5 christmas apts, costly Christmas spirit?!, Pumping up the finding‏

Oh mamma there's so much to tell this week!First off, let me tell you about my Sunday. We were crazy stoked because we thought FOR SURE we were going to have 4 investigators in church---the Acevedo family (3), and Mirium. We called them all the night before to remind them and everything was a go. Saturday night we were planning what time we needed to leave to go pick Mirium up. We were going to have to get a bus at 7:30 a.m. to get to her house, and then take a bus together to be on time for church at 9.Never mind the exciting morning where I falsely calculated how early I needed to wake up to get ready. I woke up and showered at 5 and then went and sat on my bed and thought, "Wait, WHY am I up so early?" And then I went back to bed until 6:30. Brilliant!The doozey to this story is that we had one investigator in church. We left our apartment, got a bus to Miriums house, knocked on her door and...niente. We called her cell and her husband came to the door and said that she got called into work at midnight last night. Then Judy and Arianna Acevedo didn't end up showing to church either. It was pretty sad. BUT we have gone back to both of their homes, taught lessons, and they're coming to church this week! After that morning I just thought, "Man, we made so many plans and we really tried to prepare." But alas, there is always more that we can do. When they see how important it is to us that they get to church--when they really see that, they'll come. They'll feel it. They'll feel that we really want them there and that they really need to be there.Oh, we had transfer calls last night. My companion and I will be staying for another transfer together. I feels like the right thing. There's still more for us to do here. AND we'll be here for Christmas! I couldn't be more excited even if Saint Nick took me for a sleigh-ride himself! We've really been working to strengthen the branch here. We have 5 appointments with members from December 24-26. It's really a huge blessing and it has really made us feel loved. Last year, I had just arrived here before Christmas and we had zero appointments. Nowhere to go. It was kinda sad because I LOVE Christmas and it just felt weird spending it alone with a girl that I had only been with for like 10 days. (P.S. I love that companion with all of my heart strings) So contrasting from last year and seeing the love of this tiny little branch, it really makes us excited.We saw the Maiello family again last night. (They're an amazing Italian family that all (okay, except for the sons) had baptismal dates like 4 months ago...and after tithing...they called it off) Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend too much time with them because the mom had to take her daughter somewhere like a half hour after we arrived. BUT she gave us a ride to the station and we were able to talk to her about the situation. We were able to figure out more of what their problem ACTUALLY was. It just never made sense to me reading in the area book that anyone who really knows that the church is true would deny everything over a commandment that they've never tried. If you receive an answer that the church is true, then it is! It doesn't all of a sudden become untrue because we don't drink coffee or because we pay tithing. It's not like answers to prayer expire, or have a short shelf life. Negative. You can be pretty durn sure that if He tells you something's right...He's not playin! Anywhoodle, it was a really good conversation. And she told us that she recognizes that things are different since they decided not to get baptized. She said that things were better with her husband and they were all so much happier when it was something that they were doing as a family. Isn't that so true? I'm just really excited to keep working with them. We kind of know what angle we need to go at and feel like we can help them.ALSO we've really wanted to step up our finding! So we decided to do this survey that we have in Italian. It just asks religious questions and every now that then there's a conveniently worded question like, "If you knew that there was a way that families could be together forever would that interest you?" Eh? Eh?? ;) So yesterday we took a gander through a park and a piazza and talked to some people and had some slammin' conversations! It just helps me remember that there really are people that naturally wonder and have questions about spiritual things. It's so cool that we have the answers to help them out. It was a way cool experience and I'm stoked to keep working on our finding work...as well as other things of course. :)Well, fun fact: A measely ol' strand of christmas lights over here run about €19. Yup, that's like 25 bucks. I love christmas and all but I would rather get white washed then drop that kind of money on Christmas lights that would cost like 2 bucks in the states. (If christmas lights cost more then that...then jokes on me!) ALSO, the lightswitches in our apartment are all on the outside of the room. It throws me off every time. I walk in the room to turn on the light and...I have to walk back out in the hall to do it. Good times Italy!Welp, I gots to be jetting. Have a holly jolly....week. I hope you are all healthy and happy as can be. Say your little english prayers and just know that this missionary loves ya...kind of a lot. Italian Christmasy Love (yup, no Thanksgiving to wait for over here..) Sorella Mallory Hansen