hump day is the missionary linguagem for exactly half way through your mission. the peak the top. Today is that day. How did that happen? I am thinking of a song by Jack Johnson where he talks about life as a train. He says "The people on the steet that I'll never get to meet if these tracks dont bend somehow... i need this old train to breakdown." That is my feeling exactly.
I remember in the MTC one elder gave a talk about when missionaries approach the "hump" they have two options: to jump or to slump. I have served with dead missionaries. My fear is to become one. My will is to jump. This work is just too important.
This week we worked with Marta and Ailton a lot. Guess what they are golden. They are both PUMPED to be baptized...the only problem is that they need to get married. I will never understand why it takes a million years to get divorced here...but that isnt going to get us down. They both have felt the Spirit confirm that the gospel is true, Joseph Smith is a prophet and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. When we teach I know that they probably dont understand EVERYTHING but I know that they FEEL it is true. We are working on marrying them and baptizing them this transfer!
We also met Sonia. A cute little old lady with a haircut just like moms. She is hilarious. She always tells us that her dream is too "evangelize" like we do. She has felt the truth of the first vision and is reading the Book of Mormon. Sunday she is going to church with us. i am excited.
Oh we got a new Missionary Leader in the ward and HE IS AWESOME. He is always making visits with us and is so excited to get the members mroe involved.
Guess what l of these things that i am talking about are 1. A result of the goodness nd love of God and 2. a lot of prayer and fasting. I dont think i really understood the principle of fasting until my mission. in fact i dont think i truly understood anything before my mission. I am recognizing these days how vital the Spirit is. I feel His guidance at all times. I recognize exactly the moment when He leaves and how horrible i feel without Him. I feel the Spirit guiding this work. I am constantly reminded how this is not my work, but the Lord's and that this time is sacred. SO INCREDIBLY sacred.
I love my companion. Siser Souza will be leaving with Murbaki and Cataca in August. I am so grateful for my companions for the things that i have learned. Sister Souza has taught me so many things in the one week we have been together. One thing specifically is the importance of contacts. I got into the lazy habit of inviting people to church and asking if we could share a message. It was the same thing everytime. She has taught me the difference between that and giving someone every opportunity to feel the Spirit that is with us and to think about WHY some foreign girl with green eyes and light brown hair is asking them to church. To make contacts with meaning. To let them know that YES there exists one true church on the earth that has ALLLL the truth not just some of it. That uided by a prophet and that has the AUTHORITY to baptize people not just someone saying oh yeah i studied the bible i know what i am doing. God's work is not a mess but is orderly and perfect. So i am relearning how to do contacts and we are finding.
So the lanuage, still butcher it. This week i almost cried. I went to make a contact and i tried explaining as clearly as i could to a man about the gospel. He said he didnt understand i walked away in tears almost. We went and taught Marta and Ailton, people that dont have a lot of educational experience. They listen to me. They try to understand. Like Klisleide they think about the words i am saying and not how i say it. They feel what they dont understand. Maybe I will never speak perfectly, or i will always have this accent, but maybe this is just another tool to weed out the people who arent ready and to find those who are truly searching.
As presidente says we are "buscadores de perolas" Searchers of pearls. Not every oyster has developed a pearl yet, we need to find those who already have one. Some people arent quite ready yet, but it is a process really to make that pearl, to be ready for a change in your life so big and so wonderful... i know God has a lot prepared for this galega to find. I have nine months, thats it. I will find them.
Proud to wear the tag,
Sister J Peterson
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Crazy by night
So one of my favorite things in the world is when brasillieros try to speak english or say things in english. all transfer S. Zorzo would say, Yeah baby yeah. yes...no...maybe., and YOU ARE CRAZY. well my new companion arrived yesterday, Sister Souza and she likes to say CRAZY BY NIGHT. I dont get it but it cracks me up anyways.
So this week was great and heartbreaking. Great because two people we worked with a TON this transfer were baptized Saturday, Gisele a 15 year old that is very mature for her age and Macssuel, in short i would say he is a brasilleiro version of Huckleberry Finn. I love baptisms, the spirit is always very strong and it is always a great feeling to see people take that first step towards eternal happiness.
Heartbreaking because, as we expected, Klisleides mom showed up on our doorstep again about 2 hours before her baptism was scheduled. She wanted us to make up an excuse to tell klisleide for why she couldnt be baptized. Well there is absolutely no reason this girl should NOT be baptized. Probably one of the most solid and excited people ihave taught in my whole mission. We explained that we respect her wishes, but that she needs to talk to her daughter if she is against the baptism that our role is not to lie or invent excuses. She called off the baptism. Klisleide came to talk to us, her heartbroken. She said that one day she will be baptized for sure just not now. This is on the list of things not to do to your kids. I was feeling so sad for her. But she will continue to go to church and learning, she just has to wait until her parents consent or until july when she will be old enough.
