Blog of one-liners.
I'm seeing myself changing, truly changing! I can't tell you all how
happy this makes me.
Leading more in lessons.
Bearing testimony with more power and authority.
Letting the pure JOY of the Gospel bubble over into my lessons.
Being more patient with my companions and with others.
Yesterday, while my comps slept (they were a bit sick), I cleaned the
whole house, Brazilian style! I felt cool. Firstly, because I was
cleaning like a Brazilian (basically throw gallons of water all over
the place and scrub walls and floor with a broom), and second because
I would surprise people I love. It was the exact same feeling I used
to have when I got up early and did my chores before Mom asked me.
Funny of the week: My companion, after we taught about the importance
of the law of tithing: "So, Irmã, are you willing to pay the Ten
Commandments after you are baptized?"
We about died laughing after this one.
This week we did what I've always heard about but never thought I'd be
able to do: preached the Gospel on a bus! We were standing because
there weren't any more seats, and we asked if we could sing a hymn. We
did, then we talked to the bus about Christ and the Atonement and
eternal families, then sang another hymn. It was extremely neat.
Oh my goodness. I almost forgot some very important news. I FOUND
PEANUT BUTTER. GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH in Camaçari! A whole little
section of peanut butter! And it wasn't weird and Brazilian and
expensive...it was Great Value, my friends!
The Gospel is so true and so real. Live the commandments and you will
be blessed. General Conference is this week: I bear testimony that the
prophet is real and talks with God.
I love you all.
Sis. Petty
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
I Like to Look for Rainbows
*clears throat dramatically*
Everyone...today is my FIVE MONTH mark on the mission! WOO HOO!! I
can't believe it!!
Quick story. Today in a little office store, I wanted some crayons.
But I didn't know how to say "crayon." Not marker, not pen, not
pencil, I told the lady. Colored, I said. Kids use to draw, I said.
Nope, companions and store lady had no idea what I was talking about.
Okay, different slant now. I'd try to describe that they were made of
wax! Bees make honey, right? I asked my companion. Right, she said.
How do you call that stuff they use to build their houses? HUH? she
said. GAHH! Finally, when in desperation I said that they were about
yea big, and that kids like to break them, everyone let out a big,
"Ohhhhhhhhh!!" She wants "giz de cera"!! they all said in unison. Upon
a bit of further study, I learned that this directly translates to
"chalk of wax."
OH man. But at least I got my crayons. :-)
This week, the first week of the transfer with the same two comps, was
really neat. One day early in the week, my comp talked randomly about
how life is like a rainbow--you need sun AND clouds, and there's gold
at the end, but you can enjoy the journey, etc. The next day, as we
arrived in Catu after transfer day, a huge rainbow stretched across
the sky! I pointed out that this was like the symbol God gave to
Noah--a fresh start to our transfer. After that, every single day we
saw a rainbow. Every day! One, in the house of an investigator while
talking about baptism! It was a beautiful, simple tender mercy of the
Lord, and something we felt was a little miracle in our week.
Pres. and Sister Hart, our mission president and wife, visited us in
our house a couple days ago! They were passing through. It was so neat
to get such special attention! They love us! :-) Pres. called us his
"Three Nephites".
This week we had a wonderful, powerful district meeting that was
focused on the doctrine of Christ. Again, during this meeting I felt
the power and truth of the Atonement of Christ, and the reality of the
fact that we need to share boldly with the world what we know.
Everything we are experiencing here on earth is made possible through
the Atonement. In a practice, a companionship of elders invited me to
be baptized. As he bore testimony of the Atonement, and of his
knowledge that baptism is truly of God, he choked up. I felt the
Spirit strong and warm in my heart.
Christ lives! The Gospel is real! Open your mouth and share!
I love you all so so so so so much, thank you for your letters and
support. I love hearing from you all. *nudge*
Have a great great week!!
Anne
Everyone...today is my FIVE MONTH mark on the mission! WOO HOO!! I
can't believe it!!
Quick story. Today in a little office store, I wanted some crayons.
But I didn't know how to say "crayon." Not marker, not pen, not
pencil, I told the lady. Colored, I said. Kids use to draw, I said.
