Yeah this week is legit. First off, I' m starting off my 18th week here in Floriano but I'm getting a new companion. His name is Elder Mullin and he's from Alaska, that is all I know about him. But this week was legit. We are working with a few people to be baptized and it's pretty funny. Our elect were sleeping underneath our noses. Literally. We are currently helping a couple homeless people prepare to be baptized. A member began helping them and brought us to them and they started wanted to take the discussions and now want to be baptized so badly! I'm super excited for them because I know it'll bless their lives.
We also found some more monkeys which of course we taught them the gospel. Luckily they are already keeping all the commandments and happily accepted a pass-along card. (Pics will come next week sorry) They are progressing quite well, and don't have a problem with the law of chastity because that's between a man and woman not monkeys which usually people have a problem with. We are hoping that they will continue with the lessons however it does seem almost like they are avoiding us these past few days.
Finally we had a confirmed case of the COVID-19 in a nearby city to where I'm working so these next few weeks will be interesting. We are building up a food storage in case we have to stay in our house. Also smart phones will be arriving shortly here which will be legit. And Elder Durante tried to buy a AppleWatch Series 4 but because he is naive and innocent he was tricked and just wasted a lot of money to say the least. Not the smartest move on his part but oh well, it is Brazil.
Love you guys, and I'm always praying for you. Try not to die to quickly from that virus I'm hearing about.
-Elder Pettingill
Monday, March 23, 2020
Monday, March 9, 2020
Demons, Death, and Hellfire
Well this week certainly was interesting. Let's hit some main points,
First off, if you did not know CHRIST IS BACK. We were walking to one of our appointments when this homeless dude stops us and asks if we knew that this city (Floriano) was going to burn in (which of course yeah I already knew that) So I asked if he was talking about when Christ returns and he said Christ doesn't exist and when this city burns and we are in Hell we will know that he IS Christ.
Secondly, we found this lady while knocking doors, and she invited us to share a message. Then when we asked if we could say a prayer to invite the spirit she straight up just said no. Then at the end of the message she told us she thought we were part of some Demon Cult or something and that's why she didn't want us to say a prayer. But we were able to explain that we do in fact teach that Christ is our Savior and she was a little more accepting. Unfortunately her family said stuff about us or something because she started avoiding us again. :(
Thirdly, I don't know if the Corona Virus has really affected you guys or not, but everyone here seems to be freaking out about it. But anyways one of the recent converts of the other missionaries here died this Saturday. It was crazy because she was in perfect health Friday and dead Saturday morning which was rather shocking. Don't worry she was confirmed and her ficha (baptismal record) was sent in so everything is in good order. They had a nice funeral for her but still freaking crazy.
In some other news, we were able to bring a family to Church this last week which was super awesome. We are working towards baptizing one of the members of the family because she is the only one actually able to be baptized. However, we are also working towards baptizing another guy who has come to church several times, but hasn't been entirely interested in meeting with us, haha until now when he has started liking one of the young women in the ward but of course she says she will only date a member. So looks like we will be having two baptisms this week and we are working with a few other people to have another 4 next week. All in all this week was one of the better ones here in Floriano
Love you all, and know I pray for you always
-Elder Pettingill
P.S. the things in this email are jokes and are not meant to be taken seriously so please to do not get offended
Also Pictures!
-Classic sunset here in Brazil
-Super legit house we found
-poor little frogo that got stuck and died
-mine and Elder Sly's anklets we made of the US flag
-In case it wasn't hot enough here we had a bonfire
First off, if you did not know CHRIST IS BACK. We were walking to one of our appointments when this homeless dude stops us and asks if we knew that this city (Floriano) was going to burn in (which of course yeah I already knew that) So I asked if he was talking about when Christ returns and he said Christ doesn't exist and when this city burns and we are in Hell we will know that he IS Christ.
Secondly, we found this lady while knocking doors, and she invited us to share a message. Then when we asked if we could say a prayer to invite the spirit she straight up just said no. Then at the end of the message she told us she thought we were part of some Demon Cult or something and that's why she didn't want us to say a prayer. But we were able to explain that we do in fact teach that Christ is our Savior and she was a little more accepting. Unfortunately her family said stuff about us or something because she started avoiding us again. :(
Thirdly, I don't know if the Corona Virus has really affected you guys or not, but everyone here seems to be freaking out about it. But anyways one of the recent converts of the other missionaries here died this Saturday. It was crazy because she was in perfect health Friday and dead Saturday morning which was rather shocking. Don't worry she was confirmed and her ficha (baptismal record) was sent in so everything is in good order. They had a nice funeral for her but still freaking crazy.
