Week 38 Letter from Sorella Hills

Awwwww!!! Jack had to the the airport pat down? Why? What is the flight to Provo,
through Chicago or Atlanta, or was it a straight flight? Why is he
going out on a Monday? He won't go in until Wednesday right?
Aghghghghgh!!! What even?! What's his email, I'll write him so he'll
have a letter when he has his P.day :)  So many questions!!

Man! This week was incredibly long.  I really do not have a lot to say
about it, everything is going really good :) Here is some big news
from Crotone! We are no longer part of the District of Calabria, but
part of the Puglia stake! That's means a lot of changes for this
little place! The branch president here is an Anziano, poor thing! He
might get released, because the district was under the jurisdiction of
the mission president, and since he is no longer over the branch, we
might get a new branch president.  We have to travel to Bari for stake
conference.  It's quite a change!

That's about it...

So Issy, where is the Italian exchange student from? Get the first
city he says, and then ask if he is really from there.  Odds are good
that he is from a city outside of there.  And if he is from the south,
I'll know both :)

Ellie! Do you have any fun classes this year? Was it fun to pick your
classes? The ramps and stairs start to make sense after a bit!

Parents! Sorry to hear about the oven, and the trees... Can't help too
much out here, but if you leave it until summer, I'll be back in June!
BTW, my half way mark is on Friday! Can you believe it?!? Also... can you
tell me how much money I have in my account? That's all I need :)

Love you all!

Sorella Hills

Week 37 Letter from Sorella Hills

Ok.  Well.  The week was so long! I can not believe that I have been
here for only 2 ish weeks! It seems like forever! For some reason,
it's going by slow.  Probably because we are working so much.  The
mission is really work. It takes a lot out of you, so Jack, if you are
not exhausted, you are not working enough!

We have had a crazy week! First, the Sorelle from Messina came up
again on Monday to try and do one of the Sorella's fingerprint appointment
for her permesso di soggiorno on Tuesday, but the person who does the
fingerprints was not at the Questura.  The appointment is rescheduled
for Thursday. So. We went home. It is really hard having them here,
because this particular Sorella is a bit of a brat... She was my current companion's 
last companion.  So she comes up here...and then goes and visits people.
This makes it hard for us to get appointments, and we do not know what
is being talked about. And we don't know who they are going and
seeing. So.  It creates a lot of problems. And my current companion and her old 
companion do not get along.  Then we find out that they will be staying
in our house until Friday!!! Ahhh!!! We called the Anziani, hoping
they would talk to them and tell them that they can't go out visiting
people and the said that they will take care of it.  5 mins later,
Messina gets a call from the Zone leaders, saying that they are going
to stay in Cozenza! Yes!

Wednesday, we took a member around with us all day.  She's 14, looks
like she is 20, and has a lot of family issues.  HATES her mom, SO
much.  It was rough.  All day in Italian, and we had 7 lessons... We
can usually squeeze in 4. We had 7.  It was a lot of running, and the
lessons were not very good.  But the member liked it, and wants to go
with us again.  Never again for the whole day! Too much :)

Everything works out, and we go to the appointment of Thursday.  The
machine is in Rome.... Agh! So... The Questura is going to transfer
the Sorella who was her to take care of her fingerprint appointment
down to Messina, and we will not see them again:)

That evening, we take a 5 hour bus/ train ride to Taranto. Get in at
10:00 after a 30 min wait at this sketchy bus stop.  For some reason,
all the creepy people hang out at the train station... Who knew?

Scambio Friday. Leave Saturday at 4:00 am.  Pitch black.  Busses don't
run very often. We are sitting at the curb, watching these two wild
dogs that are making some really sickly noises across the street, and
seeing cars pass by us 2 or 3 times.  Men offer us rides... It was so
scary! I have never been more scared!!! I prayed that whole time! 30
mins after we leave, we get on the bus.  Down to the station, catch
the Pulman (long distance bus), catch the train, and get home safe at
10:00 in the morning.  What a day! We were exhausted, and we still had
to plan out week, and go and see people.  I was broken!

