1) I realized yesterday that Im a mamma missionaria! Alot of missionaries are into the family tree of a missionary, and ... Anziano Mickelsens my figlio. (I was the senior sorella or his first transfer, which makes me his mom). Im proud of him. He has the most amazing musical talent which makes it a little strange that he is getting transferred down to Sciacca tonight- we all thought hed stick around for the groundbreaking BUT ... missionaries arent invited. Last Thursday night, a member called to ask if we could confirm that the groundbreaking would be the 23rd. We told him we didnt have ANY idea what was going on with the temple, and then on Sunday.. they announced and confirmed! President Monson will be here in 10ish days! As sad as it is not being able to attend, how wonderful it is that its coming!!!! We hear rumors that it should be done June 2013. I think I know where Ill be June of 2013.
2) Sorella Riffaldi is headed to Siracusa, in Sicily. We are taking her to the bus station tonight where shell take off and arrive tomorrow morning at 8:00. Im sure going to miss her. Shell be in the same zone as Anz Larsen (from the MTC) and its KILLING me that I cant send a note with her for him. AHH! Itd be so easy to call up President and say, "Look. I PROMISE Im not romantically interested in him. Can I please just write him?!" but then the words come to mind "read the white handbook". Read the white handbook. Read the white handbook. No use asking President when I already know. Oh well. Therell be plenty of time to catch up later. Its just good to know that I might get to see or Anz Knuteson later on in the mission. President told me to expect staying in the Rome Zone for 5 or 6 transfers, which I would love.
3) I will not miss the humidity. I WILL miss nectarines over the winter. Its weird how things are changing- in this last transfer, Ive been drinking almost half a liter of milk everyday. Who am I? Since when do I drink mik? Mom, youll be proud of me. I make minestre- throw in some verza, peas, carrots and zucchini, etc etc, and then....I dont know how it happens, but it comes out to be a giant pot of hot soup. Sorella Riffaldi believes it to be a sign that Im going to have a huge family.
4) The Sorelle did exchanges from Monday evening to yesterday evening. We met up at Termini and I went with Sorella Bucholtz and Sorella Hansen to Ladispoli. Sorella Bucholtz is from Canada and dies tomorrow. Sorella Hansen is from Utah, shes wonderful, AND she is headed to Sicily tonight as well to be with ....Sorella Pickett!!!!!
Being in Ladispoli was wonderful. I really enjoyed doing scambi, and it was interesing to hear that all the sorelle were sort of dreading it, and they all enjoyed and needed it more than they thought.
We still dont have any baptismal dates or new investigators. We taught a first lesson to Diana, a contact we made on a bus last week,and she was all excited about coming to church the next day with her 8 year old son. We waited in the Piazza for them on Sunday morning to go together, and she nevers showed up and we called a few times but her phone was off. Last that evening, we recieved a text from her that begged us to leave her alone. ??? Oh dear.
Yolanda, a wonderful Equadorian woman we have been meeting with since August, had us come to her house on Sat morning and we felt like we had to teach about keeping the sabbath day holy. She works every Sunday because she is having a house built back home in Ecuador. We invited her to call and cancel work and come to church instead, and it was so touching and such an example to me when she took that step of faith and decided to do what we were asking her to. She called and cancelled work and came to church with us. What great faith in us and in the promises we made to her through the Spirit. I dont know if Id have done the same thing as she did if I were in her shoes. I really am learning so much more than what I am teaching to others.
Its an interesting thing to see missionaries die and the way they behave in their last few weeks as they come to a realization that their mission is about to come to an end. Sorella Bucholtz had 7 months left when I met her, and now......Im in her place. It seems like so long and its so short. Within a moment that day will be upon me, and Ill be looking back on my mission and wondering where the time went. I just hope that I can remember all the things that Ive learned and to apply them. Im trying to do my best to write down everything so that I can remember as I go back and read the things that I reflect on.
With all said and done, I think the thing that has been of greatest comfort and inspiration to me is knowing of the reality of Jesus Christs Atonement. I always underestimate the power and love of it, and the depth of it. He did not only suffer all pain and affliction, but he suffered every doubt, depression, worry, etc. I sometimes feel close to tears thinking of Sorella Riffaldi leaving and how different things will be, and then I am reminded of Heavenly Fathers tender mercy of allowing us to stay together this past transfer. She could have easily been transferred 5 weeks ago, but He knew what I was in need of and let me have it, simply because He loves me.
I am overwhelmed with how many things I am learning and coming to understand at a new and deeper level. Its true that the closer you come to Christ, the more inadequate and stained you feel. I have so far to go. I have so much to improve on, and what great comfort it is that He doesnt expect me to reach perfection in this life. All He wants is diligent effort and impegno. Whats even better is that He has given us things to help us along the way. How many people can say they know they have a Prophet, a Moses, on the earth, who speaks with God. Ah! What amazing blessings. Im amazed at His constant love and patience, and that He continues and always has poured out blessings even when Im ungrateful and unappreciative.
Thank you for your love, your prayers, your letters and emails, and your efforts in serving others and trying to lighten the load of a fellow traveler. We are all searching for happiness- why not help others find some?
Sorella Urban
Friday, October 22, 2010
ciao
Ciao,
We hunted down Maria. We have had the car so we went and camped out at her doorstep and found her! Shes been ignoring us because she is stressed with things. At least we know whats going on now. Baptism is out of the question for now.
Jenny and Erica are wonderful. They live super close to our house, so we stop by whenever. I love how comfortable they are with us. Theyve been sick the past week so we sat on their bed and they were in pajamas and it was just....comfy. They are making progress and we hope to see a baptism soon. We just need to get them to church 2 more times!
Conference was wonderful and I got to sit with Zia and Roberto for part of it ;) I cant wait to get it in the Liahona so I can read and study the things said, because I didnt get many notes in. What a blessing it is to have modern day revelation and inspired leaders who help us along our way.
