Well. week 2

Some notes of business:
Babetta, sent you a postcard, when you get it you will need to switch the verse and chapter number...my bad. Ha.
Matt, happy birthday this week. You’re one step closer to becoming an old man.

Send me photos? Photos of Oregon, photos of the temples, especially ones of Oregon and family ones. Everyone wants to see them, and I have some, but more is always good.

Again, no idea where to start. This week has been kind of funky as Sor. Williams has been preparing to leave tomorrow. I helped her pack and forced her to get rid of a lot of things she didn’t actually need.

So I know I mentioned how I was ace at the language...Well, that was beginners luck. It is SO hard. I can pick up enough to know what people are talking about but not enough to know if they are saying that they DO believe in God or that they don’t.

Sounds like Thanksgiving was a blast. Wish I could have been there with all the cousin babies and to eat tons. Our Thanksgiving consisted of five failed appointments...No one was home. AND we got dumped on by a rainstorm...less than ideal, but an adventure. We talked of making a pie, but it never happened. We just ate roasted chestnuts instead.

PROMISE ME, that this Christmas you will eat chestnuts. They are SO good. Like, really really good. We just poked holes in them and cooked them in a pan with some water, but one of the members said they’re good if you just boil them too. Try it, it’ll change your life, and then you’ll finally understand the Christmas Song.

Missionary work is crazy, it reminds me of producing. You are trying to balance so many things and you make SO many phone calls and you just want people to do what they need to do to succeed, but they don’t always or usually. When they do you get really excited.

Also, you’ve got to have a straight-up relationship with people. So many people just like to meet with missionaries because, well, we’re awesome, but they don’t realize that we’ve got actual work to do and that we’re here to spread a really important message.

That is my advice to all missionaries. Be a missionary. Let people know that you are there to talk to them specifically about how the message of the Restoration can change their life. It’s great to read the Bible together and do those things, but other people can do that. We have to be aware of the things we can give them that no one else can and then focus on those.

A lot of people just don-t want to change, or even think that they can’t change. Archangelo told us getting baptized would be like trying to learn to eat grass, he just can’t do it. And we were like, yes you can because you come to church and your family are all members and if you would just read the Book of Mormon and pray to ask if it is true, you would know it was. And I am pretty sure he already knows it’s true, he just doesn’t-t want to change.

We are also working a lot with inactives, it’s interesting because most of them have super strong testimonies that this church is the only true church but they just don’t come to church.

It is really like juggling trying to contact people all the time and get them to come to church or let us visit etc. etc. And I am just starting to keep track of who is who. The other day Sor. Williams asked if we should consider so-and-so inactive and I said, well she hasn’t been to church since I’ve been here and Sor W goes, You’ve only been here one week...and she was there. Also we had to teach a Sunday school lesson on the gathering of Israel.

I talked to this awesome Nigerian lady, Lillian, at church. We found out later she’s not a member and she told me how she wants to bring the kids to church but her husband wont let her and she is SO cool. She said the most amazing prayer. It was so full of heart.

So we are going to all pray that things don’t fall to pieces when Sor W leaves. My new companion is Sis. Jenkins, I’ll meet her tomorrow. She goes home in a transfer, apparently Pres. Kelly is under the impression that after being with me people are going to be finished and will need to go home. So Ladispoli is a place where good missionaries come to die and I will probably be here quite a while myself since everyone else is coming and going.

I had to/got to bare my testimony on Sunday. It was terrifying. We need the help of the members SO much. Because people run away from us on the streets. So I wanted it to be good and sincere. I think it was at least one of those. The members are so sweet there are a lot of young people in the branch.

It has, in fact, been quite cold. I bought some sweet fleece-lined tights though so I am warm today. And Sor. Williams and I bought matching scarves. Also, it’s a good thing we don’t have much time for shopping or I might come home with 20 pairs of boots and 1,000 scarves.

If you want to send me some love for Christmas I would mostly appreciate it in the form of letters and classical/motab music. We can listen to whatever instrumental stuff we want so...Anything like the pride and prejudice soundtrack, brothers bloom, that kind of tame-er soundtrack stuff. And the song Time (I think...it’s the last one) from the Inception soundtrack. I would LOVE that.

Were you wondering if there is an old people pizza? Because there is...tuna and onion. Yeah. But it was given to us by some awesome members.
I ate tuna TWICE in one day...and before that I don’t remember when the last time I had tuna was.

Now everyone can guess how fat Sorella Laws will get on her diet of cheese and bread and chocolate and fruit and yogurt and honey pops. Oh man they have kit-kats here that have Hazelnut cream in them. SO amazing. I still haven’t had gelato though, so...that’s something.

K, tried to send pictures and it made the computer explode, so sorry about that. You’ll have to look Sor. W up on facebook one of these days to see them.

Well, I’m doing well after all, I really wish I could understand and answer people’s questions without being worried about teaching them false doctrine or offending them.

The other day I looked in the mirror and I am pretty sure my eyes have actually gotten bigger. Mostly I walk around with wide’ eyes and a smile. Because at least I can always smile...

I love you all, can’t believe its December and a 4th of my mission is pretty much over.

Last night we talked with Luciano after English Course and he said he didn’t believe in Christ. I read him 3 Nephi 11:9-11. I love how the Book of Mormon really testifies of Christ in the way the Bible doesn’t. (Also started reading the New Testament from the beginning, love that too!!)

K, hope everyone survives the holiday season and finals and all that.

I am certainly so glad that Christ was born and came to this earth, just for us.

Love,

Sorella Laws