My word, I just don't
have enough time to respond to everyone that I would like to this week! But,
this week has been great, so I just gotta update y'all on it! :)
First of all, it's
very hot these days. Fun fact? We don't have AC (not many places here in Italy
do. And, if they do, it's like the little AC fan we have in the garage.) So, we
have a couple fans, and get to open the Windows! But, I love it! I'm used to the
heat, now. Being from Florida only helped a little... because, we also have AC
in Florida! And I'm was indoors a lot, or in my car. So, it was a little
adjustment, being constantly hot, but I'm used to it now. It's the best :)
Hahaha. I also have a happy little tanline from these sandals that I bought
last transfer.
So, speaking of these
sandals, there's an interesting story that goes along with them. It's actually
a terrible story. Basically, this past week, my back has been KILLING me. You
know how when you see an old person strain to bend over to pick up something?
That was me. My lower back was in a lot of pain. Sitting, standing, laying on
my back, even (one night I had to sleep with a pillow under my back, so that it
wasn't strained). I thought it was just because we're constantly carrying
around books (BOMs, and especially here, we sometimes carry them in different
languages), because I think I've mentioned to y'all my back had hurt a little
bit, in past transfers, because of my purse/backpack/whatever I was carrying.
So, I just thought it was a continuation of that, just increasingly getting
worse. That worried me a little bit. Then, on Sunday, I talked to Cinzia
Gori (you know, the wonderful Cinzia), and she showed me some more stretches to
do to re-align my back/spinal cord. She also mentioned that (looking at my
feet) I have a bit of an arch in my foot, and maybe the shoes I was wearing (the
sandals) were causing the pain. I started doing some of the stretches, and they
helped a little bit. But, I still had the pains. Then, I decided to switch out
my shoes one day (my walking shoes I bought while I was at the MTC, instead of
the sandals), and see if it made a difference... and, it completely did!
My back still hurts a tiny bit, but I can already feel the difference from
not wearing the sandals, so I'm not super worried, now that I'm just not gonna
wear the sandals anymore.
Fun story, no? Haha. But,
it should hopefully all be fixed, and worked out well, now :)
Also, if I could just
tell you the blessings of going to bed on time? Okay, I'll tell you. So, 10:30 bed
time has been hard for me my Whole mission (not super late, just getting
to bed at maybe 10:35, or something) - just because, I can't go to bed a
few minutes early, and have 4 extra minutes ticking away when there's so much
stuff that I could be doing (the to-do list never ends!). So, I've Always been
a few minutes late. Well, Sorella Baird said, in the MTC the MTC Presidents
wife did this thing called quiet time, where everything was done by 10:15 (eating,
prayers, changing clothes, other to-do's), and the last 15 minutes were for
reflecting on the day/studying something/etc. DUH! How have I not done this
before? Well, I started doing it, and reading the General Conf. Engisn for
those last 15 minutes. And I'm in bed on time every time! And, because this has
been one of the hardest rules for me to follow, now that I'm following it,
there are so many blessings that follow! Honestly, we can be keeping 90 percent
of the rules, but if we don't put forth some effort, and don't
follow the last 10 percent of the rules, we're going to miss 90 percent of
the blessings! The blessings come in that last little push, when we DO just a
little bit more.
And, as a result of
this exact obedience, this going to bed on time? So many things! A wonderful
woman, from Brazil, who we stopped. She said she usually takes a different
route, but she had for some reason chosen the route she was on that day (for a
little stroll). After we met her and talked to her, she said, "I know why
I took this route today." Agh! We loove her! Also, we met and taught a man
named Saturday, who is Amazing! He has already talked to the missionaries
before, and he loves the Bible, and wants to do what's right, and follow
Christ. He's Amazing. He's read some of the BOM before, but it didn't do
much/mean much to him in the past. But, now he reads, and he said he sees how
it's similar to the Bible, how the teachings of Christ are the same. He WANTS
to read the BOM, and he prays to ask if it's true. He's wonderful! We also met
a man named Fabio who is Amazing! He basically Always sets up the return
appointments for us, "When do we see each other again?" He really
tries to understand everything we say. He's been reading from the BOM, and is
trying to understand everything he reads, too. He's Amazing, and he has a ton
of real intent to know personally if it's true! He's a super fun person, too.
He came to our English class the other night, and everyone was just laughing.
Amazing. Then, we knocked on the door of a wonderful girl from China, named
Barbara. Basically, we love her with our Whole hearts! She became a Christian
about 1 year ago. She reads the BOM and says she feels pure inside, that her
heart is, slowly but surely, becoming pure. She's Amazing, and said that God
send us to knock on her door. Both her and Fabio say they feel good inside when
they read the BOM, a calmess or peace or good feeling. It's Amazing! The BOM
has so much power. People can choose not to feel it, or ignore it, when they
read, but when read with desire to know, with faith in God, the BOM changes
hearts and lives!
...these are some of
the 10:30 bed time miracles that are happening! And, Barbara is the
greatest. She has to movie to Milan (cause she's a student, and her next
course is there), but she gave us her address in Milan to find the Church
closest to her! Then we invited her to baptism last night, and she told us she
wouldn't be here... she would be in Milan. But, she said, "Can I do this
in Milan?" ...YES! These people are Amazing, mamma mia!
Well, that's about it.
We've gotta rained on (aka completely soaked) at least 3 times in the past 3
weeks. It's fun, I love it :)
Luke needs to get his
papers in ASAP! Now that Elisabeth's gone, I'm curious about his
papers/call/future mission life!
Well, I've written
quite a bit, today.
Vi voglio un sacco di
bene!
Sorella Willis
PS: Sorry I didn't
respond to much, dad. I just kinda wrote away, without even responding to your
email. I'll respond more next week! :)
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