Week 8 Reading, PA!!

Hey hey hows it going everybody? Week 2 in the field is down and I’ve got some stories to tell!!

It is springtime here in Pennsylvania and it’s so cool. Literally overnight these gigantic trees all bloom and turn white with buds. All of the trees are turning green and there is just nature growing everywhere!! I hope the pictures I send do it justice. But it is so hot here and 90% or higher humidity, and the plants love it.. haha I do too!

So last week I talked a little bit about our black mold issue and how we were trying to move and this week, we actually got to look for a new apartment! So instead of doing missionary work, one day we visited apartment complexes all over the Reading area, then wrote them down and gave them to the person that’s in charge of housing (Elder Mitchell!) Since he lives in Broomall by the mission office, he thought it would save him time. It was so weird doing non-missionary work! But me and my companion enjoyed the break and hopefully will get out of this apartment soon!!

So this week in the apartment, we were sitting on the couch eating dinner and Elder Warden saw a tiny Brown bug crawl across his white shirt. We got a good look at it and then he freaked out and flicked it off. Thinking that it was possibly a bed bug, we called Elder Mitchell and he gave us the protocol! So we Vacuumed everything (literally. everything.) We moved desks, bookshelves, beds… We dried our clothes and bedsheets and everything. We scrubbed the kitchen again and Lysolled the couch and probably will just throw it away! We haven’t sat on it once since that experience.

On Thursday morning, Elder Warden and I got to go to seminary!! We woke up at 5:15 and went to the members house who teaches it, and tried our best to understand Spanish! The youth here all speak English though, so we got to talk with them about what they were learning, and share our testimonies in Spanish.

On Saturday, I had my first opportunity to serve! A member needed some help moving, so 2 other Elders came, and one friend from the Ward! The 5 of us and the Dad of the family loaded up all of the stuff in the basement that was packed, and all of the furniture in the house. Afterwards he had some donuts for us and offered us money in lunch. We thanked him, but just told him that we were thankful for the opportunity to serve!

Another thing that happened this week is Elder Warden and I went to the Pagoda! It’s a landmark here and everyone visits it. I think theres even a restaurant inside! We got to see the whole city of Reading at an overlook and the sunset over it! I have some pretty cool pictures!

Saturday evening we got invited to a family’s Easter Party!! They had a beautiful home and we got to eat some fantastic food! We dont have to worry about going hungry here. Like ever. All of the members love feeding the missionaries, and when we eat, we have to eat a ton. It’s like the more you eat, the more you love the member, so we always stuff ourselves to the brim. Despite all of the food, I think I’m actually losing weight. (Knock on wood) haha.

Yesterday we finally got to meet all the members and introduce ourselves. Because of General Conference last week, we didnt have church. Our church is held on the 5th floor of an office building because the Spanish branch doesn’t have a building yet! So since this was our first Sunday, we had the opportunity to introduce ourselves and share our testimonies! After church, we had a church Potluck and it was so cool! I got to connect with the youth and talk to them about basketball and video games, and then they asked me questions about missionary work!

The ward was so welcoming and they already love us so much. I got to meet so many people and try my best to speak Spanish to them. But meeting all of these wonderful people reminded me how much support and love I have at home too. There are a lot of missionaries that don’t have any support from friends and family, and I can’t imagine how hard it is for them. I have so much support from all of my family and friends, and so many prayers said for me every day. I am so thankful and couldn’t do this without you guys. I dont have much more time to write so I just want to share my testimony with you all.

I have such a strong testimony of missionary work. It’s hard work, but its Gods work. We look for every opportunity to serve and help others. Missionaries try to be as Christlike as possible, and we are proud to be helping him by sharing his Gospel with others. As Easter Sunday approaches these next few weeks, I would like to invite all of you to try and be a little more Christlike. Remember everything that Christ has done for you, and strive to be a little more like him. I know that as we all do this, we will find opportunities to serve, and we will help others be happier. Remember the real meaning of Easter, and then eat as much candy as you can!

I hope you all have a fantastic week and enjoy springtime!! Please message/email me anytime you want and I will do my best to reply on P-days. I love and miss you all!!

-Elder Petty

(P.S. gotta give my sponsor a shout out hahaha 😉
YO GUYS be sure to check out Elderpetty.com for all of the latest updates and pictures!! Haha just kidding but if you missed any of my emails or pictures my dad and sister made this website where you can check them out 😂 Love you guys!!)