I am emailing a little late today because we just got back from the Lilac Festival in downtown Rochester. Normally, there are hundreds of different lilac bushes in the park, but it was really warm and then froze over again this year so they were all gone. But we mostly went for the food anyway. There is this place in Rochester called Nick Tahous that coined the "garbage plate." they are very popular around here but no one makes them quite the same as Nick's. It is mac salad and home fries with hot dogs or hamburgers on top covered in a hot meat sauce, served with bread. Super greasy and bad for you, but surprisingly delicious! Nick's is in kind of a shady part of town (most people go at like 3 AM after drinking all night), so it was fun to get one at the festival in a safe environment. We also got frozen custard, yum! Tina Klein took us. She got baptized two days before I flew out to NY and she is AWESOME. She used to ride with a really crazy biker gang and was into drugs and violence and heaven knows what else, but she has really turned her life around. She actually just got engaged (she was widowed a few years ago) to one of her friends from high school, who is getting baptized into our ward on Saturday! Exciting stuff.
We taught the Franks yesterday, and it went well. Both girls that we'd taught before were there, Hailey (16) and Jamie (11). They are starting to pray and we taught them about the Book of Mormon. We also have high hopes to start teaching a JW man named Victor this week, possibly with his gf and/or adult daughter. He got disfellowshipped from the Witnesses like 12 years ago when his wife died because he kind of went off the deep end, but he's cleaned himself up a lot. He has a lot of faith, and it will be interesting to see whether he sincerely wants to learn and change. He is a really cool guy, and I like his daughter Michelle as well. I hope it works out. :)
THANK YOU all so much for your prayers. Things are going a lot better with Sister Aiello. Still stressful, but we can at least communicate with each other almost 100% of the time. MIRACLES are happening. I firmly believe that we are both being influenced by the gift of tongues, because there are a lot of times when I shouldn't be able to understand her based on what she is actually saying in English, but I somehow know what she means. Her English is improving drastically as well, and she is starting to communicate effectively with other people, which is a blessing for both of us. I can feel all of your prayers and I know that I could not do any of this without the Lord's help, so THANK YOU thank you. God is so good. :)
New York is beautiful this time of year. Not quite as green as NC, but beyond anything I've ever seen out west. Today is was abut 70 degrees and overcast, with just a little humidity. PERFECT. I am loving it. I keep catching myself saying things like "all set" and driving like a New Yorker (don't worry mom, I follow the speed limit EXACTLY.) I really like it here. :)
Oh, I had a CAT scan this week. They put you on like a gurney thing and give you an IV with contrast dye in it to expand your arteries and make your blood stand out on the scan. It is the weirdest feeling because it makes your warm everywhere, almost like you wet your pants. Then you hold your breath and they pass you through this circular thing that takes a bunch of 3D pictures of your lungs while you hold your breath. Anyway, I passed. No blood clots, hooray!
Gotta run, but I love you all so much!!! TTyl <3
