This week was a good week. I really enjoyed my skype even though it was only 45 minutes. I know that if I got more time I would still want more time.
So this week we got our water back! Last Friday, the one from last week, we lost our water because the bill somehow never got paid by the office. Then on Saturday, which was the p-day of the secretaries, and assistants, we called them because it wasn´t until late on Friday that we lost it. They told us to use our emergency money to pay it, and that they would reimburse us. We went to a place to pay two bills for water, this month´s, and last month´s. We got to pay this month´s, but last month´s we couldn´t because it was expired. So then we called the assistants again on Monday, last p-day, and spent almost the entire p day trying to get our water back, and at the end to the p day we still hadn´t been able to pay it, but we knew where we could. So then on Tuesday we paid it, and the company said, through the secretaries, that they would turn the water on the next day. So the next day we woke up, and still didn´t have water. We ate lunch, returned, and still didn´t have water. We were going to Santa Angela that day so we wouldn´t return until that night. So we waited a little more, and still didn´t have water. We did our work, and when we were walking home we were just wishing that we had water. We got home, and we had water! That is it, but then we both proceeded to take showers. We survived this by using our water bottles to get water, at the church, and we used this to shave (just me), brush our teeth, and sometimes wash our hair (I did it once; I don´t know how many times Elder Armenta did it, but he got his hair wet every day.) We went 5 days with no water. The end.
This week we had a division with the district leader Elde Quarezma. It was really good, we learned a lot about teaching people, and not lessons. Also we worked a lot more this week on finding new people which was good, and we met our goal for new investigators for the first time for me. We got to teach a lot of starting lessons, as well as helping people understand things. I learned that if someone doesn´t believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and if they don´t have a motivation to listen to us, then they won´t go anywhere.
I have already learned so much, and ran into problems. It is hard to help people come unto Christ when we have three different areas to work. We have been trying to work more in Santa Angela, and Ferraria. Santa Angela only has two members, and both are recent converts. We have already found so many great people, and I want to help so many people. It is difficult to remember sometime that people get to choose, and that we can´t force them to understand what we understand, and to help understand that their lives could be so much better. Also it is hard to always remember that I am not perfect, and to give myself a little break sometimes.
Concering families, we had an interesting experience with an investigator named A. He is from a big family, but he does like to visit his family, and he doesn´t really like family reunions. He has a brother that lives close to him that he wishes lived farther away, but at the same time family is really important to him. The problem is that when he is with his family, he is worried about saying things that could offend them, and that he could get a bad relationship with them. I thought while we were talking, that is very sad, that you can´t trust that your family will understand you. I think that should always be our goal. To have a family that we can trust will love us enough not to be offended. I have been reading from Teachings of the Presidents Joseph Fielding Smith, and I think that he is a good example of the type of relationship that we want with our families, even though it is not always possible. One of his children, in the book, said that he would never scold them or hit them, but that he would only say ``I wish that my kiddies would be good,`` and that because he had so much love for them it worked.
Also here I get to see a lot of families that aren´t perfect, but they still have so much love for one another. I also see families with problems, and that these problems pull the family apart. I am so grateful for a wonderful family that is such a great example of what kind of family I want to have, and that has prepared me a lot for now and the future.
We have talked a lot about faith this week, with members, with investigators, and just me thinking, and I will end with Alma 32 because I don´t know exactly what scripture it is. All I know is that without faith we cannot get anywhere in the gospel. I like to think of faith in an example. Faith is standing at the edge of a cliff, and believing that there is a bridge there, but in order to truly have faith you need to step off the cliff. Sometimes that is how it is for us. We have to step off the cliff, and believe that Christ is there to catch us, and to hold us up.
I love the gospel, and everything that it brings into my life. Even the trials.
--Elder Pettingill
Pictures: One of these is of Elder Quarezma, and me during a division this week, one is of a cool full moon thing we had. Another is of us being happy, and getting water again. Another is of my coffee cake, and my last breakfast with it. The other two need more explanation. There is this thing for coins outside our house where sometimes the guy has pokeballs in them. He doesn´t have it out a lot, and I wanted to buy them, but it takes two reais ($.32) so I had been saving all the reais that I got to buy these pokeballs. I bought twelve. So there is a 'before I bought them', and an 'after I bought them'. They will be presents for my companions, and people when I get home. Also there was one day we had to wait in the church so Elder Armenta played the piano, and I drew him playing the piano on the chalkboard.
I have already learned so much, and ran into problems. It is hard to help people come unto Christ when we have three different areas to work. We have been trying to work more in Santa Angela, and Ferraria. Santa Angela only has two members, and both are recent converts. We have already found so many great people, and I want to help so many people. It is difficult to remember sometime that people get to choose, and that we can´t force them to understand what we understand, and to help understand that their lives could be so much better. Also it is hard to always remember that I am not perfect, and to give myself a little break sometimes.
Concering families, we had an interesting experience with an investigator named A. He is from a big family, but he does like to visit his family, and he doesn´t really like family reunions. He has a brother that lives close to him that he wishes lived farther away, but at the same time family is really important to him. The problem is that when he is with his family, he is worried about saying things that could offend them, and that he could get a bad relationship with them. I thought while we were talking, that is very sad, that you can´t trust that your family will understand you. I think that should always be our goal. To have a family that we can trust will love us enough not to be offended. I have been reading from Teachings of the Presidents Joseph Fielding Smith, and I think that he is a good example of the type of relationship that we want with our families, even though it is not always possible. One of his children, in the book, said that he would never scold them or hit them, but that he would only say ``I wish that my kiddies would be good,`` and that because he had so much love for them it worked.
Also here I get to see a lot of families that aren´t perfect, but they still have so much love for one another. I also see families with problems, and that these problems pull the family apart. I am so grateful for a wonderful family that is such a great example of what kind of family I want to have, and that has prepared me a lot for now and the future.
We have talked a lot about faith this week, with members, with investigators, and just me thinking, and I will end with Alma 32 because I don´t know exactly what scripture it is. All I know is that without faith we cannot get anywhere in the gospel. I like to think of faith in an example. Faith is standing at the edge of a cliff, and believing that there is a bridge there, but in order to truly have faith you need to step off the cliff. Sometimes that is how it is for us. We have to step off the cliff, and believe that Christ is there to catch us, and to hold us up.
I love the gospel, and everything that it brings into my life. Even the trials.
--Elder Pettingill
Pictures: One of these is of Elder Quarezma, and me during a division this week, one is of a cool full moon thing we had. Another is of us being happy, and getting water again. Another is of my coffee cake, and my last breakfast with it. The other two need more explanation. There is this thing for coins outside our house where sometimes the guy has pokeballs in them. He doesn´t have it out a lot, and I wanted to buy them, but it takes two reais ($.32) so I had been saving all the reais that I got to buy these pokeballs. I bought twelve. So there is a 'before I bought them', and an 'after I bought them'. They will be presents for my companions, and people when I get home. Also there was one day we had to wait in the church so Elder Armenta played the piano, and I drew him playing the piano on the chalkboard.
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| From the skype |
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