Well friends and family, this is my second to last P-day here in the MTC. Can you believe it? I'm so excited to go to Italy!!! Okay, so let's see, what happened this week....

Thursday I wore a shirt as a skirt... It was modest! And it really wasn't that awful looking, surprisingly... Let me explain. So the Italian/Romanian Zone before us had picked this mint green, picnic table checkered button up collared shirt. And all of them took turns wearing it and taking a picture. So they passed it on to us with a note explain it and saying we can wear it anyway we want and to get as creative as we could. So I'm thinking everyone will be wearing it as a scarf or a belt or whatever. Sorella Hogan had actually turned it into a scarf that looked really cute, but she didn't wear it that way officially. All of the sisters were being boring and just wearing it as a shirt. But of course, when I put it on as a shirt, I was drowning in it. So I was just messing around Wednesday night, trying to find a good way to wear it and I jokingly put it on around my waste and lo and behold, it looked better than wearing it as a shirt for me. So with a little tweaking, ironing and pinning, I got it to look like a decent skirt, with a big belt of course. I have pictures but I accidentally took them on my camera and not my SD card (aka the SD card wasn't in my camera when I took the picture) and these computers won't let me download them. UGH. So hopefully I can figure something out someday, because it was fabulous. So yes, that was the most exciting thing not spiritual-wise that happened this week. My teacher asked me if I made it, so I said no and he agreed with me that it was a very different skirt. I had quite a few comments. It was a pretty interesting day, but it was super fun.

I cannot remember what happened Friday, I'm sure something did.....

On Sunday I was called to be a Sister Training Leader. I swear, no matter where I am I end up holding a leadership position or playing piano. But I'm super excited for this opportunity. It allows me to get to know the sisters in my zone way better and I'm super stoked for that.

Monday the Milano Anziani had to host for the Senior couples coming in that day so it was just Sorella Snow and I with Fratello Knutson (our teacher) that morning, which was actually pretty fun. After teaching our lesson with our simpatizzante Antoine, we combined with the other class that just had two sisters and we talked about how serving a mission also helps us become great mothers and the affect it has on our posterity. It was so awesome! I talked about how everyone talks about how missions aren't for us, they're for the people that we are teaching, but for us it's also for our children and grandchildren, etc. because they see our examples, just like the 200 stripling warriors who had the courage they needed because of the words and faith and prayers of their mothers. We are those mothers! Preparing our children to go into the world and arming them with the armor of God. What greater calling is there? Anywho, it was super uplifting and awesome. I know for me hearing all of my dad's stories growing up definitely had an effect. It made me want those experiences and joys and then when my brother Boomer went on his mission, I love hearing his stories. Even greater was meeting the people whose lives he had touched. I saw the impact he had made and it motivated me and fed my desire to serve a mission and serve people even more. 

Last night we had a great devotional about how Satan works and the different tactics he uses to drag us down and to make us miserable. It was soooo awesome! I wish we could print out the talks they give at the MTC, they're so powerful. Oh! Also, for my New York people, in December you have to go to Times Square. On Sunday night our devotional was given by the guy who's head of Mormon.org or something and he was showing us some sneak peaks for what's coming up in December. Super exciting stuff. So go to Times Square in December and take pictures!!!!! I want to see the for real thing! AHHH!!!

Alright, other fun stuff, our simpatizzante Keyla has committed to be baptized!! She told us that she talked to her mom about it and her mom was really happy! Her mom is Evangelical, but she still was content that Keyla was being baptized. so we invited Keyla to bring her mom to lessons and to read the Book of Mormon with her mom. Yay!! I know they're not real investigators, but it's still super exciting to see them progress and grow and it makes me even more excited to go to Italy and see that for real!
Sorella Snow and I taught Antoine about the Word of Wisdom this week, which was a little scary. We had already talked about not drinking alcohol, but he hadn't gotten to coffee yet, and coffee is the scary part, especially with Italians. Ah! As soon as we mentioned coffee he just went "CHE?! NO CAFE!?" And he was trying to convince us that we needed to try some. He asked us how we got any energy and Sorella Snow said we got our energy from God. It's funny to say it that way, but it's true! So we read 1 Corinthians 3:16 (I think) which talks about how our bodies are temples and gifts from God. So he asked us what a temple was and we explained about how beautiful and sacred they were. He asked if he could go there and we told him he could go a year after he was baptized. He said the temple sounds so beautiful and he really wanted to go. Then we said how our bodies are temples, just like what we had been talking about. That they are beautiful and sacred and the Spirit dwells in us. That seemed to really hit him when we said that. He said he never thought of his body being a gift or being sacred. So he committed to stop drinking coffee! Along with continuing to try to stop drinking alcohol. He only drank a little bit on Friday which is a huge improvement!!! It's so exciting! Anywho, Not much else has happened other than the usual. It's going to be so hard to say goodbye to all of these wonderful people in two weeks. We've gotten so close and everyone is so wonderful and they've all helped me so much to grow and become better. but I know that we all need change and we all need to say goodbye, it's just life. But hopefully we'll see each other again! Luckily most people are going to BYU after or will at least be pretty close by.

Anywho. I love you all! I love hearing from you! I love this work and being on a mission. It's amazing how much I've changed in just one month. Like, of course I'm still me, but I can see myself becoming the person God sees that I can become. I'm still so far, but I've gotten closer to that mark in such a short amount of time while I've been here. You are all the best! Thank you for your prayers, love, and support! In Bocca al lupo in tutti!! Vi voglio un MONDO di bene :)

Sorella Hawks :)