Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Where did everyone go? Anyone do anything out of the ordinary or was it the regular eat tons of food and chat? I can remember last Thanksgiving at the Taylors where afterword, we played one of the most intense games of mafia I've ever played! he he. I'm sure some of you remember that crazy game!

Well, lots has happened this week so let me fill you in...

Thursday was a regular day. We worked on the 3rd lesson. Our investigator also needed to be taught the law of chastity so we worked on how to teach that.

While we're in class, and I guess just anytime, we try to say prayers in Italian. There's a really funny Anziano (Elder) in our district from Wales, Anziano Gibson. He's only 18 but cracks me up all the time. So we all knelt down to say the last prayer of the day and it was his turn. When we don't know how to say words in Italian, we say them in English. The last thing he said was... "ti chiediamo per a nice, prolonged dormire" ha ha. We pretty much all bursted out laughing. He said it so funny but we all knew it was true. It's tiring work here and I'm glad he asked for a "nice prolonged sleep."

We went to the RC on thrusday as well. For those who don't know what that is... it's the referral center where people call in about church commercials to get DVDs, Books of Mormon, or best of all, to have the missionaries sent to them. So we were making outbound calls; checking up on people to see if they received what they wanted. Most of the time we get answering machines. I talked only to a few people who didn't want us to call back. But I also called a number and the person's ringtone thing was none other than the song "crazy" by Gnarls Barkley! ha ha. So I had a little dance party in my chair and remembered the good times at Rod and Jos. wink wink.

Friday was just another day of learning in the classroom. We continue learning the language and it continues to be a review for me. I learn words every once in a while. I'm trying to SYL (speak your language) as much as I can. We also started trying to learn the 1st lesson in Italian so that's pretty neat.

Saturday morning we were taught by Sorella Cramer. She is such a great teacher and always has the best things to say. We also got to take a walk around the MTC, that's always nice when we've been inside all morning. I don't think I've ever said anything about how my district was struggling at first for awhile. The two Anziani in it, Gibson and Horst, are pretty sarcastic and think everything is lame. They complain a lot. Sometimes I wonder why they're here. But apparently everyone noticed. Our teacher then, Fratello German, told us that the spirit wasn't in class. So that made us all sad. The Branch President, President Marcov talked to those Anziani and now they've gotten quite a bit better. They still complain a little about having to sing 20 times a day and pray 40, but heck, so do I, the trick is just to not vocalize it!

Sunday was great. We always have such great speakers for Relief Society. Sister Bonnie D. Parkin came and gave an awesome talk on gratitude. She made us all write thank-you notes to someone. I wish I could've written you all one, but sorry, Mom and Dad got it! She gave us 5 minutes to write them and by the end I could hear many sniffles. I have to admit a few were mine. I guess it was a mixture of gratitude and homesickness. After the talk, we got to go and give her a hug. What an inspired lady.

We had sacrament meeting in the afternoon. It was the older two districts last Sunday so that was sad. After that we took our Sunday walk up to the temple. It's always so pretty because we're up there just as the sun goes down. The Sunday evening fireside was amazing. This guy, Ted Gibbons, gave a talk as if he were Willard Richards. He stayed in character the entire time. It was amazing to hear the Joseph Smith story told from his point of view. It was very personal and made me so grateful for Joseph Smith. He never did anything except the Lord's will. Praise to the Man!

Monday came and that means teaching in the TRC. We taught the 3rd with the law of chastity. We had this really old lady who was asleep half the time but the older guy was great. We are good at teaching in unity but we still need to work on personalizing our lessons. This next week we'll teach the 1st again and then it's Italian! Monday night we said goodbye to all of the older Sorelle and Anziani. I sent a note for you, Mom, Dad and Andy so hopefully Sorella Birdsall gave that to you. About 4 Sorelle went to Milano and the others (3) went to Rome. I was so jealous that they were going to see you Dad and Mom! I wanted to get into their suitcases and visit you. So now it's pretty quiet around here. It's just our two districts, 11 people.

These first three weeks we've been all together in the same classroom. But yesterday we got spilt into our 2 districts. Us Sorelle are with Anziano Hurst and Gibson and then there's 6 Anziani in the other one. The other district keep Fratello German and Fratello Fife as their teachers and we had to get new ones. We are all pretty bummed because we love those teachers and they know where we are in our learning. But now we have Sorella Knott and Fratello Warren as our teachers, they both served in Rome. Sorella Knott is okay but we like Fratello Warren a lot. Change is good, I guess.

What a day yesterday was. Sorella Winslow has been having sort of a rough time. I guess she hasn't been sleeping too well and I think she's a little overwhelmed and homesick. Aren't we all! Her Mom sends her a card everyday. She's also gotten many packages. One of them had her stuffed dog in it. I guess she can't sleep without it. Jourdan, you better tell Milo right now that Quack has to stay at home when he goes on his mission! She broke down yesterday at lunch when she got caught trying to sneak into the lunchroom without her blue card. I guess the lady gave her a guilt trip. So all that was adding up and she was weeping all through lunch. I didn't know what to do. I was sort of rolling my eyes, but yeah, that's probably not the most Christlike thing. The Zone Leaders and District Leaders gave her a blessing of comfort and she seems to be doing well today. Mama Mia!

Elder R. Conrad Schultz of the Seventy spoke at the devotional about obedience. It was great. We met with the Branch Presidency afterward and discussed the devotional. One of our Counselors, Brother Naccarato mentioned how it always amazes him how these general authorities give up their whole lives to the gospel. It's total selflessness. He said that's how we need to be on our missions. We have to give it our all, and it's true. It's so hard but it's definitely possible. When I was on the swim team I remember Coach Dan Miller telling us that "we stand on all the shoulders of all who have swam before us." He would tell us that when we step on those blocks, we have the suport of all those who have ever swam for Orem. And I think that's so true about the gospel as well. There have been so many great missionaries who have gone before me: Ell and Paul, Marg and Nate, Rod, Steve, Tom, and Dad and Mom. I'm so grateful for that and for your support. We stand on the shoulders of Joseph Smith, the true prophet of the Restoration. The Book of Mormon missionaries such as Alma and Amulek were some of the best. And Jesus Christ is, of course, the ultimate example. It's humbling to think that we are just as important to this work. If all these people went through the things they did to bring people to the church, I know we can as well! It brings on new determination when I remember this. So, many thanks to you all.

The laundry is done and this has been, yet, another long letter. Unfortunately the temple is closed today for the holiday so we won't get to do that today. But I think we'll walk up there anyway.

I hope you are all doing well. I just got letters from Tom and Rod and Jo but haven't had time to read them yet. Thanks! Also thanks to Marg and Aunt Lynne and the Hillmans for letters and cookies! Be looking for letters soon! Aub, I wrote you a letter but I guess I put the wrong address so I'll try to send it again.

I love this work. I'm so excited to go to Italy and teach this true gospel to those I find! Grazie mille for all of your prayers! They help!

Love,

Sorella Boynton