In some other news, we were able to bring a family to Church this last week which was super awesome. We are working towards baptizing one of the members of the family because she is the only one actually able to be baptized. However, we are also working towards baptizing another guy who has come to church several times, but hasn't been entirely interested in meeting with us, haha until now when he has started liking one of the young women in the ward but of course she says she will only date a member. So looks like we will be having two baptisms this week and we are working with a few other people to have another 4 next week. All in all this week was one of the better ones here in Floriano
Love you all, and know I pray for you always
-Elder Pettingill
P.S. the things in this email are jokes and are not meant to be taken seriously so please to do not get offended
-Classic sunset here in Brazil
-Super legit house we found
-poor little frogo that got stuck and died
-mine and Elder Sly's anklets we made of the US flag
-In case it wasn't hot enough here we had a bonfire
So Much Profoundness
This week has been super legit. We have been working super hard and we have had a little more success. We found 2 new investigators who are super awesome, and we are working towards baptisms with them! Some other things that happened was that some of the elders in my district came and visited us and they blew my mind. I will refrain from recounting the happenings but let's just say, my mind is expounded and its rather difficult to think about everything in the same way. But also while they were here we played soccer which was super fun. And while we're playing there was a 12 year old chilling on the side of the court. We invited him to join our game and let's just say he was by far the best one there. Luckily he was on my team so we won.
This week has been rather uneventful other than those two things but one thing I love is that when we get down deep into the Gospel all we can see is God's love for us. Everything he does, everything he has ever done, and everything he will ever do is for us. Know that you are not alone. He will never abandon you, he will forever be reaching out for you because he loves you more than you can imagine. That is why he sent Christ. To do the unimaginable, to make the impossible, possible. Because through him, we can become perfect, through him our burdens become light, and the sorrows of life are drowned out by his love. BUT it is also our choice. God will never force his love upon us, we need to reach out and grabbed his extended hand and only after can he help us.
Eu amo vocês. Eu espero muito que tudo em suas vidas seja bem. Eu oro por vocês e sei que seu pai celestial te ama muito. Ter uma boa semana.
-Elder Pettingill
This week has been rather uneventful other than those two things but one thing I love is that when we get down deep into the Gospel all we can see is God's love for us. Everything he does, everything he has ever done, and everything he will ever do is for us. Know that you are not alone. He will never abandon you, he will forever be reaching out for you because he loves you more than you can imagine. That is why he sent Christ. To do the unimaginable, to make the impossible, possible. Because through him, we can become perfect, through him our burdens become light, and the sorrows of life are drowned out by his love. BUT it is also our choice. God will never force his love upon us, we need to reach out and grabbed his extended hand and only after can he help us.
Eu amo vocês. Eu espero muito que tudo em suas vidas seja bem. Eu oro por vocês e sei que seu pai celestial te ama muito. Ter uma boa semana.
-Elder Pettingill
Monday, February 24, 2020
CARNIVAL!!!
Alrighty this week was not my favorite but we still tried our best! We had zone conference this week which was super fun. They talked a lot about teaching about the Restoration because its getting close to 200 YEARS since the 1st vision! One of my favorite things to teach is when Joseph Smith saw Christ and God, the spirit is always there and always testifies of this powerful moment in history. This week didn't have as much success as I would have liked but we still managed to mark a date of baptism with 2 of our investigators for this Sunday!
Carnival, for those who don't know, is a super crazy party here in Brazil that basically goes all week so it makes it super hard to work and super dangerous but its all good here. We have changed our schedule to working in the morning from 8:30-4:00 instead of the usual 10:30-9 which has made it pretty hard this week. But a fun experience I had this week was on Friday where we were almost caught in the middle of Carnival! We were trying to go teach an investigator but as we were walking we started to hear music and we realized it was coming from where we were trying to go. It was early so we tried to just go around it and we would teach really quickly before going back. But as we got closer we realized that the party going down was on the same street as our investigator so we had to go the long way around and when we finally got to her house she was going to Carnival! But by the time we started to go back the party had grown even bigger so we couldn't go back the way we came and had to walk a back route. We made it back avoiding most of Carnival until some drunks stopped us and started asking if we were Mormons, we explained briefly then booked it for our apartment. Fun experience, I hope it doesn't happen again.
Amo vocês muito e espero que vocês sejam muito bom! Vou continuar orando por cada um de vocês! (I love you so much and I hope you are very good! I will continue to pray for each of you!)
