Week 34 Letter from Sorella Hills

Hey all! 

Oh my goodness, from high adventure to girls camp, the juxtaposition is strong :) I'm glad you all had fun! 

Olympics sound like a blast! Yeah, it's not a thing out here.  But, we do have a thing called Ferragosto... I have no idea what it is actually celebrating, but it has something to do with the madonna... And everyone is on vacation now. Like the whole of Italy shuts down in August, especially today.  Today, there are NO cars, no stores open, and no buses! It's insane! So, we cleaned all day, because it is one of the deep cleaning days.  We got rid of a BUNCH of stuff! It was very satisfying :) 

Ok.  So as to get everything strait about where I am and with who I am companions with. Last transfer, I was with Sorella Hatfield in Ostia.  There, we taught Hemma.  Now, we are in Cagliari, and Sorella Hatfield is companions with Sorella Dustin, and I am companions with Sorella Tingey.  So.  That's that.  But Sorella Hatfield is doing great, and Hemma from as far as she says in her emails is doing good.  Denise had a mental breakdown... So... I am all for just letting that crazy go, but vediamo.

This week though.  Actually I have some news! 

Ok, now that's out of the way, the really week! We have been trying a lot of stuff because a) we do not have any lessons, b) it is August, and c) we need to switch things up. So.  A couple of weeks ago, we had done some park finding.  Which includes handing out English course cards. Which we did.  And we had a lady who was so excited to hear about it! She even gave us her number so we could contact her.  So, we invited her to come to the church and see it, and learn a bit about the course.  Well, she came! And she loved the church! She says she wants to come! So we taught her a little about what we believe, and she says that she wants to learn more! Speriamo bene! 

We have also tried some less active finding.  We found one! She let us in, which never happens. As she was wicked nice! But, then, we start talking about how we found her, and I was like your name is on a list of members, and we've heard that you are a great person, so we decided to try and visit you. And she's like, I'm not a sister anymore, I'm a Jehovahs Witness! So... We talked about our church, and she about hers.  We showed Because of Him, and she showed us a Jw video.  We parted friends, which was rather amazing.  But, I don't think we will go back anytime soon! 

We had a meal appointment on Sunday with one of our African members. She said that she was going to cook for us... This is a red flag for anyone who has eaten African food! I haven't, I only heard about it... Usually it involves leftover chicken parts and a type of yeast ball.  So. I was not excited.  But. I'm open minded sometimes :) We go, and she is dishing some plain rice onto a plate.  So far so good.  Then.  She opens up this Tupperware, and spoons some sauce onto the rice.  Still, so far so good.  Then.  An entire fish.  I'm talking skin and bones and tail! I was a bit skeptical.  But. I'll admit, it was really one of the best rice dishes that I have ever had! I was really really good! I would totally eat it again, that fish was so yummy! So, that was an adventure :)

That was the week more or less. 

Vi voglio bene! 

Sorella Hills

Week 35 Letter from Sorella Hills

You guys! That's so awesome! Did jack make it down to get you guys safely? I HATE Boston, there is NO way I'm EVER going to drive there my self! Massachusetts drivers are like Italians, except Irish, and more angry. I will never drive here either! 

After all those pictures, not one of Alli and Noah?!?

And the names of the missionaries? I met one from Texas, but Texas is a huge state, and I can not imagine there are only two missionaries here from Texas, and I have only ever met one. What are the odds though that there are two here from the same ward! 

Well, I have been on 2 airplanes this week!!! After 5 weeks in Cagliari, I have been transferred back to the main land. So, here is how that all went down. First, usually we get our transfer calls on Saturday.  New president new rules I guess. So we got the call Monday night.  I'm going to CROTONE! So exciting, never thought I would be staying in another city for only one transfer, especially not Cagliari.  I didn't feel done yet. Ah. Whatever. 

Back to the story.  Because transfers came on Monday, I only had Tuesday to prepare to fly.  Because on Tuesday night, I got the flight plans, which said that my flight left the next day at 7 am.  So. Back home, packing, running around like a mad woman.  Still trying to see people.  Leaving stuff, cleaning.  It was a mess.  So how, I did it.  I packed up my whole life, it is fit in 2 suit cases both just under 23 kg.  

Off to the airport, made it through security in under 5 minutes, and sat in the terminal for 2 hours... Ah well.  Get to the Rome airport. Wait an hour. No one is there to pick me up.  Had to ask a random guy to use his phone.  Another hour, my ride gets in! After that, all is good.  

