c'era una volta...

Oh mamma, I don't even know what to write about, it's been a whole new week but I don't think I am capable yet of comprehending that this is the last day. Okay, so I am, but I still feel like everything is normal and that I'm going to be here forever except that everytime that I see people I make them cry. miiii I still hope that by some miracle the camera or at least the memory cards are still returned to me, but there are so many more important things that I just can't be sad about it forever. Luckily I have been blessed with lots of companions who take lots of pictures. By the way, that's really funny that Tommy is in Anziano Grigg's ward and has been forever. When I met Anz Grigg he said to ask Tommy if he knew his family because he lives in his mission, and I forgot to ever ask. Oops. So let's see what has happened this week... On Wednesday we went to the Vittoriano. WOW. It has a terrace, and you have to pay 7 euro to take the elevator up there...

Also, the Area Presidency asked us to share "spiritual success stories" with each other a few weeks ago. This is what I wrote. I have never seen a baptism. But I have seen so many miracles. I have seen so many people come so close and make so many changes in their lives that it is absolutely incredible. I have talked to hundreds of people on the street, I have gotten many phone numbers to call, I have taught many lessons, I have met the most beautiful people that exist. The Lord has given me so many opportunities to learn and to grow and to serve Him. Although I have never been present when a person I taught was baptized, I have seen a lot of success in my mission. One of the biggest spiritual successes I have had is in myself. When I began my mission I had no idea that I was capable of stopping a stranger on the street, telling them that I am a representative of Jesus Christ, and teaching them the Gospel. I had no idea I could take control of a lesson and keep it going on t...

Hello family! Well, heartbreak of the week so I can just get it over with...my camera got stolen on Sunday. And for some reason it had all of my memory cards in its case so there went everything. At least I assume it got stolen since it was no longer in my bag, although it was shoved in there pretty good and I never felt a thing and I always feel when somebody touches my bag. It was just weird. Anyway, I cried for about 3 hours straight and it's still extremely depressing but I can't do anything about it so I guess I just have to get over it. Don't ask me to see my pictures though, thank you. Oh dear. The rest of the week was pretty great. We went to the Galleria Borghese on Wednesday. It is incredible. Mamma mia, Gian Lorenzo Bernini was my favorite sculptor before and now he definitely is. AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING. All of the detail and all of the movement. Apollo chasing Dafne while she's turning into a tree and in only a second more he'll crash into her and sh...

Mamma mia che settimnana lunghissima...uou. So it's been another good one. We're definitely busy. I have a question for you--what is my homecoming talk on??? I have to write it before I get home because I don't think that even with going back in time a day that I'm going to do it the day I get back so somebody needs to let me know please. Thank you. So, let's see, Thursday was Thanksgiving, which of course is a day just like any other here in Italy--some of the people who use internet occasionally read that it was a holiday in the USA but they don't really know what that means. So in the morning we tried to go visit Rosanna, the woman who lives in the house that's more than 1000 years old but she never answered her phone so we just ended up doing some finding work. We also had to make a copy of the key to our water heater cabinet, because the one that was in there was ridiculously old and it broke. They didn't even have to make a copy, they just have t...

Mamma mia, che settimana! But can I please start with today, because today was way cool. Actually, I'll just say the CRAZIEST part of today. So, we were in the Vatican, looking at St. Peter's after having walked up the the cupola and stuff but I'll talk about that later. And I was taking a picture and somebody says "hi Sister" and I looked to see who it was expecting to see some member from the USA because we see them every p-day, and I looked and the face looked very familiar and she said "I'm Sister Beck." !!! Wow. What are the chances. And then she talked to me for a minute--her husband served a mission in Italy 40 years ago (and he speaks Italian VERY well still) and her son-in-law served in Milan about 15 years ago so they were visiting. So cool. She told me to tell my parents thank you for letting me come on a mission. So THANK YOU. What are the chances, going to the Vatican and meeting a general authority who's just on vacation. So awesom...

Hi! We're in an internet place that doesn't check documents...how weird and illegal. It's hidden in little streets and I'm writing on a laptop and my fingers are having such a hard time using it, it's so different. But more comfortable. However, typing is annoying, my rings are too big and they spin around and I'm actually kind of afraid of losing them from my fingers. Sigh...cosa posso fare [what can I do]? Well last Wednesday we went to the "Bone Church" really the Cappucin crypt or something, it's really quite fascinating. They had to move the crypt at some point so they just decided to use the bones to create these rooms of art and such--apparently the decorations made of bones are supposed to symbolize their hope in the resurrection. It was really quite fascinating, thousands of people's bodies were used for that thing, they had chandeliers made out of hipbones. Mamma mia, I don't know what they were thinking but it's pretty coo...

Hello! Well, what a week. Last P-day was way cool, we rented bikes for three hours and rode around and saw a whole bunch of things--la Fontana di Trevi, the Pantheon (and unfortunately half of the facade is covered by scaffolding che triste), a couple of other fountains, piazza del Popolo, the Spanish Steps, I don't know what else, but it was a lot of fun to zip around on the bikes and ring those annoying little bells at people so they'd jump out of the way. Luckily my collega only ALMOST got hit by a taxi. Fun fun fun. We had an appointment with Claudia in the evening, she is awesome, she understands a whole lot more than the average bear and she is interested in learning. Unfortunately she wasn't able to come to church this Sunday because she went to Padre Pio Puglia. HAHAHA. Oh dear. Thursday Anziano and Sorella Marcucci came over for Anziano Marcucci to fix our shower so it's actually like a real shower and has a curtain and everything che incredibile! And we were...