There's a lot of love out there, man.

We're working. Growing. Seeing miracles daily. We're sweating a lot.
We're eating a lot of beans and rice and farinha de mandioca. We're
making food for elders. We're riding the bus. We're teaching families.
We're talking to everyone. We're Brazilian missionaries!

Another week! Just one more this transfer...WHAT? I just started!

Walking past a little open bar this week (an almost minutely occurance
here in Bahia), we encountered a woman we've been trying to teach
(only taught her once until now). She is about 40, is short and sweet
and was once very very beautiful. She saw us, and with a tipsy grin
came to give us a hug, the smell of beer strong on her breath. How are
you? I asked her, and she said she was well. I then took her by the
shoulders and looked down into her eyes--eyes that couldn't looked
directly back because of the alcohol. "Maria," I said gently but
firmly. "Você precisa parar de beber." (You need to stop drinking.)
Her grin faded, and her eyes filled with tears. She murmured a few
excuses, saying that her life was difficult and that she just needed
to get away sometimes.

I left Maria there in the bar, my own eyes stinging with tears and
with a sharp pain in my heart.

There is so much sadness and pain in the world. I want to fix it all.
I want to erase the world of alcohol and drugs and violence. I know I
can't. Man has agency.

But each day, as a missionary, I am doing what I can to change lives,
one family, one soul at a time.

I love the people here in the Brazil, and I am doing my best to teach
them to love themselves, love their families, and to love their
Savior...the Savior that gave His life for each one of them.

Until next week. Thank you all for everything.

Sister Petty