Day 35 - Week 5

I am in the laundromat typing this and panicking because THE TIME IS COUNTING DOWN!!!! I LIKE USING CAPS FOR INCREASED EFFECT.

Task one: I am not sure my emails/letter make sense anymore. 1. the countdown is STRESSFUL. 2. I don't speak English anymore. Yesterday we had companionship inventory for like 2.5 hours (anyone of you who have had comp inventory in their life will know how hilarious this is that it went for so long) and basically there were soooo many misgrammar moments. ex. Me: "You was what?" etc. etc. Also, I think we went through about a dozen sports analogies throughout our inventory of each other thanks to Anz. K. All I know is that I am the star running back of the football team and Anz. B is the center of our basketball team and I need to put more weights on in my workout. Oh, and the Savior Jesus Christ is our weights coach. It was more than successful, I'll say.

Okay, I've learned one very important lesson this week: Do not talk about how much you know about surviving a Zombie attack in the MTC cafeteria? Why, you may ask? (for the reason is not obvious I am sure) because it just so happens it causes 19-year-old elders to "fall in love with you" Yep. They were sitting right next to us. And yes they were painfully obvious that they were talking about me. Later Andrew Frederickson comes up to me and goes, "Watch out, some Elders in my zone fell instantly in love with you and might be trying to hunt you down." Oh, good. But I learned my lesson. Sometimes I'm just too appealing for my own good. I mean, if I were them I'd want a wife with zombie defense skills too.

So I was miffed about it, because I can't HELP that I talk animatedly about unimportant (and also very important) things in the lunchroom or that I am the only person wearing a red cardigan in a sea of white shirts and ties. But it is my thing to deal with. And my elders reminded me that they love that I get excited about stuff and start talking loudly about how important it is that we're here and such.

Sis. Corbin got her visa and found out that she was leaving in 4 days. That was sad because I love her so much. The quote of the week is: "We are legit enough to be here...I'm just stoked on life because it's a great adventure and I'm ready to play ball."

And then there was Sis. Michael who goes, "The night is always darkest before the dawn...That's from Dark Knight, but I think it's doctrinal." I love my Portuguese sisters, I feel like they understand me the best of anyone.

Sometimes I feel like I'm the "good kid" in the district that gets the least attention from our parents (teachers) because I'm not struggling with anything. The language is coming great. I am increasingly confidence in why I am here and what I am doing and life is just so grand. So the Elders get pulled aside for pep talks and I just sort of chill and try to continue to be better at studying and planning. Because, even though the Elders think so, I am not perfect. Which I guess is good and Sor. Swensen told me she's so glad to have me in her class/district.

Elders continue to all be in love with girls from home. I was going SO good and then a fireside speaker got up and said how HIS wife waited and to not give up. I was like, "thanks for NOTHING, speaker!"

I'm trying to play nice with the other kids at recess but we have an official playground rivalry on our hands. The OTHER hermanas don't let us play 4 square with them. They had the 4 square ball and were STRETCHING around it. And we were like, 1. you do not need to stretch for 4 square (though we do get WAY intense) 2. Um, you do not need the ball to stretch with. So we want to fight them usually but we're trying real hard to be Christlike.

I love Italians so much already. The other day I went to get ice cream and the server saw my tag and goes, "are you going to Italy!?! I'm from Napoli!" and I said, "SI!!!" And it was a happy moment in time.

I also met an Elder going to Indonesia and I freaked out and said, "WAIT. You need to tell Sister Rhondeau I said hi. Sister Rhondeau. She's from Salt Lake. She's in Indonesia. Tell her I say hi. Wait, did I mention I have a friend in Indonesia?? She's great. Like THE best. Tell her I say hi." So we made a joke of it, but it is AMAZING how much I love people just because they are somehow almost connected to people I love. Like everyone going to any mission I have known someone else to go to I'm like, "THAT IS THE BEST MISSION EVER YOU ARE SO LUCKY!!!" And they're like, "Um, okay, crazy sorella." Except not because everyone calls me Hermana and thinks that I speak really bad Spanish because that's what Italian sounds like to them.

I love all of you. I really do. And I can really and literally feel the prayers coming from those who love me and those who love the missionaries. Thank you.

Yesterday in the TRC was our first part in Italian. It was fantastic. We taught the ex-president of the Rome Mission and even though he was acting like a stubborn Italian I could feel the great love he has for us "pathetic trying to speak Italian" missionaries. And he said he can't wait to get back to Italy. I love teaching people. I love it so much.

And the Italian is going great. Anz. B told me that Christ was on the earth 2 years ago instead of 200 and Anz. H told us that Joseph Smith was a strawberry. Hopefully we get some of these things sorted out before we get to Italy.

We also taught Frat. Auna who was playing a person he knew named Nicholas. He broke down and told us how his dad died when he was 9 and that his mum has dated abusive people since and that he cannot handle it. And we all cried together and told him that his Heavenly Father loves him and that we don't know why bad things have to happen but they are always for our good in some way. And he said thanks and that he felt peace when we were around.

My testimony that the work I'm doing is good grows every day. I have seen it change lives even as I teach "fake" investigators and other missionaries. There are so many people who don't understand that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them and NEVER forsakes them. He NEVER withdraws from us. Even in our toughest trials he is there. But just like a good, loving father here on earth he knows that sometimes he has to let us figure things out for ourselves, but that DOES NOT MEAN that he is not there. He is ALWAYS there. I promise you that. And I promise you (each and every one of you) that our Savior Jesus Christ has felt every pain that we have felt and he knows how to succor (run to) us in our need. I'm NOT making this stuff up. There would not be 50,000 missionaries in the field doing this if it wasn't something worthwhile and if it wasn't something people needed.

But we have to ask. The most precious thing we have on this earth is agency. And as such we have to ask for the things we want, they won't just be given to us.

Please write me. I'm not shallow, but the Elders get way more love than I do...Not that I'm comparing.

Con tutto l'amore nel mio cuore,

Sorella Laws