JULY 11th 2007

Hey all,

This week has been pretty great.

I guess I'll start where I left off last week. We had a really fun time at the church last Wednesday celebrating the 4th! It was pure American with hamburgers, hotdogs, baseball, football, and well, I guess not pure american because we played soccor as well! There were a bunch of us missionaries and it was a blast.

Thursday and Friday were normal days. We had some appointments. We've been meeting with a women named Fabrizia. Her situation is an interesting one, along with everyone else we are teaching! She's not married and has been living with her boyfriend for like 20 years I guess. The elders started teaching them a few months back and turned her over to us because her man is gone to africa for his work for 3 months. So we started teaching her a little bit. She's wonderful and really with it but the situation is nearly impossible because her husband was married to another women and never did all the documentation to get a divorce. That means that either they'd have to quit living together or he' d have to get a divorce and they'd have to get married before a baptism would happen! Crazy.

On Sunday we talked with Jantina and she came up to us so happy and said that her husband had given her permission to be baptized! We were so happy! But she said he ripped up the first permission form and so she needed another one so he could sign it. We were supposed to meet with her yesterday but she called and said she couldn't make it, so we'll see her on thursday. I hope the husband hasn't changed his mind! But we've got faith that we can go through with this! Also on sunday we got to go down by the walkway along the sea to do chalk. It's where we set out a sheet and draw on it with chalk things like the plan of salvation. It's another means of finding work. A couple missionaries draw while the others stop people and talk to them! It's really fun and a good way to contact people. I was able to teach 5 lessons doing it! The coolest of which was when 6 nuns came walking by and everyone was saying... go talk to them sister boynton! So I went over and taught them about the restoration! Cool experience. The other missionaries snapped some pictures of the event so I'll try to send them soon!

Monday was Zone Conference in Firenze. It was great as always. It was the first time we were able to meet the new mission president, wife, and family. Their called the Acerson's and they are going to be awesome. They gave a couple of great talks. I can't wait to get to know them better. It was fun seeing all the missionaries as usual, especially hearing the "dying testimony" of my trainer, Sorella Roper, and all of the testimonies of departing missionaries. I made me realize that one day the mission will come to an end and I have to work so hard everyday so that I have no regrets!

Yesterday we had our district meeting. I gave a training on helping people find the perfect plan through reading the book of mormon and coming to know our Savior Jesus Christ. I talked about how there are people searching for all of the "perfect things"...vacations...etc, but that there is only ONE perfect plan which consists of the perfect book, the book of mormon, and the perfect man, Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for the Book of Mormon and want to challenge you all to make it a priority to read it EVERYDAY! Even if it's just a verse. There's just such a power that comes from the book!

Thanks for everything everyone!

Love ya,

Sorella B.

p.s. THANKS for all the letters and especially the package Casey and Rebecca!

jen and jack: do you remember a Scott ? Palmer that was you're neighboor down at SUU? We made that connection and he's totally in my district right now! CRAZY!