Basilica, Battesimi, Biciclette e Bug

This fortnight has been WILD! I will try and fit it all in if it's possible!!!
Sooo! Starting off with the first P-Day of the fortnight! We went to Vatican City! To see St Peters Basilica! There's a "butt load" of stairs and you have to pay bare euros for it! ANYWAYS! We were at one of the many drinking fountains filling up our water flasks and Bernie (the nun) saw that we were missionaries... and just like that let us in there for free (and up the lift to avoid all the stairs) WHAT A HERO! We love Bernie! We got talking to her and she has like 1/3rd of her family who are Mormons (and 2 cousins currently serving LDS missions)!!! How awesome is that AND she gave us her number and said whenever us or our family want to visit.. give her a call and she'll get you in GRATUITO!!!!! (for free!) SO I got my contacts... Bernie the Nun! She's the best! So yeah... how awesome!!!!!

The Vatican on P-Day

The View from St Peters Basilica

Sooo ice cream is just the best here!!! So far I've tried:

Fragola (strawberry)
Kinder Bueno (my top fave so far)
Biscuitto or something like that (not so)
Coconut (another fave)
Nutella (italians LOVE nutella!)
I think that's it so far but I intend on trying them all hahahah!

So far our fave gelato place is a place called Blue Ice (right near our apartment... how convenient!)

VITTORIA IS GETTING BAPTISED THIS SATURDAY AT 6pm be there or be square.. I'm kidding but I will send pics!!!! She wants me to make something edible and English... I'm not sure what that will be but it's gonna be AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! She is literally the best! She sometimes tries to speak English with me for eg: whenever we say we have a story or a chapter of scripture to tell her she says 'so a sort of tale?' it's actually hilarious and it doesn't even seem funny typed like this and then Yesterday in Sunday School chapter 6 of Matthew was missing in her Sacra Bibia! (bible) and she turned to me and said 'this. is. a problem!!' haha awwwwwwwwww I LOVE HER!!!!! Her faith is SO STRONG AND Heavenly Father really did prepare her for us!!!!!! She is Amazing, she is a grand 

example to me!!!!!! I'm so proud of her.

We also taught the missionary prep class this week.. we have 2 GANS (YSA) prepping for a mish! A guy from Bolivia and an Italian girl. They're GREAT!

Yesterday we did 'gesso' so Sorella Perkins, Anziano Nomellini, Anziano Hansen and myself went to a piazza, dropped a black sheet down on the way and chalked out the Plan of Salvation.... They've done it before and been super successful.. yesterday wasn't one of those times BUT it was fun and we can try again another time!!!  

'Gesso' - il Plano di Salvezza

ALSO! near the chapel there is this patisserie kind of place and the missionaries have this tradition where we get a 'bomba' EVERY time without fail! They're like doughnuts with hot nutella! SUPER GOOD! Well, this time I didn't fancy one, so I stood there while the district bought them and the 
owner just gave me one for gratuito!!!!!! - for free (when someone in Italy gives you something for 
free you don't say no, because they'll get super offended). So I took it and it was legit the best bomba I've had so far!!! 

This week we did a scambi (Exchange) that was fun! 

Then we also had an unexpected sleepover HAHA! Soooooooo to cut a long story short we had a bug prob. In our beds, gross I know! We kept getting these fresh bites every day (mainly me) I'd get about 5 or more each day but only on my legs! and we couldn't figure it out cus I got them at night. SO Sorella Waddoups told us to get rid of the mattresses, because whatever it was probably lived in the mattresses (something we brought home from service like 2 weeks ago).  So we got rid of them and slept on an airbed that night. Then Sorella Waddoups wanted us to deep clean the apartment and requested that we sleep elsewhere for that night.... so we went to Rome 2 Sorelle's apartment. The next day the AP's bought us brand new mattresses! SO TENDER MERCIES .. they're super comfy.. the comfiest thing I've slept on since home so! VA BENE! it's all good!

Now for my 'Fave word of the week' because,  there are so many funny or beauts words! This week is a cool one I love. It's....