Nope, companions and store lady had no idea what I was talking about.
Okay, different slant now. I'd try to describe that they were made of
wax! Bees make honey, right? I asked my companion. Right, she said.
How do you call that stuff they use to build their houses? HUH? she
said. GAHH! Finally, when in desperation I said that they were about
yea big, and that kids like to break them, everyone let out a big,
"Ohhhhhhhhh!!" She wants "giz de cera"!! they all said in unison. Upon
a bit of further study, I learned that this directly translates to
"chalk of wax."
OH man. But at least I got my crayons. :-)
This week, the first week of the transfer with the same two comps, was
really neat. One day early in the week, my comp talked randomly about
how life is like a rainbow--you need sun AND clouds, and there's gold
at the end, but you can enjoy the journey, etc. The next day, as we
arrived in Catu after transfer day, a huge rainbow stretched across
the sky! I pointed out that this was like the symbol God gave to
Noah--a fresh start to our transfer. After that, every single day we
saw a rainbow. Every day! One, in the house of an investigator while
talking about baptism! It was a beautiful, simple tender mercy of the
Lord, and something we felt was a little miracle in our week.
Pres. and Sister Hart, our mission president and wife, visited us in
our house a couple days ago! They were passing through. It was so neat
to get such special attention! They love us! :-) Pres. called us his
"Three Nephites".
This week we had a wonderful, powerful district meeting that was
focused on the doctrine of Christ. Again, during this meeting I felt
the power and truth of the Atonement of Christ, and the reality of the
fact that we need to share boldly with the world what we know.
Everything we are experiencing here on earth is made possible through
the Atonement. In a practice, a companionship of elders invited me to
be baptized. As he bore testimony of the Atonement, and of his
knowledge that baptism is truly of God, he choked up. I felt the
Spirit strong and warm in my heart.
Christ lives! The Gospel is real! Open your mouth and share!
I love you all so so so so so much, thank you for your letters and
support. I love hearing from you all. *nudge*
Have a great great week!!
Anne
Friday, September 16, 2011
Pictures!
One of a baptism of Juão, child of Gerffesson, one of JUNGLE by house of Christiano, one of me washing Binho's hair before cutting! Woot!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
As Tres Nefitas Ainda Estão Juntas!
Well, everyone...I'm at the start of my third transfer (transfer =
chunk of 6 weeks that the mission revolves around). And I can't
believe it. I think I'm finally getting used to things--the culture,
the language, the work of a missionary. I still have much much MUCH to
learn and improve, and will continue to have until the last day of my
mission, but at least I'm dog-paddling now (instead of drowning).
My second transfer, with Sisters Tibúrcio and Santos, was amazing.
They showed me missionary work to the max degree, so much that
sometimes I was overwhelmed by how wonderful they were and how much I
still had to learn. As this transfer came to a close, I felt sure I
would have to leave Catú, and I "fiquei muito triste." I still had so
much to learn from my comps, and so much to give to this wonderful,
calm, beautiful city! Much to my surprise and joy, the Lord let us
three stay together for one more transfer. Gente, this is a big
deal--trios are usually changed quickly. Hooray! The Lord is merciful!
We like to refer to ourselves as the "Three Nephites" (Tres Nefitas)
(if this doesn't make sense to you, ask an LDS friend).
I'll share two experiences this week that were very powerful.
First, we had an experience that felt like it was right out of a LDS
church magazine. We encountered a young, beautiful couple and their
child one day in the street, and had a great conversation with them.
It was a "power contact" that even ended with a prayer. Thanks to the
enthusiasm of the husband ("I'll be waiting for your call!") we made
them a priority to visit in the next few days, despite a very full
schedule. When we finally made it to their little house (which, by the
way, is right next to JUNGLE...a bunch of coconuts growing on a huge
tree were literally within arm's length of the window, and a little
further in I could see bunches of wild bananas hanging deliciously in
the tangle of green), they were very receptive, humble, and sweet.
They are youngyoungyoung (Maria José is almost 18, and Christiano's
20) but have plans and goals for their life. We taught them the
message of the Restauration, and they listened with attention.
Christiano was very serious throughout, and we worried a bit that he
wasn't enjoying the message. Afterward, however, we learned otherwise.
