"Uoau!"

Here's the newest and latest from Sarah.  She has wrapped up her time at the MTC, and just arrived in Italy.  She will be working with Sorella Gillespe in Lodi.

Learning Italian

11/22/14--Uaou! That's WOW in Italian apparently. Day by day not much happens. I'm still learning Italian and it amazes me how much I am actually capable of saying. I may not be eloquent and it may take me a solid 20 seconds to hash-out a sentence, but I can usually say what I need to say. Which is amazing if you think that I've only been speaking Italian for 24 days.

11/26/14--Italian lesson: cavollo = cabbage. "Non o capito cavollo!"-->I don’t understand cabbage! ~stub your toe~”ooo! oww! Cavollo!"  That’s [ridiculous.] “Quello cavollo.”

MTC--Violin Performance, Uplifting Things, and Missing the Sky 

11/22/14--Alyssa Gates [Timpview High friend] is here at the MTC and she's leaving on the 24^th to Norway. She caught up to me running on Thursday, asked if I’d come look at a piece of music to audition that day for the devotional on Sunday. “Uh…yeah sure…I guess.” (I’m not the best at saying no.) So I go to her apartment after gym time, play through it once. Go to audition in front of the MTC presidency and wives, and lo and behold, we are playing at the RS devotional tomorrow. Uaou! It will probably be the 3rd or 4th time I play it when I'm performing so that'll be interesting. But um, yeah. Super glad it's just the sisters and not the whole MTC. That is a blessing indeed.

11/24/14--So the violin number went great. We played "I Know that My Redeemer Lives." and it was really pretty. And the RS talk we had after that was one of the best talks I've ever heard. It was Sister Neil Marriot (2nd counselor in the general YW presidency) and she talked about "Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it." She said some really amazing and touching things. She shared D&C 100:1-8 which has been a favorite passage of mine since entering, as well as D&C 124:44 (which was shared with me personally by Sorella Burgess when I was having a REALLY bad day. Tender mercy). She also said something really cool about the language. She said when we are super patient with the language it shows the people that we are willing to look stupid to share our important message of truth and it also shows the Lord and the Spirit that we are willing to become vulnerable to receive the revelation we need to. Any way. Super uplifting meeting.

Here’s a few things I’ve found really inspiring and cool here in the MTC: Matthew 11:28-30 (Literally I read it EVERY day for a pick me up), I don’t know if you’ve read Our Search for Happiness but the 2^nd chapter is really cool. I found it so fascinating. Especially the part about the council in…some European city where they voted on the principles of Christianity. And the final thing I loved this week was the 1993 movie Mountain of the Lord. The 3 amigos would love it. It’s fab. You should find it on You Tube and watch if for a fun Sunday laugh.

Aside from missing the sky (I see the sky twice a week: Pday when I’m walking to my temple session, and Sunday when we are having our temple walk. Literally everywhere else in the MTC has a roof or those tunnel-covered sidewalks. It’s super depressing.) and my sweet family, I’m doing alright. 14 days till Italy and by the time you get this letter it might be 10. I hope you all have a marvelous Thanksgiving. Eat lots of good food to make up for the fact that I’m having SACK DINNER  on Thanksgiving. No joke. Sack dinner for real. It’s hilarious. Wtvr. I’m over it. Don’t worry about me, I’m having a grand ol’ time here at the MTC. J

"Praise Ye the Lord"

11/26/14--UAOU! Only two more weeks!

So basically all the weeks are the same in the MTC so there is not much new stuff to report. Same ol same ol. It's getting really monotonous actually. The longer I'm here the more I want out.

I'm just going to transcribe some journal entries:

Nov 19 "...the change I see in myself already is astounding, beautiful and humbling. All over in psalms it says, "Praise ye the Lord." I think that might be my book because whenever I think about it, whenever I hear the song of a bird or look at the blue sky, or see the white-tipped mountains, or feel the deep peace of Christ rush into my bones at night, or feel the spirit as I teach a simpatizante about the LDM, or think of my beautiful family and friends...man. All I can think to say is praise ye the Lord. For He is mighty and great and loving and gentle and aware and kind in all things and to all his children. This is my testimony and it will only grow over the next 17 months..."

