Hello my dear friends and family:
Today has been one of the most exhausting days of my life, but the good news is that I am done with the permesso stuff.. I just have to wait 2 more weeks to actually get it. It is a pain in the butt. But we finally got the cord that connects the iPad to an sd card so hopefully you will get more pictures. I also had to get fingerprinted twice, so now my fingerprints are available in one country's database. Haha... Then we got an arancini for lunch and a granita because we didn't have one for 5 days. We were so proud of ourselves! Now we are at the church emailing where there is free wifi, cold water, and air conditioning. Whoop! I also bought 3 shirts today at Tezenis. They were like 5 euros each. One of them says Lemon Joy, but the e and n in lemon are big so it says enjoy. I saw it 2 weeks ago, almost bought it, then decided not to, and kept thinking about it... So I went back. The others are just plain white and a dark turquoise mixed with emerald green color. So fun.
I have decided that my two favorite flavors of anything are peach or lemon. Also thinking of using those as wedding colors. My comp and I talk about weddings all the time... Like ALL THE TIME. Haha... She says I can use any colors for my wedding in whatever season I want. It doesn't have to be peach or lemonade season to have that be my colors and cupcake flavors. Haha.. This is what we talk about as we walk from appointment to appointment. No joke. We got granites with Angela last Tuesday, and the place we went to had peach. Yum! They also had pineapple which is really great too.
Last week, we went to the Mall called Etnapolis. I bought some Italian leather shoes from Geox so they are supposed to breathe more... They are super cute. Also, mom? Could you check how much damage that did to my debit card? Like how much it took out from using that. Also, give me a balance update please. :) love you!
Some fun experiences this week, then spiritual ones.
I like to put my water bottles in the freezer so it is nice and cold when we get back from an appointment. One time, we were gone longer than we thought we would be, so my water was frozen solid. But it melts so fast here. I would wait 10 seconds, and I would have a new gulp of freshly melted water. Another 10 seconds, another gulp. It is so hot. I think I say that a million times in each of my emails. Mom, we do have a kitchen sink, but up until a few days ago, our washing machine, sink, and other bathroom only had boiling hot water. But our anziani in Catania are our heroes and fixed it for us by turning this one simple knob. This is why girls don't live by themselves. Haha... Now we say HALLELUJAH every time we turn the water on.
Also, you all know how you think public transportation is the best thing ever in Europe. Yeah.. About that. Nope. It is the worst quite honestly. It is either late or early, it all depends on the bus driver. For example, today the bus was to leave at 2:00. We literally ran to the station, not there.. We ask the ticket booth people, oh, it left 10 minutes ago. Even though last week we asked another worker and he said the buses never leave early. Mind you, then we decided to ride another bus, and it leaves 10 minutes early that time. What? No fair. So confusing. But, because we took the other bus, we got to walk a little farther and there were blackberry bushes on the side of the rode. Tender mercies are real.
Saturday, I had my first 6 course meal. It was delicious, but I also felt like I would burst. We went to Kiran's house. She is from the Mauritius islands. Don't know where that is, but the first course is pasta. The amount of pasta she served was probably the size of a normal meal in the U.S. It was delicious though. It was penne pasta and olive oil and zucchini and eggplant. Eggplant is a very popular Sicilian food. The vegetables were a bit slimy because of the way they cook them, but the flavor was wonderful. Then came the vegetables, green beans and grilled peppers. Then the chicken, and the bread. Then we had fruit, and gelato, and orange soda. Oh goodness. I was literally so full.
Yesterday, we were invited to the Sigonella Branch by the senior missionary couple. It is on the U.S Navy base, but they had Italian investigators who they referred to us, but we needed to translate for them. Well, Sorella Defranchi translated. I got to enjoy an English sacrament meeting where I could actually understand the talks. The anziani were invited too because they have the car. Haha.. It was a little piece of home. Everyone was so nice and a couple lived in Fernley for a while because the husband was stationed in Fallon. It was nice to meet someone that knew where Carson City was. They had a linger longer after church, so American food too. Seriously, a little piece of heaven. Last week, sister G gave us Oreos and peanut butter. That peanut butter has become my favorite thing... Like literally. Sister G is also from the base, but they come to Catania ward instead of the tiny branch. Also, pistachio flavored stuff is a big thing here. They have granitas and gelatos and we bought this sweet pistachio cream that they put on bread. It's all really yummy though.
We live near this really pretty park called Villa Bellini. We do finding there a lot, but it is super pretty. Graffiti is all over the place in Italy, but a lot of people spray paint the sidewalks of the park with love notes. I took a picture by one, so I'll send that. Super cute, and really cheesy all at the same time.
Also, my companion gave me a dress from a Chinese store. It is garment friendly and you don't have to wear anything under it so it is pretty much my favorite. Layers are not fun when it is so hot.
