Exchange Sister Chap 3

Alright, I am a little bit sad because its not letting me send pictures, and I have a few that i would like you guys to see... but I guess we will all live until we get to see them.

So!  about 7pm last monday I found out what was happening with me, and that same night I went to Mussurunga, another area in Salvador to stay with Sister Rosado and Sister Freitas!  It was sooo amazing to have the chance to be her companion again and to see the changes that she has made.  It really was amazing to get to teach with her again, to see how we are still really in tune with each other and with the Spirit.  It made me really happy, and was exactly what I needed after the stressful week before.  I was definately feeling better.  which is good, because on Friday I got the news that I was being transfered - for good this time.  My time as a "analista de Sistens" has come to a close and I am now here in Jequié!  Guess who my companion is!  Just guess!  Try to figure it out!
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Nothing?  Alright, I will tell you........... Sister Cornwall!!!! Tada!!! I will have the unique experience of sending home my companion from the MTC and going home at the same time as my trainer. I can not explain my joy to be here with her and with Sister Lima as well.  They are AMAZING women who really understand our purpose here, not just as missionaries but as women, and it is so amazing to working with people with vision.  They are both leaving next week to go home, so this week and a half that we have together is time for me to get to know the area, the members and the investigators that they have.  I dont know how to explain how right it feels that I am here, and as they talked about the area and about the things that have been happening... I dont know how to explain it, the feeling of gratitude that I have for my Father in Heaven for giving me this blessing.  In all my other areas I feel like I was prepared to serve in the area.  Here, I feel (and have had the confirmation of the Spirit) that this area was prepared for me, that all the things that are falling into place here and now are in large part answers to my prayers and to my personal worthiness.  For example - this past week the sisters found 20 new investigators.  They were working with a few investigators that had baptims dates for this past week and the coming week and all of the dates fell through and they were trying to figure out why, and Sister Lima received the revelation that it was because these people were being saved for the next set of sisters that were coming in, that these people will be baptised and they are a fufillment of the blessings that the Lord promised for the next missionaries that would be coming to the area.  Which so happens to be me.  The liders here in the branch have opened their vision.  The liders of the mission here have opened their visions, and now... the only thing I have to do is stay close to the Spirit and follow his promptings. As they were sitting and talking to me, telling me all of the miracles that have happened here in the last little while, my eyes just conintued to leak tears of joy and gratitude, because i know, I Know that this area is a blessing and a fufillment of promises for me.  I know that.  In the MTC I prayed for two things - patience and humility.  I am in no way perfect in these two things, but I have learned them.  I know what it means to be patient, I know what it means to be humble, and I know part of it is believing, expecting, and receiving the blessings that the Lord hands to us.  And he does hand them to us when our hands and our hearts are open.

I am so greatful, so imensly thankful to my Father in Heaven that I am here in Jequié for the last transfer of my mission.  This is an area of miracles.  I know that.  I know that the Lord has saved blessings for me to harvest here, and I will.  I know that, whoever my companion will be, she will have the vision of missionary work as well.  I am so thankful for this gospel, for my Savior, for my Father in Heaven who loves me so much that he tests me and he tries me, and through it all, He blesses me with all his tender mercies.  The veil truly is thin here, because it is a sanctified land for those who are serving here now - a land of promise.
Thank you so much for your prayers - they truly are making a difference here, and in me.

com todo meu amor -

Sister Petersen

Exchange Sister Chap 2

Hm, not exactly sure what to say about this week, but here we go!

I am still here in Stella Mares with Sister Cruz and Sister Smart, and I have been doing my best to show them around the area, but I think they still feel pretty lost =)  On the up side, I feel like I know where I am now - I have finally figured this area out, or at least the little portion of it that we are working in, which is the most important part.  The week has been a little strange, and I cant exactly say why... my anxiety decided to act up a little bit, which didnt help anything.  We got lost quite a bit, and usually I am able to make the most of it, but this week it didnt go over too well.  Thankfully we had a member who made a lot of visits with us this week and he helped me out a lot.

