Greetings from the Zombie Missionary

So this week has been nothing short of full of adventure.

We got dumped hardcore by some investigators
but we have been finding new ones too!
Yay!


Salvatore wants to be baptized and then got super busy (guess what, this happens ALL THE TIME). And in August everyone goes on holiday so a lot of people are in-and-out see you in September kind of deals, but luckily we are all but done with August and it'll be home free. Until you know, the next festa. :)





Romeo was doing great and then hasn't come to church the past couple weeks...

But we met up with the member that we are supposed to visit teach and she was super awesome and nice and is a cook at a local cafe. We went over Friday night and got to know her a little bit and then she invited us for lunch the next day and it was so very delicious!! So simple, meatballs, but instead of meat she used bread. So we ate deep fried bread in this delicious tomato and onion sauce, so simple, so good. Changed my life a litt.



That same day we waiting in the hot sun for an hour for a bus that never cme and then when we finally got to Comiso
everyone bidonned us! Yay!



But we met some cool old men in the park and this other younger guy and when we got back (to our other park) we actually had a good conversation with Pablo (aka ParkBoy2) despite the fact that it went back, more than a few times and the fact that he wants to marry Slla L (and has affectionately named her Barbie, you can imagine how she feels about that



"Barbie and (turning to me) Sailor Moon"

"Sailor Moon is blonde too" "Oh, um."



But after the sun went down and everyone else had left we said a prayer with him and as we were walking home we saw all these younger boys sitting on the stairs and I had the thought, "we should give them some pass-a-long cards" so I took some out of my pocket, little did I know...We pass by and one goes, "Are you Evanglists? What are those? Give me one." So we gave them ones and then he goes, "We got the same one, he got a different one!" Next thing we know we are handing out everything we have, "You like reading? "Yes" And we gave them all our pamphlets too.



Then he was asking, "Do you do scouts?
I am a scout!"
It was a funny little scene that was the perfect end to the day.

Sunday no investigators came to church but we got to sing songs with the Nursery kids. We taught them the motions to the songs because their teachers didnt grow up in the church so they don't know them.

So, I am sure you are intrigued by the title of this email, well, you will be happy to know that the rash that plagued me is gone
and in it's place...
Zombie skin.


Which, needless to say was a HUGE hit at Zone Conference. I felt so popular because everyone wanted to know what the in the world had happened to me. As you can see I even posed for pictures. The Sorelle were full of sympathy "Sorella, that stinks doesn't it?" "Its not so bad I guess..." "No, its got to be hard for you" "Yeah, but it could be worse.." "No, its hard, admit that it's hard."

and the Anziani were impressed

and appalled at the same time.


Anziano Medina was teaching everyone Zombie defense and his last words to Slla Stebar were, "Don't let her bite you" And no one wanted to stand down wind from me for fear of getting skin flakes on them. Disgusting, I know. But this is the life. The picture of my feet pretty much sums it all up.


But no worries because after a week or so I willl be a completely new woman! Though I do feel like these sorts of situations are supposed to be reserved for people serving on remote islands
or in 3rd world countries.
Italy is so glamourous.

Now I am in Siracusa and it is great we met a cool guy on a motorcycle it was one of those where you pass by and think "We should have talked to him" and then you have to man up and turn back around and strike up a conversation. At one point he said, "Shouldn't there be one true church on the earth?" and that same line from the Joseph Smith movie just came into my head and I said,
"yes, exactly."


He said if we left him with a Book of Mormon he would read it so I had him read the promise in Moroni right there on the street and then he was like, "Of course, that makes sense." and



I love being with Slla Stebar

because she is just my bestest buddy and has been since we met those many moons ago.




Also on the way to Zone Conference I met this wonderful lady on the bus who after I explained it to her said she would love a copy of the Book of Mormon and that of course she would read it and so I told her the Sorelle would stop by and bring her one and she said how she just couldn't find a church that was true and was trying so hard to get close to God and she was getting teary eyed and
I just loved her so much.



She was wonderful.
There are beautiful people all over Sicily.

Pictures with people, my "dad" Anziano Christensen

who was my 1st district leader is heading home at the end of this transfer


and I sent him off with a list of good music to help him
reassimilate into the world, though



I actually cant remember most things I used to listen to.

And I never know what order the pictures actually load in, but most of them need no explanation or are probably better
if you make up your own.

I want you to all know I love you. I read a story in the Liahona today about how a missionary's mom said, "I will fast and pray for you and you do your part". So I want you all to know that I feel it. I can feel the prayers asking for my strength and success and I can feel the love being sent from across the sea and I want you to know that I,

to the best of my ability,
am doing my part.
Its not easy, its not supposed to be,
but its so wonderful.

Today we ran into some missionaries for another church and they stopped us and wanted to swap pamphlets and we talked about how we are here for a year and a half and then they go home and one said, "Yes, your families need you" in a sort of
"what are you doing here" kind of way,

which we get that a lot people with the attitude "if family is so important to your church what are you doing away from them, not calling them, not being with them on Christmas, etc. etc."



But the design is perfect and I am not sure I would have learned this much love and appreciation for the people close to me without all these experiences and 1.5 years is such a small moment when we understand that families are forever.


And with some of you I feel closer than ever before.

I. LOVE. YOU.

per sempre e sempre.

xoxo

Sorella Laws

This series shows how when you take a picture with 3 people,

it soon becomes everyone in the room.

Behind the scenes of these smiling pictures was
Anz. Banks coaching us on our smiles, "
No, more open, more open!"
The assistents really do make us such better missionaries.