet, we started to do so, and then passed some them onto another pair of missionaries that work in that area. I don't know all of what has happened with each of them, but one lady that we had started to teach is going to get married and baptized!! That was an upper to say the least, the Lord guides us in this His work and His glory.

2009-10-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

Oct. 10, 2009

Well not a whole lot to report about this week, thanks to all who sent back replies about the gospel's effects in your lives, it’s something I was thinking about the other day as I was studying Lehi's dream. I was looking at his attitude at sharing the fruit of the tree which in the case of an Elder Pettit on a mission could be compared to the gospel which he has been called to preach to the world. It is clearly stated the way Lehi felt about the fruit, it was delicious to the taste and he wanted nothing more than to share with those around him. How do I see the gospel in my life? Is it delicious to me? How determined am I to share it with those around me? Why? and how can I grow in that desire? It’s about becoming a true disciple of Christ, its conversion. As an apostle (forget which, I think it was Ballard) said "When one is truly converted he can't be kept from testifying." I hope to one day be like the sons of Mosiah and truly feel concern for everyone around me, in the sense that I shudder at the thought that one of them might have to endure eternal torment.

The gospel in my life is a way of thinking and living, a way of trying to be. It’s a greater awareness of eternal effects, less of a here and now and more of a here and then (looking to the future) perspective. It’s the only way to be truly happy, to have joy if you will. It’s a restraining force and a drive to move onward and upward. It’s a hope and direction in my life. It makes challenges and difficulties make sense. It is Christ's and God the Father's love for me.

Some Conference highlights,

BAllard's talk in the priesthood session
Thanks dad, I think you'd already heard that talk years ago

Uchtdorf,
"If we keep at it, things will improve"

Eyering,
No effort is too much

Monson
"Anger doesn't build anything, but it can destroy everything"

Burton
What did you do for anyone today? (good dinner time conversation, I want to do that too)

Scott
Use the Book of Mormon for everything, study, learn, love, live

Nielson ( I think)
Don't get "casual in your worship"

Renlund
It’s never too late to change, but change takes time, make a covenant now and change

Ringwood
Obedience leads to easiness to believe and to be more obedient

Christopherson
"Neutrality about the gospel is denying that God exists, that He is omniscient"
"Intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of things as they really are"

Well, not much else to report, the Elder is still in the hospital, though the results for tuberculosis came back negative and he will be leaving there soon.

As for the housing contracts, they're going to take awhile yet, we're still catching up on some that ended months ago.

Elder Pettit

2009-10-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Oct 3, 2009

Running took a downward turn this week, we've had a missionary in the hospital here in Salvador this week so in between staying overnight there, or visiting during the day, time has become more scarce than usual and the whole running thing came to a rather abrupt stop. (not to mention my running mate (ha) twisted/sprained/busted his ankle this past Wed. playing soccer at a zone activity)

Well this week has passed by quite fast, or rather this whole time since last conference has gone by quite fast, I can't believe it’s already come around again. I really liked Pres. Uchtdorf's talk about being a true disciple of Christ and how deeply love plays a part in it. I thought of one of my favorite scriptures while I was listening to him this afternoon; John 13: 12-17 where Christ washes the feet of His disciples, then tells them how if He, being their Lord serves them in such a humble way, they should serve each other, fro truly, "The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." I think service plays a huge aspect in loving someone. On that note that’s something I’ve gained a testimony of here on the mission, that we can learn to love someone, it doesn't matter how different we are from them, and one of the best ways to do so, is to serve them. I've gained one of my best friends on the mission that way.

Not to much more to report on, recently I've been working on renewing house contracts here on the mission (A rather different experience than any I've had before on the mission or off) and as a result of all this talking on the telephone, I think I might be able to call the pizza guy all by myself when I get home. :)

Happy Humphrey the Hamster seems like he is doing as well as the last at wreaking havoc in the happy mommy hermithood. I think these sorts of stories would make great family home video moments... out of curiosity, were you laughing/screaming as you chased him? I don't know why, but as it played out in my mind, I certainly thought you did.

Conference has started again, so I'm going to get going, but I would like to have you and anyone else who would like to answer, send me their answer to "How has the restored gospel blessed your life and that of your family's?

Thanks much,

Love,

Elder Pettit

2009-09-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

September 26, 2009

Well the difference here in the office from the field is taking its toll, and the fattening of the Thanksgiving Turkey (more widely known as Elder Pettit) has already begun, so in his efforts to combat this undesirable event he wrestled (pretty sure that’s spelled wrong) up a willing friend/Elder and they went running this morning, it was a refreshing experience to say the least and early reports are coming in that the running will become part of a every other day routine.

In other news, the one year package was enjoyed by all in the apartment, the blueberry muffin-gone-cake-mix was a hit and I think if you guys are ever wondering what you might send me again... I think blueberry muffin mixes are a berry good choice (did you catch that one?) Due to the impending expiration of said blueberry product we disposed of it all within 24 hours (though with six missionaries I suppose that’s not such an amazing accomplishment) I thank you all for the creativity and thought put into sending numerous "things of one". One might even say that if this one family of mine had entered into any one competition for one of a kind families in giving things of one for one son's one year anniversary, they would certainly have won... one.

In my studies recently, I've repeatedly been coming upon an interesting principle, that of living up to my privilege as a being a Spirit child of our Heavenly Father who was created to act and not to be acted upon and interestingly enough was that Zone conference had a bit to do with this very subject. Pres. Vecchi started off talking about how there are three kinds of people in the world;
1) those who don't realize the changes/things happening in/or around them.
2) Those who know something is happening, but they may not really know why it’s happening or don't care enough to really do anything about it.
3) Those who are behind the changes in their lives and in what happens around them.

Which of the three would you want to be? Hopefully the third. If we settle for being one of the others, we may very well find ourselves drifting on every wind of doctrine and could one day find ourselves in a situation where we don't really want to be. This idea of actively moving through life is essential to becoming a disciple of Christ, we can't just go with the flow and expect to end up in the Celestial Kingdom, be like Christ or other great people that we come to know in the scriptures or in our lives, the natural man is an enemy to God and so are many of the things we may find we naturally do. Let’s stop just existing and let us start just making those changes in our lives today so we can become the people we want and need to be tomorrow.

Elder Pettit

2009-09-23T12:25:00.000-07:00

Jacob's insights mentioned in his letter

Words of Mormon Vs7:
Imagine how much time it would take to write on plates of gold or brass. Imagine the effort it would take to engrave each and every word in a legible manner, and then imagine why they were doing it. Often times they speak of doing this for a wise purpose, a purpose that they don’t know, but that they trust in the Lord, and have enough faith to know that though they don’t know all things, but that the Lord does and that He knows all that will come. They then press forward in that faith, writing laboriously so that the Lord can work in/through them to do according to His will. In this sense we can truly see how “the Lord worketh not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.” (2°Nephi 27:23) and that God very often does use one of us to bring about good in the lives of so many others, how much could can we be allowed to help in if we try to follow God’s will.

Mosiah 1:3-7
King Benjamin is instructing his sons to read the scriptures and keep the commandments, how does he do it? What techniques does he use?
He starts off telling them how the scriptures have blessed the lives of their ancestors, leading them in the way of the Lord, whereas without the scriptures, he teaches that they would have dwindled in unbelief, giving the example of their brethren the Lamanites. Next he testifies of the truthfulness of the scriptures, giving a brief description of the Book of Mormon (when it was written) and then he exhorts them to “search them diligently” and to keep the commandments of God, that they may prosper in the land according to God’s promise. (Probably citing scripture to them) “Padrão de compromisso”

Mosiah 1:11-12 “Giving a name”
As king Benjamin prepares to give the kingdom over to his son Mosiah, he tells his son to call the people together with the intent to present him as the new king, and also to give the people a name, which “never shall be blotted out except it be through transgression”. What name is this and how is it that it can only be “blotted out through transgression”? A little further on in his discourse, King Benjamin speaks of this to his people. Mosiah 5:8-1 King Benjamin asks of the people if they believed on his words, in response they speak of a mighty change of heart, that the Spirit wrought in them, leaving them without the desire to do evil, butto do good continually. They express that they could prophesy of all things if it were expedient, and they say that it is because of their faith which they have had on the things their king spoke unto them that brought them this knowledge and joy. As a result they are willing to enter into a covenant to do His (God’s) will.
In doing this King Benjamin tells them that they will become the children of Christ and that they will be taking upon them the name of Christ in doing so.
What other aspects are there in taking Christ’s name upon us?
At this point King Benjamin is speaking to the people of Christ, and how it is only through Him and His sacrifice that they can be saved.

Mosiah 2
With great knowledge comes great responsibility, Vs 35-36, When we make a conscious decision to go against that which we have been taught concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ, we come out in open rebellion against God, and we literally are saying to Him that we don’t want His guidance, that our way is the better way, and that even though He made us, gives us air to breathe and strength to live and so many other blessings, we just take it all for granted and move on in our own way. Therefore we become a law unto our selves, an enemy to God and all righteousness, and neither the Lord or His Spirit have any place in us, to guide us in His ways, for He dwelleth not in unholy temples.

Mosiah 3 Vs 19:
19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

2°Nephi 9:42-43: This has a lot to do with our natural pride, we learn from this scripture that the Lord wants to open to us, and He will, but only if we are humble and are willing to accept His counsel, those who remain in their natural pride, (the spirit of man) can’t learn of Him because He (the Lord) teaches us through the Spirit, and “ the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1Cor. 2:11-14)

D&C 46:7

Ether 12:23-28: One name for the Lord is “the fountain of all righteousness”, makes me think of scriptures that say things like “all good things come from God” and another that tells us we can’t do anything until we are persuaded by one influence or the other (good or bad).

3° Nephi 11
Christ invites all to come unto Him, feel the prints in His hands, feet and side. This could be compared to His invitation to all of us to gain a personal testimony, not a one size fits all sort of deal, but one that is fit to our needs, weaknesses, faith and desires. We could also compare this to the one on one invitation He gives to each one of us to come unto Him through the ordinances of His gospel, that of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, taking out our endowments and eventually having our calling and election made sure. Through the prophet Joseph Smith, God has once again restored these ordinances in their true form, and the authority needed to perform(realize) them. We can know this is true through the power of the Holy Ghost, who will testify through feelings of peace, joy and comfort, but we have to seek it; “Seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you” (scripture reference) After all is said and done, He still leaves us to do our part, God is waiting, wishing and in reality reaching to each one of us, we just have to move forward in faith, take His hand and let Him lift us. We do this as we go forth and are baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, take out our endowments, have our calling and election made sure and continue keeping the associated covenants.

PMG Capitulo 1 (Preach My Gospel)
Como os servos do Senhor se sentem a respeito do trabalho? Como os servos do Senhor influenciam as pessoas a quem servem?

Mosias 28:3 They care for the salvation of others, and keep things in the eternal perspective, realizing that our desires and actions now in this life will affect our eternal salvation and that only those who have been warned/given a knowledge of the way (being the gospel of Jesus Christ) can take the path that leads to eternal life. They realize that they have been given that knowledge and wish to help others gain it with the blessings of God as well.

Alma 8:14-15 They feel connected to the work, it becomes a part of them, it doesn’t become a role that they take on and off as they come and go from their house to the street. They really feel sorrow when the people reject the word of God but they don’t give up, they keep looking for the elect of God walking whatever distance is needed to find them.

Helaman 10:3-5 They ponder in their heart the situations of people, seeking inspiration and guidance for ways to get through to the people. They unwearyingly declare the word of God, not fearing the people regardless of what they might say or think. They don’t worry about their personal affairs at home, they leave them behind and work to know and follow God’s will and the keep His commandments. They don’t ask that which is contrary to the will of God.

3° Nephi 28: 4-10 They want to help others know and live the gospel more then they want anything else, even more then to just ensure their own salvation or that of their families.

Ether 12:13-15 They work in unceasing faith, regardless of the odds against them, the difficulties they are passing through, the opposition or the apparent hardness of hearts, doing all that they can, truly working heart, might, mind and strength to help the Lord bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

D&C 15:4-6; 16:4-6 They desire to know things of Heavenly Father, they seek for the answers, and they do so with the intent to follow the instructions they receive. They speak the words which the Lord gives them according to His commandments.

D&C 68:2-6 They speak as the Lord gives them words, and as they speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, their words are scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto Salvation. They don’t fear, are of good cheer and bear record of Jesus Christ.

2009-09-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Sept 19, 2009

To my favorite mom dad family and friends,

Well we got here to the mission office a bit late today, so I'm gonna have to be brief as well, this week was pretty good stuff, one of the highlights being Mexican food that I made today, the tortillas turned out a bit more like pita bread (or maybe thinking positively, they were gordita-ish, btw I miss taco bell) but all in all it was pretty good stuff, homemade tortillas, refried beans, rice, and some left over sour cream, guacamole and salsa we had from the 1st (and maybe last it was so expensive) order from a Mexican food place here in Salvador. (though I must say, the food really did turn out pretty good to say the least.)

Elder Pettit

PS Attached are some thoughts I've been given this past little bit while I've been reading or studying in the office some are still incomplete, but if any of you would like to discuss any of them with me, or would like to bring up a topic to study, I’d be happy to study/talk about it with you.

