When In Rome...: Email from Sara 11/19/08

Dear everyone!

Wow! What a quick week. I feel like the time is flying already. Alrighty... where to start. This week has been pretty crazy and will continue to be. Sunday we had to wake up early to go help translate for seminary. There are actually quite a few people in the ward who speak english. There's a military base and just some people who work here with their families. They have seminary on sunday mornings before church so we went to do that. Sunday evening we had zone singing. That's pretty much just when anyone who wants to from the zone goes to a palazza and sings and if people stop to listen then someone goes and talks to them or you can just go and stop people. It was fun to go. We did talk to one lady who said she was interested in coming to church. We'll see, but who knows. As the sisters in our district we get a lot of the single sisters to teach. It's great- the only problem at this point is that it just doesn't seem like there's enough time to go to everyone we have on our lists. We also work a good bit with some of the inactive people in the ward. It really is a fantastic ward and there is a lot of support for missionary work. The Stake Pres, Patriarch, and Mission President are all in the ward. Also our Ward Mission Leader right now is really great. He just got home from a mission to Spain, I think, and he's really on the ball.

Okay back to my week. Monday we had to get up really early and go to the °Qustura° It's like the immigration office because we have to have a °permesso di sojuorno° so that we can stick around after our visa's have expired. It was quite the adventure as everyone was trying to get in first. My companion had an appointment, but that doesn't seem to matter. My other companion has an appointment this next week so we get to do it again. Tuesday was pretty normal, but we had English class to teach. We have the advanced class so we really just get to talk with the Italians. Today is Wednesday, obviously, and we are headed to the Cistine Chapel today and then we'll get some fantastic gelato. I'm pretty excited. Then tomorrow, we have service in the morning- we ususally go to a nursing home. I feel really dumb when we go because I have a hard enough time understanding people speaking italian clearly, but when the old people mumble it's impossible. But we go and hopefully they enjoy it. Last week sorella bennion played the piano at the nursing home and they really seemed to enjoy that so we might be making our service a little more music oriented. Friday is Zone conference. It was supposed to be wednesday but we actually have two general authorities coming and they needed to adjust things. I believe it will be Robert Oaks, and Gerald Caussè. I think. Anyhow that should be fantastic. Then Saturday we are going to go olive harvesting. I'm really excited and hopefully we'll be able to get some of our investigators there. So that's my week in a nutshell.

As far as investigators go, we have a lot of people that we visit, and a few that we teach. There are several people who it seems that they want to be baptized but they work on sundays. It seems that that is just too big of a leap of faith for them to try to find another job, but hopefully the Lord will touch their hearts.

Just a few little tidbits that you might find funny or interesting about Italy is that there are motorini- or scooters EVERYWHERE and they are crazy. YOu know how there are usually two lines down the middle of a street? Well the people on scooters seem to think that the space between the lines is their lane. It's ridiculous especially when there are people coming from both directions. I'm not sure how everyone stays alive but I've actually only seen one accident. But I definitely would never want to drive in rome. There doens't seem to be any rhyme or reason to anything. I'm quite content to let the amazing bus drivers navigate.

Also something funny that I've noticed is that there seems to be at least five differnt types of tile in every apartment, building, home, or anything. THere is tile everywhere. It's kind of fun, and it doesn't seem to matter that they don't match. :)

On a more serious note, I guess there are some days here when I don't feel like i'm accomplishing anything- I don't know the language, I'm not helping my companions, etc. But somehow the Lord always confirms in my mind that this is where I need to be, and i just need to follow the Spirit so that I can be in the right places at the right times to find those who'se hearts have been prepared for the gospel. I'm just waiting for the day when I can see how someone I've found has changed their life because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it's true and the way to the greatest happiness we could ever want. I love you all so much and pray for you daily!!

Vi voglio piu bene!!

Sorella Leckie

This is Sorella Bennion, Sorella Ross, and Me... we took this today just so we would have a good picture of the three of us. Sorella Ross has a really cute one of us waiting at the bus stop in the rain at night eating m&m's. Good stuff- but that's on her camera.

This is the temple site. It's 15 acres and the plans are to have a temple, a stake center, and some kind of housing facility for people who come from far away.