Ringraziamento--Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! "The pilgrims are here for Thanksgiving. They're thankful for what they have now. They're looking for a nice juicy turkey. Oh please help me find them a cow. Bring back, bring back, oh bring back a steak to me to me. Bring back, bring back, oh bring back a steak to me!" (to be sung to the tune of My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean) The word "pilgrims" can be substituted for "missionaries" in the case that missionaries and not pilgrims are present at your holiday feasting. Thank you elementary school for memories such as this little ditty. Alas, my companion and I will not be having turkey or steak today, but we are nonetheless very grateful for all that we have  and for the chance to be out of the house doing missionary work again! We spent most of the week inside nursing Sorella Brown's cough and our crazy cabin fever. Because she has asthma we were advised to stay inside by Sorella Wolfgramm. Mild insanity ensued after hours of study. I feel my brain has expanded and I have been enlightened by many things, but also slightly overwhelmed by them. I am reading Jesus the Christ in Italian and I must say even my vocabulary has grown substantially, though I was slightly upset at the many typos in the text, and I am every more amazed and grateful for the knowledge we have of the life of Christ. Thursday we taught Laura, a blind member in our ward, who is super sweet and has a lovely dog named Luna, Friday we taught Carlota and her two wonderful kids who just arrived here from Brazil. Her daughter is a returned missionary and both of the kids play the guitar wonderfully well. She was rather discouraged because of some serious apartment and legal problems they have been having so I hope we were able to help. After that, Friday evening we were ordered to stay home because of Sorella's painful coughing and we did not leave until Monday morning to buy some things we needed and then were ordered again inside, not to see the light of day until yesterday when we had training and interviews with president. I made oodles of Swedish butter cookies and chocolate shadows during our captivity and read a lot as I contemplated counting the days on the wall. I felt like I was in limbo for a couple days. We had no planners and my watch died so until yesterday I really wasn't sure what day it was. I was beginning to sympathize with the count of Monte Cristo. Per fortuna, we are missionaries and the lord has given us uplifting books and music to  help us grow and not perish for the want of sunlight. We were filled with the light that comes from Gospel study, the light of the Son. I really did learn a lot and God answered a lot of my questions. And then yesterday during training we talked about being pure in heart and I am even more grateful for all that I am learning, for the chance to be a missionary, to dedicate all I am to Him and to help his children feel his love and see his light. I feel more grateful this thanksgiving than I have in a long while and I know that it is because I have the opportunity to give, to really show what it means to be grateful to god by sharing what I have, my incredible blessings that only come from the gospel, with his children. My testimony has grown and so has my heart. Just do what you can with a grateful heart. Thanks for all of you back home and thanks to all my friends and family here in Italy and especially thanks to my God and my Savior Jesus Christ for saving me every day of my life and for giving me a chance to do the best thing I have ever done and helping me see the love they have for me and for all of the children of God. I love you all!

Sorella Lloyd

24 Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you. (Hebrews 13:24)