Anyways, I still dont know what happening with me yet.  Presidente said that i would be leaving the area sometime this week, but when I called the assistents to get more information they were really vague, and the only thing he told me was "dont by food in bulk."  He's so helpful =)  so I think i will probably be going somewhere else soon, but who knows!

i really wanted to sent pictures to you, but the computer is being dumb and wants to send all the pictures on my camera, which will never work.  Anyways....  we made smores today!  I love smores, did you know that?  I am not even sure that I knew that before today, but it is true!  very very true.

 

At the moment i cant think of much else, but if i do i will send it along!

 

I love yoU!

 

sister P

Exchange Sister Chap 1

alrighty!  You asked how life is going for me, and its great!  I am really loving it!  I passed this last week with Sister Rounds and Sister Santana here in Stella Mares, and it has been so much fun working with them and getting to know the area and the members.  Turns out that its a good thing that I liked it, because they are leaving the area and I will have the opportunity of showing two new sisters around this area before Presidente Andrezzo ships me off to another place!  I am excited, but a little nearvous - I am really hoping that I remember the streets and peoples' names so that i can show Sister Smart and Sister Cruz around.  It was really weird the night that we got the call learning about the transfer.  Sister Round and Sister Santana will go to Lauro de Freitas and fill in the gap there, so I got to show them around the area a little bit on Sunday, which was nice because i got to say a few goodbyes to people taht I wanted to see and didnt get the chance to talk to before I left.  So tomorrow morning I will pick up the new sisters at 6am and we'll get to work!

It really was interesting to be thrown in the middle of a companionship and see how they work together and what ideas they have and the projects they are working on and the people they are working with.  This ward really is special - I already love the people here, and they are so great and so willing to help out, which is good because the new sisters will need some help.  I feel very blessed to have been given the chance to come here and to meet these people.

We also got to go to the beach today!  Actually, we went to visit the Lighthouse de Itapuã, but its on the beach, so we got permission to go.  Have I ever said how much I love the ocean?  Gods creations really are spectacular

I love understanding and knowing that everything happens according to the plan of the Lord.  It really does helpe me to have more confidence in myself and in what I am doing here, to trust that whatever happens, he will use it to benefit someone, and that I can be a part of his plan... its incredible the faith he has in us to do our part.

 

I love you all!  say a prayer for me and know that you are in mine!

 

Sister Petersen

Lauro de Freitas: Vol 3 Chap 4

Hey!

Alrighty - yesterday was a bit of a mess, and I have already talked to so many people about it that I dont feel like explaining things again at the moment - sufficeth to say that everything was done the way it should have been and everyone is in a better place right now - physically and emotionally, I do believe.

As for me... we are still trying to figure out what to do with me for the moment =)  This week I will be staying in Stella Mares with the Sisters here, but I dont think I will be here for good.  Presidente Andrezzo and I talked quite a bit and I mentioned that Carmen was an exchange Sister and explained a little of what I understood about that.  So at the moment we are trying to figure out if that is what I will be doing for the rest of this transfer, but I think thats what will happen.  I will go and do exchanges with the other Sisters in the mission for the next 4 weeks and then we will see what will happen with me for the next transfer... So weird to think about.  Say prayers for all of us that we will be able to figure things out.

I am feeling really good about things now.  Sister Stull still calls and talks to me every once in a while and that helps (she really is amazing) and all in all I feel like I am back to myself - for better or for worse =P

I am happy, and like I said, I know that everything happened the way it should have, so I am happy about that.

its great to hear from you and how everyone is doing - you really dont know how much it helps to know what everyone is up to.

Thanks so much!  Until next week -

Sister Petersen

Lauro de Freitas: Vol 3 Chap 3 The doctor, a marriage, and some dunes

Aaaaaaaaalright!  This week has been FULL of things that we have done.  Lots and lots of them.

