Sei Settimane! Oggi e un bello giorno!--"Six Weeks! Today is a Beautiful Day!"

Carissimi tutti, (Dear all)

I can't even believe how quickly the time goes here. I feel like a thousand years have passed in 10 minutes since the time I arrived. I am always learning and I couldn't be more happy or grateful for that. Last Wednesday after I wrote Sorella Smith and I colored her hair which was an exciting feat. We used professional color and I applied most of it the way they do in Salons. Sorella Smith's father is a professional hair designer and makeup artist and she has colored hair before but she couldn't do her own, so I had the privilege. I am tremendously glad I have seen it done dozens of times. Becky should be proud of me. I did a fair job. On Thursday, Sorella Smith and I contacted some of our anziani to become our progressing investigators and they did the same to us, so now we have two more people to teach and we get to practice a lot more. It is a great blessing because we already love them and want to help them. It is one of our goals to speak Italian all of the time. It is a challenge to say the least, but it is so beautiful and as long as I remember who we are working for and think of the people we will be able to share the light of the gospel with, any challenge is more than worth it. I would struggle through more for them. I love them so much. We did an activity in class with Sorella Swenson where we each wrote the gifts we could see in each other. It was one of the most beautiful lessons I have ever had. We all have so much to offer, sometimes we just can't see it in ourselves. Amo il mio distretto. Troppo. (I love my district. Too much.)We went on a very exciting grammar walk with Fratello Pfeiffer and I just love him. He makes everything so important and enjoyable at the same time. He always says, "Never doubt." Just do all you can. Work hard and do your best and the Lord will make it enough. My teachers and my district help me every day. We had a goal last week to memorize D&C 4 in Italian by Sunday. I did it by Saturday, before anyone else, and was so proud of myself. Not in a boastful way. However, keeping D&C 4 in mind each day really helps me stay focused on the work and on how I should be acting and what it means to be a disciple and missionary of Jesus Christ. It is a beautiful thing. But everything is beautiful in the work of the Lord. Che troppo bello (That's too good). Sunday we got to watch "Music and the Spoken Word" before Relief Society and I was beyond grateful for it. It heals my soul. I really miss listening to musica all of the time. We hadn't been able to watch it for three weeks. I was called up to speak in our Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I am glad I was prepared. You never know until they call you to speak at the beginning of the meeting. This week we all wrote talks on Christlike attributes and I wrote mine on hope. La speranza (hope). Giving a talk in Italian isn't easy, but I wrote out the important things I wanted to say and I felt like I spoke sincerely. President Johnston, our amazing branch president, told me I could have given that talk in Italy and they would've understood perfectly. Anziano Hymas told me he didn't understand everything I said in Italian, but that it didn't matter because he felt the Spirit when I started talking. That meant an awful lot to me because often I haven't been sure If I was communicating by the Spirit, and Anziano Hymas does not compliment lightly. It was an answer to an often asked prayer. Sorella Smith and I taught our district lesson on Sunday on the Comandamenti and it was a lot of fun. We got to teach in English and talk about them. We had a good time. We taught a lesson in TRC on Monday and I was having a bit of a hard time because I always trust that the Lord will impart of his Spirit, but I don't always trust that I have prepared enough to receive it or understand what He would have me say. Fratello Pfeiffer told me that everyone feels that way sometimes and that if I am doing all I can do, always my best, I don't need to worry if I will have the Spirit, because I will. The Lord has promised that. Our teachers are so inspired. The devotional last night was AMAZING! F. Melvin Hammond and his wife spoke and they were adorable. They spoke with so much conviction and love for each other. It was beautiful. They talked of the power of the Book of Mormon and going forth cheerfully. Please read the Book of Mormon. I love it so much and as Elder Hammond said-never tire of it. He has read it over 100 times and has never tired of it. Share it. Be happy. I was feeling anxious all day yesterday, inexplicably, so I felt I needed to ask Anziano Hymas to give me a blessing and our whole district stood in the circle. I am so grateful for the priesthood and that these young men are worthy always to have the Spirit. It was exactly what I needed and I felt so much peace. The Lord loves us and is mindful of us. Don't forget that. Go about your life cheerfully and he will never cease blessing you. I love you all! Pray for our brothers and sisters in Italy! Vi voglio bene! (I love you!)

Sorella Chandra Marie Lloyd