2009-09-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sept 12, 2009

Elder T. my trainer of the office was transferred into the field here in Salvador and so officially Elder R. and I are responsible for anything that goes right or wrong here in the office, just in time for transfers :) Transfers are ridiculous here in the office. At the beginning, things were normal, busy, but not overly so, (as in working till 9 or more in the office after going in at 8 or 9 in the morning) but then we had to go buy tickets for people coming from or going to Salvador, take care of getting trainings ready for the "novinhos" and their trainers. Alright not so bad yet, but when we went to grab the tickets at the bus station, there wasn't any room left on the buses (because of a Brazilian holiday and everybody was traveling) we needed, so we went and grabbed some from another bus company and left, thinking the problem was resolved... That was where the real troubles began. After getting back to the office we realized that we were missing some of the tickets we had bought... the biggest problem being that we had paid for them but the lady hadn't printed them off and given them to us. So we went back the next day to straighten it all up, finding that somehow it never registered that we had bought those tickets, but that we had indeed paid the price for them, (still don't know exactly how that worked out) but we got the credits and bought the tickets we needed. Problem solved right? wrong again, we came around missing one more ticket and so we had to go back once again to the bus station and grab it (the interesting thing was that we had confirmed that we had the tickets, but somehow unbeknownst to us at the moment, it disappeared. As it turned out, the ticket had fallen into some dark abyss on the exec. secretary’s desk, only to be found after the day where we could grab the credits from a missed bus) All good, transfers go into action on time, with a couple calls from missionaries saying they didn’t have money to buy their bus tickets for transfers... easy fixes for the most part, they borrowed money from other missionaries who would be reimbursed later or make I made an emergency transfer to their account. Monday night came around and everybody gets off alright, later on (maybe 10 30 or so) we get a call saying that one of the buses with several of the missionaries (trainers and some of the transferred) broke down in the middle of nowhere, and would have to wait for another bus to swing by and pick them up. The poor elders were already uncomfortable as it was on a low class (think school or city bus) bus we had to get them as the comfy buses were all full with vacationers. 3 or 4 hours later than scheduled they get into Salvador, throwing the trainer's breakfast/training that would have started early morning to a brunch of sorts, leaving just the President and his wife free with us to go pick up the new missionaries while the trainers finished getting their instructions. We then took the novinhos to the office dropped off their stuff, walked to the presidents house, picked up the trainers, (leaving the novinhos there for their training) going over a few administrative things with them (the trainers) and then we had lunch at burger kings (I was still full from breakfast, barely ate a thing) only to return to the presidents place a little later to have them paired off with their new companions. That was a cool experience, topped off by an amazing dessert made by the President's wife (how do they all know how to cook so well?) then back to the office, gave a quick unforeseen training on money on the mission, and finally we sent them off to their areas. Quite a relief when that finished up and then there were the missionaries heading home.... needless to say, there was plenty to do.

Another crazy aspect of this whole office life deal is working out housing contracts in Portuguese. The church has done about as much as they can to leave it as simple as possible, leaving a prewritten contract to be used in each case, but when the house owners start trying to change it here or there, bring up the price etc. I guess I'll leave it at this; it’s a lot of responsibility taking care of the money in the mission. I'm learning alot about organizing and getting things done on a bigger scale, with a good bit of accounting for what I do, and I thought Paneras was stressful. It’s good though, I'm learning.

Recently I've had a great experience in watching someone go through a huge repentance process, and I testify through previous experience in my life, and through what I've seen here and what I've felt as I've seen it go on, is that repentance works, relieves, and renews, it’s never easy, but it’s always worth it. It requires sacrifice, trust in the Lord and a great bit of faith, trusting that in the confession that you will be helped, that the Lord never gives up on you, that we just have to meet His requirements and then, only then we can receive the promise of His comforting Spirit. Seeing this go on has brought a greater desire to grow closer to the Lord, do some repenting in my own life and seek to more fully yield to the enticings of the Spirit so that I can let the sacrifice of Christ take effect in my life. I know that is what He would have us do, and I invite each of us to look at what we can do in our lives today to bring us that much closer to our Father's presence. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Love,

Elder Jacob Pettit

PS great talk I found and want to share with you all, http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=32e62bce258f5110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1 ifice, trust in the Lord and a great bit of faith, trusting that in the confession that you will be helped, that the Lord never gives up on

2009-09-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

A good number of the members in the Porto Seguro Branch,

2009-09-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

2 are Elder N.and Jacob in Conquista during the "cold" season,and the other two were taken in Porto Seguro, one is our lovely cooking utensils, and the other a picture on the night I had to leave for Salvador, Elder H. and I went running through the rain to say goodbye to a couple of the recent converts, (Maeco (or Falcão)the kid in black was the one baptized) It was a cool night, but a bit rushed to say the least.

2009-09-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

Sept. 5, 2009

This was a pretty good week though unfortunately we haven't been able to do much in the way of work outside of the office, my comp Elder R. got Swine flu.. .just kidding, but he did have a pretty high fever and we had to lay low for couple days, and with transfers this weekend he got pretty busy as well. On my end of things transfers aren't so bad, I just pay the services to move people around here in Salvador, and give a short training to the new missionaries and their trainers.

I guess I'll get to the questions first...

The ward here in Rio Vermelho is pretty good sized, something like 150 in sacrament meeting, and as such is much different than any other ward I've been a part of here on the mission. It’s really quite different the way the missionary work is going here in the ward, the bishop is really in to supporting the missionaries and the recent converts which is pretty sweet, and he is working at getting the inactive young guys active, ordained and working towards going on a mission. The missionary leader in the ward is into supporting the missionaries as well and to top it off, I have never seen so many people trying to feed us lunch as I have here. The only problem is that here in the mission office we really don’t have time around lunch to walk out to the member's homes to eat, and even working in the area falls at times when we have a really busy day. (like what seems to happen around transfers) But I think that once he (Elder R.) and I get into the swing of how to do things we'll speed up the process and be able to get out to work in the area.

The weather here is pretty hot (I think, remember I'm in the office from 9 to 6 these days) and a bit humid to boot.

Yes I do get to meet the new missionaries and those going home as well. I also get to know a good number of those working here in Salvador as well. Another benefit of being in the office is that I'm in the district with the AP's and a good number of older missionaries and as such can learn from their experience, district meetings have been really pretty sweet here.

Am I in the groove of things?... getting there, chances are my trainer here will leave tomorrow night or early next week so I guess we'll see just how much I've picked up the beat here.

Sometimes we look for new places, but generally the missionaries in the field ask around the ward for someone who at least knows someone who is trying to rent out a house/apartment.

Thanks for the stake conference insight, I've been thinking a bit about the same subject here recently, and I was thinking about how in our lives (or at least in mine) we often have ups and downs in our spiritual progress, forward a little, stop moving or move back a little, forward a little more, hold still or move back a little. Times where we really strive to grow closer to the Lord, then we grow complacent/comfortable, or perhaps we let Satan deceive us for a bit, then we repent and move closer to the Lord again etc. In the ideal progression, we would always be moving forward, a constant state of faithful living or what you might call living entirely out of your comfort zone. I was listening to a talk a little while ago where the speaker (Cleon Skousen), talking about his mission and having describing how he thanked God for the wonderful opportunity to go on a mission, and to have, "all these scary experiences", and how you just never know what’s going to happen to you "but if you just keep working vigorously and pushing forward it happens." The changes we need and desire happen, if we focus just always striving to be obedient, make the necessary course corrections, and to always move forward, the Lord will lead us in His way. Perhaps you might even say that the more comfortable we are, the greater danger we are in (in terms of our eternal progression).

I know God lives, I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior.
and my testimony I leave with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

View from top of chapel in Itapetinga, Brazil

2009-09-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

2009-09-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

Aug. 29, 2009

Well, it’s been another quick week here in the office (I think it passes much faster here than in the field) and to answer your question, yes I do get a bit of exercising in, exercises in the morning have taken a step up and are happening every day as they should :) and at night we get to work in an area here close to the office and the chapel. Speaking of which we had kind of a ridiculous experience last night, Elder T. and I did a division in our area as Elder R. wasn't feeling to good, (flu like deal) and as we were heading back to the house, a group of guys (16-20 yrs old) called to us and one of them told us that he would go to church, (though didn’t really remember ever talking to him) and then one of his friends who was there started talking a mile a minute using so much slang I understood very little of what he said. At this point on the mission I feel like I understand about everything people say, but now here in Salvador I've run into several situations where I barely understand a word they say, (and that not always because of slang) the accent here in the capital is way different from the interior of Bahia.

Elder R. is from (drum roll) Rio Grande do Sul! and has got practically the whole office drinking chimarrão imagine a bunch of grass thrown into a wooden cup deal, with a crazy looking spooned out strainer straw deal, then add hot water, and pronto, you can drink chimarrão to your heart’s content. (Actually I don’t think it was Elder R. who started it here, but the drink comes from Rio Grande do sul)

The apartment is pretty nice, with probably the best shower heads I’ve seen/used on the mission, and as I think about it, it’s probably one of the best houses on the mission, but we may be moving here in a bit cause the landlord is jacking up the price wit the renewal of the contract. As for the count in the house.... 8 missionaries, but we're looking for another house for some of them, normally there are the 2 secretaries, and those who are too sick to be in the field.

Duties... well about anything that deals with money, allowance of the missionaries, house contracts, bus tickets for transfers to and from Salvador etc. (and no, I most def. won’t be switching over to finance thank you very much)

What a great experience mom, I'm looking forward at going back to the temple for the Spirit that can be found there. I'd not really thought about how cool it is to have temples nearby until I look at the situation of many members here, driving something like two days straight (on a bus)to get to the nearest temple, I think I’ll have a hard time saying I don’t have time to go to the temple when I get back.

This week I was reading in the book of Jacob (great name eh?) and in chapt 4 verse 13 it says an interesting thing about the Spirit, how it tells us how things really are, and how they really will be, and I thought about how sometimes in my life I've let myself get a little muddled up as to what would be good to do, and what wouldn’t, but how I need to remember that things are quite divided, things are either good, come from God and bring us closer to Him, or they aren’t and they bring to us at most a temporary happiness and a greater gap between us and the Lord, and the Spirit comes in and helps us to see that difference, like the GPS in the Puida's car that reads out the directions they should go, letting us take our journey in the fastest way through "the most fertile parts of the wilderness" in this world. The question we could ask ourselves is, "How often do I see things (looking back) that I could have avoided had I only listened to the Spirit and not left His counsel behind?" Then let us go forth with a greater resolution to follow His guidance and promptings, letting us see things as they really are and will be, and leading us to true happiness in this life and the next. I know that God lives, that this is His church, and that the Spirit will guide us if we but strive to follow Him. In the name of Jesus Christ amém.

Mailing Letters to Jacob

2009-08-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Elder Jacob Pettit
Brazil Salvador South Mission
Rua Lucaia, 295 Sala 202-Bairro Horto Florestal
CEP 40295-130 Salvador-BA
BRAZIL

2009-08-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

We haven't posted in a couple of weeks due to Jacob being transferred up to the mission office. This is his first "real" letter since arriving in Salvador.

Aug 22, 2009

Well, hello again dear family and friends!

Salvador is about as different from the interior of Bahia as you can imagine. Salvador is a good bit bigger, and you might even think at times that you are in the states... except everybody is speaking another language and the style of the houses in the poorer areas. (I'll see if I can grab some pictures some day here soon) I’ve only really worked the area one night though while I've been here, but it was quite a diff. experience. You go out into the streets, lots of cars, people in business attire, street vendors etc. Then turn a corner or two onto a side street, and it just gets narrower and narrower, until its little more than an alleyway (think about 3 feet wide at times maybe even less at others) and houses not only sharing walls, but stacked up three or four stories at times, (maybe even more, its kinda nuts) its kind of a maze, and when we went in there the 1st night, neither Elder R. or I knew exactly where it would take us, we just followed directions from some kids in the street. It’s a whole other world in there.
So why have we only been out once since I’ve been here, because I’ve been called as the new financial secretary, and the secretaries only recently began to have an area to work in. Its a bit of a different work as you might imagine, working in the office, and sometimes I think back to the "good ole tom's days", (especially because the last fin. sec. whose showing me the ropes reminds me a good bit of Kevin, weird huh?) I know the Lord has put me here for good reason, and I’m excited to go forth and do this the best I can. I feel I will learn a lot about responsibility, accountability, and diligence here, not to mention people skills at another level/angle, confidence in the language, a boosted Portuguese vocabulary in the formal and financial end of things and probably a good many other things that I won't notice the Lord has taught me till I’ve learned them. I was reading in the Book of Mormon the other day and had a neat little insight given to me, and to explain I’d like to just ask the question, how often have any of you seen Nephi say that he did something with occasional diligence, or with some force/effort? How about any of the other great Book of Mormon prophets? What about the effort required at Christ's hands to complete the expiatory sacrifice for our sins? In the same way, how can we expect to have faith like them, or have true desire to have it, if we aren’t willing to do the Lord's will with "all diligence" or with "all of our heart might mind and strength"? Just some food for thought that makes me think of a scripture in Luke 9:62, "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that he paid the price that we could not, and that we truly need to always seek to do follow God's will, in the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

Love,

Elder Pettit

2009-07-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

July 29, 2009

Transfers came around a bit differently, and instead of getting an email on Saturday round noon, we got a phone call Sunday night, yeah, that makes for some quick packing if you have to leave the next morning. I stayed here in Porto Seguro, and am now companions with Elder S., from São Paulo, I've really been blessed with native speakers on the mission, really grateful for that, it really helps me out.
The work is progressing here as always, Glacia was baptized on Sunday night and will be confirmed this coming Sunday. She is a great woman of faith, and will be a great support to the branch here. Speaking of support in the branch, it’s a whole other animal working in this area where there is a serious lack of communication between the leaders of the various organizations, but we are working on getting a meeting each month with all the leaders starting with this next month. The Mission will also be holding a training meeting here which I hope will help things out. We have an FHE tonight with some of the members, recent converts and investigators which will be a good time , and even better was the fact that we missionaries didn’t have to plan it, we were invited just to bring/invite new members and investigators to it, and to bring some ideas of games to play.

In my studies this week I did a study on studying, (hope you don’t have to study that for too long to figure out I meant what I said and I said what I meant.... this Elder is serious 100 percent) and it was a great spiritual experience and reminder of the importance of really studying with the intent to apply what I learn, and to truly seek to answer questions that I have, and not just let them slide, if one does that he will miss out on many opportunities for growth and learning. I was also reminded to truly seek to be attentive to be attentive to the Lord's promptings in the street, and wherever we may be, to talk with people, no matter how awkward it may seem, they need it to be saved, and we need to share it as well, in accordance to commandment and on the condition of magnifying our callings and covenants as well. It truly is interesting to see how the recent converts, who truly did their part, repented and prayed to k now if the gospel was restored through Joseph Smith have the tendency to spread the gospel, without even thinking about it, and it makes me think of Lehi’s dream as he partook of the fruit, and his immediate desire was to call his family to partake of its goodness as well. Truly as we become more converted, and feel of God’s love through the gift of His son we will grow in our desires to share that love through the sharing of His gospel.

