Elder Jacob Pettit
Brazil Salvador South Mission
Rua Lucaia, 295 Sala 202-Bairro Horto Florestal
CEP 40295-130 Salvador-BA
BRAZIL
Sunday, August 23, 2009
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
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
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