The three of us had dinner last night with President and Sorella Kelly. "Transfer calls" came a little early for us ;) Sorella Riffaldi is going South, and Sorella Askew and I will stay together. This coming transfer is longer than most and will go to the 5 of Dec, and then President said Ill be transferred. Sardegna? ;) I dont think so. He hinted about me remaining in the Rome Zone for around 6 transfers. I dont mind at all- the Temples being built in Rome, theres work to do!
Sorry Im not writing much- we are meeting up with Sorella Riffaldis parents now.
Vi voglio bene,
Sorella Urban
We hunted down Maria. We have had the car so we went and camped out at her doorstep and found her! Shes been ignoring us because she is stressed with things. At least we know whats going on now. Baptism is out of the question for now.
Jenny and Erica are wonderful. They live super close to our house, so we stop by whenever. I love how comfortable they are with us. Theyve been sick the past week so we sat on their bed and they were in pajamas and it was just....comfy. They are making progress and we hope to see a baptism soon. We just need to get them to church 2 more times!
Conference was wonderful and I got to sit with Zia and Roberto for part of it ;) I cant wait to get it in the Liahona so I can read and study the things said, because I didnt get many notes in. What a blessing it is to have modern day revelation and inspired leaders who help us along our way.
The three of us had dinner last night with President and Sorella Kelly. "Transfer calls" came a little early for us ;) Sorella Riffaldi is going South, and Sorella Askew and I will stay together. This coming transfer is longer than most and will go to the 5 of Dec, and then President said Ill be transferred. Sardegna? ;) I dont think so. He hinted about me remaining in the Rome Zone for around 6 transfers. I dont mind at all- the Temples being built in Rome, theres work to do!
Sorry Im not writing much- we are meeting up with Sorella Riffaldis parents now.
Vi voglio bene,
Sorella Urban
Friday, October 1, 2010
Ciao
Ciao tutti,
I have 15 minutes left. Where does the time go? And why cant computers all work normally? Eh. At least I get to use a computer. I still count my blessings...even though it takes me some time to realize how much Im blessed with.
This past week I pulled out my winter clothes and the second I put on a blue sweater I bought in Firenze, it brought back a ton of memories of my first transfer. Wow. I think its my favorite sweater. I had to buy it with the money of a friend of the Acersons because I didnt have a single euro, and I wore it everyway bc it was the only thing I had. How much I have now! And how scarily easy it is to overlook all the things I have and wish for more. I was seriously humbled that first transfer. I almost wish I were living it again. Im so grateful for all the things I have, ESPECIALLY for Heavenly Fathers patience with me.
Whats happened this week? Maria has disappeared off the planet. We havent been able to reach her since we saw her the day the cancelled her baptism. We went to find her in the city yesterday, and miraculously, we found the house but no one was home, and then we got chased out by this super crabby woman. Theres no reason to be so mean. Just seeing our tags gets the weirdest reactions out of some people, like we are out to damage the world or something.
Last night, we were getting ready to write in our journals (Id just made mexican chef salad so we were all in good spirits) we decided to go see the colosseum at night: Its something S Askew has wanted to see; so we stuck our tags back on and hopped into the car and away we went! We didnt think leaving our house in pajamas would be a problem....till we parked next to the colosseum and realized that we had to get out to take some pictures. SOOO if you do see any pictures that Im in shorts with my sunday shoes...please dont make any comments ;)
While driving back home, the GPS confused us and I ended up driving contro mano, on a one way street, for 2 kilometers. AHHH! The entire time, we were basically trying to muffle blood-curdling screams as I tried to get to the end of the road where we could try to merge with the right traffic. When we got home, I had to take a pillow and scream into it to let it out of my system, and then I was able to return back to normal. Sorella Riffaldi still has a glazed look to her eyes.
President Kelly has asked me to organize scambi with the Sorelle. The Elders go on exchanges every few weeks, and he wants us to start doing them. Yay!
Nelson has the Aaronic priesthood and is preparing to recieve the Melchizedek Priesthood. (Just writing that makes me want to take a spelling class back at school).
S Askew wants to see alot of things here in Rome, so we are headed out to go see some stuff. Too bad the Assistants left us the car for the entire week because they are done in Sicily ;) We just found out that a member from there is arriving in Termini in a few hours, and they asked us to go pick her up so we will do that and maybe she will want to go around with us.
Before I end- last Saturday, we spent the day with some Romanian women we met at their 7 day adventist church and we watched 7 people get baptized, and then we had a meal together in the basement. We have ALOT of things in common concerning religion. They do baptism by immersion too, ...just that the bishop gets down in the water WITH HIS SUIT!
General Conference weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will be spending all day saturday and sunday at the stake center, Roma 1, so Carla and Zia- you better be there! ;)
Lenoras coming to ITALY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dads arriving soon, and Pres Kelly gave permission to see them. Sorella Riffaldis parents are coming next pday, A Askew saw her uncle last saturday, and I hope to see mom and dad for a bit before the end of the transfer. We found out that therell be need for another threesome next transfer, but Im pretty sure (and praying) that its not us. S Riffaldi is DYING to leave Rome. She has been here for a little too long.
As for the worm cheese (YES, we still have it). Anyone want it? S Askew wont even get near it. haha.
Ok. I have lots more Id like to write but seeing this scattered enough, maybe Ill add a pic or two and send this on its way.
Vi voglio bene!
I have 15 minutes left. Where does the time go? And why cant computers all work normally? Eh. At least I get to use a computer. I still count my blessings...even though it takes me some time to realize how much Im blessed with.
This past week I pulled out my winter clothes and the second I put on a blue sweater I bought in Firenze, it brought back a ton of memories of my first transfer. Wow. I think its my favorite sweater. I had to buy it with the money of a friend of the Acersons because I didnt have a single euro, and I wore it everyway bc it was the only thing I had. How much I have now! And how scarily easy it is to overlook all the things I have and wish for more. I was seriously humbled that first transfer. I almost wish I were living it again. Im so grateful for all the things I have, ESPECIALLY for Heavenly Fathers patience with me.