Sunday when Giseli was confirmed, i could tell what klisleide was feeling because the look on her face. I wanted to bad to help her to make her feel better but words cant really cut it. Then the picture of my little sister lindsey popped into my head. For the first time i realized that their stories are very similiar. Two rockstars that could be baptized at any moment if their parents agreed with it. I showed her picture to klisleide and explained how Lindsey also has been waiting to be baptized for awhile also. Klisleide smiled and was excited to see the pictures i have of my family. I wish i had more...hint hint...but i know that my little sisters example did and will continue to help klisleide.
So i carry around the pictures of my family to show everyone because everyone thinks americans are so beautiful and always ask about my family. When i show them it is always the same. oh! tão linda sua familia! oh how beautiful your family is. and then olha, eles são gordos! look how fat they are. Ha ha. i love how people just call other people fat. it is a normal thing here. i cant count how often i am called fortinha or gordinha. they think people gordinha are beautiful. so we are beautiful and fat. hahaha.
oh and grandma, everyone thinks you are so beautiful. You are. Every time they see my photos they always look at yours a little longer and tell me how beautiful and adorable you are.
Friday i went to lunch and the irmão there said Hi sister zorzo and...i guess it is Irmã Peterson today... I looked down. I had forgotten my missionary tag. I know it is psychological but i felt so strange after that we didnt have time to go back home and get it so all day i just felt this weird feeling. the one thing that distinguishes me from being a tourist. the one thing that literally states that I am an authorized representative of Cristo. I think this week i realized how much my missionary tag means to me.
Proud to wear this tag,
sister J Peterson
So this week was great and heartbreaking. Great because two people we worked with a TON this transfer were baptized Saturday, Gisele a 15 year old that is very mature for her age and Macssuel, in short i would say he is a brasilleiro version of Huckleberry Finn. I love baptisms, the spirit is always very strong and it is always a great feeling to see people take that first step towards eternal happiness.
Heartbreaking because, as we expected, Klisleides mom showed up on our doorstep again about 2 hours before her baptism was scheduled. She wanted us to make up an excuse to tell klisleide for why she couldnt be baptized. Well there is absolutely no reason this girl should NOT be baptized. Probably one of the most solid and excited people ihave taught in my whole mission. We explained that we respect her wishes, but that she needs to talk to her daughter if she is against the baptism that our role is not to lie or invent excuses. She called off the baptism. Klisleide came to talk to us, her heartbroken. She said that one day she will be baptized for sure just not now. This is on the list of things not to do to your kids. I was feeling so sad for her. But she will continue to go to church and learning, she just has to wait until her parents consent or until july when she will be old enough.
Sunday when Giseli was confirmed, i could tell what klisleide was feeling because the look on her face. I wanted to bad to help her to make her feel better but words cant really cut it. Then the picture of my little sister lindsey popped into my head. For the first time i realized that their stories are very similiar. Two rockstars that could be baptized at any moment if their parents agreed with it. I showed her picture to klisleide and explained how Lindsey also has been waiting to be baptized for awhile also. Klisleide smiled and was excited to see the pictures i have of my family. I wish i had more...hint hint...but i know that my little sisters example did and will continue to help klisleide.
So i carry around the pictures of my family to show everyone because everyone thinks americans are so beautiful and always ask about my family. When i show them it is always the same. oh! tão linda sua familia! oh how beautiful your family is. and then olha, eles são gordos! look how fat they are. Ha ha. i love how people just call other people fat. it is a normal thing here. i cant count how often i am called fortinha or gordinha. they think people gordinha are beautiful. so we are beautiful and fat. hahaha.
oh and grandma, everyone thinks you are so beautiful. You are. Every time they see my photos they always look at yours a little longer and tell me how beautiful and adorable you are.
Friday i went to lunch and the irmão there said Hi sister zorzo and...i guess it is Irmã Peterson today... I looked down. I had forgotten my missionary tag. I know it is psychological but i felt so strange after that we didnt have time to go back home and get it so all day i just felt this weird feeling. the one thing that distinguishes me from being a tourist. the one thing that literally states that I am an authorized representative of Cristo. I think this week i realized how much my missionary tag means to me.
Proud to wear this tag,
sister J Peterson
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Oh family. I love you. that is all.
This week has been a rollercoaster ride. Moments so happy, devastating, spiritual, basically all adjectives that describe a mission.
