Palermo

Week 52

Goooooood morning, amici miei!

This past week, this journey of a mission started a year ago, which is 100% impossible to believe. I've loved and enjoyed and grown and changed and learned so much. I can't believe how fast time is going, and all I want is to continue on and keep serving. I love my mission. 

This last week of the transfer has been a whirlwind. Highs and lows and everything in between! Seeing as how the Savior taught often in parables and experiences, today I want to share the Parable of the Lasagna. (Not every missionary can do that in their weekly email, ya know? 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹)

Yesterday we were blessed with two meal appointments. Our first one was right after church with the funny and sweet as ever Albanese family. As we drove home from church, Florinda goes "Sorelle, oggi vi facciamo la lasagna." Our hearts exploded. This is the first time we'd both had members ever make us lasagna. (And it was fast Sunday so...blessings.) 

We get to the house and we get to cooking. We carefully prepare the Besciamella sauce (Sorella Albabese cautiously hovered over it for 15 minutes and wouldn't let us stir because we were...unworthy. ;)) We resalted and prepared the sugo which had been sitting and stewing for "ALMENO" 3-4 hours. We rounded the corners on the pasta so it'd be nice and tight and just perfectly layered. 

Things were looking good. Great, actually. (And smelling better than I can possibly describe!) 

Then we got to work on assembly the whole thing.

And that's where things started to go...downhill...fast. 

One sister layers the sugo, and then the momma complains that it's too much.  The Besciamella is a little too thin. And then we kinda run out of noodles so each pan's got only two layers (which makes one sister a little bit (read: very) unhappy.

And then. We forget to layer in the mozzarella!!! Mama Mia...come mai?! Haha this was the funniest part. At this point we're all just laughing and dying and starving and like come on let's get this thing in the oven. 

But first. We must put in the mozzarella! 

So cute Florinda grabs a spatula and we get on our operating gloves and lift up the layers and throw some mozzarella in there. 

It was not the prettiest thing I've ever seen. But it was all put together and in the end I think all two sisters and the mom were happy enough. And Sorella Ferre and I are just dying of laughter. 

We threw it in the oven and waited "patiently" for our beloved lasagna. And let me tell you, in the end it was not the prettiest plate I've ever seen, but it sure did taste good and you could literally sense the time and care put into it. 

This week...has felt a little bit like that lasagna. In fact, life a lot of times is like lasagna. We start out, ready to go and super excited. The ingredients look great and we're in a roll. Maybe we have lots of potentials and our investigators are progressing. Or in "real life" we did well with our exams, we found time to exercise everyday that week, and our house is clean and the fam is happy. Its gonna be great. 

And as time passes things may seem to quite literally fall apart. Or at least slide around a little bit. That final you studied for for hours didn't go like it should of, the stresses of life ruin our New Years diet haha, and the never ending to do list just gets longer. Our investigators stop progressing,  our work slows way down, and it seems like we have nothing to show for the work we've done and the things we started with. And we're just trying to do our best and do all we can. 

We literally go through the refiners fire, so to speak. 

But then (maybe I'm dragging this Analogy out a little but too long haha) the layers of good and bad and mistakes and triumphs and heartache and joy all come together.

And we may not be exactly what we hoped to have become or things might not look exactly like we envisioned.

But. Somehow, in the end, the lasagna still tastes like the best lasagna you've ever made. And in the end life is sweeter and more rewarding and full than ever. How is that even possible?

Romans 8:28, 35, 39 say:

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The promise from our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is that if we do our best to love, to serve, to change, and to grow every day, it will be enough. And not just enough to get by, but more than enough to change and become the people they want us to be. No tribulation or distress or persecution can separate us from their love and their watchful care. 

I know this is true because I've seen it work every day of my mission. When the ingredients start to not work and the layers appear to be falling apart, I hope we can remember to press forward and remain faithful through all things our Heavenly Father asks us to do, so that we can receive all of his help and blessings. He's there..."pronto a consolare". :) 

To quote Elder Holland: "All things work together for them that love God. So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow and forever."

I love you all and I'm eternally grateful for your love and support and prayers and emails. I hope it's a week full of good things and if your lucky, some lasagna. ;)

Love 

Sorella Kaitlin Carver 

English Corso

with Rosy and Mattia

The Parable of the Lasagna