Email from Sara 12/31/08

Hello Hello Hello and Happy New Year!!!

Well, It hasn't even been a whole week since I've talked with you and I'm still just hanging in there. One new thing is that my companion and I did develop colds so that has been fun for the past few days, but I think it's already heading out- thank goodness!

Sounds like a fun party for New Years. There really aren't too many real Christmas trees here to burn, but people have already started doing fireworks last night. It is pretty much a regular p-day and we were instructed to work like regular, but if we were out this evening and started feeling like things were getting a little crazy to go ahead and either do some service or go home. We have several options so I'm not exactly sure what we'll end up doing. There are some ward members here who are having a new years party and we're hoping that one of our potential investigators can come to that so we would be able to come for a little while and get her more involved with the members- obviously we would not stay until midnight. =)

I keep having random thoughts pop into my head and then forgetting what I was going to write. Sorry…Oh yeah. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I think I might have told you, but we have Festa di Lavora tomorrow. Literally translated that is Party of Work. We get to seriously deep clean our apartments. It will be good, but I'm just not sure if we're going to be able to eliminate all of the mold in one day because I think it involves a several step process- spraying with bleach, letting it dry, scrubbing it off, spraying with anti-mold spray, letting it dry, and then painting. I think the Elders are going to help us with the mold part- which would be so so nice.

I got a lot of cards and another package the other day from several ward members and Cyndi Taylor. It's like Christmas is just still coming. I still haven't gotten the one from Tish, but I'm looking forward to it. There's actually another holiday here called Labè Fanna on the 6th of July to celebrate when the wise men gave gifts to the Baby Gesù and so they give even more gifts then. So, maybe that package will show up in time for that. Sorella Bennions package still hasn't come either, so hopefully she can have her Christmas soon.

So we didn't realize that the Day after Christmas was also a holiday here. There is a Philipino lady here, I think I might have mentioned her (Teressa), but we took her some brownies the other day and she was just so so so excited and was practically begging us to teach her how to make them. Of course we were very happy to do so, but she didn't know what kind of cocoa to use so we told her we would bring some. Well we try to go to the store the day after Christmas on our way to her house and NOTHING was open. NOTHING!!! There were more people out and around on Christmas day than there were the day after. The busses were still on a holiday schedule and everything. It was pretty weird. Apparently there's a saint who did something the day after Christmas??? I'm really not too sure. Things are still pretty decorated and I'm glad to see the holiday season sticking around a little longer, but it really feels weird. I've been in a bit of a routine for the past 23 years of my life and now things are like they've never been before so it just doesn't quite feel like I've actually had Christmas or that New Years is really tonight. But I guess it really is, right?

Oh, we did have a rather… interesting experience the other day. We have a potential investigator who is ridiculously nice and we just love her to death. Anyhow, she's a little misguided in some of her beliefs, but of course, we're hoping to change that =) She invited us to go with her to this church in Centro- or downtown which is actually out of our area so we got permission from president and went. Well, this church was actually called something to the effect of the church of Mary of Miracles. And I had no idea but there are people who believe that Mary appears every 10 years and that on the 27th of every month they pray to Mary and thank her for everything she does for everyone. And I'm not sure if it's just the 27th of December, or if the 27th of every month you can pray for whatever you want and Mary will give it to you. It was very very strange. As my companion said after we left- she said "We were just in the heart of apostacy." It's so sad to me how far away these people have gotten from the teachings of the Savior. Seeing how lost people are makes me more and more thankful to have the gospel in my life. To have the truth and know that we are led by a living prophet today. One who won't let us stray from the teachings of the Savior because the Savior is the Head of the Church. How thankful I am for my Savior, Jesus Christ. For His atoning sacrifice so that we may have hope and that we may one day return to live with our eternal Father in Heaven.
Love you all!!
Sorella Leckie

Sorry, I don't have any pictures from Christmas day because I forgot to bring my camera with me. :( But these are from when we went to Centro with Simoa- our potential investigator. This is the Spanish Steps. (Crystal- in Roman Holiday this is where she's eating her gelato, and the fountain I'm standing by is the one the kids are playing in and he tries to borrow a little girls camera.) Cool, huh?


This is me at Trevi Fountain. I've been told it's the largest fountain in the world. It is quite large.


This is a better picture of Trevi Fountain- the top part at least. There were just so many people that it was hard to show the bottom with the actual water. Sorry : )


I don't know how well you can tell from this picture, but there were just people EVERYWHERE!!! It was packed packed packed! I believe this was the 27th and people were out shopping and just wandering. It was fun and a bit crazy. This is looking down the street away from the spanish steps.