Well, I’d best be going, but I love you all, and know this is the Lord's work, In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Pettit

2009-07-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

2009-07-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

2009-07-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

2009-07-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

July 22, 2009

Teaching before the mission... well, I think that teaching the youth has helped a bit, but maybe not in the ways I would have thought at the beginning. I think it gave me time to make mistakes before I came here on the mission, so that I might be able to see them and learn from them before I got here on the mission. Something I don’t think I did so well was knowing the doctrine so well as to be able to go through without having to glance at the material etc.
An interesting thing about teaching here on the mission is that in teaching the same general subjects we run the risk of just habitually teaching the same things until we even get to the point of memorized (though not intentionally) ways of teaching. And in this way we become very much like a tape player, hit play and the machine spits out the info. and if we aren’t careful, we can get to the point where we stop giving attention to new questions, examples and ways of explaining from the Spirit that would allow Him to teach more effectively given in the moments. And so it is key to know what you will teach, but also to leave room for the spirit to teach, we don’t actually teach anything, we could spit out all the necessary information, but until the Spirit brings the info to the people's hearts, nothing comes out of it. I've seen this in my own life, as I found I knew a bit about the atonement of Jesus Christ, in my mind I had a comprehension of what happened (Generally speaking) and why it was necessary, but as I’ve studied it a bit more, striving to learn "by study and by faith", the Spirit has taken the truths I had in my mind into my heart, and then they started making more of a difference in my life. I think I didn’t let the Spirit do enough speaking in the class as I taught, far too often, I just gave out information. Also I think I didn’t trust in the Spirit to give the things to teach before the mission, I would worry about freezing up, losing control, or having long pauses as I tried to catch up in my mind where I was teaching etc. but it’s something I learned to stop worrying about, and worry more about the preparation and letting the Spirit guide as the action unfolds. So em fim, I think it gave me time to make mistakes from which I would be able to learn from, and still am for that matter.

Recently I’ve been blessed to recognize some answers to prayer in our work here in Porto Seguro. Ever since the Zone Conference we've had a focus on finding men and families to teach, with the idea of bringing in a "core" of families and potential priesthood leaders here in the center of town. This focus along with our prayers have begun to put out fruits, and this week looking at our investigators we have yet to find a whole family, but we have found some great potential Priesthood leaders. We met a man in the street the other day named Steven who is 40 years old, and looking for the truth, we also had a man the other day who came up and asked us to visit him and his family (have yet to visit him, our appointment is set for tomorrow) and another guy also called us to his shop to speak a bit with us on Monday as well, who we visited last night though he unfortunately seems to be a bit skeptical about the idea of a prophet in our days. Another woman of great faith is going to baptized here on Saturday and her positive influence has gotten her mom and sister and almost brother in law interested along with her nieces, and their support could also help another family in the area we are beginning to reactivate. The Lord truly does bless us when we pray with faith, and act in patient diligence.

I know that Christ lives and loves us, that God is our Heavenly Father, and that this is their church here on the earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Jacob Pettit

2009-07-16T10:13:00.001-07:00

July 15, 2009

Well, this week's big news.... guess I’ll start with today and explain the my first music thing, Elder Schreiner and I went to a in home recording studio today, and after talking with the guy a bit (Elder S. has a lot of interest in the whole music recording deal) about how we and a couple other missionaries would like to have a jam session some day. He was open to the idea, but didn’t have the equipment outside of the drums, acoustic guitar, and mics. so it won’t happen, but Elder S asked if I could record a little song with the acoustic he had there, and he agreed, so I went in, recorded this little dealio, it doesn’t have an end really, and it was just a quick little go, but I thought it turned out kinda cool, still needs work, including words, but hope you enjoy it :).

Big news from Vitoria da Conquista, I heard that a woman (Redilane) we were teaching is going to get baptized here in a little bit (this weekend I think) Also on the order of big things, met President Vecchi on Monday, he is really easy to get to know, already in the 1st interview with him after the conference I feel like I’ve known him alot longer than an hour or two at the pulpit and a quick interview. He has a son serving in New Jersey speaking Spanish and brought his other three kids here on the mission with him.

The work here with that family we met on my birthday unfortunately hasn’t brought any fruits yet, we haven’t been able to get in contact with the mom and Daughter, and after one visit with the grandpa, (Sinaldo) he decided to listen to the words of others and not trust in God, reading the book of Mormon and praying to know of its truthfulness. He had to work on Sunday so he didn’t come to sacrament and so we called him on Tuesday to follow up on the reading etc. and as he spoke of how he already has his bible, and how he is already evangelical, baptized 5 years, happy where he is, etc. I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. Here on the mission we get to see the Lord work, but we also see the opposition of Satan at work as well. Whether through the influence of other people speaking lies about the church with ignorance on the part of the teller and the hearer, tendencies of procrastination, the fear of not staying firm in the gospel, not having enough knowledge to be worthy of baptism, or the implacent view that God is in all churches and so it really doesn't matter which one you join or participate in. Satan is absolutely amazing at putting on a show for the masses to draw them in, to replace the Spirit with excitement, emotion, and mystery and lead them all to think these human reactions are the same thing. The prophecies of Nephi concerning the last days and the apostasy that would exist is in plain open view here. But in the midst of all this I still know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, this is His church, with a prophet led by revelation, that the gospel and authority needed to bring us back to the presence of our Heavenly Father was restored through Joseph Smith. I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon hold the fullness of the gospel and that when we act in faith, the Lord does and will continue to bless us with a testimony of these things. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Mailing Packages to Brasil

2009-07-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

Due to the increasing amount of packages that are being held by customs office here in Brasil, we again advise you to instruct your parents or close friends in that matter. Here is some important info (make sure you forward this information to your family/friends ASAP):

When sending a package, make sure you don’t declare a value superior to US$50,00. Packages with a declared value above that are subject to taxation of 60%. For example, if you send a 80 dollar package and it is held, the missionary will have to pay 48 dollars(approx. 96 reais) in order to retrieve it. Since missionaries only receive 100 reais (50 dollars) every two weeks this is not so easy, and this money is not reimbursed by the mission.

Also, when describing the contents, make sure not to use something that will withdraw too much attention. It is wise to write down “missionary supplies” instead of adding “clothing, cds, ipod, camera”. I advise you not to use “food” or “snacks” when declaring it, since any package that contains food may be opened for inspection by customs office, by law.

2009-07-16T10:01:00.001-07:00

July 8, 2009

Well, guess I’m officially old now, that’s a big fat 20 in the age old numbering system. Hope Mammoth was a good time, I’ll always have good memories of Mammoth, camping, hiking and catching a fish on a single cast into the big lake on the way down from, well not quite lake Ediza where we stayed the last time, hanging out with cousins, sleeping in the loft, willow whistles out back, the dog that played soccer... and the list goes on. Thanks for the memories :)

The birthday was pretty sweet, with the addition of a not so smelly camelback on my back a new cd to listen to and the little blow out things that interestingly enough are called Linguas das songras (Mother in law tongues) here in Brazil, which we didn’t use so much as a way to celebrate my birthday as we did to celebrate when some accepted or completed a challenge to read the book of Mormon, go to church, or be baptized. Thanks to all who contributed to the Happy B-day :).
Also among the specialness of the day was a family (mother daughter and Grandfather) that we found that night who accepted the invite to go to church and to be baptized on the 18th of July on the conditions that God touches their hearts and they feel the church is true. Which if they do their part He will do so, that was pretty exciting. That’s something I would really like to do, is to see the progress of a whole family move towards and take the step of faith required to be baptized. Its interesting to be here in an area such as this where the church is new, and there is so much opportunity for growth, but the sad thing is, alot of this depends on the members as a whole, working together to bring their friends in, to welcome in the investigators and recent converts, to have the desire to magnify their callings. I want so bad to see this branch become a ward here, but I guess I need to just be patient, do my part, and trust in the Lord that if I do my part, rely on Him, and wait patiently, that it will occur in His time and wisdom, for His thoughts are higher than my thoughts, and His ways higher than mine. As for current investigators, they're running a little low, but I have great hope for this family we met yesterday. Outside of them we are working with the family of this a girl who was baptized last week, whose parents need to have to take the step of faith that in getting married, God will bless them. We also met another special family Glacie, her sister and brother in law (D'ajuda and Alexander) and their four kids, all of which accepted the challenge to read the BOM, go to church and prepare to baptized on the 18th of this month (outside of the littlest Alanna). We are also teaching one of the kids who went sk8ing with us and his brother and sister, we have yet to teach their mom and dad, but they also seem to have a lack of interest, so we’ll see what happens there.

Well guess that’s about it for this week, I love you all and know that Christ lives and loves each and every one of us, that this is His church and that The book of Mormon contains the word of God as does the bible and the other standard works of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Love,

Elder Pettit

2009-07-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

July 1, 2009

Let’s see, news this week, not really a whole lot to report, everything ran well with the baptisms this past weekend, and I had the chance to confirm Josecleia in sacrament meeting, something I hadn’t had the chance to do as of yet on the mission. President Vecch officially became the president of the mission today; I think we'll be meeting him on the 13th of this month. And as a parting goal Pres Silva challenged us as a mission to work for 1000 baptisms in the last 6 months in which he served here, and as the final count came in at 1018 we were all pretty excited about that, the Lord truly blessed us. Something I’ve been realizing more and more recently is just how much we don’t do in this work, and how it’s really just the Faith exercised by the people who accept us into their homes and the influence of the Spirit that works here.

A couple good stories this week actually just came to mind, We are teaching a great family, Heraldo, Niçi (pronounced knee-se) and Thais, and this week as we talked about the word of wisdom we had a mini fiesta as we gathered around the bathroom to watch Heraldo flush his cigarette stuff down the toilet, (now that faith in action) Thais will be baptized on Saturday and were hoping that Heraldo will continue in his faith and marry Niçi, you could pray specifically for that if you like.
Other than them, we are working with young man about 16 years old named Maeco, who also came to church last Sunday, and said he liked it alot. The only problem is that it seems as though he is a bit embarrassed about being baptized, could pray for him as well to have the courage to move forward in faith.

I really don’t have a whole lot more to share at the moment, but perhaps in sacrament meeting you could throw in a little something about how a person that a member referred was baptized last weekend, and how much the missionary work would explode in productivity if they would just invite their friends, co workers, barbers, fellow dog walkers, book-clubbers, family members etc. to come to church, meet with the missionaries, come to a church activity, or even just eat dinner with the missionaries over sometime. I know from experience that it works wonders when the members reach out to share the gospel, and I know that it will continue to do so in faith that Gordon B. Hinckley, who was a prophet of God, and as he so clearly stated every new member needs a friend, among the nourishment of the word of God, and a calling, and might I add that as another prophet has clearly stated as well (see PMG right after chapt 1 for his name, I forget at the moment), our very exaltation in the celestial kingdom depends on how valiantly we share the gospel with our fellow men, (and yes, that means women too:p)
I know this is God's work, I know Christ is our Saviour, I am grateful for the opportunity I have to be here serving at the battlefront for the souls of our brothers and sisters, and urge each and every one of you to look for ways in which you can spread the gospel, in order to help "save the souls of men from the intensifying wrath of the adversary." (quote from Elder Hamula's conference talk from Oct.) In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Love
Elder Jacob Pettit

New Address

2009-06-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

June 24, 2009

WOOOOOHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Man, p day today was pretty sweet, we ran into a couple guys skating on the street corner last night, and I skated for a few with them, then we marked to go to a skate park here in our area with them. Good times just rolling around on a board again for a bit, our District leader came out to our area too, and he, those guys and I had a pretty good sk8 session... just thought I’d get that out at the beginning, (and my knee was just fine, not a single problem, woohhooo!)

Well let’s see, yes I do feel that time flies by, its kinda weird to let people know when they ask that I’ve been here for ... 9 months today actually.

After a somewhat slow start here in Porto, the Lord is Blessing us and the work is picking up as we have found a family to teach, among a good number of teenagers, and have at least one baptism this Saturday. Elvani is a single mom whose son was baptized a while back, but with no one to bring him to church went inactive. She is a really nice woman, and is one of many who has strong catholic roots in her family, but with a heart open to God’s will she made the steps to go to church this past Sunday and to read and pray about the book of Mormon. When we taught the first lesson and invited her to be baptized on the 27th, she agreed, and her 10 or 11 year old son Guilherme said excitedly, "you're going to get baptized mom? Really?" IM happy for them and for the decision she (Elvani ) made to ask God, to act in faith, and to decide to be baptized, what a blessing that will be in her family. She also lost her mom recently, so we'll be teaching her the 2nd lesson here soon, and share the doctrine of baptisms for the dead, and more about eternal families. Man id be pretty happy to hear about her going to the temple.

I think working in Vitoria da Conquista has prepared me to work here, I learned alot more about working with the members and the leaders of the ward, and prepared me to bring several new ideas to try in this area. The area here close to us is small, and Elder S. has been working here for about 4 months now and as such is a little burned out, so we're looking at staring to work at another part of the area where almost all of the members live, but it’s about an hour’s walk, so to save time, we are only going to work up there with references from members, and then leave the members responsible to bring the people to church on Sunday. I feel that working with the members and recent converts truly is the key here.

I don’t remember if I told you guys that the church is really new here, about 5-10 years old, and it’s amazing to be kind of "on the front" here, one of the neighboring branches here just bought a house to use in place of an Indian school that they were using (did I tell you there’s something akin to Indian reservations here close by) it really is a blessing to be here serving the Lord, and learning more and more how to trust in Him, and to serve more fully and effectively. I know God lives, and loves each and every one of us, that He will help us as we strive to do His will, for I know the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men save he shall provide a way for them to accomplish the thing which he hath commanded him.
This testimony I leave with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.
The new address

Elder Pettit
São Benedito 27, Antonio Tito
Porto Seguro-BA
45810-000
Brazil

BTW here’s a great recipe I picked up from a sister in Vit. Da Conq.

Its cabbage, but done in a fancy delicious sort of way. ( I think she made it up)

Cut up enough cabbage into thin slices to fill a small Pyrex dish (it depends on how much of this stuff you want)
Fry with a little oil; Garlic, onion, green pepper, sal (a pinch)
then stick it all together (the cabbage and the other stuff) and let it cook on low heat (don’t add water, there is enough in the cabbage)

While its simmering (I guess that’d be the word) take four eggs separated into the whites and the yolks, beat the whites until they turn white (reads really strangely, but really, just do it) and then add in the beaten egg yolks. then beat in parmesan cheese (grated/that powder) I don’t know how much, but however much you think would be good,
Then put the cooked cabbage mixture into the casserole dish, and pour the eggs/cheese mix over the top.
Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes and.... tada, you have a tasty cabbage... casserole. Good stuff, make it, enjoy.