1. I called Sister Murbaki my "mom" or my trainer that I was with for almost five months. Her fiance (not uncommon in Brasil to serve a mission and be engaged) died the day before her birthday. He had been diagnosed with Lukemia while she was on the mission but was receiving treatment and they did some sort of transplant. Everything went well but then he had some sort of problem with his lungs and he passed away. My heart literally broke as she was telling me about this. He had sent me a letter to encourage me at the beginning of my mission and from everything she told me about him, he was an amazing person. She is such an example to me in everything. She is still working hard. From the beginning she always showed her faith and trust saying "The Lord knows best" and it is still her attitude. When you know that death is not the end and that life has a purpose it is a little easier to accept these things but i know that it is very hard still. Please pray for her.
2. There is a feeling that I dont know how many people have felt but it is associated with homesickness. When you think of home and everyone and you think man if i could just hug so and so id be good for awhile. Every missionary feels this now and again. This week one of our investigators started talking about how im almost halfway down and me going home and leaving the nordeste. I felt a huge wave of homesickness that distracted me for few minutes, but not a homesickness for home but for here. I cant imagine life anywhere else rightnow. i am where i belong. How can i feel homesick for a place that i am in?
3. Klisleide: one seventeen year old girl that we have been teaching for awhile is named Klisleide. She is the shyest person i have ever met and her mom wont let her be baptized until she has been to church a lot. She is incredibly intelligent and always asks very profound questions. Everytime we go there the spirit is so strong. We thought that she was trying to avoid baptism for awhile but really she has been trying to convince her mom for the past few weeks. Studying everything even to the point of bearing her testimony to her mom. She has amazing and spiritual dreams. She told us about these experiences this week and once again i felt the spirit so strong saying that this is one of God's elect daughters. She was searching and ready, He answered. I have never been one to cry because of spiritual experiences but i felt very much in thatlesson God speaking through me and my companion. She was one person that needed US not someone else to teach her. We look forward to her baptism this weekend if her mom lets her!!!
4. Sandro: I was thinking all week how everytime I have put my all into the week, Sunday I usually see the blessings. Sunday not many people were in church with us. one man, Sandro, we were counting on but something came up. After church we called him and he said he would go to the afternoon ward with us. we were excited. When we went to get him, he had left to help his sister in law. We were so sad. We went to a few other people who said they would go to the afternoon ward with us. no one went. we sat on the sidewalk to call a member to make visits, almost defeated. As i was talking to the member, Sandro rode up on his bike. smiling ear to ear as he always does, and completely ready for church. He felt good at church and it was a great experience. Miracles always happen when we are obedient and put forth our best.
5. The BOOK OF MORMON: Um outro testamento de Jesus Cristo.
That book is power and i feel very priviledged to be one of the few chosen people to share it with everyone. We are reading as a mission (i am a little behind because i read portuguese slower) and I read about Alma the younger. Even though his father was the prophet of this time, alma started out rebelling and leading people away. Here in mosiah 27 the angel is talking to Alma. Pay attetion
14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath aheard the prayers of his people, and also the bprayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has cprayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the dknowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to econvince thee of the power and authority of God, that the fprayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.
15 And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also abehold me before you? And I am sent from God.
Because of prayers of the members of the church AND his father, he had this experience that changed his life. Notice what it says about their faith. This response was ACCORDING TO THERE FAITH. Truly God hears our prayers. They are not words that are uttered into space that will never echo back, but truly conversations with someone who loves us more deeply than we can imagine. Have faith. Pray. Keep the commandments. Watch the miracles.
6. I dont know why but my dreams here are a lot easier to remember. I had a dream monday night where i talked with a lot of friends, family, and acquaintances. I learned a lot. Yeah i know weird. I learned from a dream something so incredibly important for me to apply in my life. Each section with a different person was very detailed and I woke up with these words: What am i willing to change to make others happier, to help others be better? I wrote this down almost immediately. It was so clear. We all have defects. Most of us have the instinct to think of ourselves first or not think of others in our actions. But truly if we wrote a name down of a loved one that we wanted to help and then wrote down the things about ourselves that would impede them THEN CHANGED THOSE THINGS whoa guess what we would actually help. I know in the past i havent been the best companion, friend, daughter, sister, neice, etc, maybe i havent been as patient loving or kind. I am ready to change. I need to change it is crucial for this work.
7.I miss the temple. i cant visit the temple because we dont have one in our mission. so that is where you come in. If you are able, GO. i have never been so thristy for something. GO. It is truly the house of the Lord. Go with a heart willing to receive the guidance of the Lord. Also I am a missionary. People take care of me here. Take care of the missionaries. Feed them. But if you really want to help them schedule an hour where you can make visits with them. LOOK this week for someone they could teach.
So that is my week. please pray, please have faith, please know that this is the most important thing, That God loves us, He speaks. He hears.
Proud to wear the tag,
sister Peterson
This week has been a rollercoaster ride. Moments so happy, devastating, spiritual, basically all adjectives that describe a mission.