Sunday! Another day were the missionaries do everything from Branch
President to the music, from teaching gospel principles to teaching
primary! All the members complain.  They all fight.  The primary kids
hate primary, and leave halfway through.  Yeah.  But we had an
investigator come church for the second time, and brought her Fiancé
and his daughter.  It was so nice!

Yep.  That was the week! We got SO much done in one week I am
staggered! The Lord makes time work some how. He some how makes it all
work.  You'll be tired.  But, accomplished :)

Love you all! Hope your week was as awesome as mine!
Sorella Hills

We went to this cool museum with a bunch of really cool animals...all from the MOB!

I found Charlie!!!

On the bus to Taranto!

My Crotone symbol necklace.

My sard ring :)

Sila ADVENTURE!

These trees were so cool.  The trunks were just SO LONG!  I love it!

THIS TRAIN!!

Just so cool.

This kid cracks me up SO much!  SO funny!

Week 36 Letter from Sorella Hills

Ah! You guys! You got to go to PA! Why? It wasn't a holiday... Right?
I can't keep track of the American holidays and the Italian ones! But
that's so fun! Was it warm? 

Send me some Jack mission picks! Do the suits actually fit? Like
really fit? Because if they are as big as Dad's, they are NOT the right
size :) What kind of list did he get for things to bring? Were there
any strange things?

About the earthquake, I will try and figure out why you didn't get an
email, that's weird. As for missionary efforts, it took place in the
Milan mission, but like right on the border.  We are encouraging
members to donate blood and time, but as to my knowledge, no
missionaries from the Rome mission are involved in anything really.

Ok.  This week was so much! We taught more lessons then I have ever
done in my whole mission! The work is exploding here.  Crotone is so
prepared for the gospel.  We have 3 main investigators who could
easily be baptized this transfer.

One is the 10 year old.  She is SO funny! She is a friend of a
recent convert, and loves coming to church and all the activities.
She wants to be baptized.  We are just having a little trouble keeping
her focus in lessons because we don't often teach kids that young
without teaching their parents, too.  She has a bit of a rough home
life.  Her mom has 4 tumors and the dad works a
lot.  She has 2 older sisters in their 20's, so she 
is often the only one home.  But she is progressing so much.  In
lessons, she makes so many comments and observations.  Like, we were watching the 30
min restoration video with her, and half way through, she got up to go
grab some scriptures because she had seen them in the video. Then,
when the first vision happened, she made comments about Heavenly
Father and Jesus, and grabbed the restoration pamphlet to look at the
picture of the first vision.  She is so sweet.  She is starting to
understand, and says every time that she wants to be baptized.  We
just want to make sure she knows things first.

Then a 17 year old who spent a year in America for a
study abroad and lived with a Mormon family.  She wanted to get
baptized there, but the exchange program wouldn't allow it. When
she got back, she had a hard time with the church and Italian culture.
But, we are teaching her the lessons over, so she can grow her
testimony here, and it's going well.  She has so much faith, and such
a great testimony.  She wants to get baptized, but is worried that she
will not be able to keep her covenants in Italy as it it.  She is so
awesome, though!

Finally, there is the daughter in law of an inactive
member.  She LOVES the BOM. She reads it all the time, and knows it's
true.  She came to church with us for the first time Sunday, and loved
it.  She is really smart, and understands pretty quickly.  We are so
excited for her!

I love it here, I hope I get to be here for a while! The people are so
amazing :)

That's the week! Love you all!



Sorella Hills

Week 35 Letter from Sorella Hills

You guys! That's so awesome you got to go to Texas! Did Jack make it to the airport 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 Ali 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.  Somehow, I did it.  I packed up my whole life, and it 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.  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, but they'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 carry on.  All was good though.  My new companion 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! My companion 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! 

Crotone 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 girl.  She is 10, and so sassy. But she has accepted the invitation to be baptized on the 10th of September.  She comes to church and to activity days and reads the BOM picture book and real book.  So cute, pray for her! 

We are also 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