A New World

Oi oi! Bom dia, boa tarde, boa noite!! Falo isso provávelmente 100
vezes cada dia, talvez mais. Aqui in Bahia, pessoas não vão olhar para
você [strangely] se fala com tudo mundo. Eu amo isso, e vou sentir
falta quando eu voltar para casa.

I'm here, I'm happy, I'm talking to everyone!

TRANSFERRED. What a thing. There's really no way to understand what a
big deal a mission transfer is until you experience one.

Folks, change is a good thing. Here in my new area, Dias D'Ávila
(which I won't type again, it's a pain..."DD" from here on) I am
already growing and stretching. Desde the moment that I arrived, I
found that without my old companions to lean on, I'm taking what I
learned from them (which was a monte) and becoming that much better of
a missionary. I'm opening my mouth, talking to people on the bus, on
the street, in their houses...Brazilians of every type. Old, young,
men, women, sad, happy, sober, drunk, accepting, non-accepting. I'm
still awful with Brazilian names, and still get lost very easily
(thank you thank you Sis. Marciano for knowing DD), and I still trip
on the cobblestones at least twice a day, but I'm truly progressing.
Now, my biggest problem is that I need to let my new companion talk
sometimes, too. *grin*

CHANGES:

DD is flat. Catú had practically vertical hills.
DD has young women in the ward. A MONTE of them. Catu had only young
men. Weird...I'll have to adjust.
DD comp is quiet and organized and firm. Catu comps were wild,
unorganized, flexible. I will learn a lot here.

A bunch more changes, but I'm out of time. Snip of letter to pres:

I'm loving the city, loving the change, and loving my companion.
Because we both have the same amount of time in the mission, we're
both stretching and learning a lot. I'm finding myself leading much
more in the teaching, being more aware of the Spirit, and with more
energy to animate the ward. I had an idea my first day that has
blossomed into a reality -- we're gonna have a big two-ward talent
show here Dias D'Ávila on November 19th, and everyone's invited! The
ward mission leader is very excited about it, and we'll be encouraging
everyone to invite lots of friends to participate. It will be very
neat.

The Church is true, my friends, and the book is blue. Keep sending
letters, they keep me going. I'm sweating more than I ever have in my
LIFE, and walking too, and those letters make everything possible.

I love the Lord and I love the mission. Keep reading your scriptures every day.

Com amor,
Sister Petty