Ciao family! Sort of an insane week...but I got my new missionary! Her name is Sorella Anderson and she is from Idaho Falls. She went to BYU for a year to study advertising, but when she goes back she wants to switch to violin major. But we will get to that ;)
So Monday was a good pday...I survived the fufu! Costance made us traditional Nigerian food and it didn't kill me. I was worried because usually it is realllllly spicy, but she didn't put any red chilies in it like there usually is, so it was ok. Definitely an experience to remember....
We had to do all our running around to see people for Sorella gates on Tuesday because Wednesday morning we went to Rome for transfers. So we saw Santina, Olga, and all the English course students. They were really sad to have Sorella Gates leave, but we got them pumped for the new sister :)
We took an 8am train to Roma Wednesday morning and threw everyone in the office off because we weren't supposed to take the train until 2:50, but the ticket machine wouldn't let us. So we had to leave early, so we arrived early, and then we ended up hanging out at the office for a while. The new missionaries arrived on Tuesday, so they were at the office going through orientation stuff. We saw all of them there and it was really nerve wracking to know I would be training one of them but not knowing which one she was. Then we went and spent the night with the Rome 2/6sisters, and there were 9 other sisters in the house with us. It was crazy and really fun, I got to know some new people and I just have to say that our mission is made up of some really incredible missionaries. Seriously, I know every mission says that they are the best mission and that they get the best missionaries, but I think that those of u who get sent here are truly unique and there is something different about this mission. I think someone switched my call in the mail! ;) (Just kidding, there is nowhere else on earth that I could be right now.)
Thursday I went to the villa to pick up my new companion! It was funny because Sorella Ander didn't realize that the trainers don't know who their new companions are until we get there, they have to come find us. So she came up to me and said "Hi Sorella Decker!" and gave me a hug and I thought it was because she remembered me from the day before. Then we walked inside and I asked, "Which one is mine?" And she said"...uh....me?" It was pretty funny. Then there was a snafu with the train tickets and we got tickets for a train the next morning instead of that afternoon. So we spent the night in Rome again...but not before I got to go back to Ostia!! The new sisters got blown in, and we didn't have anything to do, so we went to Ostia with them to help show them where everything was and stuff. It literally felt like I had been then scambios for a whole transfer and that I was coming back home, like I never left. But at the same time it felt strangely foreign, like it wasn't my city anymore. So I know I am supposed to be in Foggia :)
We took the train home Friday morning and spent the day planning and settling in. We saw a really incredible miracle as soon as we got home, we received a phone call from one of our members who does a community orchestra. One of her students is going to Austria in two weeks and she needs to know all the musical/violin terms for a workshop she will be doing there. It just so happens that Slla Anderson has been playing the violin for 15 years, and without her the lesson would have been a little bit pointless. I can help with the music terms and whatnot, but I don't know anything about the violin. So it was really cool :)
Saturday we had some appointments, got her first gelato and pizza, and started the paperwork for her residency permit (SUCH a headache. I am so glad that the new missionaries don't have to go through that process alone, I would never have been able to understand all the little bits and pieces when I was a new missionary). We saw another cool miracle as we were working on the residency permit. We went to the internet point to print stuff off, and before we even sat down this man asked if we were Mormons, with a church on via Napoli. We said yes, and he started to ask what we believe. We explained that we believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. He asked if we were like the evangelists, if we paid tithing, and we briefly explained tithing to him, and then he said he wants to come to church sometime. I told him our job as missionaries is to explain what we believe and help others come unto Christ, and we got his phone number! He couldn't come yesterday, but he said he would come next week.
Sunday was wonderful, Ada and Francesco came to church, Sorella Anderson bore her testimony, we taught Francesco some commandments in the evening (a fantastic lesson, by the way. Always go to lessons when missionaries ask you. It makes SUCH a difference!)...and we did some finding!!
So Monday was a good pday...I survived the fufu! Costance made us traditional Nigerian food and it didn't kill me. I was worried because usually it is realllllly spicy, but she didn't put any red chilies in it like there usually is, so it was ok. Definitely an experience to remember....
