Take me to the water

Chee-yowwwwwww!!!!!

Hi. Well, first of all, shout out to the exmissionaria Slla Nilson who is flopping around like a fish out of water on out there on the other side of the mission veil! Love your emails! And I'm STOKED about Cinzia and Chiara!!! Forse dovrò dare uno squillo alle sorelle...haha. Also shout out to Slla Baker, my faithful correspondent. And I think everyone in the Internet point looked at me as I gasped at the engagements of Anz Osbourne and Slla Jones!!!! (not to each other, haha). I can't even believe it!!!

Well, before I forget, Dad, I'm pumped for the color run! When I first read about it in your letter, I looked at Slla Lyman and said "Um, Sorel? I think we're gonna have to start running in the mornings..." and she just looked at me and said "well, I guess I'll have to go buy some tennis shoes...I don't have any" hahaha. I'm hoping, though, that the fact that there's no time limit means that the actual running involved in our family will be minimal...if not, let me know ASAP so that we can go buy Slla Lyman some new shoes! 

Last week for pday we met up with the Milano Cimiano sorelle (Hanson and Eaton) and went to the this DaVinci Science Museum place. It was super cool, but I don't remember what it's real name is. Google it.

So this week...BAPTISM!!! Jennifer is now a baptized and confirmed member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!!!! YEAH!!! She's a pretty low-key kinda person, and her baptism was really nice and spiritual, nothing too crazy. She felt really good and was really happy. It was awesome! And a cool story about that - I had the chance to announce her baptism at the pulpit the Sunday before (when we had the missionary sac mtg) and I said "yeah! Jennifer is getting baptized on Saturday!" The problem, of course, is that I didn't say her last name, and the Anziani are teaching a family with a teenage daughter who is also named Jennifer. When I made the announcement, the second Jennifer was freaking out because she thought I was talking about HER! Well, the young women had an activity right before the baptism and the second Jennifer went. Her member friend, Allison, invited her to stay for the baptism, so they did. Then later that night I had to call the Anziani for something and they told me that they had just had a lesson with the second Jennifer and her family. They said she really liked the baptism and was really involved in the lesson that night and even accepted a soft invite to baptism ("when you know these things are true, will you be baptized?"). So miracle upon miracle!

It's been a crazy week planning for the baptism and then also getting plans together for Mishell's baptsim on Sunday. We saw Mishell yesterday when I was on scambio (exchange) with Slla Morley, and she's really excited about getting baptized. We're seeing her again tomorrow. I love having baptisms, but I don't know what I was thinking planning two baptisms in two weeks - I've been CRAZY busy planning out the program, calling people to give talks, planning baptismal interviews, trying to prepare a musical number, washing the dresses, filling out the baptismal certificate and making sure that people actually come! And to top it all off we had two scambi (exchanges) in the past six days. Whew! Talk about going out with a bang!

I've gotten some really positive feedback, still, from the missionary sac mtg from two Sundays ago. Before the baptism, one of the men from the ward came up to me and thanked me for my talk and then said "anche volevo dirti: grazie per esistere / I also wanted to tell you: thank you for existing"...kind of a strange comment, but from him it was definitely a compliment. And then that sister who came up to me after and wanted us to come over to her house? She brought her non member cousin to church last Sunday and introduced us to her. And I guess after the mish sac mtg a sister came up to Slla Lyman and said "sorelle, do you want to come over for lunch today? Or do you already have a lunch appointment?" Unfortunately (or maybe not unfortunately) we already had one. And then someone else told me after "Sorella, ci porti la gioia! / you bring us joy!". It's probably because after church I just run around like a crazy trying to talk to everyone we want to see before they leave. Eh. Who knows.

Well, that's about all I've got time for. I've read up until 3 Nephi 11! Hope your reading is plugging along as well! I love you all and I love the Gospel - that's what REALLY brings the joy!

Have a fantabulous week! 

L.O.V.E.

Sorella Soh