I get to the sisters apartment, hang out and do some missionary work in Rome 2.  Get my travel plans for the next day, thinking I am getting on the train down to Sicilia, because that is how they usually send missionaries south.  But no. I am taking another plane.  Another one! They print out my boarding pass and all is good.

The next day, I get up, people are heading out, and all that fun stuff.  I sit and eat breakfast, and look at my ticket. It says that I am only allowed 20 kg per bag. That is about a 5 lbs difference.  Per bag.  Off I go again, trying to get rid of 10 lbs of stuff! I left a lot of stuff, with a Sorella there and she'll send it down for zone conference. Meno male :) 

I get to Crotone, an hour late because the plane was literally full.  I had to check my cary on.  All was good though.  Sorella Condé is the best.  She loves to work, and we work really hard.  We have so many potentials here! The work is still flourishing, even in August! I am so excited to be here! I know that Sorella Condé needs me, as I need her.  She just had a really hard companion, a new missionary, who she couldn't work with.  It was rough.  But, I'm here to help, and things are going great! We clicked really well already! 

Cotone is a branch.  The branch president is a missionary.  There are very few active members.  It's a bit rough, but there is a lot of hope here.  I love it already!

We've seen some cool miracles here! One is a little 10 year old.  She is so sassy..  But she has accepted to be baptized on the 10th of September.  That will probably get moved, because she is so young and we want her to understand everything.  She comes to church and to activity days, and reads  the BOM picture book and actual book.  So cute, pray for her! 

we are teaching the daughter in law to a less active, married to her less active son.  She LOVES the Book of Mormon, and reads it all the time.  She says she likes it because it is clearer than the Gospels.  She is so smart, and has studied with many different religions.  She said that she will read, pray and if she receives a response, she'll be baptized! 

Those are just a few of the many miracles I saw these last few days. Crotone is the best! 

Love you all! 

Sorella Hills

Week 33 Letter from Sorella Hills

Wow. That was a lot of a story about a pig! Haha, you guys crack me up, I can just see the whole event unfolding, it's perfect! I'm glad it all worked out. BTW, vegetarianism is a sick gig. They have a vegetarian burger at McDonald's and its wicked good! Life=good!

The high adventure sounds like so much fun! Jack is claustrophobic?! How strange! I would have NEVER thought that it would even be a possibility. So... How's the plane rides to Provo and Denver going to go? 

As for the Olympics, all I know is that it is in Brazil.  Here, the big things was the World Cup, which Italy lost to Germany. I wish you could have heard that game! Actually, all the games.  The whole city of Ostia and Rome exploded! You could hear every event, the whole city was watching. It was the best! 

And it is not too hot here. Like, yes it's hot, but I am getting used to it.  And it is not as hot as it could be, or has been, so I'm truly blessed! 

Well, I'm glad all is well! Ready for my week?

This week was chuck full of surprises. Surprise scambi on Wednesday and Friday, surprise zone conference on Friday, surprise transfer calls coming in this Saturday, meaning that this transfer is, surprise, a week shorter than everyone thought! 

We also had some interesting things happen.  One, an investigator who dropped off the planet, resurfaced and came to every church run activity, from English course to family home evening. Then, she dropped of the planet again, and we haven't been able to contact her. Fine! Be that way!  

Then, I hit my 6 months in Italy mark, on the same day as my scambio with Sorella Hatfield. So... We had a great day! Alla fine, we were trying to make it back to the house, and we passed this gelato place.  We looked at it, looked at each other, and immediately got off the bus :) So, surprise gelato! Them, we were making our way back to a bus stop, and we pass this pizza place. We look at it, looked at each other, and went in and ordered pizza.  Except the pizza takes 40 minutes to make! And they didn't except card! Bah! But, it was good pizza.  We then dyed our hair... Mine turned out gray. BTW, it washes out! So, I am no longer a granny. But it was still a little gray for zone conference...

Then, during a scambio with Sorella A., we go to a bus stop, and we can not figure out the map. So, we ask a guy that is sitting there to help us out.  We start talking to him, and he turns out to be a single dad, and really really nice.  Then, this other guy walks up, and the man we were talking to says "ciao, tutto posto?" And this guy, I'll call him backpack man, freaks out! He whips off his sunglasses, and was like, hey, do we know each other, I don't thinks so! And then he starts going off about how you don't just go saying hi to people you have never met (cough cough, us every day...).  So single dad apologizes, and back pack man walks a way all in a huff to wait for the bus as far from us as possible.  Poor single day breaks down! He starts talking about how rough his life is going so far.  We don't know what to do, so we start talking about how God loves us, and we invite him to church, because we are all a big family there, and everyone loves each other.  And starts crying! We really didn't know what to do then! But he said he'll come, got on his bus, and left.  