Whats happened this week? Maria has disappeared off the planet. We havent been able to reach her since we saw her the day the cancelled her baptism. We went to find her in the city yesterday, and miraculously, we found the house but no one was home, and then we got chased out by this super crabby woman. Theres no reason to be so mean. Just seeing our tags gets the weirdest reactions out of some people, like we are out to damage the world or something.
Last night, we were getting ready to write in our journals (Id just made mexican chef salad so we were all in good spirits) we decided to go see the colosseum at night: Its something S Askew has wanted to see; so we stuck our tags back on and hopped into the car and away we went! We didnt think leaving our house in pajamas would be a problem....till we parked next to the colosseum and realized that we had to get out to take some pictures. SOOO if you do see any pictures that Im in shorts with my sunday shoes...please dont make any comments ;)
While driving back home, the GPS confused us and I ended up driving contro mano, on a one way street, for 2 kilometers. AHHH! The entire time, we were basically trying to muffle blood-curdling screams as I tried to get to the end of the road where we could try to merge with the right traffic. When we got home, I had to take a pillow and scream into it to let it out of my system, and then I was able to return back to normal. Sorella Riffaldi still has a glazed look to her eyes.
President Kelly has asked me to organize scambi with the Sorelle. The Elders go on exchanges every few weeks, and he wants us to start doing them. Yay!
Nelson has the Aaronic priesthood and is preparing to recieve the Melchizedek Priesthood. (Just writing that makes me want to take a spelling class back at school).
S Askew wants to see alot of things here in Rome, so we are headed out to go see some stuff. Too bad the Assistants left us the car for the entire week because they are done in Sicily ;) We just found out that a member from there is arriving in Termini in a few hours, and they asked us to go pick her up so we will do that and maybe she will want to go around with us.
Before I end- last Saturday, we spent the day with some Romanian women we met at their 7 day adventist church and we watched 7 people get baptized, and then we had a meal together in the basement. We have ALOT of things in common concerning religion. They do baptism by immersion too, ...just that the bishop gets down in the water WITH HIS SUIT!
General Conference weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will be spending all day saturday and sunday at the stake center, Roma 1, so Carla and Zia- you better be there! ;)
Lenoras coming to ITALY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dads arriving soon, and Pres Kelly gave permission to see them. Sorella Riffaldis parents are coming next pday, A Askew saw her uncle last saturday, and I hope to see mom and dad for a bit before the end of the transfer. We found out that therell be need for another threesome next transfer, but Im pretty sure (and praying) that its not us. S Riffaldi is DYING to leave Rome. She has been here for a little too long.
As for the worm cheese (YES, we still have it). Anyone want it? S Askew wont even get near it. haha.
Ok. I have lots more Id like to write but seeing this scattered enough, maybe Ill add a pic or two and send this on its way.
Vi voglio bene!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Well................
Well................ another week has come and gone.
Saturday morning, after I made a gigantic batch of brownies for Marias baptism that night, we went to go do some house. We chose an apt building and when it came to Slla Riffaldis turn, she knocked and a young girl let us in and we met her mother, Jenny- they are from the Philippines and had just moved. They came to church the next day with us, and on Monday we taught the Restoration and invited Jenny to be baptized and she accepted. She is incredible!
Maria cancelled her baptism. Roberto found out that she was going to be baptized and flipped and so Maria wants to wait till he returns. The Zone Leaders put some unnecessary pressure on us, implying that if she werent baptized that night, we lacked faith or that we didnt try hard enough. We spoke with her and left at ease, so we are happy with how things are going. There are things we feel that we can help Maria work on. In the meantime, the zone leaders have been told to let companionships make and reach their own goals. Amen.
On Sunday night the assistants asked us what wed done that day. S Riffaldi replied "We went to a discoteca". They laughed and then changed the subject........its true. We spent Sunday afternoon at a restaurant\disco. It was a Peruvian festa of a member in our ward; we got 12 new contacts this week and half was from that festa! So it wasnt time wasted- but we did eat way too much.
We are finding mail at our home address- I can see how that applies to missionaries far from the mission home, but I would ask that you send mail to the Mission Office. Its less likely to get lost, and theres no need to get mail everyday. We pass the office often enough ;)
Grazie for the emails, letters, and prayers. Its a wonderful thing to know that I am not alone and never have to be. Christ suffered all so that he know how to succor his children- what reason we have to be at peace.
Sorella Urban
Saturday morning, after I made a gigantic batch of brownies for Marias baptism that night, we went to go do some house. We chose an apt building and when it came to Slla Riffaldis turn, she knocked and a young girl let us in and we met her mother, Jenny- they are from the Philippines and had just moved. They came to church the next day with us, and on Monday we taught the Restoration and invited Jenny to be baptized and she accepted. She is incredible!
Maria cancelled her baptism. Roberto found out that she was going to be baptized and flipped and so Maria wants to wait till he returns. The Zone Leaders put some unnecessary pressure on us, implying that if she werent baptized that night, we lacked faith or that we didnt try hard enough. We spoke with her and left at ease, so we are happy with how things are going. There are things we feel that we can help Maria work on. In the meantime, the zone leaders have been told to let companionships make and reach their own goals. Amen.
On Sunday night the assistants asked us what wed done that day. S Riffaldi replied "We went to a discoteca". They laughed and then changed the subject........its true. We spent Sunday afternoon at a restaurant\disco. It was a Peruvian festa of a member in our ward; we got 12 new contacts this week and half was from that festa! So it wasnt time wasted- but we did eat way too much.
