March 12, 2012

Dear Family,
Well I’m just tired. That is how I will start my email. This week has been good. My 3rd transfer in Guarapari. It is pretty good here, but just a little bit hard. It’s like at Christmas time when you get all pumped up because you have been asking your parents for this present all year long and you think for sure you’re going to get it. And there is a box under the tree that is the same shape as the thing you want, but then on Christmas morning you open it up and it’s not the present at all, its actually pants. That’s how transfers are when you have been in a place for 2 transfers and you think for sure you will be transferred and you get the call that you’re staying in your area for another transfer. That’s what it is like haha.

Well this week was a little rough we didn’t teach as much as we wish we could have, but that’s alright. We will start it up again this week. We have not worked with our baptism. She lives in the other duplas (companionship) area now. But she missed church yesterday. She called and said she was going to Vitoria for something like medical work. I don’t know how to say it in English.

Well I’m glad that life is going good for you guys in Cedar. Tell Jeff (Middleton) to be careful and to heal up. How did it happen? (He’s referring to Jeff Middleton’s arm accident). Well what are you guys doing for spring break anything fun? Yes he had a district leader meeting so i worked with 2 other people this week; Elder Morgan and some Brazilian elder. (I asked him if he has had a chance to work with anyone but Elder Santana, his companion). I don’t know his name. But i love you guys have a great week and be safe.

Love you,
Elder Pellegrini

March 4, 2012

Dear Family,
Well, I wasn’t transferred. That’s how I will start off the email! One more in Guarapari. I am having a great time here, it is very hot and the work is very hard, but other than that it has been great here! Our branch continues to grow each week and we have a lot of people coming to church. Not investigators, just members. We don’t have any investigators, which is difficult, but we need to start somewhere right? It was funny we had a zone conference this week and during carnival there was a lot of just craziness here. And we said you know what, it’s carnival so we need to go back to the house, there isn’t any work to do today. But a zone leader said that if a teaching group moves find another teaching group. But we are going to find a lot of people to baptize this transfer.

I am doing fine. My weight has evened out a little bit. I stopped losing weight, so that’s good. I will tell you what though, a mission is the most tiring thing ever. I am just always tired. I’ve really gotten better though, I don’t fall asleep during lessons now. Knock on wood ha. I’m glad Brevin and Le are getting really big. That’s neat. They’re going to be huge when I get home. I’m glad Lecia is taking guitar lessons. I always wanted to play the guitar, but mom just told me no (from Mom – this is not true).

Well I’m doing fine spiritually and emotionally. But it’s difficult. The lady we baptized told the other dupla (companionship) that she never stopped smoking or drinking coffee so idk what is happening with her it’s very difficult. I just want her to be firm in the church you know. I want her to feel these blessings that we have.

So I’m so glad that everything at home is good. Everything here is great. Just working hard. I’m going on 8 months this month. That’s crazy! I remember 6 months and now 8 in Guarapari and I might even talk to you in the same place on Mother’s Day. I am so happy that I’m here on a mission. It is the greatest choice ever. I recommend it for everyone. I love the scripture Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven”. I love it because in this chapter Jesus is talking to his disciples and he talks about a lot of things, but here he says to let our light shine not to hide it and every member has a light in side of them and if they let it shine I know God will bless them. I love My mission. I love my family. I love my mom. I’m so glad I decided to come. I know now that I’m here for the right reason.

Have a great week

Love,

Elder Pellegrini

Feb. 6, 2012

Dear Mom,

Well, this week has been very weird, fun, and sad. First the lady we are teaching is going to be baptized on Saturday. She hasn’t smoked for one full week yesterday. So that’s good. I’m so happy for her. But other than that, it has been good. I’m feeling really more confident with the language. I just need a bigger vocab. Well I have officially lost 70 pounds on my mission. I weigh 240 now and I look like I brought my dad’s clothes on my mission. It is kind of funny and ridiculous at the same time haha. I have a firm testimony now that missionaries need money only for travel and bathroom stuff. Going without money for 2 weeks is showing me how much I don’t need to spend money.

Well we had a good meeting with our Branch mission leader last night we are going to get him to call some counselors and ward missionaries so we can really have a lot of missionary work going on inside the branch that isn’t just us. Its good we are having an integration night this week too. Which is really good because we are doing a new program. I don’t know if it’s just in Brazil or there too, or if it’s just our mission or maybe just this stake, I don’t know, but it’s called 5 5 5 where you receive 5 names from the elders quorum, 5 from the high priests, and 5 names from the relief society of inactive families. Not part active, but completely inactive, and we are going to work with these families and we are going to try to get them to come back to church. This is why integration night is important, it’s a place they can go where they’re surrounded by people from the church having fun in the church and it’s not church. And a thing called 1 minute missionary where we the missionaries prepare like a little package of stuff like a dvd of the church and a Book of Mormon or stuff like that and give it to a family to share with a family before the next Sunday. Then they get up and bear their testimony about the experience. I think it will be good. I think that it will get us a lot of more people to teach and to baptize.

Well so we go to the lady who is getting baptized this week to interview her. She is 69 years old. But she is just an elect person. The branch loves her, she loves church. So that’s good. We are loving it here right now. I’m loving my comp. We are working hard together. We are trying to make the branch a ward. Well that’s about it for this week. Love you guys. Till next week I will have pictures of our house and baptism for you.

Elder Pellegrini

New Companion - Elder Santana

Dear Mom,

So I wasn’t robbed just FYI. My companion’s name is Elder Santana and I’m not senior thank goodness or trainer but Elder Furrows and Elder Tanner are that’s cool. Ha I’ve learned to tell the truth Mom. Ha no I’ve lost 70 pounds on my mission now haha no I’ll be fine (Matt lost his wallet last week). But yes I love him (Elder Santana) he is sick (evidently in a good way)!

