Hey guyz, happy Halloween! Where the freak did October go????
Ok well, my little collega got sick end of last week so we've been kind of on a pausa again, but pian piano we're moving forward nonetheless. I feel like every time we leave the house we find someone cool. Like yesterday we were taking the bus up to see Luca in Luino and I started talking to the lady across from us on the bus. Katia. She's originally from Morocco but has lived here more than 20 years. Is married to an Italian with two kids. When I told her about the Book of Mormon she was like and you've read it? And believe it? And I was like I sure do lady. We're going to her house on Friday.
Saturday we got to see our friend Robin, who we met through Gabriele and is about 65 from London. It's funny how most of our encounters he starts off kind of closed and almost heavy. You can just see the weights of regret and loneliness he's carrying around with him. But by the end he's always so happy and optimistic. He needs the church like whoa. Healing from the past, a sense of community and purpose and belonging and hope for the future. We got it all dude. I hope he really does start reading the Book of Mormon because that is the key to it all.
Did I tell you how finished the Book of Mormon in Italian for the first time last week?
Starting over again.
Purtroppo the Ortiz family is kind of dropping off BUT her other son made it from the DR and he and his brother came to church with Sander, who's 11. The sorelle reactivated his mom and baptized him right before I came and we hooked their two families up and it was the best thing we could have done. I'm hoping that as the kids learn Italian they'll be able to really get the gospel and it will at least help them out. Senia's super busy with work right now but she loves the book of mormon and everything about our message. Alfonso peaced out after decima.
Other people I love these days, one Giudi. We're teaching her English and then we talk about the gospel at the end. She had met the missionaries in Como, where she's from, and knows a fair amount about the Book of Normon. There is such a beautiful spirit every time we're with her and last night she brought us chocolate, ha. She's turning 23 next week and is just so cool, super real.
Thursday we're off to see some new peeps that we found last week in the most random way, but obvi nothing is too per caso in missionary work. We're excited.
Life goes on, we're moving on Saturday. I'll finally have a shower that's taller than me again. Hip hip!
I'm eating too much good food these days, but what can you do. Life is hard. Here's hoping for everyone's health to return so our morning runs can also make a come back...ho bisogno. Vi voglio bene! Vi manerò le foto di questi giorni settimana prossima. Abbiamo fatto biscotti come i diti de una strega con la nostra amica Claudia. Siamo brave.
xoxoxo
s. cespug.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
so life is great
Hey guys,
So life is great.
This weekend was absolutely incredible. Luca's baptism was beautiful. Kind of rainy chilly but the rain stopped for the 30 minutes, and there were beautiful low clouds hanging around the green hills on the other side of the lake. He bore an incredible testimony after and then we all went back to his house where he made lunch for everyone and there was a fire in the fireplace and I felt like I was just at home with my second family.
Sunday...Oh mamma! His confirmation was incredible. The spirit was just thick in the room and stayed for the rest of testimony meeting. All last week I would look over at Sorella Beutler and say, "Remember how Luca is getting baptized Saturday? SATURDAY?!
And now I keep looking at Sorella Beutler and saying, "Remember how Luca is a member of the church?!" I remember when I was in Bergamo thinking Ana and Samuel were so ready to be baptized, and they were, but Luca is just a whole new level of prepared. I literally can't wait to see where life is going to take him because it's clear God has beautiful plans awaiting.
Then Sunday I got sick. I've been feeling like I've been running on empty for awhile and thought about calling Sorella Wolfgramm to get permission to just take a day and sleep it off. Looks like I waited too long. We've been doing kind of half days of work this week because even though Sorella Wolfgramm told me to keep warm and sleep as much as possible I get bored staying home all day. So I sleep, we go work, I come home sleep, we go work and come home and sleep. I'm feeling better but just really drained still and my temperature's been kind of low. More broth and tea this afternoon.
Last night after my afternoon nap we went and saw this beautiful new convert Claudia. She was baptized in Genova and lives here now because she got married this summer. We had a beautiful night with her talking about how she came to Italy (she's 25 and from Capo Verde and beautiful) how she joined the church and then talked about the 5 steps of the gospel. She lives in Porto Ceresio and is kind of alone a lot because of when her husband works. So we made dinner with her after the lesson and while everything was cooking she showed us her wedding video. It was just a beautiful night where I really felt like I was right where I should be doing my job. We're planning on going back for a P-day and making lunch Capo Verde style and walking down by the lake and hanging out. She was like vi invito ogni giorno!
Tomorrow we're off to Milano for zone conference and I'm hoping that Friday and Saturday I won't be a zombie so we can go out and do some good finding. I love Varese, you guys should pray with me that I get to stay here a 4th transfer and be here for Thanksgiving and Christmas And I really feel like I'm part of the branch. And the Branch Prez loves us, which I guess wasn't always the case. Now he calls us the 3rd and 4th counselors in the bishopric. Ha!
