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 :)