Week 13 - Forli

Forlì - 7 - gospel lessons and gelato

Saluti, tutti!

Being a missionary is so great, I find so many random reasons to be happy and just can't stop smiling. But when we're feeling a little too happy we go out and do some street contacting to return us to normal human emotions.

I have really been learning so much from the people we talk to. Being a missionary is great. Among other things, we have an excuse to go up and talk to anyone ever. I love it.

After a series of pep talks and physical encouragement to her fan, Sorella O's fan broke. We are currently both doing emails from one bed, to share the few feet of less-hot air. I can't really remember what it's like to be able to move around without a 3-foot fan in one hand. When I heard some people talking about how this week would be 40°C for like 4 days straight I didn't know why they were reacting so much...until I did the conversion to °F. (104 degrees F)

On Tuesday (yesterday) we got gelato three times. That totals to 8 scoops of gelato for the day. Intake is predicted to remain about at that level for the month of August.

I have seen miracles. It makes no sense how we can eat a heavy, five course Italian meal and be hungry again in 2 hours. But it happens.

 We had an appointment at the bunny park but got bidoned, so decided to do some finding. We ended up talking to this guy named D who was just chillin by the duck pond, reading the Bible on a bench. We introduced ourselves, ended up teaching him the Restoration and the Spirit was SO STRONG during the 1st vision part and he was very attentive. We left him with a BOM and we'll follow up soon. One again, bidone miracle. When one person flakes out, it is all part of a grand plan to get us to that place at that time to find someone who we need to deliver our message to.

Rimini had 3 baptisms, and we were invited to come sing in the musical number with the other Sorelle. When we ran through it a few days before, my comp and I came to the conclusion that 6 sopranos was not a good formula for any song. We spent our comp study the day before teaching ourselves the alto part. The performance was fairly decent, and we can now sing the alto line for "How Great Thou Art", if anyone ever needs us.

An old man in our branch told us that he needed some strong, young, male missionaries to do some service for him, and we could come if we wanted to. We brought the Ravenna Anziani, and spent 4 hours watching the three men load furniture into a truck. We weren't allowed to touch anything heavier than like a blanket, but we were still fed a good lunch from his wife. There were two ways to feel after that: offended that he thought all girls are incapable of heavy lifting, or content to not have had to carry heavy things down 3 narrow flights of stairs. I chose the 2nd option.

On Sunday I gave a talk in sacrament meeting. You'd think as a missionary I would have plenty of time during studies and such to write it...but no I did it Saturday night, had Sorella O proofread it in the morning, and that's what I read at the pulpit. It was good Italian practice for me, if nothing else.

We realized that we are being given fresh tomatoes at a pace faster than even I can eat them, so we made a delicious tomato sauce.

  Sorella Orr stumbled upon the homefront videos on gospel library (you know, the "family...isn't it about time?" Mormonads, the "You Said" one is our fave).

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-04-055-you-said?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-04-012-casey-at-the-bat?category=homefronts&lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-04-046-swashbuckler?category=homefronts&lang=eng

In about 10 minutes of watching some we have traveled across the whole spectrum of emotion, like actually crying to busting out laughing. Even if you do have other forms of entertainment available, I invite everyone to go watch a few and reflect on how important family truly is. "The family is central to the creator's plan for the eternal destiny His children". Family is great. Shout out to my family for being wonderful and sending me lots of pictures so I know I'm not forgotten.

I love you all so much!

Love,

Sorella Rachel Riley

The Anziani at combined district meeting. Bromance is so real in this mission! So cute :)

Un pò di servizio. It was a cozy ride up the mountain to his house.  

The view from the P's backyard.

Slack line finding...reversed. Aka "Jesus" guiding Sor. O as she walks on a slackline. / A page of my talk. I really just have nothing better left to send as far as pictures go.