La Missione

Ciao Tutti.

No I did not see an angel.  Rather God sent one of the sisters in the mission to be an angel for me this week.  More details later.

First I have to start with last P day.  So after internet, one of our English students and two of her friends took us with them out to lunch for her birthday.  It was a high class Italian restaurant.  We drove through the mountains for a while to get there and it was soooo beautiful.  Italy literally looks like shire from the Lord of the Rings.  The cities look like cities but the country side is breath taking.  Anyways we get there and it was interesting.  In Italy you don't order whatever dish you want.  The waiter comes over, and tells you all the options for the different courses and then you tell him what you want.  So to start off I had Minestrone soup.  The canned minestrone we have in the states is garbage compared to what I ate at that restaurant.  All the ingredients were fresh and it was hot and delicious.  It was so flavorful and I want to learn how to make minestrone that way.  We had white rolls that were just delicious.  They also had little pieces of focaccia slathered in olive oil.  I had gotten a massive focaccia for internet earlier so I was in heaven.  After minestrone we had the main course.  I had a roast with mushrooms and onions in the most savory, flavorful roast sauce I've ever had in my life.  I also had a small salad that was just lettuce and tomatoes but maybe it was because it was "in Italy" (that's for you Fratello Jeter) that it was better.  After that we had dessert.  It was vanilla gelato with a drizzle of black berry syrup over a slice of pineapple with these cookies that are literally just like crunchy scones with cinamon and sugar on top.  It was the best meal I've ever had here.  Unfortunately I didn't take any pics of it because we aren't supposed to look like tourists while we are here even if it's p-day.  So I'm still trying to find where that line is between recording memories and being a tourist.  Sorry.  But we did take a pic at the restaurant.  

So after that we went and did shopping, came back, napped, and taught English class.  After class our students took us to a pizzeria for dinner.  I got a margherita which is just cheese pizza.  Except this thing was probably a foot across.  It was HUGE!  There are moments where I just ask Heavenly Father to please expand my stomach so I can put it down.  And put it down I did.  It was real thin crust, flavorful sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese pizza.  I will never forget it!  

Ok so that was p day.  So Sunday I gave my first talk in sacrament meeting.  Sorella Bennett kept encouraging me to write out the talk word for word and then translate it.  Me being the debater I once was, I can't stand doing that.  So I wrote out bullet points, a couple words and phrases and based my talk off of the conference talk It's a miracle by Neil L. Anderson.  I practiced and prayed.  And it went amazing.  I wasn't nervous at all.  I know I made mistakes and didn't always make sense but I have a huge testimony of the gift of tongues.  The people came up to me afterwards and told me they could understand what I said and that I spoke well.  When we truly give ourselves to the Lord, he makes us so much stronger than we could ever be on our own.  

So we did scambio this week.  We went to Genova and spent 24 hrs there.  I switched companions and was with Sorella Durfee for that time.  We got up and went to an appointment with a less active.  It was wonderful to meet all these new people and see Genova which is a beautiful city and a little sketchy but gorgeous.  After that we came home and a sister made us all hot chocolate.  The next day Sorella Durfee and I went running which felt amazing.  Then I got ready and we studied.  I read these two beautiful talks about love and meekness that left me in tears because they answered some concerns and worries I'd had.  After that we went to a new converts house.  J is 16 and was baptized in October.  We planned to talk about the Plan of Salvation but instead he just asked us all these different, amazing, in depth questions.  The spirit was strong and it was so wonderful to talk with him and his mother.  Their home used a wood burning stove to keep warm and was the cutest little Italian house in the country side I've ever seen.  After that we had lunch with all the sisters and feasted on fresh bread from the farmer's market.  Then we went to another investigator.  I can't describe that experience because it was too sacred but safe to say my testimiony of the gift of tongues was strengthened again.  

So why do I talk about angels?  Because Sorella Durfee was an angel for me.  So I had really been struggling with a lot of stuff.  I'd had tons of stress and anxiety built up and was really slacking on the work.  I had extremely low self confidence that I could be a good missionary.  Safe to say that life had been pretty bleak for a few weeks.  Sorella Durfee let me pour out my heart to her and let me cry on her shoulder.  She gave me encouragement and taught me different principles of missionary work.  She taught me that missionary work does not have to be miserable.  I felt safe, comforted, strong and confident for the first time in weeks.  We finished off the day with chocolate drizzled focaccia.   All the sisters were so sweet and I felt like I was surrounded by angels all day.  I was nervous about going back to Savona because I didn't want to fall back into the same habits and mindset that had been keeping me from being successful but I learned important principles.

