if you squint it looks like a real Christmas tree.

Chere famille,

I have decided that this week can be summed up in the subject of this email. It was a long weird week and I found that things might not be as beautiful and as magical as you want them to be, but if you change your perspective they can become something pretty. (I can hear Naomi laughing and Elizabeth saying mmm you are so wise) I know it is not actaully profound but it isn't supposed to be. On Tuesday we went to IKEA to buy things Soeur Poznanski wanted us to buy for the appartment, and a member gave us a 50 dollar IKEA card, so we bought Christmas things! And other important things like bookshelves, but we were most excited about Christmas. And we bought a paper Christmas tree! That night, after we had set it up and put up some Christmas lights, we were lying on the floor talking about Christmas traditions and family and getting all homesick and teary I sat up and looked at the tree and exclaimed "Pymm! If you squint it looks like a real Christmas tree!" And then we sat there squinting at it and imaged it being real and laughed and laughed. 

This week Soeur Pymm got pretty sick so we spent a lot of time cooped up in the appartment. It was actaully kind of nice to have some time to sleep and read and just be alone for a minute. It was sad staying in and being sick, but it was kind of nice in a way as well. We had a lot of lessons fall through this week, and we were really bummed about it. Whenever that happened though we would end up going somewhere else and meeting other people and having other experiences. Last night after a long night of porting, we hadn't eaten dinner and we got a text from a member who said "Hey I have somes foods 4 u, wen will u be home?" And we were so so excited and told him we would be home at 9. So we get home at 9 and don't eat dinner and wait. And wait. At 10:15 we decided to call him and ask if he was still coming and he said he ran out of time but that it wasn't a big deal, he would being us our BAGS OF FLOUR we had left at the church after cooking there this week. Bags of flour. Not food. Lost in translation. It was hilarious, we were imagining this full meal. So long story short, my little piece of wisdom I learned this week is to change your perspective on what isn't the most ideal situation, and it can become something beautiful. Or hilarious. And the happy part of this story is that he could totally tell that we thought he was bringing us dinner (so embarrassing) and so this morning we got a text saying he had food for us and then he said "Do you like steak?" We don't want to get our hopes up, but I THINK it is actaully steak and not a bag of sugar or something. Maybe if it isn't steak we can just squint and pretend. 

Last night we went porting in two different batiments and did door after door after door. We hadn't done it all week because Pymm was sick and I actually missed it quite a bit! This batiment was filled with mostly Muslim people (I often wish Naomi was with me to speak Arabic. We talk to so many people who speak it!) and can I just say how thankful I am for the people we met last night? They were the definition of kindness. Even though they weren't interested in our message, they greeted us kindly, told us that they respected us for what we are doing and one even invited us in to have dinner with their extended family. I love meeting people and seeing how they live their lives and I find it so hopeful that we will knock on one door and someone tells us that the world is much too depressing to believe in God and that what we are doing is worthless, and then the next door I meet the kindest people who are teaching their family good principles and see the good in life. It gives me hope that there are good people partout. We still regret not going in and eating with the Turkish family. We thought we didn't have time but now we are kicking ourselves about it. 

This morning the sonner rang and I had a magical Christmas package filled with amazing treats from Trader Joes! Merci Merci! I can't believe it already opened there . . . totes jealous. Now we have TWO paper Christmas trees (Mom that is the cutest thing I have ever seen) and a whole bunch of treats. Thanks a million. 

I love you and miss you, especially this time of year. I can't wait to talk to you in 2 WEEKS!! I will let you know details next week of how that will work. We get to Skype so I get to see your lovely faces! 

Love you 

xoxoxo

Olivia