-Elder Pettingill
Pictures are from zone conference last week:
Carnival, for those who don't know, is a super crazy party here in Brazil that basically goes all week so it makes it super hard to work and super dangerous but its all good here. We have changed our schedule to working in the morning from 8:30-4:00 instead of the usual 10:30-9 which has made it pretty hard this week. But a fun experience I had this week was on Friday where we were almost caught in the middle of Carnival! We were trying to go teach an investigator but as we were walking we started to hear music and we realized it was coming from where we were trying to go. It was early so we tried to just go around it and we would teach really quickly before going back. But as we got closer we realized that the party going down was on the same street as our investigator so we had to go the long way around and when we finally got to her house she was going to Carnival! But by the time we started to go back the party had grown even bigger so we couldn't go back the way we came and had to walk a back route. We made it back avoiding most of Carnival until some drunks stopped us and started asking if we were Mormons, we explained briefly then booked it for our apartment. Fun experience, I hope it doesn't happen again.
Amo vocês muito e espero que vocês sejam muito bom! Vou continuar orando por cada um de vocês! (I love you so much and I hope you are very good! I will continue to pray for each of you!)
-Elder Pettingill
Pictures are from zone conference last week:
Monday, February 17, 2020
Floriano 2 Semana 3
E aí meus amigos!
This week was legit! Where to start, first off we have started doing parkour a bit more here which feels super good to do on Pdays. The other Elders want me to teach them a backflip which I'm a bit apprehensive doing but it's super nice to get a change from Push-ups, sit-ups and jump rope every morning (I may or may not be huge now). Elder Sly and I have started really focusing on working and it's super awesome to see the Lord blessing us when we are trying to do our best to keep all the rules.
This week was super fun, I got to see Elder Maza this week as he came to our house on splits with the Zone leader which was awesome. I bought a mini futebal last week that I've been playing with as well, so I'Il probably be a pro futebal player by the time I get back. Also my allegiance has changed from Flamengo (the major soccer team here in Brazil) to Vasco (the rival of Flamengo) so Josh I'm prepared to whoop your Flamengista behind when I get back. Also I got all the cards from the ward and my mom this week which was supppper awesome so thanks so much! (If you want to mail me a letter email me and Ill send you the address)
Update on our investigators: We have several promising people we are working, the guy that came to church last week wasn't able to be baptized this week because we couldn't really teach him but we are hoping to help him out for this week. Then we have another investigator that is the mom of a member and she is super awesome. She has tons of questions about how she can prepare for baptism and the gospel in general which is wonderful but shes also been busy but we are preparing her for baptism this week as well. We found a family of 12 people who we want to prepare for baptism as well because they're super awesome but its hard to teach them all at the same time.
I've seen so many tender mercies this week which has been super nice. First off this week in general had some good lessons and some good contacting but nothing super crazy until Sunday when we finally had some of our investigators in Church. The other thing is that on Sunday we had lunch with a member like 5 or 6 miles from our house and our area is another 2 and half but it was just Elder Sly and I because the other Elders forgot their hats so they had to return to the house of the member's house but Elder Sly and I wanted to work so we didn't go back with them, and then some random Batista(one of the religions here who really like Bible Bashing but when we prove them wrong they just don't listen so I don't usually particularly like them) stopped while we were walking and gave us a ride to our house because it was hot outside (its always hot outside, or its flooding, there really isn't an in between) which was nice. It meant we could actually spend the day working instead of walking!
Finally my mom sent me a talk in a letter called "the first great commandment" by Elder Holland, I highly suggest it, but one part of the talk that I really like is where Christ is asking Peter the Apostle if he loves him, and Peter responds of course, Christ already knows that he loves him, and after asking three times Elder Holland takes the liberty of suggesting what Christ could've said he says "Then why Peter are we back here, by these same boats, the same nets, having the same conversation" "If I want fish, I can get fish. What I need are disciples." God sent us here with the ability to choose for ourselves. And one thing he will never do is go back on that gift, he will always give us the ability to choose even if we are choosing something that hurts us or will lead the wrong way. We need to choose to be his disciples, we need to show him that we love him through our actions. Do we love him? And if so how are we showing it? God has given us everything, are we giving him everything? I know we all have room to improve, I certainly am far from perfect and still have many places to improve. One of the best ways to show that we love him is by using the atonement of Christ. To change, and improve, to get closer to our Father in heaven. I love you all and pray for you all, I hope you always remember who you are a Child of the most powerful being in the Universe and he only wants the best for you all.
-Elder Pettingill
Pictures
-Some more landscape of Brazil
-Elder Maza
-A tarantula that we found dead
-Brazil and its brilliant placement of trees
This week was legit! Where to start, first off we have started doing parkour a bit more here which feels super good to do on Pdays. The other Elders want me to teach them a backflip which I'm a bit apprehensive doing but it's super nice to get a change from Push-ups, sit-ups and jump rope every morning (I may or may not be huge now). Elder Sly and I have started really focusing on working and it's super awesome to see the Lord blessing us when we are trying to do our best to keep all the rules.
