Remember how I met an apostle last week. Well I did and it was amazing. I had the opportunity to hear from Richard G Scott of the quorum of the twelve apostles and let me tell you, that man is amazing. His message was simple, but he delivered it with so much power.
One thing that stuck with me was that missionary work is hard work. If you don~t go to bed exhausted you aren~t working hard enough.
He shared his testimony of Jesus Christ. As i reflected onthe things he said, I thought deeply about the attributes of Christ, Charity specifically. Christ was so selfless in everything He did. His love for people is apparent, but how could i ever be like that. I thought about it, our thoughts lead to actions. Yes i want to be like Christ, I want to do the things that He did and the things that, as a representative of Christ He would want me to do, but more than that I want to think like He did. I~ve been studying a lot about his life in the New Testament and the lives of his apostles after his death. That selflessness that he showed throughout his life is mirrored in the lives of his apostles. I am learning so much. Read 1 Corinthians chapter 13. My favorite verses are 11-13. Im going to work this week on having Christlike charity it is just one of many attributes that I lack, but I know I can attain.
This week i feel like my mind has been opened. Sometimes i get very discouraged especially with the language. I was praying to be able to speak this language, but when it came to understanding someone i was lost. I started praying to understand what i hear and I am not exaggerating when I say that literally almost instantaneously my brain started picking up sentence patterns and ways of remembering what people were saying to me. I~m not fluent yet, and it still takes a few moments to respong, but that occurence was just one more witness of many that builds my faith that HF is listening. I might be struggling, but as I do my best, He wil make up the rest. It was probably your prayers too!
I~m still loving it here. I think i~m almost ready to leave the CTM. i have two more weeks after this and its bye bye toilets that i can flush toilet paper down, food prepared for me, people who wash my sheets for me, and comfortable weather. Oh a lot of you keep asking me if i~m dying of heat. NOT AT ALL. it is usually rainy at least 4 days of the week and let me tell you, Brazil knows how to rain. When it is sunny it is hot but not so hot that i want to die. that all will probably change in 2 weeks but i~m totally up for summer for the next 16 months of my life. I am a little bit missing Autumn though, it is my favorite time when the leaves turn red and the air smells crisp and leaves crunch underneath your foot. best feelings ever. Enjoy it for me please. Also HAPPY HALLOWEEN THIS WEEK!!!
On Friday we went out to clean the street in front of the CTM. Sis. Moyle and I talked to a Brazillian worker for about twenty minutes. We brought up the gospel and then he started saying something about mormons sleeping in Curitiba, my vocab is limited so we listened and tried to talk to him some more. It is so cool how people here don~t mind talking about religion. It seem like it is something most americans are afraid of, but it is awesome, most people will listen to what we say.
I am lucky, Brazillians love God and like Americans, it seems like there are a lot of missionaries who don~t have that. im one blessed sister.
proud to wear the tag
Sister J. Peterson
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
eu amo brasil
I made my first big mistake with the language this week. I was eating lunch and talking to three Brazillian sisters. I asked one of them if she had a boyfriend at home, after she told me about her hunk, i turned to the other two and said, pointing from one to the other, Voces namarados? needless to say they shook there head and had big eyes then laughed. I essentially asked if they were dating eachother not if they had boyfriends.They thought it was funny and just laughed at me.
Last Pday my district met with our old Teacher Irmã de Santana and had pastels. Afterward she came with sister moyle and me to get some lotion. All of a sudden one of the workers came up to me and started putting all of this lotion on my arm and asking, voce gosta? and then speaking portuguese really fast. I was laughing so hard and I didn~t know how to tell her that I didn~t want anymore lotion. After laughing at me for awhile, irmã de santana told the lady that i found what i was looking for. It was funny because i didn~t know how to tell her to stop and she just kept going on trying to help me. I walked out of the shop smelling like a rainbow popsicle.
Elder Richard G Scott is coming to the CTM friday, i~m way excited. We are also supposed to proselyte in São Paulo Friday but i don~t know if that will be postponed. I~m excited but scared, i~m not as confident in my language abilities as i~d like to be.
This week I have learned that Heavenly Father really hears and answers our prayers. He even hears and answers prayers given in broken, hardly intelligible Portuguese. This communication that we can have with God is amazing and it is crazy to think that most of the world isnt fully aware of this power.
