Boh non lo so come intitolare questo email quindi......AVANTI ANDIAMO

Well...this week seemed to pass by quite slow and I'm not exactly quite sure if I can remember what we did so I'll do my best here....

Updates on Vanessa??? We saw her and then we were not able to see her again so she will not be ready for baptism on the 29th but hopefully next month! We had a great lesson with her and her husband. He spoke a lot more than she and knows the Bible really well and had some questions about the church that we were able to clear up. He said, "wow!! Thank you so much. I now can tell everybody I know that this is how it actually is." I really hope that we can help them to get ready to be baptized as a family!!

We also had a great lesson with Saga. I don't know if you remember her, but she's the one from Finland. She's very knowledgeable and she went to Finland to go visit her mother who was sick and actually passed away. Well she returned this week and wanted to meet with us again!! She was interested in the Book of Mormon. I am pretty sure she has read everything bad about Joseph smith and our church, but the thing I love is her desire to learn the truth. She is so open and wants to understand all of the things that we believe in. We had a great discussion about faith, and testimonies, and the Book of Mormon. Hopefully she will read and pray. She really sees the difference

between members of our church and everybody else so let's hope she can act on her curiosity!!

On Saturday, we had a ward activity!!! Can you believe it!! And there were quite a few people there. We had lots of singers, a couple of guitarists, a member taught us how to make food from where she's from (somewhere in the north by Rimini s/o sorella roloff!!), a violinist (me), and a few people who forgot their lines while reciting poetry. We had to kind of tell people to stop because there is a member who sang a song, and then everybody else went and he sang another song, and then another one haha. But it was the classic Italian talent show.
I think the members and non members really loved doing it and it was something our ward needed.

Yesterday in church I played the song "We are all enlisted" while the congregation sang and it was really a fun experience that I have never had before. The bishopric member got up and said, "that reminded me of when the pioneers were traveling across the plains and they didn't have a piano, but were able to sing hymns while people played the violin."

I love the last verse of the hymn that goes like this:

Fighting for a kingdom, and the world is our foe;
Happy are we! Happy are we!
Glad to join the army, we will sing as we go;
We shall gain the vict’ry by and by.
Dangers may gather--why should we fear?
Jesus, our Leader, ever is near.
He will protect us, comfort, and cheer.
We’re joyfully, joyfully marching to our home.

I love that we are all enlisted. I'm sorry that this week wasn't that very exciting, but that's ok. I am grateful for the mediocre weeks because they make the incredible weeks that much better. I hope you all know that I know Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. He restored the church of Jesus Christ back on the earth.

Ciaooooooooo

❤🇮🇹Sorella Gochnour

Come posso diventare un membro della vostra chiesa??

Ok hi!!! 

This was probably one of the best weeks of my mission. I have now almost made it all of the four seasons of the year in Italy and spring is by far my favorite. I absolutely love it and feel so blessed every morning to wake up and be outside in the beautiful world that was created for us. And especially at Easter!!

I had a scambio this week with Sorella Crandell in Rome 1 and it was probably the most miracle filled scambio I have ever been on. Right when we got off of the metro we were talking about how we need to except miracles and here was a man that said, "excuse me, can you tell me how to become a member of your church?" Sorella Crandell and I were a little caught off guard haha. Long story short we were able to give him a Book of Mormon and took his number to give to the Anziani to teach so I really hope something good will come from that! We also were able to share the Easter video with quite a few people in the park. Rome 1 has some beautiful parks and we were able to give out another Book of Mormon to a GANS (YSA) who was really interested to know more about what the Book of Mormon is. Sorella Crandell also helped me to understand how I can change to love my companion more and to find new ways to serve her. Service doesn't always have to be something you can see. 

