la terza letter whitniana

Hi hi! (Ciao ciao!)

Man, e-mail time stresses me out...26 minutes and counting.

So today has been a great day. Last week we couldn't go to the temple because they closed at noon for Thanksgiving and no one told us. I was so enraged*...Sono furiosa! But we went this morning with two of the other Sorelle, Clark and Forbes, and it was a dream.

It was nice to feel like I had no worries at all, especially because yesterday was probably my hardest day yet. After we taught a new "investigator," played by our teacher, I was just frustrated and stressed because it's only been two weeks, and I felt like too much was being asked of me, being able to both speak Italian and teach a lesson, tailored to the needs of the person we were with. But it didn't last for long.

And I slept great last night which always helps.

Thanksgiving was pretty nice. In the morning we had [Apostle] Russell M. Nelson come speak to us about Thanksgiving and giving thanks, and it was pretty cool. He is wicked smart. We then had Thanksgiving dinner, which could have been worse...at least they had cranberry sauce.

In the afternoon we did a service project, making boxes of medical supplies to ship off to Sudan. Our branch was in charge making the actual boxes, and we got done super early. So they had us singing Christmas songs and what not, and I was in charge of conducting and picking songs. It is amazing what happens when we fill a room with 19 year-old dudes (whom I'm sure I should call Elders.) People were yelling what they'd want to sing and I'd pick a song and we'd song, easy peasy.

Then I picked Lead Kindly Light and these dudes/babies were like "No! Not that song!" and going off and stuff. So I just yelled across the room, "Deal with it, I like this song, we're singing it, get over yourselves."

I guess the teacher voice is genetic, Mom. It was cute at the end then because all the Brazilian Elders in our branch came up and said "Uh, thanks, you did a great job, sorry about those guys, I mean, yeah..." I said "No big deal, I couldn't care less what they think or say, but thanks."

Sorella Bunker and I have been translating our favorite lines into Italian and saying them all week. Sono furiosa.

That night we watched "Seventeen Miracles," a pretty cheesy church movie, but still pretty funny. I also had a nice little chat with one of my companieras (roommate) after about faith, because there's this part in the movie where they're starving and they find a shepherds pie, and I said, "I don't have that kind of faith. To make food appear? No way."

And she said, "I think you do it's just different." And we kind of talked about how I'm never going to be in that situation where I need food to keep from starving, but there are other just as miraculous things that I will, or any person will need, that make since in our life that we can have the faith to make happen.

Our first investigator became our second teacher and the end of last week, and he's pretty great. I feel like I really am improving on my teaching, even if I expect more from myself. I need to remember that there's a learning curve in everything.

Our district is still super fun. The companionships are Anziani Hess and Iaccovelli, Walsh and E****, Misrahi and Briscoe. Hess and Iaccovelli are the ones that sit right by us and are maybe my faves. They try so so so hard and make the funniest mistakes.

Walsh is from Manchester and is our Zone Leader, and his comp[anion] E**** is the one that I have the hardest time with. I've been trying extra hard the past few days to be patient and charitable, when all I really want to do is tell him to stop being a d-bag all the time. But then he has his moments and I remember that all the Elders, even him, are just as called to be here as I am.

The last two are really great too. They're both 20 and it's pretty clear at least in Elder Briscoe's case that he's lived on his own and thinks for himself, even if I think it's crazy he's going to try and stay a vegan in Italy.

Which reminds me...they have soy milk and stuff like that for peeps with dietary problems, and you're not supposed to use it unless you need it. But the milk here tastes like shiz, especially after our own Sassy Cow, so when I grab a sack breakfast some mornings, I grab the vanilla soy milk instead. Today when I was writing letters in the laundry room and eating my food, this Sister said "That's so sad you're lactose intolerant and going to Italy!" I said, "Uh, gooo...I'm not, I just hate the milk here." Ha.

I think the biggest thing I'm working on learning right now is what it means to do all I can do, and how to rely on the Lord to do the rest, because it's pretty clear I can't do it on my own.

I was making a list of things you could send for Christmas in my journal, but said journal is resting in my room right now. I think it went something like this:

1. Kiss My Face chapstick
2. Nail Polish
3. Hand Towel
4. Alice

I can't remember anything else. Did you send my fleece with Carolyn? I'm getting excited to put it on my body again.

Man, so much has happened in the last week I don't even know what else too say! I've been passing on my fav jokes, like fake barfing and sono furiosa, to which Hess and Iaccolvelli have taken a liking. I also like to say Che uomo! ["Oh, man..."] at random times. I said it once in class, and Fratello Pfieffer said, "No, che anziano..."

I still love studying Italian, even if it stresses me out sometimes. I've gotten a ton better at praying in Italian, which is sort of really cool to me. When I was taking classes at BYU I never really got past the lines the teacher taught us.

Oh one more story...we taught in the Teaching Resource Center** for the first time this week. Two twenty-minute lessons with people we knew nothing about. Our first lady was freaking awesome. She was from Milano, was super nice and had the cutest little three year-old girl who instantly became my BFF.

She would bring over her animal toys and she told me her fav animal was the leone and I asked if she'd seen The Lion King. I asked her who she wanted to say the opening prayer and she pointed to me. And then when we were reading part of the Joseph Smith story I said, "It's not quite like The Lion King" and her mom said, "Because this one is true."

Her mom was just so happy that we included her daughter so much and said, "Spot on Sisters, spot on." I think for sure I'm going to need to utilize my love of people to develop positive relationships. Now if I could just learn how to do that when my teacher is pretending to me a 60 year-old man who lives with his mother.


XOXOXOXOXO,

Sorella Bush

P.S. We decided Sorella is the best name to have. When people call me Sister, I say, "Oh no, not me. Is my Grandma Sandi somewhere? But sorella is the prettiest. Muah!

*Whitney has used the "I am enraged" quote for everything since a long time ago. She loved the movie Thor because Thor becomes enraged and tips over a table while making a great growling/shrieking sound. She usually is not enraged.

**The TRC is where missionaries go to teach pretend investigators. Practice makes perfect.