Bunches of Pictures!--captions are ALL out of order. It takes too much work to fix them...so good luck!

1 - Oh Mister Sun... 2 - Rainbow in Dias D'Ávila 3 - The view out my Dias D'Ávila window. 4 - I LOVE FOOD. 5 - A typical lunch (almoço) in Bahia. 6 - On my plate. 7 - Ready to eat. Brazilians mix everything--I caught on fast. 8 - Já era. 9 - This is why I gained weight in Dias D'Ávila. 10 - A classic Baiano, eating his classic lunch. 11 - Marco Antônio, recent convert, and I. This is him in his work uniform -- the uniform we met him in. 12 - Irmã Judite, my sweet grandma of Dias D'Ávila. Can you believe she's a great-grandmother? 13 - Leon with pet. 14 - Irmão Angelo. A friend we made over time in the bairro Tela Bahia. 15 - The best orange juice ever! 16 - Our beloved family. Alysson, Soedma, Antônio, Alan. On the right is the family that introduced them to the church -- the dad's in white, ready to baptize his old friends. 17 - YAY FAMILY 18 - My hair is getting highlighted by the sun. Cool. 19 - Typical view in Bahia. 20 - This is impossible to explain. But I say it a lot, and we found a sign that said it too. So we had to take a pic. 21 - Lara, the woman who works under our apartment in Dias D'Ávila. I made her banana bread. THANKS MOM! 22 - In Brazil, it's customary for the whole family to walk visitors to the door when they leave after a visit. I snapped this shot without telling them, as we left for the last time. 23 - Window in PETROLINA. 24 - Moving!

Flavor, Sun, Maracujá, and Amazing Members

Brasil is so...flavorful. I love seeing little old carts being pulled by little donkeys, little brown children of every age playing futebol in the streets/yards/fields, entire families on one bicycle, every kind of person driving motorcycles, chickens in the streets, crazy drivers, trucks full of guiaba (fruit) that I love to smell as they go by...ahhh. So much flavor. This week was so incredibly hot. It feels like the sun is about a meter in front of your face here. Does anyone know what kind of fruit is "maracujá"? It's amazing. The juice is fantastic and super easy to make. Estaca Petrolina = POWER. My dear friends and family, I am having the special privelige (I don't know how to spell anymore) of working with a missionary stake. The stake president (who lives a block away from us missionaries) has a fire in his soul for missionary work, and has animated the entire Petrolina stake to be excited about the work. For example: this Sunday was "Missionary Day." They put on an activity at the president's home, and out of the blue they asked us missionaries to do a quick training on how to do a street contact. We gave them a five-minute training and did a quick practice, then FOOM! sent them out into the streets. They left without complaint, and In half an hour they came back with 27 member referrals and spiritual experiences they were excited to share. Missionary work isn't just for the missionaries. Never have fear to invite, invite, invite. For those of you who aren't members of the church, talk to a friend who is. Ask them why they do what they do, and how they know what they know. They will be happy to tell you. My "filha" is doing fantastically. I'm almost forgotten that I'm training. Her testimony is strong and she is not afraid to share it. I hope to be a bit more like her each day. Thank you all for your letters of support and love. They inspire me to better teach, work, and love here in Pernumbuco, Brasil. Com amor e carinho, Sister Petty P.S. The other day I was talking to my district leader on the phone, and I was a bit quieter than usual. We'd had a rough day. My district leader was like, "Sister Petty, não fique desanimada!" and his Argentine companion, hearing the conversation, shouted, "O que? Isso é apostosia, Sister Petty não PODE ficar desanimada!" P.P.S. Today my companion and I played four-square with the elders (I taught them). Halfway through we realized something...we had four squares, four people, four languages and four countries represented! (Me, my Cabo Verdiana companion, our Brazilian LD, and his Argentine comp). COOL.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! and showing Brazil to an African.

For some reason, folks, my cell phone told me it was March. And I
don't know why, but I totally believed it. Enough that two or three
days ago I told my American "roommate" (we live in four) that St.
Patrick's Day was coming up, woot! And she was like, "Yay, that's my
grandma's birthday as well!" Today, I yelled HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY
to her, and we celebrated for a couple minutes...then she looked and
me and was like, "Sister Petty. It's April. WHAT ARE WE DOING?"

The Petrolina sun does weird things to our brains.

My dear friends and family, training truly is probably the coolest
thing I've done here on the mission, even though I'm only a week in.
My "filha" is fantastic -- patient, sweet, loving, and with a huge
desire to help the people here. I am learning a ton from her. She's
just a bit shy with making contacts and challenging people to baptism,
but this week we'll fix that.

