FAMILY! How I love you so! I just want to talk to you to tell you all the things that happened because writing them just doesn't do it justice! I shall try!

We had our Christmas/Sweet decorating festa and it was great!!!! About 80 people came, including investigators, almost all of our English Course came (they did a special preformance, we sang Christmas songs in English for everyone), many less actives and a ton of members. It was so chaotic and so wonderful. We had a new convert from Africa demonstrate an African dish, fufu and a fish sauce that looked like slime, it went well and everybody supported her by tasting it. It was sooooo spicy I thought my mouth was going to fall off. Randy would have loved it! It was the consistency of mucus and the fufu is not chewable, you just got to pop it in and move it around your tongue and then swallow it. We waited forever to eat so after the prayer was said all 80 of us pounced to the table, like lions lunging after a deer. There was so much food, so many yummy sweets! One lady from English course came in late, we had already started singing the songs, she stealthily put the beer she brought on the table and pranced up to the stage to sing with us. As I glanced from the beer to the members I couldn't help but stop singing Rudolph the red nosed reindeer and laugh, for the looks were of horror. We later gave her back the beer and thanked her a ton for the thought. It was a great segue to teach the word of wisdom:) One of the members later told me that I was not a very convincing singer since I laughed too much during the performance, o'well:)!

We did a ton of less active work this week, because we wanted to invite them to the party. It was nice to see all of those people. It was also kind of sad seeing how bitter some of them have gotten since growing far from the gospel.

Our investigator, Mike, the one from Ghana, is working so hard to overcome his temptations of breaking the law of chastity. We had a great lesson yesterday with him, letting him know that we are here to help and over all God is there to help him. He is stronger than he thinks. He is taking change seriously. I love africans. This is how Mike says to partake of the sacrament = To chop sacred supper. Mike also made an interesting correlation. We talked about not looking at pornography and he said, wait does that mean I can't watch TV!

It has been difficult to keep our investigatores lately, because our phone broke, we lost our numbers and it seems like they are all busy for the holidays. However, I know that we need to keep making sure they know that the gospel is to be a part of life, not just something to focus on later. Many of the talks and lessons in church lately have been about not saying "one day", but preparing now. I couldn't agree more. I want to work on that too, doing the things today, not putting everything off for tomorrow.

I gave a talk on Sunday about following the prophet. I realized just how simple it is to follow them, starting with the little things. Like President Monson's advice of taking a step back and looking at the positive things in life. Doing that is in essence following the prophet. I always get so nervous during my talks, however I make up for it by making them laugh. I forgot the word for behind so I started doing the action and walked backward from the podium. The ward has so much patience with crazy me!

I love the book of mormon!!!! I cannot get over how much I love it! I am trying to finish it in Italian by christmas, so far not so good... But now that I am reading it even more than usual I am getting into the story. This morning I read in Alma 43, about how there were a ton of Laminites and not many nephites to battle against them. Well, they did not let that stop them, also they had special armor to protect them. What if they would have gotten scared at the differences in number, letting that stop them from defending their lives and families and faith? In the end they succeeded to drive away the laminites. Sometimes we see the future or the work we have ahead of us and it looks overwhelming. Just remember we have a special armor and we must have confidence to go forward, putting our confidence in God, and we will succeed in driving off our enemy or over coming our difficulty. I would like to apply this to missionary work. When I step on the bus and I start hearing the snickering of ragazzacci, or the scoffs of vecchietti, I could very well be discouraged and stop. Well, that is not what God wants, he wants those youngsters to know that they are his children, he wants those nonnas to know they can see their grand children even after they go a di la', and I want what God wants and he has given me and you tools to help these people! So Non scorragiarti mai (or as dad would say it non scorregiarti mai, just kidding!)!

I love you all sooooo sooo sooo much! Have a lovely week!

Love,

Sorella Comollo