Week 51 - Laughing Gas

Milan Cathedral

I felt a little disappointed in myself when I couldn't finish a whole pizza a few days ago. Sitting all day in an office has killed my appetite. HAHAHA, but seriously, I love being in the office so much. Even though Sister Hoopes (an elderly sister missionary) gets mad at me for eating all the office candy, I still enjoy my time here. Yesterday, Sister Allen (the wife of the mission president) was hinting that it's time for me to get a haircut and so, I let one of the assistants to the president give me a haircut! He had never cut hair before and only had access to some hair clippers and a normal pair of scissors. Surprisingly, it's not the worst haircut I've received in my life. And can I just say, I love actually having real conversations with my mission president... Instead of the once-a-transfer-zone-conference, "Hi President, work is going well here in (insert city name)," we can actually talk. For instance, yesterday I learned that my president and his wife both grew up on mink farms AND I learned that the bidet towel in the office bathroom is actually a hand towel!

There are some chunks of my day where I feel like I haven't done a lot of good (or that I'm fulfilling a minimum wage job). However, I feel like I'm starting to understand the big picture a lot better now... We went to the baptism of the bishop's son last week and there was a point during one of the songs that I felt so good! It felt like I was being suffocated with the laughing gas the orthopedic surgeon gives you before pulling out your wisdom teeth- except the feeling was all natural. Then, I remember looking and seeing four or five people on their phones (obviously not looking at a digital hymnal). It dawned on me that they were completely missing this moment of happiness and I felt a little bad for them.

In the moment, the good things are never super comfortable! I get eight hours of sleep a night and it's still never easy to jump out of bed. The Book of Mormon still isn't as an addictive of a read for me as the Twilight saga was. Eating healthy is far less attractive than ordering a few arancini for lunch (there is no English translation for this fried delicacy).

However, when we fall into what's comfortable than we completely lose that potential peace-happiness. Lately, there's been a lot of moments where I experience intense moments of real joy- it feels good! It's so easy to say that the church is true, Joseph Smith is a prophet, Jesus Christ is our Savior... But, when I actually feel those things, it gives me so much fulfillment for everything I do (even the office work). I swear it literally made my whole week when one of the less actives we visited asked us, "How did you come up with this message that you shared with me? It's just what I needed."