We are finding mail at our home address- I can see how that applies to missionaries far from the mission home, but I would ask that you send mail to the Mission Office. Its less likely to get lost, and theres no need to get mail everyday. We pass the office often enough ;)
Grazie for the emails, letters, and prayers. Its a wonderful thing to know that I am not alone and never have to be. Christ suffered all so that he know how to succor his children- what reason we have to be at peace.
Sorella Urban
Saturday, September 18, 2010
This is Sorella Urban reporting
This will be short and Ill try to make it sweet ;)
Anthony, the Elders investigator, was baptized on Wednesday. To celebrate, I made brownies for the refreshment. Seeing that I didnt have enought butter, I substituted with peanut butter. It was a hit. At 10;30 that night, the Elders recieved a phone call from Anthonys Dad, Peter, who is not a member. Anthony is super allergic to peanuts, so they went over to him and he was basically paralyzed and struggling to breathe. They gave him a blessing and within a minute, he was doing better. OOps. Ooops. The youth in the church have given me a nickname, "Joey Killer".
I feel terrible, but listening to Peters testimony on the miracle made me think "Hey, maybe it was inspiration to add the PB! The Lord used the opportunity to show forth His power in the conversion process of Peter". So, now I dont feel so bad.
Marias getting baptized this Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed- thinks always come up that she cant make it to her appointments...............
Lenora- Elder Giorgino doesnt leave the MTC till October. Itd be really nice for him to recieve a package (hint hint).
Elder Ballard, Rasband, Causse, and Bishop Edgley made a quick surprise visit to Rome on Monday. The Rome Zone got together and they all spoke with the 20 of us on Monday afternoon, and gave us tips to what we can do better. Its incredible having a modern Apostle walk where Paul and Peter walked. That night, they met with members at the stake conference building. It was like a breath of fresh air to see Carla, Zia, Robe, and lots of other familiar faces. Elder Ballard encouraged the members to work and help the missionaries. Yay!
Sorella Askew is still alive and breathing ;) She reminds me ALOT of Joni! She has the prettiest eyes- one is green and ones brown. She already speaks Italian incredibly well and is super friendly and talkative. She is also a question machine- for which Im grateful to have Sorella Riffaldi because I definitely dont know all the answers to Italian grammar.
We have made a transfer vision, and we have set high goals. This transfer is going to be hard but with the potential of being incredible. There is alot to improve on, and its good having Sorella Askew.
For Pday, we are going to the colosseum and st. Peters, and then to the amazing Ottaviano pastry shop ;)
Thank you for your prayers- I sure need them.
Sorella Urban
Anthony, the Elders investigator, was baptized on Wednesday. To celebrate, I made brownies for the refreshment. Seeing that I didnt have enought butter, I substituted with peanut butter. It was a hit. At 10;30 that night, the Elders recieved a phone call from Anthonys Dad, Peter, who is not a member. Anthony is super allergic to peanuts, so they went over to him and he was basically paralyzed and struggling to breathe. They gave him a blessing and within a minute, he was doing better. OOps. Ooops. The youth in the church have given me a nickname, "Joey Killer".
I feel terrible, but listening to Peters testimony on the miracle made me think "Hey, maybe it was inspiration to add the PB! The Lord used the opportunity to show forth His power in the conversion process of Peter". So, now I dont feel so bad.
Marias getting baptized this Saturday. Keep your fingers crossed- thinks always come up that she cant make it to her appointments...............
Lenora- Elder Giorgino doesnt leave the MTC till October. Itd be really nice for him to recieve a package (hint hint).
Elder Ballard, Rasband, Causse, and Bishop Edgley made a quick surprise visit to Rome on Monday. The Rome Zone got together and they all spoke with the 20 of us on Monday afternoon, and gave us tips to what we can do better. Its incredible having a modern Apostle walk where Paul and Peter walked. That night, they met with members at the stake conference building. It was like a breath of fresh air to see Carla, Zia, Robe, and lots of other familiar faces. Elder Ballard encouraged the members to work and help the missionaries. Yay!
Sorella Askew is still alive and breathing ;) She reminds me ALOT of Joni! She has the prettiest eyes- one is green and ones brown. She already speaks Italian incredibly well and is super friendly and talkative. She is also a question machine- for which Im grateful to have Sorella Riffaldi because I definitely dont know all the answers to Italian grammar.
We have made a transfer vision, and we have set high goals. This transfer is going to be hard but with the potential of being incredible. There is alot to improve on, and its good having Sorella Askew.
For Pday, we are going to the colosseum and st. Peters, and then to the amazing Ottaviano pastry shop ;)
Thank you for your prayers- I sure need them.
Sorella Urban
Friday, September 10, 2010
Transfer 5
Sorella Riffaldi and I are staying together for this next transfer! We were expecting a call from President last Saturday but it never came...so we called the Assistants and they said that in our case, we had to wait for Pres to tell us. Did that make us anxious! We went over to the Villa to help Slla Kelly organize the death closet (when missionaries leave, they dump basically everything there of the clothes they dont want to take back) and she told us that we would be staying together. We squealed and hugged, and then she said "What do you think about a threesome?"
Sorella Riffaldi didnt have the best experience having 2 American companions while she was at the MTC in Spain, so shes a little nervous about "losing" me to another companion, especially an American.
She wanted to know our thoughts, and we shared with her some pros and cons of being in a threesome, but we were open and willing for whatever President felt was best.
He called us on Monday morning and asked if he could meet with me in the church, so we went and it was a scary moment when Pres closed the door behind me and SRs green face disappeared. The Assistants got her to believe that she was going away, which was very likely.
In short, Sorella Askew from Utah, is joining us tomorrow morning for a 5 week transfer. She has been in Italy for 6 weeks- this will be a good opportunity for SR to work on her English and for S Askew to continue learning Italian. I am:
curious- to see what a threesome will be like.
anxious- bc SR is MOST likely leaving me next transfer
worried- that SR wont take it well if S Askew eats the cheesecake I make. (SR hoards it- she even labels the aluminum foil cover with "Dont touch- private property".
happy- because its definitely going to be different.