Nov 25 "Ok so here is some cool inspiration I got last night in bed. I was trying to fall asleep and I just kept thinking about this and so I jotted down some note and then was able to sleep once I knew I wouldn't forget it when I woke up. So I was thinking about the gospel and how it is different for every single person. It's like if you placed an object in the middle of the room and walked around drawing the same object from different places. The drawings would never look exactly the same.

"This gospel is for all people and all nations. But that doesn't mean it will be the exact same for all people. Depending on your experiences and your background you will see the atonement differently. You will think of the Plan of Salvation differently. The gospel is the same yesterday today and forever. But we see the gospel and how it can bless and help us through different lenses. It is important that I see the gospel differently from my companions and it is important that my investigators see the gospel differently than I do, or else when I leave they won't know what they are looking for or at. They will see the gospel in their light and think 'this isn't right' and wander off. If the gospel was the exact same for everyone, if God didn't want his vangelo to be individual, there would not be personal revelation. Because with Personal revelation, the gospel (vangelo) becomes not one masterpiece, but 7 billion masterpieces because it is seen in 7 billion new ways. Ways that beautifully coexist and ebb and flow and change with 7 billion lives. That is what I love about this gospel. It is my gospel. Jesus Christ is my Savior in a way that He is no one else's. God is my Father in a way that no one but me understands. The atonement means something to me that I can't put into words and if I could no one would understand it but me. That is what is so beautiful about this gospel. It is my own masterpiece."

God is so good. Thank you for your prayers, love and support. I love you more than tongue can tell.

11/26/14--So I just got my flight plan! Dec 09 6:30am I leave the MTC. Milan 12:20pm on Dec 10. Long day. But good day. I’m excited to talk to NORMAL people again. And maybe even place a B of M or L di M! Wahoo!! So excited.

Thanksgiving

11/27/14—Happy Thanksgiving! I’m just going to be straight up for a bit. Thanksgiving here is the absolute worst. Some people here are all like, “This is going to be the happiest and best Thanksgiving you’ll ever have. All the missionaries love their holiday memories from the MTC.” Either I missed the brainwashing session, I’m a terrible missionary, or these people are straight up liars. Maybe a mix of all three. All I know is this is a miserable day. The food is bleh. They managed to put meat in everything: the green beans had bacon, the potatoes had ham, the stuffing had something nasty in it and then there was turkey and gravy drowning everything in chicken vomit flavor. I had a wilty salad with ranch and a roll. Which is a worse dinner than I usually have. Wtvr…Today hasn’t been too great. After the morning devo (Q & A session with Bednar) and turkey “dinner” at 11:00 in the morning, I didn’t want to move. I just wanted to cry in my bed. Slla Battin and Slla Burgess went on a walk and Slla Maeser and I went back to our room and talked about Avatar the Last Air Bender (which made me miss the 3 amigos) and then took a 20 minute nap.

...I’m now sitting at another devotional after which we’re doing a service project (which I’m actually glad about) after which we’ll go to another devotional K after which we’ll eat our sack dinner (which will be more than a pre-packaged meat hoagie thanks to that package you sent THANK YOU) and then a movie (Meet the Mormons) and then back to the dorms. Maybe my attitude will change over the day, but mostly I’m so grateful that I won’t be here for Christmas. As Anziano Holder would say, “I might have to take a pinger if that’s the case. Or thirty.” I’ll write later…

11/28/14--Wow. I’ve never had a day make such a dramatic turnaround….We did the service project (packaging 1000’s of casserole mixes for school kids who need simple meals) and after that went to a bizarre program of Thanksgiving which involved Thanksgiving music, jazz vocal solos, racist re-enactments of the first Thanksgiving and much, much more., Actually I think that was about it. It was very strange. I felt like I should stand up and walk out because the re-enactment was pretty darn racist. And pretty sexist too now that I’m looking back on it. And I also felt like I was in a rock concert when a sister was singing “Maybe This Time” and all the Elders were drooling, and I also felt like a kindergartener when we sang “Over the River and through the Woods.” Pretty strange. Multo strano.

