Oi gente!

E aí pessoal? Blz? Things are going pretty well down here. Right now I am on my FOURTH trio in my mission! Can you believe it? How many people can say that? We had an emergency transfer and Sister Lund left suddenly this past week. My companionship now consists of Sister Felipe, Sister Andréia, and me! I have to get used to speaking Portuguese 100% of the time again because I have been with an American companion now for 7 months! The end of the transfer is coming soon though and I feel like I will probably leave. Never know though! Could it be that I will stay for 9 months in the same area?! Vamos ver! lol. Our adorable Francisco received the preisthood on Sunday. That is always a wonderful thing to see. And we will be having another baptism of a girl named Nagila this coming week. She is a young woman who loves young womens! and how could you not? I dunno because I loved Young Womens. She has been going to church for about a month and is already working on her Personal Progress! What increddible programs have been developed for the youth of our church. I don´t think as youth we can even comprehend what a blessing it is to have leaders who care about and pray for us. How inspired programs like mutual, seminary, Personal Progress and Duty to God are. They really are there to help us make goals and correct decisions that will help lay the foundation for our futures! Missions, temple marriage, callings, not to mention success in college and in the business feild, everything! Anyway I have a testimony that truly they are inspired programs. I think I always knew but I am learning to appreciate it more and more as an adult. If you are a youth do them! If you are a parent, encourage your kids to do them! Prometo que o Senhor via te abençoar MUITO! Amo voces e até a próxima!

Com amor,
Sister Peck

Come listen to a Prophets voice!

Hey everyone! Wasn´t General Conference just incredible? I just relish any opportunity to listen to the words of our beloved prophets and apostles. What a privlege! I always learn so much and feel so blessed to be a part of the Lord´s church! As we were on our way to the stake center yesterday I thought to myself "What are all these people doing?? Don´t they know the prohpet is about to speak! Stop cleaning your house, walking your dog, talking on your cell phone, whatever and just come listen to his voice!" There are so many people who didn´t even know! They missed out but it wasn´t they´re fault, it was mine. What a tremendous responsibility we have to TELL and SPREAD the message that there is again a man on earth with authority who receives revelation and speaks for our Father in Heaven. Ah I just get so excited about it! I was so happy to see four of our investigators there though! Vanessa and Nágila, who will be baptized this Saturday and our new friends Diego and Wilma. It was they´re first time at church! Imagine your first exposure to the church being General Conference and hearing the words of a prohpet! I don´t know, I think its amazing! I prayed the entire time that they were feeling the spirit and understanding. I´m sure they did though, how could you not right??? Seemed like the main topic was families, families, families! How to maintain eternal families, Family Home Evening, get to the temple and do family history, be an example for your children, etc. There is such a need right now to have our families in order! Satan will stop at nothing to destroy the family. This has become so evident to me on my mission. It is absolutely heartbreaking to see. But what an absolute blessing to know that if we just do what is right, follow the prophet, seriously DO WHAT HE SAYS, we will have no need to fear. Home can be a Heaven on earth. There doesn´t need to be so much trial and suffering and sadness in the home. We were blessed with families so that we could grow, learn, and experience. A home based on Christlike atributes is a home of safety, refuge and peace. On my mission I have seen numerous families who are not members of the church who have very happy homes! Who live good lives and have lots of love. To these people I say Parabéns! Now please allow us to ADD to the things that you already treasure. Who doesn´t want even MORE happiness. Etermal happiness that doesn´t end after death! These eternal truths and doctrines we learn in Christs church which is here on the Earth today, which we can learn from a living prophet! WOW! Um I just basically love Conference. Hope everyone is doing wonderfully!!!

Com amor,

Sister Peck

Weekly Update

I sure love being in a trio! It´s tons of fun! It´s like a slumber party every night! hahaha. I did hear some rumors though (they´re not really rumors when you hear it from the secretaries) that our trio is going to be split up next week though! Dang. I will probably stay here with Sister Lund and Sister Felipe will open an area with a short term sister. Nothings set in stone yet so we´ll keep waiting to hear. Hope she stays! Well whatever the Lord´s will is but it will be hard to say goodbye! Sister Felipe has been such a help here even in this short time!

We had a blessing fall from the sky last week too. A young man named Francisco just moved here from another state to study and work and is living with his sister, who happens to be in our ward! whoohoo! During Carnival, the young men and young women have lots of activities planned (kind of like mini EFY) and he got here just in time! The incredible youth of our ward won Fransisco right over and he is now taking the lessons and accepted a date to be baptized NEXT WEEK! He is so cute. He shows up to our lessons with scriptures in hand! When we say "who can give the opening prayer?" he says "Um can I?" I just beam! It is amazing to me how the Lord prepares people to hear the gospel. I never fail to be amazed at just how aware He is of each of us individually. He knows and loves Fransisco. He knew him when he lived way in the North of Brasil and prepared the way for him to come in contact with the church so many miles away here in Sao Paulo! Our area is SO small and the church is SO old here. It´s so easy to think, "oh its pretty hard to do missionary work and everyone knows everything about the church already." But the Lord knows these people, not me. He knows who is prepared and it is our job (ahem, along with the memebrs) to find them! How fun! It´s like a treasure hunt! And the treasure is better than gold and silver! One member in our ward is excellent. He shares the gospel with any client that comes into his store. He even has is own area book!!!!!!!! Every time he passes a reference to us (which is often) he says "I just want to see everyone I know in the Celestial Kingdom Sisters, thats all. Gotta do everything I can to make it happen!" What an incredible attitude!!!!!!!!