To make a long story short, after the closing prayer Christiano opened
up to us about what had taken place the last few weeks. "I saw you the
other day in a store," he explained, "and I knew you were
missionaries. I wanted you to come to my house and teach me." But for
some reason, maybe lack of courage, he hadn't approached us. "If it
was God's will that you come," he said, "He would send you somehow." A
few days later he had planned to stay at home one evening, but decided
to go visit his dad. On the way, he felt that he should take a route
that he usually would not take. It was that night that he met us on
the street, and a couple days later we came to his home. "This must
have been meant to happen," he said.
We really felt that Spirit that night, and left their home almost floating.
Second experience (will have to be short, I'm out of time):
One day we visited (without having planned to) the home of three
recent converts, young boys who live with their grandmother. They're
cousins, and the father of one of them is a bit of a disaster--smokes,
drinks, and uses almost every kind of drug. We found him at home that
day, and although he was drunk (as always) we were able to teach him
that he is a child of God. As we taught, I felt the Spirit very
strongly, helping me look into the eyes of this scraggly man and see a
divine soul. As he looked back at me, I felt his helpless plea: "Help
me."
After the lesson, on a sudden whim, we took this man and washed and
cut his hair and shaved his face. He will not be able to forget that
he is a new man.
The Gospel is real. The Church is true. I love being a missionary!!
chunk of 6 weeks that the mission revolves around). And I can't
believe it. I think I'm finally getting used to things--the culture,
the language, the work of a missionary. I still have much much MUCH to
learn and improve, and will continue to have until the last day of my
mission, but at least I'm dog-paddling now (instead of drowning).
My second transfer, with Sisters Tibúrcio and Santos, was amazing.
They showed me missionary work to the max degree, so much that
sometimes I was overwhelmed by how wonderful they were and how much I
still had to learn. As this transfer came to a close, I felt sure I
would have to leave Catú, and I "fiquei muito triste." I still had so
much to learn from my comps, and so much to give to this wonderful,
calm, beautiful city! Much to my surprise and joy, the Lord let us
three stay together for one more transfer. Gente, this is a big
deal--trios are usually changed quickly. Hooray! The Lord is merciful!
We like to refer to ourselves as the "Three Nephites" (Tres Nefitas)
(if this doesn't make sense to you, ask an LDS friend).
I'll share two experiences this week that were very powerful.
First, we had an experience that felt like it was right out of a LDS
church magazine. We encountered a young, beautiful couple and their
child one day in the street, and had a great conversation with them.
It was a "power contact" that even ended with a prayer. Thanks to the
enthusiasm of the husband ("I'll be waiting for your call!") we made
them a priority to visit in the next few days, despite a very full
schedule. When we finally made it to their little house (which, by the
way, is right next to JUNGLE...a bunch of coconuts growing on a huge
tree were literally within arm's length of the window, and a little
further in I could see bunches of wild bananas hanging deliciously in
the tangle of green), they were very receptive, humble, and sweet.
They are youngyoungyoung (Maria José is almost 18, and Christiano's
20) but have plans and goals for their life. We taught them the
message of the Restauration, and they listened with attention.
Christiano was very serious throughout, and we worried a bit that he
wasn't enjoying the message. Afterward, however, we learned otherwise.
To make a long story short, after the closing prayer Christiano opened
up to us about what had taken place the last few weeks. "I saw you the
other day in a store," he explained, "and I knew you were
missionaries. I wanted you to come to my house and teach me." But for
some reason, maybe lack of courage, he hadn't approached us. "If it
was God's will that you come," he said, "He would send you somehow." A
few days later he had planned to stay at home one evening, but decided
to go visit his dad. On the way, he felt that he should take a route
that he usually would not take. It was that night that he met us on
the street, and a couple days later we came to his home. "This must
have been meant to happen," he said.
We really felt that Spirit that night, and left their home almost floating.
