formaggio!

Oh mamma, Ian you're letter was the best! You are incredible! I am just the happiest that you are loving the MTC, half way!  I was there for an eternity... 10 weeks of that milk, I always busted into the gluten and lactose free section and stole soy milk, ha. And man does that feel like a LIFETIME ago.

Life here is beautiful. As always. My right eye twitches pretty much all the time and I get at least one tired head ache a week, basically I'm learning why the mission doesn't last forever, my body would shut down. Is shutting down. Ha.

But really, this city is exploding with miracles. We're having a hard time finding time to see everyone we need to. A little different that the first few weeks of casa casa and more casa. The Lord loves these people, I can tell because he's given me just a fraction of His love for them and I feel like I'm going to explode.

Did I tell you about how at the beginning of this transfer I felt so clearly that we needed to be working with our members more? We've been going through and teaching everyone we can the restoration and realizing that there really isn't a single member here that does't need sostegno. So we're loving our peeps and in return there really seems to be a different energy around these parts. The members are giving us referrals, teaching with us more and befriending our new investigators we're bringing to church.

It was super cool because last week literally was beautiful, and then Saturday came and it was a really hard day. Don't really know why but there was just something really off. Then I had found out that that night Giudi, my friend from Varese that we started teaching English to and then started teaching the gospel, was getting baptized and Luca was baptizing her and I was sitting on this train going to Poggibonsi (funniest name of a city evs, am I right?) and I just felt the sickest and would have killed a man to be in Varese with the people that I love. But we made it through the night.

God loves me and plopped a tender mercy right in my lap.  As we got off the train, this man asked me for help trying to buy a ticket to go to Modena on the little machines so we figured out the problem, helped with the ticket, and told him and his friend we were missionaries and give them pass along cards and started feeling so much better.

Then Sunday was awesome. First we picked up our casa miracle Marisa and brought her to all three hours and she became bff with half the branch. Then Emily came to all three hours of church. Then half way through Sunday School I see the face of Lucy, an inactive member that we work with who hasn't been to church since 2008 I think, pop in the door. Then Bruna, another woman we're working with that never really comes to church (and when she does comes for the last 10 minutes of sacrament meeting) came in as sacrament meeting was starting and was the first up to bare her testimony. Just so many little miracles.

We got home and Sorella Willis was like "Hey, remember how we just had an amazing week, then God threw in one tough day because it's only fair, and then blessed us with the most beautiful Sunday morning?" And I was like yeah, I remember.

We're teaching some really cool people these days and the baptismal interview for Chiara and Cinzia is on friday. Next week is going to be NUTZO because we're in Firenze Monday and just found out we're having a Sorelle conference next Thursday! Hip hip! So we're off to Milano and back in a day, ha. Then on Saturday, we'll be spending the whole day filling up our pop-up baptismal font for the baptism that night! And then it's transfer calls. Oh mamma, time is flying.

My other great news is my new bff. His name is Luigi. He owns a cheese shop called Forte Forte. He's from the province of Salerno and just sells southern cheese and sausage and bread. We walk by all the time and we finally made time to stop by last week. Told him I loved cheese and he told me it would be his pleasure to present all his cheeses to us. We bought one that had these amazing little olives tucked away in the middle. Yesterday we went back and got some mozzarella di bufala, because Sorella Willis had never had any (I know, I don't know what she's been doing since she got to Italy last October).  It was the best I think I've had. It was our dinner last night, I just ate these three little balls of cheese and was the happiest. It tasted a little like the way a good farm smells. Anyway, pian piano I plan on converting him to the gospel thanks to our common love of cheese.

There's also a fresh pasta place by my house and the woman who works there I think needs to be my next bff/ next new investigator. I think we're going to buy something from her this week. They have pistachio ravioli, I am beyond intrigued.

Can't believe it's Canoecopia! Give my love to all who deserve it.

APT! So excited.

Sorry for the word vomit.. my brain is literally the fullest these days. I need to get a pensieve subito.

Love you all madly, I am the happiest/luckiest!

sorella bush