The End of May

Congratulations to my sister Audrey on her graduation this coming week!  That's crazyweird and super exciting.  Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TATE STOCK on the 1st of June (same day as graduation, if I remember right)!  He was my first really close friend to go on a mission (to Fiji), and he'll be home in, like... a month?  Something like that?  So bizarre.

Some of the things that happen in Italy spark weird memories from a long time ago in my head.  I can't think of any other good examples right now, but it's amazing how a new situation can bring to mind things you've long forgotten about, but are somehow helpful.  It's such a huge and lifechanging thing to live here.  I love it.

There's Always Something to Love

I'm trying to send a ton of pictures, so this letter will be short, but the most important things are that I love you, I love God, and I'm so happy to be in Italy!

 I experience the gift of tongues, like, every day.  In other churches, "the gift of tongues" is very different from what we believe, which is this: God fulfills his promise that every nation, kindred, tongue, and people will hear His word by giving his messenges the ability to learn and speak those languages with the help of the Holy Ghost.  Not only do I experience that in lessons, when I'm teaching in Italian and suddenly have a word or a whole sentence pop into my head that I've never even studied that helps teach a gospel principle, or when Anziano Modugno suddenly speaks perfect English when he needs to teach something to an African.  It's really amazing to see.  Daily miracles.

To Sense

Ciao, tutti!  Come va?  Posso sentirmi che sto diventando fluente in Italiano, e questo è un sentimento stranissimo!  Who'd'a'thunk that I could be speaking this much Italian in less than two months in Italy?  I've definitely had the Lord's help, and I honestly think I'll reach my goal of fluency after 3 months.  June 20, vengo!

Lots of great stuff to write about this week, but almost zero time.  So I'll be brief and share a lot: "a little about a lot of things", as my mom always says.  Speaking of which, Happy Mother's Day to all the mamme out there.  I got to Skype mamma mia and Dad on Sunday and see/chat with my family, and that was so much fun!  I think next time will be better since I have a more clear idea of how it works and what to say.  The time difference was sure weird, though... everyone but my mom was dead tired.  Ha!

Filled With Love

I reminded Ky: If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill (a great quote from Grandma Eyring).

I love the "right path is uphill" quote.  I've been using that since the MTC and I didn't even know it.  Ha!  Also, last night, I was dying to remember President Lybbert's name.  For the life of me I couldn't get past the L-Y.  I was laying there, half asleep:  "Lyman, Lyter, Lythuania, Lysterine..."  It was so frustrating.  I could see his awesome hair and smiling face, and could even feel his excited handshake after I told him where I was called to serve.  I'm not even sure why I was thinking of him.  Maybe he was thinking of me.  Who knows?  Anyway, the second I woke up I said, "Lybbert!" and that put a spring in my step for the rest of the day.  Random start to this email, but it's making me smile, so va be'.

Happy Mother's Day, indeed!  I've sent you a big sappy letter, Mom, so be expecting that.  I have the best mother in the world, and even though every missionary says that, I'm the only one that's telling the truth.  I know because the Spirit is nodding smugly in my heart right now.

Passo dopo passo!

This is my story.  Wow... Mom, you made me tear up!  I love you so much, and thank you for including those comments from the blog.  All I need to be happy is remember how many people love me.  I am unbelievably blessed.  I don't apologize for my honesty last week, but I do apologize if it brought anybody down to think I was down.  I mean... I was down, but why do we fall, Bruce?  So we can learn to pick ourselves up.