Elder Pettingill singing musical numbers in a group at a baptism

Battle Hymn of the Republic

Nearer, My God to Thee

When I Am Baptized

Jardim Ipê Week 8

Well this week was a good week. So we have been finding more people to teach that look like they could progress. We found Murilo through a reference of a member, and he seems really interested. We have found some other people as well, and now we are teaching more people. Also Nelson, an investigator who has been an investigator for a long time, will be married, and baptized in two weeks.

We also attended a wedding/baptism of he two Vilma´s (one was married and baptized, and the other just baptized). They are Elder Herlin and Elder Salazar´s investigators that they found in the last transfer. That is where the music is from, and the pictures.

The wedding was really good, and afterward we helped out the ward with a dance that they put on. We were in charge of the money for the things that they were selling at the dance. 

There was a lot of rain this week, and also a lot of sun. At the beginning it was really rainy, and at the end it was really sunny. We have been working a lot, and have been learning a lot as well. I love the opportunities that I have to teach about the Savior, and to help people come unto Christ. 

Thank you all, and have a great week.

--Élder Pettingill

Link to Elder Pettingill singing at a baptism

Jardim Ipê Week 7

São José dos Pinhais District (pic thanks to Elder Herlin's mom)

So this week has been good and bad. So this week was my first week with Elder Alvarado. He is from Chile; the same region that David Archuleta served. He is really cool, and from the same group as Elder Armenta, so he only has one more transfer than me, but he speaks really good português. Some people say that he doesn´t have an accent. Anyway he likes music, and basketball. Also until this transfer he has only served in the two areas that are really far away from the mission office. Also now that he is in our house, we don´t have one Brazilian in the house. Also everyone knows how to do a rubik´s cube. Here they are called magic cubes. Also Elder Alvarado is the new District Leader here. Fun fact there are stores here, and also a street with the name Alvorada, which is really close to Alvarado, so people confuse his name sometimes.

Anyway this week hasn´t been the best because we lost a lot of time in meetings, and with other things that we needed to do so we didn´t get to work as much as I would have liked. We did find one new investigator that seems a little promising, and we have been working with the investigators that will be baptized this next week. 

I have been learning a lot with Elder Alvarado this week, and it has been more a week of learning than a week of teaching, but we need that every once in a while. Also this week we have had more cold, (but not that cold) and a lot of rain, which has made it even harder to work. People don´t like you knocking their doors when it is raining; also a lot of things close when it rains here. 

Anyway I have really grown closer to the Lord in this past week, and I am ready to help more people in this next week. I am so grateful for the time I have here to learn portuguese, talk, teach, help, and learn about God. 

Thank you all for the support,

Um braço (exceto para as mulheres)  

-- Élder Pettingill

Jardim Ipê Week 6

So first I will start off with transfers. So I am staying in Jardim Ipê, but Elder Sousa was transferred. Elder Herlin, and Elder Salazar stayed. My companion is Elder Alvarado, and he is the new district leader. He is from Chile, and he is from the same group as Elder Armenta. He speaks good Portuguese, and he is trying to learn English. He is good, and is more on the quiet side like me, but he doesn´t have a problem talking when he should. He knows how to do a rubics cube, and yeah... Also Elder Armenta is in my zone now! So that is cool.

Anyways this week was good. We had the baptism, which was really good, and our long time investigator, marked his marriage for September 9, and he will be baptized that same day. We didn´t have a lot of opportunities to visit our investigators, and we haven´t been able to meet with them. 

I had a division this week with Elder Henderson, and we taught a lesson in English. It was really hard, but it was one of the most spiritual lessons that I have taught. We taught a Brazilian that has been studying English for 7 years. They gave him a book of Mormon in English, and on the division we taught him. I was really good because everyone was really focused on what they were going to say, so it was easy for the spirit to give the words to them. 

On transfers, I went to the mission office at 11 am to drop off Elder Sousa. They had said the day before that my companion would get there at 2 pm, but when I got there they said 3 pm. So I waited, but the bus they were supposed to take got delayed so he didn´t arrive until about 5:30 pm, and then there was confusion, so we didn´t get back to our area until 6:30 pm. So that is why I am a day late writing today. 

That is pretty much everything, but this week I learned more about humility, and charity. I learned that they go hand in hand. If you have one, you need the other as well. You can´t love someone, but rely on yourself, or love yourself more. If you have charity, then you have to have humility, and if you have humility you have to have charity. If you have only one it is a lor harder to keep it, then when you have both. 

I love especially Moroni 7:44,45 and 48

Thank you all for the support, and please remember to have charity. 

-- Élder Pettingill

So there are some pics of me and Elder Sousa, and me, Elder Sousa, and Elder Gutierraz. There is also of the snickerdoodles I made which have been given the name poop dog, because Elder Salazar heard the name wrong. Also there is a pic of coxinha. Also one of our zone.

Jardim Ipê Week 5

So this week was good. Nothing really exciting happened, but it was good. I had a division with Elder Barbosa after the district meeting on Tuesday which was good. I got the another letter from my Mom which was awesome as well because it had a letter from my little sister Anna in it which was cool. I got my hair cut during the division because one of the Elders in the house there cuts hair.

We had a good week, and we have been making progress with some investigators. I think that we will have a lot of baptisms in the next transfer, which is kind of sad for Elder Sousa.

I have learned a lot this week on how I can improve my teaching, and how I can help bring the spirit, and follow the spirit in contacts and during my study time. I am grateful for the example of the people, and missionaries here. I am learning so much in this area. I am excited for the last week of the transfer to continue working, and teaching better and better. I am very grateful for everything that I am learning here, as well as the opportunities that I have to go to church, and learn, and help people come unto Christ. 

I am feeling pretty good about português. I am not having a lot of problems with it. I am working more on other parts of the work right now, but I am still working on português.

Thank you all for the support, sorry for the short letter and remember that everything is possible with faith

-- Élder Pettingill

Pictures: There is one of my division with Elder Barbosa, and the other is coxinha with the recent converts Margarette and Julio. Coxinha is a thing that they make here. It is a type of batter that they make then they put cooked chicken in it and fry it. it is good. They can also put other things in it as well.