Sorella Sarah: 12.04.13 {week 19}

Family!

Happy Thanksgiving last week! I hope Thanksgiving was fabulous for all of you. From your various emails, it sounds like it was a fun (albeit tiring) weekend! Just as it should be! Of course I'm sad I couldn't be there, but it's all good! Thanksgiving was just a normal day here in Milano. It was really weird, actually, because we basically forgot all day. And then it was, like, ten at night and we remembered and basically just wished each other a happy Thanksgiving and that was that! Ah, the life of a missionary. ;)

So this week has been crazy. I got a new companion on Thursday (Thanksgiving...). Her name is Sorella Russell and she's from Layton, Utah. She's 20. She's two transfers ahead of me and only slightly ahead of me in the language, so we're learning really quickly. Our first lesson ended up having a lot of awkward pauses, but we're learning how to actually make conversation with people (for both of us, our previous companions always did that...). Also, I never made any Italian phone calls in the last three months, but this last week has definitely made up for the lack. It's so hard not being able to see people's mouths! But it's actually been easier than I thought it would be. It's hard to see my own progress with the language since I'm so caught up in my own brain and I'm really good at comparing myself to other missionaries, but sometimes I catch a glimpse, and I realize that I have come a LONG way. Yesterday morning we had a new, golden referral that we went on an adventure to visit. We got to the right city but then we just couldn't find the street. So I started asking people on the street and then they would give directions and we would both basically just nod and smile and then they would walk away and we would look at each other with the exact same confused faces and start busting up laughing. But we finally found it and we learned some useful vocab in the process! (Also, M., the golden referral, is now a golden investigator with a baptismal date!)

Another random thing, we were living in four again this week! It was the best! Poor Sorella Harward and Sorella McPeek didn't have power in their apartment for a week, so they got to come hang out with us! Mamma mia, no words can express how much I love the two of them. They are just incredible people and missionaries. It was probably TOO much fun, and now they're gone and life is just normal! ;) We also did some more caroling this week at the Duomo! The Anziani in my district are super into it. It's pretty hilarious actually. They're always calling us up asking us to go caroling with them. It's a pretty effective finding method actually. We just have one of us not singing and waiting until people come up and listen to us, then they give them a Christmas pass-along card and start chatting with them. I love it. We did it this last Sunday night and it made my week! Some of the YSA from our ward showed up and did it with us. It was the best. Oh how I love this ward. I'm going to miss it when I leave (which will hopefully be never.) I'll have to send some pictures in another email.

We'll be moving into a new apartment this week! I'll actually miss my little, moldy house. I liked it! But now we're in this fancy, brand-new apartment with hardwood floors. I'll be sure to send pictures next week when (if) we've actually moved in.

So basically it's been an exhausting week. Although I'm not technically senior comp, since I know the area, and since we're pretty equal with the language, we're both basically co-senior comps. I'm just glad I wasn't thrown in to training or something. But it's been a good, busy week! We've seen lots of less-actives and investigators (some more progressing than others), and we're looking forward to learning and growing a TON this transfer. We might need some extra prayers! ;) My faith in Jesus Christ grows every week as new experiences are thrown at me. I know that only with His help can I be the missionary I need to be. So I'm working on it! :) Thanks for your love and support, as always. Oh, and for the birthday messages! Thank you!!!! AMORE!

Sorella Gunnerson

Random pictures from Sorella P's last night here.

Giulia and Milca!