Picture this: watching the sun set from a van window driving in the beautiful brazilian interior. Everything is green and and the sunset reminds me of the beatles song of marmalade skies. The rays reflect off of Sister Moyles blonde head and incredibly white face despite seven months of Brazillian sun and the words come to my mind, "hmm, remember how you live in Brasil."
My day was beautiful if you were wondering. Woke up 430 am and took a lotação (van) to a city 1 hour away Palmeiras dos Indios. We hiked up to a HUGE Christ Statue and ate some breakfast with the Elders there. I went with Sis Porath and Moyle while Cataca and Moyles companion stayed in Arapiraca. It was an adventure. I took lots of pictures. I love my life.
My other adventures over the past two weeks involve riding a MOTOTAXI! it is my new favorite thing. if i was rich i would just ride the mototaxi everywhere. But dont you even worry i am such a lady. Totally ride the taxi side saddle in a skirt. Feeling like you might fall off is just part of the thrill. I know what you are thinking, but seriously it is as dare devilish as a missionary can get.
So I am sorry i didnt write last week. I am going to be honest, the past few weeks have been some of the most frustrating. Guess who likes to kick a missionary when she's down. Give you one guess.
But amid that strife the Lord has opened up my eyes to what it means to have faith. What it means to be humble. How to know that He has got it all under control (see JAcob 4:7) if you would like a little more insight.
We helped a family get married and baptized this past Saturday. Jane and Saulo. The family with the crazy two year old that is just so cute you cant handle it. Yep. Sis. Porath and I did Janes hair, we borrowed a dress and that girl was BEAUTIFUL. She is the simple type, in fact i think this was the first time she ever really got dressed up and pretty. it was amazing to help this family start on the track to eternal happiness.
Probably the sweetest experience happened Sunday. Amidst the constant railings of Satan, i began to think, man i have received so much spiritual growth in the past 7 months, my family has received so many blessings, but what have i even done here? In one of the highest baptizing missions, i havent had a lot of success as far as baptizing and retention. It has been very discouraging. Wanna know how devastating the results of people using their free agency for the worse, be a missionary...or a parent. So feeling low, I prayed a lot. And sunday all day i felt like i was receiving a constant flow of what i like to call personal revelation. (ps i can receive it in two languages) So many impressions and thoughts and feeling during the lessons and throughout the day. I started to write and pretty much filled up that days page in my planner.
During church i wrote: Relaxo, só faz seu melhor. Relax only do your best. The peace and continual flow of ideas that followed as i thought about my work and my life was exactly what i needed. Then a girl came up to my comp and said, hey i need SISTERS to come and teach my sister and her family. they want to be baptized this saturday but only sisters can teach her. (the husband doesnt want elders) So we were like, sweet, we are sisters. Let me just put that we are the only ward in the mission wih both sisters and elders. So we go there and they begin to recount how the Lord has prepared the mother, Marta , for the last 17 years to be baptized this weekend. She was always stubbornly catholic. Her sister always talked to her about the church but never got anywhere. Her son Rafael has wanted to be baptized since he was 5 years old. So much that he would sneak from the catholic church to go to the LDS church across the street. Once he even callled the missionaries to bring a book of Mormon so that they could teach his mom. Never happened. Then one day the sister was studying the BOM with Marta. Marta agreed to pray one last time. She had a very revealing dream and realized that she had known for a long time but never had the desire to change. Finally she listened and her Rafael and her 9 year old daughter will be baptized this Saturday. Interesting, i have been praying for a super strong family and a future missionary to baptize...Rafael is 15 but wants so bad to serve. It was a literal, "have faith and watch what I can and will do." moment. Humbling and amazing.
My faith was strengthened my fear was calmed and I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.
One other thought that i had was about lifestyles and service. So we all knw that fad diets dont work and never will work to lead to a healthy life. If you want lasting health you need to exercise and eat right, you need to make health a lifestyle. The same thing with the Gospel, you cant just live it sometimes and expect the blessings, you need to make it a part of who you are, your lifestyle. The same thing with service. It should never be an obligation, but a lifestyle. Never should a lifestyle be a means to an end because we all know that as for life...there is no end. Service as a lifestyle is just one thing that will help you to continually meet an overall goal, to be better than you were yesterday. To be a little more like the Savior everyday. REad the following from Marion G Romney:
"It has always seemed somewhat puzzling to me that we must constantly have the Lord command us to do those things which are for our own good. The Lord has said, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matt. 10:39.) We lose our life by serving and lifting others. By so doing we experience the only true and lasting happiness. Service is not something we endure on this earth so we can earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made.
"Oh, for the glorious day when these things all come naturally because of the purity of our hearts. In that day there will be no need for a commandment, because we will have experienced for ourselves that we are truly happy only when we are engaged in unselfish service."
so that is all the time i have for this week. i love you all and as ALWAYS
Proud to wear the tag,
Sister Peterson
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