Dec 19

So I am still enchanted with the same companion and the same house. Last week we named the house the hole. It's not dumpy it is just like a black hole and it sucks everything in. I decided to keep sane by following Dads example and always doing something when I am home. So now in our house whenever I have an hour or so of free time I clean something. That is the best way I can manage my time and stay the happiest, it also helps me understand why dad is always wanting to work. Ha ha. My life has had a huge theme on doing things and acting on things ever since David Bednar came here and spoke to us.
Yesterday the bishop of our ward talked to the people about being idle, and he also told them if they wanted a better year that they would have to change something they were doing or fix it. It was a wonderful talk for me and I felt like it was an answer to some of my prayers.
We have also been having crazy weather;one minute it is 100 degrees and the next the humidity it starts raining and the humidity is so high it feels like you are swimming in the air because it is so thick. I should have some pictures of the rain to send when I bring my camera and cable.

Dec 5-12 letters

This week we had one of the biggest and most dangerous rivalry games in the world in my area at the soccer stadium. The team Flamingo was against Vasco my team here in Brazil. All of Brazil was watching it-they tied and I think that they tied on purpose so that less people would die after the game and the busses wouldn't get put on fire!
I am learning a lot of things and one of the main things I am learningis how real life learning works;it is different then school learning. I have discovered that you have to just do something about whatever your current problem is and the Lord will help you through it, after you make it through that you become a stronger person. At the same time it is much more complicated then comparing it to a muscle-which just works one way;you can't just help yourself, you also have to help others. My invite for everybody would be to help somebody else with something, if you do you will both be blessed.

I now have over 6 months here, transfers are next week and I will still be here with the same companion-it is my guess maybe another 3 months.

I will share some of what I have been studying about recently-I have been studying about laziness and really laziness is one of the worst things we can do in life, because we really have such a little amount of time and so many things to learn and do. When we are lazy it takes away our choice and literally dams us like a river so that we cannot progress anymore. When I study I can go many directions by thinking about different questions. I hope that when you study the scriptures you also look for answers. I have found that when I have questions and start studying I sometimes have more questions that come up before I get the answers but this is a good thing.

Jordan Mailing address

I couldn't even find this myself without a lot of looking up this AM but Jordans mailing address is just the mission home-which changed locations last summer. He can receive letters or packages there.
Elder Jordan Peterson
c/o Rio de Janeiro Mission
Rua Dois de Dezembro 78
Salas 703/704
Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, RJ
22220-040

His email is
peterson.jordan@myldsmail.net

November 28

This week was very normal, just work and work and a little more work. Thanksgiving looked pretty cool at home. I had forgot about it till it was over and that night somebody told me Happy Thanksgiving, but we do celebrate the holidays in the mission, we sing a Christmas song almost every morning, that is always fun. Note worthy wise there isn't a whole lot going on, sorry to let you all down. Today we made pancakes with vanilla and bananas and cinnamon added. Oh, I got 2 of my boxes- thanks very much it is sooooo nice to have my deodorant again, I finally smell like me again. I opened the small one the day I got it and I'll open the other the last day of the transfer most likely. here is this weeks picture of cashew fruit,(cashew on bottom)

Nov 21

Hey Fam,
It was nice hearing from everybody and seeing all the pictures and all of that. This week we had a opportunity of a life time; David Bednar came and talked with the missionaries in Rio, he did a different type of talk with us, he started by talking about silly traditions in the church that don't need to continue, and after that we went into a question and answer session with him. He never gave a talk but we just talked doctrine for 3 hours with him, this was such a wonderful experience because I had many questions answered that I had had in my head for a long time, and I also found out that I know a lot more then I thought I did. Because some of the silly traditions he talked about- I had already been talking about with the missionary's in our apartment for a long time before he came, and that made me feel good... Thanks Mom and Dad for teaching me to think for myself! That was the highlight of the week really. this week it was tough work wise, we were trying and trying to find new people to teach for the longest time-and had no results! That is a very hard and sad thing, but in church this week we where very blessed when we had members bring 3 new people that I had never seen at church before show up, definitely an answer to all our prayers. but not a whole lot more has been going on, just keep on learning and learning and learning.
Elder Peterson
This weeks picture is me with my 52 bananas and 5 apples and 5 guava, as of now we have 4 bananas and an apple left, and we bought that Wednesday! we like fruit in the house, haha and we now have a fridge too!

Nov 7-6 months in Encantado

So transfers are tomorrow... and I'm staying here again with the same comp... we are all trying to understand why our president is doing this... we have had missionaries in the same area now for at least 10 months. so I could be here forever... I don't know? But its all good I dont mind the situation, and I'm content with the area.

Today was my comps birthday and we surprised him... he thought we forgot about his birthday and was kind of mad, then we went over and made a cake without him knowing and surprised him with a b day party during lunch... it was crazy cool! We also baptized again this week. Our youth are very strong and a great support system for all the new youth getting baptized. also this week one of the missionary's in our apartment got kidney stones because of lack of water and abundance of sun and salt. He has been throwing up a lot lately, and in bed a lot as well in pain and has been to the hospital as well multiple times. Actually everybody in our apartment is staying(all 6 of us) we should have another baptism again this week of a older lady-she has quit smoking for over 3 months now and has finally accepted to get baptized and is so happy for this next week, it will be a wonderful day.

This week we had a cool thing that I had never worked on before. we got a call from the stake president and then he asked us all to come over and have a breakfast with him in the stake center, and talk about missionary work in the stake as well. So that's what we did. The breakfast was very good, and then he told us the stake mission plan and we told him our goals and they matched with his, then we told him all the things good and bad about our ward to help it grow, because it is one of the newest stakes in the world and probably one of the smallest as well. and one of the things we told him was nobody was doing visiting teaching and home teaching, the next day was Sunday so he had a meeting with just our ward and told the ward about the blessings of home and visiting teaching and hopefully planted a little desire into the members! That was all that happened that was really exciting this week. We also had lots of interviews to go to so we were on trains all week as well. but that's about it and I hope you all have the best of weeks this week and I will continue hoping and praying for all you all!

Oct 31-Encantado

This week was way good, we baptized again, and also our ward is growing so much. Our ward mission leader has a vision that he finally was able to present to the ward this week and they are all going to work on the plan together now. Sooo many good things are happening; and it was all because of a vision of a member. We had our ward primary program this week and it helped me realize the times when I was in primary as the oldest kid and 2 feet taller then the other kids- and it was very funny. This week I had a nightmare that Mushu was sleeping on my bed and there was nothing I could do about it to get her off. I woke up sad... also I saw a twin of Mushu this week... not nearly as cool but she looks like her twin. Our ward is so united right now. when I show the picture of this weeks baptism look how much support this kid has from the youth-even one of the youth baptize him, that's how it should be done. This week was just work as usual, still not a whole lot to talk about... which is why I have been getting better with pictures out here on the mission. because its hard to just talk about work and make it exciting. but its cool to always see the final peice of the finished project. so think when you see this weeks pic about the unity of the ward, the success of the work and the support system that is set up. That is a finished piece to my time in this area, and that is what we have been doing with a lot of help from others. have a wonderful week!