growing older in ...

TARANTO!
still here baby! 
with the smed!
life is good.

let's talk ...

thursday ...
first of all i hope everyone gets a chance to hear an italian say "thursday" someday. it is great: "tttttuuuuurrzzzday". in the morn we called about 500 people. it was good times. italians are a hoot on the phone. fun fact: did you know that when you close a phone call with the italians they say "ciao" until you hang up. so the conversation translated would be like this:

me: alright see you later
them: okay yeah see you.
me: okay bye.
them: okay. hugs (abbracio)! bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye.

my english class got me talking about movies so that was good times. apparently i have missed some goodies. they told me to tell you ("the americans" as you are so tenderly referred to as by my class) so see a movie called la siosara. i guess it's a gem. 

friday ...
one (of the 500) of the people we tried to call the day previously had a wrong number so we decided to visit them uninvited instead. and WOW i am in love with them. la famiglia petruzzi! the mom was an investigator about a year ago but had some things she needed to do before getting baptized. then the missionaries disappeared until we showed up! she has two of the cutest little kids eveeeeer! we chatted and tried to get a feel for where she is at spiritually. then out of the blue she asked us to sing i am a child a god. so obvs we did. and whosh ... spirit rush. the little kids went silent and it was as if the world just stopped (whoa i am writing a drama novel right now ... but srsly). we bore our testimonies about how we know those lyrics are true, that we are all children of god and that we can be lead and guided by him. then we did what we are learning is a great trick in the land of the people who could talk all day if they wanted to ... we left while the spirit was the strongest. but of course before we left we needed to say a prayer. i offered to say it and just as i was about to begin, the son said "NO i will say the prayer!!" then he proceeded to give the most innocent and adorable prayer ever. man. i love this stuff.

saturday ...
was the baptism of the wonderful virginia! she was taught by the sisters in the past but it never really worked out. the anziani received her as a referral about a week before christmas and she just about dived in the font after that. she is FAB! she is 14 and has a really strong testimony that demands the spirit to confirm her every word. her best friend is in the ward (and coincidentally my best friend too ... i have about 30 besties in the ward, it counts) and i will never forget the talk she gave at the baptism. there is something really really special about a) every baptism, b) baptisms of the youth, c) baptisms of the youth who have member friends. the anziani asked us to get her ready before and after the dunking. and WHOA! again. whosh. seriously i want to be in the room with every person that is about to be and barely baptized. POWER. so yeah that was so great!

sunday ...
was good.

monday ...
was also good. i found this quote "of all the titles of respect and honor and admiration that are given to deity he has asked us to address him as father" and i love it a LOT! sadly we got a bidone from the petruzzis but i am not considering that a sign or anything bad. pray for them if you will please.

tuesday ...
we covered the town in english course publicity. seriously all of taranto is painted in our phone number. that HAS to bring some prepared people!! right??!! we learned how to make some traditional carnivale treat. what is carnivale? the italian way of halloween. minus the horror factor. plus a lot of confetti. also it lasts all month. DREAM life! 

today ...
we tried our darnedest to go to albero bello (one of my fav spots in suditalia) but it didnt happen. NEXT week we will go and you will be spoiled in the most beautiful pictures. instead smed cut my hairs. it was borderline scary but then i remembered that i trust my companion ... plus she did it one time once ... i still have great hair. thanks to smed. and pantene pro v. 

well my loves, there you are. another week in my beautiful southern italian adventure with the savior. i am so grateful for my turn in the refiners fire. boy it is hot but OH it is worth it. i know it! i love to see the proof that miracles exist everyday. the biggest miracle? that not only can we change but we do change EVERY SINGLE DAY! it is my favoritest thing that i get to help people make their daily changes towards the warmest, most loving light of the savior. he lives. i know it. and i am happy to struggle and feel inferior and fight through the yucky stuff to ensure that everyone knows it too. 

alright i was going to say anther thing but our beloved muslim internet point man distracted me with his adorable baby son amir. babies, they get me every time. 

and about the pictures ... or rather lack of ... something isn't working. so sorry. next week.