Declare Repentance

We finally got on a nice bus to go to Santa Maria.

2/23/15

Entering Santa Maria

13 months definitely isn't as exciting as 1 year, but little by little the time is passing (sorry Mom for feeling like it's forever) The weather is starting to change here, I don't think it will go back to being super hot anymore. The entire week has been cloudy and it rains a bit every day making it almost chilly (relatively) at night and in the morning. (oh and of course it only rained in the morning on Sunday when everyone needed to go to church!) I think because of the weather change I've got a bit of a cold... runny nose fun. 

Everyone here has heard about the huge snow storm that's been going on in the US and asks me like I should be the expert of what's going on because I'm from there. But it's funny because I know nothing about it not watching the news or anything. 

Mom asked about bugs here, every once in a while walking in the street you will see a huge random bug that looks like it could be from the movie Avatar (the blue people). Mostly though it's just small insects that are super annoying that try to bite you. There are a wide variety of these bugs that fly around and bite and do some different things but if it's a small flying insect here they just call it a "mosquito". I think that's a bit weird... but it does make it easier to not have to remember specific names ha. 

In my studies this week I read Alma 29 and I realized something different. In verses 1-2 Alma is expressing how he wants to declare repentance to all people. Before I had just read that and it was like "oh that's nice" but this time I stopped to think about why he said that or in other words why he didn't say other things.  I thought "why didn't he say something like baptize everyone or have everyone get married, etc.?" or other things that we modern day missionaries try to get people to do. Then I realized that Alma understood something very important: that repentance is the root or the base to all of these results that we try to make happen. No one will ever be baptized or live a commandment like stop smoking or get married if they don't understand repentance and go through the process sincerely. So instead of worrying and fussing about the results we need to go straight to the root of it all and help people truly repent. That is why Alma just wanted to declare repentance, because he knew that all that other good stuff would come naturally if people repent.

Love you all! I hope the snow was fun, not another year till I will see some haha.

Elder Pierce

                                                     This is p'day here in São Pedro

 (laying in bed sleeping)

                              me trying to do something about the sunscreen stains in my shirts

Our DL did a division with me this week and we ate xis- yumm!

These are all of the fiscal notes and coins here in Brasil, I thought that would be interesting 

(no we aren't rolling in the moneys we got paid last week and the 100 is my reserve fund that we have to have ;)

There are animals on the back of all the money.