Week 48 Letter from Sorella Hills

Hey yall! 

So, last week was so... pazza :) That's why the letter was so short! We ran around, doing shopping, saying goodbye to departing missionaries, catching trains and busses, and we didn't have WiFi for more than 20 mins... so the letter was so short... sorry :) 

1. I've been feeling great! I am back in Ostia, and I love it :) 

2. OSTIA is great, hasn't changed too much since I was here last.

3. My new companion is awesome! She is very chill and is so understanding! I love her! 

4. My biggest surprise of the mission so far has been how different it is from my expectations.  I never expected Italy to be the way it is, or the people to be the way they are.  I never expected my companions, the things I would learn about myself, and the things I would be doing.  The biggest surprise is that the mission is not what you think AT ALL.  Sometimes, it's better, sometimes it's worse, but it's always a surprise :) I do love it, even when at sometimes it's worse then I ever imagined. 

I running out of time again... I have a lot of emails to write to my fans :) But I want you to know that I love the daily emails, they are so cute.  I just want to know about your daily lives! I'm excited for the music, what music did you send again? Also, you realize that I'll have to pay customs... and that it might be a lot... 

Love y'all! 

Sorella Hills

Week 47 Letter from Sorella Hills

Hello folks! 

So, yes, these past couple of weeks have been pretty... long.  This week was quite strange in fact! It started out on Monday, when I got a call from president that said "Hey! You;re coming to Rome tomorrow at 4:00pm! Pack you're bags!" So... I did :) It was so... crazy! I wasn't able to say goodbye to anyone, which was SO sad, I love the people of Crotone! And it was so stressful trying to catch the train, fallowed by an incredibly long train ride that was dark after the first hour or so, so I couldn't even look out the window.  Ehh, che devo fare? 

Then I spent some time in the mission home before they could figure out what to do with me... and I got to work in the office, which means I am SO informed about ALL the gossip in the mission (good and bad).  Then, off to............. OOOOSSSTTTIIIAAA!!!!!! 

It's going to be a great transfer! 

Sorella Hills

Week 46 Letter from Sorella Hills

Ciao famiglia :) 

I haven't been transferred yet, but the calls come next Monday night! So... we'll see what happens! 

Daylight savings is a thing here, but it happened a week ago :) 

I really don't know what to write you about this week... I'm sort of sick.  But, I promise I'll write next week! Love you all! 

Sorella Hills

Week 45 Letter from Sorella Hills

Hey all! 

Ah! I loved the Snape trivia :) Some people think WAY too much about trivial things, but it makes good fun for the rest of us, right? Haha, I love how people's hard work becomes our enjoyment for a second or two... and that's all :) 

BY THE WAY, WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME ANYTHING?!? LIKE, KATIE SPENCER GOES ON A MISSION TO UTAH, AND IAN WEECH?!? AND THE SPENCERS MOVE TO MANCHESTER?! Well, I know I'm not important... that's fine :p And what's this about AFV with a cartoon? Have they gone mad? Also, anything on the presidential race/ do I even want to know who you voted for?! 

As for Halloween, we've celebrated it like 3 times already! People here are weird about it, especially since the Pope just came out with a statement that halloween is of the devil! So... people are weird about it. They are either creepy about it, rebelling, or super against it! It's real weird... so we'll see how tonight looks.

So, the week was sort of crazy! We had zone conference on Wednesday and Thursday, so we had to leave at 5:30 am to get to Taranto for 10:30ish.  It was a lot.  But, it was fun hanging out with the district! A total of 10 hours on the bus, all of zone conference, and pretty much all of the rest of the days, and today together.  It's been so fun, I'm pretty sure they'll blow us all out next transfer, we are all too good of friends :) 

We had a party on Friday, which was SO fun... and stressful :) But mostly fun :) No one came except like 2 members and English course people, and we invited EVERYONE! Ah well, che devo fare? 

Then, we thought we were going to Bari on Saturday and Sunday for stake conference, but we were told, Saturday morning might I add, that we were not allowed to go... so... we had to make up some stuff to do, and it was like, ah! I just want to do the plan! Ah well, che devo fare? So we watched it at the church instead... which was a crapy transmission that kept not working... and we couldn't understand a word. For 2 hours.  

But, our investigators are making progress.  We got to see them again this week, and they had read the Book of Mormon.  One though stopped, because she couldn't get over the Nephi killed Laban thing... but we (the other investigator, her husband and us) explained that it all comes down to context, and she seemed content, and promised to read and pray not only by herself, but with her kids! So awesome! Love those ladies :) 

You are awesome! Thank you for the silly stuff you send me during the week, it really brightens the day, love you all! 

Sorella Hills

Week 44 Letter from Sorella Hills

Ciao famiglia! 

Ahhh! This week was so crazy! I want to tell you all! But, it's going to take a bit, so buckle up buttercup ;P

Ok, it all starts with last Sunday! We went to go see this investigator who wasn't answering us, and she still didn't answer.  Se we decided to go see a less active, who also wasn't answering us. We took a different root, hoping for a short cut.  We go to turn down a street, and I see a bunch of men.  It's getting dark, it's a sketch part of town, and I had a feeling that we shouldn't take that street.  So on we walk to the next.  There are some women and some kids, so we are like, yes, this is safe :) Down we walk, and these ladies keep staring at us... I was like... stop! But my companion looks over, and is like, ciao, tutto bene? And they immediately start going off, like, Ahhhh! You are like angles!! You are so pretty!! You are carrying the word of God, right? We were pretty shocked. They never talked to missionaries before, but one had a Book of Mormon which was English, but magically turned to Italian, so she read quite a bit.  We shared "because of him", and the ladies were so funny.  They read every work out loud, and kept saying "o che bello", and "o, e verrò no?" So funny! We gave them some article of faith cards (which have Jesus and some children on the front, and one of the ladies made all the kids kiss the Jesus, so funny!) and got their numbers.  One of them put is in as "Gesù angeli", so every time we call, she knows that her angles are calling! Ah SO cool! 