We got a bus back from Vitoria and I paid for the bus and put my wallet back and then when we got home I was like lets order a pizza so we did and then when I went to grab my wallet to pay I was like where is my wallet and so Elder Guyn had to pay. It was funny, but sad, so we called the member who gave us a ride. I think when I put my wallet back in my pocket I thought I did, but it was really just on the seat. We went back, but the guy said no there was no wallet found.

Ok well this week has been very good and difficult and interesting and sucky all at the same time but that is alright. My new Comps name is Elder Santana He is from Sao Paulo the state not the city. He is 21 and has been on a mission for a year today actually so that’s cool. The work is going good we found 10 new investigators this week so that is good and the branch is good they are really helping a lot more now with one more dupla and Elder Santana being new haha it will be good. They are feeding me alright the other day for lunch all i had was rice and beans it was interesting. Yes the weather is still hot I think once the weather cools down a little bit I will start gaining weight back haha.
Elder Andrew is now a zone leader in Vitoria but ya he likes it I think. Yes I am hearing from my friend’s haha. Well my new comp is awesome he is in the army which is kind of cool he loves cars he loves maple syrup he loves American football and he would rather play basketball than soccer its proof God really does know who should be companions haha. He is teaching me a lot. He has a girlfriend. It’s funny you can tell that she is like that girl with my space pictures haha. O and idk what’s up but apparently my companion is beautiful and every girl in the ward wants him. So now everyone has references. I was like we just need more beautiful people haha. Well that’s about it we have an investigator who is like the cat lady with like 40 cats it’s funny.
Well I love you! Till next week,

Elder Pellegrini

January 23, 2012

Dear Mom,
I’m very sorry. I forgot my camera, but next week I will send a ton of photos with me and my new companion. Elder Andrew was transferred, but I wasn’t. So I’m getting a new companion tomorrow. That should be fun.

Well I’m going to answer your first question right now idk growing up in Utah is a really sheltered place like idk here where I am its normal for a 14 year old girl to be pregnant and for people to just live together and not be married. So I really understand now why the gospel is so important in peoples lives, I really didn’t understand before my mission but I’m glad that I’m able to see it and understand now.

And what else has changed about me is I’m wearing my ring on a necklace now because I’m so skinny haha. This week i officially gave my first blessing in Portuguese. It was so crazy. I was nervous! I gave it to a lady who we are teaching that is elect. She smokes and drinks coffee though, so that sucks. But we are helping her stop. She just needs a testimony of Joseph Smith. She came to church twice so that’s cool. I take her cigarettes from her house. It’s funny. She is so cool! She is 69 years old. We have been working hard here in Gurarapari but we just need new investigators.

President is like burning people now. He emailed us today. People are just on a mission to see the world he told us. He is sending people home this week. He is very mad I guess. Good thing I’m working. We are just teaching that lady and she is good and Portuguese is coming alot better. I just sometimes get frustrated and it’s hard to speak, but that’s all. It is getting so hot to by the way. I never want to stop. I want to get in to people’s houses where it’s not so hot! But we are loving life out here. I burnt a tie here this week and that was fun (out six months) and this week will be good!

Love you guys bye,

Elder Pellegrini

January 16, 2012

Dear Mom,

Well this week has been good. We have found some good people to teach and we are just working hard. It's the last week of the transfers so it will probably be a long week. But I'm loving it. The language is coming along good. It was rough this week. I spoke a lot of English with the new American. He is sick. But we are just working hard. We will see if I get transferred.

Um well spiritual experiences idk any but I will tell you like I told Tessa. That this work is really hard, it is just so tiring, but at the end of the day it’s so rewarding! I just love knowing I’m where I’m supposed to be. But i don’t have my camera with me this week , so I will send the pictures next week. It sounds like you guys are really busy with everything and I’ts cold. Well I’m starting to eat more that’s a good thing. I eat in the mornings now. Idk what else to really say I’m sorry my email is just terrible. Well next week I’ll know if I’m transferred or not on p day. So I’ll let you know.

Love you guys and have a good week!

Elder Pellegrini

January 9, 2012

Hello from Brazil!

It sounds like it has been a rough week for you guys. It has been not so bad for me. I am just in Guarapari. We are doing pretty well. I am just teaching. The language is coming along really well. I can’t believe in 2 weeks I’ll have 6 months. That’s just crazy.

So what happened this week? I met a guy who spoke English. That was cool. He lived in England for a long part of his life he had an English accent. I taught him and I just have found out the importance of asking questions. Because we were speaking English and I first asked him if he had ever talked to missionaries before. He said when he was really young and I asked if we could come over later and he said well my mom practices voodoo so probably not. And I was like that’s fine. So we just started to talk because we were walking the same way and I was just asking him questions I would ask anyone. He told me about how his brother died here in Espirito Santo over a soccer game. So I talked to him about how I know that his brother is being taught in the Spirit World right now and that I know that he can live with him again someday.
Then we started talking about how there is so many churches and how we believe our church is the only true church on the earth and a lot of people have a hard time with this subject. It is difficult for people to believe that idk why. But anyways I gave him a Book of Mormon and a second lesson pamphlet so we will pass by his house soon.

But I mean I am loving it here. It’s an experience. I love the people of Brazil. I’m loving the food more. We walk a ton o the new dupla (companionship) will be here tomorrow! Exciting! This transfer is almost over. Well love you guys till next week stay safe and remember to pray !

Elder Pellegrini