After the Sigonella Branch, we took the sacrament to this elderly lady who is home bound with her son who takes care of her. The anziani did the sacrament but we went along. It was literally the sweetest thing. I hope that when I am that old and about to die, I still want to take the sacrament because it is so important. Agata's spirit was literally the sweetest. I wish I could have talked to her more, but my Italian is lacking.
The language is still rough for me. I'm the perfectionist and I don't want to make mistakes... So annoying.. But I do feel like I am learning a lot. And I'm really good at writing and reading things, but speaking.... Still a little slow, and I never know how to respond to people quickly. Probably because I try to translate what they said to English, then think how I want to respond and then translate it to Italian. It takes so long... Also, one day this week, we only had one appointment and it was so hard for me to feel accomplished.. But, my comp shared an analogy with me from a "dying" missionary last transfer.
When you tell God you are willing to serve a mission, he is excited for you because he knows what you will become when you finish. At the beginning of your mission, he places a boulder in front of you and tells you to try to push it. This boulder is twice your size, and it represents the language, the new culture, being rejected, the heat and humidity, and everything else hard that the mission throws at you. Every day, you wake up at 6:30 and you try to push. You push as hard as you can, but the boulder won't budge an inch. Sometimes you feel like giving up because nothing you do is making the boulder move, but everyday you keep trying for 18 months or 2 years. Then at the end of your mission, God removes the boulder and you fall down. He tells you to stand up, and you ask him why he did that to you. He says, but look at all the new muscles you gained! It never was about pushing or moving the boulder. It was about becoming better, stronger, more faithful, more loving, harder working, more understanding, and more trusting.
Loved that analogy. :)
So I had the idea before I left to become nationally certified as fluent in Italian... I don't know why, but this week I was thinking about maybe working for the church and translating general conference talks and church things into Italian. Or even just for a publisher. Harry Potter for example was translated into Italian and I'm sure other books have too. I think that would be really fun. But I would need more qualification than just serving a mission in Italy. Just an idea.
One other thing.. My comp says I'm a silent sufferer. I sneeze silently, I choke silently, I don't scream and yell when I hit my head on my closet shelf, and I don't scream when I see weird bugs. Haha.. Kind of funny. But I did scream today when I dropped a big juicy blackberry today. Weird things that other people notice about you that you don't realize.
A duh moment of the week. We were teaching about the priesthood and I realized that men who have the priesthood can't use it to help themselves. It is purely for the service of others which I personally think is really cool. There is this sister in the Catania ward who likes to think that if women ever did get the priesthood, she would be the first one.
So, in case you didn't know... Italy is not Mexico in missionary work. You know those stories where someone meets the missionaries and then 2 weeks later they are baptized. Yeah, that doesn't happen here. A steadily progressing investigator who has the desire to change takes about 2 transfers or 3 months to get baptized. It's a culture thing with the "everybody and their dog smokes" and the law of chastity and the Catholic Church... But, the work of the Lord goes on. In 1 nephi 9: 6, I think.. It talks about how the work of the Lord will be accomplished because he has all power. In Jesus the Christ, I was reading about Mary learning about being the mother of Christ.. First off, I wish I could respond like her in the face of trials, but becoming pregnant by the Holy Ghost is not natural and shouldn't happen according to natural laws. But Heavenly Father works by the higher law, which means anything can happen through him. Humans do not have the capacity to understand the higher law because we always seek the why behind something happening. I think that is cool to think about. The other thing I like about that verse is the phrase, and thus it is. That is just the way it is. Don't argue with it just because you don't understand. And it is fun to say in Italian. E cosi è. :)
Also, I was reading 1 Nephi 10. I liked verses 6 and 17-19. What does it mean to rely on that redeemer and how do we seek him diligently? Why does diligence unlock the mysteries of heaven? Just something for you to ponder this week. :)
On Friday, we had 3 amazing lessons. We had been in our apartment all morning because of our weekly planning session, pranzo, language study, and 12 weeks. Then when we left, it started to rain. It was so nice because that was our longest walk (it takes an hour) and it was going to be so hot, tender mercies... Again. Then we went to the F family....this couple is so sweet and even though they are less-active, the spirit is so strong in their home. Sis F wouldn't get married until she got married in the temple. She finally met the right guy, but now it is too late for them to have children. This is a hard challenge for her and she is tired and spiritually exhausted all the time. But she knows the gospel is true. And I know God is well aware of her challenges, and he knows that she can handle it. They are literally the cutest. Then we went to Jennifer's and her boys were sleepy this time. Both lessons this week, they were more reverent than they usually are. We might try some of those ideas mom, but those boys sit in a car all day at work with their mom and they finally get to run around for awhile when they get home. That is why they are so crazy. So on Friday, we said the blessings were pouring out of heaven in two forms. Rain and amazing lessons.
The last thing I learned was from a talk this last conference. The responsibility of the gospel or something like that... It talked about the two responsibilities of baptism: to seek your own salvation and to seek the salvation of others by being a disciple of Jesus Christ. :)
Love you all!
Love,
Sorella Flansberg
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