2009-06-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

June 17, 2009

Traveling to Porto Seguro was pretty cool, I left about 6 30 in the morning and got here about 2 in the afternoon. It was a beautiful area we passed through, and with the weather being cooler and rainy in the heights where Vit. da Conquista resides, traveling to the hotter lowlands I got to see a good bit of misty topped hills, all in all very cool, I snagged some pics, though won’t know if they really came out yet. I’ll try to send some your way in a bit.

As of yet there’s not a whole lot of tourists though it seems they’ll get here in the next month or so. Not too excited about that to tell you the truth, but tudo bem.

Let’s see, had a great last week in the area in Conquista, I’m def. going to miss some good people there. Here in Porto Seguro there is only a branch, but I’m really excited to work here with Elder Schreiner, who is from Porto Alegre, looks like an American, and probably speaks better English then I do Portuguese. I met the president of the branch yesterday, or Monday actually, and he seems like a great leader for this branch, supports the missionary work and seems to care about the members. Yesterday we had a great experience with a partially less active family in the branch. A sister passed away early this week and we passed by to see if we could help, and to leave the message of the plan of Salvation if it seemed right. What a great experience it was, the spirit testified strongly to the family there and to me as well, of the truthfulness and the true comfort that we have in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, including the knowledge of what happens to after we die, where we were before we came to earth, and for those of us still here, why we are here. I know that the gospel was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith, that our families can be sealed such that we can be together for time and all eternity if we but live faithfully to the sacred covenents we make in the temple, and I know that this is possible only by way of Our heavenly Father's love for us, in sending His only begotten son Jesus Christ, in whose sacred name I leave this testimony, Amém.

Elder Pettit

2009-06-16T11:20:00.001-07:00

2009-06-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

June 6, 2009

Let’s see, packing since I left the CTM... it’s a bit harder each time for some reason, I ended up using the extra bag on the way from Itapetinga to get here, but I’m up for making a change and using the standard two bag approach, packing smart is the key, and not just packing to get there is the key, I haven’t really picked up any souvenirs yet. Speaking of souvenirs, I lost a good number of my fotos here on the mission because the memory card I was using had some sort of error, fortunately the foto place here has a program of attempting to save goofy memory cards, and some of my pics were saved, which I promptly put on a cd. Lessons learned? not gonna leave 8 months of fotos on a single memory card again.

Yes, the table cloth is a nice touch, baby blue with white designs...

We were blessed with a baptism yesterday of a young man named Giovani, he has 16 years old, and it’s been really great seeing him change under the spirits direction. He and his brothers are all hooked on playing video games, which made it interesting teaching at first, and in actuality we stopped going by after a couple visits as they weren’t progressing, but then a little while after we ran into his mom in the street, who said he wanted to talk to us and she asked if we could stop by and talk with him. So we did, and after going to church a couple times he was set to baptized last Saturday night, but when we got to his house (unfortunately a bit later then we had planned) he had already gone to the church, so we headed off to meet him they, calling ahead to see if he had gotten there yet, as far as the people we talked with know, they didn’t see him, but what seems to have happened is that he went there after we didn’t show up on time, and then by the time we got there, he'd already left. We thought in the moment that someone had spoken a bunch of crazy lies about the church to him, (a common one being that there is a black bull in the church that everyone has to try and ride, but if one tries without success will be killed) Long story short when we talked to him on Monday, we found out what really happened, and upon clearing up the confusion we asked when he wanted to be baptized, and he said, tomorrow, and so he was. When we showed up to bring him to church for the baptism, he wasn’t to be found, that is until Joyce his two year old sister lets us know that someone was under the bed... Funny stuff, its good fun to mess around with him and his brothers and sister. It’s been great here, I’ve made alot of good friends with the members and investigators, and it’ll be sad to say good bye if I get transferred on Sunday.
Well I should be going, but I want to leave my testimony with you all that I know that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, that he has a plan and a vision for each and every one of us, that if we will but give our will over to Him, listening to the Spirit's voice, He will guide us in the "more fertile parts of the wilderness" just as he did with Lehi and his family. I know that the gospel was restored through Joseph Smith, that the Book of Mormon contains the words of God, and that the power of the priesthood was again placed here on the earth such that we can receive the necessary ordinances for our salvation. In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amém.

Elder Pettit

PS please pass the word on that the address in Vitoria da Conquista probably won’t be valid any longer. Thanks much :)

2009-06-03T10:32:00.001-07:00

June 3, 2009

Alo!!

Good to hear things are going well on the home front, All is well here on my end of things, Next week we have transfers and I think I’ll be heading out of here, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
The area is really starting to look up here, we have another baptism on Saturday, a 16 year old guy named Giovani. It’s been interesting and really great to see the change the Spirit has led him to make in his life, and also in the lives of several other investigators here recently. Giovani went to church alone last Sunday, is playing less violent video games, and has even begun reading the bible in addition to the Book of Mormon, though. It's a lot of fun visiting with him as well, as he has 2 younger brothers and a younger sister, (Jackson, Alex and Joyce) and it’s a good round of zuando about Sao Paulo's soccer team being better then the Corinthians, poking fun at their hair, (which Giovani cut) or mine for that matter (which Giovani also cut) or frequent use of the phrase "galego está tendo sucçeso". In the beginning they didn’t seem too interested, but then out of nowhere Giovani had an allergic reaction, and after which we ran into his mom in the street, who said he wanted to talk to us and invited us to come visit. And he has been progressing ever since. It’s also been great because Larissa (the girl who was baptized a lil while ago) knows him from school, and apart from a fight they had (because he said her mouth was like a duck's bill) in which she ended up punching him, they are great friends. We held a FHE at her place with Giovani, her cousin (Fernando who will be baptized in 2 weeks), and some neighbor's kids, and everyone had a good time and wanted to keep going when it came time for us to leave. Larissa is a great example of determination in following the Spirit and is a great support to her neighbors, cousin, and Giovani as well in progressing towards being baptized.
Also of note that woman (Redilane) who went to church thinking she was going to die, went to church again, has the name and address of a friend to visit, is reading the book of Mormon with several friends, is amazingly excited about learning all she can in the Book of Mormon, taking in the story and everything, talking to everyone about the "Mormons" and gave me a big beautiful bible with a personal dedication written in the front. Her son Iago also went to church last Sunday and we have come into brief contact with her ex husband through her as well. (btw it’s kind of ridiculous how much Iago looks like Stephen)
In terms of working with the ward things are looking better, the bishop is trusting in us, we are beginning to receive some more references from the members, and judging by the last activity, the excitement level and attendance at the "missionary activity" is improving as well.
The Lord has blessed us immensely as I think about it.
I know that this is the Lord's work, the gospel was restored through Joseph Smith, Jesus Christ is our Savior, and through Him and righteous choices in our lives we can return to live with our Heavenly Father After our time here on Earth. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Pettit

2009-05-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

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

Misc Pictures

2009-05-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

2009-05-25T10:41:00.001-07:00

2009-05-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

2009-05-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

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.

New letter address

2009-05-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

April 22, 2009
"Weather" or not the missionaries like it, it’s been raining a ton here, and though strange, there has also been the normal cooling of temperatures here, I’ve been blessed to be placed here in Vit. da Conquista which has that nice tendency of all cities of higher altitudes that is, to stay a bit cooler, and indeed it does get pretty cool here (55-60 degrees maybe) , but no snow as of yet :p, disappointing, though seeing as I have nothing more than a suit jacket to protect me from such, I’m grateful for the cool but not freezing weather we have here.

Pass along my congrats to Sabrina

As it turns out I didn’t (purchase an instrument), it was kinda of a ridiculous price cause they didn’t really want to sell it, (it being one of the instruments they used in their show) but it was pretty cool to play it for a bit, one of the natives there taught me how to play (not sure if I already told you that, or the fact that one of the people selling stuff with them was a member of the church from... Ecuador if I remember correctly) but also we didn’t end up having time to head over there in-between appointments with investigators.

Speaking of investigators, we have a baptism scheduled for this Saturday, Grasiele who is 17 years old will be baptized, she’s been investigating the church for about two weeks now and is already finishing Alma in her reading of the book of Mormon. (now for the 2nd time, she read it once before we even talked with her) We also have a family (or at least the mom) who will be baptized in two weeks, she (the mom Iona) has been progressing in her reading of the Book of Mormon, and feels that the church is true, she just has some fears about the changes she has to make in her life, having been a strong Catholic all her life, but is willing to make them, tentatively at this point, but is continuing onward. Not to mention were pretty excited about all this, the area has been kind of slow as many people we come into contact with keep maybe the 1st commitment to read and pray to receive an answer, but afterwards, desist in continuing, decide not to go to church, or run from us because someone told them some crazy thing that "the Mormons" do. On that note there was a man this week who, until we explained to him a bit better the idea of baptism for the dead, thought we took dead bodies of people that hadn’t been baptized and literally baptized their corpse... simplicity and clarity in teaching is another one of those things so key here in the work that I’m learning to do better.
We're also working with an inactive woman we found in the area book, and now have two new promising investigators as a result, she lives with her mom at this point (once was married (the Daughter) but now is divorced) and is working towards coming back to church. in the midst of all this exciting news though we’ve had to leave Jamile's family a bit behind as they aren’t progressing, but at this point Jeane (Jamile's mom) has committed to go to church on Sunday and if she follows through with her commitment, we'll continue teaching, but if not, we'll have to leave her until she has the desire. It saddens me and makes me think that these feelings must be but a tiny bit of how God feels when we choose to let others or the things of the world take us away from Him.
Well, love you all, and know that God does too, and for this He has called a prophet in our day, to help and guide us through these last days before the coming of Christ, we have but to listen to, and act on his inspired direction. And this my testimony I leave with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Jacob Pettit

Answering questions asked by family.
PS: Most days we have lunch in a member's house.
Most of our time tracting?... depends on the day, generally at the beginning of the week, yes, but afterwards we do a lot more teaching and following up with people.

2009-04-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

April 15, 2009

Well, not much sun these days here in Conquista... rain, rain, rain, which makes one of the areas we´ve been working in a bit difficult, it’s an hour walk or so and there is a big hole, kind of a mini Grand Canyon which only grows bigger with each downpour, and at this point the land bridge that once existed there is gone, washed away by the rain, so the only option is take the bus, or jump the hole... we have a golden investigator up there though, one of those people that strengthens testimonies that God prepares people for the gospel, her name is Grasiele and though pregnant, was willing to make the hour long walk to church on Sunday (though with the recently made impassable hole there, we decided last minute Sunday morning to pay for the bus) she has been doing her part, and is making the necessary changes in her life to one day return to our Heavenly Father. She is also enjoying reading the BOM, and last time we checked, she was in Jacob 4-5 (this in addition to the chapters we marked for her)

Jeanne and her family are still teetering on the edge, but we are hoping and praying that they will come to church on Sunday, Jamile who was baptized a few weeks ago (Jeane's daughter) is fighting a good bit of peer and family pressure (aunts uncles cousins etc) but has decided to return to church on Sunday. Its interesting to note that part of her thinking in not returning to church was the fact that she hadn’t been there for 2 weeks in a row, and as such thought that the members here would judge her, and not accept her, or some sort of deal like that, who knows how many people out there are kept from coming back to church for the same reason. Some food for thought there...

Had a cool experience today, there were some natives from Ecuador who were playing in the center of town today, their native music with an interesting twist, somewhat synthesized sound. They use legit instruments though, and thus I had a great interest in well, buying one, they had cheapo instruments there, but we talked with some of the people who were selling the goods there, (one of which was a member, who returned from her mission 12 years ago or so, thought that’s was pretty cool) (also of note was understanding Spanish, kinda weird to hear after port. for so long, but cool) and I got to play some of their instruments there, and may end up buying one of them on Saturday before they pack up and leave.... here’s to hoping, it’s a bit expensive, at more or less R$200 (about 100 bucks) but I’m thinking I may come around and do it... it seems like the instruments were based on somewhat of a pentatonic scale.

I know God lives, and that this is the church that he brought back here to earth with the power and authority to help us return to His presence, all we have to do is our part. Have Faith in Christ, seek to repent of our sins, be baptized by one who holds the priesthood of God, receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by one with that same priesthood of God, and last of all, endure to the end, pray always, read and study the scriptures, go to church to partake of the sacrament and renew our covenants. and though these small and simple things, great things will be brought to pass. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Love
Elder Pettit

Address to send letters to!

2009-04-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here is the address directly to Jacob's apartment in Conquista.

Elder Pettit
Avenida Amazonas 690 Casa 2
CEP 45030-220 Vitoria Da Conquista, Ibirapuera,-BA
Brasil

2009-04-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

April 8, 2009

Well let's see, what's big on the news for this week, how about general conference, I think of all the talks, that of Elder Holland's was my favorite. I felt the Spirit there as he spoke of the Saviour's sacrifice for us. As for the rest, I understood what was being said, but I'm going to download them in English and make a cd so I can really delve into them a bit better. What about the rest of you? Highlights from conference?

Had an interesting experience last night, there was a man who invited us to "help him clarify his doubts about the "Mormon doctrine" and as expected, was not really so interested in clarifying doubts as he was in pouring numerous amounts of anti-Mormon literature from shady internet sources into a conversation as well as explaining a good bit about his religion. I learned a good bit about the 7th day Adventists, and also a deeper meaning of the prophesy of how men would battle and bash with the intelligence of man, demanding visible proofs of everything, and denying the Spirit of God. We simply listened to him, asked him if he would be baptized if God touched his heart, bore testimony, read the Articles of Faith and James 1:5 told him that would answer all of his questions , and invited him to visit the church and take a look at the library there. Foi bom.

In other news, the work here is progressing, though we had a bit of a set back this past weekend, the family we had been working with to be baptized after conference fell through, no one was there when we passed by, and it seemed like the whole street was waiting for us, watching to see if the family would go. Man there's been a lot of persecution there.

In lieu of all this we felt to focus on another neighborhood about 45min-1hour walk from our place, and a bit more then that to the chapel, it is a walk but we've already found several people there who are willing to make the sacrifice necesary, and the general feeling there is much more friendly.

