14 NOV 2007

Holy cow, another week has come and gone!

Starting right up where I left off last week....

Being in Cagliari for P-day was so much fun. All the Sardegna missionaries were there (maybe like 20-24 missionaries, 6 sisters) and we played soccer and had a great time. It's always fun seeing other missionaries that I served with in Prato or saw at zone conferences in Florence.

The next day, Thursday was zone conference. It was the smallest ever. I'm so used to the Tuscany zone conferences where there are at least 30 missionaries all sitting in rows. But this one we were all just sitting in a big semi-circle! haha. It was great though. There were some great trainings. Sister Acerson and President always have good advice and I always learn so much. They are amazing people and I'm so grateful for their selfless service. One thing I always enjoy about at zone conference is the "dying testimonies," or the testimonies of those who are leaving. They are always so great and strong. It's incredible what a mission can do to someone if they let it!

I got your package at zone conference ell! Grazie mille!

Then we came back and taught English class. Friday was good. We did our programming for the week and then had an appointment with Sorella Angius, our good friend the RS pres and branch presidents wife. Zuma, the African member was there and we just helped her cut up these weird hard apples so she could make jam with them. Also they made brownies because Zuma loves them. I don't think I've heard people rave about brownies like they do here! They love them and always ask about them! haha. We left a spiritual thought with them and since we 4 practically are the relief society of Oristano, we talked about the blessings of the sorellanza mondiale!... the worldwide sisterhood that we have in the church! Anyway...

Saturday was pretty long... we pretty much did finding work until our appointment at 8pm. We are working with an inactive... Sorella Lai. I liked something she said... after we were done teaching her a first lesson, just to review the restoration with her, we were talking about her problems and how she doesn't really feel like her prayers get answered. Inactives know we are there to get them active. So she instead of dancing around that like sooo many do... she said... "I'm not just going to come back to church because Sister Boynton told me to come back to church." I think on the mission I've just come to like it when people are just blunt and honest. I've heard more excuses than you can imagine and so that honesty just made me happy. She's got a long way to go to come back but when she comes back, at least it's going to be for the right reason and not just because "Sister Boynton told me to come back."

Sunday was great this week. President Angius and his wife gave talks. I really liked her talk. She talked about the story of Mary and Martha and how Mary "chose the better part." (see Luke 10:38-42).

Sometimes it's hard to gauge ourselves on how we are doing but I think that if we are always trying to "choose the better part" or just trying to do our best we'll be blessed. A big, although not new, realization this week was that Father really does trust us so much and just how great and pivotal in the plan of salvation the gift of agency is.

Monday we were back in Cagliari for our district meeting. It was great. Yesterday we had another appointment with Natasha, the lady we met last week. She's good but just really busy with work and studying. So, we'll see were that goes. We've been running into this blind man who's about 50 years old. So we've come to know him pretty well. He knows the missionaries and we came to the conclusion that he is the key to this city. He knows everyone, including our branch president, and if we get him the whole city is going down! That's the plan anyways!

Today we're taking it easy and just getting caught up with letters etc, and maybe a little sleep!

Tomorrow we have interviews with President Acerson, he'll be coming here to Oristano. I'm way excited to talk with him! Next week we'll be boarding the boat again on Monday to go to Rome for sister Harvey's 3 month conference. That will be fun, I'll probably do exchanges with the Rome sisters! Wahoo.

Other than that, things are great. Hope you all are well.

Dad, a little paragraph for your question:

Oristano is an ugly little city and yes it is by the sea, however we are a little inland so we can't see it at all here. Population: 36,000. The people are nice and a little more open that the Livornese and Pratese people that I've been around before. They are known for their good Sard cookies and just little pastries. There's sheep and the land is flat. Um...what else... they don't have good foccacia here... um... I'll be thinking about other stuff.

Okay, love you all...

Sorella Boynton