Ciao! Week 2 at the MTC

You gotta take this shot while at the MTC!

       

Ciao family and friends!

So sorry that lasts weeks email was all over the place! The first week in the MTC was simply madness! Things have calmed down now and starting to feel pretty normal! 

Well first off this week was pretty exciting because some of the Italian missionaries (including myself) got to take a little adventure to SLC to have our visa interviews! We took the front runner train from Provo to SLC. Sitting on the train for an hour heading to the "big city" totally reminded me of New Canaan life! But instead of going to NYC we were going to were I was raised in the heart of SLC! It was so awesome and strange! Leaving the MTC and going into the "real world" as a missionary was super strange! You just felt everyone looking at you and I felt much more outgoing to random strangers.  It also felt strange to be a missionary in my hometown.
The interview went great and I should have my visa in two weeks! We got our flight schedule and we go from SLC-Chicago-London-Rome! We can't leave the airport but we are super excited! The best part of the little adventure was that we got to eat lunch at Jimmy Johns which meant I could get a DIET COKE! Enjoying the simple miracles in life!

Jimmy Johns and our DC!

                                       
This week more than anything I have learned about patience! Patience with myself, the Lord, with my comp, investigators, and other missionaries. Like I mentioned last week, Italian can be super difficult! Everyday we have language class and sometimes after I just think "did I really just learn anything?!" Everyday we also have to teach multiple people (fake investigators) in Italian. Sometimes I will walk out of the lesson and think...."did I even teach them anything meaningful?" "How will I ever do it in Italy?" My companion and I spend hours preparing and translating these beautiful lessons to give but, after it can be really discouraging because it doesn't go perfectly. However, I have hope and faith that it will come! Yesterday one of our teachers told us to give a lesson on the plan of salvation (where we were before birth, why we are here, and where we are going) on the spot-- no prep time, in Italian! I was thinking how am I going to do this? Then I said a little prayer and got up and gave probably one of my best lessons! Simple, clear, and genuine! I WAS SO HAPPY! It just shows that the Lord will uplift you if you have the Holy Ghost and patience in His timing. I must always remember this! What a miracle!

District/Zone

A district is a small group of missionaries (about 6) who have all their classes together and a zone is made up of like 6 districts. Our zone is super unique! Lots of different personalities! There are what we call the "babies" or "little brothers" aka the 18 year-old, right out of high school, elders. They are totally hilarious. There are some super "molly mormon"/classic sister missionaries. They are super spiritual and give the BEST insight! Wow! I am so impressed! There are also some super cool girls in our zone. One played Eponine in the NYC  Broadway production of Les Miserables, one is a world traveler who speaks 4 languages, one is a college grad who is super smart! Crazy talent! There is a little group in the zone of "hipsters" ---they are so hipster they don't even refer to themselves as hipsters. Its funny because you might think they are from LA or Brooklyn but they are from Idaho and Arizona. They read poetry and have deep conversations. I just listen on and think... wow they have the most interesting points of view and artistic brains and I just don't understand anything! It's hilarious! Anyways the miracle of it all is that even though we come from all different areas with different talents and interests we all get along so well here! We have so much fun and laugh so hard at our slaughtered Italian! We all support each other and love each other! Its a beautiful thing!

My companion Sorella Bray and I are having so much fun! We seriously get so stressed but laugh SO HARD! ALL THE TIME! one of our teachers is probably really annoyed with us! HAHA! Last night we were talking about Christmas traditions and started talking about those puppet Christmas movies like "The Year Without a Santa Claus" and "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" We were saying things like "I'm a man now Tanta Kringle" and we were laughing so hard that we literally fell off our beds and had tears rolling down our checks! I think our quality of what is funny has gone WAY down since becoming a missionary! But its all good because we are just so happy! 

I love you all!! Thank you SO MUCH for the letters, packages, and emails! THEY ARE MY SALVATION! 

Thank you Baba and Kenna for the package with treats! That trail mix was amazing and I think i shed a tear when I saw the Swig sugar cookies! 

Also I have to tell you that the other night we were all getting in bed and over the ENTIRE MTC intercom was "SISTER KARIN FULLER PLEASE COME TO THE MAIN OFFICE" I was literally terrified!I had to change out of my PJ's and put on a skirt. I was thinking.... was my skirt too tight, will they send me home, did a family member die, do I have to have an emergency meeting with President Nally (MTC Pres)??? Then I get to the office and they said "you have an one day delivery package. we are obligated to give it to you so we had to call you down" The package was the Bamburry Cross maple bars from Dad, Jed, and the Zwicks! IT WAS SUCH A HUGE RELIEF!! They tasted like a dream! And it was the night before fast Sunday so they totally hit the spot! THANK YOU!!!! 

The "emergency" donut delivery!

I love you all!!!! 

xoxoxoxo

Sorella Fuller