Sept. 7th Email and a Few Pictures

Ciao!!!

What a week! I feel like this week has flown faster than any other. I hope that means we are working really hard. There are interesting people to meet around every corner here. We knocked on the door of a former professor who told us he was one hundred years old and has spent a lot of his life writing of Christ. He showed us two of his books of poetry about the Savior, so we showed him a Book of Mormon. He acted as if it burned him and told us he couldn't change, but proceeded to recite Christian poetry to us in one of the most theatrical encounters I have ever had. He scrunched his face and looked pained and his voice became incredibly dramatic. I felt right at home. It was strange and eccentric, but I loved every minute of his melodramatic tirade. The same day there was a man on the bus who grabbed my hand and made me touch his bald head to prove it wasn't sweaty. I still have no idea why. One evening we had countless doors slammed in our face one right after another, so many it became ridiculous and we just laughed. President Rogai of the branch said it isn't easy here, but encouraged us to keep working, and that we will do. Regardless of any difficulty, we see miracles every single day. We had a referral from the anziani, two Africans, Gina and Vivian, and when we taught them they told us that the story of the restoration was nothing they expected, but they are already seeing the Book of Mormon as scripture and using it hand in hand with the Bible. We have struggled a little with the unique situation of one of our investigators and really needed to talk to her alone, and when we went to teach she was the only one there. We made such progress with her that day, it was amazing. The Lord is mindful of every single prayer we offer. I am still struggling to understand i fiorentini here, but I have hope. President Rogai said I have perfect pronunciation, so maybe one day I will be able to communicate with everyone. The Lord will help me. I know he already has. We have a companion exchange tomorrow with the sisters from Modena and I am staying here in Firenze, which terrifies me a little because I still don't know where the buses go (this city is massive), but I have been told to expect miracles. As frightened as I feel, I am also excited and if I press forward in faith, it will all go very well. We also have zone conference on Monday in Modena, so I am quite excited for the coming week. Today we are going to visit the museums and galleries at Palazzo Pitti and I am beyond excited. I also just ate one of the most incredibly pastries I have ever had. I think it was called sfogliatella and the filling had orange zest in it. Incredible. Firenze is famous for its paper and we went to a store called Sogni in Carte, which is indescribable. There are books, picture frames, pencils, cards, stationary, and little boxes covered in fiorentine paper or leather and they sell calligraphy pens and sealing wax. It was like paper heaven. I loved it! We met a couple of Australians on the bus, one of whom is named Margaret Lloyd and we talked to them about family history, which was delightful. We continue to sing for people and talk to them about this great message, even when we are beyond exhausted. I love it here. I love the branch, and all of the members. Sacrament meeting here is terrific. Everyone sings the hymns so loudly it cracks me up. I love it. The only real difficulties here are those tiny moments when we miss home but the moment that happens the Lord shows us another tender mercy, another miracle, another beauty, and we just work through it, because being here is worth it every single minute. I have to go! love you all! C'è lo facciamo con il Signore.