I´m also very excited about a couple we met the other day making contacts in a very chique neighborhood. The man is an owner of a major company here in Brasil whose headquarters are in the states. He speaks English very well but wants some help with some technical/grammatical things. So he invited us over to "teach" him! Actually it was more of a conversation because he speaks perfectly but through that we were able to explain who were are and what we do and invite them to stake conference which is this weekend. They said they would come too!!!! What tender mercies. I am grateful to be a missionary. Its the best job in the world!!! I know I always say that but I still feel that way! I wake up every morning and think "Gosh, how lucky am I?" The church is true and I am blessed to know it! I want to make sure that everyone I know is in the Celestial Kingdom with me someday too and I "gotta do everything I can to make it happen" :)

Com amor,

Sister Peck

Mais uma semana!

Today I made TACOS!!!! Thanks to my mom for sending taco seasoning, we were able to enjoy a great Mexican lunch in Brasil! I don´t have too much to say today other than we are just eagerly waiting to find out about transfers....we usualy dont find out until late. We may stay as a trio for next transfer! Who knows. I really dont have too much to report but we did have some incredible experiences this week! We had an exceptional lesson with Novena and her husband on Friday night. We brought a member with us who speaks English and it just couldn´t have gone better!

The spirit was so strong and we were all very much in awe of this elect family. Mario is reading the Book of Mormon every day. He told us that he really is into the story but is noticing that it is more important what he is feeling rather than reading! We just got Novena a Book of Mormon in english so she hasn´t started it yet but she is really excited about the unity it will bring their family on a spiritual level. Our goal with them is to get them to church and then a baptismal date. They´re even married legally! We are all basically enamored with their family, her Australian accent, everything!

We also taught Jean and Orlando! Orlando was a referral from the Internet. Turns out he met a brand new elder at the airport who had just arrived from the united states. In his broken Portuguese he bore his testimony and invited Orlando to meet the missionaries, who happen to be..... us! Orlando was very touched by this humble young man and that´s where we come in! It was a great lesson. He had wonderful questions and is very excited to learn more. Isn´t it amazing how the Lord works? Surely by small and simple means are great things brought to pass.

Other than that we have been working very hard to talk with everyone through contacts and find new people! I am so happy and healthy, well somedays (hehe) and love to be on the Lord´s errand! Sorry I don´t have more to say. Or maybe you´re grateful since I usually write a novel! ;) The gospel is true! Look for missionary opportunities and open your mouth like the elder in the airport! Love you all! Até mais!

-Sister Peck

Pictures

The area was ENORMOUS!! I was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day because we had walked so much!!
The church in Osasco! (the city where I did divisions)
I went on a division to another area of our mission. It was so much fun! Look at the different sizes of bananas!

Trio again!

A Sister who had been waiting in the states to receive her visa finally arrived! Sister Lori Lund is now with us as a part of my second trio on my mission! Lots of fun. She is a sweet girl from Samamish, WA and is basically a replica of Sister Steinbielge. Not in appearance necessarily but in everything they do. It´s pretty funny. Sister Lund and I had actually met before the mission! We were EFY counselors the same week two summers ago and chatted once or twice. Anyway the world is so small! It´s very fun to meet people because when people ask where we are from we say "By coincedence we are ALL from Washington!" Pretty rare I´d say! Her Portuguese is getting better by the day and we are helping her adjust to the new culture since we´ve "been there, done that". Too much fun!

I don´t know if I ever mentioned Novena. She is a lady who Sister Steinbeigle and I met one day a long time ago while making copies. We overheard her and a friend speaking English so, DUH, we decided to meet them. Turns out Novena is from New Zealand and her friend, Laura, from Scottland and both had married Brasilians. They have the most GORGEOUS accents. It was so different making a contact in English! Novena lives in our area and gave us her information and told us we could stop by any time. We have tried numerous times to find her at home but either the door man at the apartment building doesn´t like us and always lies (I think thats the case) or we really just don´t have any luck! One time we even saw her on the street and she askd why we had never come by! Well we just received a new "rule" in the mission that we need to be out the house by 10:30. I don´t know why sometimes its difficult for me to gain a testimony about things until something actually happens but on Saturday we left at 10:30 and passed in front of Novenas apartment complex. Sister Steinbeigle said "Do you think Novena is home? We´ve never tried her in the morning." Turns out it was a DIFFERENT doorman AND she was home! She invited us in and her husband was home too! It was perfect. They are the nicest, most beautiful and down to earth couple I have ever met! They have a beautiful 2 year old son and I just love everything about them! It just couldn´t have gone better because her husband Mario, who also speaks English, was brought up Catholic, like most Brasilians, but neither practice any religion at all right now. They were so open minded and willing and ready to listen to what we had to say. So I taught my very first lesson in English since the MTC! How different! It was so great. Plus it was perfect for Sister Lund since she has been teaching only in English for the past two months. . If Mario didn´t understand something we would just translate it into Portuguese! It was INCREDIBLE! The spirit was very strong. We only had a Portuguese Book of Mormon on us but Mario promised to read it. We will bring Novena, who also is excited to read, an English copy this week! Mario said a beautiful closing prayer asking for help to know if this is the path he should follow and thanking God for sending us to him. WOW! I don´t know why I am so excited for this little family but I am! I just think its amazing how the Lord works. If there had been two Brasilian sisters serving in this area for example right now they probably would have never even found Novena and her family! The Lord truly inspires his servants. The prophet to call us here to Brasil, our Mission President to call us to an area and with a certain companion, and to inspire him with changes that will help our mission like leaving at 10:30. I never fail to be amazed at how the Lord truly has his hand in all things. If we listen to our leaders and the counsel they give, we will never be lead astray. I love serving here! Transfers are next week and we are very anxoius to see what is going to happen!!!! Will I stay one more? Leave? Who knows! All I know is I am happy and love being a missionary. Happy week to everyone!