A few weeks ago one other sister going to Maceio, Sister Porath, left the CTM for the mission field. Sister Moyle and I got a letter from her telling us about Maceio. Apparently she is the only American sister there right now. I only know of one other Brazillian sister missionary that has left for there recently. The letter got me so excited to go out into the mission field, i just have to speak the lingua first.
I started my sixth week yesterday, meaning i have a little less than 4 weeks before i have a brazillian companion and will need to speak Portuguese fluently. NeedlesAll i~m saying is if you remember, i~d appreciate your prayers!
I love what I~m doing. I love what Im learning. God is blessing me with knowledge and many humbling experiences, i~m pushing myself harder than i thought i could and i know that what i lack is being made up. I love you all so much.
Proud to wear the tag,
Sister Peterson
PS Happy Birthday Tomorrow Grandma! and Lindsey I totally got your letter yesterday I~m sending a letter today! my mom should have one for you at her house already.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM DIIIIIAAAAAAA
One of the Brazillian matainance workers here at the CTM greets the missionaries all the time with a long and drawn out: BOOOOOOOOOOOOM DIIIIIIAAAAAAAA! He is the most adorable Brazillian man. He doesn~t speak a word of English but you can tell in everything he does that he loves life. He is excited about fixing broken lights and cleaning up after messy 19-25 year olds and he is ALWAYS happy. Everytime i see this man my day gets a little brighter. I decided i want to live my life so that perhaps my attitude will help others. He came up to me earlier this week and said: Sister PAY TOR SON meu filho nome e PAYTORSON. He always gets so excited to see me.
Well this week has been just like the other weeks i get up at 629 am. Get dressed and ready and study all day till 900 when i get to go pig out on delicious cake and chocolate milk then go to bed at 1030. That is mostly my days here. We have devotionals on Sundays and Tuesdays and then other devotional type things not called devotionals on saturdays. They totally get me pumped.
One thing that I have come to realize is that God is extremely good at giving constructive criticism. He is suttle when perhaps a little nudge will get me to recognize what is going on and when that just wont do, well He knows how to get my attention. Im coming to realize that i~m a pretty prideful person most of the time and humility is sometimes a hard lesson to learn. All in all im learning things about myself in ways that i never thought i~d learn them.
We got some new Brazillians this past week and they have my mealtimes. I get to practice all the time now. It is fantastic. I learned that peanut butter is Amendoim. One Elder from Recife has about the same language ability in English as i do in Portuguese so we learn a lot from eachother. It still amazes me how patient these people are. In the states most people would just say: LEARN ENGLISH.
I~m running out of time today, i guess everything is mostly the same, but i love you all and i love what i do.
Jesus Cristo e nosso Salvador e Redentor. Atraves Sua Expiacao nos podemos tornar as pessoas melhor que nos pensamos possivel. O Evangelho de JEsus Cristo e verdadeiro.
proud to wear the tag,
Sister Peterson
Friday, October 9, 2009
Dear family and Friends,
I am so grateful for those of you who sent me letters this week! My concept of time is completely messed up here. The days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days. I am starting my fourth week tomorrow, meaning I am teaching some fake brazillian investigators after this week and then in two weeks Sister Moyle and I are proselyting out in sao paulo. Speaking real Portuguese, with real Brazillians that have never heard the gospel. We get to proselyte in Sao Paulo twice while in the CTM. This is such a great place to learn.
I never cease to be amazed at how fast the language is coming. I understand what i read for the most part, I can speak well with what i know, but when it comes to a Brazillian speaking at a normal pace i catch maybe every three words but by the time i translate it in my head they have already started on something else. I know it will come and i~m not too frustrated. well not often frustrated i guess would be better.
This past weekend was General Conference. I don~t know what it was but this was one of the best I have ever heard. They talked a lot about love and service. Dieter F Uchtdorf made a bunch of amazing points: he talked about how we all have a vast capacity to love others. That love should be our walk and our talk. We should strive to emulate the Savior in all things, but without love for our fellowman, we are nothing. one quote that really stuck out to me was: Though we are incomplete He loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. That message so simple and so true is why I am here. God loves us so much and unfortunately not everyone knows that. The strength i have recieved from Heavenly FAther has helped me to accomplish every single goal i have ever attempted.
President Thomas S. Monson talked about the importance of serving others. He talked about the benefits for us and for humanity because of service. It totally pumped me up, it is hard sometimes but I am trying so hard to find ways to serve the people here. I only get one day a week where i am outside of the CTM but in serving my companions and district i have found that our relationships have grown closer and i am much happier. President Monson said: you will never regret the kindness you extend to those around you. God put us here on this earth to help eachother. As we serve, we are literally God~s hands.
