Christmas Card from Sorella Alley

Wise Men Still Seek Him...

 

 

        May you all find Christ during this season. 

Tanti Auguri di Buon Natale! 

      con amore, 

 

                    Sorella Alley e Sorella Smart 

It is almost Christmas time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Fun with pancakes. Dedicated to THE hermana Alley"

Well, let's just change that with a little realization from personal study. Trasport your selves into my brain for a few moments, walk past the jumbled boxes of italian and straight to the study desk. 

Every day is Christ's day when you are His disciple. 

Everyday from now on everyday shall be Christmas! Epic realization.

So miracle time! Monday, consisted of 9 straight hours of tracting. Yes, 9. We did our studies and lunch straight through so we wouldnt have to interrupt our mindset of finding. Side note to senior companion Alley *that was a terrible idea. Anyways, after being denied, for 8  and half hours straight, I was pretty frustrated and a little discouraged. We crossed a bridge and I contemplated jumping....okay its not that bad but all you RM's understand this feeeling. Well, I spy a woman and we purposefly put ourselves in her way. New method i am trying. It's called You Talk To Me Because You Ran Into Me First. Anyway, after we said we werent Jdubbs, she listened and actually asked all the plan of salvation questions. Oh baby, it was exhilirating. Well it turns out this woman lost her son 11 years ago when he was 23. She just starts sobbing! Well my good old contagious eyes, just jump right on in...so we are both tear streaked at this point. We did the entire plan of salvation leesson on the street, prayed for her son to make his presence felt in her life and made a return appointment! Lesson learned. Sorella Alley, sometimes it takes 8 plus hours proving to God that you are serious about His work BEFORE He gives you His referall. Flip, it was incredible. 

Auguri di Buon Natale un po di presto ma va beh!

I am wiggling in my chair and just counting down the days till I will hear the sweeeet squaking of Andrew and the first words from Graham, "Ciao, Sorella Alley come stai?!" Yes, first words will be in italian. 

Okay, lets just jump right into the goods of the week. Shout out to Stephen's glory days once again. We had dinner with Maria and Richerd last week and she made an authentic Republica Domenicana meal for us. She pulled out these MASSIVE GREEN BANANAs. I am not kidding, like close to a foot long. Apparently they are called Plantina or something like that.....but she deep fried them into these crunchy little morsels of island blast in the mouth. Hope that is somewhat accurate to what Stephen ate or I just got tricked by a foreigner. 

Alright, weather update for all your cold salt lakers-.you havent been cold until you have been in the humidity. Yes, today is -10 degress with so much humidity it's like you are sweating but you are not being really you are shivering and the tears freeze in your eyeballs. Also, it gets SOOOOOO foggy here. You cannot see more than 5 feet in front of your face and the land is blanketed in it. So crazy, and the natives say its the worst this year. Makes tracting fun, anyone we find we talk to because we usually literallty walk right into them. However, when someone is one a bike - it's scary because it looks like a black monster is coming straight for you. Satan. 

Tanti Auguri di Buon NATALE!

Well not, quite but almost. Non posso credere è natale già! Wow, It is decembre! To celebrate, i prayed for snow and we got snow for the first time! But not enough to cover anything.... ;( and now it is just freezing. If it is going to be freezer there should atleast be snow...

But miracle time. We were tracting last Friday night in a paezzinni (little town) close to the church. No one was out (naturally, it was frigid) so we had to resort to knocking doors.....by that I mean ringing bells on the gates. No one was having it. So the last one we rang before heading back was a success!!! An older man, once we stated we are not the local Jdubbs, invited us in for "one minute" to get warm. The first time I have ever been welcomed into a house! Well we talked to the older man and his wife, shared Ether 12:27 with them and then bore testimony. They invited us back and we taught them yesterday the Restoration. My very first successful casa story! Took 8 1/2 months but I was thrilled! Well, Mimo and Angela are being prepared to accept the gospel, and I am going to help them along. Wooooo

Well, my new companion is Sorella Madison Smart from Draper. She is 19 but has a rock solid testimony. She was fortunate enough to be trained by a native italian (I must apologize to Sorella Burkman for handicapping her lingquisticaly) so she speaks very well. Very humbling for you know who. She is not confident in her teaching skills so we balance each other's weaknesses well, funny how the Lord knows us. We are planning on working hard this transfer because she has never had a baptism. It is about time she had one! Funny story: I here a crazy popping and sizzzling noise in the kitchen and i meander my way in to see what is happening. Well there is Sorella Smart barely holdng on to a pan of smoking oil and egg plant. The oil got a little to hot, and she tried to "cool it off" with water.......now chemistry wasn't my best subject but........I do know flaming oil and water dont mix. hahahaha thankfully I had baking soda that took care of the problem right away, then we put the emergency numbers on the fridge. hahahaha