Até mais gente!

-Sister Peck

Paradise!‏

I think I´m finally starting to become Brasilian! I crave rice and beans, I shower 3 times a day, and I can predict the weather! When I first got here, everyone would look up at the sky into the hot sun and say "Vai chover." or "It´s gonna rain" What?? But I´m melting and there aren´t any clouds! And they would ask me "Can´t you feel the difference in the air? And the smell of the rain is so strong!" ???? Now I totally know. We can be melting in the hot sun, talking to someone on the street and then all of a sudden the air changes into instant humidity and duh "Vai chover!" I love it. The tropical rainstorms are pretty intense here. Plus I´ll take rain and humidity over just sun and humidity any day!!

It was just another week in paradise here as a servant of the Lord. We are teaching the coolest kid, Enrique, who reminds me a TON of my cousin Alex. He just giggles all the time! hahaha. He is like the Bizzaro Alex and just the Brasilian version! lol. He´s 16 and a lot of fun to teach. His baptismal date is marked for the 26th of this month. He has smoked for the past two years (yeah you can buy cigarettes and beer at any age here) so his goal is to be completely cigarette free by the 10th! Pray for him! We had kind of a cool experience this week with him too. Well two actually, one was that he hasn't been able to go to church yet because he worked on Sundays but he found a new job last week that only requires him to work Mon-Sat! What a blessing! We´re all very excited. He loves the YM activities but it´s important that he love the spiritual part as well! The other neat thing was recently our mission received new regulations regarding the baptizing of minors. It doesn´t really make much sense to baptize an 8 year old child all by himself, because who will take him to church/support him, etc. It really makes sense. The likelihood of him falling away is really high unless he has family support. Now we have to do everything that we can to get the entire family involved and see if we can´t teach everyone together. Enrique lives here in Sao Paulo with his sister as his family is in another state so we have permission to teach his sister, Fabricia, and her family. She seemed pretty skeptical at first but we taught a great 3rd lesson (or the gospel of Jesus Christ which is Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Holy Ghost) then we sang Asombro Me Causa, um I forget what it´s called in English, but anyway the spirit was so strong! Fabricia gave the closing prayer and asked to know if this is the path she should follow too (!!!!) she was crying by the end. It was a wonderful experience for all of us.

I know that our mission president receives revelation for us. If it hadn´t been for our new "rules" I don´t know if I would have given much thought to teaching his sister too. It really confirmed my testimony that when we receive council from our leaders it is our obligation to follow! My mission president holds the keys and privileges to receive inspiration for us as missionaries here in Sao Paulo North. Just like a father can receive revelation for his children, a Bishop for his ward, the Prophet for the world! We meet many people here of different faiths who believe that any person can receive revelation for, well any other person! When we know that´s not correct. We do believe in modern revelation, when under the proper organization and authority as well as personal revelation. I am grateful to have leaders to guide and direct us. Who literally receive the will of the Lord and pass it along to us so that we can know what to do. Just like prophets in the Bible, we have a prophet on the Earth today! He is God´s mouthpiece and he tells us what our loving Heavenly Fathers wants us to know. Our problems and challenges are different than they were in Biblical times (Internet, pornography, infidelity, etc.) so we need the same guidance that the people had anciently in our days! What a blessing to have a modern prophet. We don´t worship him, but respect him as a special man called of God to be our leader. I know he is a Prophet because I have gained a personal testimony for myself. And we (as missionaries) invite all to do so as well! No one needs to believe in our words, but we can all know for ourselves through sincere prayer and by a witness of the Holy Ghost. And I even will close that in the name of Jesus Christ amen!

Wow I just kind of went on an authority rampage there for a minute. Not sure why but I am learning really how to be receptive to the Holy Ghost and when I thought enters my mind, I act. Without hesitation. I feel so blessed to be a part of this marvelous work and a wonder! I love my mission and love my Savior Jesus Christ. Hope everyone has uma semana maravillosa! Até logo gente! Tchau!



-Sister Peck