9 mesi! MAMMA MIA!

Cara famiglia,

So today I’m really not feeling super well, so I apologize for the short email. I wanted to write something good or inspiring or something, but my head hurts too much to do it. oh, and we saw a GIANT RAT that is literally half the size of my body.  it was abosolutely disgusting.

Highlights from the week:

Last P-day we went to San Gimignano.  This is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my entire life.  Absolutely breathtaking, pictures could never, ever do it justice.  It’s right in the heart of Toscana. Literally, everything I ever imagined Italy to be, right there, in that tiny little town looking out over the rolling hills of Tuscany.  It was abosolutely freezing, which just added to the reverence of it.  God is good, and I know that He is there when I see something like that. Mamma mia, I wish you could see it. It was beautiful.  We met people from Jerusalem, and they knew about the BYU center, but nothing about the church.  It was really, really cool to get to share a little bit of the gospel with them.

Today we went to Lucca for P-day, and saw more of the Tuscan hills and climbed a tower with trees on top of it. It was pretty fun! We do our pday activities with the sisters from the neighboring city, Sorella Lopez and Sorella Yost, which is a lot of fun. We met a man who had heard of Mormon’s because there was a basketball player in the NBA many years ago who refused to play on Sunday.  We never know the impact that we can make.

During this week I reached my half-way point.  It’s all downhill from here they say 😉 Sometimes, it scares me, I wonder if I’ve done anything in the last 9 months, and then I realize I still have 9 more months to go.  I have been contemplating a lot about what I have learned while I have been here, and I don’t really know how to put it into words.  I have learned so much 🙂

In no particular order:

1. Praying for charity really does work.

2. Smile. It works miracles.

3. The Book of Mormon. Read it 🙂 Best book in the world.

4. Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I could not do anything without Him.

5. Italy is as beautiful is I had ever dreamed. And gelato is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me.

6. Prayer isn’t just asking for things and saying thank you for things.  It is seeing to align my will with His will. Then, all our prayers will be answered.

7. There is no point in doubting my abilities, or focusing on my weakness when I try to follow the Spirit the best that I can. My strengths aren’t mine, they’re His, and with Him, anything is possible. (Ether 12:27)

8. The gift of tongues is a real thing. (Somehow, we teach people that speak Spanish, and Tagolog, and Portugese, and pigeon english…)

9.  Dammi cuore.  Give your whole heart, give your whole soul, and you won’t have any regrets.  Sometimes, it may hurt, but Christ gave everything for us.

There’s obviously a lot more, but I did 9 for 9 months.

We are working with a lot of investigators right now, and we truly are staying busy.  I am so grateful for this 🙂 I absolutely love the people that I meet here.   We had a lesson in the home of one of our members this week, and it truly made the difference.  There is such a spirit in the home of a member that is irreplaceable.  We are trying to help our members understand this 🙂

I love you all! I love my mission, as I say every week 🙂 But really, best decision I could have ever made.

Vi voglio bene,

Sorella Strong