Today was a good day

This week we cleaned the church. Attached is our Steve Urkle photo. Heh heh.

It was probably one of the most spiritual moments of the week. The church is small (although not as small as Mistretta). It's a renovated ground level apartment. We still have a chapel, but it's about the fourth of a size of a normal Mormon cultural hall. If that. Top it off with six or seven classrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, and an office, and that's us. Anyway, each member family takes a turn cleaning the church once a week and the missionaries get a turn every couple of months.

As I was cleaning, I just thought about each member in our ward: I thought about the two women that work for the church translating department that were cleaning the church my first day here and welcomed me with giant smiles and hugs. I thought of the young mother that sits in the hallway every Sunday during sacrament meeting, rocking her chubby baby to sleep. I thought of the Relief Society President that always asks me to play "prelude" music in the broken/flat/wretched piano in the RS room (where the b-flat key is broken and I can't even play with both hands because the two clefs are so disonate. It's THAT out of tune). 

I thought of how much this little church building means to these people. How much they've seen their little branch grow and change. First there was a district in Rome. Finally, there was a stake. Then they announced a temple.

This past week, they announced that on September 15, the apostle M. Russell Ballard will be coming to form a second stake of Rome, combining the Sardegna and Napoli districts. We don't know the specfics, but we'll be finding out soon. Fingers crossed that I'm staying here.

Okay, end weird refecletions. Anyway. People are great in all parts of the world. The members in Italy are fantastic. I will forever be grateful that I was called to serve here. Even if it's nice to have the church be bigger... I like that I can strengthen it in a small-but-steady-growth-country like Italy.

We have transfer calls this week, but I'm pretty dang sure I'm staying in Ladispoli with the Viaz. Couldn't be happier.

SHOUTOUT
to Hayley Paul and the Sandbergs. Back in May you sent letters to Sicily (Sandbergs: a graduation announcement). I just got them! Hooray!

Also JESSE SHEETS, you sneaky fox! Thank you for your beautiful letter and expect replies soon.

that is all the news.
peace.

sister fuller

Okay, PICTURES:

 835: Cleaning

 845: At the baptism of a seven year old we've been teaching. Do you know how hard it is to teach children? SO HARD!!!! Man. I've taught more children on my mission than in my entire life. Meaning, I've taught four children on my mission. Props to children-teachers. All of you parents out there.

862: THE STATUE OF CONSTANTINE! So when I came to Rome three years ago, I had one statue I wanted to see desperatly: Constantine. I'm pretty sure it's Michelangelo's, but I don't have access to Google, so I can't confirm or deny that. Anyway, last time I went, they had closed access to it. This time, I found out it is ALWAYS closed access. But I told the guard it was my favorite statue and asked if I could take a picture. HE LET ME IN! What a guy! Here's to you, mystery guard man! I will say a prayer for you tonight.

Fighting crime and the forces of evil!

Does everyone know why I love Italy? It's because every day I get to make discoveries like the following:

1) The best coconut gelato I've had in Italy. Thanks, Professoressa Klein. You were right. (My companion hates dairy, but I forced her to at least try one gelato while with me. The attached picture shows her pain.)

2) In Italian, the Powerpuff girls are called the "Superkickers." Their names are Lolly (Blossom), Molly (Bubbles) and Dolly (Buttercup). Bwhahahaha.

3) Good thing I have Sorella Viazzo as a companion, because I'm making discoveries with her that are completely changing how we do missionary work. GOOD THING I'M FIGURING THIS OUT AFTER OVER A YEAR. Bwhahaha. My incapacity to learn these things early on in my mission amuses me. Anyway, we've started to try and find more... mmm, natural ways to talk to people. Perhaps all of you know, but being a missionary, we're always trying to look for people to talk to, to get to know them, share our message, and help them in their lives. But how do you do that without being a salesperson?
Whenever we are on the train, bus, etc. we FORCE ourselves to sit next to someone (because it's really easy to just sit in the empty seats). And then we say: "Excuse us, we're learning Italian. Can we practice with you?" They say yes 95% of the time and then the conversation just comes. We also tried it on benches in the park yesterday and it worked. I also got a free book out of it!
Basically, Sorella Viazzo is the bud of greatness. Soon she will bloom and flourish into a fantastic, capable missionary (Viazzo family, if you're reading this: good job!)

