Week 21 Letter from Sorella HIlls

Hello, Family!

You should send me some pics of the lawn work! Like the new rock wall and the new mulch.

Our stake conference is coming up, too, on the 29th. We are supposed to have an area 70 coming, but we don't know who yet. It should be cool. We get to go to Palermo, which is the stake building. The stake is all of Sicily, so it will be great to see all the other missionaries. 

Those elders! Oh my gosh! Sounds apostate, but a lot of fun. I totally miss DQ, and I wish the members would take us to places like that! Ugh! 

I feel pretty bad when I think about my visiting teaching.  We had an inactive and we never ended up going. That's not ok.  Now I'm out here, and I see how much a difference a member makes, a friend.  My eyes have been opened. 

This week.  We have been having SUCH a hard time with our investigators.  We have not had an appointment with any of them since my new trainer got here.  It's really unfortunate.  We need to find new investigators, but it is SLOW work.  I'm worried that they might shut the area for sisters.  Transfers are coming up, and there are only 2 missionaries coming in, and a large group leaving. In other words, even if both of those missionaries coming is are sisters, we have 5 sisters leaving, so at least one companionship will be closed, whether it is a 4 person house, or a city, we don't know.  We have no work, so it could very well be Ragusa.  

We had a crazy weather phenomenon this week! It is called scirocco wind.  It comes up from Africa, and brings heat, but more than that, humidity. I have never seen the sky like this. It was like fog, but it was just wet air and red sand.  Now all the cars have this red sand on them, like the pollen in the spring time back home.  It was the craziest thing ever, and it only lasted like a day and a half, and then the wind changed direction, and it cooled back down.

Also, we bought some shelves this week! We didn't have any, so all of our books and such had to be on our desks, and it was a mess.  So, we got a ride from a member to go pick up some shelves.  The study room is SO much improved.  

Because we have been having a hard time with investigators, we have been doing a lot of member work, less active work, and area book stuff.  Last night, we called all the people labeled 'contact' in our phone.  No one was interested, until the last lady.  She was like, yeah, I remember the sisters, they are nice. You can come over Saturday! So, we have a potential! We'll see how it goes! 

The Gela Anziani had a baptism this week! It's the first in Gela in like 3 years. It was I the sea, and crazy cool.  The guy walked into the church like a month or 2 ago, and asked to be baptized! Miracles totally happen! 

Right now, I am trying so hard to do what the Lord wants. A lot of things are falling through, but all one can do is have and faith.  So, onward Christian soldiers! 

I hope all is well for you all! You can send me pics when ever, I can't wait to see how the yard looks! 

Vi abbraccio! 

Sorella Hills

Week 19 Letter from Sorella Hills

Dear family,

Oh my gosh!  Send me some pictures of Jack's mission pictures as soon as he gets them! Tell me when his application is in, I NEED to know! 

So. This week was rather crazy. We saw SO many people, trying to say goodbye to everyone. My trainer was transferred to Crotone, so we went to Catania Wednesday night, sent her off in the morning at around 8:30, and then I hung around until 5 until my new companion came in! After, we went to Siracusa because there was a conference for all the leaders on Thursday morning, and me companion is STL. So.. We weren't back in Ragusa until 5 Thursday night.  We had an appointment with our investigator that night, but she cancelled. So we went to this combined fireside with the priesthood and relief society, about how to have a home I guess. It was bad. Sex roles here are very strict, we'll put it that way. 

For my birthday, I did something very apostate. There is a woman (who is an African) whose husband died just before she found out that she was pregnant with his child.  She just had the baby and the ward has done nothing.  So, we went to go visit her. The baby was one week old; he was so small!  We talked for a little bit, and then one of her friends came in to say hi with her 6 month old.  She got up, GAVE ME THE BABY, and took the 6 month old.  OH MY GOSH! It was awful! We are not supposed to hold kids btw, but I didn't know what to do! She wouldn't take the baby back! And then, we decided to leave, so I asked for a picture of the baby, AND SHE TOOK LIKE 6 PICTURES WITH ME HOLDING THIS BABY! It was so bad, so bad. 

This week was crazy, but I feel good about showing my companion around.  Our zone has started this thing #mayisthemonth, were we are trying to reach the standards of excellence, which is 40 baptisms in the mission in a month. So, everyday, we are praying so hard to see miracles! We have already seen one. One of our investigators that we sort of dropped, called us the day my trainer was leaving, and so we ran down to go see her. We taught an English lesson to her 2 year old daughter, and then, since we were out of time, we asked to leave with a prayer. AND SHE ASKED IF SHE COULD SAY IT!! It was a great prayer, too! Then, on my birthday, we saw her on the street, and we got an appointment for this week! It should be good, we are going to invite her to baptism... All of our investigators actually, when we see then, are getting an invite. We need baptisms.

That's my week! I know that with the Lord, all things are possible. Have the faith, do the work, and miracles will happen! 

Vi voglio bene! 

Sorella Hills

Photo of the mountains!