Venezia e più! : Venice and More!

Ciao! So much to say and ever so little time, as always. Last Wednesday Sorella Herndon drove us to Barcis Lake in the Mountains, which was lovely. It reminded me of home and I got a few great pictures and ate some delicious pumpkin gnocchi at a fantastic little restaurant we went to for lunch  and we finished the day with an awesome lesson with Mandy from the American ward. She is so ready to hear the gospel and every time we talk to her it is just so incredibly spirit-filled and miraculous. She will find the truth and I can see how it is already changing her and uplifting her. The power was out in our apartment for a few days so we did not have hot water either, but our stove is only gas so we heated some water in pots to bathe. I took a shower from the center of the inferno one morning and felt like I was camping in an artic wonderland that just happened to be in our bathroom, but all is well now and it was an adventure I will never forget. We spent new year's eve in our apartment because it is safer so I baked wheat bread, raspberry bars, and the apple cider cookies, which I did in a cake pan with two layers of cookie dough and the caramel in the middle. Sorella Sloan and I had a good time. We could hear fireworks going off all night. Italians like to celebrate. I got a new tire on my bike and now am riding like the wind. Sunday was a miracle when an ex investigator showed up at church early and so did we, so we got to teach him and he is really making progress. He came to our newly instigated family home evening yesterday as well. We started it for the first time this week and invited some members, new converts, and investigators, most of whom are kind of lonely and had a great success. We were concerned because at first we all seemed a bit like misfits but it somehow worked. We celebrated my birthday and had a lot of laughs. Today, we went to venezia. Yes. Venice. It was incredible. Truly. I know one word sentences aren't necessarily grammatically correct, but it needs emphasis. I. Loved. Venezia. Tutto è vecchio e bellissimo. The gondolas, water taxis, bridges, buildings, churches, statues, architecture, all mesmerizingly beautiful. We walked into a church and heard what sounded like monks singing a Capella. Beautiful! We went on an adventure and got lost in the city. It was terrific! And to see the water, the harbor, was a lot of fun. I am probably one of the most fortunate people alive as I got to spend my birthday in Venice. We took a tour of the famous La Fenice theater and opera house which was one of the golden moments of the day. It was amazing. Afterward we saw an exhibit of musical instruments from the time of Vivaldi. It was a day especially for me. It was a bit cloudy and hazy, but oh so lovely. Exactly as I would have it. Seagulls and all. We have taught one of the new converts, Roberto, a couple times this week and he said something awesome, "This is not knowledge. This is wisdom. You need time." I think that is true. We aren't here just learning in general, but learning to be wise, to be better. It takes time. So, I am trying to be more patient with myself when I don't get something right away or have to relearn it. Real wisdom takes time. I think we all need to remember that.