I love you alllllll. How do you feel about moving to Italy so I can just have all the people I love in one place? And mozzarella di bufala?
Vi voglio beeeeeeene!
xoxo
sorella cespuglio
This weekend was absolutely incredible. Luca's baptism was beautiful. Kind of rainy chilly but the rain stopped for the 30 minutes, and there were beautiful low clouds hanging around the green hills on the other side of the lake. He bore an incredible testimony after and then we all went back to his house where he made lunch for everyone and there was a fire in the fireplace and I felt like I was just at home with my second family.
Sunday...Oh mamma! His confirmation was incredible. The spirit was just thick in the room and stayed for the rest of testimony meeting. All last week I would look over at Sorella Beutler and say, "Remember how Luca is getting baptized Saturday? SATURDAY?!
And now I keep looking at Sorella Beutler and saying, "Remember how Luca is a member of the church?!" I remember when I was in Bergamo thinking Ana and Samuel were so ready to be baptized, and they were, but Luca is just a whole new level of prepared. I literally can't wait to see where life is going to take him because it's clear God has beautiful plans awaiting.
Then Sunday I got sick. I've been feeling like I've been running on empty for awhile and thought about calling Sorella Wolfgramm to get permission to just take a day and sleep it off. Looks like I waited too long. We've been doing kind of half days of work this week because even though Sorella Wolfgramm told me to keep warm and sleep as much as possible I get bored staying home all day. So I sleep, we go work, I come home sleep, we go work and come home and sleep. I'm feeling better but just really drained still and my temperature's been kind of low. More broth and tea this afternoon.
Last night after my afternoon nap we went and saw this beautiful new convert Claudia. She was baptized in Genova and lives here now because she got married this summer. We had a beautiful night with her talking about how she came to Italy (she's 25 and from Capo Verde and beautiful) how she joined the church and then talked about the 5 steps of the gospel. She lives in Porto Ceresio and is kind of alone a lot because of when her husband works. So we made dinner with her after the lesson and while everything was cooking she showed us her wedding video. It was just a beautiful night where I really felt like I was right where I should be doing my job. We're planning on going back for a P-day and making lunch Capo Verde style and walking down by the lake and hanging out. She was like vi invito ogni giorno!
Tomorrow we're off to Milano for zone conference and I'm hoping that Friday and Saturday I won't be a zombie so we can go out and do some good finding. I love Varese, you guys should pray with me that I get to stay here a 4th transfer and be here for Thanksgiving and Christmas And I really feel like I'm part of the branch. And the Branch Prez loves us, which I guess wasn't always the case. Now he calls us the 3rd and 4th counselors in the bishopric. Ha!
I love you alllllll. How do you feel about moving to Italy so I can just have all the people I love in one place? And mozzarella di bufala?
Vi voglio beeeeeeene!
xoxo
sorella cespuglio
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
sick week OVER!
Thank heavens.
We had a stellar zone conference last Thursday at which Sorella Wolfgramm commanded me to stay in all day Friday. So I slept for an eternity and we're back at it. None of our investigators are really progressing so we've been doing tons of finding and it's been super fun. We've talked to some super cool peeps. One lady was waiting for the bus and started off super closed saying that the world was brutto and we should leave her alone, so I told her how the hand of God is everywhere if we look, and she started listening and we're going to her house Thursday afternoon. I love watching the Spirit work on the peeps that he's preparing and to see the change that can happen in a short conversation.
Then there was a lady working in a bakey I really wanted to talk to, so I bought some bread and then asked her if she had seen missionaries like us before and then we started talking about the gospel for a good 20 minutes. Left a pamphlet on the restoration that she said she'd read and we'll be stopping by soon. You can tell which people are more ready a lot of times by the kind of questions they ask and how well they listen to the answers and she was asking such good questions and really trying to understand.
So our days are filled with lots of strada, talking to peeps everywhere and I'm hopefully that there are people that really are ready for us and that's why it's been so hard to see the investigators we have that are mostly stuck.
Dad, there's an Anziano in my district from Palermo, did you know any Boscias? He thinks his parents were baptized maybe 30ish years ago. Also, Gabriele's mom asked me the other day if you had any peeps you baptized that are still active. I told her I had no idea. Do you?
Amanuensis: Yes, I do remember the Boscia family from Monreale. As far as the second question, I have no idea.
Things sound nice and normal at home. Someone needs to kiss Sarah on the forehead for me. I got part two of her postcards yesterday and part one today, which I haven't read yet but looks promising. I'm working on a Sorella Bush podcast for her, special addition.
Life is good. We had to hop a super tall fence the other day when we got stuck outside a building and inside a fence, at dusk, in skirts. It was pretty great. I'm just cultivating sooo many talents these days.