We have moved things around to accomodate an extra body- the hours spent in the morning studying will be a little crowded, but that will just help us get to know eachother better ;)
Nelson was baptized and confirmed this past weekend! We only had one member from Rome 2 show up at his baptism. Although we were few in number, there was an incredible spirit there. Sorella Riffaldi did well on reading her written talk in English :) Im so proud of her. I feel like Mushu (from Mulan) seeing his "baby all grown up". Right before his baptism, the missionaries sang Abide with me tis eventide- Nelson had tears streaming down his face. He shared his testimony and could only repeat how happy he was that the missionaries taught him to pray. What an incredible blessing to be a part of seeing the changes for good that the gospel brings in someones life.
He is a member in Rome 1 now, but he called us yesterday, asking when hed see us again. The Anziani from R1 gave us permission to keep seeing him, and we are happy to oblige; I guess it can be considered "sharing" him. Hes just too good for one companionship to enjoy.
Last week I wrote that Bro Allen from the Missionary Department spoke with us at a fireside held at the Villa. One promise he made us was that each companionship had someone in their area book that could be baptized on Saturday, (Sept 4th (Buon Compleanno Papa!). Afterwards, we went through our area book and searched the people who had already been taught all the lessons and been to church at least 3 times. There was Jackie- we called her wanting to set up an appt with her (we call her every night, she is the one who lives with her boyfriend but cant stand him, and has asked us to pester her bc shes too lazy to be good and read\pray on her own free will) and before we could even say anything, she told us that shes going through a rough time right now and that she doesnt want us to contact her anymore, but that she will contact US when she is ready. ;(
We already knew that Maria didnt want to be baptized till after Roberto (her fiance) returns from his trip in a couple of months. Then, on the 2nd, the Zone Leaders called and asked how our work towards the "promised baptism" was coming. We told them that we had tried, but it really boils down to free agency. They encouraged us to keep trying and looking.
When we got off the phone with them, we felt a strong urge to call Maria and read her a verse from Mosiah about baptism. SR called her and shared the verse with her and Maria felt so good and we really felt the spirit strongly. SR asked her to consider getting baptized on Saturday. Maria really wanted to but she wasnt sure, bs shes torn between the love she has for God and the love she has for Roberto. We met with her the next morning, Friday, and she said that she was going to meet with Roberto right after our appt to talk to him about the idea of being baptized earlier. Very long story short, she talked to him and he said that "You can do whatever you want, but Im not happy with it. You should wait for me, but........you can do what you want" so thats exactly what she did. "Ok, I want to get baptized, so thats what Ill do". We were ECSTATIC.
THEN........she bumped into a ward member, and he told her that she shouldnt rush into baptism and that she could do it later this month, so she thought that was better in order to have time to invite people to her baptism. (why do some members get in the middle of things?!) so her baptism was set and announced in church for the 19th, but yesterday we met with her and got it changed to the 18th. We dont like the idea of having her wait a week to be confirmed.
When we met with her yesterday, the assistants lent us the car and we found Cappena (the city) without getting lost. It was incredible, but most incredible was that we finally met and talked with her mom, who adores missionaries and would get baptized if she werent "so old". She finds it hard to cross the barrier of tradition.
Marias family has so much potential. I compare her to Mom- Its my dream to teach and see an Italian family baptized, like Im returning the favor done by the Anziani who, so many years ago, found Mom and her family through door-to-door.
We left at 18:30 to get home in time for our dinner appt- we invited an office couple, the Burts, over for gnocchi alla gorgonzola, but .....SR took a wrong exit, and we got lost. Now, this isnt any normal "lost". We were lost for 2 1\2 hours. (Yes, we had to cancel dinner). It was incredible how incapable we were of finding our way home. It was like we had a shield over our eyes and couldnt use even the most basic sense of direction to orient ourselves.
Finally, we rolled down the window at this one stoplight and we asked a man on a motorino to point us in the direction of either Fidene, Porta di Roma, or Piazza Sempione (3 landmarks where we know where we are). He looked at his watch and then said, "Follow me" and for the next half hour, we followed him to Porta di Roma. We couldnt believe that he, who never having met us, would be willing to take the time and gas to help us find our way. It was incredible. The entire time we were following him we were saying "This man is wonderful. Its no coincidence that we got lost tonight. We were supposed to meet him". He gave us his card and he got our phone number, and we want to go see him tomorrow and take him a joyful message alone with some brownies. Incredible how the Lord puts people in our path.
Well. The Burts are coming over in a few minutes, so we need to sprint down the hill home. Thank you for your letters. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Sempre avanti!
Sorella Urban
Sorella Riffaldi didnt have the best experience having 2 American companions while she was at the MTC in Spain, so shes a little nervous about "losing" me to another companion, especially an American.
She wanted to know our thoughts, and we shared with her some pros and cons of being in a threesome, but we were open and willing for whatever President felt was best.
He called us on Monday morning and asked if he could meet with me in the church, so we went and it was a scary moment when Pres closed the door behind me and SRs green face disappeared. The Assistants got her to believe that she was going away, which was very likely.
In short, Sorella Askew from Utah, is joining us tomorrow morning for a 5 week transfer. She has been in Italy for 6 weeks- this will be a good opportunity for SR to work on her English and for S Askew to continue learning Italian. I am:
curious- to see what a threesome will be like.
anxious- bc SR is MOST likely leaving me next transfer
worried- that SR wont take it well if S Askew eats the cheesecake I make. (SR hoards it- she even labels the aluminum foil cover with "Dont touch- private property".
happy- because its definitely going to be different.
