Sister Annie Fuller: The Tempest

Title refers to the giant HAIL storm we got caught in on our drive back from Foggia's district meeting (our district lives an hour and a half apart, so Monday morning meetings are always a little bit of a trek). We pulled off the side of the road and listened as hail the size of marbles pelted our small Italian car. I considered trying to go talk to the other stopped cars and slip passalong cars in their window. He he... but it passed pretty quickly and we were on our way to sweltering Bari that didn't feel a drop of rain.

Uuuuh, this week was -- better? Yes, better! Do you know who's amazing? The members in Bari. We've been doing a lot of missionary work and we've had more stable investigators (stable meaning not necessarily "sane" stable, but "I show up for appointments" stable), so we've been able to have more members help us teach. And just in case you didn't already know, missionaries PRAISE THE NAMES of members who can help them with investigators. Part of it is being willing, but also when members take the initiative and notice a new face in church and come over and introduce themselves and invite the person to sit with them of their own accord... let's just say, that member's name is HALLOWED in missionaries' minds and mouths. Anyway. I've just been realizing how great our members are really are. Good job, Bari. You grow good, faithful, helpful people. You know. Jesus-like.

Also, my study of the scriptures just EXPLODED this week! I've been doing this super fancy doctrine coding system that I've tested out with the Book of Mormon. It's great -- I find I get a lot more out of the Book of Mormon. And since I'm in the depths of Numbers in the Bible right now, I said -- let's make a 2.0 version of this coding system and see if it helps. HOLE-EE MOLE-EE. I never thought I could learn so much from the book of Numbers! And it's a treat (albeit a particularly sticky one) to pick through prophetic prophecies in Isaiah and Jeremiah. YUM.

I realize that there's always something to complain about. And always someone to talk bad about. This week I'm trying to do away with mean speaking, because it hurts people and makes me look like an IDIOT. So one of those lose-lose situations. And I usually don't feel very happy. Sooooo. Yeah! We're done with that. Take that, Rumor Weed/Satan!

Guess who's flossing? ME! Yep! After almost twenty years of religiously avoiding flossing, I finally took it up. What changed? Our mission president's wife challenged us, and my roommate and I make it into a competition to try and report on who is doing the best with their flossing. Hey, that's a cool lesson! I like to think that people that have avoid religion religiously for twenty years or more can take to it just as quickly as I did at flossing. Right? We just invite them! What a fresh, new, minty idea. Thanks flossing!

I'm wracking for my mind for words of wisdom and drawing a total blank. But a letter shoutout to JESSE SHEETS! Thank you for your wonderful and not-sappy-at-all letter. As always, a response on not-as-cool stationary will be on it's way to you soon.

Okay, I think that's all. LOVE YA!

Call me, beep me, if ya wanna reach me.

love

annie

...355: Members of Bari. DID I EVER TELL YOU YOU'RE MY HEROES!?