Second experience (will have to be short, I'm out of time):
One day we visited (without having planned to) the home of three
recent converts, young boys who live with their grandmother. They're
cousins, and the father of one of them is a bit of a disaster--smokes,
drinks, and uses almost every kind of drug. We found him at home that
day, and although he was drunk (as always) we were able to teach him
that he is a child of God. As we taught, I felt the Spirit very
strongly, helping me look into the eyes of this scraggly man and see a
divine soul. As he looked back at me, I felt his helpless plea: "Help
me."
After the lesson, on a sudden whim, we took this man and washed and
cut his hair and shaved his face. He will not be able to forget that
he is a new man.
The Gospel is real. The Church is true. I love being a missionary!!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Still Smiling in Catú
Well everyone...it's another week. This post will be quick and scattered (sorry, I need to stop saying this. I think I always say this).
This last week was kind of a weird one, because of a big conference on terça-feira (Tuesday) and then one of my companions being away for a couple days thanks to a knee problem. Our week didn't really start until quinta-feira (Thursday). However, we were able to truly help families this last week, which is the most important. Our very special family, Jocélia and Gerffeson and children, are truly progressing. Yesterday we had lunch with them, and for the message I did that little object lesson with a jar of rice and rocks. Everything fits if you put the big rocks in first (the Gospel) then the rice (everything else in life). "Eu quero que vocês perguntarem para se mesmos," I said, "O que eu estou fazendo com meu pote de vida? Estou colocando as coisas de Deus primeiras? Vou ser feliz no ultimo dia [here, putting the cap on the jar to represent death] com as coisas que eu fiz?"
It was neat.
Oh. I need to say a quick, specific thank you. First, I need everyone to know that I love EVERY LETTER that I receive, and I feel so blessed that people are still sending letters--thank you with all my heart to those who have sent a letter in the last couple months. I truly am receiving them and they are lighting up my life here in Catu, Bahia. I received letters this week and that were POWER de mais for me. I was struggling a little these last few weeks to know how to not only study the Gospel, but actually APPLY what I am learning to my life. This is a lot easier said than done, and I have been thinking a lot about this.
One friend wrote that charity cannot be acquired without the help of Christ. "Change is a gift from God," he said. I needed these words. Another friend wrote about personal limits, and each day choosing to follow Christ or not. These were also just what I needed. I'm pretty sure the Lord guides the hands of my family and friends to write inspiring letters saying the words I need to here. Thank you so much, everyone, for your letters.
The work is true and the book is blue, everyone. I love the Gospel and I love Jesus Christ and I love Bahia, Brazil.
Until next week.
Com amor,
Sister Petty
This last week was kind of a weird one, because of a big conference on terça-feira (Tuesday) and then one of my companions being away for a couple days thanks to a knee problem. Our week didn't really start until quinta-feira (Thursday). However, we were able to truly help families this last week, which is the most important. Our very special family, Jocélia and Gerffeson and children, are truly progressing. Yesterday we had lunch with them, and for the message I did that little object lesson with a jar of rice and rocks. Everything fits if you put the big rocks in first (the Gospel) then the rice (everything else in life). "Eu quero que vocês perguntarem para se mesmos," I said, "O que eu estou fazendo com meu pote de vida? Estou colocando as coisas de Deus primeiras? Vou ser feliz no ultimo dia [here, putting the cap on the jar to represent death] com as coisas que eu fiz?"
It was neat.
Oh. I need to say a quick, specific thank you. First, I need everyone to know that I love EVERY LETTER that I receive, and I feel so blessed that people are still sending letters--thank you with all my heart to those who have sent a letter in the last couple months. I truly am receiving them and they are lighting up my life here in Catu, Bahia. I received letters this week and that were POWER de mais for me. I was struggling a little these last few weeks to know how to not only study the Gospel, but actually APPLY what I am learning to my life. This is a lot easier said than done, and I have been thinking a lot about this.
One friend wrote that charity cannot be acquired without the help of Christ. "Change is a gift from God," he said. I needed these words. Another friend wrote about personal limits, and each day choosing to follow Christ or not. These were also just what I needed. I'm pretty sure the Lord guides the hands of my family and friends to write inspiring letters saying the words I need to here. Thank you so much, everyone, for your letters.
The work is true and the book is blue, everyone. I love the Gospel and I love Jesus Christ and I love Bahia, Brazil.
Until next week.
Com amor,
Sister Petty
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