Kylie's letter 10/24/11--Last letter from Provo MTC

I am leaving for Brazil tomorrow. Tomorrow. It doesn''t seem real. This last Tuesday we sent off Sister Hall and I kept telling myself ''you are not getting your visa, it''s too soon. you are not getting it'' and I got myself all excited and mentally prepared for my reassignment. And then wham! this last wednesday me and elder vincent in my district got our Visa!! I was so excited and scared and sad and happy all at the same time. It's weird to be praying for something and wishing and hoping for it and then to have it come true it's kind of weird. I feel like I'm living a dream. This mission life doesn''t seem real (so every time I hit the apostraphe button it gives me two like this'' so sorry...) But nonetheless I am so so so very grateful to have recieved my visa. Perfect timing! I got to spend most of the time with my district and will be heading out just before the mission field. There are multiple people that have filled out their electronic long before I have, yet I got my real visa first. It is unheard of to get your visa after three weeks of doing your electronic. So I am very blessed and I really do believe that there is someone or mutliple someones that need me in Brazil because it''s a miracle I am going. I'm leaving Sister connell as a solo sister and I''m leaving the two other elders that are going to vitoria in my district behind too. I hope and pray that they all get to brazil too.

 

So here''s a brief update on what happened this week. 

Tuesday we sent Sister Hall off at 5 in the morning. And then Elder Scott also came for the devotional and we got to be Ushers for that meeting. It was quite a thrilling experience. I just stood there with my little Usher pin and smiled. But Elder Scott was wonderful!

 

Wednesday we got to be the new hosts for the new missionaries. Remember how those missionaries came and swooped me up and took me away. That is what I got to do. It was very fun to remember how I was that day and reassure these new sisters that it was all going to be okay. 

 

Saturday was my last gym time and I got to play another world cup game with sisters from all around the world. I will miss seeing new people from all over the world. 

 

Sunday - I don''t know if I mentioned this but my companions are extremely musical and they tried to convert me. I have been to choir practice every sunday and tuesday and even tried out for a musical number audition. Next stop broadway. Just kidding. So the choir they kind of expect you to already know how to read notes so we just practice singing the song - they don''t really walk you through your parts. So I do go and sit with my companions and sing the parts I do know. But if it is an arrangement that doesn''t sound anything like the original song I just pretend to be singing. And as far as the musical number audition went I tried out as the page turner. And we made it! Sister Connel sang and Sister Hall would have played but she left so we got another pianist and I turned the pages. It was in front of the whole RS so like 400+ sisters. It was very nerve racking but I managed to do an exceptional job.

 

And now today is monday, my room is a mess, I am scrambling to pack everything and clean my room and get the last letters sent off. I can''t believe I am finally going to make it to Brazil. Thank you all so much for all of your prayers in my behalf!

I love you so much!

 

Love,

 

Sister P

Great News from Kylie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10/19/11

Kylie called us tonight at about 9:10 and told us her great news!!!!   She got her visa and will be going to Brazil in 6 days.  She and a few elders will leave on Oct. 25th and fly into New York with a 5 hour layover and then she will fly  directly to Brazil and go to the MTC in Brazil.  She will stay at the MTC  for 5 days and then finally will be sent to Vitoria.  Yeah!!!! She is so excited!!!!

Kylie's letter 10/17/11

I can´t believe I have two weeks left. Part of me is so excited to be teaching real people but the other part of me is terrified to be responsible of all these souls trying to get back to Heavenly Father. I feel like a need to read the complete works, and memorize preach my gospel, and cram as much portuguese into my brain as I can. It's a little overwhelming at times. I just have to remember is to have confidence that God will help me if I do my best. And I can only study effectively one thing at a time, instead of everything at once. Still can't believe I'll be gone in two weeks. Crazy!!! I'll get my reassignment next wednesday too and get to call home for 5 minutes. So I'll let you know more about that.

 

Sister Hall recieved her visa and is leaving for Brazil tomorrow morning. Sister Connell and I are so sad to see her go. But we are so happy too. We are starting to realize how much she did for our companionship. She was the organized one that wrote everything down. She also was by far the best at portuguese and would pick up where we left off during lessons. So that will be hard and I'll be speaking a lot more in lessons. But this is actually better. I need the practice. Visas are starting to pick up and I guess something like 84 came in last week and more are coming in this week. Who knows, maybe I'll get shipped out too? Doubt it. But I am kind of excited to get a reassignment. It's like getting a mission call all over again. I'm banking on somehwere in the South. Or at least somewhere warm.

 

Highlights of this week:

Sis. Connell ordered t-shirts for our district they say Com fe! Our little district motto and they are bright green with a little penguin on the front pocket because our elders walk around like penguins all the time (yes these are the missionaries the Lord is sending to convert the world) They keep us laughing.

 

On wednesday we go to a workshop and we practice teaching. I taught a little sister from China who will be serving in SLC. I was sharing the scripture in matt 11 about how christ's burden is light so take his yoke upon you...etc. I had to explain to her burden, yoke, etc. It was great I was just short of getting on my hands and knees and acting like a ox with a yoke on. We then switched and she taught me about the word of wisdom and it was a testimony to me that I could understand the gist of what she was saying but more importantly I could feel her spirit. Gives me hope that when I start blabbering in portuguese people can sort of understand what I'm saying and hopefully feel the spirit. Also on Wednesday I do the TRC where members come to volunteer and we teach them. There we met an RM and he told us how he was in the mission field when they were making the transition to the new fundamentals of teaching. "The fundamentals" are apparently fairly new and what we are being taught. He said he started out teaching 45 min. long lessons trying to cram information that the member needed to understand. Then the fundamentals came out and he started giving 15 min. lessons. He said it is not so important that the investigator understands and knows everything it is more important for them to feel the spirit. And to gain a testimony through the spirit that will lead them and carry them after baptism to learn and understand all they need to know. It was a great reminder to focus on the spirit and keep things simple.