4) We took a trek to Rome for last Pday (Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, gelato, colesseum, etc.). Also? We got Dr. Pepper and black beans! Does everyone realize these are the first black beans I've eaten in 14 MONTHS!?! Considering it was a staple in my diet before the mission, this is a big deal. And by staple I mean, I would have stapled my stomach shut if I couldn't have eaten black beans and rice for the rest of my life. So we cooked them and they were delicious.

5) Alright, WEIRD SPIRITUAL THOUGHT TIME!
This morning, I was thinking about a song I used to run to called "Perfect Day" (by Hoku, if I'm not mistaken). If I remember, the lyrics go something like this:
It's a perfect day
Nothing's standing in my way
I could stay
Forever as I am
In the race but I've already won,
And getting there is half the fun
So don't stop me 'til I'm good and done
Don't you try and rain on my
PERFECT DAY

Obviously, I used this as a motivational song to help me run (for those who don't know, I love running... but only after I've stopped). But I was thinking about how... I don't know, twisted? the lyrics are. The expectation that we have these perfect days where we find happiness. What does that say about the days where it (literally and metaphorically) rains?
Sometimes, we think that we can't cope with trials. That we only want the perfect days ("I could stay forever as I am"). We avoid hard things. We don't push ourselves. Why? Because we're scared. We prefer the easier status quo. But hard things are OKAY. And we ARE capable of doing hard things.

Sorry I'm one of those freakish missionaries that is trying to cast out Babylon in a simple pop song. I just want to bear my testimony that DIFFICULT THINGS are good for us. We don't seek them out. But they do come. It is inevitable. And we can grow from them.
Some of you may remember a talk I heard my freshman year of college, "Lessons from Libery Jail" by Jeffrey R. Holland. That talk treated this very subject and I think that talked changed my life. Elder Holland said: "You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lordin the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced. ...We will face things we do not want to face for reasons that may not be our fault....But the lessons of the winter of 1838–39 teach us that every experience can become a redemptive experience if we remain bonded to our Father in Heaven through it."

(For the whole talk, see: http://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/09/lessons-from-liberty-jail?lang=eng)

So. That's all. You can do hard things. All of you. You wouldn't be on my email list, otherwise.

PICTURES
...810: I force my poor greenie to eat gelato.
...817: Our relationship
...829: Black beans!

SHOUTOUT to Meish and Jerry! Thanks for your letters. Expect responses in the soon/near/far future.
I love you all. It's almost September! CANDY CORN IS JUST AROUND THE RIVERBEND!
love
annie

Laugh. Pray. Be Grateful! Repeat.

Once again, Annie is learning how important the simple things are. 

Laugh. Pray. Be Grateful! Repeat.

Sorella Viazzo and I are just... laughing all week. I've never laughed so hard with a companion. Everything that happens to us---the good, the bad, and the ugly---just has us rolling in tears of laughter.

For example! We were on the train and starting talking to this man across from us (I'll call him Marcello). We just start chatting in Italian and Slla Viazzo is trying to keep up. The phone rings and I have to answer it, so Sorella Viazzo, sweating bullets, takes over the conversation. "I only know four questions in Italian: what's your name? Where are you from? What do you do for work? and How are you? ... so..... What's your name?" Bwhahaha. She killed it! I get off the phone, we keep talking, we invite him to English course... and -- IN PERFECT ENGLISH -- responds, "Oh, as far as English, I don't need it. My mum's from England." You should have seen the look on Sorella Viazzo's face. Priceless.

Prayers. Sorella Viazzo and I have undertaken a program of intense PRAYER. Our motto: "If you believe it, you will receive it!" We're believing and praying. You know. Because we didn't do that before on our mission.

I've realized that my prayers are ONLY effective if I first thank Heavenly Father for all the things that I have. I HAVE to have an attitude of gratitude. If not, my prayers become selfish, whiney, and arrogant... and they do me no good. There's something about thanking God for all the things I have that makes me much more open.

