Jus livin the life...‏

CIAO MIA FAMIGLIA!!!!!

I just want to start out by saying that this week was 100X beter than last week. Like seriously, i am very sorry for all the whiny emails that I sent last week. It was just a rough time. Sometimes things are hard and you just have to let it all out on email! But i guess now you know that i will tell you exactly what I am feeling and exactly how things are going, so that is good i guess! after i finished emailing i was like...kay that was dumb! i am a missionary and i am stronger than this! i can handle this, snap out of it! haha so yeah after i cried a little, i just decided that I was being really dumb and i needed to quit it!

My artistic side.

I just really learned so much this week, it is hard to explain it all. First and foremost I learned that this is not about me. Last week I really realized that I was just way too focused on myself. I dont know the language. I miss my family. I dont know how to be a missionary. I, I, I....that was all i could think about, myself! But guess what, this is not about me at all! This week i just really tried to focus myself outwards and on the needs of others, and just tried to refocus myself on my purpose here! I am here to help others. I read this really bomb talk in an oldish Ensign entitled, Called of Him to Declare His Word..it is by Randy D. Funk, and it was the exact thing i needed to read this week, an exact answer to my prayers! It just talks a lot about how if we prepare ourselves the very best we can by being humble, obedient, and giving ourselves to the service of others, The Lord will magnify our efforts! I just loved that. If i do my part to be obedient and constantly seek to be humble and submit to the will of The Father, he will magnify my abilities! I have so many weaknesses, but this week as i tried to not focus on those weeknesses, but rather on the needs of others, i felt much happier! I know that through my faith and my obedience, The Lord will make my weaknesses into strengths. He knows exactly what i need and He will help to magnify my abilities to bless others!

On top of the Duomo!

I also realllllly love Mosiah 8:18, it talks about how God has provided a way that through faith we can work miracles and be a benefit to those around us! last week i was feeling a lot like I am not really being of help to anyone, how can just one little person make a difference? but this scripture really brought me comfort. I know that God has prepared a way for me to make a difference, through my talents and ablilites! i know that to be true, and as i have been really trying to focus on taking it one day at a time and turning my thoughts outward, i know that i will fulfill my purpose here. Oh man, i am just so grateful for the things i am learning here!

The Duomo in Milan.

It is crazy that tomorrow i will have been here for 4 weeks, pretty much exactly one month! I am loving it even more and more every day.

This week was the first week that I actually was able to see my improvement in Italian. I was actually able to see that i am learning and I am making improvement! That is a really big step for me because this whole time i have just been really down on myself and not feeling like i am making improvement, but this week i really feel like i am, and that is such a blessing! i had several Italians tell me that my Italian is really good for only being here for 3 weeks, ah that felt soooooo good and just boosted my confidence SO much. i really am getting better and I can see that The Lord is helping me. This week i finally understood what the Gift of Tongues is...i have always heard that but not really understood what it meant, but this week i have truly seen it work in my abilities. As I strive to do my part, The Lord gives me divine power to learn and to communicate. It is truly incredible.

Yep, I'm happy.

So last week I said that we got 2 bap dates...but unfortunately that family that we have been visiting don't actually live in our area! it was a huge bummer and a little embarassing when we found out that we had been going out of our area! haha no one told us!! haha but yeah so we had to pass them onto some other missionaries that we are really hoping will be able to work with them and get them baptized! We did have a cool thing happen this week...we found this lady named O. in the Area book that is an ex-simp and we went and had a visit with her. she is SOOO kind and very open and willing! We taught her the restoration, it was actually our first real time teaching the full restoration to an investigator, and it went really well! I was able to remember things and the spirit was really strong. We are really hoping that that will go somewhere!

OHHHHHH man, hi this week i made the BEST PUMPKIN BREAD EVER. it was with fresh pumpkin and Italian chocolate...ooooooo. SO good. i cannot even explain. We ate way tooo much, but oh well! It was BALLER.

It rained A TON this week! like crazy amounts! luckily I have un umbrella and a rain coat! Sorella woods let me borrow some extra boots, so it was all good, but seriously crazy storms this week!
It was overall just a really great week and we have some solid goals for making next week even better! the main one is jsut talking to more people....that is my biggest struggle!i just get scared, but i am really trying to get over that, it is just hard! but its the biggest part of this, that is why we are here to talk to people! i just think to much and it is just a strugg, but that is my goal for this week!
I love you all very much and i hope that you all have a wonderful week! you are all in myprayers! i am really sorry if i dont have time to write you all individually but i am really grateful for your emails!! they mean the world. i sent yall a letter in the mail last week, so be looking for that! Have another good week and never forget that I LOVE YOU!!!!

Ti Voglio Bene,
Sorella Burt

The view from our apartment.

Our desks and study area.