Charissa's mission 20091015

Subject:	Musings from Monday's Meeting
Date:	Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:57:37 +0200
From:	Charissa Black
CC:	...

Buon giorno!

It's officially fall now (there are some torrential rains outside the door here), and I am wearing my little flight attendant type scarves and everything. Yet another fabulous week in Siracusa and Catania has flown by. (I'm what's called the sorella coordinatrice, and so I make sure that the other sorelle in Catania and Ragusa are doing ok...I'm so happy for the chance to see Ragusa next week :).

Monday we had a conference at Catania with all the missionaries from Sicily and so we heard many wonderful suggestions

from Pres. Taranto. He gave us a brief history of his life and how his belief in our church was not challenged at first (being raised in Draper UT), but then challenged first from other Christians in Italy as a missionary himself, then in the Middle East from religious non-Christians, and then at Harvard from non religious people. I was thinking of this email and how its recipients include people in all of these categories. I honestly care about all of you and know that even if you aren't interested in the message that I share with people here, I want to say that I want the love that I feel on this earth to last forever and that I believe in a God that has today perfectly restored this plan and the authority to accomplish it. Thankfully we aren't robots though and thus can choose exactly what we want to do every day. But the words I've been telling perf ect strangers here is the best present I could give any of you as a souveneir from my time here.

But anyway, I've been seeing a lot of smiles and improved lives over the past few days...I am constantly reminded that the best joy comes from forgetting ourselves and helping others. Have a fantastic day! Never stop changing!

(Yep, I'm still my talkative a bit too pushy self. Sorry :) I'm trying to quit...)

Sorella Black
Last week's word: palese [pah-lay-say] obvious
Ital word of the week: lunatica