President talked all about real intent and desire at conference and it was awesome. I feel like one of the most crucial things I could learn now is how to do everything with real intent. I feel like my life would just be full and purposeful and beautiful for evs. Also after teaching Luca last night I've been mulling over this idea of our weaknesses coming from God or the Adversary (I say God) and my district leader suggested from the fall, but then I said we probs had the same weaknesses before this life and then went on a spiel about how I'm so pro the fall and how Eve totally knew what she was doing choosing knowledge and family and life) weaknesses that we inherited from the first estate, and all things preexistence. Like how we must have known people that chose to follow Satan and then we fought against them in a war, and now they've never gone through the veil, and they still remember that eternity we lived before. Man, the preexistence, I have SO many questions...so interesting.
Also I've been reading Doctrine and Covenants and I want your thoughts. I don't super love reading it cover to cover, I feel like Christ is portrayed more severe than I imagine, and I got confused about how it says we can't be forgiven for murder, but then there are peeps like Alma the Younger that murdered before the angel came and had his talk with him. But since in church history they had also introduced things like the law of consecration were the just trying to live a higher law in general, that then we realized we're too imperfect for? OH and I finished the BOM in Italian for the first time. Started right back at it again, and now I'm reading Jesus the Christ in Italian.
Dad, is it okay if we only speak in Italian when I get home? I'm going to miss it like a motherless child. Love you allllll....off to eat pizza (still haven't had a decent pizza in Varese so I'm hopeful) in Laveno with Gabriele and Luca, then hit up Santa Caterina del Sasso.
XOOXXXOOOooxoxoxoxo
sorella cespuglio
We had a stellar zone conference last Thursday at which Sorella Wolfgramm commanded me to stay in all day Friday. So I slept for an eternity and we're back at it. None of our investigators are really progressing so we've been doing tons of finding and it's been super fun. We've talked to some super cool peeps. One lady was waiting for the bus and started off super closed saying that the world was brutto and we should leave her alone, so I told her how the hand of God is everywhere if we look, and she started listening and we're going to her house Thursday afternoon. I love watching the Spirit work on the peeps that he's preparing and to see the change that can happen in a short conversation.
Then there was a lady working in a bakey I really wanted to talk to, so I bought some bread and then asked her if she had seen missionaries like us before and then we started talking about the gospel for a good 20 minutes. Left a pamphlet on the restoration that she said she'd read and we'll be stopping by soon. You can tell which people are more ready a lot of times by the kind of questions they ask and how well they listen to the answers and she was asking such good questions and really trying to understand.
So our days are filled with lots of strada, talking to peeps everywhere and I'm hopefully that there are people that really are ready for us and that's why it's been so hard to see the investigators we have that are mostly stuck.
Dad, there's an Anziano in my district from Palermo, did you know any Boscias? He thinks his parents were baptized maybe 30ish years ago. Also, Gabriele's mom asked me the other day if you had any peeps you baptized that are still active. I told her I had no idea. Do you?
Amanuensis: Yes, I do remember the Boscia family from Monreale. As far as the second question, I have no idea.
Things sound nice and normal at home. Someone needs to kiss Sarah on the forehead for me. I got part two of her postcards yesterday and part one today, which I haven't read yet but looks promising. I'm working on a Sorella Bush podcast for her, special addition.
Life is good. We had to hop a super tall fence the other day when we got stuck outside a building and inside a fence, at dusk, in skirts. It was pretty great. I'm just cultivating sooo many talents these days.
President talked all about real intent and desire at conference and it was awesome. I feel like one of the most crucial things I could learn now is how to do everything with real intent. I feel like my life would just be full and purposeful and beautiful for evs. Also after teaching Luca last night I've been mulling over this idea of our weaknesses coming from God or the Adversary (I say God) and my district leader suggested from the fall, but then I said we probs had the same weaknesses before this life and then went on a spiel about how I'm so pro the fall and how Eve totally knew what she was doing choosing knowledge and family and life) weaknesses that we inherited from the first estate, and all things preexistence. Like how we must have known people that chose to follow Satan and then we fought against them in a war, and now they've never gone through the veil, and they still remember that eternity we lived before. Man, the preexistence, I have SO many questions...so interesting.
Also I've been reading Doctrine and Covenants and I want your thoughts. I don't super love reading it cover to cover, I feel like Christ is portrayed more severe than I imagine, and I got confused about how it says we can't be forgiven for murder, but then there are peeps like Alma the Younger that murdered before the angel came and had his talk with him. But since in church history they had also introduced things like the law of consecration were the just trying to live a higher law in general, that then we realized we're too imperfect for? OH and I finished the BOM in Italian for the first time. Started right back at it again, and now I'm reading Jesus the Christ in Italian.
Dad, is it okay if we only speak in Italian when I get home? I'm going to miss it like a motherless child. Love you allllll....off to eat pizza (still haven't had a decent pizza in Varese so I'm hopeful) in Laveno with Gabriele and Luca, then hit up Santa Caterina del Sasso.
XOOXXXOOOooxoxoxoxo
sorella cespuglio
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
conferenza
Guys, there are too many highs school students in Varese and they take over the buses and make me want to shoot myself in the face. Aiuto.
