Email from Sara 10/13/2008

Buongiourno!!! 

Mom- you can elaborate as much as you want.  I love all the details.  And as far as being in Italy, I'm pretty sure emailing will be just fine. 

Wow-- the weeks pass so quickly here.  There is still so much for me to learn, I just don't know how I'm going to fit it all into the next three weeks.  We have some new sisters and elders coming in this wednesday so our zone will increase in size dramatically.  There are six new sisters coming in who will all be going to Rome.  Very exciting.  I really wonder just how many sisters serve there- there must be a ton. 

I've had so many opportunities to hear great talks since i've been here.  This past sunday we had a relief society lesson from one of the members of the RS general board and the lesson was amazing.  She used a metaphor of Sarah Hughes (an Iceskater in the 2002 olympics) and her relationship with her coach, the crowd, and her reception from her coach at the end of her performance.  She applied this to our missions and also our lives.  Our coach would be the Lord, or any other guiding influences in our life.  The crowd- the angels who are cheering us on. And the reception from the coach at the end how we'll feel entering our Father's presence again.  It was absolutely amazing- you should look up her routine on youtube or something and watch it with this in mind.  Fantastic.

 

We did actually see some snow the other day- two days acutally.  It didn't ever snow long enough to really stick down in the valley, but the Y was covered with a light blanket :)  Pretty cold around here lately.  But I'm in a classroom most of the day so it's really not a big deal.  My coat situation is fine for now, layers work really well.

 

I did get my package the other day- it was like Christmas!!  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! 

 

I got a lot of letters yesterday- It was great!  I'm pretty excited about the fruit trees- and I totally think you should get a cow.  I'm not sure why, but I think that would be pretty cool :)

 

That's really exciting about the Spanish Branch.  That came up really fast- what a blessing for them and for the ward. 

 

I've come to the conclusion that I need to take smaller bites with my goal making.  I get overwhelmed with where I would like to be with the language and the gospel and I want to be so much farther than I am, and I bite off more than I can chew and just end up not doing any of the things I made a goal to do.  I'm working on making goals that are managable on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.  One talk we had the other day was on becoming consecrated missionaries and leaving everything on the alter.  It's hard to do, but I know if I can do it, that my mission will be more than I ever hoped for.  One think he said was that the Lord doesn't expect immediate perfection, but He does expect immediate progress.   I'm going for progress! 

 

Alrighty, well I'm gonna head out of here.  I love hearing from everyone and being able to keep tabs on what everyone is doing. 

I'm so blessed to be able to be here.  I have a fantastic companion and I absolutely love my district.  My teachers are amazing and push and stretch us to be better and better.  I'm truely able to see the hand of the Lord in my life each day.  I love you all and pray for you each day!! 

 

Love,

 

Sorella Leckie