You know you're from FL, when you're IN Italy, and can't wait to get to Disney World (Epcot), and visit Italy :)

Ciao tutti!

Haha, the subject, just a silly thought I had last night. I LOVE it here in Italy, it's wonderful, but I also love Disney. And Epcot. And Italy in Epcot. So, it'll be fun going back there, and speaking to the little Italian people in Italian :)

Ma, this week was super good! So, every Wednesday we teach an free English class at the church, for non-members. And, I was super super nervous about it, last week. Ma, it turns out it's super laid back, and it was really fun. And, we're having a ward Halloween party coming up, and a bunch of these non-members (not investigators, just people learning english) are super excited to come to the Halloween party! Che awesome :)

Hm, it's hard, I'm trying to remember what all happened this week. Sunday was the Primary Program. SO cute! Ah, there's maybe 10-13 kids in Primary. It was adorable.

We did some Palazzi/porta/casa (aka, knocking on doors) the other day, and it was super fun! We didn't get any appointments out of it, but it was the first time I had done that, and I really enjoyed it. Ha. I dunno why. Our mission/mission pres. thought up a song, that another Elder here wrote out the lyrics to. It's Count Your Blessings, but they changed it to 'Count Rejections'. It's super good, cause even if you're getting rejections all day, at least you know you're working, and doing your part. Everyone has their agency, but if you've been rejected 100 times in a day, then you'll know that you tried to share the gospel 100 times, and that you've done your part. I'm getting okay with starting conversations (okay, not really, but I'm doing it more than I used to), but I'm just always lost after that part, a) because I'm not always/hardly ever sure what they said back to me, and b) because I'm trying to listen and understand them, I can't think of anything to respond to, because I'm not at that point where the language is second nature. I have to really really pause and think for a while about what to say/how to say it. Ma, I'm trying. So, we didn't get any appointments out of it, but we invited this young girl (22 - super nice!) to the ward halloween party, and she said she might come, and she might bring a friend! And, she was super sincere about it, too! So, I hope she comes :)

Then, the other day we were looking for some old investigators we found in the are book, and we passed by one house, that had this awesome fruit tree in the front, and we stopped to look at it. And there was an old man in the front yard working on it. We stopped to talk to him for a bit, and he was super super nice. We met his wife and his grandson/nephew/something. The tree is some Chinese tree, and it was fruit I had never seen/eaten before. But, he let us in the gate, and let us eat some of it! He knew we were walking the streets, hitting other houses, so he told us on our way home we can stop by, and he'll give us a bag with the fruit. So nice. But, on the way home we couldn't find the house again! We felt really bad, cause he was expecting us to stop by again. But, we found the house again, another day.

Then, another house we stopped at, there was this amazing music coming from it. Just straight sax. We stopped and listened, then a man came out, and we asked if it was a radio, or if someone was playing it, and he said it was his son-in-law. It was spectacular! We talked to this old man for a good while, and he was super nice. His grandson came out (10), and we talked to them for a while, they let us in their gate, and we played with their little dogs for a bit, and just talked. So, we didn't get return appointments from either of these people, but we started some really good relationships with them, and we want to go back, and maybe drop off some treats (pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, or something. Can y'all send me a recipe for that?). I love them, I want them to get baptized so bad! Ma, it's all in the Lord's time. Ha.

So, I don't remember what I've told you about my companion, but she's a doll. I love her. She's super smart, in everything. Her first 2 companions didn't speak English (only italian and spanish), so she had to learn the language quickly. Did I mention she's only been in Italy for 4 months? And, some of the Anziani came up to us yesterday (Zone conference) and told her that for the longest time they thought she was Italian, because she speaks it SO well/all the time. Bascically, she's a baller. Haha, we get along super well.

Oh! Adam, did Fratello Newton serve in Collegno? I think he did, a) because, I'm pretty sure he told us that in the MTC, and b) because in our apartment, there's a closet, and beside the closet is a measuring tape up against the wall, with a bunch of Anziani and their height, and there's a very tall Anziani Newton written up there... so I'm pretty sure he served here. Che pazzo! Haha. It was just crazy when I saw it, cause everything was super new to me, and I wasn't expecting to see anything familiar here in Italy, a place where I've never ever been, and yet, there's the name of my teacher. Haha.

Oh! Babbo! I didn't have an email from you this week? Super triste, I always look forward to your emails. I dunno if you knew or not, cause in the MTC you thought you had emailed one week, but something didn't work, so I'm just letting you know, in case you didn't. Ha.

It's still difficult for me to open my mouth. I can say hello to people, and introduce us as missionaries, but once they respond I'm not sure what they said/how to respond, and since I'm trying to understand what they said, I can't figure out what I want to say in Italian (because, it's not second nature for me yet, so I still have to really really think about what I'm gonna say/how to say it). So, it's still hard, but it's coming!

I'll try to send pictures next week. But, I haven't hardly taken any since I've been here, so it wouldn't be that many.

Love you all! The church is true! Keep me updated on what's on with everyone!
Love love love... I can't send enough love. Haha.
Ciao ciao!

Sorella Willis

Ma, I should get going! Love you all! Vi voglio bene!

(I'm pretty sure this is her first day in Italy, and the missionaries that she flew in with)