Jacob

2009-04-02T05:03:00.000-07:00

April 1, 2009
Yes indeedy, it has been a little over 6 months already, weird I know, As for highlights... I think the best would be the baptism of three kids Valmar, Vanessa, and Venisius, and their mom, their intent on getting married so that she could be baptized too. It was a sunny day back in Itapetinga, (as a side note, just previous to the baptism Valma, Venisius and one of their friends Igor were performing various spinning kicks/cartwheels kapoeira deals, twas pretty cool) thinking back to that day makes me think of the hymn There is Sunshine in My Soul today, undoubtedly one of the highlights, though seeing Isadora heading to seminary without any help from us was pretty cool as well. Also not to be forgotten, the first day I made pizza, and it turned out amazingly delicious, and quite nutritious, man that was a good p day, also of recent note my new companion has probably one of the greatest laughs I’ve ever heard in my life, it just keeps going, and going, and going. (I’ll explain more later) Other highlights include memories of Maria, a woman back in Itapetinga, a recent convert, 60 years old or so, seeing her at stake conference, then having her lean back in her seat on the bus to say in a not so quiet whisper something to the effect of, "Eu não estava indo na conferencia, mas eu estou aqui para matar minha soldade de vocês" or in other words, I wasn’t going to come, but I did to kill the feelings I have of missing you elders. Also of note was the time she hugged Elder S. when we came to her house one Sunday night, that was pretty funny. Almost wish I took a video of her funny-- loving, great woman. The hardest struggles, hmmm, would have to be dealing with a trunky companion who's fiance recently decided to call of the wedding when he had only 4-5 months left on the mission which sent him into a pretty rough, well, I think you could say depression, in which he almost never slept, hardly ate, and was always thinking about her. Resulting in lack of desire to even leave the house to go to work. Other than that, every once in awhile days come around where it seems like nobody understands what I’m saying. But really what I’ve come to think is trials/struggles are only what you make them, it all depends on me ( or you) it can be a stumbling block, of a step on the stairway to heaven.

Big news this week, transfers, ELder M. left for Salvador the mission office, and Elder N. (Another Brazilian wooohooooo!) came here, he is from Fortaleza, surfs, was in a rock band at one point with what I believe was a green mohawk, and is a great guy with whom I have thus far been enjoying working with. He is very much about keeping the commandments and mission rules, to obtain the right to blessings (baptisms, etc) and thus far we’ve got a good number of people heading to General Conference this weekend and most of whom will probably be baptized on Sunday. Granted usually a good number fall through, but of particular note is the Family of Jamile who was baptized a couple weeks ago. Jeane (her mom) and her two brothers will be baptized on Sunday as (I hope) will be her sister Jirlane. That family (especially Jeane) has had to deal with a lot of persecution from the relatives who live on the same street. Of particular note is their aunt (I think) who is a very strong Catholic and seems to really be making investigating the church and being baptized a difficult thing for them, and I think it’s been effecting Jamile a good bit. I think Jirlane is having a hard time accepting a baptismal date as a result of this as well. For instance the other night as Jeane went to call in one of her sons to listen to our message about the atonement, one of the relatives tried to quiet her by yelling at her to let him go if he didn’t want to listen. And many other instances I’m sure happen on a daily basis of I’m not aware of. But it seems that Jeane has decided to follow her feelings and thus has chosen to be baptized on Sunday with her two sons. I have the feeling Jirlane will as well, for when we invited them to General Conference to hear the prophet speak, she became very much interested, in all reality probably the most excited/interested I’ve seen her in anything we’ve talked about there.

On a slightly less important note, I sk8ed for 5-10 min yesterday night on the way back home, there were a bunch of guys sk8ing a rail in the street, talked with them for a bit borrowed a pair of shoes and a board, then commenced to fall every time I tried to pull any trick, 180, 3 flip, you name it. Muscles just weren’t there to do it, man that was kinda depressing. But they were really nice and who knows, maybe someday I’ll buy a board and some shoes here for the p day, (yeah I think I’ll ask pres. about that today)

Well that’s it for this week. If any of you who are reading this have never heard the prophet of God speak or been to a General Conference (of our church), go out and see/listen for yourselves, and then ask God, our Heavenly Father in prayer (In the Bible, James 1:5) if he (the prophet) really is a prophet of God, who receives revelation from God to guide His (God's) church here on the earth, and for those of you who have, invite a friend or two or three to watch it with you, for it is expected of those of us who have been warned to warn our neighbor. (The conference can be watched through your cable on KBYU or log on the www.lds.org to view the conference over the internet. It is on Sat 4/4 and Sunday 4/5 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. mountain standard time--both days)

I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God, who can speak, face to face with Jesus Christ, I know that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, (John 3:16-17) I know that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints isn’t the only church with truth, but it is the only church with the power of God to perform the ordinances such as baptism that we need to one day return to our Father In Heaven. And I know these things not because someone told me, but because I have felt this too be true as the Holy Ghost has testified to me throughout my life through my feelings (Galatians 5:22) In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Elder Jacob Pettit

2009-03-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

March 25, 2009

Thanks to all who sent letters I got a number of them this past zone conference and have enjoyed reading them all, and then some again..

Do you crazy cats get the Liahona there in the states? or is it just here in Brazil (even in English its called the Liahona here... just wondering) it’s interesting, the articles I’ve seen lately in the church magazines have had a lot to do with member missionary work... speaking of which, there are some really great members here in the ward, last night after passing by Jamile's place (more on her family coming up) I received the impression that we should stop by this sister's house and ask if she could pass by Jamile's place and just see how they were doing during the week, make friends with her mom etc. and boom, "yeah I’ll do it" I can pass by tal sister’s place to find out where she lives, and yeah, I’ll pass by there.... amazing, if we had more help like that in the ward, all of Conquista would be baptized and firm at that. Jamile's family (minus one brother and her dad) went to church this past Sunday, it was kind of funny as we passed by, everyone was ready there with the desire to go, minus her little 9 year old brother Felipe, who wanted to fly his kite (An avid past time of many kids here) who ended up heading to church crying along the way, but as you might imagine, he came home excited as ever about church, and he will probably be baptized here this weekend or the next with his other sister Jirlane. Though as of yet Jirlane hasn’t completed the Book of Mormon reading, she isn’t such a big fan of the whole reading end of things. I love heading there to teach them, though their street has a bit of opposition, and it seems that her family has a long history of Catholics with the mentality of born Catholic, die Catholic, and the only baptism I need is that of when I was a baby. I hope that she (or in reality, all of them) will do their part, "experimenting upon the word" and pray to ask God if it’s true, the only one who can and will manifest the truth of all things unto them, if they but give place for the word, even with only the desire to believe, and ask God in faith (meaning that they will act in accordance with the feelings they received), they will come to know the truth. For if they ask their pastor, he will give his opinion that his church is the one they should stick with, if they ask us, we'll say ours is that which they should join, but if they ask God, which church will He tell them they should join? His? or some other. I know that this is the Church Of Jesus Christ in our days, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that he saw God the Father and His son Jesus Christ, and that they restored the fullness of the gospel through him, with the power and authority to perform the ordinances necessary for our salvation.

Jacob

2009-03-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

March 18, 2009

General Conference (check out www.lds.org for those who don’t know what this is on April 4th and 5th) here will be at the stake center (where my ward meets) and who knows, maybe I’ll get to see some of the Itapetinga crew, that’d be pretty cool,

Jamile's baptism was great, It seems that her family might be a bit more hesitant about exercising their faith like her, her sister has yet to follow through with her word, as does her mom, but on the upside one of her cousins went to church this last Sunday, and liked it, unfortunately there were some other boys his age who were messing around during sacrament meeting who I think detracted from his experience. We taught his mom once already, (with the big group of girls aforementioned) and met his father Monday night, he seems open to us coming by, welcoming in fact, but he was also a bit drunk, so that might have influenced things, they are a great family though, and I think Jamile will be a great help there, did I mention already how we were teaching her sister, and when her sister had doubts about committing to prepare to be baptized, Jamile raised her hands asked if she could share something she read in the book of Mormon 3Nephi 11,
33 And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.
34 And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned. (also in Marcus 16:16)
( I think she’s the first investigator I’ve ever seen 1st, mark scriptures she liked in the assigned chapters, and 2nd, "burn" a family member, as Elder M. would say, era da hora)

Elder M. went into the doctor, got some x-rays, had them read... and as a result received a nice shot in the backside... and it seems like not much has changed... don’t remember if I explained this, but it is a problem with a lack of cartilage so bone is against bone... not fun to say the least.

Kapoeira... tis a good time, maybe I’ll even come home with some of their crazy pants, more of less fluffy white pants... strange I know, but the sport of its self is pretty cool... as of yet I have only the basic movement down though, a good bit more time is needed, hope Elder D. and I will be in the same area another transfer...

Well, I guess that’s all I’ve got time for this week, but the address here to write letters directly to me (only while I’m here in Conquista) is Avenida Amazonas 690 Ibirapuera Casa 2 not sure about the zip code... should be easy to find online though... if you can't find it I'll try to find out/remember to bring it next week.

I know that God lives, that this is His gospel, and His church led by His prophet, through which we can hear His words, and be guided through the "more fertile parts of the wilderness" to the "promised land" of His Celestial Kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

Elder Jacob Pettit

2009-03-22T19:18:00.001-07:00

Well let’s see, new area and the past week in review... Elder M. and I share a lot of the same interests, and I think have similar personalities, it’s been great being with him as a comp. seeing as he likes to talk, and so I'm learning a good bit of Portuguese here with him, Elder L. and Elder D. (E. Diego is a kapoeira instructor, and so today I started learning some basic moves, I’m pretty excited to learn, it’s kind of a dance using karate-ish moves) Unfortunately though, we haven’t been working a whole lot here, I think I already mentioned Elder M. is a tired trunky missionary with a knee problem. SO again this week we haven’t done a whole lot, but we have been blessed in the work here, Last week we had a baptism for CLeide a little girl Elder M. and his old comp. were teaching, and during the end of last week, we met and taught a group of 6 girls (various mothers and daughters) and all of them fell through before Sunday, but because of them, we were led to another family, which has been prepared for the gospel, the youngest daughter (12) Jamile went to church on Sunday and already began talking about baptism before we taught her, She attended church a bit a year or so ago with her now inactive aunt who lives with her. Her mom at one point this week wasn’t going to let her continue going to church anymore. But as we talked with her, we asked her if someone spoke bad things about the church, that we take people to other countries, take out people’s eyes or organs, etc. after asking how we knew, we explained, and she opened up to us, there is also a member nearby who is somewhat friends with Jiane (Jamile´s mom) and thus just another way this family has been prepared to enter the way leading back to God's Kingdom. Jamile will be baptized Saturday or Sunday, and is also excited to go to a young woman’s activity on Saturday. The ward here seems to be really pretty good at having activities (pretty much every weekend for the girls and soccer every week for the guys,) I know the Lord will guide us in this work which is in reality, His work, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man if we but listen to His Spirit, and act without fear.
Well, time is running short here, but again I hope all is well with you all, I know this is God's church on the earth, with all the authority and truth necessary to enable us to one day return to His presence. I read an interesting thing the other day, I forget who wrote it, (maybe pres. Kimball) it was called “7 Deadly Heresies”, and in it he explained how this life is the time to orient our lives for a track that eventually leads to become how our Father in Heaven is, we aren’t going to reach that level in this life, we don’t have too, we just have to do our best, making those simple decisions to go to church, read the scriptures, pray and so on, and if we do these things seeking to submit to the will of the Lord, great things indeed will be brought to pass, but again, it is only after all we can do, that we are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer. I leave this my testimony with you all in the name of Jesus Christ Amém.

Jacob

Transferred

2009-03-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

Opa!!!! estão beleza e tudo mais? Conquista... well, its certainly a bit different than Itapetinga here both with comp. and area. Elder M. is from São Paulo and the others here in our district are also from Brazil, I’ve really been blessed on that end. (as a side note perhaps just to sat e my pride Elder M.thought I was from Brasil woohooo) I def. learn much better in the speaking of Portuguese than learning by the book. And being around only Brazilians (or at least most) thus far in the mission has been a great blessing for me in vocab, grammar, pronunciation and so on with the language.
The area here seems a bit more difficult then Itapetinga, it also kind of strange the way things are set up, take for example the fact that our house isn’t in our area. The area is set up by bairro" meaning neighborhood more or less, and so our area is a bit irregular or at least for me coming from where our area was the whole city. Elder M and his former comp have been working in one of the only poor areas here in the area, but its about 45min-hour walk (I think) and we have to leave before 6 to get out safely, add to that the fact that lunch is about where we live and it becomes unrealistic to head up there before lunch. thus we have very little time to find new investigators there, not to mention they’ve been working a lot with recent converts from upwards of 2 months ago, leaving even less time. Something’s gotta change, or this area is just going to die out. Fortunately it looks like we’re going to head to another area here closer to home, in which we can really start to work, but, Elder M. has a knee problem as well for which we are going to the doctors for tomorrow to see what is to be done. All in all a difficult situation, but on the upside it seems there is a good strong member to leave the recent converts with (though I fear it's a bit of a heavy load 2-3 houses with one man...) and also we have a little girl of 8 years that Elder M. and Elder R. were working with who will be baptized this Saturday, she has several friends who are members and her mom has given her authorization to be baptized. All in all I think that scripture you sent in this weeks email is perfect for the moment, where is that scripture found? Hoping to get to work here sometime soon, we’ve been here two days as of yet and I feel like we don’t do anything, more to come in the letter on this (btw, I can receive letters at the house here, apparently semi reliably, I will send the next letter with the address.)

Toe continues on the mend.

The new house is pretty big for only 2 elders, decent kitchen, big study room, two bedrooms, tiny bathroom, another room we don’t use, and a little area in the back with the washing machine and clothesline. all n all remarkably clean for a mission house, apparently the sisters used to live here... probably has something to do with it.

The area directly around our house is pretty nice, the streets here are mostly asphalt thankfully, much easier on the feet, don’t know how to describe the houses... I’ll see if I can finagle something with a photo in the next email or letter, but as of yet I really don’t know the area so it's hard to say anything other than that.

We have a nice chapel here, pretty big to boot though again I understand there are only 50 or so active members at the moment. though there are two wards that meet in the building.

The trip went well, fortunately I’d come here before so I knew what I was looking for, no surprises there, including when nobody showed up for 30 min or so... it’s kind of a joke here on the mission, always happens.

Teaching, well, like I said I feel like we aren’t doing anything, we’ve been in 4 or 5 houses since I've been here, two of which were members... yeah, not to satisfied either, hoping to figure out some way to get it so we will start to work.