This week was super fun, I got to see Elder Maza this week as he came to our house on splits with the Zone leader which was awesome. I bought a mini futebal last week that I've been playing with as well, so I'Il probably be a pro futebal player by the time I get back. Also my allegiance has changed from Flamengo (the major soccer team here in Brazil) to Vasco (the rival of Flamengo) so Josh I'm prepared to whoop your Flamengista behind when I get back. Also I got all the cards from the ward and my mom this week which was supppper awesome so thanks so much! (If you want to mail me a letter email me and Ill send you the address)
Update on our investigators: We have several promising people we are working, the guy that came to church last week wasn't able to be baptized this week because we couldn't really teach him but we are hoping to help him out for this week. Then we have another investigator that is the mom of a member and she is super awesome. She has tons of questions about how she can prepare for baptism and the gospel in general which is wonderful but shes also been busy but we are preparing her for baptism this week as well. We found a family of 12 people who we want to prepare for baptism as well because they're super awesome but its hard to teach them all at the same time.
I've seen so many tender mercies this week which has been super nice. First off this week in general had some good lessons and some good contacting but nothing super crazy until Sunday when we finally had some of our investigators in Church. The other thing is that on Sunday we had lunch with a member like 5 or 6 miles from our house and our area is another 2 and half but it was just Elder Sly and I because the other Elders forgot their hats so they had to return to the house of the member's house but Elder Sly and I wanted to work so we didn't go back with them, and then some random Batista(one of the religions here who really like Bible Bashing but when we prove them wrong they just don't listen so I don't usually particularly like them) stopped while we were walking and gave us a ride to our house because it was hot outside (its always hot outside, or its flooding, there really isn't an in between) which was nice. It meant we could actually spend the day working instead of walking!
Finally my mom sent me a talk in a letter called "the first great commandment" by Elder Holland, I highly suggest it, but one part of the talk that I really like is where Christ is asking Peter the Apostle if he loves him, and Peter responds of course, Christ already knows that he loves him, and after asking three times Elder Holland takes the liberty of suggesting what Christ could've said he says "Then why Peter are we back here, by these same boats, the same nets, having the same conversation" "If I want fish, I can get fish. What I need are disciples." God sent us here with the ability to choose for ourselves. And one thing he will never do is go back on that gift, he will always give us the ability to choose even if we are choosing something that hurts us or will lead the wrong way. We need to choose to be his disciples, we need to show him that we love him through our actions. Do we love him? And if so how are we showing it? God has given us everything, are we giving him everything? I know we all have room to improve, I certainly am far from perfect and still have many places to improve. One of the best ways to show that we love him is by using the atonement of Christ. To change, and improve, to get closer to our Father in heaven. I love you all and pray for you all, I hope you always remember who you are a Child of the most powerful being in the Universe and he only wants the best for you all.
-Elder Pettingill
Pictures
-Some more landscape of Brazil
-Elder Maza
-A tarantula that we found dead
-Brazil and its brilliant placement of trees
Monday, February 10, 2020
Minecraft! Nah bruh Terraria is better!
Oi tudo bem?
This week was a blast. So first off this week was the first time this mission was how I was expecting it to be. With just jungle and mud houses. Yeah that's right minecraft had it right. We have been working with an investigator but the only thing is she lives at the very end of the city of Floriano so we have been walking there everyday and as it gets farther from the center it gets more like a little village and just animals running around. When we were first looking for her house we actually walked outside of the town because we had no idea where the freak she lived but we found some super sick stuff out here. More monkeys, a ton of pigs, lots of goats, some ancient aztec ruins, some dirt houses, muddy rivers and dirt roads! Also Elder Sly loves Minecraft but I like a game called Terraria more so hes been hating on me all week but those who know, know. But as it goes for spiritual experiences let's explain.
We have been working a ton with a few families and we are prepping one family to be baptized. One of the main things they need to do is come to Church. So the entire week we were working with them and they are really awesome and they said they were going to walk to Church (about 25 minutes) but they work nearby the Church so that's not that big of a problem for them. But when Sunday came they slept through it! Which means we are now working with them for the first of March. Then one of our other investigators Joyce, who we have been working with for a while, said she would for sure be at Church but we were going to walk with her there just to make sure. However when we showed up at her Grandma's house her Grandma said she already had left for a friend's house. So we went to Church downhearted (just fyi we missionaries can and will find you if you lie to us so beware) but a member brought her Boyfriend to church so now we are working with him to baptize him!
