Sorella Williams: Half way mark & Elder Holland

Ciao!

This week was crazy. I'm so tired.

     Thursday was our mission wide "deep clean the apartment" day. But we had to cut it short to walk with Irene and make it to the DiGiuda's. Stefania made lasagna which was to die for and then Massimo (her husband) heard I hadn't had a Florentine steak in all my time in Toscana so he bought one and made it for me. It was the best food in the world I'm telling you. They ended up bringing two neighbors to dinner with us and we were able to teach all four of them. Massimo still has stubbornness about the gospel (he's not a member but Stefania is). But slowly and surely he has been opening up and he really loves the Sorelle and having us over which in itself is major progress.

     Friday I hit my half way mark and Sorella Tullis was a doll and made me crepes. We were really just running around all that day trying to see people and get ready for our big America party which was a success! The party was Saturday and we had a good turn out including 6 new potential investigators which was exciting. We ate burgers and played games and listened to beach boys and Johnny cash so even if no one else was happy I sure was.

     We walked Irene and Logan (her dog) in an actual down pour tsunami flood. Irene is blind and couldn't see that everyone else was hiding under buildings so she was like "ah I'm sure it's fine" well it was not fine people. She insisted we went out.There I was looking like I just jumped into a pool walking this sad wet dog. It was seriously the funniest thing
ever we looked like idiots. The minute Irene felt the rain she took off running and screaming "why why whyyyyyyyy?!" And then a few other choice words hahahah. So that was a fun and unexpected mid day shower.

      The next day on Sunday we took the train to Milan and attended a special conference where Elder Holland of the quorum of the twelve apostles came and spoke to us. The entire mission was invited and it was so crazy to see people again that I haven't seen in months! Elder Holland took the time to shake all of our hands and ask where we are from and then spoke to us about this sacred work that we are lucky to be apart of. It was so cool to have an apostle of the lord literally standing 3 feet from me. He said that we are in the business of saving lives and that we do not realize how big of a deal that is. But more than that, he talked about the fact that if we aren't willing
to give our all to this work (which is the most important work) for this small period of time, embrace the missionary lifestyle and just do it, then "I don't know what you can do it for". I loved being reminded why I came out here. It was such an incredible experience.

     As I watched Elder Holland, I realized how much of a normal man he is. He gets mad at dumb people and he gets hungry and he kneels to pray and he loves his wife and he studies his scriptures everyday and pays tithing and gets jet lag and takes the sacrament and repents. Do we believe that they somehow are invincible because they are apostles? We shouldn't. We should all be doing the little things in life that increase our testimonies just like the apostles must do every day. I want to better that in myself.

     I love you and hope you all have a great week!! And don't think that dark thing on your neck is a piece of lint from your sweater because it might actually be an earwig Or at least that's what it was in my case. Needless to say I luckily won that battle, but I'm still mentally recovering from it.

Love Sorella Williams