I know this is the Lord's work, that this is His glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life or man and that when he gives commands, He provides a way for them to be accomplished. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Jacob

2009-02-26T11:40:00.000-08:00

Big news for the week, looks like Ill be staying here in Itapetinga for another transfer. Woohooo!! also of note, I’m done with the whole switching the bandage on my toe, now its just showing its ugly face in the sunlight, peeking out from underneath the cuff of my pants, reminds me of Emperor Palpatine every time I look at it, I’ll see if I can get some photos sent out sometime soon, it seems the email of the church wont let me, though maybe its just a lack of know-how on my part.
Carnival is ending here, though thankfully in Itapetinga we didn’t have much to deal with, though a drunk man confronted us the other night in the street, saying the devil sent the message, asking what the purpose of life was, All around absolutely smashed and trying to start something as he pushed at our shoulders a bit, I gave him a card of the message and he grabbed some stuff out of my shirt pocket, at which point I asked him more or less, "what, will you break a commandment of God and steal?" he returned the stuff, (all during the midst of a group of others saying, "let them work", What are you doing etc. ) and as we walked away he followed after us, but fortunately did nothing more than apologize. It wasn’t till later I realized the Lord´s protection, and how things might have been diff. how many prayers of let us go home in safety are answered without us knowing?

Had a big meeting with most of the active members of the ward Sunday night, and handed out assignments to the members to pass by the houses of recent converts, two times a week, and also to bring them to church on Sunday, also put in place a system of reporting. We will see the results of the meeting today as we call out to the leaders to see how people have been taking their responsibility. There seems to have been a division as I first mentioned when I got here, and hopefully that will lessen as we all work together to help the ward grow, the goal set is to have 75 people attending by the end of the transfer. (requirement for a chapel) I found out an interesting fact this past Sunday as well, apparently at one point there were about 100 ppl or so active in the ward here, but many went inactive, moved away etc. The land for a chapel was bought, but the stake president never put out the money for the chapel, and with time, the numbers weren’t sufficient to build one. As for the meeting, it seemed well enough accepted with more then just us as missionaries talking, thankfully. Though there was a bit of strong pessimism from a small percentage, guess we’ll see though, no unhallowed hand can stop the work.

Ward activities, there was a cry for them at the meeting on Sunday, but then people retorted that if we have them, people have to come, there seems to be a great desire to just show up to church on Sunday for many and not much more, but then again who am I to judge. I wasn’t much of a member missionary. Man my views on that end of things have changed.

We met a man a couple days back who is set to be baptized on Sunday who seems really sincere about finding the answer. We have only had a chance to meet with him once as of yet, so we’ll see how things go when we meet with him tomorrow.

Elder Pettit

2009-02-19T12:03:00.000-08:00

February 18, 2009

(In regards to the flu going around their apartment-and Jacob not getting it) Thankfully I did, and it seems to have passed through our apartment woohooo!! Other medical news the toe is still on the mend, orange sandals and a big white bandage are still the biggest things in style here in Itapetinga, transfers seem to have been delayed for a week here, so this a Saturday we'll find out if I stay or go...
Thanks for posting the address, I love getting letters.

Hair cut? They’ve got local barber shops here in Itapetinga, and thankfully we found one without porn posted on the walls to go to, it’s about $5 per cut generally speaking.

Well, let's see, this past week has been good, though we were all ready for transfers to arrive, Elder Jenkins has been getting a little ancy as he has been here in Itapetinga for 5-6 months(I think there about) We had an interesting time in Church this past Sunday, only four young men (Valmar, Igor, Helio, and Eliandro) were able to make it, and well as 12-15 year old boys are bound to do, when one begins to act up, the rest are as well, and after having them hanging around in a tree outside the entrance to the chapel, yelling out our names for a little bit of time I admit my patience was tried, so Elder Severo and I went out there to get them to at least quite down (Interesting what a difference is made when their parents aren’t around) and As one of them just didn’t seem to want to calm/quiet down we left church early with them to drop them off at their homes again, but before leaving had a neat experience with them (minus the fact that one of them would not shut his mouth) In trying to get them to realize the importance of Church, and why they at least needed to be quiet, I asked each one of them, why they came to church in the first place, starting with Valmar, who responded that he felt God touched his heart and told him it was the thing to do and that the church was true, this continued through each of the others except the one who kept them all riled up and made fun of them as they answered, (though he too answered with in a similar manner) I was a bit well, perturbed to say the least, and we left to bring them home. Through this experience I feel I have experienced a little about what it means to be a scout leader, and/or parent, but also a renewed testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, and the strength of the spirit, that would cause even 12-15 year old boys full of energy and whatnot to say even in the presence of one who is making fun of them, that God touched their heart and they feel of the truthfulness of the Gospel.
Currently working on a plan which we will present to the ward including how they will help the ward grow by bringing people (specifically at the moment recent converts) to church on Sundays, so that we can work on just bringing the people we found that week. this will also help those who have recently been baptized make friendships and not feel connected to the church only through the missionaries, and thereby eliminating the likelihood that once the missionaries leave, they will stop going to church. The ward seems reluctant to do more then just show up at church on Sunday (save a few exceptions) but we will hope, pray and do what we can to excite them and feel of their responsibility to help the work of the Lord move forward. The goal of this plan for the moment is to have 75 people attending church regularly within the next month and a half, (Starting at about 25) if any of you have any ideas feel free to send em my way :)

Well, I know this is the restored Church of Christ, that Christ is our Redeemer, that God is our Heavenly Father, and that if we just do those small and simple things, reading the scriptures and applying them in our life, praying each day, going to church on Sundays, in reality exercising our faith, the Lord will bless us, and we will return to live with our Heavenly Father.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém.

Jacob

2009-02-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

Feb. 11, 2009

Thankfully the toe is pretty much a thing of the past, just have to go into the hospital every couple days to change up the bandage, though it looks like this’ll be the last week, WOOO hoooo just in time for transfers, I have mixed feelings as to whether or not I want to be transferred, but fortunately I don’t have to worry about that decision. Itapetinga has been good, it’s been interesting as this transfer has been coming to a close, I’ve looked back at the success and the failures, the things that have changed, within and without me. That’s something that’s diff. about the mission, it’s split into smaller periods of time, set up for goal setting, looking back at where you’ve come in a six week period, it’s almost like a happy new year every month and a half. And though I haven’t thought too much into things yet (time to think about those sorts of things is a little scarce on a mission) I feel a great desire to and to set new goals. That’s become something I’ve had a greater desire to do, without goals, we just spend most of our time dribbling the ball up and down the field of life.

Went to the zoo here in Itapetinga today, thought it would be a dinky little place judging by the size of the town, but as it turns out it was really pretty cool. It’s a lot different then the zoos in the states as all the roads were dirt, they had random trails leading through the forest with animal statues and tribal looking things as well scattered throughout. (not to mention the wild monkeys, SOOOO COOOOLLL) also of note were the pigeons they had there, not outside the cages but in... that was a bit of a site to see, don’t think you’d find that anywhere in the states. Also had a good number of sweet birds, turtles, crocodiles, a puma, porcupine.... and another strange find hamsters yes hamsters, and some rabbits. Also got some cool shots of the plant life there, it’s so sweet being in a diff. climate like this. Oh and before I forget a big ole banana spider that Elder Severo practically walked right into, (I’ll send a pic next week) it was chilling right there across one of the trails.

This week has been a bit slow on the work as Elder Severo has been sick a good number of days (3-4) with a flu like deal. Elder Matos also picked it up, but fortunately the rest of us have stayed out of it. But the work as been slowed as a result, but it looks like Creuza will finally be coming to Church this Sunday, we taught her the 2nd lesson this past weekend which hopefully brought some eternal perspective into here life, and comforted her concerning her son who was killed awhile back. We also baptized a boy named Eleo, who seems excited to come to church this Sunday (couldn’t last week as we had stake conference out in Conquista, bom de mais, I’ll explain more later) we will be baptizing his brother this Saturday, and hopefully the parents will follow. As of yet though they aren’t married. Redinaura (Eleo's mom) has a problem with drinking and smoking but is trying to stop, and in the short week and a half that we’ve been visiting with her family, I've seen a great change in her, she seems to be happier when we swing by her place, and it seems she is drunk less often when we pass by. It's rough though as of yet, it seems her husband is still drinking a good bit and we haven’t been able to really catch him in the house sober yet.

Stake conference was great, President Silva spoke as well as his wife, and other leaders in the stake. The themes of the talks were more or less consecrating everything to the Lord, building faith, hope in the plan of salvation, preparing for the future, (financially, food storage etc) and uniting the family in the gospel of Christ. All of which reminded me of general conference and how these really are the last days, and how the hearts of Zion are being prepared for the Second coming of the Lord.

Well that’s all I’ve got time for today, love you all, thanks for the letters and packages, I got the one with the fruit leather and measuring stuff at the conference. (speaking of which made the syrup today, pretty good if I may say so myself) thanks much. I know this is the only true and living church on the earth today, with a prophet who can speak with the Lord, face to face as Moses did, with 12 apostles, and the priesthood authority to baptize and perform the saving ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know Christ is our Savior, and that He lives and loves each and every one of us. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Pettit

Address to send letters to!

2009-02-08T18:01:00.000-08:00

This is the address to now send letters to Jacob:

Elder Jacob Christian Pettit
Brazil Salvador South Mission
Rua Lucaia, 295 Sala 202-Bairro Horto Florestal
CEP 40295-130 Salvador - BA

Extracted Toenail

2009-02-08T17:58:00.000-08:00

February 3,2009

Sorry about no letter last week, I was a little, well preoccupied, as you may or may not have reasoned, the nail was continuing to grow into my toe, so the doc decided to pull it out, not the most pleasant of experiences as the tissue was swollen so the anesthesia didn’t pick up very well (or at least that was my understanding of it) but after only 5 to ten minutes I had one less toenail and a bit of my toe to boot, (rather inconsiderate if I may say so myself) but all is fine and dandy now. The toe is healing up just fine and the new toenail is coming in good as new. Though I have decided that we (as with everything else) were given toenails for a wise purpose, that being to keep things/people from touching the skin underneath, I really don’t think I can ever forget the feeling... strange as ever... I'm now finally able to work again, and thanks to the Lord, and support/hard work of the rest of the district, the work has carried on through this time. That’s something I have been blessed with here in this area, the other elders in the district have really been a great support and example to me. Whether just coming in and talking about the day when I was stuck in bed with my foot propped up on a suitcase/chair stack, and answering all my pestering questions about the people, to bringing lunch to me while I was again, stuck in bed, to even just reading in there and saying that if I need anything to ask and they’d do it, (the last example there being when that particular elder was taking his turn staying at home with me while the other two elders took their day out working the two areas) it’s really been a great blessing, and also a time when I’ve been able to do a good bit of thinking/reading, and something I came to the re-realization or was the need to comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and that whole end of things, I thought of Stephen as well and all the things he went through, and how in many cases in life, I’ve always looked at pain and sickness as something you just deal with as it comes, and it’s not really a big deal, not that bad etc. but the difference that someone can make just being there to serve/help out, makes the whole experience that much easier to deal with, something I’ve needed to do a whole lot more of in my life. I remembered an experience back with Stephen as well, when he was having a really hard night during the time when his bones were swelling in his legs. I remember just staying up that one night with him, not really doing more than holding his head, I don’t even remember if we really had any conversation, just being there. Eventually I headed off to bed and the next morning with school the next day, everything went well and if anything felt less tired for the lack of sleep Id had the night before. And after coming home, (I don’t remember if it was mom or Stephen who asked) if I had been tired at school, as Stephen had prayed, thanking Heavenly Father for that small thing I was able to do, and had prayed as well to have Heavenly Father bless me with the energy I needed. His example of thankfulness, faith and the power in sincere prayer is and has been a great blessing in this time, and in my life. Just a thought I had.
I also had the great opportunity to read through the book Our Search for Happiness by Elder Russel M. Ballard, what a great book, during the reading and after which I received that great gift of the Spirit, testifying mais ainda of the truthfulness of his words and thus this gospel. Read the book if you have the chance, it’s not real long, but its more than worth the time.
We baptized the last son of Maricia´s this week (last night) her family is now only lacking her marriage to her husband Valmir, and their baptisms and then on to the temple to receive the blessings of being sealed as a family for eternity, it’s been a great blessing getting to know them and seeing them come unto Christ, there truly is a great joy to be found in this the work of the Lord. Please pray for a lady Redinaura who is trying to stop smoking and drinking, and also pray for Maricia (a diff. Maricia) who is currently having a tough time in her family as its now set that she and her husband will be separating, meaning she and her daughter Patricia will be moving out of the house (Leandro the 14 yea old son who was baptized awhile back was already kicked out of the house by the husband) tough times there, I feel to pray specifically for them to feel the love of the Lord for them.

I know this is the work of the Lord, and that Jesus Christ is our Savior, In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Jacob :)

2009-01-22T17:38:00.000-08:00

January 22, 2009

Let's see, update of the week: just got back from the hospital where they’ve been helping me with this whole nail in the toe deal, the doctor there did a little surgery a couple days back and I’m currently just going into get the bandage switched up cleaned etc. It appears to be healing well, and quite quickly to boot. I’ll be heading back to work finally tonight after p day.

Pray for Creuza,we baptized her son a little while back and she’s really struggling to stop smoking. One of her sons was murdered a while back and this vice of smoking has-been tied maliciously into her depression/sadness I think. Also pray for Marcia: her husband and her family of three kids, Vanessa Valmar, and Venisius. Her three kids were just baptized this past Sunday and they’ve been really pretty excited about the church, but as I am ever learning and seeing more, Satan is always working to desanimar and drive away. Marcia and her husband are working towards getting legally married at the moment which is a bit strenuous here, but they´re willing to make the effort. Jailton and his wife could also use your prayers. He went to church last Sunday and has been reading the Book of Mormon, but again, Satan is always working, it’s kinda nuts how quickly he moves in.

Just got back from Zone conference where Pres. Silva gave a talk on faith and the way it works and grows in our lives. How it’s really a trade with the Lord for greater testimony, works of faith for testimonies of the spirit, and just how and what it means to trust and have faith that the Lord knows all and has all power to do His will here on earth. Kinda puts a diff. perspective on everyday work here in the field, to trust and know through faith, the Lord has and is preparing his elect out there, and that we are here to gather them in. We just have to put forth the effort to find them, and to be guided by the spirit.