One thing I really have learned is God is in charge. If you just work with all your might, he will bless you. This work isn't easy, it never will be easy but I love a scripture in Helaman 5:12 that says "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the a rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." I love this scripture because truly Satan will do everything he can against us. He will try and dishearten us, tempt us, and use all the power he has against us. But with the power of God on our side he truly cant do anything. God will give us blessings and miracles all we have to do is look for them. Never give up and never forget who it through that we are here and one day can return with our Heavenly Father. I love you all and always pray for you!
-Elder Pettingill
Pics!
-Minecraft!
-the landscape
-ladies I know you want me
-Aztec ruins
-Falling off the aztec ruins!
-Ladies hes single
-I was really close to falling in
This week was a blast. So first off this week was the first time this mission was how I was expecting it to be. With just jungle and mud houses. Yeah that's right minecraft had it right. We have been working with an investigator but the only thing is she lives at the very end of the city of Floriano so we have been walking there everyday and as it gets farther from the center it gets more like a little village and just animals running around. When we were first looking for her house we actually walked outside of the town because we had no idea where the freak she lived but we found some super sick stuff out here. More monkeys, a ton of pigs, lots of goats, some ancient aztec ruins, some dirt houses, muddy rivers and dirt roads! Also Elder Sly loves Minecraft but I like a game called Terraria more so hes been hating on me all week but those who know, know. But as it goes for spiritual experiences let's explain.
We have been working a ton with a few families and we are prepping one family to be baptized. One of the main things they need to do is come to Church. So the entire week we were working with them and they are really awesome and they said they were going to walk to Church (about 25 minutes) but they work nearby the Church so that's not that big of a problem for them. But when Sunday came they slept through it! Which means we are now working with them for the first of March. Then one of our other investigators Joyce, who we have been working with for a while, said she would for sure be at Church but we were going to walk with her there just to make sure. However when we showed up at her Grandma's house her Grandma said she already had left for a friend's house. So we went to Church downhearted (just fyi we missionaries can and will find you if you lie to us so beware) but a member brought her Boyfriend to church so now we are working with him to baptize him!
One thing I really have learned is God is in charge. If you just work with all your might, he will bless you. This work isn't easy, it never will be easy but I love a scripture in Helaman 5:12 that says "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the a rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." I love this scripture because truly Satan will do everything he can against us. He will try and dishearten us, tempt us, and use all the power he has against us. But with the power of God on our side he truly cant do anything. God will give us blessings and miracles all we have to do is look for them. Never give up and never forget who it through that we are here and one day can return with our Heavenly Father. I love you all and always pray for you!
-Elder Pettingill
Pics!
-Minecraft!
-the landscape
-ladies I know you want me
-Aztec ruins
-Falling off the aztec ruins!
-Ladies hes single
-I was really close to falling in
Monday, February 3, 2020
Week full of Capueda, DnD, and a whole lot of work
Oi meus amigos!
This week was truly an interesting one. First of we got two new Elders in our house, Elder Durante and Elder Proença. So it meant a lot of time getting to know them. Elder Durante and Elder Proença are really cool. They remind me a lot of people back home, namely my brother Josh. Also Elder Proença did Capueda before his mission which is like martial arts but also a dance. It's legit to watch so he has been teaching me and Elder Sly it. Also I talked about playing DnD before my mission and everyone thought it would be really interesting to play it here. And I'm not gonna lie I neevver, ever thought that I would play Pathfinder out here but here I am playing it.
The work has been rough here, most days we weren't able to teach so spent a lot of time contacting and walking. One thing I really learned this week is that success here in the mission doesn't come from numbers but from how hard you're working. If you're giving it all you have, you're successful and it doesn't matter what people say. If you know it and you know that God knows it, then that's all that matters.
One thing always helps me is the verse in Ether 12 which says that faith is believing in things you can't see and that answers come only after the trial of faith. Truly I know this Gospel is true, but no one ever said it was easy. It was never easy, because salvation isn't easy. It wasn't easy when Christ was praying to his father that if there was an easier way to give it, and it most certainly will not be any easier for us as latter day saints. One part of our mission is feeling some portion of the same pain he felt. I'm not saying we will feel anything close to what he felt but we will feel some token that will make us more grateful.
I love you all, and I pray for you all every day. Remember the atonement is real and it's not just there to wipe away our sins but it is there to comfort us in times of need. It is there for everything. I hope you're all doing great!
