Sister Ashley Ann Swenson: Transfer Week and Pictures as Requested

Alright All another transfer call come and gone and.... looks like me and sorella Marangoni will be sticking it out for her last 4 weeks. I don't know what is going to happen to me once she leaves... I assume I will be in a 3 sum somewhere until the numbers are even again, we'll see. Sorella Marangoni joked that I could be companions with Sister Acerson (the mission presidents wife).

So last week we had a blast for p-day, just alot of relaxing and treats and then we ate at HardRock Cafe! Yum!!! I could not remember the last time I ate a hamburger so amazing as that! It certainly wasn't at Buffalo Bill's!

Sister Barbra Thompson and Mary Cook from the general Relief society and young womens, came and put on a fireside for the members (girls) on Thursday here in Rome! It was awesome!!! That right there is one of the perks of being in the Rome area.

This Sunday we had stake conference and I was able to see people from Pescara and Rome 1. Our investigator Louisa was there with us. I don't remember if I wrote this or not already, but Louisa has agreed to a baptism date and we are working towards it with her, December 6th! hopefully all will go well.

Yesterday evening we were at an investigators home and I mentioned how I was thinking about getting my hair cut a little and she volunteered on the spot to do it right then. ha ha I feel very European. Her scissors were not the sharpest and instead of cutting by opening and closing the scissors it was more of a razor slicing motion so it kinda hurt sometimes! She didn't hesitate at all or ask any questions she just started hacking away and for a moment, as all the hair was falling to the ground, i felt like I was in the film Edward scissor hands! I am neutral about it. I haven't decided if I love it but I am ok with a change.

There is a member that me and Sorella Marangoni have been visiting throughout this transfer named Barbara. She has a beautiful conversion story and despite the fact that her family was pretty much against her making this decision and she has been without work for a really long time, she is so positive. Recently she was telling us how lucky we both are to have grown up in the church. She saw the primary program (it was so cute FYI) and said she felt sorry that she was never able to participate in the primary. She is devouring all the information she can come by to try and catch up on the 38 years she went without the gospel. She mentioned how she doesn't know why it took so long for her to find the church because she had had past experiences with seeing missionaries and even walking into a church and receiving a Book of Mormon. I wonder if it is like that for other converts. If they look back over their life before they knew the church and can see opportunities where they might have learned the truth sooner.

I am so grateful for this beautiful gospel. I love being a missionary. for all those getting ready to leave on a mission or deciding whether or not to go, it is so amazingly worth it!