Arrival in Italy
My birthday was both the best and worst birthday ever. They made us stay up until 930 pm so we were going on 36 hours without sleep. I felt so sick and couldn't even enjoy the pizza because all I wanted to do was sleep. Sister Wolfgramm was so nice, though, and did this big thing for my birthday. Over 50 % of the mission has been here for less than 3 months and they've only been here a year so we are definitely a young mission!
The next day we had a meeting to get our areas and trainers. Pres. Wolfgramm had mentioned that one of the trainers had only been out for 6 weeks and had said something to me like, "Oh, you speak German. I remember I made a note about how you like difficult language situations because of that program you did." so when I heard about the trainer, I thought it would be me.
I was right! My trainer is Sorella Modugno who is a native Italian from Rome. She is so awesome! I don't think there's any way I could be any more immersed. We speak English maybe 5 to 10 minutes a day, and the rest is completely in Italian. She totally amazes me. As we talk, I realize how hard it must be to be a member in Italy. She has so much faith to be out here right now. I am relieved that communication really isn't that big of a deal, and we even joke around in Italian all the time. I actually really wanted to be companions with a native to force me to learn the language.
Life in Florence
Florence is another story! I really wanted to serve here at some point. It is already swealtering hot! Currently we are sitting across the street from the duomo and baptistry (which ironically has a font for baptisms by immersion) and after we email we're going to see Michelangelo's David, as in the statue I've only ever seen in textbooks! It definitely is sort of like a fairy tale.
Actually, there are tons of people from Peru in Florence. On sunday we ate lunch we 3 members (ladies) and a less active. We ate this awesome peruvian rice. I had to try hard to not envy their apartment. It is picturesque Italian with green wooden shutters and flowers on the balcony, with laundry hanging on the line. It was so cool to just sit there and chat in Italian (even though I only caught about 50 %) and laugh and then do the whole kiss on both cheeks as we were leaving. I sometimes have to pinch myself to make sure it is not a dream.
Today we went to Ufizzi, one of the most famous museums in the world. It was so strange but I almost started crying at times because I simply could not believe what I was seeing. It was no longer just something from a textbook, but the real live thing. My favorite was Botticelli's Allegory of Abundance or Autumn. It's the one with the woman standing on the seashell with the gods blowing her to shore. I probably stood there for a good 15 minutes. Second best was Bandinelli's Lacconte and his children which is the statue of him and his sons being taken by the serpent. If you look it up you'll know what it is. Also Lukas Cranach's painting of Martin Luther and his wife, Madonna and the long neck, Leda and the Swan, Rembrandt's self portrait, etc. We waited over and 1 1-2 to get in but it was worth it. Afterwards, we ate the best pizza in the entire world. I am not lying. It was Napoli pizza and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I finally know what real Italian pizza is! Also, my companion made pasta twice this week and it is better than anything you can imagine. Thankfully we only have breakfast and one other meal so I am watching my weight.
Missionary Work
The days can get long, knocking door after door or trying to talk to people and getting rejected again and again...and again. It definitely is Europe and there is not much interest in God. Right now I'm trying to focus on what I can change in order to become a better missionary, because I know sucess only follows our efforts to change ourselves first. So I'm trying to talk to a few more people each day, because it's difficult for me to open my mouth in a language I don't know and start a conversation about the gospel.
But miracles are everywhere. One day, we were on the bus and my comp wasn't feeling well so she was dozing. This woman walked on and I felt I should talk with her. I didn't want to, the bus was pretty crowded, and there was a group waiting to get on. I promised the Lord that if someone in the group didn't sit in the only seat available across from her, I'd talk to her (because I expected someone would). Lo and behold no one did, so I grudgingly walked down the bus. She had on a peculiar necklace engraved with the images of three people. I asked her about it and we ended up talking about the Plan of Salvation for quite a while because it was her parents and sister, all of whom had died. It was crazy how the Lord provided the way and the words for me to communicate with her.
Two days ago we went to find a referral from two sisters in the branch. We met Erica who is 87 years old from Switzerland. I started talking with her in German and quickly discovered that the vocabulary of the gospel is vastly different than every day German, but she kept on talking to me in German. She told me her husband and children had died, that she was all alone, and had given her German Bible away. I told her we had brought her a present (Das Buch Mormon) only to discover that she had already read half of it and was really interested in Joseph Smith! One of the workers at the assisted living facility had already presented her with one and she remembered the missionaries meeting with her father years ago so she decided to start reading it! The Lord really is preparing people, even in Italy, of any age. Thankfully she is very nice and patient, and when I tried to bear my testimony the Lord stepped in.
My Testimony
I've learned quite a bit about faith this week. I've learned that just as it says in Ether, miracles only follow faith. In timothy I learned that we demonstrate our faith through our actions...belief is not enough. As I acted and went out of my comfort zone, the Lord blessed me. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not though therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." 2 Timonùthy 1: 7 and 8. Faith and fear cannot coexist, nor can any of us do anything on our own. It is only once we let go of that fear, let go of the edge of the swimming pool, that we can really learn how to swim. And just as mom or dad was always in the pool with us to catch us when we faltered, we have a Heavenly Father awaiting with open arms and a Brother who has already swam in deep waters. The gospel is true. It is the law and life of eternal happiness. By using our faith to apply the doctrine of Christ every day, we will have joy.
Sarah also sent some pictures that I'll post soon. As this point, the best way to reach her is to send mail to the mission home where it will then be forwarded to her directly.
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