1. I called Sister Murbaki my "mom" or my trainer that I was with for almost five months. Her fiance (not uncommon in Brasil to serve a mission and be engaged) died the day before her birthday. He had been diagnosed with Lukemia while she was on the mission but was receiving treatment and they did some sort of transplant. Everything went well but then he had some sort of problem with his lungs and he passed away. My heart literally broke as she was telling me about this. He had sent me a letter to encourage me at the beginning of my mission and from everything she told me about him, he was an amazing person. She is such an example to me in everything. She is still working hard. From the beginning she always showed her faith and trust saying "The Lord knows best" and it is still her attitude. When you know that death is not the end and that life has a purpose it is a little easier to accept these things but i know that it is very hard still. Please pray for her.
2. There is a feeling that I dont know how many people have felt but it is associated with homesickness. When you think of home and everyone and you think man if i could just hug so and so id be good for awhile. Every missionary feels this now and again. This week one of our investigators started talking about how im almost halfway down and me going home and leaving the nordeste. I felt a huge wave of homesickness that distracted me for few minutes, but not a homesickness for home but for here. I cant imagine life anywhere else rightnow. i am where i belong. How can i feel homesick for a place that i am in?
3. Klisleide: one seventeen year old girl that we have been teaching for awhile is named Klisleide. She is the shyest person i have ever met and her mom wont let her be baptized until she has been to church a lot. She is incredibly intelligent and always asks very profound questions. Everytime we go there the spirit is so strong. We thought that she was trying to avoid baptism for awhile but really she has been trying to convince her mom for the past few weeks. Studying everything even to the point of bearing her testimony to her mom. She has amazing and spiritual dreams. She told us about these experiences this week and once again i felt the spirit so strong saying that this is one of God's elect daughters. She was searching and ready, He answered. I have never been one to cry because of spiritual experiences but i felt very much in thatlesson God speaking through me and my companion. She was one person that needed US not someone else to teach her. We look forward to her baptism this weekend if her mom lets her!!!
4. Sandro: I was thinking all week how everytime I have put my all into the week, Sunday I usually see the blessings. Sunday not many people were in church with us. one man, Sandro, we were counting on but something came up. After church we called him and he said he would go to the afternoon ward with us. we were excited. When we went to get him, he had left to help his sister in law. We were so sad. We went to a few other people who said they would go to the afternoon ward with us. no one went. we sat on the sidewalk to call a member to make visits, almost defeated. As i was talking to the member, Sandro rode up on his bike. smiling ear to ear as he always does, and completely ready for church. He felt good at church and it was a great experience. Miracles always happen when we are obedient and put forth our best.
5. The BOOK OF MORMON: Um outro testamento de Jesus Cristo.
That book is power and i feel very priviledged to be one of the few chosen people to share it with everyone. We are reading as a mission (i am a little behind because i read portuguese slower) and I read about Alma the younger. Even though his father was the prophet of this time, alma started out rebelling and leading people away. Here in mosiah 27 the angel is talking to Alma. Pay attetion
14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath aheard the prayers of his people, and also the bprayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has cprayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the dknowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to econvince thee of the power and authority of God, that the fprayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.
15 And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also abehold me before you? And I am sent from God.
Because of prayers of the members of the church AND his father, he had this experience that changed his life. Notice what it says about their faith. This response was ACCORDING TO THERE FAITH. Truly God hears our prayers. They are not words that are uttered into space that will never echo back, but truly conversations with someone who loves us more deeply than we can imagine. Have faith. Pray. Keep the commandments. Watch the miracles.
6. I dont know why but my dreams here are a lot easier to remember. I had a dream monday night where i talked with a lot of friends, family, and acquaintances. I learned a lot. Yeah i know weird. I learned from a dream something so incredibly important for me to apply in my life. Each section with a different person was very detailed and I woke up with these words: What am i willing to change to make others happier, to help others be better? I wrote this down almost immediately. It was so clear. We all have defects. Most of us have the instinct to think of ourselves first or not think of others in our actions. But truly if we wrote a name down of a loved one that we wanted to help and then wrote down the things about ourselves that would impede them THEN CHANGED THOSE THINGS whoa guess what we would actually help. I know in the past i havent been the best companion, friend, daughter, sister, neice, etc, maybe i havent been as patient loving or kind. I am ready to change. I need to change it is crucial for this work.
7.I miss the temple. i cant visit the temple because we dont have one in our mission. so that is where you come in. If you are able, GO. i have never been so thristy for something. GO. It is truly the house of the Lord. Go with a heart willing to receive the guidance of the Lord. Also I am a missionary. People take care of me here. Take care of the missionaries. Feed them. But if you really want to help them schedule an hour where you can make visits with them. LOOK this week for someone they could teach.
So that is my week. please pray, please have faith, please know that this is the most important thing, That God loves us, He speaks. He hears.
Proud to wear the tag,
sister Peterson
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