We have moved things around to accomodate an extra body- the hours spent in the morning studying will be a little crowded, but that will just help us get to know eachother better ;)
Nelson was baptized and confirmed this past weekend! We only had one member from Rome 2 show up at his baptism. Although we were few in number, there was an incredible spirit there. Sorella Riffaldi did well on reading her written talk in English :) Im so proud of her. I feel like Mushu (from Mulan) seeing his "baby all grown up". Right before his baptism, the missionaries sang Abide with me tis eventide- Nelson had tears streaming down his face. He shared his testimony and could only repeat how happy he was that the missionaries taught him to pray. What an incredible blessing to be a part of seeing the changes for good that the gospel brings in someones life.
He is a member in Rome 1 now, but he called us yesterday, asking when hed see us again. The Anziani from R1 gave us permission to keep seeing him, and we are happy to oblige; I guess it can be considered "sharing" him. Hes just too good for one companionship to enjoy.
Last week I wrote that Bro Allen from the Missionary Department spoke with us at a fireside held at the Villa. One promise he made us was that each companionship had someone in their area book that could be baptized on Saturday, (Sept 4th (Buon Compleanno Papa!). Afterwards, we went through our area book and searched the people who had already been taught all the lessons and been to church at least 3 times. There was Jackie- we called her wanting to set up an appt with her (we call her every night, she is the one who lives with her boyfriend but cant stand him, and has asked us to pester her bc shes too lazy to be good and read\pray on her own free will) and before we could even say anything, she told us that shes going through a rough time right now and that she doesnt want us to contact her anymore, but that she will contact US when she is ready. ;(
We already knew that Maria didnt want to be baptized till after Roberto (her fiance) returns from his trip in a couple of months. Then, on the 2nd, the Zone Leaders called and asked how our work towards the "promised baptism" was coming. We told them that we had tried, but it really boils down to free agency. They encouraged us to keep trying and looking.
When we got off the phone with them, we felt a strong urge to call Maria and read her a verse from Mosiah about baptism. SR called her and shared the verse with her and Maria felt so good and we really felt the spirit strongly. SR asked her to consider getting baptized on Saturday. Maria really wanted to but she wasnt sure, bs shes torn between the love she has for God and the love she has for Roberto. We met with her the next morning, Friday, and she said that she was going to meet with Roberto right after our appt to talk to him about the idea of being baptized earlier. Very long story short, she talked to him and he said that "You can do whatever you want, but Im not happy with it. You should wait for me, but........you can do what you want" so thats exactly what she did. "Ok, I want to get baptized, so thats what Ill do". We were ECSTATIC.
THEN........she bumped into a ward member, and he told her that she shouldnt rush into baptism and that she could do it later this month, so she thought that was better in order to have time to invite people to her baptism. (why do some members get in the middle of things?!) so her baptism was set and announced in church for the 19th, but yesterday we met with her and got it changed to the 18th. We dont like the idea of having her wait a week to be confirmed.
When we met with her yesterday, the assistants lent us the car and we found Cappena (the city) without getting lost. It was incredible, but most incredible was that we finally met and talked with her mom, who adores missionaries and would get baptized if she werent "so old". She finds it hard to cross the barrier of tradition.
Marias family has so much potential. I compare her to Mom- Its my dream to teach and see an Italian family baptized, like Im returning the favor done by the Anziani who, so many years ago, found Mom and her family through door-to-door.
We left at 18:30 to get home in time for our dinner appt- we invited an office couple, the Burts, over for gnocchi alla gorgonzola, but .....SR took a wrong exit, and we got lost. Now, this isnt any normal "lost". We were lost for 2 1\2 hours. (Yes, we had to cancel dinner). It was incredible how incapable we were of finding our way home. It was like we had a shield over our eyes and couldnt use even the most basic sense of direction to orient ourselves.
Finally, we rolled down the window at this one stoplight and we asked a man on a motorino to point us in the direction of either Fidene, Porta di Roma, or Piazza Sempione (3 landmarks where we know where we are). He looked at his watch and then said, "Follow me" and for the next half hour, we followed him to Porta di Roma. We couldnt believe that he, who never having met us, would be willing to take the time and gas to help us find our way. It was incredible. The entire time we were following him we were saying "This man is wonderful. Its no coincidence that we got lost tonight. We were supposed to meet him". He gave us his card and he got our phone number, and we want to go see him tomorrow and take him a joyful message alone with some brownies. Incredible how the Lord puts people in our path.
Well. The Burts are coming over in a few minutes, so we need to sprint down the hill home. Thank you for your letters. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Sempre avanti!
Sorella Urban
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
September!
Being a missionary entails a variety of responsiblities, including decorating your companions planner. Sorella Riffaldi stripped me of mine and snuck in the kitchen to work her magic, and Im very happy with what she did with it. Seeing that we are eating a lot of yogurt this tranfer, she glued (theres this fly thats been driving us up the wall, and SR smacked it and it started buzzing around on her keyboard, and I handed her my planner and she finished it off. We horrayed victoriously and the few people in here started laughing. Im glad we are entertaining to some) the lid of a strawberry yogurt onto the front cover, and on the back she taped a section of map of the vatican city, where we got lost last pday.
Because decorating someones planner is not to be taken lightly, I cut pieces of a photocopy of our faces (NOO....we do NOT photocopy our faces at the Mission Office!) and my smashed nose and her swollen mouth fit nicely into a heartshaped front cover. I will have to send a picture.
The best thing about the week is that Nelsons getting baptized on Saturday!!! Sorella Riffaldi is practicing praying in English, and little by little, she adds in a new phrase here and there. We both will be giving talks at his baptism in English- we both hope not to butcher it.