But other than that I have no complaints, just that I am freaky tired alllll the time! We planned a chill P-day today so that we can just sleep and catch up and be ready to get to work again tomorrow.
First off, Conference!!!!!!! Oh mommmmmma. So good. I feel like Prezzes Uchtdorf and Erying have been reading my journal. It was so cool to here them talk about the things that have been rolling around my brain these months, fulfilling our potential and aligning our will with God and then Holland came in and just sealed the deal. Does the Lord know that I love him? What do I need to do to make sure there is no doubt?
Saturday night we watched the morning session at Agusta and Michele's house with Luca. It was so perfect and felt like home, sitting in the couch with the laptop on a coffee table, and after we ate lots of delicious squash and prickly pears. Sunday we headed to Como to watch the Saturday afternoon session and Sunday morning sessions in the church. We brought Tati and Eddie and Alice in the morning, and Luca was there obvi. Just a beautiful weekend.
Then Monday morning we had a zone training meeting here in Varese. Since they split the Milano stake the rearranged the Como and Milano zones into Milano Ovest and Milano Est according to the stake boundaries and now being part of the Milano Ovest zone, Varese is the more central city to meet in. Anyway Sorella Forbes was there (hip hip) and some of my fav anziani and it was just a really good meeting.
We've had this push to teach 20 lessons every week since last conference but the standard had been set before, so when I got here and finished my first transfer Sorella Jacobson said that we've taught 20 lessons every week, you can decide now to teach 20 lessons every week for your whole mission. So I did. It's been a little stressful a few times this past transfer but we planned and prayed and did it. Then this past week, with appointments in the Questura and conference in Como and what not we got 19. And to be honest I felt kind of awful, even thought I knew it wasn't true I just felt like it meant I had done something wrong, even though plenty of peeps don't teach 20 lessons.
Anyway, they announced Monday morning that they're getting rid of 20 lessons. It helped lots of people talk to to more people and step up the work, but it also caused lots of people to teach sub-par lessons trying to get 20 lessons. And when the zone leaders told us and the assistants explained a bit how they came to this point I felt soooo good. So relieved. We're still going to try and teach as much as possible, because that's what where here to do, but it means I can relax a little and enjoy the rest of my work. I think it's just really going to help everything. Anyway, kind of long winded to explain a simple thing, but know I am really excited for this transfer.
BTW, Luca is getting baptized Saturday. SATURDAY!! My heart is exploding. There's nothing more to be said.
Cool thing from last week: We met this rad girl named Sole doing strada in centro last Tuesday night. She's 18 and so so cool. We had saw her last Friday and were kind of rushed and unprepared and taught her about the Book of Mormon, gave her a copy and made plans to meet Tuesday and she said she would bring her sister, who's 16, who's a little more practicing but feels like God hasn't been listening to her prayers.
So yesterday we meet in the park to teach Sole, her sister Angelica, and Angelica's bf Francesco. Such a cool restoration lesson. Francesco told us he believes in Darwin's evolution not God, and I was like "uh, dude, they go right together." Sole said she had read in the Book of Mormon and really liked it and she had explained it a bit to her mom who had also started reading it. Francesco asked tons of questions that were really interesting. At the end I offered him a Book of Mormon and he was like I'm not really interested in conversion just discussion but I'll for sure be here whenever you meet with Sole and Angelica.... Little does he know everyone says that at the beginning...vediamo.
The future of the church here is totally in the hands of the youth and young single adults and they have become my favorite people to teach. Sole really likes everything we've taught her. We can't see them next week but we made an appointment for the beginning of the week after. I'm excited.
Beautiful things are happening. I ate my first cachi yesterday, yum.
Love you all, praying for you. Did you send that baby package? If not send it asap because we need to move apartments the beginning of November and even if we forward our mail I just want to limit the steps in which it could be lost. Excited for Ian to try out the mission life. It is the hardest but most beautiful thing evs. Appunto!
BTW in case you didn't know pretty sure I fly home next June 14th.
Send me more pics when you can. I'll take a soft bear pic this week. White bear is still at home alive and well.
Lots of loooooove,
sorella wsb
But other than that I have no complaints, just that I am freaky tired alllll the time! We planned a chill P-day today so that we can just sleep and catch up and be ready to get to work again tomorrow.
First off, Conference!!!!!!! Oh mommmmmma. So good. I feel like Prezzes Uchtdorf and Erying have been reading my journal. It was so cool to here them talk about the things that have been rolling around my brain these months, fulfilling our potential and aligning our will with God and then Holland came in and just sealed the deal. Does the Lord know that I love him? What do I need to do to make sure there is no doubt?
Saturday night we watched the morning session at Agusta and Michele's house with Luca. It was so perfect and felt like home, sitting in the couch with the laptop on a coffee table, and after we ate lots of delicious squash and prickly pears. Sunday we headed to Como to watch the Saturday afternoon session and Sunday morning sessions in the church. We brought Tati and Eddie and Alice in the morning, and Luca was there obvi. Just a beautiful weekend.
