My First Catholic Mass

I really really loved this week!

 I can't really remember what I wanted to write about....but it was great!

My brain is seriously not going past Saturday right now...

Okay, yes. Friday, morning we got to go to the Questura to do the

fingerprints  so that Sorella Groll can be legal. It was total

chaos. Like I thought my experience of Ragusa was crazy, but this was

just a whole 'nother story. A fight broke out, naturally, but we made

it out alive!

We've been trying some former investigator finding, and we found

another one who has continued to read the Book of Mormon, and also

writes gospel rap. He gave us his cd, so I guess I'll have something

nice to listen to after the mission!

I translated for the first time in sacrament meeting! Usually the

Anziani do the translations, I don't know why, but I tried it for the

first time and it was a lot of fun but really hard.

You guys, I can't even tell you how many miracles we saw this week,

but I'll hold off and wait until everything is official before writing

any details. It's funny, because you work and work all day, but it's

always like the people who are prepared or the ones who want to learn,

are always just kind of handed to you. They just kind of come out of

the blue, and they are never where or who you thought they would be!

Well, pictures, because my brain is so fried right now. I love you all :)

We went to a funeral (for funerals they do a special mass, that's why I went to my first Catholic mass this week) and then we ate at lake Albano afterwards. The popes summer house is right behind us.

Our pronzo

The Sears couple spoil us way too much.

Catholic mass was interesting but it made me realize how visual

everything is, and how much we rely on the spirit in the church of

Jesus Christ. It made me think of our new convert in Pescara, and how

she's blind, and I know why she was so quick to accept the gospel, and

it's because she felt something she had never felt before, and if you

don't have your vision, the art, and the actions, and the recited

prayers, and all the other little things, don't do much for you.

So delicious!

We all gained a new love for the country we serve in after this lunch.

I can't even describe to you how GOOD it all was.

 This is the translator set up

Random ruins.

On the bus to visit someone Friday, we drove pass Appia Antica. Paul

walked that same road on his way to Rome. It's in our area, and we

have some members that live by it. Thinking about Pauls journeys, is

super inspiring. I can't imagine what it was like to go leave his

country, and travel, learning all these languages to communicate with

the people, and working hard every moment to the very end, and still

knowing that the fruits of his labors would not go on for generations.

He knew there would be a general apostasy, but he still worked until

the very end. He knew it wouldn't last forever, but he knew what his

message was and he preached it like it was life or death, (which

essentially that is what it is). It was just inspiring to think that.

We know that he work we do will bless generations, because there will

not be another general apostasy. If we can save only ONE soul, we

bless their posterity, and their ancestors because we can do the work

for them now too. It's wonderful! It's hopeful! It's awesome, and I'm

so grateful to be a latter-day missionary