Maria, the 20 who wants to marry Roberto (36) against her parents wishes, disappeared. We called and called and got super nervous- its never a good thing when someone preparing for baptism falls off the edge of the earth. We recieved a text from her late Saturday night, saying that she wasnt responding to our phonecalls because shes going through a rough time. Agh ;( We had never been out to her house because she lives out in the middle of nowhere, but we decided that it was time to go find her since she wasnt coming to us. We left Monday after district meeting, and we had sketchy directions- a train and a few buses later, we were instructed to walk "down down" to get to her apartment complex. Down translates to DOWN. It was the steepest, longest hill Ive ever seen. But, that didnt Sorella Riffaldi from spotting some ripe figs (having long legs comes with a price- I had to be the one to jump the pokey bush to reach up into the sticky brances for some figs) and I was picking some blackberries when SR screamed and raced away. She said "mouse mouse!" so I parted the bush and there was a giant rat. What mouse? Shed have been closer if shed said "cat". Id have sent it home to Lenora but it probably would have put up a struggle; there is a smashed rat on the sidewalk near our house, and every day it gets flatter and less hairy- its almost fossilized. Maybe I can peel that off the sidewalk and use it to patch a hole in our bathroom wall- its definitely stiff enough.
Where was I?
Oh! So, we came up to the apartment complex and before we even started looking at all the house names, I saw someoneo outside on a balcony- it was Maria! She spotted us and started at us, shocked. Then she ran inside and opened the door. She was so happy to see us- Roberto wanted a "break" and a combination of health problems has dampered her spirits, and she didnt want us to see her sad. She offered a beautiful opening prayer, thanking Heavenly Father for answering her request- that morning, shed asked Him to give her a sign that He loved her, and then we showed up- without knowing how to find her, etc. ;) We spent some time visiting with her, and then she took us on a tour of the city, Cappena. Its a beautiful little town- I dont know how I could ever be happy living back in Provo after seeing all the fantastic places others live in- crowded apartment buildings that teeter on the side of a canyon- every day would be an adventure, never knowing if your house would still be there after you returned from shopping.
At the end of Pday last week, we had the car so we went to Prima Porta to see Carolina, whos 16 and ready for baptism but doesnt see the need for it bc she was baptized when she was 5. We jumped over the fence like we usually do, and then at her door we heard lots of noise and laughter coming from inside. We rang and I was tempted to smash my face up close to the peep hole to give someone a pleasant surprise when they looked out, but I managed to control myself. The dog started barking and I saw that someone was looking at us from inside bc the little sunlight dot went dark.....stayed dark....no door opening.....and then it went back to light....but still no noise or answer from within. We rang again and I called Carolinas cell a few times, but she didnt pick up. It made us feel a little rubbed in the dirt, like wed been prese in giro (made fun of). All we could do was head back to the car and leave. We saw her yesterday, and she said that no one was home. Hmmm. Still.
We had guests this week! The Marcuccis are a senior couple from Colorado. They arrived a few weeks ago and theyve been called here as proselyting missionaries- while they learn the langauge, theyll be working in the office and along with us missionaries. They had to come over to check our apartment, so we invited them over for lunch on Friday, and it was funny how stressful it was prepare for guests. Id put away all of the extra utensils and plates bc its just us two- we had to hunt for four chairs and enough nutella cups to serve us. If Sorella Riffaldi is learning one thing from me, its to experience with cooking. Shes never strayed from a recipe before, so Im helping her discover the delights of throwing in randome ingredients and the suspense of how itll turn out. Its never a good idea to experiment when expecting company, so we did ;) And it turned out quite well! (We just made pasta with a sauce that we added random things to it, like sausuage rolls from a Philippino member and sugo from Sorella Salsiccia). They checked the house to make sure it was safe, and installed a carbon monoxide detector. We have a few shelves that are loose on their hinges, but it was easily fixed when I whipped out my Gerber. (Thanks Tommy!)
Oh! We had a sleepover on Sunday night with the Rome 1 Sorelle from Ladispoli. Brother and Sister Allen are here in Rome on vacation; Bro Allen is the head of the Missionary Department, and he spoke at the MTC while I was there. The Rome Zone is super lucky bc we were the only ones that were invited to the Villa (where President lives). It was more like a question\answer thing. It was amazing. I walked out of there wishing I could start the mission over. Theres so much work to be done and so much to improve on! He made us some astounding promises which we are striving to work towards- its all conditional. Sorella Riffaldi and I have a renewed determination to do better. We have about 10 days together- on Sunday, we will find out what changes the next transfer will bring. ay ay ay. I know that whatever happens will be good. I didnt want to leave Firenze or Sorella Nelson, but now I couldnt have asked for it to have been different. Whatever comes will bring its blessings and trials, and something to learn and master.
Sorella Jones and Buckholtz were probably hoping for a fun time together, but we got home with little time to spare, and the next morning, I had to prepare for the training I was giving and we had to write letters to the President, etc, so......I dont think they had too much fun being with us. Maybe theyll ask the Rome 3 sorelle to use their home next time. haha. One good thing was that we werent bothered by mosquitoes that night- they were all in the other room with our company!
We are teaching a new investigator, Yolanda. Shes a contact from the Assistents- we met with her on Friday and she is so nice. Shes from Equador and she is here alone, working to tirare avanti la famiglia...pull the family forward. She went with us to a baptism on Saturday, and she remembers that her parents were baptized into the Mormon church. !!! Its always a wonderful thing when the investigator has a friend or family member whos a member. We are excited about her potential.
The church bells are ringing and the Anziani will be here soon to do email, so we need to free up the computers. Im learning lots and hoping to remember it all, and at least apply a small percentage of it into my life. Journals are priceless. Are you keeping a journal? If not, start today.
Sorella Urban
Because decorating someones planner is not to be taken lightly, I cut pieces of a photocopy of our faces (NOO....we do NOT photocopy our faces at the Mission Office!) and my smashed nose and her swollen mouth fit nicely into a heartshaped front cover. I will have to send a picture.
The best thing about the week is that Nelsons getting baptized on Saturday!!! Sorella Riffaldi is practicing praying in English, and little by little, she adds in a new phrase here and there. We both will be giving talks at his baptism in English- we both hope not to butcher it.