Then Monday morning we had a zone training meeting here in Varese. Since they split the Milano stake the rearranged the Como and Milano zones into Milano Ovest and Milano Est according to the stake boundaries and now being part of the Milano Ovest zone, Varese is the more central city to meet in. Anyway Sorella Forbes was there (hip hip) and some of my fav anziani and it was just a really good meeting.
We've had this push to teach 20 lessons every week since last conference but the standard had been set before, so when I got here and finished my first transfer Sorella Jacobson said that we've taught 20 lessons every week, you can decide now to teach 20 lessons every week for your whole mission. So I did. It's been a little stressful a few times this past transfer but we planned and prayed and did it. Then this past week, with appointments in the Questura and conference in Como and what not we got 19. And to be honest I felt kind of awful, even thought I knew it wasn't true I just felt like it meant I had done something wrong, even though plenty of peeps don't teach 20 lessons.
Anyway, they announced Monday morning that they're getting rid of 20 lessons. It helped lots of people talk to to more people and step up the work, but it also caused lots of people to teach sub-par lessons trying to get 20 lessons. And when the zone leaders told us and the assistants explained a bit how they came to this point I felt soooo good. So relieved. We're still going to try and teach as much as possible, because that's what where here to do, but it means I can relax a little and enjoy the rest of my work. I think it's just really going to help everything. Anyway, kind of long winded to explain a simple thing, but know I am really excited for this transfer.
BTW, Luca is getting baptized Saturday. SATURDAY!! My heart is exploding. There's nothing more to be said.
Cool thing from last week: We met this rad girl named Sole doing strada in centro last Tuesday night. She's 18 and so so cool. We had saw her last Friday and were kind of rushed and unprepared and taught her about the Book of Mormon, gave her a copy and made plans to meet Tuesday and she said she would bring her sister, who's 16, who's a little more practicing but feels like God hasn't been listening to her prayers.
So yesterday we meet in the park to teach Sole, her sister Angelica, and Angelica's bf Francesco. Such a cool restoration lesson. Francesco told us he believes in Darwin's evolution not God, and I was like "uh, dude, they go right together." Sole said she had read in the Book of Mormon and really liked it and she had explained it a bit to her mom who had also started reading it. Francesco asked tons of questions that were really interesting. At the end I offered him a Book of Mormon and he was like I'm not really interested in conversion just discussion but I'll for sure be here whenever you meet with Sole and Angelica.... Little does he know everyone says that at the beginning...vediamo.
The future of the church here is totally in the hands of the youth and young single adults and they have become my favorite people to teach. Sole really likes everything we've taught her. We can't see them next week but we made an appointment for the beginning of the week after. I'm excited.
Beautiful things are happening. I ate my first cachi yesterday, yum.
Love you all, praying for you. Did you send that baby package? If not send it asap because we need to move apartments the beginning of November and even if we forward our mail I just want to limit the steps in which it could be lost. Excited for Ian to try out the mission life. It is the hardest but most beautiful thing evs. Appunto!
BTW in case you didn't know pretty sure I fly home next June 14th.
Send me more pics when you can. I'll take a soft bear pic this week. White bear is still at home alive and well.
Lots of loooooove,
sorella wsb
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
hello beautifuls
Happy Wednesday!
Dad I'm so excited to be in the same time zone! I vote you buy a cool folding bike even if it is stupid expensive, I love them. There are so many cool old bikes here that I always want to buy and take home with me. Not logical/feasable/possible. Purtroppo.
It's been another beautiful week, surprise surprise. We've been listening to the Italian EFY CD all week and there's this line that says Io mai avrei potuto immaginare che avrei vissuto gironi cosi stupendi and I thought "Hey! that's me." I really have been blown away at how with every new person or expereince the Lord grows my capacity to love and find joy in every moment... which I thought were my strengths before. Now it's out of control. I love Varese more than I ever thought I could/would/would want to.
A few beautiful things that have happened. Itala is progressing nicely. She's 44, Italian, has had a hard life and needs the gospel (like everyone really, but yeah) She came to church for the second time on Sunday, is reading the Book of Mormon and loves being with us and in church. We had a beautiful lesson about the plan of salvation with her yesterday morning with a member Agusta and it was perfect. Itala is pretty chatty (surprising for an Italian, I know) but everytime she listens better and is more focused. She calls me Boosh and it always makes me laugh.
Funny side note, the first time she came to church she brought her friend Giuseppe with her. The next week when I was chatting on the phone with her setting up an appointment, she said "Oh, hey you remember my friend Giuseppe? We were talking after church and he said Ma che carina quella Boosh, and was wondering if you could go have dinner with him sometime." I explained that being a missionary limits one's social life but thanks anyway. Ha.