We had to do all our running around to see people for Sorella gates on Tuesday because Wednesday morning we went to Rome for transfers. So we saw Santina, Olga, and all the English course students. They were really sad to have Sorella Gates leave, but we got them pumped for the new sister :)
We took an 8am train to Roma Wednesday morning and threw everyone in the office off because we weren't supposed to take the train until 2:50, but the ticket machine wouldn't let us. So we had to leave early, so we arrived early, and then we ended up hanging out at the office for a while. The new missionaries arrived on Tuesday, so they were at the office going through orientation stuff. We saw all of them there and it was really nerve wracking to know I would be training one of them but not knowing which one she was. Then we went and spent the night with the Rome 2/6sisters, and there were 9 other sisters in the house with us. It was crazy and really fun, I got to know some new people and I just have to say that our mission is made up of some really incredible missionaries. Seriously, I know every mission says that they are the best mission and that they get the best missionaries, but I think that those of u who get sent here are truly unique and there is something different about this mission. I think someone switched my call in the mail! ;) (Just kidding, there is nowhere else on earth that I could be right now.)
Thursday I went to the villa to pick up my new companion! It was funny because Sorella Ander didn't realize that the trainers don't know who their new companions are until we get there, they have to come find us. So she came up to me and said "Hi Sorella Decker!" and gave me a hug and I thought it was because she remembered me from the day before. Then we walked inside and I asked, "Which one is mine?" And she said"...uh....me?" It was pretty funny. Then there was a snafu with the train tickets and we got tickets for a train the next morning instead of that afternoon. So we spent the night in Rome again...but not before I got to go back to Ostia!! The new sisters got blown in, and we didn't have anything to do, so we went to Ostia with them to help show them where everything was and stuff. It literally felt like I had been then scambios for a whole transfer and that I was coming back home, like I never left. But at the same time it felt strangely foreign, like it wasn't my city anymore. So I know I am supposed to be in Foggia :)
We took the train home Friday morning and spent the day planning and settling in. We saw a really incredible miracle as soon as we got home, we received a phone call from one of our members who does a community orchestra. One of her students is going to Austria in two weeks and she needs to know all the musical/violin terms for a workshop she will be doing there. It just so happens that Slla Anderson has been playing the violin for 15 years, and without her the lesson would have been a little bit pointless. I can help with the music terms and whatnot, but I don't know anything about the violin. So it was really cool :)
Saturday we had some appointments, got her first gelato and pizza, and started the paperwork for her residency permit (SUCH a headache. I am so glad that the new missionaries don't have to go through that process alone, I would never have been able to understand all the little bits and pieces when I was a new missionary). We saw another cool miracle as we were working on the residency permit. We went to the internet point to print stuff off, and before we even sat down this man asked if we were Mormons, with a church on via Napoli. We said yes, and he started to ask what we believe. We explained that we believe in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. He asked if we were like the evangelists, if we paid tithing, and we briefly explained tithing to him, and then he said he wants to come to church sometime. I told him our job as missionaries is to explain what we believe and help others come unto Christ, and we got his phone number! He couldn't come yesterday, but he said he would come next week.
Sunday was wonderful, Ada and Francesco came to church, Sorella Anderson bore her testimony, we taught Francesco some commandments in the evening (a fantastic lesson, by the way. Always go to lessons when missionaries ask you. It makes SUCH a difference!)...and we did some finding!!
I am just going to brag on my companion for a minute, because she is such a dedicated, purpose-driven missionary already. We talked to two ladies on the benches at the villa, and after she was like ok, we need to regroup because I have to be able to say something to these people. So we said a prayer, and then she said ok, let's go talk to someone. So we stopped these three older guys on a different bench and she asked if we could show them a short video. We showed them Grazie a Lui, and then they pounded us with questions, about why we are here, what we are doing, what we believe, how can we know truth....it was overwhelming for both of us. I didn't know how much to let her respond to and how much to just deal with on my own because they were kind of stinkers about it...but in the end she bore a really powerful testimony and we gave them some pass along cards so that they can come to the church if they want. Then on our way to the church she asked if we could sing hymns in Italian while we walked, but we saw the Maggiolino family on our way and they needed some help, and she was all down to change the plan so that we could do some service. She is soooo positive and willing to try anything. She has so much more faith than I did when I was brand new....than I do now :P she is definitely whipping me into shape! It definitely a challenge, but it is something I feel like Heavenly Father has been preparing me for since I was being trained. There is so much that I learned and experienced with Sorella Patterson that has influenced the rest of my mission, and she gave me a strong desire to give my 100%best effort to whoever I would train. So here is to hoping it all goes according to plan....
Haha have a great week, I love you all SOOO much!!
Sorella Decker
Haha have a great week, I love you all SOOO much!!
Sorella Decker
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| Eating the fufu (traditional Nigerian food) |
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| New companion (trainee) - Sorella Anderson |
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| U.S. In Ostia eating queen's chips ;) |
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