Maria, the 20 who wants to marry Roberto (36) against her parents wishes, disappeared. We called and called and got super nervous- its never a good thing when someone preparing for baptism falls off the edge of the earth. We recieved a text from her late Saturday night, saying that she wasnt responding to our phonecalls because shes going through a rough time. Agh ;( We had never been out to her house because she lives out in the middle of nowhere, but we decided that it was time to go find her since she wasnt coming to us. We left Monday after district meeting, and we had sketchy directions- a train and a few buses later, we were instructed to walk "down down" to get to her apartment complex. Down translates to DOWN. It was the steepest, longest hill Ive ever seen. But, that didnt Sorella Riffaldi from spotting some ripe figs (having long legs comes with a price- I had to be the one to jump the pokey bush to reach up into the sticky brances for some figs) and I was picking some blackberries when SR screamed and raced away. She said "mouse mouse!" so I parted the bush and there was a giant rat. What mouse? Shed have been closer if shed said "cat". Id have sent it home to Lenora but it probably would have put up a struggle; there is a smashed rat on the sidewalk near our house, and every day it gets flatter and less hairy- its almost fossilized. Maybe I can peel that off the sidewalk and use it to patch a hole in our bathroom wall- its definitely stiff enough.
Where was I?
Oh! So, we came up to the apartment complex and before we even started looking at all the house names, I saw someoneo outside on a balcony- it was Maria! She spotted us and started at us, shocked. Then she ran inside and opened the door. She was so happy to see us- Roberto wanted a "break" and a combination of health problems has dampered her spirits, and she didnt want us to see her sad. She offered a beautiful opening prayer, thanking Heavenly Father for answering her request- that morning, shed asked Him to give her a sign that He loved her, and then we showed up- without knowing how to find her, etc. ;) We spent some time visiting with her, and then she took us on a tour of the city, Cappena. Its a beautiful little town- I dont know how I could ever be happy living back in Provo after seeing all the fantastic places others live in- crowded apartment buildings that teeter on the side of a canyon- every day would be an adventure, never knowing if your house would still be there after you returned from shopping.
At the end of Pday last week, we had the car so we went to Prima Porta to see Carolina, whos 16 and ready for baptism but doesnt see the need for it bc she was baptized when she was 5. We jumped over the fence like we usually do, and then at her door we heard lots of noise and laughter coming from inside. We rang and I was tempted to smash my face up close to the peep hole to give someone a pleasant surprise when they looked out, but I managed to control myself. The dog started barking and I saw that someone was looking at us from inside bc the little sunlight dot went dark.....stayed dark....no door opening.....and then it went back to light....but still no noise or answer from within. We rang again and I called Carolinas cell a few times, but she didnt pick up. It made us feel a little rubbed in the dirt, like wed been prese in giro (made fun of). All we could do was head back to the car and leave. We saw her yesterday, and she said that no one was home. Hmmm. Still.
We had guests this week! The Marcuccis are a senior couple from Colorado. They arrived a few weeks ago and theyve been called here as proselyting missionaries- while they learn the langauge, theyll be working in the office and along with us missionaries. They had to come over to check our apartment, so we invited them over for lunch on Friday, and it was funny how stressful it was prepare for guests. Id put away all of the extra utensils and plates bc its just us two- we had to hunt for four chairs and enough nutella cups to serve us. If Sorella Riffaldi is learning one thing from me, its to experience with cooking. Shes never strayed from a recipe before, so Im helping her discover the delights of throwing in randome ingredients and the suspense of how itll turn out. Its never a good idea to experiment when expecting company, so we did ;) And it turned out quite well! (We just made pasta with a sauce that we added random things to it, like sausuage rolls from a Philippino member and sugo from Sorella Salsiccia). They checked the house to make sure it was safe, and installed a carbon monoxide detector. We have a few shelves that are loose on their hinges, but it was easily fixed when I whipped out my Gerber. (Thanks Tommy!)
Oh! We had a sleepover on Sunday night with the Rome 1 Sorelle from Ladispoli. Brother and Sister Allen are here in Rome on vacation; Bro Allen is the head of the Missionary Department, and he spoke at the MTC while I was there. The Rome Zone is super lucky bc we were the only ones that were invited to the Villa (where President lives). It was more like a question\answer thing. It was amazing. I walked out of there wishing I could start the mission over. Theres so much work to be done and so much to improve on! He made us some astounding promises which we are striving to work towards- its all conditional. Sorella Riffaldi and I have a renewed determination to do better. We have about 10 days together- on Sunday, we will find out what changes the next transfer will bring. ay ay ay. I know that whatever happens will be good. I didnt want to leave Firenze or Sorella Nelson, but now I couldnt have asked for it to have been different. Whatever comes will bring its blessings and trials, and something to learn and master.
Sorella Jones and Buckholtz were probably hoping for a fun time together, but we got home with little time to spare, and the next morning, I had to prepare for the training I was giving and we had to write letters to the President, etc, so......I dont think they had too much fun being with us. Maybe theyll ask the Rome 3 sorelle to use their home next time. haha. One good thing was that we werent bothered by mosquitoes that night- they were all in the other room with our company!
We are teaching a new investigator, Yolanda. Shes a contact from the Assistents- we met with her on Friday and she is so nice. Shes from Equador and she is here alone, working to tirare avanti la famiglia...pull the family forward. She went with us to a baptism on Saturday, and she remembers that her parents were baptized into the Mormon church. !!! Its always a wonderful thing when the investigator has a friend or family member whos a member. We are excited about her potential.
The church bells are ringing and the Anziani will be here soon to do email, so we need to free up the computers. Im learning lots and hoping to remember it all, and at least apply a small percentage of it into my life. Journals are priceless. Are you keeping a journal? If not, start today.
Sorella Urban
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