-Elder Pettingill
This week was truly an interesting one. First of we got two new Elders in our house, Elder Durante and Elder Proença. So it meant a lot of time getting to know them. Elder Durante and Elder Proença are really cool. They remind me a lot of people back home, namely my brother Josh. Also Elder Proença did Capueda before his mission which is like martial arts but also a dance. It's legit to watch so he has been teaching me and Elder Sly it. Also I talked about playing DnD before my mission and everyone thought it would be really interesting to play it here. And I'm not gonna lie I neevver, ever thought that I would play Pathfinder out here but here I am playing it.
The work has been rough here, most days we weren't able to teach so spent a lot of time contacting and walking. One thing I really learned this week is that success here in the mission doesn't come from numbers but from how hard you're working. If you're giving it all you have, you're successful and it doesn't matter what people say. If you know it and you know that God knows it, then that's all that matters.
One thing always helps me is the verse in Ether 12 which says that faith is believing in things you can't see and that answers come only after the trial of faith. Truly I know this Gospel is true, but no one ever said it was easy. It was never easy, because salvation isn't easy. It wasn't easy when Christ was praying to his father that if there was an easier way to give it, and it most certainly will not be any easier for us as latter day saints. One part of our mission is feeling some portion of the same pain he felt. I'm not saying we will feel anything close to what he felt but we will feel some token that will make us more grateful.
I love you all, and I pray for you all every day. Remember the atonement is real and it's not just there to wipe away our sins but it is there to comfort us in times of need. It is there for everything. I hope you're all doing great!
-Elder Pettingill
Monday, January 27, 2020
A week of a whole lot of walking
Hola meus amigos. This week was really awesome so let's start off with the crazy stuff. First off I went to Teresina to find out what I was allergic to but we were unable to schedule an appointment so we still don't know exactly what it is other than that if I use the hammock in our apartment it will be bad. Then on the way home we were riding in a bus but it broke down so instead of arriving at 12:30-1 in the morning, we got back at 4 but that is all good because I got to see the freaking stars! If you don't know I love the stars so much! My family always went camping so they're one of my favorite parts of nature but a lot of the time you can't see them clearly and it's not much different here in Brazil but we were about 2 hours away from "civilization" so we could see just about everything. The weirdest part was to see the Big Dipper on the wrong part of the sky but still it was awesome. Also we have started to finally have a lot of rain here. And when it rains in Brazil, you're guaranteed lightning and thunder and a frick ton of rain. None of the big bridges here broke but a couple smaller ones broke here because the river flooded. So pretty sick. Also in our city all of our investigators close to our house stopped wanting to talk to us so we moved to start walking to literally the farthest places in our areas which is usually about an hour or more of walking there. However we had one person walk up to while we were in the supermarket and he said he wants to be baptized but of course he lives in one of the farthest areas so we walked 2 and a half hours to teach him and it was really good. So now he's preparing to be baptized. However we also learned a much faster route so now it only takes about an hour and a half which is much better. Also this week we got transfers and I was transferred from my part of Floriano to the other part so it was rather exciting because it's not really a transfer at all. Same house but now I have the better bedroom and my companion is Elder Sly who I've lived with the entire time. We are getting two new missionaries here, Elder Durante (who is my brother in the mission) to replace Elder Maza (my other brother in the mission) and his son in the mission to replace Elder Bustamante, my pop, so it'll be quite the family here. To explain for those who don't understand, your trainer here in the mission is called your dad and if you have a second one it's called your mom. Then if you train someone they are your brother and anyone trained by the same person are brothers. So here in my house I will have my mom (Elder Sly) my brother (Elder Durante) and my nephew (the son of Elder Durante) so I'm excited. This week was awesome and sorry about the crazy long email. I pray for you guys always!
One awesome experience this week was yesterday we walked an hour to our area after our lunch with a member. But when we got there, the member that said he would work with us said he was doing visits to less actives so he couldn't come with us, and then all our appointments fell through and no one was there. Elder Bustamante and I were rather discouraged so we sat down and thought about what we needed to do. So we decided we would say a pray and afterwards started walking to one of our other areas. But as we were walking one of our investigators opened the door as we passed and asked for us to come in which was already a miracle. But then her brother arrived home and he was a reference from a member (pretty sure she just wants to date him tho) but we were able to teach them and it was super awesome. Now they are preparing to be baptized but also right after we entered their house it started pouring super badly outside with a lot of thunder really, really close by. So it was a grand blessing that we didn't have to also walk another 45 minutes in the pouring rain. I know this Church is true and that God truly has a plan for us. He gives us problems and difficulties to build us and our faith. But when we trust him, and trust his plan, things will always be alright.
