conferenza

Guys, there are too many highs school students in Varese and they take over the buses and make me want to shoot myself in the face. Aiuto.

But other than that I have no complaints, just that I am freaky tired alllll the time! We planned a chill P-day today so that we can just sleep and catch up and be ready to get to work again tomorrow.

First off, Conference!!!!!!! Oh mommmmmma. So good. I feel like Prezzes Uchtdorf and Erying have been reading my journal. It was so cool to here them talk about the things that have been rolling around my brain these months, fulfilling our potential and aligning our will with God and then Holland came in and just sealed the deal. Does the Lord know that I love him? What do I need to do to make sure there is no doubt?

Saturday night we watched the morning session at Agusta and Michele's house with Luca. It was so perfect and felt like home, sitting in the couch with the laptop on a coffee table, and after we ate lots of delicious squash and prickly pears. Sunday we headed to Como to watch the Saturday afternoon session and Sunday morning sessions in the church. We brought Tati and Eddie and Alice in the morning, and Luca was there obvi. Just a beautiful weekend.

Then Monday morning we had a zone training meeting here in Varese. Since they split the Milano stake the rearranged the Como and Milano zones into Milano Ovest and Milano Est according to the stake boundaries and now being part of the Milano Ovest zone, Varese is the more central city to meet in. Anyway Sorella Forbes was there (hip hip) and some of my fav anziani and it was just a really good meeting.

We've had this push to teach 20 lessons every week since last conference but the standard had been set before, so when I got here and finished my first transfer Sorella Jacobson said that we've taught 20 lessons every week, you can decide now to teach 20 lessons every week for your whole mission. So I did. It's been a little stressful a few times this past transfer but we planned and prayed and did it. Then this past week, with appointments in the Questura and conference in Como and what not we got 19. And to be honest I felt kind of awful, even thought I knew it wasn't true I just felt like it meant I had done something wrong, even though plenty of peeps don't teach 20 lessons.

Anyway, they announced Monday morning that they're getting rid of 20 lessons. It helped lots of people talk to to more people and step up the work, but it also caused lots of people to teach sub-par lessons trying to get 20 lessons. And when the zone leaders told us and the assistants explained a bit how they came to this point I felt soooo good. So relieved. We're still going to try and teach as much as possible, because that's what where here to do, but it means I can relax a little and enjoy the rest of my work. I think it's just really going to help everything. Anyway, kind of long winded to explain a simple thing, but know I am really excited for this transfer.

BTW, Luca is getting baptized Saturday. SATURDAY!! My heart is exploding. There's nothing more to be said.

Cool thing from last week: We met this rad girl named Sole doing strada in centro last Tuesday night. She's 18 and so so cool. We had saw her last Friday and were kind of rushed and unprepared and taught her about the Book of Mormon, gave her a copy and made plans to meet Tuesday and she said she would bring her sister, who's 16, who's a little more practicing but feels like God hasn't been listening to her prayers.

So yesterday we meet in the park to teach Sole, her sister Angelica, and Angelica's bf Francesco. Such a cool restoration lesson. Francesco told us he believes in Darwin's evolution not God, and I was like "uh, dude, they go right together." Sole said she had read in the Book of Mormon and really liked it and she had explained it a bit to her mom who had also started reading it. Francesco asked tons of questions that were really interesting. At the end I offered him a Book of Mormon and he was like I'm not really interested in conversion just discussion but I'll for sure be here whenever you meet with Sole and Angelica.... Little does he know everyone says that at the beginning...vediamo.

The future of the church here is totally in the hands of the youth and young single adults and they have become my favorite people to teach. Sole really likes everything we've taught her. We can't see them next week but we made an appointment for the beginning of the week after. I'm excited.

Beautiful things are happening. I ate my first cachi yesterday, yum.

Love you all, praying for you. Did you send that baby package? If not send it asap because we need to move apartments the beginning of November and even if we forward our mail I just want to limit the steps in which it could be lost. Excited for Ian to try out the mission life. It is the hardest but most beautiful thing evs. Appunto!

BTW in case you didn't know pretty sure I fly home next June 14th.

Send me more pics when you can. I'll take a soft bear pic this week. White bear is still at home alive and well.

Lots of loooooove,

sorella wsb