... bicicletta (pronounced: bi - chick- letter but all flowy and lush, so practise that one!) also talking about biciclette (an e on the end because plural, singular starts with an a) don't worry it confused me too! ;) ANYWAYSSSSSSSSS last P-Day we all went for a lovely bicicletta ride in Roma! It was lovely.. we were with the 4 Anziani of our district (they all had mountain bikes... and liked to explore, possibly the most dangerous routes ever.  Senza traffic (no traffic) so don't worry! Sorella Perkins and I had normal bikes.. not made for those kind of routes hahaha WE MADE IT ALIVE THOUGH and it was actually super fun!!! :)

Roma 3 District

So this week we not only had our own baptism... but we attended a baptism in Rome 2! (where the mission office is) her name is Sorour and President and Sorella Waddoups were there. They totally took the mickey out of my accent! ha! President said 'Next transfer I'm going to put you with a real Italian to get rid of that weird accent' (he was joking hahahahhahah but I really hope he doesn't do that cus that would suck ha!) and THEN!!!! Sorella Furia (a Sorella in Rome 2 who is Italian and speaks like 3 percent English) ) did the closing prayer .. in English (oh yeah this baptism was in English) and she was kinda struggling praying in English! After the prayer Sorella Waddoups turned to me and said 'One day you'll be able to speak English like that!' ahahahhahaha I love President and Sorella Waddoups!!! They're SO much fun and can joke around! They're GREAT!! Also at the baptism Sorella Perkins and I did a musical item (I played and she sang Saviour, Redeemer of my Soul :)

So... because Sorella Perkins is STL (Sister Training Leader)... we do lots of Scambis (exchanges) within the Zone, so this week we did one and I went to Ostia! It was so fun there!!! We taught 2 lessons, which I felt went really well! So that was fun! :)

Because it's Sorella Perkins' last week, we have quite a few dinner appointments.  We're excited!  You'll laugh...on Mondays, breakfasts are always the funkiest because it's the end of a week and food runs short... today I had Nutella on a stale wrap. It was nice....hahahah!! Seriously though we really are eating well! Pasta nearly every day ... I'm an expert now ;)

Pasta Dinners - I am a pasta Expert!

Sooooooooooooooooo! THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK!!! VITTORIA'S BAPTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woooooooooooooo!!

Soooooooooooo we taught her a lesson in the morning of the baptism (last one from the Laws and Ordinances section of Preach my Gospel) and she did the prayer, but her words were jumbling up and she had to start again, then she said "SONO MOLTO EMOTIONALE!!!!' which means 'I AM JUST SO EXCITED'!!! hahahaha she's so cute!! The lesson was so so good! Then the baptism!!!  She was so so excited, but so so nervous ... but it all went so well! Sorella Perkins and Sorella Vickers did the talks,  I played the piano and we all did a musical item, then she got baptised, then as we waited for her we watched the Restoration video because she had invited a few friends and then we ate!!! It was so good but my fave part of Vittoria's weekend was on Sunday when she received the gift of the Holy Ghost. When Vittoria received the gift of the Holy Ghost the Spirit WAS so so so STRONG IT BROUGHT ME TO TEARS!! Her face was just glowing, she is so happy and content!!!! I love everything about this gospel and I love how much more I understand just from being here for 5 weeks!!!

We now have no simpatizzante (investigators) BUT this week we have planned LOTS of finding....and less active work!!! We found Vittoria through less active work, so I am positive and have faith that a lot of good will come from this week!!!

Yesterday we did Gesso.. again!!! This time we drew out a family tree (Sorella Perkins' family tree) and I DREW THE ROME TEMPLE!!!! it didn't even look too bad!! :) It was a lot more successful!!! Some of our Anziani walked around also with a whiteboard with the question 'What is the name of your great grandfather?' and they were really successful in talking to people!!! So we invited a few people to do family history, also our stake is running a family history weekend next month, so everyone is super excited about family history here!!! :)

'Gesso' - mia familiglia

Well its been fun!!!
I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU ALL!!!! 
TI VOGLIO BENE!
ciao xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx