Email from Sara 1/27/10

Another short one this week. It's been a pretty good week. Nothing too grand to report, but we're just plugging away.

Coco's baptism was wonderful and his family came. It was good. Fiorella told President Acerson that she wanted to get baptized on her birthday, March 5 (and Crystals :) So unless we can help her want to be baptized earlier we will shoot for that. I really hope to be here for it.

Our other investigators are still here and Veronica is amazing. She's already in 2nd Nephi and loves the book of mormon. I love it!!

We went ice skating again for Pday. Fun stuff. The ice rink will be taken down sometime in February so there really isn't too much opportunity. But it was really fun.

Alrighty, well, gonna call it good for now. I really will try to send some pictures next week. I've been a slacker about that, sorry.

Remember that I love you all and hope you have a wonderful wonderful week.
Con tanto affetto,
Sorella Leckie

Email from Sara 1/20/10

Good week.

It's been a pretty good week. We're all looking forward to Coco's baptism tomorrow. And, Fiorella decided that she wants to get baptized on her birthday, March 5th. We had our interviews with President yesterday and he was talking to Fiorella and said that he would come back for her Baptism. It's pretty exciting. Also Josy told me that she wants to get baptized in May and Veronica will most likely get baptized with her. We're trying to help them want to be baptized sooner, but if we have to wait until May, I guess that's okay.

Interviews were good. I really feel that President appreciates me and what I've been doing here in Livorno. It's a good feeling.

I'm loving the mission and am so happy to be here serving the Lord. Sorry, this is a little short this week, but dont' really have too much else to add. I'm sure I'm not remembering lots of things, but life is good.

OH YEAH! One amazing thing that happened this week was that Walter (Leslie's dad) called us yesterday. We hadn't been able to get ahold of them for more than 3 weeks and so it was really really a miracle that he called. Hopefully we can get back on track with her and help her get baptized too. And who knows, maybe Walter too, we'll see what we can do. With the help of the Lord all things are possible.

Okay, gonna go head out and to the spesa (grocery shopping). Hope you all have a wonderful and fabulous week!!! Love you all!!!
Sorella Leckie

Email from Sara 1/13/10

WHOA!

Okay, so maybe the subject is a little overdramatic, but it's pretty accurate some of the time.

It's been a good week. Zone conference was great. Investigators are doing well and the work is going forth. Sometimes I'm not exactly sure what to do or where to go and yet things just work out.

Yesterday we were teaching Fiorella, a 19 year old Peruvian who's friend is getting baptized next week. She really has such a strong desire to learn and follow the commandments. It's great. Right now she doesn't understand the power of the Atonement and feels that she can't let go of former mistakes, but I was reading in the Liahona this morning a great talk and I'm so excited to share it with her. We had a good lesson with her last night though and it seemed at first that the lesson was kind of all over the place and I was just praying and praying that it would work out and that somehow the spirit would just help her understand. It was amazing to see how a seemingly uncoordinated lesson was brought together through the scriptures. It was wonderful and she felt the spirit. I love it! We really hope she will be baptized soon, but obviously want it to be her decision and because she has a testimony. She already received an answer in church that this was the true church so she says piano piano she'll get there. She even talks sometimes about when she's a missionary what she's going to do. It's great. Josy and Veronica are doing well, also, and Veronica loves meeting with us and learning. She really understands so much and I love being able to teach her.

One thing that sticks out to me is how all of these people who we are teaching are friends of someone else who is learning. It helps me realize how important it is to have a friend in the gospel. I KNOW that they talk about these principles together and that it helps them reinforce their small but growing testimonies. What a wonderful blessing to be a missionary!!

No pictures this week. Haven't really taken too many anyway... need to be be better about that. Today we're going to go with our district to see one of the sights of Livorno so I'll try to take a few then. Something to look forward to next week, right?

Remember that I love you all and hope you have a wonderful and safe week!!!

Con tanto tanto affetto,
Sorella Leckie

p.s. Karen, if you read this, I saw the pictures and mama mia!!!!!! :)

Email from Sara 1/7/10

Buon La Befana

So, today is a holiday here in Italy. Makes it a little tricky to do our grocery shopping when all the stores are closed, but at least the internet point was open. School starts back tomorrow, so today is the last day of the holidays here.

The "Befana" is like a witch who brings stuff and puts it in a stocking. Santa Clause comes the 25th and leaves things under the tree and the Befana comes the 6th of January and if you've been good brings a stocking full of treats, or coal if you're bad. Overall it just spreads out christmas a little bit more. Anywho, It's been a pretty okay week. We had some really good appointments with some of our investigators and we hope and pray they will continue to progress. The elders have an investigator who will be baptized this month, so hopefully that will help encourage a few others to "take the plunge" :)

Sunday was really great. I played the piano for Primary, translated for Sunday School, and then played the organ for Sac. meeting. Makes church go by so fast... a little too fast, really. But it's nice to feel needed, too. We had a wonderful fast and testimony meeting, and the spirit was really strong. Unfortunately with the holidays some of our "regular" investigators weren't able to make it, but I really wish they had. It was a good meeting.

Other than that, don't really have too much else to say. Some days are hi, others are low and I just have to figure out how to deal with it all :). We will have Zone Conf. on Monday so I'm looking forward to that and the boost that comes from being a little more spiritually uplifited.

I'm gonna go now so I can hopefully get you a few pictures. There aren't really that many, but I'll send what I can.
Love you all!! Hope you have had a great beginning of a new year and that the year goes well!

Con tanto affetto,
Sorella Leckie

Me and my loot from Christmas... there was a TON. Thankfully I've given most of it away now and it's not there to tempt me. :)

The primary with Babo Natale

Me, Irene, and Slla Gambardella. Iceskating!! Che fun!

Josy, Slla Gambardella, Veronica, Antonio( Veronica's brother) and me. I love them so much!!!

Us with the Eubanks on Christmas