This week we've set some really specific goals to improve our finding, quantitative and qualitative. We kept track of how many people we talked to last week and are going to talk to a third more and then everyday we have a person that we have to talk to when we see them. Yesterday we had to talk to every girl in her 20s with brown hair and glasses. I'll skip over the complicated series of events leading up to us getting on a bus and just say that on this bus there were maybe three people, one of which was our girl. So I pulled the awkward missionary and we sat by her and started talking. Turns out she works by the church and as chatted with the missionaries before but never heard of the Book of Mormon. So we're meeting with her Saturday night before she works to give her a copy and offer her a more beautiful life.
We've had so many baby miracles these days just when I need them, just when I need to be reminded that God is guiding us or listening to my prayers of pleased with my work. It's rad. I feel like I'm not doing anything drastically different but I feel more full of the spirit these days. I feel like I'm being more honest when I speak, not saying the same things and it's lovely. Gina is another rad girl we're teaching. I think I told you about her, 21, from Albania, lived here since she was 4. Wanted to know more about the purpose of life. We brought a member to her lesson on Monday and it went so well. I was kind of a rambling monster but she wants to see us again anyway, with the same member, 23 year old Diletta, our go to YSA, who's working on her mission papes.
We had a funny conversation about tu and lei, because we're asked to always use formal with peeps unless the ask us to use informal, in which case it's more respectful to do as they ask. They said "Yeah, no one ever uses lei with us, it makes me feel old." And I was like meno male! I'm so sick of feeling so formal and lontana to these people that I love.
Sunday (after church where we had 5 investigators and 4 less actives we're working with come (it's fun to fill up the back rows with our peeps in a branch of maybe 36 people)), we had a beautiful lunch at our Branch President's house with Luca. I ate lots of cheese, improved my chit chat abilities and had a lovely time. Less than a month til Luca takes the plunge! I literally can.not.wait for him to start over and get the Holy Ghost. GAH!
We went up to his house (which is pretty much a dream up almost in Switzerland on Lago Maggiore) last P-day to just hang and eat good food and it was the first chill P-day I've had in ages. It felt so nice to just be chopping away at things in the kitchen with Norah Jones in the background—mamma mia, troppo bello. Then risotto with gorgonzola and pears.
Today we're off to Milano to see the Duomo and eat pizza with the sorelle there. Random thoughts of the week (some of them aren't too new, just what's stewing in my brain these days): What have I inherited from my first estate? To abandon sins, vs. leave of any other verb...Cleave to covenants Damned= stopped progression, subtle damnation in immediate blessings from good actions and immediate punishment from sin...we would obey out of ease and therefore not progress? Prayer is literally how we can conquer Satan...the phrase lift up your heart...Diligence is an expression of love for the Lord...
Sorella Beutler is incredible. The most frustrating thing is when she refuses to believe me when I tell her she's improving and that she really is doing so well for being here only three weeks. Plus it's beautiful to see how her imperfect Italian brings such a strong spirit and people listen when she tells them what she knows. Maybe she'll believe me in six months or so...
Vi voglio beneeeeeeee! Fate il bravo!
Happy working and schooling and kiss Alice on top of the head for me.
xoxo
sorella bush
Dad I'm so excited to be in the same time zone! I vote you buy a cool folding bike even if it is stupid expensive, I love them. There are so many cool old bikes here that I always want to buy and take home with me. Not logical/feasable/possible. Purtroppo.
It's been another beautiful week, surprise surprise. We've been listening to the Italian EFY CD all week and there's this line that says Io mai avrei potuto immaginare che avrei vissuto gironi cosi stupendi and I thought "Hey! that's me." I really have been blown away at how with every new person or expereince the Lord grows my capacity to love and find joy in every moment... which I thought were my strengths before. Now it's out of control. I love Varese more than I ever thought I could/would/would want to.
A few beautiful things that have happened. Itala is progressing nicely. She's 44, Italian, has had a hard life and needs the gospel (like everyone really, but yeah) She came to church for the second time on Sunday, is reading the Book of Mormon and loves being with us and in church. We had a beautiful lesson about the plan of salvation with her yesterday morning with a member Agusta and it was perfect. Itala is pretty chatty (surprising for an Italian, I know) but everytime she listens better and is more focused. She calls me Boosh and it always makes me laugh.
Funny side note, the first time she came to church she brought her friend Giuseppe with her. The next week when I was chatting on the phone with her setting up an appointment, she said "Oh, hey you remember my friend Giuseppe? We were talking after church and he said Ma che carina quella Boosh, and was wondering if you could go have dinner with him sometime." I explained that being a missionary limits one's social life but thanks anyway. Ha.
