Aloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohaaaa carissimi guapos!!!!!
Okay, an odd combination of several languages there...I realize this. I feel you should all know that I do weird things like that by now.
First up, SHOUT OUTS! Up this week are: Polly Lund and Debbie Hall who sent me Christmas cards (that I got this week) and Tiffane Russell/Pendleton who sent me a package with some exceptional holiday-themed awkward family photos (which were also enjoyed by the Elders in my district). I should probably shout out again to Sorella Walton's mom, although I fear that might create a tradition of communicating with my companion in a very, VERY indirect way if she continues to cut and paste from my blog! (Kidding. Still like you. Even if your daughter reads my journal while I'm in the shower.)
So all the notes I jotted down to remind myself of what to write home this week in my email are written nicely in my planner...which I conveninently left at our apartment, on my desk. Awesome. Anyway, I'll try and remember what I thought I wouldn't have to remember. First of all, Sor W and I often go out on our balcony at night before bed and drink hot chocolate and look at the stars. Could someone (coughdadcough) maybe find out what the story behind Orion (and his belt) is? And maybe how to find the big dipper? Yeah...we really know nothing. Oh, and dad, thanks so much for the stuff for Giuseppe! Except the shirt will probably be going to Sor W (who said "Oh, I want one!!!" when I read that part from your letter) because Giuseppe, unfortunately, is not a little old lady, and is, in fact, about your size. I would've said an XL on the shirt, but he is going to be SO EXCITED about all the stuff, I can guarantee it. I can't wait for him to get it!
I'm dying without my planner. I have no idea what I even did this week.
Oh! Guess who's favorite Maldovian teenager is back in Torino??? That's right! Our little investigator, Alina, is back from vacation!!! She's been really busy, so we haven't had any lessons with her yet (and we're still working on getting one for later on this week), but she did come to church on Sunday. Our Young Women are so great! They love Alina and I'm sure she loves them right back. How could she not?! Anyway, we asked her if we could see her on Friday and she said "well, why don't we just see each other on Saturday when we're cleaning the church?" and I thought "um, what is she talking about? Is she talking about our church?" Yeah. So apparently it's the YW's turn to clean the church on Saturday and they announced it in their class on Sunday and apparently Alina is planning on coming! Yeah. Isn't that so funny?! She is so great! So the YW are cleaning the church and Alina is going to come help (she's only been to church twice, by the way) and then there's a big Stake activity for all the YW at the other chapel in Torino where they're gonna teach about make-up or something. So so great.
Also, Rosa and Isabella, our new converts, both brought their sons to church on Sunday! Rosa's son, Ferdinando, is 13 and Isabella's son, Gabriele, is 12 and they are best friends. The YW kinda swarmed them in Sunday School, but that's probably because we have NO Young Men in our ward. None. And so the 12 YW we have were excited to have boys in their class for a change! We're really hoping to be able to teach them because they are really really good boys, very kind and just good, you know? AH they're awesome!
Today Sor W and I went out on the town (aka downtown) and went boot shopping. Sor W wanted new boots because she's worn her other ones to death and I wanted to get black boots because I mostly wear black skirts and tights and wearing my brown boots with them make me feel uncomfortable, even if it is generally accepted here. So I bought some (Thus the charge on my USAA account, mom). I don't LOVE love them, but I also don't love walking around the city for hours while tracting and having freezing toes. But I do like them and I'm even trying them out right now and my feet are nice and warm. And by the way, Sor W did NOT buy any boots. I just feel like that's an important detail to mention.
I've always been really terrible at setting goals and writing them down and working on them. Pretty much I just find something that I want - a skill, an opportunity, a trait - and then I just learn it/do it. Like studying abroad in Italy last year. Or learning how to solve a rubix cube. I just see what I want and do it. However, missionary work is different because I can't just pick and choose what I want because I want to/have to do all of it. So I've been working on writing down goals and then coming up with ways to reach said goals within a certain period of time. I'm still pretty terrible at it, but I can proudly say that I have a list! I feel like I have about 2039487293847 different things I need to and want to think about, but I don't really have much time to think about them because my mind is always focused on other things. Basically I have to schedule in thinking time, primarily in the morning as I'm doing my exercises and getting ready and eating breakfast (I don't do all those things at once, though). Sorella Walton a scripture this morning in 2 Nephi 4 that talks about meditating and pondering things in your heart or something and read it to me and laughed because she said it reminded her of me - always thinking about something and having to schedule in time about when I'm going to think about what. Geez la-wheeze.
Tomorrow we're going to Milano (for the third time this transfer, NBD that it cost 20 euro round trip) to hear from Elder Caussé! I am pretty excited about it, even if it means that we miss a whole day of work. Sor W and I have spent the past week or so trying to come up with a things we'd like to learn from him. Sor W has decided that she'd like to learn more about how to make her mission a "tremendous spiritual experience" (her words) for her. I've got a couple ideas floating around in my head: learning how to feel and show love to people, how to focus more on being a missionary and being able to identify miracles more clearly.
Next week is transfers! Sor W is likely getting the boot because this is her 4th transfer in Torino. I'm excited to change and learn from a different companion, but I'm also nervous because I just love Sor W so dang much. I can't imagine being companions with anyone else! And who knows when I'll see her again - even if we are in the same mission! That doesn't mean we'll be in the same zone or even close! It's weird to think that even though I feel like I'm getting used to being a missionary, I have no idea what being a missionary is really even like! But I'm learning things every day. I'm learning how to love the scriptures even more. I'm learning how to make the gospel personal. I'm learning to answer questions that other people ask that I've always just accepted on faith. I'm learning how to focus. I'm trying to learn how to make people want the gospel - to make them see how much they have to gain by following the example of Jesus Christ.
HEY! Still waiting to hear about the missionary challenge I gave two weeks ago!!! Did you ask your missionaries to recite to you the missionary purpose?!?!?!? I haven't forgotten!!!! I'm still waiting to hear back on that! Make those black nametags work! Put them to the test! Ask them, bug them, pester them and MAKE them tell you the missionary theme! Do it! Do it! And then tell me how it goes :)
Anyway, time's up this week. I love you all so much! I know your lives are all merrily gloating along, and I pray for your happiness and safety. Know that God is aware of you. Know that He is there for you. The gospel is true.
Have a great week!
Tanto amore da Torino,
Sorella Soh
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