It's neat to show Brazil to an African. Some things here are
normal-ish for her, others not. The fruit here is much huger for her,
like it is for me too. When she first saw a mango she didn't believe
it was one. (Speaking of mango...I'm addicted. How much money is a
mango in the US?) And when we went to buy bread, her first reaction
was similar to mine: "DOZE pães por 2 reais?! Que é isso?" (12 fresh
white rolls for about one dollar. Too bad they don't have whole
wheat.)

The sun is baking us both. While I get red, she'll get beautifully brown. Sigh.

This week was rough with investigators. We saw two baptisms fall
through, even though we did absolutely everything we could. This week,
however, we will see these people take this step of faith.

I'm so grateful for all I'm learning about the love of my Savior. It
is so personal. I don't understand this, but I feel it. For THIS we
are here on missions -- to show to the world that our Lord loves us so
much that He calls latter-day prophets to guide us. The Book of Mormon
is true. It is an ancient record written by prophets of God who saw
our day. Read it. Pray about it. And never stop.

Portuguese phrases that I will miss when I go home, none of which
really have an English equivelent:

"Que é isso??"
"Embora lá!"
"E aí! Beleza?"
"Que saudades!"
"Isso é bom de mais."
"Fique firme e forte!"

Amo vocês,
Sister Petty

P.S. April 20th is coming up. Let's pretend that means I have
officially 6 months on the mission.

Sister, this will be the most spiritual time of your mission.

Friends, family, loved ones, strangers.

This is a quick report that I am alive and well and very very happy.

The day came that I didn't believe would ever come. Yesterday I received a "daughter" -- a brand new sister. She's from Cabo Verde, Africa, and speaks Portuguese with a beautiful and different accent. I thank the Lord so much that she is everything I could ever ask for in a trainee: humble, intelligent, and excited to learn and grow. Just yesterday afternoon we taught together for the first time, and I quickly saw that I won't be training her -- she'll be training me! She's marvelous!

The pressure is on. I now have to do everything perfectly...or at least strive for perfect obedience. I am being watched and followed.

Petrolina is heaven. The stake and ward have such a huge emphasis on missionary work, it's incredible. I am so grateful to be here.

Soon I'll hit one year on the mission, but I don't tell people that. I don't want to be this close to the end. I still have so much to learn!

I love you all and am so grateful for your letters of encouragement and love.

Always pray and read the scriptures.

Sister Petty

Profetas em ternos

My dear friends, I am wrapping up my first transfer (six weeks) here
in Petrolina, Pernumbuco. The ward here is incredible and the sun is
hot, and Sister Petty is growing a lot.

This week we saw miracles. We taught people who had truly been
prepared by God for us. One woman already had a Book of Mormon and had
read and marked some of it!

General Conference (bi-annual world broadcast of prophets and apostles
of our day) was really something. Never have I waited with such
anxiety to hear our modern-day prophets speak, and never has the
weekend flown by SO FAST.

Each talked touched me deeply. Here are just a few of my favorite quotes:

"Dá-me essa montanha."
~Henry B. Eyring

"Be kind, and be happy that God is kind. It is a happy way to live."
~Jeffrey R. Holland

"[Christ] paid an unfathomable price for the future He wants you to have."
~Jeffrey R. Holland

Come back
Come up
Come in
Come home
Come unto me.

~words of Christ, phrased by Pres. Thomas S. Monson

And then...the M. Russell Ballard talk. As he approached the pulpit, I
called, "Who guesses that he's gonna talk about the family??" and he
totally did. Loved this talk até o pó.

"There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the home."

"The most important cause of our lifetimes is our families."

"Improving our family's strenth will improve EVERY other aspect of our lives."

"No career can bring you as much fulfillment as rearing a family."

"The church is the mooring in the churning waters of change."

Also loved O. Vincent Haleck's talk about gaining the Savior's vision,
and LOVED Larry Y. Wilson's on letting our children develop their own
link to heaven. Oh, AND David F. Evans' talk on naturally and normally
sharing the Gospel.

Okay, so I just loved them all. But the Sunday talks centered on the
family were POWER for me. I love the family!

Por ISSO estou na missão, gente! Por isso! Para ajudar as famílias do
mundo ser mais unidas, mais felizes, e eternas! Eu sei que não há um
outro meio melhor do que a obra missionária para ajudar as famílias.

Eu amo meu Salvador. Sei que Ele vive. Sei que Thomas S. Monson
realment é nosso profeta vivo.

Stay strong. Have family home evening EVERY WEEK. Invite friends to
it, especially friends who aren't members or who are less-active in
the church. As you do this, and as you naturally and normally share
the Gospel, you will simultaneously improve and bring pure joy to your
own family as well as those around you.

Sister Petty