So family and friends this is my challenge to you. Find someone this week who perhaps is down or having a hard time and find some way to serve them. Little things even. I remember a quote from Henry B. Eyring i believe that said something like: Treat every person as kind as you would treat them if they were facing the hardest trial of there life. More often than not they will be. I know that as we strive to do kind things for others we are blessed and we genuinely bless the lives of others.
Sister Moyle and I have been having a lot of fun adventures this week. We have been sitting with the Brazillians this week, most of which left this morning to the mission field. They teach us a lot of funny things and we help them with there english so its a win win situation. I asked them if they get tired of people always asking them Como Vai? and De onde voce e? and cual missao? they thought that was funny.
I try so hard to strike up conversations with the brazilian workers here at the CTM but my vocabulary is still quite limited. like i said it is coming. i love you guys so much. i can~t even begin to relate to you how much you are in my thoughts and in my prayers. Sister Moyle and I talk about our families more often than not i talk about my neices and nephews. Like the day I taught Kalena Tudo Bam and she ran around the house yelling TUDO BANG. my compenieras loved that.
Send me pictures family unfortunately i was a fubeca and totally forgot to bring some. i love you all!
Proud to wear the tag,
Sister Peterson
I am so grateful for those of you who sent me letters this week! My concept of time is completely messed up here. The days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days. I am starting my fourth week tomorrow, meaning I am teaching some fake brazillian investigators after this week and then in two weeks Sister Moyle and I are proselyting out in sao paulo. Speaking real Portuguese, with real Brazillians that have never heard the gospel. We get to proselyte in Sao Paulo twice while in the CTM. This is such a great place to learn.
I never cease to be amazed at how fast the language is coming. I understand what i read for the most part, I can speak well with what i know, but when it comes to a Brazillian speaking at a normal pace i catch maybe every three words but by the time i translate it in my head they have already started on something else. I know it will come and i~m not too frustrated. well not often frustrated i guess would be better.
This past weekend was General Conference. I don~t know what it was but this was one of the best I have ever heard. They talked a lot about love and service. Dieter F Uchtdorf made a bunch of amazing points: he talked about how we all have a vast capacity to love others. That love should be our walk and our talk. We should strive to emulate the Savior in all things, but without love for our fellowman, we are nothing. one quote that really stuck out to me was: Though we are incomplete He loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. That message so simple and so true is why I am here. God loves us so much and unfortunately not everyone knows that. The strength i have recieved from Heavenly FAther has helped me to accomplish every single goal i have ever attempted.
President Thomas S. Monson talked about the importance of serving others. He talked about the benefits for us and for humanity because of service. It totally pumped me up, it is hard sometimes but I am trying so hard to find ways to serve the people here. I only get one day a week where i am outside of the CTM but in serving my companions and district i have found that our relationships have grown closer and i am much happier. President Monson said: you will never regret the kindness you extend to those around you. God put us here on this earth to help eachother. As we serve, we are literally God~s hands.
So family and friends this is my challenge to you. Find someone this week who perhaps is down or having a hard time and find some way to serve them. Little things even. I remember a quote from Henry B. Eyring i believe that said something like: Treat every person as kind as you would treat them if they were facing the hardest trial of there life. More often than not they will be. I know that as we strive to do kind things for others we are blessed and we genuinely bless the lives of others.
Sister Moyle and I have been having a lot of fun adventures this week. We have been sitting with the Brazillians this week, most of which left this morning to the mission field. They teach us a lot of funny things and we help them with there english so its a win win situation. I asked them if they get tired of people always asking them Como Vai? and De onde voce e? and cual missao? they thought that was funny.
I try so hard to strike up conversations with the brazilian workers here at the CTM but my vocabulary is still quite limited. like i said it is coming. i love you guys so much. i can~t even begin to relate to you how much you are in my thoughts and in my prayers. Sister Moyle and I talk about our families more often than not i talk about my neices and nephews. Like the day I taught Kalena Tudo Bam and she ran around the house yelling TUDO BANG. my compenieras loved that.
Send me pictures family unfortunately i was a fubeca and totally forgot to bring some. i love you all!
Proud to wear the tag,
Sister Peterson
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
TUDO BAM is the word
Dear everybody that i love.
