maré‏

Yesterday was Sunday. We were walking to Soledade, which is about a 30-40 minute walk from our house. In between has a lot of Maré-It is like a lake, or more like a bunch of pools that the ocean deposits into.they are shallow and at some points in the day they are dry others they are full. These marés are where people fish for crabs. Well inbetween these pools are pathways. If we cut through the maré it cuts about 15 minutes out of our walk. So yesterday I decided to walk through the maré. Unfortunately in one part the fishermen had been digging in the mudd and threw all the mud on the pathway and they made a very small pathway of mud that is a little bit closer to the water. I was walking and when i came to this part i decided to go. Unfortunately my shoes, after one year of walking a ton have zero traction. maybe it means that i should buy new ones but i only have 6 months left...anyway because i have no traction when i walk on a muddy pathway i slip. And that is exactly what happened. I slipped and i got mud on my arm but decided to keep on going to our appt. I slipped again, this time my skirt was a little dirty and my entire arm was covered in mud. There was a bunch of people on the hill next to us having a party and they started laughing at me. But i was determined. two more steps and amidst the constant laughing of Campos...I fell completely in the Maré. my skirt and the bag on my back was completely SOAKED and i got scared because crabs live in there. So i was covered in nasty mudwater. We started walking home. One of my recent converts was walking with her friends and stopped to talk to/laugh at me and i invited her friends to church and to hear alesson. Campos, still laughing, then said sister dont make anymore contacts because when you stop mosquitos start to accumulate around your head and body. We walked home, but on the way the wife of the Bishop stopped me and asked what happened. Her reaction was this,"Go Home! Go home and take a shower. Wash with soap three times the maré is full of filthy water and feces." I sware there were more people on the way home than normal, and it was a 20 minute walk. Life is an adventure with Sister Peterson.
Other than that...this week has been a week of miracles.
first Josue,

Two transferencias back I made a contact with a 16 year old boy Josue. I remember the thought in my head in the contact that I was there to baptize him. This doesnt happen a lot so it surprised me. I visited him with S. Souza and through him we found his cousin who was less active but after that day started going back to church. Josue listened to our message but had the way he asked questions it was easy to see that he looked at commandments as something that would hold him back. He was very resistant. Josue never went to church and it seemed like he was always running away from us. I put away the thought in my head that i was there to baptize him thinking it was just in my head. Well this transfer we invited him to an activity. After that activity he had questions. We retaught him the first lesson and he said he would go to church. He didnt go to church that week because his cousin didnt go, but when we visited him he also hadnt prayed because he wanted to go to church before he prayed. We didnt understand his logic but convinced him to pray that night. The next visit we talked to him. He said he had prayed and after he started crying and couldnt stop. He said that he literally felt someone listening to his prayers. He knows the church is true. All the hesitance that he had before is gone. He will be baptized this next week. I know that I was sent here to help him. Before this experience I had never had an experience following up with someone who had a response so clear and so ready. Usually they gain their testimony through a visit to the church or how they feel during the lesson. I prayed a few days before Josue had this experience that I could find someone who truly felt a response to their prayer. Maybe I ask for too much, but Heavenly Father is willing to show me these miracles even when I dont desrve them.
Klisleide, we are still getting ready for her baptism. I was help her too. She is already giving us references. That reminds me. PLEASE give the missionaries references. This work is so hard without references. Im serious. You have friends that arent members, at least invite them to meet with the missionaries!
Edivaldo, a reference from a member, I wasnt feeling that much of a connection with him until this week. Wow. He told us a few situations in his life. I am glad that his friend was looking for missionary opportunities because this information, the church entered into his life at just the right moment. If not, he might not be here today. He has seen and felt the difference the gospel has made in his life. He is a child of God, and HEavenly Father truly prepared a way that Edivaldo could find help. He will be baptized this week.
This week I missed mom. I have never been a person that felt super homesick or anything like that but I was thinking about a lot of the amazing attributes that mom has. One thing I was remembering of how she smiles when someone, a friend, a family member, someone on the television succeeds in something. It is the cutest thing how mom gets so happy and her countenance brightens when other people are happy. This is one thing I hope I can inherit or at least develop from my mama. Thank you mom for being you. You are a miracle in my life.
oh ps family there is a blog for the ward that i am serving in:
alasoledade.blogspot.com
it has a photo of me. haha i guess only jerry will understand what they say. but go and look!
So yeah, I love me job, it is hard, super hard sometimes, but it is the best thing that i could do. i will never regret this choice to serve.

Proud to wear this tag, to represent my Savior and my family,

Sister Peterson

whoot whoot

Dear Family


So Campos and I are staying here in Sergipe. Can you believe it. I will stay here for 6 months. I love Sergipe. Truly I feel like I am Sergipana.

I dont have a ton of time so I will be brief with the news.

1st: KLISLEIDE WILL BE BAPTIZED!!! Finally her parents will let her! I almost cried. Heavenly Father is so good to let me stay one more so I could at least be a part of her baptism. Klisleide truly is a miracle in my missoin and I am so grateful to be a part of her conversion in the church.

We received a few referalls! for every 140 people we contact the likelihood is 1 person will be baptized (stats of our mish) but for every 2 referals that is one baptism. The problem is that its easier said than done... Edivaldo. A 30 year old man who truly needs the gospel. His life is a bit of a sad story but I know we are here to help him change that. He has been to church twice and has a baptismal date.

This week was very difficult for me. Heavenly Father helped me "acordar do sonho da morte." I realized that my prayers were not as sincere as they need to be. That I have not been as sincere as I need to be. I realized that really I could give a whole lot more than I was giving. This fact kills me. My companion shared a message in one of our lessons about the Good samaritan that I hadnt thought about. In our lives we are often the Israelite. Broken and beaten spiritually by the wayside. But Christ, he comes through and has "compassion on us." Through His sacrifce-symbolically the oil to ease the pain and the wine to purify the wonds-He cleans and treats our wounds. Through His blood we are healed. As the samaritan payed for the innkeeper to care for the Israelite, Christ already payed and promises to always pay the rest. Truly the Atonement is the center of our religion. I am realizing how short amount of time I have to be a missionary. I am not perfect but I know I can be perfected through my Savior. Through His sacrifice I am made whole. I know He lives an that He loves me. I know that I love Him too.

Honored to wear the tag,

Sister Peterson


PS Happy Birthday LINDSEY!!! I love you!