Sorella Bicchierri and I also were blessed to receive two referrals who are both progressing investigators! One is named Jenny and the other Carmela. I have yet to meet them, but am looking forward to it in the future. And we have another investigator with a BAPTISMAL DATE!! W H A T?? She is a former investigator named Vanessa that we weren't able to contact or see for about two months and on Saturday I just said, "let's try calling Vanessa" so we did and she was at home and said to come over. We taught the gospel of Jesus Christ because she has already been taught the restoration and the plan of salvation. She has such a strong testimony and when we invited her to be baptized she said, "ok at what time?" The date we set is for April 29which is quite soon, but I have faith that she can be prepared for that day. She has a very strong testimony and desire to be baptized. Of course if she is not prepared by that day and is too soon, we will move it. But for now we will work our hardest to follow the spirit and do the will of the Father. 

After the lesson I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. I asked Sorella Bicchierri if we could just stop and say a prayer to thank Heavenly Father for allowing us to be a part of that miracle. It was something I will never forget. The joy you feel when you witness others experience the joy that the gospel brings is a joy that cannot be described. Easter was a beautiful and calm day. As I sat in church on Sunday during the sacrament and the whole three hours of church I just sat and pondered. I thought about the mothers in the rows ahead of me and how someday that will be me, doing anything to get my children to just sit still, but I just thought how much I am going to miss these sacrament meetings some day. Gathering with the faithful saints of Italy on the beautiful Easter Sunday. 

I hope you all had a happy Easter!!!

Con affetto e con amore 

Sorella Gochnour 

HONOR YOUR NAME

Hello!!!

First off I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to Jake for getting his mission call to CAMBODIA!! You're going to do incredible things in that country.

Here are some "first's" that I experienced this week:

• First gochnour in Asia!!!! (Besides dad)
• I taught my first relief society lesson!!
• First run in with an American that I know (tourist season is in full swing) we were walking and someone says "hi missionaries!!" And I turn and there were Ellery Howarth's parents!!
• First time at an Italian university. We are trying to focus on the18-30 generation so what better place to go put yourself out there than a college campus?? Although I do have to say it kind of gave me anxiety thinking that I'm going back to college after my mission
• First time attending a baptism where it was just the missionaries and the man getting baptized haha so Sorella Bicchierri and I went right outside the church and invited everyone on the street if they wanted to come to a baptism, no one wanted to. We still have a lot of work todo here!!!
• And I got proposed to by a 60 year old Italian lawyer in park. It was probably the most awkward thing I have ever experienced. He asked me if someone who is so young like me would ever marry him. I said, "I personally would never do it, but I'm sure someone might." Then he said well let's get married after your mission. Me: no thanks. And then the conversation basically ended and we walked (ran) away.

This week was jam packed with a lot of stuff. So I will try to cover all of the important things.....

Sorella Bicchierri and I had the honor of being invited to this award ceremony for an Italian government official that the church gave to him. It was for the valori della famiglia so something to do with his family and the way he tries to help the community of Rome to support family values. It was in the library right by the pantheon and it was very cool. The only not so cool thing was that Sorella Bicchierri and I somehow didn't time everything correctly so we had about 45 minutes to make an hour and a half walk to get there on time. I would have preferred to be early, but you know how things a lot of the time don't
exactly work out as planned. We basically ran from the Villa (mission home) into downtown Rome and switched metros haha and showed up only five minutes late! Luckily the man was late so it hadn't started, but we showed up dripping sweat. It was not my most proud moment that's for sure. Here come the Sorelle representing all the missionaries and they're five minutes late and dripping sweat like they just ran a marathon!!! Oh man haha maybe next time. It worked out well in the
end.

We also had an incredible zone conference. We were able to watch the video of the angel Moroni being put on the temple and it was so cool. It's such a big step in such an incredible process. We also talked a lot about good, better, best. Often times we find ourselves with too much to do and not enough time. Well maybe we are filling up all of our time with good things and maybe not the best things. I think it's always good to be repenting and changing and learning from our mistakes and doing our best to become the best we can be!! IF IT'S GOING TO BE, IT'S UP TO ME. And then the AP's gave a great lesson about the Book of Mormon and how we can use it more in our missionary work. I can't believe I have spent all of this time on my missions and haven't been opening it for them to read, but just telling them about it. The power comes when we feel the spirit touch our hearts through the words!! So I'm looking forward to using the Book of Mormon more in my work.