This week we've set some really specific goals to improve our finding, quantitative and qualitative. We kept track of how many people we talked to last week and are going to talk to a third more and then everyday we have a person that we have to talk to when we see them. Yesterday we had to talk to every girl in her 20s with brown hair and glasses. I'll skip over the complicated series of events leading up to us getting on a bus and just say that on this bus there were maybe three people, one of which was our girl. So I pulled the awkward missionary and we sat by her and started talking. Turns out she works by the church and as chatted with the missionaries before but never heard of the Book of Mormon. So we're meeting with her Saturday night before she works to give her a copy and offer her a more beautiful life.
We've had so many baby miracles these days just when I need them, just when I need to be reminded that God is guiding us or listening to my prayers of pleased with my work. It's rad. I feel like I'm not doing anything drastically different but I feel more full of the spirit these days. I feel like I'm being more honest when I speak, not saying the same things and it's lovely. Gina is another rad girl we're teaching. I think I told you about her, 21, from Albania, lived here since she was 4. Wanted to know more about the purpose of life. We brought a member to her lesson on Monday and it went so well. I was kind of a rambling monster but she wants to see us again anyway, with the same member, 23 year old Diletta, our go to YSA, who's working on her mission papes.
We had a funny conversation about tu and lei, because we're asked to always use formal with peeps unless the ask us to use informal, in which case it's more respectful to do as they ask. They said "Yeah, no one ever uses lei with us, it makes me feel old." And I was like meno male! I'm so sick of feeling so formal and lontana to these people that I love.
Sunday (after church where we had 5 investigators and 4 less actives we're working with come (it's fun to fill up the back rows with our peeps in a branch of maybe 36 people)), we had a beautiful lunch at our Branch President's house with Luca. I ate lots of cheese, improved my chit chat abilities and had a lovely time. Less than a month til Luca takes the plunge! I literally can.not.wait for him to start over and get the Holy Ghost. GAH!
We went up to his house (which is pretty much a dream up almost in Switzerland on Lago Maggiore) last P-day to just hang and eat good food and it was the first chill P-day I've had in ages. It felt so nice to just be chopping away at things in the kitchen with Norah Jones in the background—mamma mia, troppo bello. Then risotto with gorgonzola and pears.
Today we're off to Milano to see the Duomo and eat pizza with the sorelle there. Random thoughts of the week (some of them aren't too new, just what's stewing in my brain these days): What have I inherited from my first estate? To abandon sins, vs. leave of any other verb...Cleave to covenants Damned= stopped progression, subtle damnation in immediate blessings from good actions and immediate punishment from sin...we would obey out of ease and therefore not progress? Prayer is literally how we can conquer Satan...the phrase lift up your heart...Diligence is an expression of love for the Lord...
Sorella Beutler is incredible. The most frustrating thing is when she refuses to believe me when I tell her she's improving and that she really is doing so well for being here only three weeks. Plus it's beautiful to see how her imperfect Italian brings such a strong spirit and people listen when she tells them what she knows. Maybe she'll believe me in six months or so...
Vi voglio beneeeeeeee! Fate il bravo!
Happy working and schooling and kiss Alice on top of the head for me.
xoxo
sorella bush
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
carabinieri
Hey dudes,
So our sketchy internet cafe just got raided by the police trying to find illegal immigrants. Ha. My documents are currently being checked to see if Italy really has given me permission to be here.
It's been a beautiful week. Probs the coolest thing was that we had six rad investigators in church on Sunday, which is pretty noticeable in a branch of 36 peeps. The woman Tati who we found doing casa a few weeks ago came for the first time with her Albanian compagno and the really liked it. After sacrament meeting I said, "Sooo, how was it?" and she started telling me how peaceful and good she felt and I was like hello? It was the spirit! She's been kind of caught up on Saturday vs. Sunday being the Sabbath because in Santo Domingo she used to go to the 7th day adventist church, is that what it's called in English?
Anyway I studied up a bit and we had a beautiful lesson with her yesterday where we watched the restoration film and then talked about all the questions she still had and I talked about when the shift to Sunday happened in the New Testament and it's kind of connected with the move from the Law of Moses to Christ, and at the end she laughed and was like "okay, I get it."
And you can see it in her eyes, that she really is in that 'I get it' phase. She's super into reading Nephi right now and we gave her a BOM in Italian yesterday so she could read it out loud to Eddie, her partner, because he doesn't know how to read. Basically she's beautiful and I love everything about her.
Sorella Beutler is learning to be patient with herself and getting better everyday. It really is beautiful to watch, because you never really notice when it's happening to you. The Ortiz family is as beautiful as ever. We taught the word of wisdom this week and it went really well. Alfonso already had decided he wanted to quit smoking and has cut back form 2 to 1 packs a day. Senia was a little iffy about wine, they don't drink very much she just wasn't convinced, and the member we brought was like I felt the same way, I had already decided I wanted to stop smoking and drinking coffee before I met the missionaries and wine just didn't make sense to me, but I tried it and now I get it, and that's the only way you can gain a testimony. So they were like why not. Alfonso, said a beautiful prayer at the end and thanked God for the things he was learning and asked for help to continue trying to be better everyday than he was the day before. That's what the gospel is about people. Awesome.