That was a big turning point for me.  I have seen a lot of stuff so far.  A lot of stuff that I will never talk about, and a lot of stuff that I just do not have enough time to talk about.  But I have never seen first hand the difference it makes in a persons countenance when they realize that they are loved.  Even if it is just by two teenagers who can only sort of speak Italian.  The change was just so much.  I believe with all my heart that he felt a sliver of the love that God has for him.  I felt the love of God for him! It was amazing.  I'll never forget it.  

So.  If you are wondering.  I can tell you that God loves you.  Well, I could have said that before the mission too.  But I know he does. There is a talk in the last conference by Elder Donald L. Hallstrom called I am a Child of God.  I "knew" that I was a child of God.  But I didn't KNOW it until that moment.  And with that knowledge, I can bear testimony that everyone on earth is a child of God.  He loves us more then we could ever imagine.  I can not wait to share this pure true knowledge with everyone I can see!!! 

Love you all! 

Sorella Hills

Week 32 Letter from Sorella Hills

Ciao tutti! 

So, I realized that one year ago, I received my call! Can you believe it? I've known that I was going to Italy for a year! Also, Wednesday marks the 6 month in Italy day! I have been here for half a year already! What even, time is NOT a real thing, let me tell ya. 

Haha! Sounds like a great Sunday! A classic Sunday. You should have listened to the Holy Ghost! Does Charlie still use the bathroom where ever he wants? What a turd! 

Well, it looks like no pig for you guys! Avete spellato! 

What are the missionaries like there? The Rome mission is SO funny! Like everyone is really into how they look. Exercise is SUCH a thing! It such a strange culture, half American half Latino. Cracks me up! 

How are the investigators? Any who are going to be baptized soon? What happened with Jan? And how is Ann doing? 

Gosh dang it!!! Movies just keep coming out, your killing me! And the trips?! So jealous! 

Ok, to the week :)

We finally got to see some of our simpatizzanti.  One is like PROPRIO Catholic.  She just likes our company and has no intention of changing.  The other is a family! We had a lesson with the mom.  We talked about the Book of Mormon and Joseph smith, and she was like, yeah, that makes sense. Like the saints and Padre Pio right? Agh!

But then, we had an interesting lesson. It was supposed to be like a drop lesson. We were going to hammer the Book of Mormon, and be like "if the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. If that is so, then this is THE ONLY TRUE CHURCH!!! Then, if she didn't get that, we were going to say, well, I don't know. Any who. We do the lesson, and she was like agreeing. And we like basically redo the lesson to make sure she was on the same boat, and still, she was agreeing.  So... Bap invite. And she was like, yeah, that would be great. Huh. Never heard that one before. Not sure how to react, we kind of talk about how baptism is honestly the only thing to do if this stuff is true is be baptized.  So we extend the invite again, and ask her to pray about it.  She opens her bible to a random page, and the first thing she reads is about John the Baptist baptizing Jesus.  So, she says, "well, you saw me open this up right? My answer is here, I need to be baptized." Silence.  WHAT!?! So crazy! We extended a date, and she excepted. We'll see how it goes, she still needs to come to church, and the whole family should be a part of this, but I was in shock. We'll see what happens! 

We found a lot of people the other day doing finding. A new simp, an x simp, and an inactive member! So crazy! It was quite a night! 

Then last night, we had a FHE with this member.  She invites people, so, we never know who will be there.  Our crazy lady with the voices, a new convert couple who are basically the best ever, the member, and her autistic daughter.   So, if the missionaries are invited, they do the lesson.  So, we talked about light.  It went all over the place.  Then, we had dinner, which was lots of veggies. At 10:00, we leave the house. We need to get home at 9:00... In case you where wondering how the night sounded, the last question before we left was "Sorelle, can members of the church buy from the Chinese?". Yeah, it was crazy. 

That's about the week. Everything is going well here, about half way through the transfer already! Crazy! President says that 7 new sister companionships are opening up because there are so many sorelle coming in, and only 2 Anziani leaving. So... There will be sisters in cities that haven had sisters in then for years, and Cagliari might even get another set... A 6 sister house... Mama mia! 

Love you all! 

Sorella Hills