I Love The Sabbath.

I won’t have internet for almost another week, so I decided to squeeze in a quick update. I don’t have any pictures this time because I haven’t uploaded my camera yet. But I’m sure my next post will be packed full of some pictures. So stay tuned.
My study abroad program began on Friday morning when Mom and Dad dropped me off at the Hotel Pacific. It was really nice because I arrived just as the group from the airport arrived. So that eliminated some confusion as to where exactly I was supposed to go once I got there. We got settled into our hotel rooms for a little while and then headed off to Vatican City. We went in the museum and then to St. Peter’s Basilica. It was awesome to see things after I have taken art history. Although I can’t remember a fraction of what I learned in that class, I definitely had a better appreciation for everything.
The next day was Sunday. Oh my word, what an incredible day! I love that both of my favorite days on my trip thus far have been the Sabbath days :D It was such an incredible experience. It was frustrating at first because here I was, having a year of Italian under my belt, and I couldn’t understand hardly anything! But when I got past the frustration, I could feel the spirit so strong in the meeting. Though I couldn't translate in my head what they were saying, I could feel the spirit of what they were communicating. It was incredible. But the most amazing part was Relief Society. The lesson was on sisterhood. And again, I couldn’t understand them, but their lesson was not in their words. Their lesson was in the way they treated the sisters in the ward, and the way they treated us. They were so incredibly loving and kind to us. They treated us like old friends. We could all just feel their love. One sister at the end of the lesson came up and gave me the biggest hug and kissed me on the cheek. I couldn’t choke back the tears any longer. It was too powerful. I love the sisters of that ward. I will always have a special place in my heart for them.
Ok, I don’t have much time left on the internet here and my battery is about to die, so I have to wrap up. We head to the Amalfi Coast on Wednesday morning and we will be in Siena by Saturday night. I am SO excited to get settled in and not to be living out of a suitcase anymore. You have no idea how good that sounds. But I love you all and I am SO SO happy that people are actually reading this. I LOVE it! I should have something up in about a week. Hope this tides you over until then. Hope you’re all doing great! LOVE YOU!