First off, Sister Clark has been going to the doctor quite a bit to get some tests done because she has a heart problem.  Its been really interesting for me to have to translate a bit for her since cardio vocabulary isnt part of what we learn as missionaries - but its been coming a long pretty good.  Going to get the tests done that she needs has taken up a bit of our time, but we have been getting to know Salvador really well!
Also, Presidente Andrezzo came this past week and we had a zone conference to get to meet him, which was pretty exciting because the former Elder Andrezzo was there, and it was great to see him again.  Presidente Andrezzo is amazing.  It really is incredible to me the way that people can come into your life and you realize just how much room your heart has to take people in, because people dont ever get replaced.  I also sang "This is the Christ", and it made me realize how much I love bearing my testimony through the music that I sing.  The next day we had interviews with Presidente, and he thanked me for singing that song because its special to him, which was an answer to pray, really, because three days before the conference I was asked to sing and found out that no one could play for me, so I was trying to think of a song that I could sing and I said a prayer asking for guidence, and the next day I was looking through a Liahona and found that song in português.  Thats more of a side note, though.  Basically, I got to confirm what I already knew at the interview - that Presidente Andrezzo is amazing.  I felt so amazing as I was talking to him, the Spirit was there so strongly.  He has a way of making people feel special and being very sencere about it.  At the end of the interview I felt like I should tell him that I knew that he was going to be a good president because I knew Elder Andrezzo, and I knew that the man who raised him had to be a very good man.  His reply, "But not as good as the man who raised you."  That is probably one of the best things I have heard here on the mission.  It really made me think about Dad and all the things that he has done and how I am so greatful that he is my dad.
Also, one of our investigators, Silvania, got married this past week!  We are so excited, and her baptism is already schedualed for this Sunday.  Say a few prayers for her, please =)
And as you can see from the pictures, we went to the sand dunes today!  It was soooo much fun just to relax and do something a little bit different.  We also met a mason this week, which was quite an interesting experience - I learned a lot of things that I didnt know and became even more greatful for the gospel in my life and the guidence that it gives.
We had a problem with our microwave (actually, it just burnt out) and it was quite a chore to get another one and then to find an adaptor for it so that we didnt burn the house down.  Yet another thing that my português vocabulary doesnt cover, but we taught a lesson to the man who was helping us after we figured everything out.

and thats my really short show!

love you all! tchau!

Sister Petersen


P.S.  We had a Zone conference this week, so the picture of all the sisters is from zone conference
The others are from the sand dunes - we went there today and it was a lot of fun!

Lauro de Freitas: Vol 3 Chap 2 Mondays Tuesdays - happy days!

Hey hey!

Actually, when you sent me the questions that Sister Clark had, the thought did pop into my head - "I am going to be her companion" funny how things like that work, isnt it?  And I am sooooo happy that she is!  We have been having so much fun, there is just no other way to put it.  She is from New Jersey, and she has a little bit of a valley girl accent, which I absolutely love, she is blonde and is as tall as Mom.  And we are doing miracles here.

It was also really nice because Sister Nascimento went to São Caetano and she visited a few of the people that I taught and she got to see Daniel!  I miss him, as well as all of the others in Itabuna.  It really was a little odd writing letters to all of them to, the kind of feeling that I had.  I think its the closest someone can come to parently love before they become a parent.

I also had a huge realization this past week.  I remember that a couple of times I was going through some difficult things in life and I would always be told that because of my experience I could help someone else who was going through the same problem.  To be honest, I never really liked hearing that - that I was suffering so that I could maybe some day help someone else.  But this week I had that opportunity.  One of our investigators was really struggling, and as she started to talk and tell us about that things that were going on I thought, "wait a minute, this sounds really familiar..." and I realized that it was basically the same thing that I went through not that long ago.  So I shared a few scriptures with her, scriptures that really helped me and explained how they helped me - especially Moroni 10:33-34 - and as I was explaining I could see her understanding, I could tell that she not only understood but that she knew that what I was saying was true, not that what she was going through was easy or insignificant, but that there was a way to get over it -  that Christ provided that way for us, and what we need to do is accept His will and His way and our lives will be perfect, because He will make them perfect.  It was amazing.  It was amazing to see that, as she understood, she was able to feel the Spirit and overcome the feelings that she had.  And it was incredible because I realized that the pain I felt as I was going through the same experience lasted a long time, but the joy I felt when I was able to help her, though we were only together a few minutes, completely validates everything that I went through.  And that is what Christ knew when He accepted to be our Savior - He knew that it would be really difficult, that more people would reject His sacrifice than who would receive it.  But he knew that if he only saved one soul, one human, and yet eternal being, all his suffering would be worth it.  And it is.  I can testify to that.  I was reading Jesus the Christ today, and Talmage has a part when he is explaining the difference between happiness and pleasure - I just focused on the part that he said about happiness.  I dont remember exactly what he said, but I remember feeling that it was the best description I have ever heard.  Happiness is something that is fulfilling, it has purpose, and it makes even more sense to me now why "men are that they might have joy".  I think one of the Godly atributes we are sent here to learn is how to let ourselves have joy in the midst of so much sorrow - that would be how we hope for things.

