Wonderful to Witness Rock Solid Friendships 1-23-13

http://www.blazetravelguides.org/destinations/florence/cascine-park

(Above Picture)  The Duomo is the cathedral on 

the left middle side of the picture. Katie and her companion would have been on the right side of the River Arno walking next to the grass parkway.

(Right picture)   Farther down the grass parkway

(Below picture) Tuesdays there is an outdoor market

Oh my goodness, I am in LOVE with Firenze. It is the best city in the mission and I am completely biased, haha. We were out doing finding work yesterday morming at this park called the Cascine. It is alongside a river and you can see the Duomo peeking out from the middle of the city. There are people walking "ther" dogs and markets all set up. It is gorgeous. The sky had just cleared up for a second before the rain hit again, and it just hit me how much I love this city. I love talking with the people here. Everyone has a story to share. I love Italians.

This morning, we were supposed to have an appointment, so we double-checked the address and were on our way. The appointment was with a really cute and sweet Peruvian girl who was so excited to talk with us! We get to the address, and no joke, we were in front of a building called "The Church of Christ." I immediately thought, oh well that's funny, I think she was totally pulling a prank on us! I laughed and thought it was no coincidence that in ALLLL of Firenze, and out of ALLL the apartments, we would just by chance get this address. I thought it was a good one! I mean if you're going to pull a prank on some missionaries, that would be it! My thoughtful and sweet companion, Sorella Eaton, decided to at least call her and check again. Turns out, we had the wrong address and she wasn't just pulling a prank on us after all. Oh well. It felt good to laugh and hey! We will see her again!

Firenze is such a neat little city. There are so many fun little finds. There are a lot of family-run restaurants. There are lots of little shops to explore. Like I said earlier, everyone has a story. For example, we met a guy yesterday that said he was in Firenze years before they began building houses. His house was surrounded by green fields and the river. When he talked about Firenze, he glowed! There is definitely a special light in the people of Italy. They have so much going for them! They love family. They love food. They love friends. And actually, they love their religion and culture. I love seeing how proud they are of their country. It is incredible being here.

As far as the work goes, we are still just moving along! We have been trying really hard as of late to strengthen the less active members, like I said last week. It seems to be working! I love hearing the conversion stories of the members over here! I realize that I am so lucky to have been raised in the gospel, but I really do admire those who chose this road without knowing how different it would be. We have every kind of member here. And they all work together in this unique way that is unlike anywhere else. For some, the branch is their family. There is a friendship among the members that is rock solid...and wonderful to witness.

I can't believe I've been in this beautiful country for over 5 months!! I couldn't be luckier. :) Thanks for loving me from afar. Sometimes, it feels like my life up to this point has just been a dream. I am obsessed with my family and how cool they are. My friends are the best friends that anyone could ever ask for. Seriously. I don't know where or who I'd be without them. Life is good. :)

Love,

Sorella Kate Beus