Not much to report, but a good attitude and that's enough sometimes.

Familia e Amigos,

 So this week has been chill. We have had some days that went by a little slow but altogether  was happy with the week. So in all that I was thinking was just the fact that we have been called for these things. Man the other days I was reading my calling as a missionary and it made me feel so much better. And in truth we all have a calling that God has given to us. It may seem small or that we can't do it but God qualifies us to meet the expectations. In all truth I don't have a ton to write this week. All I really wanted to write is that I know that we all can fulfill our potential and we can be happy doing it. I love you all and I hope that you have an amazing week, 

Peder

Return to Praia and More Baptisms.

Familia e Amigos,

 So this week has been awesome. So I feel that I am finally getting to now my area better and I am so glad because of that. It has been amazing the work that we have been able to do here. We are working in a new branch her in Praia and it meets in the afternoon but it's all good. The members here are a huge help and I am so grateful for all that they do for us. 

 So specifically this week we had the baptism of a man named Mais Alto(or in english more tall). Man it was a sweet baptism. So in the picture I sent has Mais Alto and the guy that was baptizing hime. So Domingos, is a recent convert, and this was the first time that he was baptizing someone. And one thing that you can probably see is that he is quite a bit shorter. In truth during the baptism I was a little worried that he wouldn't be able to do it. But in the second time he was able to do it and it was awesome. Man on sunday as well Mais Alto boe his testimony about how he knew that the church was true and that he was happy for the elders(who he had forgotten the names) but it was so awesome. It was so awesome and what was even cooler was a guy that we marked a date for baptism with the day before bore his testimony about the baptism. Man stinking sweet. 

 You know I've thought at times that things could get old or that the gospel has an end of being so great but it doesn't. Everytime that we help someone or that someone recognizes the truth i their lives it is just amzing.  The gospel is so true and regardless of how many times we have heard it or how many times it seems impossible to do, it will bless our lives. I know that this is true, I love you all and I hope that you have amazing weeks,

Peder

(April 8th email.  Hope you know that the picture above goes with the latest letter.)

 So this week has been pretty sweet. So first off I am now in Praia. It is quite different here than in Calheta. I am serving with a missionary from Fogo named Elder Teixeira. He is actually waiting for his visa so that he can go to england. So right now I will be working to teach him english. The only problem is the slight accent I have makes it harder to understand. But it's all good. 

 This week we are still working on getting to know all of our investigators but it's still been a very good week. So we had conference this week, which was sweet, and during that it was quite intersting. A couple instances in particular. So after the first session I felt like we shouldgo and just look for people to go to the next. And luckily my district leader felt the same. So we booked it and we were ale to find two more people to go. As well in the last session we were as well looking around for people. And after we passed by the people who said they would come and they wern't there, we then decided to pass by one other person. And luckily it was someone who had been looking for us. And it was just awesome. You know truthfully God is guiding us. He is helping  us  and He wants us to succeed. Man I love being on the mission. I love it here and I just want to do everything I can for these people,

 Love you all,

 Peder

Ed Vera....

Familia e Amigos,

 So this week has been pretty awesome. So to start off I want to mention something that happened this last friday. So there is a scripture in 2 Nephi 28:5 about some of the things that people will say in these days and one of those things is eat and drink and be merry because tomorrow we die and God will save. So that is a form of people tricking themselves. So on Friday we had to go up to Assomada to do a baptismal interview. So as we were going up to Assomada there was this guy in the car who was just talking a lot. So as he was talking eventually he looked at us and asked if we were part of a church. We explained who we are and then he asked what the main thing of the church is. In that car with everyone there we were able to explain a bit about the restoration and prophets. But what was funny was that after all this he said 'nha igreja é comi bebi' or in English' my church is eat and drink'. holy flip the Book of Mormon is true. 

 So then on Saturday we had a baptism. holy flip it was one of the best baptisms I have ever had. so to explain why our investigator has fear of the sea. so for a long time she had a lot of fear about the sea and about baptism. So on Saturday we got to the beach and Fatima was feeling more or less. but we were going over and when we entered into the ocean we grabbed Fatima by her hands and walked with her. She said that when we were there with her she didn't feel afraid. and specifically she said that she could go to Tarrafal and back because as she said God was with her. even though Fatima was made fun of a bit she was resolute and it was just stinking sweet. 

 and after all of these sweet things that have happened. I am being transferred to Praia  i'm excited but i am going to miss this area so much. I stinking love these people here and yesterday i was about to cry because i was leaving. the people here are amazing. It's so small here but it has been one of the most incredible places that I have served  I am so glad to have had this time here. I know that the church is true and I know that it will bless the live of everyone. I love you all,

 Peder

here's some pics of Fatima's baptism, and the other one is with nelson, nozinha, sandra, claudia and my comp, 

Desabafo and trying a bit of Caldo de Cana, or Sugar Cane Juice

Add caption

So one is me with Carlos e Preta, one with Elder Araújo and then just a goofy propagando things that kind of looks like missionaries. Love you,

Familia e Amigos,

 So this week has been quite interesting and quite a bit of things have happened. So I would first like to mention that I drank one of the grossest things that I have ever drank here this week. It is caldo de cana, or juice from sugar cane. uhhh. It is probably the only time that I have told someone that I did not want to drink more of something. Just really nasty. 

 But what has been interesting this week is that I have been able to see a pretty interesting contrast. So with the guy that offered that drink we actually had taught him about the restoration and why we are here. And for the first time ever I have heard some just completely flat out say ' I don't believe you. I am sure that that is not the truth' Hmmm pretty interesting. Especially because when he had said that it was because we had told him that we aren't paid and that we worked to get here. But it was just really interesting. As well we had some other person mention that the people we are talking with won't do anything. Hmmm

 But you know with all those moments I had one thing that was more interesting than anything else. So yesterday we had a family home evening in the house of one of our investigators. So that same gy who said that he didn't believe us came in. And like usual he mentioned that he did not believe that we are exactly who we are. With this was exactly the fact that he doesn't believe that we don't date. So what was interesting more than anything was the fact that we didn't have to explain that we don't but all three of our investigators did for us. There was one point when I remeber our investigators actually saying tht they know that what we are saying is true. And specifically one of our investigators said that she would stick her hand in the fire in hell because she knows that what we are saying is true. Man it was incredible. 

 And you know just thinking about this makes me very happy. You know as hard as it is to believe some times I am so grateful that I can believe in something. That's what makes me happy and I love it here. The work is hard and sometimes it may appear to other people as useless but I know that it is not. I love it here. I love you all and I hope that you have an amazing week,

 Peder

Podi ser dificil--a tough week for Peder, but he takes it well

Familia e Amigos,

 So this last week a lot of things have happened which really actually made for a little bit of a difficult week. So this week we had zone conference in praia. So during zone conference there was a seventy here named Elder Patrick Kearon. It was an awesome conference and I really enjoyed how it all went down. Afterwarrds we luckily found a car and returned to Calheta. After being in Calheta for a day we had to go to Taraffal the next day so we spent more time out of the area. Altogether I did not enjoy all the traveling. But eventually we got back to calheta and some things happened that we're pretty stressful. But you know all that matters is how I really felt by the end of this whole week. So I have realized that honestly problems are something that we will always face. You know there is always going to be that one thing that makes something annoying or that one other thing that makes me sad. But really that's not how we have to respond. I am so happy to be here. I am so happy to have these problems. Because every day I have to learn to humble myself a bit more. And as much as humbling oursleves is hard it is necessary because we have got a lot of work to do. I am really happy to be here though. There are so many things that I am expereincing and I'm so glad to really have this in my life. I love you all and I really hope that in every moment you can find what is good in your lives because there's a ton of it,

 Love you,

 Peder

Another Solid Week for Peder

Familia e Amigos,

 So this week has been a pretty solid week. So this last week I had read a talk by Richard C Edgley called Choose Faith. Man it is an awesome talk and it's all about how many times in our lives we could choose not to believe in something but we still believe that it can happen. 

 And you know this week I have had a lot of that. So for the whole time I have been in Calheta it has been near impossible to teach with members. And you know what! This week we taught 4 lessons with our group leader nelson. and it was stinking awesome. 

 As well this week we have been a lot more stretched for time but we still have managed to teach like 30 lessons this week.

 And because of this next week we will have a baptism. Claudia who when I first taught her wanted me to be transferred will be baptized. She has warmed up to the fact that I'm staying so it's been pretty solid. 

Altogether I have just realized more than anything how much happier I feel when I choose to believe in people. And believeing in myself. Calheta is small and has a lot of oppostion. People think that the members are crazy and that our work is something strange. But in all truth I am so happy to be here. We have investigators who are still progressing amidst all these things. And we have members who are willing to stay firm in all that they do. 

 So in all I can tell you that choosing faith, choosing to believe in something that seems so lost, something that seems so impossible never is a problem. Distrust is somthing that makes me feel awful so in this moment and forever I will choose faith. I will choose to believe because it makes me so much happier than naything else. 

 We live in a beautiful world and I am so grateful for it. I love you all and I hope that this week you can have an amazing week,

 Peder

Milagres e milagres

Natercia's Baptism

Familia e Amigos,

 So this week has been pretty solid. So Elder Araújo and I have been able to teach quite a bit which has been super nice. As well with the fact that we have basically taken over what was once two areas it has helped a lot. So just some highlights of the week. So to start off we had this awesome lesson on friday. So we were teaching a reference from a member in praia. Her name is nozinha. so as we were teaching her elder araújo explained the first vision. and then as I was talking to her about praying to know if it was true she just started talking to us how she was feeling. and she said that she just felt like something that had been closed for so long was opened. She said it was a different feeling then she had ever had. She mentioned that she had met with a lot of church and was always searching for the truth but never felt it with anyone else. But she just started to feel it so strong when we were there. It was just amazing. After that lesson we had to book it to the other side of calheta but I just couldn't stop smiling the whole time. It was just amazing.

 Then on Saturday we had a baptism. It was sweet and Natercia was ready at like 2:45 for her baptism at 4. It made me super happy. On Sunday she was confirmed and even though she was sick she made it to church. When she was confirmed she started to cry and it was just incredible the Spirit that was there.

 As well yesterday we had this lesson with this woman and when we invited her to get baptized she was so ready and in fact she was super excited to be the first person in Ponta Verde to be baptized. Man I stinking love being here.

 I hope that all of you are doing well. I know that this is the work of the Lord. And I know that everyday I feel happier and happier doing it. I love you all and I hope that you have a great week,

 Peder