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