Speaking of work, Sorella Bicchierri and I were able to find 4 new investigators this week!!!! And even teach a couple of lessons!! The unfortunate thing is that we have not been able to contact any of them since those couple of first lessons, so we'll keep looking this week! We saw so many miracles I wish I could write them all down but time is just not really my friend right now.

As you all know yesterday was Palm Sunday and I thought it was really cool because the Catholic Church handed out to everyone little branches of olive trees. It was cool to see everyone thinking of Christ and his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Next Sunday is also Easter and I just wanted you all to think for a second and think about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us. As a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I have taken the name of Jesus Christ upon me through the ordinance of baptism. As a missionary I represent Him and wear His name on my chest every single day. I can't begin to express what an honor it is to have the opportunity to do so. I hope this Easter and really hope all the time, not just Easter and Christmas, that you all will be able to remember and use the powerful gift of the Atonement that Jesus Christ gave to us. I hope that if you have taken His name upon you, that you will HONOR that name. And help others to come to know Him.


Buona Pasqua!!!

Sorella G ❤🇮🇹

JOHN 6:33 "For the bread of life is He which cometh down from heaven and giveth life to the world"

Ciao carissimi miei........

So you want to hear some highlights of the week?

• We received two referrals! One was from a YSA from the north and he was sending the missionaries to this girl that lives in Rome and had set up an appointment for us to go. Well, about two hours before we were to leave we looked up the address and it wasn't in our area. So we called the Sorelle in that area and they weren't going to be able to make it. So we decided the best thing was to go. And it took way longer to travel than expected and we missed the appointment and then had to try to hurry back for English course....we made the last ten minutes. Fail.
• Lesson learned just try to reschedule the appointment. 
• Next referral the next day well we look up the address. Not in our area. I wasn't about to relive the nightmare we had lived before so we again called the Sorelle and they said they could try to make it. We didn't try. Then I lost our phone on the bus. I guess it fell out of my pocket as the bus driver shut me in the door. Haha but that is a long and funny story for another time. MIRACLE: we got the phone back.
• Sorella Bicchierri was so exasperated and done that while we were waiting for the metro she laid down on the ground (no one was around us) and was telling me "I CAN'T. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? I can't." Haha it made me laugh.

But now on to the real highlights of the week:

• the spragues (senior couple) moved houses so we helped them move in and built two sets of drawers, two desks, and a couch from ikea!
• the day after the two "rougher" days was so full of miracles. We had set a goal to get three numbers from people on the street and Heavenly Father helped us to accomplish that goal. There were 3 PEOPLE that wanted to listen to us!!!
• GENERAL CONFERENCE

Oh my goodness I love general conference. The October general conference I watched mainly in English. This time it was all in Italian, but I felt the spirit very strongly and felt so uplifted afterwards.


I thought there was a lot of talks given about the Holy Ghost and the role it plays in our lives. Then the talk given by President Monson about he Book of Mormon. If you don't read the Book of Mormon everyday, DO IT. I also loved President Uchtdorf's talk. I feel SO lucky to be able to live in this incredible time. Yes it is a very dark and wicked world, but why not instead focus on what good there is in the world. I wouldn't trade living in this time for anything. I know we are all here on the earth right now for a reason. I know which road I want to choose. I know how to stay on the path. I know where it's leading me. And I know where I'm going.

One of my favorite scriptures was quoted multiple times in conference which reads:  "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.
In the world he shall have trial and tribulation: but be of goodcheer; for I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD."

I know that it is in and through Christ that we can be saved and overcome this world in which we live. I love you all. And really miss you all very dearly, but am happy to be where I am right now.

Con amore,

Sorella G ❤️🇮🇹