Hello!

So I am appraoching my year mark and have been reflecting... My body is showing signs of stress, yes, I have increased acne, yes, I am losing my hair (when I come home you will see an Eva with just tufts of hair, jk, it is not that bad;)), I cannot even count the amount of shoes I have purchased and walked through(this could mean more than just walking a lot, I usually buy the cheapo 3 euro shoes, so that could be a contributing factor) and I am losing my english, it is really hard for me to express myself in my native tongue (and I can still only express myself in the simplest ways in Italian). However, through all of this I am so content! I love the mission. I have never felt so exhausted in my life, but yet I am so happy, I just cannot help it. Giovanni is changing, I can see it and it is the most incredible sight to witness. We had a great discussion on perseverence and enduring to the end and what it means last week and now everytime we see him he talks about how he is learning to endure and wants to better his life for real, not just say he would like to. He is coming to church consistently, he is coming to ward activities, he is making friends and coming out of his shy shell and he is really studying the Book of Mormon, he is devouring it. He is so joyful now, when before he was always so down and distraught on his situation in life.

Albert, an african man who was baptized last year, has taught me so much about overcoming difficulties in life with faith in God. He has seriously had the most trying life. He grew up in Sierra Leon amidst government wars and civil unrest, he witnessed people in his village have their limbs amputated for torture, he lost his siblings in a bombing, where he just barely escaped. He said he hated God and did not understand why he had to suffer so much. Then he found the Gospel and it changed his life. If you were to meet him you would never think that he has passed such hard times, for he is so cheerful, so kind and sooooooo faithful.

We watched a short film in relief society called Butterfly Circus, you all need to see it!!! It is incredible and when you do watch it think of our relationship with God and the plan of salvation. It is a about a man who was born without limbs and how he discovered his potential.  A man came up to him and told him he was magnificent and the man without limbs just spit in his face. It got me thinking about what we do to God when we do not accept our lives, in somma, like ourselves and our circumstances, are we spitting at God? He KNOWS us perfectly, he LOVES us and he does not make mistakes, he sees our potential, even if we do not. He sees the swimmer in the limbless man, he sees the quilts that come from numbed fingers, he sees the strength in the weak.  ETHER 12:27!!!

Sorella Preston is doing so well! Her Italian is so great and the ward loves her. Everyone is so excited to talk with her about her parents serving her and who they knew. I feel like it was meant to be that she is here, she has helped so much in working with members, not only because of her greeny faith and Bari history, but because she is so Christlike and loves to just talk and get to know people, sincerely caring for them. I am so blessed to have her as my companion.

I have been thinking about what it means to be consecrated. I have always struggled with understanding how I can become more of a consecrated missionary and as I was reading Preach My Gospel I learned an aspect of being consecrated. It is the opposite of just going through the motions of following commandments, it is the opposite of grudgingly being obedient, instead it is have a great desire to observe the commandments, learn about why they are there and how they can help our lives and follow them most tenaciously.

Thanks for all you do for me!

I love you all so so much! Be expecting a package for Mom and Dad's birthdays and Christmas!

Love you!

Love,

Sorella Comollo