We define who we are.  We do not need permission from others to be awesome, brilliant, confident, capable or successful.  When we know that we can do it, we can.  When we don't know if we can do it, but we tell ourselves we can and really believe it, we can.  Also, when we have problems with people, it is ALWAYS a two way thing.  Selfishness and selflessness cannot coexist.  When we constantly strive to serve and love others around us, we can constantly receive love and service back.  So my challenge for you all this week is identify one thing that you tell yourself you can't do and instead of saying I can't, say I can.  If you can't speak the language yet, say I can and confidently speak it as best as you can.  If you can't figure out a problem say you can and then do everything you can to do it.  Above all, stay close to Heavenly Father.  When we are praying and working always, that's when we are most powerful.

So scripture for this week:  Mosiah 2:17

Already said the challenge for this week.

Phrase of the week:  Voglio portare la mia testimonianza.  I want to bear my testimony.

Vi Voglio Bene!

Sorella Hatch

Ciaccolato Facaldo

Hot chocolate.  In Italy Hot chocolate is more like hot chocolate pudding.  I had my first one at a coffee shop next to our apartment.  It was soooo good.  Every food is better here.  It's just a fact lol.

It's been raining non stop this whole week which has been a little depressing but spring is around the corner and I can't wait.  We've been walking more and taking the bus instead of biking which has been a lot better... except for when the cars splash you as they drive by.  That's always kinda funny actually.  

We had an amazing miracle lesson.  We committed A. to be baptized a couple weeks ago.  But he has a girlfriend M.  sorella Bennett taught M. before I got here and M. wasn't receptive to the Gospel.  We were both nervous and wanted to be able to get both of them on board.  We got in there and everything went perfect.  We taught the restoration and M received it without hesitation.  We committed her to read the Book of Mormon with A. and for them to pray together.  We committed them to come to church when they have work off.  M. said she would be baptized if she received a testimony that the Book of Mormon was true.  We finished it off with chocolate covered gelato bars.  I was grinning from ear to ear after that lesson.  I'm so excited to see where things progress with them.  

We watched the Joseph Smith prophet of the restoration movie in spanish with our investigator family.  They aren't progressing because they are trying to get their marriage papers figured out but I was happy because I understood about 70% of the spanish.  I wanna learn spanish when I get home.  Also I felt the spirit sooo strong that Joseph is a prophet of God and he restored this church to the earth.  It was a beautiful lesson.

So I learned the coolest principle in Alma 43.  In this chapter Moroni's army (totally want to meet him in the next life) are fighting the Lamanites.  He mentions things they had to help them fight.  These things can help us fight our trials and temptations in this life:

1) They had thick armor and thick clothing.  We can have the spriitual armor of God and thick clothing is faith and peace.  When we have these things in our hearts, minds and souls, we are strong and have the strength to keep going and keep fighting.  

2) When we are fighting a trial we need to make sure we aren't guilty of anything to do with it. We can't be hypocrites.  We need to repent daily and be obedient.  Obedience brings blessings.

3)Fear and faith can't coexist.  When we are afraid we need to have faith and remember what we are fighting for, why we are fighting and the victory that will come when we have conquered the foe.  

Sunday was fast sunday and a day of bearing one another's burdens. it was amazing.  The members bore the most beauitful testimonies and the spirit was so strong.  We taught gospel principles and it went fantastic.  We had a mom and daughter in our class and they asked the most amazing questions.  After church we visited E. and comforted him because he had gotten robbed earlier that week.  It was amazing to see the difference in his countenance from when we first got there to when we finished the lesson.  He went from despair to feeling peace.  The message of the Gospel truly works miracles in a person's life.  We also visited a family and came to find out something horrible had happened to one of them.  We shared a message of comfort and prayed with them.  I felt helpless because with both of these situations there was nothing we could do to fix it.  But I learned that part of a missionaries job is bear another persons' burdens and to pray with and for them.  Prayer really is a soothing balm for when we are in pain or feel like we are hopeless.  

Overall my language is getting better.  I understand about 80% of what the people say and I'm starting to start and end lessons as well as give larger portions of a lesson.  I'm soooo happy that my study efforts are finally paying off.  It's still hard especially when we teach people who are native spanish speakers.  They speak Span-alian and it is really hard to understand their accent.  We also taught some Africans and they speak It-lish with a thick accent.  But it's been a huge blessing.  Instead of understanding their words, I've been forced to listen with the spirit and try to understand the person's heart instead.  I've learned so much about people.  

So I'm giving my first talk in sacrament meeting this sunday.  Excited and nervous.  I'm just hoping my pronouciation will be good and that I don't end up saying the wrong word because I pronouced it wrong.  

Overall, the mission is by far the best experience of my life.  I wouldn't trade any of these experiences... the good or the bad... for anything in the world.  

scripture is alma 43.

challenge:  find another person who has a heavy burden and bear it with them.  pray for them and help them in any way they need.

phrase:  Io amo Italia