Ciao cari!

...on a random beautiful piazza somewhat near Trevi fountain

This week was great! PDay we met up with all the other sorelle in the Rome​ area for a Rome Pday extravaganza! Sorella Dew, my beloved MTC companion, came from the other Rome zone so we were reunited! It was so great to be with her and the other Rome sorelle, I think there were 12 or 14ish of us in total! 

SORELLA DEW and I and Sorella Barazoto photobomb-ing (fotobombando?)

The Rome sorelle Pday Krew at the Pantheon

We met outside of the Pantheon, walked to Piazza Navona, got treated to gelato from the Lindt chocolate store (YUM!) by some American tourist members we ran into.

Ice cream at the Lindt chocolate store 

(thank you Bountiful, Utah family!!)

At the Lindt store with my favorite of the Seven Deadly Sins!

Then we went to the Trevi Fountain, took lots of pictures (see top!) After we all split up because some sorelle had a ways to go home, Sorella Clyde, Sorella Argyle, Sorella Marsh and I did one of my favorite things to do- just wander around this incredible eternal city of Rome. We walked up a hill and found ourselves on a lovely piazza right as dusk was falling and everthing was turning lavender. It was amazing. And we did another one of my favorite things-- get pizza! From a place near the Pantheon that I visited with my family this summer called IL Capriccio. A PERFECT p-day!

The gorgeous fountain on that piazza! I LOVE ROMA!!!!!!!! AMO ROMA!!!​

The next day, a former investigator of Sorella Clyde's from Sicily was in town so we went to meet up with him! We met him at the Piazza Spagna, where the Spanish steps are. His name is literally Luigi Sinatra and he is (as Sorella Clyde says) "a huge jolly Sicilian man." He bought us cioccolato caldo (hot chocolate) from an adorable little spot right on the Piazza and we tried to teach a lesson but he would have none of it! Oh well, we tried, we really did. Comunque, lui e bravo. Anyways, he is great.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and we had a party with our English course students! We all brought American food- corn bread, mashed potatoes, pumpkin bread, apple pie, and banana bread- and most of the students actually bought and brought food! Pizza and potato chips and other pastries. We had a grand little party for "Giorno di Ringraziamento"! The students went CRAZY for our banana bread though- they all said they had never tried anything like it, they were all asking what that flavor was- potato? yam? apple? coconut?- when we told them it was banana they were amazed. Like 4 people, men and women, asked me for the recipe, and there wasn't a crumb left. Who knew Italians loved banana bread so much! Everyone was eating and talking and laughing.

We also all sang Silent Night in English in preparation for our upcoming Christmas party. I sat in front of the class and played the guitar while everyone sang. I looked out over the class and they were all smiling and there was just such love in the room! It was so beautiful. I realized that these people, from 9 year old Gabriele to 70-something year old Germania, have grown to love us and we really love them as we've served them. Service really is the key to love-- on both sides. It's beautiful. As we serve others, we develop Christlike love for them, and they in turn feel that love and love us back.

Sorella Clyde, Sorella Marsh, me, Paolo?? (not sure
on his name), Luca,  Sorella Argyle. Second row:
Paolo Astrologo, Elder Jorgenson, Elder Anderl

At the English course Thanksgiving Party! Foooood

Paolo Astrologo is a member of our ward and goes to our free English course (see the videos below he emailed home!!).   The missionaries and some brave students sang Count Your Many Blessings in Italian. There were two guitars just sitting in the closet at church- I took one home a few weeks ago and have been playing it during the tiny bits of free time! So I played while we sang.

We were able to have Thanksgiving Pranzo at the Memmot's!!!!  The 2 senior couples, the Memmot's and the Wardle's, made us all a huge proper American Thanksgiving feast for lunch the day after Thanksgiving! This was at the Memmot's apartment near the church. We ate til we were in pain and took home leftovers too! I love the Holidays and love my district!

Also GREAT NEWS I found the European equivalent to thrift stores! There's a street market nearby this internet place with everything from Christmas decorations to a mini butchery, and one place was just random clothes, one table marked 2 Euro, one marked 4, etc. I got a cute black blazer for 2 euro and a cute black cardigan for 4!! YEAHHH!!!!

As for the work!-- We didn't get to meet with either of our old investigators this week (again...) BUT we got a new one and he is AMAZING!

Last week we did this finding thing where you prayerfully choose a street from the map, and then go find there--- and we found this young man from the Phillippines named Lester! He said he had an auntie in the Phillippines who was LDS and when we asked him what he knew about Mormons he said "They have good moral character." How cute is that! This guy is like 24 and so so so shy and sweet.

We set up an appointment with him, which happened this Saturday! We brought Janus, this amazing 19 year old filipino in our ward who has been a member of the Church for 3 years. He's such a huge help to missionaries and is filling out his own papers for a mission!  Lester and Janus hit it off right away, and as we taught Lester the Restoration Janus was able to help translate for him into Tagolog and also talk about how he knew the Book of Mormon was true. The Spirit was really strong and we asked Lester- "When you know these things are true, will you be baptized by someone having the priesthood authority of God?" and he said YES!! We set a date for December 27th!! And we know he can be ready by then-- less than a month away!! We are so excited for him and KNOW that our prayers were answered- he is so open and humble and ready to learn! He is proprio d'oro-- truly golden!

BUT. . .

It turns out Lester does not live in our area-- he lives all the way on the other end of Rome! And we only met him because he was visiting family on our side! SO we have to pass him to other missionaries. We know we'll be at his baptism though! We're so blessed to have been involved in helping him come unto Christ, and he'll always be in our prayers!

Tagalog Book of Mormon for Lester!

Sorella Shakir is a convert in our ward originally from Egypt! We went over to her house Sunday night. She has such an amazing testimony and is so strong. She met the missionaries several years ago here in Italy where she was living as a twice-divorced single mom of 2 sons, 1 had recently passed away at age 25. Anyhow she was Muslim but she took the lessons because the sisters were so nice and very quickly knew it was true! Baptized a month and a half later, still so strong in the church today, even though all of her immediate family in Egypt cut off all contact with her for years. Even today, only some just barely speak with her. She's going to Cairo for the winter, it's too cold for her here. We love her so much!

Sorella Shakir

So all in all it has been a truly amazing week and I am looking forward to this next one so much! We have to go to the BEAUTIFUL island of Sardegna on Thursday because Sorella Clyde has to go pick up her permesso there! YAY! Also we have several lessons with some new potential investigators scheduled!  

Hope all is well with you and yours! all my love!

Sorella Frandsen

Sorella Frandsen's Mailing Address: LETTERS & PACKAGES

(Letters take about one week to arrive, Packages take about 2 weeks)

Sorelle Missionarie Frandsen

Via Villata, 28

00166 Roma, ITALIA