BAMBINA 2

Hellllloooooooo......

So I bet you're all dying to hear where I am......(or not) either way, I'm still here in Rome 3 and will be for the next two transfers because I'm training!!! I did not expect that at all actually. There are about 26 sisters that come to our mission, but they come next transfer, and then the transfer after that so I thought I would be training then, not now, but Heavenly Father knows best!

My new companion's name is Sorella Wood. She is from Oregon and is the youngest of her family and the first sister missionary in her family!
She is super kind and I am excited to be able to work with her. I have only spent three days with her so I don't know her very well yet. Sorella Bicchierri got transferred to Taranto which is where she was born and she has a ton of extended family there which is crazy! But she was so excited.

This week we saw Vanessa and Nino in church!! They came, they were only an hour late and missed all of sacrament meeting, but they still came! I was so happy. The ward members did a really great job of helping them feel welcomed and they liked it I think. We are really trying hard to set a baptismal date with them this week. So speriamo bene!!

Sorella Bicchierri and I also had a lesson with an ex investigator and it was the strangest lesson I have ever been a part of. The investigator said a prayer to open and then Sorella Bicchierri said a prayer and then I said a prayer. And then she asked us to pray for her health because she's going to die in two years? She also had four Book of Mormons? I'm not sure exactly why. Anyway. Her name is Lucy haha. Perfect. We'll see where things go with her.

From picking Sorella Wood up on Thursday and Sunday we have been doing
A LOT of finding and talking with people and we haven't really seen any success. It is kind of funny some of the questions she has asked in these first three days. For example, "Does anyone ever want to listen to are message?" "The one guy that we talked to tried to kiss me." She also just speaks in English to everyone she sees and it's super funny haha. She sat down on a bus next to this old lady who had her feet on the chair and Sorella wood told her, "you're fine you can
keep your feet there" haha as if the lady could somehow understand her. I asked her about it after and she said, "Yeah I didn't know how to say that in Italian so I just said it in English." Haha. She's super awesome and helpful. She has a good memory and is very mature.

We also had a funny experience this week. We were talking to this lady and she was being sooo kind. She was this old little grandma and she was telling me how much she admired us and how much of a devoted catholic she was and I asked her if she would like to add to her knowledge and listen to the message that we share with people and she kindly said no, but after I was like ok well we have to go, but what's your name? She says, "guess! It's the most beautiful name in the world!!" I said, "Maria!!!" And she practically tackle hugged/kissed
me haha. It was funny. I guess I guessed correctly.

I am so excited to be able to train again. There is a lot of responsibility and stress however that comes with it. I love and have found inspiration in a talk given in this past general conference given by Elder Palmer titled "The Jesus Beholding Him Loved Him." I have found great comfort in his closing remarks which are, "My dear brothers and sisters, now anytime you feel you are being asked to do something hard....think of the Lord beholding you, loving you, and
inviting you to let it go and follow Him. And thank Him for loving you enough to invite you to do more."

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us. It may seem sometimes like we never really get a break, but I am trying to change my perspective and think about how anytime I have been asked to do something hard, I need to think about how much Heavenly Father loves me and thank Him for LOVING me ENOUGH to invite me to do more.

B E C O M I N G. It's a process. And if we submit our will to that of the Father, He will help us to become the people we are destined to be.

I love you all and am sending you lots of love from la Bella città di Roma!!!!

Con amore

Sorella g ❤️🇮🇹