After that weird and uncomfortable program they passed out popcorn (which tasted like bacon) and started Meet the Mormons. Which was amazingly and fabulously entertaining. Probably due to the fact that I haven’t seen or heard a good bit of media for weeks…and after the movie they said there was a surprise for us in the courtyard west of the main building. We all went down there and it was decked out in Christmas lights. It wasn’t no Temple Square, but it did make me ridiculously happy. So that was a good end to a weh day. The turning point was the service project. When we turn outward and don’t think of ourselves, we become like Christ and our priorities are straightened out. Just something to think about. The best part of yesterday though was actually sack dinner. After the service project and before the racist T-day program my zone brought out all the food we’d been sent and had been storing against our windows that have acted like mini fridges. Hummus, chips, salsa, crackers, zucchini bread, popcorn, veggies and fruits (real ones), etc. and then pulled out our “sack dinners” consisting of a soggy meat hoagie and an “apple” and a water bottle.  But even though I’ve never had less Thanksgiving-like food on Thanksgiving. it wasn’t an awful dinner.

As I was cutting up slices of chocolate chip zucchini bread (which was a hot commodity—everyone loved it. Don’t worry though. I cut two thick slices for me.) and handing them out to the Sorelle and Anziani in my zone, I realized that I really do love these people. Even though I’ve only known them for four weeks, they have become my family at this time in my life where I’ve really been needing one. They certainly don’t replace you all, but I didn’t spend yesterday with no one I cared about. The Lord knew that I was going to need a little extra love in the MTC and so he provided me with a security net of brothers and sisters who I would honestly do almost anything for many of them. Whether it’s the food, the language or the Spirit, the MTC brings people together like nothing I’ve ever seen.

A quick thought before I send this off. Yesterday in the Q & A session with Elder Bednar a senior missionary asked what they could and should do for the holidays when they can’t be with their children. He said that the testimony they gave with their absence was the best and most powerful message they could share during the holidays. Far more powerful than anything they could do or say to their families if they were with them. I thought that was a cool thought and hope that my sibling and little cousins and my aunt and uncles can see why I wasn’t around yesterday and know that it is because I love God and have a desire to serve Him and His children. My absence yesterday was my testimony. Alright. I love you folks. And I miss you all. But it is so very worth it.

Ready to Go

12/3/14--OH MY WORD I AM SO READY TO LEAVE THIS PLACE. I don't think I would say I'm not trunky because I AM SO TRUNKY. The food is going to kill me. Class is just wow. And every day is exactly the same. I'm just ready to be done. Four days. I can do it. Ce la fa. So "ce la fate" is you all can do it and "ce la fa" is you (singular) can do it. Mi dispiace...

My district is still good though. I love those guys. And I'm also going to be really sad to say goodbye to all of my family in the zone. I really have grown to love so many of them dearly. We aren't speaking English like I said before and I was looking at how much I know and it is actually quite a lot. 70-90 verbs, 500 nouns (about), all of the tenses (like eleven). At least it isn't Romanian. Here is a sentence in Romanian: "Oaia ea e ai e" That means "that is her sheep".

Really there is not much to write about. Every day is pretty much the same here. We get to Skype Sorella Urban's (one of my favorite people ever. She and Gessel are our teachers) mom tomorrow in Italy so that will be way cool. I have a few granola bars, an English BofM, and some pass along card in English and Italian for the plane ride over. I'm stoked.

Love you all. Praying for you all. Keep praying for me. And especially pray that I can have the gift of tongues these next few months. I am so excited that there is not room for being nervous in my body. I know the Lord will work though me the way he needs to. I am doing well spiritually, physically, and emotionally. There is a bug going around my zone so pray that I will be kept healthy at least on the travel days. Thank you for your prayers, your support and all of your love. I love each and every one of you.

Love love,

Sorella Sarah