I was thinking about Mr. Holland's Opus this week. I actually haven't seen it in years, but if I recall correctly, Mr. Holland spent his whole life helping individuals, but felt his life was a failure because he never was known for this opus he was composing. It's only at the end that he realizes his opus is his life.

I think that's a lot like the mission. I'm not here to create this great masterpiece... to have this one culminating moment that affirms to me, "Aha! This is why you're here." But it's only after I do all of the small things that I can look back and see that, combined, those things did create a masterpiece. "Aha. THIS is why I was here."

PICTURES!

...789: We did chalk drawing again this week. We drew the classic plan of salvation on one bed sheet, but I wanted to try and "branch" out. Bwhahaha! So we did one on family history. The text reads: "Who are my ancestors?" with a line from Mario Rossi (the Italian equivalent of John Doe) leading back to Machiavelli, Garibaldi, Eleanor Roosevelt and Joan of Arc. Don't ask how one many can descend from two Italians, an American and a French. Then "Family History." No success, but it was fun to draw a tree!

...789: I love my companion so much. She has these great "as seen on TV" hair contraptions to make buns... and, of course, this is what resulted. None of the Lord's proselyting hours were harmed in the making of this photo.

SHOUTOUT

to David Ruvalcaba! Thanks for your letter this week. Tell Jerry I'm sorry he never got my updated address, and that I hope he gets my special package from Rome soon! 

Okay, I love you all! Say hi to the mountains for me! And go watch Mr. Holland's Opus!

love

annie

August Rush

Looks like once again I'm at the end of my internet time with a poorly crafted message from our sponsers. I hoped to compensate by sending you pictures, but all I have this week is pictures I sneak of Slla Viazzo sleeping on trains. No go, wheezy Joe.

But, we did BEAT jet lag this week! And, now that she is awake and alert, I find Slla Viazzo quite delightful! She's a joy and a pleasure. Yesterday she made me roasted cauliflower. I think that was when I knew this was going to be a good transfer.

I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be training as I get older in the mission. I feel that the older I get in my mission, the more two things happen:

1) I make the mistake of relying on myself. Oops. Since I've "been" in the mission and "know" how the mission works, I start to fall back on my old routines. I speak the language, I know the lessons, so I think I know what I'm doing. FALSE ALARM! I realize that I can screw up a lesson just as well as I did before, if I don't rely on the Lord. Also, it's comforting to know that this is His work. I think I take the work on my shoulders too much. "No success this week? WHERE DID I GO WRONG?!? WHAT MORE COULD I HAVE DONE FOR MY VINEYARD!?" Then I stand back and realize that it's not my vineyard... the Lord of the vineyard has put us in charge of a certain tree, and we're cultivating it in the way he directs. The tree may not always be producing fruit, but it always needs cultivating.

So we're working more this week on relying on the Spirit. What does God want us to do. Not, what does the manual or even my experience tell me what to do. Because I THINK I know what I'm doing. But it turns out that every person is different and everyone needs something different. Tricky, these people.

2) Missionary work/all of life is just a lesson on how to love people disguised in different ways. Numbers? A lesson on how to love. Invites? A lesson on how to love. Every time I try to explain to Slla Viazzo "how things are on the mission," I basically just explain: "This is what we're asked to do. And we do it. And you can do it with love or without love and that's the only thing that makes the difference." She's probably sick of that message. "Okay, this is how we clean the kitchen. But the only way to make cleaning matter is to do it with love." Hahaha.

We bought squirt guns this week. It keeps us amused while we're trying to stay awake in the August heat.

Spiritual message of the week: if God is in charge, it means He's also helping people that are out of our reach for whatever reason. If we pray for those who aren't talking to us/are far away (literally or emotionally), He will care for them. Prodigal sons do return. I've seen it here and I know it's real.

I love you all. I pray for you often and can't wait until I get to see you. Until then, I know Heavenly Father is helping you in whatever way I would want to if I was there (except for maybe designing you things. I hope to do that when I get back).

Lots of love
Annie