ian! mission! gah!!!!!!!

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I am so excited!!!!!!!!!! Ian!!!!!  You got your mission call!!!!

The senior couple here called me up Saturday night. Our cell phone doesn't work in our house at all so I was practically hanging out the window and I was immediately so happy! It's perfect! How beautiful to know you are going exactly where you need to EXACTLY when you need to. GAH! God is so good.  Now you have 2 years to go find the people that desperately need YOU and no one else. And you're so good at loving people you will be an excellent missionary. When we see each other in February 2015 it will be a very very good day...See Alma 17: 1-4...meno male our missions don't last 17 years, I already feel like I'm dying a little bit...get ready to be tired!

Okay, so where are we? Well guys, it is freezing in this here church and my arms are literally shaking, so I might keep this a little short. BUT man, is life good. We have been working so hard and praying even harder and miracles are happening. Highlights include the Gori family and Anna. Lemme splain.

The Gori Family is incredible. When the sorelle got here they called about every old investigator in the book and the last time the Gori's were meeting with the missionaries was about five years ago. They're a referral from the amazing family that pretty much runs the branch. The wife Tina is my new favorite person and cracks me up. It's like I've won a treasure hunt whenever I find someone sarcastic in Italy.

So the sorelle call the Gori's and tell them of course they can come over. Meanwhile that same week they reconnect with the family of members they know at a shopping center somewhere for the first time in about five years. Now they're all besties again. The Sorelle were only able to really go and teach once before I came but they've come to church and and come to all our activities and I finally got to meet them at a movie dinner party thing we had in church on Friday. Mom, Dad and daughter Chiara who's 18. They are beautiful. Cinzia the mom is so ready and talks about getting baptized and wants it. The rest of the family isn't quite as ready but we're finally going to go teach the restoration tonight and help them catch the vision of how their lives can change and how beautiful the gospel is. They have a son who died ages ago when he was little who was a little older than chiara and they just need to be an eternal family so h-ing bad.  Which reminds me parents, we have to go down to the temple before we fly back to Italy after I'm released, I miss it like whoa.  So yeah, I'm sure you'll be hearing lots about them, ormai they're part of the branch.

Lungarno. Firenze.

Anna. Oh mamma.  This is a miracle of freaky miracles. Anna was a referral from the Rome mission. All we got was her name and number so I call her up about a week ago.  She said "Wait, who are you?" I had no idea where she would have met the missionaries and what they could have told her, so I told her "we're the ones with the Book of Mormon," and she was like "OH!!! Yes!!! Of course, I'm so glad you called, come over!" She had just gotten back from le feste a Napoli so she had to get life straightened out but we set up an appointment for Monday morn. She lives about 30 minutes from Siena on bus and she met us at the main stop and we start walking to her house and asking her how she met the missionaries.

Man alive she is beautiful. First she tells us how the anziani in Napoli had found her nephew, and that in itself was a beautiful miracle, and then they came over to teach when she was there. She told us also how she hadn't been south in at least two years but this year really felt the desire to go. She said she's just looking for the right path in her life, she feels like she's missing something, she's studied with every religion under the sun and the missionaries in Napoli told her she would find what she was looking for in the Book of Mormon. As we taught her the restoration it was like she was drinking in everything we said just staring into our eyes so intently and listening to every word and asking, "Okay, what do I need to do to know?" and asking about how to pray and coming to church and seeing us again. She said when she got her answer she would be baptized.

She has three beautiful children, the oldest daughter who's 26 didn't really want to say anything but wanted to listen to everything and will be there when we go back Friday afternoon. The son barely woke up while we were there, and the little 14 year old was so sad that we were coming when she was at school, so we're coming back Friday afternoon and Anna promised us some napolitana pizza, ha. More on this beautiful family to come; I've never been more sure of something in my life.

Yesterday we had a conference with Presidente Wolfgramm and since it's Sorella Nilson's last transfer she gave her last testimony and man was that rough. All of a sudden I feel so mission-mortal and realize how LITTLE time I have left here in Italy as a full-time missionary and it is seriously freaking me out. Your guys are lucky my visa and permesso expire otherwise I might accidentally not make it on the plane home. Good thing I love you guys a lot and miss my flannel shirt and NPR enough to make an appearance state side.

Ponte Vecchio, Firenze

But really I feel like Italy is my home and I feel like it has been for ages; it's like I've felt it calling to me since I was 6. I remember sitting in Primary and thinking about Italy. Good night. Sometimes I freak out a little thinking at how unknown my future is, I was talking it over with the Lord the other night and I was like I know I don't need to really worry yet and I know you've never let me down but man I would love a sliver of light to help me figure out where I should be going. But my hope is stronger than any of my fears, life is too dang good to live any other way.

My Christmas present made it to Varese but Sorella Beutler wasn't allowed to pick it up since she's not me, so I had to make a copy of my permesso that I sent up to her and she should get at their conference tomorrow and she can pick it up and some how get it down to me, probably in a few weeks still. Hopefully you didn't send cheese this time.

Right, I'm a popsicle so I'm peacing out. The Capece's are going to take us out driving around the area and we'll probs pop by San Gimignano.

Love you all!!!  Dad, don't hurt your pancreas and don't work too hard, I worry about you. Also, I'm sending off tomorrow a CD with all my pics up to to now. When you get it and upload err'thing on the computer let me now and I'll cancellare.

xoxoxoxo

sorella bush