Sorella Gisseman: Week 38 -- Transfer Calls.....

This was our last full week of the transfer which I feel like is always a little strange because we know calls are coming, ya know. BUT calls came. I AM TRAINING. Maybe. They got a message yesterday saying my baby was reassigned for visa problems. We will see what happens. They don't really have any information still. I might be in a trio and we might be doing the work for two cities for a bit or, if she is not coming this transfer, I will get a sister from Rome. We will see. Stay tuned for updates next week. My companion is going to the temple...Dang. The temple would be so easy...you get to go to the temple, you get to be on the temple grounds every day, and you get to work in the temple every other day...you're just surrounded by the Spirit. But that's ok -- I'm ready to work, I'm ready to become more brava, I need to channel the same hype I had in the beginning of the transfer and now I know how to do it with love, I think.

It's been a good week. It's been tiring, like always. Are you guys doing a barbeque or anything for Memorial Day? Probably not since Dad's not there and you didn't say anything about it in your e-mail. For my coming home meal I want a barbeque roast, your good potato salad, and watermelon. Yes. And fruit pizza. The best things in life. Also fun story -- this morning we went to go grocery shopping and we went to the little fruit markets and my companion doesn't have any money. She's leaving this week. And she watermelon so we got watermelon but the guy wouldn't break my 20 bill and so we had to go to a different fruit vendor. I'm being really good -- don't worry.

I want to get into family history work and temple stuff and it's sad that I can't do any of that right now. It would be so fun, y'know? I'm uibnerested to see in normal life how all the things of life fit into my life again. I don't know if that made any sense. I love that Sadie is on a diet. What a cutie. She does need a diet, it's true.

I made voice recordings for Erin and Melissa last week....and Erin sent me one back and it was so cute. And Melissa sent me one and they were so sweet. I love it.

1. What did you do for P-Day this week?

It has been very calm. We have just been boopin' around the city for Sorella E's last P-day here. Eating the food, getting everything ready for transfers. We freaking walked sooooo much trying to find comp items.

2. What was a moment that brought you joy this week?

Ok, gonna take this one a little everywhere. So in Sunday School the branch president was teaching (I send a lot of his quotes -- he is just so legit), and the topic was the talk from conference "Feasting Upon the Words of Christ" and we talked about how gratitude is also an aspect of feasting, and he asked for an example of when we have felt this gratitude when feasting. BUT I started thinking about how the joy that I feel in the gospel really comes from the knowledge and the understanding that I have of it. I am so grateful for the clarity that the gospel brings into my life, and I was able to reflect over specific moments in my studies when a prayer was answered, something just made sense, or I read something and it was exactly what I needed.

3. Tell me about a tender mercy that you experienced this week.

We were in this zone and knocking doors which we rarely do, and some man gave us nespole which is like this super good fruit. Didn't have interest but definitely a little miracle.

4. What was the most interesting or beautiful thing you saw this week?

One day the sunset was just so beautiful and we were near a park looking out at the ocean.

5. Did you eat anything new or unusual this week?

Panelle e croche (I don't know how to spell) -- it's like this weird sandwich they do here and the stuff inside is made out of chickpea flour. È buono.

6. What was the funnest thing that happened this week? The funniest? Something that made you laugh?
Good quotes from this week of times that we laughed

First, a woman we are teaching said she would come to church and then didn't so we asked her why and she said that she didn't have time (and she lives like 5 mins from the church walking) and after we left I turned to my comp and said basically like, um, you think I had time to stop my life and serve an 18 month mission? No, but I'm here. And that has been a little joke for this week. Second, a fun thing Sorella E has inspired me to do is when men yell at us in English which they always do, tell them that they don't speak well and need to come to English course. We tried it out. Also fun story -- we have gotten so many calls from men on the streets (like normal) but then also some little kids walked by and tried to lift up our skirts. Luckily mine was pretty tight, my companion wasn't so lucky.

7. Have you experienced any Italian holidays that we don't celebrate in the US? What are they like?

The holidays of the saints, pasquetta (day after Easter), women's day was a big one, bufana (after Christmas stocking witch).

8. How was church this week?

Good. We did a musical number and it was actually really good. Also something our ward mission leader said in his talk is that he related our nose to God. And how our nose is always there but we can't see it, and often the reason that we can't see it is because it's closer than we realize. And God is the same way. Always there. Always close, almost so close He is hard to detect.

9. How is your reading of the Bible in Italian going? What are you learning from reading it in Italian?

It's going well. It's hard to read but I am learning past remote grammatically so that's fun. I just finished Matthew and I read the story of Zaccheus and he's in a tree. One thing that I will say -- here's my insight for the week -- in Luke when Jesus has done the miracle of the loaves and fishes, and then they go back to the boat but Jesus isn't with them and then the storm and then He walks on the water, y'know...one thing that I thought was interesting is that they've already forgotten about the miracle of the loaves and fishes that they just experienced. They had already forgotten. We don't know how long it had been, but not that long and they had already forgotten about the miracles He had done that they had seen. And I thought about that and about how often I do that -- I see something incredible, I receive so much strength and so much help and then I fear, I see something scary ahead of me and I fear, because I'm so quick to forget. And then He tells them not to fear. I think it's interesting that they looked out and saw this figure and they were afraid. And the whole time it was Jesus -- the whole time it was the person who could save them. And I think that's applicable because, like, how many times do I look at something I have ahead of me and instead of seeing my Savior in it and how He is in my life to help strengthen me and help me grow, I look at it and I see fear. For me right now, like, this week I just didn't do a good job. It's hard because I don't know if I'm actually not doing a good job or if I'm just hard on myself. I just didn't feel good about it. And I've been feeling a little bit of anxiety which is not like me. That's not, you know, like me. And I got the call this morning about training and I just started to cry because I'm so freaking scared. I don't know. And now I'm sitting in a chair about to cry again. Sorry. Like seeing how this can help me grow and how I have this incredible opportunity to help someone, to not only learn and grow for myself but help someone else grow, and like shape the mission. I feel like it's such an incredible opportunity. This is something Sorella B tells me all the time -- she says, "honestly I didn't have that much success on the mission but YOU are my success. I raised you and I know that you do good." And I feel the same -- even if I am not having all the success that I want, or whatever, I have the opportunity to raise someone who will be obedient, who will know how to work hard, who will know how to follow the Spirit, who can have success. I need to look up instead of fearing the thing that's in front of me and not recognizing it as a gift from God to learn... I'm such a mess. I'm literally sitting on the train crying and talking about Jesus. I love it.

10. How has someone served you this week?

This week as part of our comp unity we did an act of service ever day. It definitely helped. 10/10 recommend. If you are struggling to love someone but also if you want someone else to love you just serve 'em.

11. What can we pray for specifically for you and your companion and your "friends"?

I think that I can be ready to train and have the strength to be an example at all times. And then for my friends, real progression.

12. Do you know how much I love you?

Always