I’m back hanging out with my favorite granita!
Ciaoooooo from Sicily! How are you guys? Sorry it's been super crazy this week, one of the craziest of my whole entire mission. So you might be wondering why I’m back in Sicily? It’s because I had to pick up my permesso so that I don't get kicked out of the country. It took us 7 hours to ride the bus from Bari to Sicily on Wednesday, I picked up my permesso today, and then tomorrow we take the bus home. We stayed in the Messina house with Sorella Embley.
First some things that happened last week...Wednesday pranzo: we had a pranzo with Giuseppe (the new convert) and his family. We got to talk to them about the church and answer some of their questions. Giuseppe was sooooo happy we were there and that we were able to bond with his family. The spirit was strong and we really hope to teach them! Wednesday night: we had a really cool lesson with a member who lives right above us in our same building. She was able to tell us some concerns and the spirit was sooo strong. I really love her and feel I have come to love her very quickly. I think I was sent here partially for her.
Thursday: it was Thanksgiving! I have planned a lot of parties in Italy and wasn't feeling up to planning another one this week so Tuesday at English course I said to the students, "Hey, Thursday is Thanksgiving. If you want to bring food we will party." That's all the effort I put into that haha. But people actually brought food and it was really fun and we got some potentials out of it! So that was a random miracle.
Friday night: we had dinner with some less active members. Normally they don't let Sorelle come often but we really hit it off the first time with them, and they invited us for dinner. We called them and they didn't call back so we were thinking they weren't gonna let,us come again. But then they called back and invited us for dinner and it went great! Such a miracle. And I ate one of the best meals I have ever eaten in Italy. Pumpkin pasta. Sooooo good ahhhh I can taste it right now. So cool.
Saturday morning: I'm walking around getting ready when I remember we didn't charge the phone last night. So I ask Sorella Tapia where the phone is. She pulls it out of her bag and looks at it. All of the sudden she starts freaking out and I seriously thought someone died or something. I was like, "What, what happened?" She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "Stefania is getting baptized!" You guys this is a huge miracle. Stefania wanted to get baptized last February when her son got baptized, but her husband has always said no. She wanted to get baptized November 28th and he said, "maybe next year." She was so sad. But she didn't give up!
She said, "Mario, I want to be baptized on December 5th. I'll give you a week to think about it." At the end of the week (Saturday morning) she had a conversation with him that went like this....
"So Mario, it's been a week."
Mario chuckles. "I thought you would forget."
"Mario, it's been A YEAR since I've wanted to get baptized. I'm not going to forget."
He looked at her, sighed and said, "Well, if it makes you happy, ok."
She looked at him and started crying because she was so happy.
"Now don't start crying," he said.
And then Stefania told him he better be at her baptism and he said "ok."
Ahhhhh! So Stefania texted us and said she was getting baptized and Sorella Tapia read the text and was so happy. The she showed me the text and we started yelling and jumping and dancing and all 5 of us Sorelle were just so happy. We threw on skirts and ran over to Stefania’s house. We hugged her and cried and it was so great. Her son
who is already a member was so happy. He will be the one baptizing her. So the baptism will happen this Saturday and it's going to be so beautiful and wonderful and I feel so blessed to get to be here for it. It's also probably going to be Sorella Tapia’s last Saturday in Bari. She has been here for half her mission. What a cool thing to happen! We are happy.
As soon as we get back to Sicily tomorrow night we are running to the ward Christmas party so that's gonna be crazy. Missionary life man. Nuts.
There is so much other stuff that happened because it's been like a week and a half since I've written. Pazienza. A cool thing was Tuesday (two days ago) we ate a Thanksgiving lunch with the senior couple, the Hansen’s. Oh it was wonderful! We all made some stuff for it but Sorella Hansen made ROLLS, PUMPKIN PIE, APPLE PIE, TURKEY. When I saw that pumpkin pie I actually started crying a little bit. Not even joking. We had the funniest dinner ever and we were all dying laughing the whole time. It was such a blessing. I'm so thankful for the Hansen’s and missionaries here!
Alright so I guess that’s some of the main stuff. Transfer calls are Saturday so I'll find out who my new companion will be! How crazy. I'll let you know Monday.
This week has been really nuts but I have felt so thankful for everything. Especially getting to come back to Sicily and see how good things are going here and how much the work is growing. It was nice to see some fruits of my long hooooott summer labors. I really do love this city. It was so fun to see people that I love so much. Oh you guys, I love everyone here SO MUCH. Missionaries, members, random store owners we are friends with, investigators, EVERYONE. I love missions. I'm also so thankful for Bari. I'm thankful for these amazing people I have been blessed to meet in Bari and for the ways I have seen people apply the gospel and feel so much joy in their lives. I really don't know how I got so so so lucky to get to come to Bari for my last city.
I'm so thankful.
I'm also thankful for you guys. Oh man without all of your support and prayers this mission would have been a real tough year and a half.
Thank you so much for everything!
I love you all!
Happy thanksgiving!
Vi voglio bene
Sorella Brunson
P.S. Today in Sicily an active volcano called Etna erupted so there was ash EVERYWHERE. It's all up in my hair and eyebrows, and all over the ground. And all over EVERYTHING. It's so funny that I came to Italy the one day it erupted. I mean it didn't erupt lava, just ash. But still. Ok talk to you Monday!!!
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