Then, we called them.  One answered, and we had a lesson.  She was reading, and even had her son read! She thinks it is true, so we are going to ask her to be baptized next lesson.  Then, we called the other, and she was like, I'm sorry, my cousin died today, I have to go to the funeral.  But then we had to move the time, and she said she wanted to see us, so we saw her that day at the first lady's house.  She was like "the first time I met you guys, my life changed! I know you bring the word of God, I can feel something different! That day, I was feeling so bad, so down.  But after I saw you, I felt so much better, you left us with such a great spirit, my life will never be the same!" It was amazing! They are named Carmen and Renna.  They are SO prepared! And the whole family comes to listen when we talk to them, it's amazing! Never has this happened, and you can really see the hand of the Lord in the whole thing! Sooo amazing! 

Then, like I said, we went to Rome! Haha, Rome! It's so crazy to see the ENTIRE mission! And hear an apostle, the president of the seventy, and the president of the area seventy, and all their wives speak to us.  It was so profound.  The spirit was strong. And to end it all, we sang the mission hymn, it was unprecedented! The whole mission, united in one purpose :) so cool! 

On the train back down, I learned how to solve a Rubix cube, and did so 3 times, still have to practice :) And I found someone who is as much of a nerd as I am when it comes to Doctor Who/ nerdy things :) It was so long, more then 8 hours, but so fun to just talk to and get to know the other missionaries in our district.  We have such a great district! Especially our city.  We have all been here at least 2 transfers, and we are SO close, it's just so fun! 

We also went to Cosenza.  The district of Calabria was closed, and incorporated into the stakes of Puglia and Palermo. So, we go to Bari for conference now, instead of Cosenza.  The difference is a 7/8 hour bus ride vs a 2 1/2 hour one... guess where we are going next Sunday! That's right, Bari! 

It was really hard for the members to have the district closed.  The point of the district was for it to become a stake of itself, and it didn't. It failed pretty miserably.  Not a lot of people came to the conference.  Of the 4 branches in the district, enough people came to make a small ward.  It was really rough.  But the speakers broke a lot of boxes.  For instance, one of the seventy, was like "keeping the sabbath doesn't mean coming to sacrament meeting, and leaving early to cook lunch".  Another nugget of gold was "People keep asking me when the temple will be ready, but what about when will you all be ready for the temple? It's been promised that the temple will be ready when the members are ready for it!" Ahh! So needed. But so not heard! Our rides decided to stop in Sila (the mountains) and get lunch from this restaurant on the way home! And told us about it! We had to take the train home... hat was the reference in the popcorn video.  We had to take 5 hours to get home instead on an hour drive in the car. Ugh.  Calabria! Please pray for Calabria, especially Crotone, they need it! 

This week was like night and day compared to last.  All is going well, and I am learning so much! I have a testimony that this is all the Lord's work, and nothing we do can change that.  We try and be the best we can, and hen the Lord works through us.  But it's all his time.  He might bless us immediately, or after a really long time.  But it is always his work.  Always his plan.  All we can do is our best.  Everyone has their agency, which we can't change, but, we can adjust our own decisions :) 

Love you all! Keep the faith! 

Sorella Hills

Week 43 Letter from Sorella Hills

Hey all!

Ok, for Jacks open when thing...

"Open when you feel like you want to go home

Here is what you do.  This is your emergency preparedness packet.  How to survive the seemingly unsurvivable transfer! 

1. Take a deep breath, a shower/bath, sit alone in the bathroom for a few minutes of silence/alone time

2. Define the problem.  All of the aspects, what is making you feel this way? Then, game plan. What can you change about the situation? Change it.  What can you not change? Change your attitude. Find the solutions to the problems, and work on putting them into action.

3. Need motivation? Think, why did I come out here? What did I want to do? Did I not pray to God and receive a witness that this is what He wants me to do? The Lord wants you here!  He'll support you!

4. Study the Atonement, and what it means to you.  Christ suffered all, He knows what you are going through, turn it over to Him! 

5. Adjusting to Missionary Life = Life vest 

6. If all of this doesn't work, call president.  He knows all :)

Remember kid, we are all praying for you.  Basically the entire Mormon world is praying for you. We love you, and know you can do it.  Take it one step at a time, hour by hour, day by day.  Soon, you'll be beyond the trial, and you'll be like, wait, when did that happen? You can do hard things!" 

This transfer has been, special.  I have learned what it means to truly rely on the Lord.  Honestly, I couldn't do it without Him.  I have had all of my weaknesses exposed, and it is painful.  I have truly been in the depths of dispare.  But, little by little, we move on.  We move forward.  I know that I couldn't do this without the Lord.  I have felt His spirit, the confirming witness that this is where I need to be.  So, I move on, and up. It's always a miracle :) 

Love you all! This week we'll go to Roma! I'll tell you about it when I get back :) 

Sorella Hills