-Elder Pettingill
Pictures from January Zone Conference
One awesome experience this week was yesterday we walked an hour to our area after our lunch with a member. But when we got there, the member that said he would work with us said he was doing visits to less actives so he couldn't come with us, and then all our appointments fell through and no one was there. Elder Bustamante and I were rather discouraged so we sat down and thought about what we needed to do. So we decided we would say a pray and afterwards started walking to one of our other areas. But as we were walking one of our investigators opened the door as we passed and asked for us to come in which was already a miracle. But then her brother arrived home and he was a reference from a member (pretty sure she just wants to date him tho) but we were able to teach them and it was super awesome. Now they are preparing to be baptized but also right after we entered their house it started pouring super badly outside with a lot of thunder really, really close by. So it was a grand blessing that we didn't have to also walk another 45 minutes in the pouring rain. I know this Church is true and that God truly has a plan for us. He gives us problems and difficulties to build us and our faith. But when we trust him, and trust his plan, things will always be alright.
-Elder Pettingill
Pictures from January Zone Conference
Monday, January 20, 2020
Todo suave na nave? (Is everything going well?)
Oi meus amigos!
This week I don't have that much time so you guys can enjoy a short email.
This week we had divisions with the assistant to the President Elder Cantero and it was super fun working with him. He does missionary work so much differently it was really cool and I started doing some of the stuff he does. Such as being supppper straight forward with people. Like you're breaking commandments and need to change. Then also the allergic reaction came back too and that's been super fun to deal with; pretty much I would wake up each morning in hives and take medicine and by night time they would all be gone. But all is well, it has only boosted my determination. I love the examples in the scriptures of the missionaries that say they suffered all manner of afflictions but murmured not. Not a ton of success numbers wise this week but I know we are trying our best. I love you guys, and hopefully I'll have more time next week and hopefully pictures.
I know this Church is true with every fiber of my being. I am absolutely in love with it and this is what happens when you really begin to live the Gospel of Christ. The love that you will feel, for others, but also from God is so powerful. The Book of Mormon is true and if you read it, really read it and study it you will fall in love with the stories, the people, and the messages and then you will begin to live them. The blessings of this Gospel are real and they will change your life.
-Elder Pettingill
This week I don't have that much time so you guys can enjoy a short email.
This week we had divisions with the assistant to the President Elder Cantero and it was super fun working with him. He does missionary work so much differently it was really cool and I started doing some of the stuff he does. Such as being supppper straight forward with people. Like you're breaking commandments and need to change. Then also the allergic reaction came back too and that's been super fun to deal with; pretty much I would wake up each morning in hives and take medicine and by night time they would all be gone. But all is well, it has only boosted my determination. I love the examples in the scriptures of the missionaries that say they suffered all manner of afflictions but murmured not. Not a ton of success numbers wise this week but I know we are trying our best. I love you guys, and hopefully I'll have more time next week and hopefully pictures.
I know this Church is true with every fiber of my being. I am absolutely in love with it and this is what happens when you really begin to live the Gospel of Christ. The love that you will feel, for others, but also from God is so powerful. The Book of Mormon is true and if you read it, really read it and study it you will fall in love with the stories, the people, and the messages and then you will begin to live them. The blessings of this Gospel are real and they will change your life.
-Elder Pettingill
Monday, January 13, 2020
Brazil does have animals
This week was a rough one but tons of fun. First off my companion is all good once again but he and Elder Maza had to go to the hospital in Teresina which meant that I and Elder Sly had all of Floriano to work in instead of splitting it which makes it a lot harder and a lot more walking. We also had Zone Conference on Wednesday which was fun and really encouraged me to use the Atonement in my life. The atonement of Jesus Christ is truly the most wonderful thing in the world. Through it we have the ability to truly become better and get closer to God. The Atonement means real change, one that makes us more like Christ and with the New Year change is something I've been focusing on a lot. As I help change others, I need to change as well. One quote I love but don't remember who it was from is "you can't lead someone else to a place you, yourself, are not" which is one hundred percent true. How can you help someone else repent if you yourself are not repenting. You just can't.
Also this week I had the opportunity to see more crazy wildlife than I ever have. The first I saw was a Gila Monster (a lizard about three feet long and extremely venomous, unfortunately I was unable to get a picture because he ran before I could) the second I saw was a duck but ducks here aren't ducks so I call them dodo chickens because they look like a mix between a duck, chicken, and a dodo bird and the last was a bunch of little tiny monkeys about the size of my hand. It was really fun to actually see some cool things and now all I'm hoping for is a 12 foot snake.
I hope you''re all doing well, I pray for you all!
-Elder Pettingill
Also this week I had the opportunity to see more crazy wildlife than I ever have. The first I saw was a Gila Monster (a lizard about three feet long and extremely venomous, unfortunately I was unable to get a picture because he ran before I could) the second I saw was a duck but ducks here aren't ducks so I call them dodo chickens because they look like a mix between a duck, chicken, and a dodo bird and the last was a bunch of little tiny monkeys about the size of my hand. It was really fun to actually see some cool things and now all I'm hoping for is a 12 foot snake.
