Sacile e la settimana scorsa : Sicily Last Week

This week has been lovely and today was a marvelous touch. We have had so many meal appointments over the course of the last week, I feel as though I have been full since Friday, and I even fasted for 24 hours. Italians, Africans, Romanians, members and non members, they all are marvelous eaters. They know how to cook and how to feed people. I have had Radicchio risotto, pasta with a sweet yellow pepper sauce, enchiladas, a strange Romanian dish that was more garlicky than count Dracula's nemesis, African rice and spicy stew, chicken, rabbit, pan brioche, homemade pizza, spaghetti, polenta, salame, fancy cheese, cabbage, potatoes, tiramisù (senza caffè), and cake, all in extraordinary quantities. It was marvelous, but I may never want to eat again. Yesterday Sorella Rigonat, who used to be a cook, made us all an extravagant dinner for our FHE and we had appetizers, homemade foccaccia, a vegetable lasagna that fell from heaven with homemade noodles, and two other dishes both extraordinary and indescribable. I wanted to die. Scherzo. Apart from the gallons of food Sorella Sloan and I consumed,  the week was full of little miracles and a lot of fun. I am more comfortable on the bicycle, so we venture further every day. Our new investigator, Mariana, came to church and accepted a baptismal invite. She is still wanting to learn and know for sure, but she is very willing. Mandy loves church and everything she is learning. She is so ready for the gospel it is a beautiful thing to see. And I love watching her begin to see the value she has as a person. It is miraculous and sweet. Dustin, an investigator from the American ward finally got back and we are excited to finish teaching him before his baptism in a few weeks. Today, Fratello Fossa, who is eighty something years old took us, with his granddaughter Carolina, to Sacile to see where he was born and look at the venetian style buildings and the very pretty river. It was a wonder and so nice to just sit and listen to him talk about what it was like during the second world war there. He talked of eating sunflower seeds when there wasn't anything else and showed us the holes from the bombs that are still in some of the buildings. I learned a lot.  It was an amazing time, finished off with some thick Italian hot chocolate. I am excited for this week. We have a scambio a Trieste tomorrow and an amazing mission training with Elder Clausse next week, not to mention lessons with our incredible investigators. Just keep praying for them. I am so happy to be a missionary. I am so blessed to have the gospel. How could I not want to share it? Sorella Sloan and I did a demonstration where someone rubs their hands with butter and tries to wash it off without soap, just water. It doesn't work. They then are given soap, but can't rub it around. Again it doesn't work. Al fine, a person must do both, rub really well and use soap to come clean. It is a lot like grace and works. We have to do our part, all we can, but we still must realize that it is in using the grace of God (soap) that we can finally become clean. "It is by grace we are saved after all we can do." We need to do all we can, but remember we can't do it all. We will always have need of Him. I think that is kind of beautiful. I love you all! Have a good week! 

 Foccaccia