Did I ever mention that I love Brazil, Brazillians, and Brazillian Portuguese. The language is amazing and beautiful and intimidating. It is INSANE how fast it is coming. I still get frustrated because I still have a hard time understanding what Brazillians are saying to me and how to respond intelligibly, BUT I get to practice with natives daily and I~m very blessed to be here. I love BRAZIL!
I found my new favorite candy. Paçocas Rolhas. They are like reeses peanutbutter cups minus the chocolate. Delicious. Fattening. Heaven. Also VW buses seem to be the thing here, no wonder its so cool!
I have two instructors: Irmao Ribeiro and Irma De Santana. Ribeiro knows very little English but is really funny. Irma De Santana is a whole bunch of sass ground into a stocky Brazillian lady. She is hilarious and she has to be. The Elders in my district are awesome but often have trouble focusing. They always ask Brazillians to quote nacho Libre. I have to say that Brazillians say: get that corn outta my face! better than nacho does himself. Brazillians seem to do everything better.
Im in class for a minimum of 7 hours m-f and then me and my companion study for at least 2 more hours on language alone. Its a lot. Slowly i think my English is leaving me so sorry if things don~t make sense all the time. I study exclusively the gospel during personal and companion study and then for a little bit during classes. This week I~ve been thinking about families a lot. We~ve had so many Brazillian speakers come to talk to us about gospel topics and often they talk about their conversion stories. Many of the Brazillian missionaries are first generation members. Their testimonies are incredible. The gospel has changed their lives in extreme ways. The people here are so receptive i think, partly because they have their priorities straight. Family is such a huge part of there culture.
Today sister moyle and I didnt get to go to the Temple for our Pday so we went exploring in the area surrounding the CTM. We were looking for this pastel shop that everyone was telling us about. We got lost and had to ask directions. Needless to say, We don~t speak portuguese, but these people love us and are kind and smile at us as we stumble over our broken portuguese. Pastels are delicious huge and fattening as well. They are like huge empanadas.
my companheiro, sister Moyle, is probably one of the best companions anyone could ever ask for she is the perfect example of quiet dignity. She is kind, patient and hilarious. At the CTM we fast from after lunch saturday till lunch Sunday. Saturday night we were talking when out of nowhere sister moyle says: shh! do you hear that? its quiet...we should starve them more often! i laughed so hard i almost peed my pants. The Elders are so loud at night usually so it was nice.
This is an amazing experience. I cannot even begin to communicate to you all what this is like. It doesnt seem real half the time. I feel very priviledged to be serving in the most wondreful country, with the most wonderful people, teaching the thing that makes me the most happy. I love this gospel I love its influence in my life, i wouldn~t be the person i am without it.
Proud to wear the tag,
Sister Peterson
Did I ever mention that I love Brazil, Brazillians, and Brazillian Portuguese. The language is amazing and beautiful and intimidating. It is INSANE how fast it is coming. I still get frustrated because I still have a hard time understanding what Brazillians are saying to me and how to respond intelligibly, BUT I get to practice with natives daily and I~m very blessed to be here. I love BRAZIL!
I found my new favorite candy. Paçocas Rolhas. They are like reeses peanutbutter cups minus the chocolate. Delicious. Fattening. Heaven. Also VW buses seem to be the thing here, no wonder its so cool!
I have two instructors: Irmao Ribeiro and Irma De Santana. Ribeiro knows very little English but is really funny. Irma De Santana is a whole bunch of sass ground into a stocky Brazillian lady. She is hilarious and she has to be. The Elders in my district are awesome but often have trouble focusing. They always ask Brazillians to quote nacho Libre. I have to say that Brazillians say: get that corn outta my face! better than nacho does himself. Brazillians seem to do everything better.
Im in class for a minimum of 7 hours m-f and then me and my companion study for at least 2 more hours on language alone. Its a lot. Slowly i think my English is leaving me so sorry if things don~t make sense all the time. I study exclusively the gospel during personal and companion study and then for a little bit during classes. This week I~ve been thinking about families a lot. We~ve had so many Brazillian speakers come to talk to us about gospel topics and often they talk about their conversion stories. Many of the Brazillian missionaries are first generation members. Their testimonies are incredible. The gospel has changed their lives in extreme ways. The people here are so receptive i think, partly because they have their priorities straight. Family is such a huge part of there culture.