I hope you''re all doing well, I pray for you all!
-Elder Pettingill
Monday, January 6, 2020
Feliz Natal e um Feliz Ano Novo
Oi!
Finalmente uma P-day eu posso fazer as coisas eu preciso fazer! Então How is everyone? I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a wonderful New Year. I have a lot to remember but Ill try and hit all the main points. First off we had Christmas Conference down in Teresina which was super fun. We all brought things we made and I brought some Cookie Brownies that I made. We played a bunch of games and had a blast. Then we continued working in our area until my trainer Elder Bustamante got super sick with an allergia that made it so we had to spend most of the day in our house. This was nice the first day but after that I just wanted to work. He is currently at the hospital in Teresina with the Companion of Elder Sly, the other American elder here in Floriano so we are in splits. Don't worry he isn't dying he's just in a lot of pain.
The week after Christmas conference we had Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve in the house of an investigator who loves us and so we played games and ate there until we had to return at 10:30 instead of the usual 9:00. Then Christmas where we opened our presents we got for each other and also the presents my mom sent with me. The non american Elders now love American candy because it's the best and we've been having a ton of fun with some nerf guns we got.
Finally we had New Years Eve which we spent watching fireworks from our building and stayed up til Midnight and had a little party by ourselves because we had to return at 6:00 in the afternoon that day. Where we were wasn't super big but I saw on some newscasts that they were having giant parties in other parts of Brazil. It was super weird being here for Christmas and New Years but still wonderful.
Some funny things that happened was first off on Christmas all the members gave us this gift basket with a ton of sweets in it and I mean giant. I would say probably like 20-30 pounds but we were at the top of a hill about 35-45 minutes away from our house. So I took the challenge to carry it home by myself and said that God will fortify me and give me strength if I have faith. I made it about 43 minutes until my arms were dead and I couldn't go any farther so all the other Elders said I didn't have faith which was a funny joke haha. Then a lot of our investigators dropped because of one reason or another but we continue to try with a smile on our faces (usually) We have one investigator that's doing super awesome and is preparing for baptism this Sunday. Also I am quasi fluente em português so I understand most of what people are talking about most of the time. That or I misunderstand them completely because I misunderstand a single word. It's a struggle but I love it. I love being here and I hope everyone is doing wonderful.
-Elder Pettingill
Finalmente uma P-day eu posso fazer as coisas eu preciso fazer! Então How is everyone? I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a wonderful New Year. I have a lot to remember but Ill try and hit all the main points. First off we had Christmas Conference down in Teresina which was super fun. We all brought things we made and I brought some Cookie Brownies that I made. We played a bunch of games and had a blast. Then we continued working in our area until my trainer Elder Bustamante got super sick with an allergia that made it so we had to spend most of the day in our house. This was nice the first day but after that I just wanted to work. He is currently at the hospital in Teresina with the Companion of Elder Sly, the other American elder here in Floriano so we are in splits. Don't worry he isn't dying he's just in a lot of pain.
The week after Christmas conference we had Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve in the house of an investigator who loves us and so we played games and ate there until we had to return at 10:30 instead of the usual 9:00. Then Christmas where we opened our presents we got for each other and also the presents my mom sent with me. The non american Elders now love American candy because it's the best and we've been having a ton of fun with some nerf guns we got.
Finally we had New Years Eve which we spent watching fireworks from our building and stayed up til Midnight and had a little party by ourselves because we had to return at 6:00 in the afternoon that day. Where we were wasn't super big but I saw on some newscasts that they were having giant parties in other parts of Brazil. It was super weird being here for Christmas and New Years but still wonderful.
Some funny things that happened was first off on Christmas all the members gave us this gift basket with a ton of sweets in it and I mean giant. I would say probably like 20-30 pounds but we were at the top of a hill about 35-45 minutes away from our house. So I took the challenge to carry it home by myself and said that God will fortify me and give me strength if I have faith. I made it about 43 minutes until my arms were dead and I couldn't go any farther so all the other Elders said I didn't have faith which was a funny joke haha. Then a lot of our investigators dropped because of one reason or another but we continue to try with a smile on our faces (usually) We have one investigator that's doing super awesome and is preparing for baptism this Sunday. Also I am quasi fluente em português so I understand most of what people are talking about most of the time. That or I misunderstand them completely because I misunderstand a single word. It's a struggle but I love it. I love being here and I hope everyone is doing wonderful.
-Elder Pettingill
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