Since I've been without a companion that really speaks Italian it's really pushed me to talk to way more peeps everywhere we go. It's still something I have to decide to try and want to do everyday, but it's getting better and easier. And I know that it makes me happier. Even when people aren't super interested we've had some really great conversations with really interesting people and I have to just hope that now they're a little closer to being ready someday for the gospel.
And I have to tell you every time we 'teach' Luca there is the most incredible spirit. The Lord has big plans for that man. One of the most beautiful things about being a missionary is the moments where you look at someone and are flooded with the love Heavenly Father has for them and you just get a glimpse of every good thing He wants for them. I literally can't wait for Luca to have the Spirit, the priesthood to go to the temple, to just keep progressing his whole life, to have that joy that comes when we live the plan heavenly father has for us and get continually closer to our potential.
One of our other cool dudes is the Nigerian Kevin. It was super weird to teach in English but we had the most beautfiul plan of salvation lesson. I love listening to peoples questions and being able to gauge how much they understand. Kevin totally gets it. He asks the best questions. Now let's hope he'll just start answering the phone again.
Some unrelated thoughts I've been pondering over:
Vi voglio bene!
sorella bush
It's been a beautiful week. Probs the coolest thing was that we had six rad investigators in church on Sunday, which is pretty noticeable in a branch of 36 peeps. The woman Tati who we found doing casa a few weeks ago came for the first time with her Albanian compagno and the really liked it. After sacrament meeting I said, "Sooo, how was it?" and she started telling me how peaceful and good she felt and I was like hello? It was the spirit! She's been kind of caught up on Saturday vs. Sunday being the Sabbath because in Santo Domingo she used to go to the 7th day adventist church, is that what it's called in English?
Anyway I studied up a bit and we had a beautiful lesson with her yesterday where we watched the restoration film and then talked about all the questions she still had and I talked about when the shift to Sunday happened in the New Testament and it's kind of connected with the move from the Law of Moses to Christ, and at the end she laughed and was like "okay, I get it."
And you can see it in her eyes, that she really is in that 'I get it' phase. She's super into reading Nephi right now and we gave her a BOM in Italian yesterday so she could read it out loud to Eddie, her partner, because he doesn't know how to read. Basically she's beautiful and I love everything about her.
Sorella Beutler is learning to be patient with herself and getting better everyday. It really is beautiful to watch, because you never really notice when it's happening to you. The Ortiz family is as beautiful as ever. We taught the word of wisdom this week and it went really well. Alfonso already had decided he wanted to quit smoking and has cut back form 2 to 1 packs a day. Senia was a little iffy about wine, they don't drink very much she just wasn't convinced, and the member we brought was like I felt the same way, I had already decided I wanted to stop smoking and drinking coffee before I met the missionaries and wine just didn't make sense to me, but I tried it and now I get it, and that's the only way you can gain a testimony. So they were like why not. Alfonso, said a beautiful prayer at the end and thanked God for the things he was learning and asked for help to continue trying to be better everyday than he was the day before. That's what the gospel is about people. Awesome.
Since I've been without a companion that really speaks Italian it's really pushed me to talk to way more peeps everywhere we go. It's still something I have to decide to try and want to do everyday, but it's getting better and easier. And I know that it makes me happier. Even when people aren't super interested we've had some really great conversations with really interesting people and I have to just hope that now they're a little closer to being ready someday for the gospel.
And I have to tell you every time we 'teach' Luca there is the most incredible spirit. The Lord has big plans for that man. One of the most beautiful things about being a missionary is the moments where you look at someone and are flooded with the love Heavenly Father has for them and you just get a glimpse of every good thing He wants for them. I literally can't wait for Luca to have the Spirit, the priesthood to go to the temple, to just keep progressing his whole life, to have that joy that comes when we live the plan heavenly father has for us and get continually closer to our potential.
One of our other cool dudes is the Nigerian Kevin. It was super weird to teach in English but we had the most beautfiul plan of salvation lesson. I love listening to peoples questions and being able to gauge how much they understand. Kevin totally gets it. He asks the best questions. Now let's hope he'll just start answering the phone again.
Some unrelated thoughts I've been pondering over:
- by changing the inner attitudes of our minds we can change the outer aspect of our lives what we inherit from our first estate, I'm excited to someday remember who I was and what I did before this life. I was reading my patriarchal blessing the other day and I don't know how to explain it but I felt closer to who I was before.
- Someone told me in Bergamo that the things that we experience in life happen because we deserve them, like they're a consequence to an action, or we need them, to grow and continue on becoming better, and I've been pondering over this idea of decisions we made in the premortal life being connected to consequences we live here.
- The idea of being blessed to live the challenges of this life testimony vs conversion repentance as a returning to god, a literally turning away from ourselves, following Christ's example of turning out the humility required to learn and change. when it's not important to be right.
Vi voglio bene!
sorella bush
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