Today sister moyle and I didnt get to go to the Temple for our Pday so we went exploring in the area surrounding the CTM. We were looking for this pastel shop that everyone was telling us about. We got lost and had to ask directions. Needless to say, We don~t speak portuguese, but these people love us and are kind and smile at us as we stumble over our broken portuguese. Pastels are delicious huge and fattening as well. They are like huge empanadas.
my companheiro, sister Moyle, is probably one of the best companions anyone could ever ask for she is the perfect example of quiet dignity. She is kind, patient and hilarious. At the CTM we fast from after lunch saturday till lunch Sunday. Saturday night we were talking when out of nowhere sister moyle says: shh! do you hear that? its quiet...we should starve them more often! i laughed so hard i almost peed my pants. The Elders are so loud at night usually so it was nice.
This is an amazing experience. I cannot even begin to communicate to you all what this is like. It doesnt seem real half the time. I feel very priviledged to be serving in the most wondreful country, with the most wonderful people, teaching the thing that makes me the most happy. I love this gospel I love its influence in my life, i wouldn~t be the person i am without it.
Proud to wear the tag,
Sister Peterson
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Jessi's 1st Letter from Brazil
Oi Familia e Amigos!
I feel like I waited forever and now I am in the second largest city in the world sitting in a Cookie Shop writing my very first email home as a missionary. It is crazy that A week ago I was saying my goodbyes. This has been one of the longest/shortest weeks of my life. Being a missionary is amazing, but incredibly challenging and Im not even in the field yet!
My companion is Sister Moyle she is from Holladay Utah and is going to Maceio with me November 17th. Heavenly Father blessed me with an awesome companion. She is just enough like me that we relate well and just different enough so that we compliment each other well.
In my district there are 7 other elders, one more is in Provo waiting on his visa. They are typical 19 year old boys, imature but hilarious. They treat us sisters very well and provide entertainment so i cant complain. Apparently they do things like mattress jousting at night time. The sisters just sleep.
There are about 400 to 500 missionaries here. about 200 of them are Brazillians and less than 50 of the 500 are sisters. The MTC here is actually called the CTM (say tay emee) And it is amazing. I am surrounded by the brazillian culture. We try to sit with the Brazillians at at least one meal a day to work on our Portuguese. So far I can have very short conversations with them and then they end up laughing at me.
Yesterday, my class went to talk to the Brazillian class. We just asked them simple questions like how are you? where you from? what mission? how many people in your family? But i learned a lot. The Brazillians are so kind and patient. If they get annoyed or frustrated they don~t let us know it. They are always talking to us and telling us english words. One of the Brazillian Elders talked to meabout my family when I told him how many sobrinhos (neices andnephews) i had he was in shock. VINTE-SEIS? he said then told all of his companions around him. One of the Brazillians showed me a picture of his nephew. It was an awesome experience I cannot wait till i am fluent or till i can at least carry on a conversation. A lingua esta´beleza!
I study hard each day. I was getting very frustrated and stressed by the fourth day. Sometimes this preparation is very overwhelming and i was asking God why is it so Hard. Well that night we had a devotional and a talk by Elder Holland was shown. He said, The reason why this work is so hard is because Salvation was never a cheap experience. I felt chastised and comforted at the same time.
When I get stressed or frustrated I am forgetting the reason why I am here. I am here to help people come to the realization that We have a loving Heavenly Father and He has a plan for us. It seems like whenever I have a doubt or frustration, it is always addressed the same day. I see God blessing me almost hourly. He has the confidence in me, I just have to trust him and have hope that He will help me learn what i need learn and do what i need to do. It is so much easier that way.
I love this work. I am so stoked to go to Maceio in two months. Everything in Brazil is beautiful, the vegetation, the language, the people, even the graffitied buildings and broken up sidewalks are gorgeous. I love it here. I know this is where I should be. Everything about this past week has shown me that Heavenly Father knows me so well.
Eu sei que a igreja de Jesus Cristo e verdadeiro. O livro de Mormon e a palavra de Deus. O Deus nosso amoroso Pai Celestial. E VERDADE!
Proud to wear the tag, Sister Peterson ps. I am only allowed to write emails to families so if my friends would like to write me my address is:
Sister Jessica Ruth Peterson
Box#48 District# 38-D
Brazil Maceio Missao
Rua Padre Antonio D´Angelo 121
Casa Verde
CEP 02156-040 Sao Paulo, SP
Brazil
I feel like I waited forever and now I am in the second largest city in the world sitting in a Cookie Shop writing my very first email home as a missionary. It is crazy that A week ago I was saying my goodbyes. This has been one of the longest/shortest weeks of my life. Being a missionary is amazing, but incredibly challenging and Im not even in the field yet!