 

The MTC is close to overflowing. Everyone is getting three bunk beds to a room instead of two. We have been lucky thus far to have three of us only in a room but after Sister Hall leaves we will most likely be getting 4 new roommates. I've handled 6 in an apartment I don't know how 6 in one room will be. We will have to do some squishing.

 

My first week here we met a sister who was eating ice cream bars smooshed in a roll. We thought it was a little strange and she explained it was because you eventually just get sick of the food. our whole district is starting to understand. We've been eating the strangest things because we are all sick of the frozen products they mass produce. Frozen processed meats (all have weird texture), frozen veggies, fake mashed potatoes, french fires etc. We get creative. I haven't had ice cream bars and rolls yet but I'm almost to the point.

 

Our Sunday Devotional was table manners!!!! I was thrilled. Some of these elders need it so badly. We had a demonstration and everything.

 

Also this sunday we watched a rebroadcast of a devo that elder bednard gave about "becoming missionaries" he said once we understand that we are children of God and that we are of the seed of Abraham we will become missionaries. He also said that this mission was just the beginning of our lifelong mission in fulfilling the responsibilites of the Abrahamic Covenant. We will all eventaully come home but we do not leave the mission field. It was a very good devotional makes me want to work even harder than I am.

 

Also this past tuesday (sorry this is all really random) we had a devotional by some guy don't remember who - some general authority and he promised us over the pulpit that we have people from the other side that are helping us and they are at our sides every day. And the thought came to my head that I've got two grandmas that are watching out for me. Maybe they've been reassigned temporarily from the work in the spirit world to be my guardian angels.

 

Love you and pray for you all!!

 

Sister P

Kylie's letter 10/10/11

So the weather outside is frightful and my little Brazi clothing is not quite cutting it. When it snowed that one day, I thought I was going to die. I've been wearing capris under my skirts and my little black jacket with everything. And I've been sleeping with Sister Hall's sweats. Mind you she is 5 foot 2 inches. But they work. she brought a lot of clothing and so I'm borrowing them for a bit. Apparently we don't get heat until the University decides to turn on the heat. So who knows when that is going to be. We've been bundling up every night. I just really need to get to Brazil.

 

Also this week we had a power outage and we got to expereince MTC safari style. We showered in Pitch black darkness and got dressed, did our hair (wet hair and cold weather do not mix well) and makeup all in the dark. We looked great!!! And who would have guessed this Sunday we had another lecture on our "image" The elders don't get any of this. I think they need a table manners and a what not to say in public lecture. (One of our elders told me I ate a lot. Although true, a definite social no no. And another elder asked his hair cutter girl why she wasn't married - yet again something you should never say to a girl...) Anyway we had a lady come who had been working for "image" (what is that?) for 23 years and she told use how to be "Fabulous in Five" (just a quick make over in five minutes), she also said "a high pony tail says I just got done working out, but a low pony tail says 'I care'', and thoughout the whole hour she kept coming back to belts...."When you add a belt to your outfit it says ' I care' you don't want to go out and share the gopel in a coat that looks like your fathers jacket". She was a very interesting woman to be speaking to us. She had on a nice button up shirt underneath a halter top. Let me repeat. a halter top. Then this little black skirt and bright red crayon lipstick. I guess they just want us to look nice. But I must say I will never be caught dead in a halter top and button up collared shirt. But she was a wonderful child of God who was sharing her talent of fashion to us poor frumpy sister missionaries. We did get another little free packet of makeup so I'm all stocked up for Brazil.

 

Other than the few exciting moments life is pretty much the same ol' same ol'. I can't believe we have three weeks left. So crazy! I have my ups and downs through out the day and throughout the week. This week started as a little bummer. We got in trouble because we were not running together. Apparently you have to watch you companion do everything. My companions hate to run and I'm not making them run with me, but I felt like my little piece of happiness the thing that kept me sane just got crushed. So I had a really bad attitude all week. But with the cold weather came the blessing of staying inside to exercise. So I did get to run around this little track - it wasn't much but it was something. I'm kind of getting tired of the monotony and some of the elders who struggle with staying within social norms are really getting on my nerves because I sit right next to them in class and they won't stop talking to me or looking at everything I'm doing, or taking my things, or poking me etc. You know how boys are.I just want to tell them to keep to themslevs. Okay so I have told them that- but they have short term memory loss.

 

On a happier note I've been having an amazing personal study topic. One workshop we had, we had to explain to an investigator how he could come unto christ and be healed through the atonement. We've been taught that our whole lives but I didn't know how to put it in words. So I studied scripture in TG under: come, heal, and Jesus Christ atonement of. It has been absolutely amazing and I am starting to understand the atonement a little better and I am so excitied to share this with real investigators.

 

Update on visas. It seems like things are picking up. Sister Hall's father who is a mission pres in brazil called the US consolate and asked about her visa. There should be a batch coming through in the next few weeks. If not it will probably be another month or longer to wait. So I hope my electornic visa is in that batch. keep praying for visas!!!

 

Love you all!!

 

Sister Kylie Peterson

 

Kylie's MTC Pictures

Sister Hall, Sister Connell, Sister Peterson 

The 3 Musketeers (Sister Hall, Sister Peterson, and Sister Connell) End of 1st day with their "dork dots".

      

From left to right:  Top: Elder Horrocks, Elder Tatafu, Elder Uncent, Elder Gleason, Elder Stewart, Elder Finch,          Bottom:  Sister Hall, Sister Connell, Sister Peterson