I know this is the Lord's work, that this is His church in the latter days, because He called Joseph Smith to be a prophet, and that through him God has restored the Authority to act and perform ordinances here on the Earth in His name, that we have a living prophet today guided by God to help warn and guide us away from the perils and temptations of the world we live in. I know that Christ lives, that he Suffered for every single one for us out of a love I can’t comprehend. I am grateful for Him, for a loving Heavenly Father who sent Him, and for the knowledge I have been given of this. In the name of Jesus Christ, amém.

Jacob

2009-01-15T16:13:00.000-08:00

January 14, 2009

Sweet deal on the talk, I gave one too. A bit before the meeting started Brother C. came up and asked me to speak. I spoke on the restoration and our responsibility to share what we know with the world, in an attempt to get the members to get some references going or invite friends to come to church.
The past couple days I haven’t had a whole lot going on in the front end of missionary work . I've been confined to quarters, more or less trying to heal up an ingrown toenail, may need surgery. I’ll get back to you on that one. I had chance to do a little extra studying, launder the baptismal clothing and cook a bit extravagantly, (take today for example, think Uno's pizza, but ten times better without the nasty chunks of tomato, less grease and homegrown to boot. Twas exciting.) The pizza here in Brazil is a bit diff. then what we have in the states, and Elder J. made up a little spice magic to bring the whole thing together. All enjoyed the tuck immensely. Twas a lot of fun working with the yeast, watching my little baby dough grow...
Something I’ve been trying to get a better feel for here on the mission is how to effectively study, and I think it’s been improving. I want to get to the point where I can have stellar study every morning; where the world disappears and I'm just absorbed in the words of the scrips. I think that’s what is meant by feasting on the words of Christ, being able to study like that everyday . But what might obstruct that from happening? Outward distractions, music (practically always blasting in the plaza near our house ) mosquitoes, whatever, or an inward preparation. I don’t remember the scripture at the moment, but the principle /idea that we need to live up to the light we have now before we can expect more to come, and what a blessing it is that it only comes line upon line, precept upon precept. If it all came at once, overload, where to start? held responsible for it all , it would just be too much. And how do we live according to our light? Utilize our agency, till we've proven our faith in that area. Christ, through the spirit, changes our heart, and we can move on to the next level, a bit higher, and thus a bit more is seen that before was beyond the horizon ... make sense ?

Jacob

2009-01-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

January 7, 2009

(answers to questions)

The meeting was only with the missionary ward leader and the ward missionaries, as of yet we have never met with the bishop, but I plan and hope we will be changing that soon. He has been out of town for a couple weeks but will be returning before this Sunday (I think. The ward missionary leader has chosen to focus on retaining the new converts that are still active and those we are baptizing each week rather than reactivation. We have our second meeting tonight, as of yet I haven't seen a whole lot happening, but as its been only a week and we'll be giving our first report to them tonight. It's not that surprising. We'll also be doing a couple training sessions with them to help them prepare to teach the lessons to those recently baptized. As for the home and visiting teaching, not sure how those are working out at this point, plan to talk to the relief society pres. tonight at the meeting and also hope to see that begin with the male end of things, though at this point we are lacking an elders quorum president/quorum, and as this is under the responsibility of the bishop, we'll have to talk to him but I trust the Lord will prompt him how to figure that out as we don't have to keys to revelation on that end.

Thankfully I have been blessed to have been prepared relatively well on the topics of the missionary lessons and have been able to dig a little more into the Atonement of Christ, and also His attributes. More recently I've been studying humility, chapter 1 in Preach My Gospel and am working on a plan to have consistent well rounded growth in knowledge. I have been somewhat categorizing it into a couple diff. categories:

Things I need, to know to be a better missionary (teaching techs doctrine etc.) Things I need, to have greater testimony and be a greater tool in the hands of God, Atonement, Christlike Attributes, praying and listening to and recognizing the Spirit etc. and also just a greater grasp and familiarity with the scriptures, knowing of various stories that could be used in teaching, scriptures to memorize etc.

Recently I've begun reading the Book of Mormon marking examples of different Christlike attributes in specific colors, and also taking note of Christ's names, and the prophecies of Him. It's been interesting to note just how many there are, but I thought today to look into when certain names are used and perhaps the significance behind why they were used in certain points of time. I've gained a greater appreciation for the Plan of Salvation in my life as well, and in teaching it especially. In fact, in the teaching of all these aspects of the gospel points I hadn't thought about before have been brought to my attention, and just in speaking of them many times a day helps to learn more about them as well, and develop more questions as well to direct study to learn more about them.

Well, the work continues on here in Itapetinga. I'll be staying here this transfer. It's been a little interesting teaching recently as we've been out of materials, (haven't had any Books of Mormon) for maybe two or three weeks, pamphlets for Restoration or Gospel of Christ as well) but we've invited people to pray, and as promised by the prophets of old and in our days, the Spirit will and has testified. That's something I've come to think a bit about recently, having the Spirit with us in the lessons and living so that we can be guided by it throughout the day. Something I used to do, and have been doing at times here on the mission was worrying so much about checking the state of my worthiness, that I divided against myself. I kept myself from doing the things I could and was supposed to be doing because I was so often looking inwards. The way we come to have have the spirit with us as our constant companion is by righteous living, actions, doing our best each day to do as the Lord has clearly commanded us, and trusting that as we do our best, the Lord will "go before us".

Jacob

2009-01-11T13:33:00.000-08:00

December 31, 2008

The work here is going well, we've recently had our first meeting with the up and coming ward missionary group in the ward here. If things go according to plan there will be a big jump in the retention rate. Home teaching is a mystery, though I hope to talk to the bishop when he gets back about it. Had two baptisms this morning for two great guys here. Leandrew 13 and Alisandro 16. They've both had a rough time with life and Leandrew has a lot happening in his family right now. It looks like his parents are going to be separating, his siblings and mom are interested in the gospel as well though and I hope we'll be able to help them out here . Alisandro has had a rough time as well, he's had several family members murdered and when we met him he had many questions about life, and what happens after. His mom seems interested as well and hope to make some progress there as well. We also have another family who as of yet aren't married, but it seems they are willing, or rather I should say the mother is more then willing (she's been a great ally in the home,for example with the word of wisdom, she decided not to make coffee (a big thing here) and as such pretty much eliminate the drinking of it as I got the feeling she was generally the one who made it) and Marcus her husband is more a bit hesitant as yet, but I'm not sure why as they've been living together for many years now and have two kids around 10 years old . This Sunday they will be coming to church and their two kids will be baptized .

Happy new year,

Jacob

2008-12-19T17:12:00.002-08:00

2008-12-19T17:12:00.001-08:00

2008-12-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

Mission Christmas Party

2008-12-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Azalea Mommy and Family, Friends, etc.....

Life on the mission is good, just got back from a huge Christmas conference with the whole mission (around 80 to a hundred missionaries I think) where we had a good time eating McDonalds (yesss!!! so good) slurping milk shakes, playing soccer (1st time with Brazilians, good time) a little basketball, a little time at a gaming area (not really that great, pretty bad actually) and Madagascar II, (also pretty bad) but it was good to see friends from the MTC again. President Silva also spoke a bit about temples and the significance found within them now and in the days of the Old Testament, when I get the time I think it would be really cool to study the Old Testament symbolism end of things. Met another elder who went to BYU-I and lived just two doors down from me at Viking, though at diff. semesters, small world eh? Not a whole lot to report other then that this week, we had a Monday and a bit of Tuesday to work, and tracted into a family, Francisco his wife and I believe it was four kids, he was drunk at the time but seemed to have a sincere desire to change, and his family was open to the message, we'll be heading back there today so we'll have to see how that goes. Also have another family with a similar problem, drinking father, but he honestly seems like he wants to change as well, and has def. been prepared for the message, allot of people drop the church after the 1st or second time we meet with them after they hear some sort of crazy story from a neighbor, that we worship Satan or the like, and so we make a point of telling them that Satan will try to work against them in their decision to follow Christ’s church, the same way people persecuted Christ and His apostles when they were here, and while many seem to set that aside, as we talked with Hamilton this past time he told us that Satan had already started working against them by the words of others, but he recognized it, and is still coming along strong. That’s the amazing thing about it, people accept a message from two strange nineteen -20 year old guys, half of which are from another country and speak with funny accents, and set aside family traditions, and the words of friends and neighbors to follow. They give up things they've done all their life (coffee is huge here) and in this case are willing to go through the hassle the state puts people through to get legally married, because they feel and come to know it is of the Lord.
Also on the big side of success we have a web of sorts forming through novo Itapetinga which is sweet, this past Sunday when we passed by to bring people to church, almost all the people wed invited from the neighborhood that week and then one or two were ready and waiting in the street. (one family which we passed by planning to grab them on our way back apparently had been watching out the window and so when we walked by ran out and asked if we'd forgotten about them, twas an amazing feeling that morning having them all there and ready. This included Clemer btw and his inactive brother. There are some really cool things happening over there.

Jacob

2008-12-06T18:54:00.000-08:00

P-day today! did a lot of cleaning (not sure it would pass your inspection yet, mom, but its a whole lot better then it was, I wonder how many missionaries have gone through this place and not cleaned a thing... and I'm only kind of kidding...

Este semena nos tivemos uma boa experiencia com um rapaz cujo nome é C.O.P. Eu vou descrever em inglese porque eu não tenho muito tempo para escrever a minha familia depois isso, On Sunday, Elder S. was thinking about who we might baptize that day as all our investigators had fallen through, and as he was looking through the area book he came upon a name, H., a now inactive member who I believe was baptized about 8 months ago. The name stood out to him, and as he thought about him, trying to remember who he was, it was brought to his mind that he had a younger brother that wasn't baptized. So that afternoon we headed over, and the first time we passed by C. wasn't home and so we tracted through the surrounding area, then returned to grab a drink of water from H's house. This time C. was there so we began teaching the first lesson, After Elder S. made the baptism challenge, and C. accepted with a big grin on his face, his mom was a little hesitant about the whole thing. She liked the church, and felt it was a good thing, but she didn’t know that C. was ready for baptism, thinking and saying to us that is only 12 years old, and that he may want to keep the commandments today and be baptized, but that tomorrow he might have a change of mind and decide not to. But Elder S. kept on going, during this point in time I was a little mixed about the whole thing, being the anti confrontational being that I am, but I prayed, I prayed and told the Lord that I knew He could make this happen if it was his will, and that if it was his will, that C. mom would let him be baptized, and she did, we left the house, walked to the church... and found that someone had pulled the plug on the font, which takes about 4 hours to fill. So, we did what we could, turned on the faucet in the font, and just about every other faucet we had a bucket for.... 5-10 min later the water pressure began to go, and I prayed, I prayed and told the Lord that I knew HE could make the water flow to fill up the font so C. could be baptized, and that if it was His will, that he would make it so, and the water flowed a bit stronger. Then after an opening hymn, “Come Follow Me”, a prayer, and a short talk by Elder J. , C. was baptized by the power of God, in a cold little font in the Itapetinga ward building. Deus Vive, Cristo é nosso Salvador, este é o trabalho dele, O obra e gloria dele, Ele vai ajudar nos se nosso mostramos nosso Fé em Ele, Em nome de Jesus Cristo, Amém.

Your son, friend and brother,
Jacob

2008-12-06T18:41:00.001-08:00

November, 26, 2008

Don’t even have time to read. We flew into Salvador yesterday on a beautiful, rainy, muggier then I ever imagined possible sort of day, we came into the airport and were soon thereafter welcomed by afrobrazilian music and a dancing woman. well gtg, just had a moment to use this comp in a hotel that reminds me alot of the pirates of the carribean, oh and we had a banana tree outside our window, def. a highlight. We´ll find out our first areas a little later today during our training meeting etc. I know this is God´s work.
Elder Pettit

Jacob with Pres. and Sister DeSilva

2008-12-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

One Week Left

2008-11-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

Boa tarde !!!! :)

One week left at this point in the empty sea (Elizabeth calls the MTC this as a joke) and just recently President Silvia sent us a letter of soon to be welcomed and a good list of well, all the scriptures in the PMG (Preach My Gospel) lessons to memorize, kinda nuts, but I look forward to it. I think I'll get the references down first, then memorize them after. So far I´ve collected the following about Salvador, looks like they have lots of spicy food, large parties every month, (about as close as I can get to a direct quote "carnival all year round") plenty of black magic/voodoo, open/humble people, and apparently Salvador South is the 4th highest baptizing mission in Brazil. I wonder about the retention rate though, guess we'll just have to wait and see, also heard from one of the instructors who servd there we invite them to be baptized on the street contact, bold but not overbearing eh? can't wait to get out there. Had my first taste of teaching last Friday. We were out tracting, and while talking to a man who at this point was saying many things I didnt quite understand, a 19 or twenty year old guy came up to Elder H and I and said he respected our church and would like to ask us a question; he then pointed across the street and headed over there. After tying things up with the older man, we headed over there and for about thirty minutes talked to two, the previously mentioned guy and another of his coworkers, both of whom had read at least some portion of the Book of Mormon, and were interested in finding out more. A. (the one who first talked to us) was really quite interested and wanted to learn more so we gave him the Christ dvd card and another Book of Mormon card, (they had one BOM tween the two of them) and L. (his co worker) had some questions about the Book of Mormon that I feel we answered with the help of the spirit, which was undoubtedly there. We shared with them about Christ´s ministery, and how he established His Church, giving the apostles the authority to act and work miracles in his name. Then how that power was lost, taken by God from the earth as the people Crucified our Saviour and killed the apostles. How the earth went for a time without this power or the fulness of the gospel on the Earth, but that in 1823, Joseph Smith, a young boy desiring to know the truth, was reading in the bible, in James 1:5 "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not, and it shall be given him." After which he went and knelt in a clearing in the woods near his home, and asked God, the Eternal Father, which church he should join. After which, God the Father and Jesus Christ his Beloved Son appeared to him, and revealed that the truth was not yet in its fulness upon the earth, but that they would restore it through him. That the Book of Mormon another testament of Jesus Christ, a record comparable to the Bible, containing words of ancient prophets here on the American Continent prophesying of, and bearing record of His Ministry was brought forth as a voice speaking as from the dust, translated by and through the power of God, to restore that which was lost, and to be convincing evidence that one could hold, touch and read, as to the truthfulness of this restoration of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I know this is God´s church on the earth today, I know Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Reedemer, I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that we have a prophet on the earth today, In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Jacob

Mailing address for letters

2008-11-14T17:01:00.000-08:00

Here is the mailing address for letters until we receive the address of Jacob's first assignment:

Elder Jacob Christian Pettit
Brazil Salvador South Mission
Caixa Postal 7384
Pituba, Salvador-BA
Brazil 41811-970

Mailing address for packages

2008-11-14T16:55:00.000-08:00

Packages from here on out should only be sent to this address:

Elder Jacob Christian Pettit
Brazil Salvador South Mission
Av Lucaia, 295, Sala 202/203
Ed. Empresarial Lucaia
Rio Vermelho, Salvador-BA
BRAZIL 41490-660

(

2008-11-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

Time has never passed so quickly, great news about prop 8, sounds like things are getting pretty intense though. How close was it? btw I hear Obama got elected, true?