My companion is Sister Moyle she is from Holladay Utah and is going to Maceio with me November 17th. Heavenly Father blessed me with an awesome companion. She is just enough like me that we relate well and just different enough so that we compliment each other well.
In my district there are 7 other elders, one more is in Provo waiting on his visa. They are typical 19 year old boys, imature but hilarious. They treat us sisters very well and provide entertainment so i cant complain. Apparently they do things like mattress jousting at night time. The sisters just sleep.
There are about 400 to 500 missionaries here. about 200 of them are Brazillians and less than 50 of the 500 are sisters. The MTC here is actually called the CTM (say tay emee) And it is amazing. I am surrounded by the brazillian culture. We try to sit with the Brazillians at at least one meal a day to work on our Portuguese. So far I can have very short conversations with them and then they end up laughing at me.
Yesterday, my class went to talk to the Brazillian class. We just asked them simple questions like how are you? where you from? what mission? how many people in your family? But i learned a lot. The Brazillians are so kind and patient. If they get annoyed or frustrated they don~t let us know it. They are always talking to us and telling us english words. One of the Brazillian Elders talked to meabout my family when I told him how many sobrinhos (neices andnephews) i had he was in shock. VINTE-SEIS? he said then told all of his companions around him. One of the Brazillians showed me a picture of his nephew. It was an awesome experience I cannot wait till i am fluent or till i can at least carry on a conversation. A lingua esta´beleza!
I study hard each day. I was getting very frustrated and stressed by the fourth day. Sometimes this preparation is very overwhelming and i was asking God why is it so Hard. Well that night we had a devotional and a talk by Elder Holland was shown. He said, The reason why this work is so hard is because Salvation was never a cheap experience. I felt chastised and comforted at the same time.
When I get stressed or frustrated I am forgetting the reason why I am here. I am here to help people come to the realization that We have a loving Heavenly Father and He has a plan for us. It seems like whenever I have a doubt or frustration, it is always addressed the same day. I see God blessing me almost hourly. He has the confidence in me, I just have to trust him and have hope that He will help me learn what i need learn and do what i need to do. It is so much easier that way.
I love this work. I am so stoked to go to Maceio in two months. Everything in Brazil is beautiful, the vegetation, the language, the people, even the graffitied buildings and broken up sidewalks are gorgeous. I love it here. I know this is where I should be. Everything about this past week has shown me that Heavenly Father knows me so well.
Eu sei que a igreja de Jesus Cristo e verdadeiro. O livro de Mormon e a palavra de Deus. O Deus nosso amoroso Pai Celestial. E VERDADE!
Proud to wear the tag, Sister Peterson ps. I am only allowed to write emails to families so if my friends would like to write me my address is:
Sister Jessica Ruth Peterson
Box#48 District# 38-D
Brazil Maceio Missao
Rua Padre Antonio D´Angelo 121
Casa Verde
CEP 02156-040 Sao Paulo, SP
Brazil
Thursday, September 3, 2009
What life is all about
As of 09/01/2009, my best friend Jessica Dawn Smith agreed to marry some Portuguese speaking hooligan. I just gotta say CONGRATULATIONS to that wonderful girl. Jessie you are totally my hero, Anthony is one lucky dude to have such a beautiful amazing strong and worthwhile fiance. Thank you Jessie for your awesome example to me. You are one of those people who never stopped loving me even when you had the opportunity and perhaps even an excuse to stop. I hope that I can become as selfless humble and driven as you lady. I'm bummed i'm not going to be around for the wedding but I'm so glad that you are doing it the right way girl. Good luck on all your upcoming adventures with your hubby, I'm so proud of you!
Also, one of the most influential people in my life over the past year got her mission call. Sister Nicole Dowdle will be serving in Taipei Taiwan for a period of 18 months. You are going to be a rockin missionary girl. You have one of the most firm foundations in anyone i've met. You always stand for what is right, you are one of those people that Heavenly Father placed specifically in my life for my betterment. I love you mija, you are my best friend, sister, and role model.
The adventures facing these two wonderful people make me so happy, I really admire these two people there actions exemplify a quote by Ezra Taft Benson:
"We must put God in the forefront of everything else in our lives. He must come first...When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives."
I see you both doing this daily, and I see the effects of it. I'm so proud of you both!
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