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May 30, 2012

Buon Giorno!

 I am glad you are keeping up by blog...everything is fine there. I actually am angry because I forgot to bring my camera today and I was going to send a load of pictures home! Oh well, next week for sure.

I am doing a lot better this week, not even homesick one bit. This past week my companion and I have been working SUPER hard. And we have seen so many blessings! I finally figured out what is the key to my happiness in this hard work....hard work!

Tell me more about the earthquakes, anything big? Like I told dad, we are on the 10th floor so we felt like 4 rumblings yesterday and last week one woke us up in the middle of the night.

Baba’s story is great, that is exactly what i have been training my mind to think like. And as a result, we have eaten gelatto 4 times in the past week. HEY! we have been working hard! Dont judge!

There is a gelatteria here in Varese that has the best gelatto in the world. not even joking. its not even the best but they give you 4x the gelatto for the same price as everyone else. Its not like we konw the manager by name or anything (Benedetta).

This past week has been amazing, because we have been working so hard.

On Sunday we went to the hospital to visit a member’s mom who is dying. It was a really sweet experience. We went and talked to her and shared a scripture and prayed. She has such a strong sweet spirit and I am happy that she is ready to move on to the next life! It really makes me appreciate the plan of salvation.

On Monday we did spring cleaning. Yay! At the end of every transfer we take a morning to clean the apartment. We were so busy with cleaning and appointments that we forgot to schedule any lunch! So we sat down to eat, looked at the clock and 2 seconds later we were out the door!

Richie will be baptized this Saturday. He has so much faith and will be an amazing missionary in the future. We are so excited for him!!!!

Will you send me info (through mail) like talks and stuff that would help me understand the Isaiah chapters? Grazie.

On Sunday we were basically out of food. We couldn’t go to the store obviously so we went down the hall to ask our neighbor for a cup of flower so we could make bread. This next scene could have been out of a movie. She opened the door, her house was all in disarray. She was cooking and cleaning and doing 5 things at once in her bathrobe. We asked her for flour. She gave us a bag of flour, a frozen store bought pizza, and 3 bags of shrimp. Hahaha I love Italians!  This is the 2nd time this has happened to me, where they just give and give and give us food! So you better believe we had a delicious pizza for lunch on Sunday! We still hadn’t solved the dilemma of having no food, and we can’t do shopping until Wednesdays. So, Monday, Tuesday, and today, guess what we had for breakfast? SHRIMP! And I don’t even regret it one bit. That

stuff is good!

 My companion and I have started doing this thing. We have been walking and talking and going all day every day. At times when things difficult or frustrating we continue to say our usual “Buon giorno!” to everyone we pass. But if the person is particularly old, we say “Buon Giorgio!” and see if they can tell. It puts a smile on my face every time and reminds me that Heavenly Father wants us to ALWAYS be smiling when we do this work!

I had the MOST amazing experience this week. I feel the Spirit in lessons when I really try to focus on the investigator and their needs. I feel the Spirit in lessons when I bear my testimony. I feel the Spirit as I invite them to read the scriptures or pray. But the other day my companion and I were walking around the park, Commune, talking to people. This one woman was walking in the direction towards us. I said “Buon giorno!” and she just kept walking. I continued to say what is your name? She turned after a few steps and answered. I asked her if she believed in God. She thought about that question for seriously 20 seconds, and then answered a firm “Yes.” We had an interesting conversation and we found out she is a doctor and believes in nature as a form of religion. The dialogue between us three was fast paced as Sorella Oakes and I continued to talk to her about the plan of salvation. I had the most amazing experience when I bore my testimony of Heavenly Father and his plan. I am having trouble explaining it, but I bore my testimony and she just didn’t say anything for 30 seconds. Literally, all of us were there just feeling the Spirit. I knew in that moment, as she looked into my eyes and I looked back at hers that she was without a doubt feeling the Spirit. I have definitely felt the Spirit myself but that was the first time that I was absolutely sure that the Spirit was carried into her heart as

well. It makes me so happy!!!

We have a lot of work to do and things are looking super up!

This is the last week of my first transfer! Crazy!

I love you!

The gospel is SO true!
Ti vogio bene!

Sorella Bunny