It seems if you send a package with a picture of Christ on it they get through safer, just an idea, though so far it seems I've been blessed to have things arrive.

Well, let's see, the week at a glance, busy as usual. We're beginning to get into the third lesson in Portuguese, and the language is def. getting better. It's kind of nice to have the Spanish I took pay off in sentence structure and pronunciation, it's really been of help as I haven't had to memorize lessons/phrases as some have. I've been blessed to be able to just take the grammar and vocab together and speak a bit easier, not to mention as times go along, the previous experience just keeps getting built up and added on more and more. (line upon line precept upon precept eh?) I love the spirit that comes even in just practicing the lessons and can't wait to get out there to begin inviting others to come unto Christ. It's amazing the amount you learn in just two months when in the work of the Lord. It took me several years to get less comprehension then this in Spanish. Two Sundays ago I got called to be the new district leader as Elder W is now the Assistant to the president. It's great the way the Lord knows and looks out for us. Around that time I was really struggling out here, not out of a doubtfulness as to the truth of the gospel, but my capacity to perform as the Lord needs me to, pertaining to faults of my own. I had been praying about it and felt that this was a bit of a vote of confidence from Him, a "yes, now go and do" (Nephi 3:7) It's been a great opportunity to grow spiritually, emotionally, and in my capacity to lead in the Lord's hands as well, ( I think back to my blessing when I was set apart) I've gotta get going though as time as running out.

2008-11-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

OI! OI! OI!!!
Sounds like a mad house, stolen signs, Obama winning, and I heard some stuff about the economy being pretty scary for a bit to boot. ( though word on the street has it that gas prices are down... that true?

Let’s see, where to start... Proselyting, twas a great experience, though I think it was harder to do the second time than the first, though I've learned more of the language, I feel like I understood less, we talked to a man named Luigi though, and had a great experience. It’s interesting as I go out to proselyte, I feel a need to talk to so many people and yet at the same time feel kinda nervous about approaching them, But that’s the trick, just facing the fear, I was reading in the bible the other day, and forget the reference now, but in John... something, we are told the Lord Doesn't give us feelings of fear, and I think the more fear you have to do something, particularly where sharing the Gospel is concerned, the more important it is that we do it.
I'm a real big fan of the quote you sent this week, (“discipline is the difference between goal and accomplishments’) it’s so true, and I think that’s half the battle here in the MTc, learning how to plan, and then complete, if you can master that, a whole lot more becomes possible. Ayway, back to Luigi, after we said hello one of the first things out of his mouth was, why me? Which for the moment seemed like a rather interesting and negative response, but as he continued on, he told us of how he used to be rich, had a wife, nice house, cars, and now he has nothing. His name is dirty, he's going in for a second heart surgery and he feels that God is the only one he can turn to, (he spoke some english, btw) He also told us how he felt God was looking out for him and that us talking to him confirmed the feeling. It’s great to be a part of God's work here and I can't wait to get out in the field to be doing stuff like that and teaching every day. That’s one of the greatest parts here, the more we learn the doctrine, and the more comfortable we become with teaching it, the less we worry about how we say things and the more able we are to feel the spirit and be directed. The spirit comes so strongly even in practice situations with the brothers or sisters that teach us here. Guess that’s its job though right? To teach, testify, bring peace and confirm truths. Gtg though, times up. Love and miss you all.

Your son, friend, and fellow elder,

Jacob

2008-10-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

Howdy Mama!!! and everybody else who may happen to be reading this, Week five of the MTC experience here and I cant tell you how ridiculously fast it's going by, I feel like I just can't do or learn enough by the days end, but I am def. learning, it just takes a little patience and diligence to get through it. It seems that learning how to plan effectively and follow through with goals is just as important as learning how to teach and speak in Portuguese. Well, big news this week... Saturday we taught the first lesson in Portuguese to some members who live near the CTM. Basically theý'll come in to a room with a camera mounted on the wall/ceiling and every 15 min or so missionaries will come in teach a lesson, then leave and grab the tape of the lesson. I feel like we did pretty well and that I was able to speak much of what I wanted, though I am no doubt in need of more fluency, though prayer, faith, patience, diligence and time will help out with that one. Also of note is the fact that Elder Scott came this past weekend to speak to us, it was much different then I expected as he started off shaking everyone's hand and then part way through his talk opened up for questions. One thing he said that stuck with me was a response to how we can develop faith in ourselves. He gave the following advice:

Forget yourself.
Do it with all conviction.
Don't worry about whether or not you have enough time for yourself.
Remember you have been assigned to do this work by inspiration from God.

Indeed the longer I'm out here the more I realize how much I need and will need His help. I think that's one of the things Heavenly Father is trying to teach me, to rely on Him, to be less prideful and to really learn to give Him my all. Looking back at high school I realize just how much I was just getting by for the grades, not that I did all that bad, but I wasn't there to learn. College I began to get that message of trying to go through school for actual learning, and now on my mission it is only becoming ever clearer the need to learn these skills for the mission field and for life. I truly know that the things I do here will likely determine the rest of my life, I'm not only serving and building the Kingdom of God on the Earth, but am building the foundation for the rest of my life. So I've been feeling a bit of pressure (to say the least) but know that I need to just put my life into the Lord's hands, and at this point am just trying to learn how I can best do that. As great as the CTM is, it certainly does make it hard to have some time to really pray and talk with God the way I would like to. I have found a Walden Pond of sorts though in the view from our 6th floor window. (takes a good number of stairs to get there let me tell you...) O btw I also got to sing in a quartet (baritone)for Elder Scott, we sang a mix of "Come Follow Me" and "Vinde a Mim" (some verses in Portuguese some in English) it was a great experience and I took some comfort as I was reminded of the inspiration of mission calls. I know the Lord has called me here for a wise purpose in Him, and that if I can but place my trust in Him, and be obedient to his commandments, He will go before me and prepare a way for me to do those things which he has commanded.

Well I gtg but sounds like you had a rather well, not quite astronomical experience serving a good cause out there for Prop 8, keep up the good work, Love you all and happy birthday to all.

Again love you all much, and know this is the Lord's work,

Your son,
Elder Pettit

2008-10-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

Way to much to say but first I need to thank all for letters, Br Gordon Charles Laura and Elizabeth, sorry I don't have time to reply to each individually, but I have so many I haven't even been able to read all of them yet.... questions though...

How does exercise fit in? We have gym every other day and can use the gym on p day, there's a mini track (14 laps to a mile i think) a weight room, volley ball courts and basketball courts, no frisbee though which is to bad, but tis a good time still.
How many missionaries are there at one time? not sure, a bunch
Where will Elder Hernandez serve? Salvador South
How are the rooms set up? bunk beds a closet for each a safe for each and three desks for six people...not sure how that last one worked out, but I guess we're supposed to study mostly in the class room anyway...

I've had a pretty good week since we last talked, conference messages that really stuck out were looking outwards, strict planning and never giving in to Satan, faith is not a feeling, it's a decision, store deep the spiritual experiences you receive, (I've found this one to be particularly true, just as Satan sent questioning feelings around the Nephites after the sign of Christ's birth, he does the same when we have spiritual experiences.

Had a good insight in Alma 37 (for those who aren't members of our church reading this, Alma is found in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ)yesterday around the end basically reiterates how I need to be diligent and exercise faith for miracles to happen in and through me. Currently trying to work on "being diligent unto prayer", and seeking to recognize and strictly/courageously follow promptings I receive, and I'm out of time already, hope to get the reading to writing balance down soon enough, other big news, we go tracting downtown on Friday, I'm excited to say the least, and a bit nervous as you might expect, but if I am prepared I know the Lord will help me.

Love you all, Eu sei que este evangelho é vedadeiro e nós temos um profeta vivo. em nome de jesus Cristo amém.

Elder Pettit

2008-10-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

OI!!
As to the news about the package on the muito, bon!

I see you were listening carefully in conference (which was amazing and in English, to answer your question.) It had an extra special meaning this time around, though I´ve always known the words spoken were from God, being out here preparing to serve brought it home that much more. I had been having a bit of a rough time and had some questions on my mind, but as I came into conference praying to receive answers, I found what I was looking for and more. Did anyone else think Brazil was mentioned alot? Or perhaps notice the numerous times we were told to endure to the end/hard times are coming, learn to receive revelation, angels are always there? Signs of the times eh? Maybe next conference they´ll announce a temple complex to be built in Missouri ... Dunno, but if we are prepared we shall not fear eh? So let's go and do...

Aahhhh running out of time, and haven’t even read all my emails yet... I’ll make this quick and try to find a comp with a better keyboard next time.

The food here is pretty good, though it will def take awhile to get over chunks of fat seemingly injected into the meat . Also of note is a fried bean cake with a bean paste, various veggies and shrimp that is apparently very popular in Salvador, along with what I have heard described as other strange cuisine, (not sure exactly what that entails... not sure I”ll want to know either till after I finish some of the meals)

2008-10-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

Howdy neighbors,

Hope all is well. This may come as a bit of a surprise but it seems we will have email access here through a place called Mr.Cheney´s Cookies across the street, (some mormon guy who took the mission scene as an opportunity for business, seems reasonable enough though) Tuesdays are p days for me, and today (along with most supposedly) we got to go to the Campina temple (Sao Paulo is also an option, just depends on the week) so that was pretty cool.

My companion Elder H is from Northern California and seems to be a great guy. The Christlike attributes we´re working on this week are faith and obedience. That's something they put alot of emphasis on here at the CTM (and yes I mean CTM, think portuguese/spanish para mtc) setting measurable goals and accounting for them, and it makes sense, but it'll def. take some getting used to. The other day we (minho companhero e eo) got called in to account and I have to say I felt kinda sheepish at how unorganized we must have seemed (and were). Efficiency I believe truly will come as we learn to plan ahead, set goals, and plan on accounting them not only to our teachers, but ourselves and most importantly the Lord. I feel like I~m picking up the language here pretty well (the key board is a bit diff. btw, so when i go to hit the ` key ill often hit the ~ key, there's also a nice ç key for various words like naçao e maçao) lets see... milestones this week are being able to pray and testify in Portuguese and also to give the first lesson both street contact and medium length. ]
My district is great and we have a ton o fun throughout the day (not forgetting to study seriously though) take for example the other day when one of the elders was trying to remember how to say brincadeira (don~t count on my spelling) which means just kidding, but came up with the word baracao (with a tilde over the last a) which doesn't actually mean anything, its just alot of fun to say, (pronounced bara (roll the r) cao said with a bit of nasal action at the end) don't know if that will make any sense to you guys, but that's the best I can explain it.
The food here is really pretty good, rice beans and meat with 2\3 meals a day usually. They tell us we~re supposed to eat at least 7 colors of food a day and so its probably safe to say I´m eating relatively healthy, at least as well if not better then at home, though the meats here seem to have alot of fat left on if not put in intentionally, so that's kinda gross... but I guess you get used to it. We had a devotional Sunday night where one of the stake presidents and his wife spoke. I liked the way The wife spoke in particular, saying she wanted to speak to us as a mother to her own sons, and offered us a look into eating at members houses on the missions, and really made me think about the situation I~m likely to find out there. Very poor families who have the faith that if they provide for the missionaries they will be blessed, and want nothing more then to serve anyway. Asking us to think what it would be like if we didn't show up, whether intentionally or not. The people of Brazil seem to be very loving humble people by the sounds of things and also judging by the elders who come in, easy to laugh and pal around with. I love to eat with the Brazilians at lunch and try to communicate with a little Portuguese, a little English and a whole lot of hand signals, facial expressions and laughs. One of my favorite things to do is laugh with them, which seems to happen alot.

I know this is where I should be and that a mission, like anything becomes something truly great in small, simple steps.
I love and miss you all,

Your son and missionary,

Elder Pettit

First Letter Home

2008-10-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

9/24/08

Howdy Neighbors!

Got in just a bit before 7 this morning and have been up and going since. Felt pretty akward going through an airport where I couldn't undertand half of what was being said but being with 25! other missionaries was a bit of a strength, didnt' expect that many (they all met in Dallas,TX to fly to Sao Paulo) and somehow with all of us following each other we made it to the Alex Nunes ( he was picking them up).

The food will take some getting used to, thought it's not bad --except the milk is kinda funky, not to mention buying from the streetside vendors is a no no, e-coli and the like are too often contracted --extra motivation for obedience eh?

Orientation involved various house keeping matters but also a great sharing of self. It seems all are great Elders and Sisters. Interestingly enough, many of them either remind me of others I know or just seem familiar somehow. My comapnion Elder H mentioned the same which I thought was interesting. He strikes me as a concious individual of self and others; 22 if I remember correctly with a great interest in psychology. He seems to have a strong testimony and has looked a lot into various faiths before he came back to the church. He seems a knowledgeable and disciplined learner. We;ll have our first classes starting tomorrow at 9:45 with a group meeting with the MTC president just before.

Well, dinner is on and we may be heading to the gym afterword.

Love,
Jacob

Elder Pettit's Mailing Address

2008-09-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

Elder Jacob Christian Pettit
District 39-B, Box 36
Brazil Salvador South Mission
Brazil Missionary Training Center
Rua Padre Antonio D'Angelo 121
Casa Verde, Sao Paulo, SP
Brazil, 02516-040

Wow! Hope your envelope is big enough for all that! :-)

(Sent a letter yesterday and it cost 94 cents for what would cost 42 cents to send here.)