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