I am so thankful to be a member of this church, to know things that the eye cant see and that words cant explain, but that are so real that when people deny their existence, the very purpose of life is negated.  And all of the things that I know can be broken down into one simple sentence:
Jesus is the Christ.

Até logo -

Sister Petersen

Lauro de Freitas: Vol 3 Chap 1

Ok!  This week has flown by - and just so you know, I was able to read your emails last week!  I passed by the mission office and explained what happened and was told that I could check and read my emails if I had been sent any.  So dont worry, Mom, you didnt miss a week!  thanks so much.

Lets see... what has gone on this week... São João has still been in full swing this past week because the actual festival wasnt until yesterday.  There have been a lot of bonfires in the street and a lot of banners, dancing, and really, REALLY loud music and firecrackers, which has made working a little hard, but alls well that ends well, right?  And compared to last year, the partying in the street was nothing.  It turns out that most people leave Salvador for the festival because its a kind of harvest festival, so they like to go to places like Itabuna where it is a lot closer to the farm land.

This week we had a pretty fabulous lesson - one of our recent converts here is a chef, and we were able to partake of his culinary skills this past week.  We taught the Word of Wisdom, and to finish he made a dinner for us and for some of our other recent converts and investigators, and it was sooo good!  Its amazing to see what a bit of skill can do, because the food he made was what we eat normally - salad, stroganoff, potatoes and mousse - but it was soooo much better than normal.  And the presentation was pretty spectacular, too.  He knows how to make a tomatoe look like a rose - pretty neat, eh?

And speaking of the Work of Wisdom, it was really neat because we were talking to Marcos the other day, and he let us know about something that happened to him.  He went to breakfast, and all his family had to drink was coffee.  So he got some, and he was about to drink when he remembered what we has taught him.  So he stopped, thought about it for a minute, and said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father if he could drink coffee, and he got his answer, "Son, you already know - what did the Sisters teach you?"  And so he put the coffe away and he drank water.  He was so proud of himself, and we were too =)

This week another one of our recent converts had family visit, he he brought a lot of them to church.  It was amazing to see.  His kids were there, we are teaching his sister and she was there and her kid, some of his cousins that are already memebers... they took up almost two rows in the chaple.  That really is what the church is all about, bringing families together and helping to keep them together.  Its Heavenly Father's Plan for all of us to be united.  And in church one of the speakers talked about family history work, and it was so easy to see how that fits in perfectly to everything else; it really does play such a huge role in missionary work.  Redeeming the dead, sanctifying the saints and preaching the gospel really are all the same thing - living the Plan of Salvation.  I feel very blessed to have the understanding I do about this wonderful plan and very blessed that my family is protected by this plan.

I guess the other thing that has to be talked about is transfers.  Yep, they have come around the corner once again.  This transfer will be 7 weeks long and I will be spending it in...... Lauro de Freitas!!!!  And I will be spending it with..... Sister Clark!!!  Sim, our beloved Sister Nascimento will be departing for the land of Itabuna, where she will give a lot of cards to the people that Sister Petersen worked with there.  That seems like such a long time ago.  Time really does go by so fast, doesnt it?

And that would appear to be it, because I cant think of anything else to write!

I love you all!!

Sister Petersen