2 April 2008

Hello for the last time from Italy!

This week has been amazing and has been the best ending to a mission possible!

Last Wednesday we had a really fun p-day! We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch as a district! I'd never been to one before so it was my first experience at a Hard Rock! We had expensive hamburgers and fries. I guess that will help me get back into the American way a little bit. I also got our cell phone stolen on the way, so that was a major pain that we had to take care of this week. We had to use the Elders phone a bunch to set up appointments and had to make a couple trips to the police station (luckily it's right by the church) to file a stolen phone, and we had to go into the mission office to pick up a new one! It was a pain but everything's all worked out now luckily. We had English class like usual Wednesday night and helped the Anziani with their class. Yana was there, she started coming to English class a while back.

Thursday we taught Yana some commandments in preparation for her baptism and did some finding work.

Friday was planning for the week and another lesson with Yana teaching her more commandments. We were talking about the baptism and making sure her mom that works could come. We had scheduled the baptism for the 5th of April right? Well, turns out that her mom couldn't make it that day and so we moved the baptism to a day she could make it and that day was April 1st! Yesterday! I'll tell you all about it when I get to telling about Tuesday. Luckily we had a new phone by then and so we started making calls and getting everything all ready for the baptism.

Saturday we met with Nancy again. She's doing fine and just having problems with work and stuff. Visits with her are always humbling and amazing to see that she has soo much faith. Saturday afternoon we met in the church for Yana's baptismal interview. We had prepared her for the questions and she was ready! After the interview there was a RS activity in church where all the different sisters represented their countries and talked about what RS was like where they came from (we have lots of countries represented in our ward.). Yana and her mom were there and it was a fun night.

Sunday was great. We went to church and then had an appointment with a member and then went and did chalk in the piazza.

Monday we had a few appointments including one with Concetta. She's not really progressing but it was the first time we've seen her in a while so it was nice to see her again. Monday night we had a family night with Yana and her mom. We did last preparations for the baptism and then watched finding faith in Christ together. Yana is amazing and whenever her mom would talk during the movie she would pause it and tell her mom to be quiet because she couldn't hear what was happening. There's a point in the film where John the Baptist is baptizing someone before Christ comes to be baptized and when she saw that part she rewinded it and watched it over and over 3 different times and said, is that what it's going to be like for me? and we said Yep! She has such a strong testimony and it's been incredible to see it grow.

Tuesday we had our district meeting in the church. We pretty much stayed in the church all day. We ate lunch there as the font was filling up. For the last baptism of Ivan, it took 6 hours to fill up because the hot water pressure is soo slow! So we started the water before district meeting and at the end had to turn on full blast cold water to fill it up enough! The baptism was held at 6pm. It was really incredible and Yana was so happy. There were lots of members there to support her. The talks were good. Then she got baptized by one of the Elders, Anziano Zeller (who's actually going home with me next week! What a way to end his mission huh!) She had a dress on and it took 3 dunks before all of the fabric went under the water! Haha. There were some laughs and she had to eventually tuck the dress in between her legs! The rest of the program went well and afterward everyone came up to congratulate her. It was one of the best nights ever and I'm so happy for Yana.

I really can't believe my mission is coming to an end. It has been one of the most incredible experiences ever and I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for giving me this once in a lifetime experience. My testimony has been strengthened and there's no doubt that this is the Lords work and that it's all true.

Thanks everyone for all of your support and prayers. I love you all and will see you soon!

Love Sorella Boynton

Enjoy General Conference!