NOW

Preach My Gospel is among the most amazing, inspired, and simple manuals the Church has ever released.  Some of it doesn't apply to non-full-time missionaries, but certain chapters are universally helpful.  I think especially of Chapter 3 through 6, and 2 is super useful as well.  I'm so happy that Jed and Gent have copies to peruse.  Peruse well, young ones!  (And Audrey, you better study that thing until your eyes fall out!)

Good week.  We taught a lot more lessons than we did the last 2 weeks.  I had some good conversations with my good little greenie and I think he's starting to adjust to missionary life a bit more.  I forget how hard it is.  It feels so normal and easy now.

Well... maybe not easy, but certainly normal.

The mission rules

This was one of the best weeks of my mission, and I think the 21st may have been one of the best days of my life.  I can't write a 100th part of the stuff that happened to me or the miracles I saw, but I'll do my best to convey how I felt.

Fight for happiness

There's a lot I could write about this week, but I think I'll boil it down to three main things:

1)  Anziano Gomez is doing great!  I can't say I've been the best trainer.  It's hard at this point in my mission to remember what it was like to be at the beginning, what might be confusing or new.  He sometimes reminds me that he has no idea what's going on, and I have to slap myself in the forehead and explain a few crucial things.  It's a bizarre thing, for missionary life to be so normal.  Makes me scared to go home someday.

2)  We went up to Milano and back yesterday for New Missionary Training.  It was fun to watch this last group of only 7 elders reunite after their first 10 days in the field, sharing miracles and experiences with each other that are so excited for them and so normal for us trainers.  We're surely a blessed group, and I forget that all the time.  Sometimes I'm so fixated on what I'm not doing perfectly that I forget all the stuff I'm doing well.  I imagine it's much the same for most of you, and I invite you to do what I've been doing and write down a positive list of things you've learned over the last year or so and the people you've helped.  It's great to think positive.

3)  I was super inspired by 2 Nephi 2 this week. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?lang=eng Amazing chapter of the Book of Mormon.  Verses 5 and 11 especially stood out to me, and as I went over old notes from near the beginning of my mission that I had scribbled in a forgotten notebook, I was amazed at the ideas that poured into my mind.  I thought I'd share them with all of you:

For good reason

I always seem to run out of time.  I usually save this email for last, because every time I think I'll have plenty of time left over to think about what to say.  But, instead, I end up writing huge emails--half of them in Italian these days--to everyone and their mother, and then I'm left to scramble out a few words of faux-wisdom and missionary experience.

Well, I'll just tell you a few great things that happened.  This week felt really long, and the weather kept oscillating between super summer hot to cool and rainy.  Right now it's raining--piove.  My thoughts are starting to translate themselves again instead of separating English and Italian because I'm having to answer "What does that mean?" or "How do you say...?" ten times a day.  Va bene.

Doing my best

There's a lot I could write about this week, but since I want to include some pictures, I'll keep it short.

I'm about to enter my 10th transfer.  In the mission, Transfer Age matters a lot, and a missionary in their 10th is officially "old".  That's scary.  We only serve 16 total.  10/16... gross.

But let's not think about that.  Let's look at what's in store for me here in my 10th Transfer.  I'll still be here in Ancona, but I won't be with Anziano T anymore.  In fact, we're going to Milano tomorrow... to pick up my new greenie!  President called me on Monday.  I'll be training again!