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