From
Megan last week:
March 17, 2014:
MOM!!!
Man,
I just teared up through your whole email. I bet you probably will too now,
haha. We are just two peas in a pod! Did you see how your discourse on
gardening applies to missionary work? Probably you already did, but this is
just how my mind works right now. It is just the exact same thing. You said you
feel peace and serenity when you walk through your garden and watch things
grow. That is how I feel when I listen to the testimony of a less-active member
we have been working with or when I sit in Sacrament with my investigators,
knowing that these people are all growing, and that if I just do my best to be
an instrument in the hands of the Gardener, He will make these people grow up
to be spiritual sunflowers, or spiritual zucchini, or whatever their calling
will be in the kingdom of God. There are of course tons of squirells and rats
that get in this garden and try to ruin things, but The Master Gardener knows
every corner of His garden and doesn't forget a single plant, and He will
nurture them in His time. "Being a part of nature and the anticipation of
a harvest is so exciting. I've yet to get a lot of any one thing (except
rejections) but that's okay. I'm learning a skill that I hopefully won't have
to RELY on in the future, but I can do it for fun now." This IS exciting!
And we don't always get what we want, but we get what God gives us. And I won't
get to be a missionary forever, but the skills I am learning now will go with
me forever. I will be a good member missionary, and a good future companion to
someone and this work will bless me and my family forever! Haha and someday my
mission stories will be way more annoying to people than garden pictures, but
they will always be meaningful to me. :) La Fine.
Here,
the work is going really great. We had a pretty hard week with most of our
investigators not really being able to see us and not really wanting to keep
their commitments. We have been doing all we can to help them progress, but it
just isn't happening lately. But then, this weekend was just a miracle weekend.
There was a farewell for Giulio Mastino, a 27 yr old boy in the branch who got
called to serve in Milano, so we got to invite tons of people to it. They do
them really different here. It was a Saturday night and pretty formal. All the
missionaries came and I even gave a talk, along with another Elder. Mine was on
the joy of misisonary work and it went pretty well, even if I was still pretty
nervous. But two of my investigators were crying at the end of it, and they
both really were touched by the scriptures and the Spirit, so that was pretty
cool. Then later that night, one of them said that she always feels something
different when we (her missionaries) talk to her, versus when the members sort
of take over our lessons with her and try to teach her. That was kind of an
answer to my prayers, because she hasn't really been understanding much, and I
know that she will never understand if the Spirit is not the one teaching her.
So important to have the Spirit!!!!!!!!!!! Then, Sunday, three of our
investigators came to church, and two for the whole time!!! Angela even wore a
dress, which she says she hasn't done in twelve years. We gave her a CD with
some Mormon Tabernacle hymns on it on Saturday. Sunday, she said she had
listened to it before leaving for church, and she said, "I couldn't
understand a word of that music, but I felt so good so I wanted to dress nice
for church!" Yay Angela!!! The Spirit is TOTALLY working on her and it is
SO beautiful to watch!!! Please keep her in your prayers! :)
Now
gets graphic... Don't feel bad if you skip this part.
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| WORM CHEESE. See the little black lines Not dirt... |
Okay,
so remember how I told all of you about worm cheese? Well, maybe not. It is
this cheese that is only in Sardegna and they take it and put it in the ground
and let worms eat it and... digest it, then what's left is the cheese they eat.
Well, Sunday our friends Daniela and Monia and Andrea had all 8 of us over for
Pranzo and at the end, Monia brought out a jar of..... WORM CHEESE!!!
I just don't know how it happened, one second, I was so not interested, then it was on a piece of really yummy bread in front of my mouth, and then I ate it!!! Hahaha, never doing that again. Kind of tastes like stomach acid, but not as bad, because I also tasted that this week when I threw up. Turns out my stomach doesn't like yogurt cake and chocolate that much after a long bus ride through the country side, sitting backwards. My fault! As Dad always says, "The burnt hand teaches best!"
Sorry
about that; mission life has its ups and downs ;)
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| Some squid at Sandra's house. We left before dinner was ready. (It won't let me rotate this picture. Sorry!) |
Anyway,
we are getting pumped to go to Rome tomorrow and hear the General Authority
speak to us! We don't know who it will be, but that is okay. We take a train
tomorrow at 10 AM to Caglieri, then a boat at 7 PM all night to Rome. We will
arrive at 7 am ish, have the conference, get back on the boat all night, and
get here in time for English Course Thursday night at 7. Should be quite the
adventure!!!
I
am LOVING Sassari and this branch and my comp Sorella Knudsen!! She is from
Utah BTW and knows Scott Brimley (body rollz). Needlesstosay, we get along
great ;)
Well,
this is quite long enough for one day. I love you all!! Have a great week and
eat more vegetables and less yogurt cake!!
Love,
Sorella Patterson
Cara Famiglia e cari amici,
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| At the port, how cute!! Look at the tiny people next to it; that statue is HUGE |
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| Our awesome boat crew. We spent so much time with them, and taught them a couple things. They were just great. |
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| Andrea who is about to get baptized, already doing missionary work. Can you believe this guy? |
So, we as missionaries here try to help a lot of people quit smoking. I have never personally had to do that, so it has been hard for me to understand everything they go through. So I decided to do something crazy. We have this 15 step program we use a lot. Well I wanted to know what it was like, so I decided to try it. Don't worry, I didn't start smoking so that I could learn to stop. But, my comp and I have decided to quit our horrible addiction to sweets for two weeks. Sounds easy, eh? Well, not in Italy where breakfast is supposed to be cookies and milk, and every meal is followed by dessert, without fail. Plus we live with a chef. Anyway, we are going to do the 15 Step program and kick this addiction! Really, I just want to know what I am making these people do, and hope to gain a little better understanding of their trials. I know it won't be perfect, but it's the best I can do. Here goes nothin!
Well, this is a short one, I know. But it is our day to do the spesa, and I am pretty exhausted, so it will have to suffice. Just know that I love you all and that you are all great. OH! one last thing. Remember my Muslim investigator Muhammad from Rome?? Well, when we went there last week, Sorella Haynie told me the Elders that we passed him off to (since he was a young, single man) are baptizing him!!! Well, it should have happened two days ago, hopefully I will hear today. But I am sure it did. But man, that was the best knews ever!! He is such a great guy and just an inspiration. When I get home, ask me about his story, but only if you have time. He is pretty great. I love the gospel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, for real this time. Love you all!!!!!
Sorella Patterson
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| The view from our cruise ship we took to Rome. Sounds exotic, eh? |
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| Cagliari at night from the boat. So beautiful. |
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