Dear Beautiful People

Well, like usual life here is nothing short of grand. We'll leave out the boring stuff like how I got sick again and once again another poor companion was stuck inside for a few days, at least she got her fill of church produced movies and I was very good and rested and drank juice and now I am almost completely better. I drank a lot of juice. But then it started making my stomach hurt, maybe something about moderation applies here, haha.

Meanwhile, we have still had our fair share of miracles.

For example, just last night we met up with this guy who called us because he had gotten a passalong card back in JUNE and he just called us up, thinking we were the same Sorelle, well, we aren't, but we hit it off anyway and met him in front of the grocery store by our house and started asking him about what he believes and he told us how he doesn't study much, because he's just not really a studier, never has been, which was great because Slla C and I were talking about that very thing that morning how we just weren't that great at studying, that we like learning, but not the sitting down and studying part.


Well, he told us that he likes going to church because he feels good that he prays in the morning and at night and before AND after he eats. Pretty legit. He doesn't know hardly anything about the bible, not even about Moses (we need a copy of Prince of Eygpt over here!) but we just adore him, there is something special about him. And he has all sorts of amazing face wrinkles when he smiles/laughs. We are already planning (of course) who in the ward we can set him up with and we think we know a good match. This ward is mostly full of boys though.

Sunday we helped with the bambini in primary, because they are preparing for their primary program this sunday! Oh was it hilarious. There is brijeet (french pronounciation) who is the diva of the ward, she steals our nametags and wears bright pink earmuffs that match her tights and she just flounces around, she is like Madeline.



And then there is her brother, francios who is 18 and was conducting the choir, perhaps with the most passion I have ever seen from a primary chorister. He was up in front of five little girls getting every ounce of emotion he could from them. When they were singing I Love to See the Temple he goes, "No, no, no, you have to LOVE the temple. more passion!" and he looks like one of the Jonas Brothers, skinny and wearing a cardigan sweater speaking Italian and French alternatingly and at one point he was even holding a baby while he was doing it. That's a real Renessaince man if I have ever seen one. Teenage girls everywhere, we have found you the perfect man.



We have almost every Disney channel character represented in this ward, everyone is just so beautiful, in these super normal yet also exotic sort of ways, it's sort of overwhelming. We also have a member who looks like just the mom from My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Fausto looks exactly like the main guy in North and South (are you reading this Evann...yes, he looks like THAT guy). I guess I just need to make a movie here, that's the only option. I loooooooove this ward. And not just because they're goodlooking but because they've got good hearts too ;)

Then, we have another Romanian who is an old man and a friend of a member who came to church, just because he wanted to. Always a good sign. We got to talking and he thinks that all churches are the same but he agreed to meet with us. He really liked church. Even when people think its the same, they subconciously feel a difference, it's just getting them to realize it that is the hard part. All churches are great, but there is something special because this is the church of God. He is really open to learning and really loves God, we hope to see him this week. He said he doesn't know his schedule so to call when we want to come, but I don't imagine he's doing much. He is also great.

We taught someone else who really wasnt interested. and we went to a baptism at Roma 2.

Also Sunday this other guy came to church who studied 25 years ago and said he never got a testimony but he loves the church so much that he had to come back. We just love him, and he said he would try and find an opera during the day that we could go to. Slla Camp and him are a match made in heaven. Literally. We were kind of mad because Anziani swiped him, but they can teach him and we'll be the fun ones who are friends with him. haha.

Also, sidenote to everyone, I make 22.5 years today so happy half birthday to me! I tried to get the Anziani to celebrate and they said it was stupid, but they did bring us cornetti last night...

mostly because I was sick but I am counting it towards the half celebration, especially because they brought us 5, so 2.5 each. Which we are not sure if it was a ploy to pit us against each other or just a miscalculation. Also, mom, I loved that comment about how food is also the way to girl's hearts, because it's true. Those cornetti really won us over--Our anziani are just the best, you can see by the photo

and the thank you poster we had ready for them when they showed up. Today we are going to the Sistine Chapel (for preparation day, but I am also counting it towards the 1/2 birthday celebration), so there will be better pictures coming, I am still waiting for my battery charger to show up.

Thanksgiving won't be the same without the sweet pataters but it should be interesting with English Course students (including our Muslim friend from Sinagol) and Peruvians and Romanians and the most unAmerican cast I have ever had in my life. I am grateful to know them all and I am grateful to be here serving people that I love. I am grateful that I don't have to know them or having something specific in common with them to love them, that we can all love each other just because we are human and that is enough to link us together. And I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and that he loves us enough to give us a prophet and the scriptures and the Holy Ghost and all these things we have to guide us so that we can be happy. And I am grateful for the commandments, that he loves us enough not to let us just do whatever we want, because he can see the big picture that we can't see. And I am grateful for every day that is filled with joy, because every day IS filled with joy, you just got to look around a bit.

I love you all, so so so so so so much. I am endlessly grateful for every person that has been a part of my life, big or small, because you are the ones who've made me who I am. "I will hold you close with a Thankful...Heart!"

Sorella Laws

p.s. Christmas season has officially begun! go ahead and start sending presents now.

p.p.s. buy me some socks on Friday :) make sure to elbow your way in there. we were thinking of standing outside the IPERCOOP at 4am, but I don't imagine they'll open for us. but seriously, its cold here. but we got our heaters working and they're nice and toasty. still the best apartment i've ever lived in.