Week 8

(Week 2 Caserta)

MONDAY: P-Day! We went to a BELLISIMO castle!!!! We literally walk by it every day here! I'll attach a couple pics. This is where Napolean ruled and a bunch of other kings and queens! So awesome and it is so so so massive! Later, we had a dinner appointment with a member family who have a nonactive daughter. They live on the American base so we ate tacos and said prayers in English. Weird... We learned a lot about how many hardships this family has gone through and how it's hard for them to come to church because it's more than half Italian. I admire them so much for still pushing to the end even though life has never been easy for them. I've discovered our biggest project here is going to be not only finding people to teach, but also really finding a way to bring the ward together.

TUESDAY: We went to a leadership conference in Battipaglia. (Sorella Hamilton is also a sister training leader). So I did an exchange with the other Sorella who is also a greenie, Sorella Hidalgo Guzman, and speaks absolutely no English! Those two hours were the longest SYL experience I've had so far! We had pranzo at the Sorelle home in Battipaglia, then headed back to Caserta! We worked on my permesso so I could stay in Italy and ended the night with English course! We had a bunch of newbies and afterwards two men came right up to us and asked me about our religion and what we do. Awesome awesome, we got to teach the restoration (in 5 minutes) finally! Then we met the cutest Italian teenager named Silvia. She is adorable and insisted that she walk Sorella Hamilton and I home! When we got home, Sorella Hamilton asked me if I was disappointed that we have no work and if I was feeling upset. I told her no because I was expecting this, but that I know if we work hard we will see blessings she then told me her whole mission has been all work and just all finding and she said, "as a representative of Jesus Christ I can tell you that when we see the rewards and fruit of our labors it will be like nothing you've ever experienced." So grateful for her and the example she is to me.

Check off on the bucket list -
Napoli Pizza!!!

WEDNESDAY: District meeting day! We went to Napoli! Something to understand how excited I was... Napoli pizza is one of the mission bucket list things for all Italy Rome missionaries. Sooooo good!!!! We took the train to Napoli and had a wonderful and uplifting meeting! Afterwards we went to visit a less active woman. We ended up not finding her home! So frustrating because there are lots of different provinces in Caserta and they all have the same street names! So that was really sad...

Friend Silvia

THURSDAY: MIRACLE DAY!!! We went to try to hunt down another less active member and it was about an hour walk and about halfway to the home Sorella Hamilton tells me that a man in an Audi has been following us. Of course I'm so scared and don't know what to do and I'm just praying and praying!!! He pulls right up in front of us and just waits for us to keep walking so we will pass him. Once we do, he starts asking what we are doing. Normally we get asked out by Italian men but this man was serious and different. Basically this man was so curious why two Americans were in Italy and started asking about the church! Another miracle: we have this neighbor we call (Inio) he lives two floors below and we met him because we needed a screwdriver. Anyway, we have invited him to church and we are just good pals. Today his niece was over with him and his mom and we told them about English course tonight. HE ACTUALLY CAME!!! And then we found out that two students of ours are members!!!! Like what!? The Anziani didn't even know! Anywho, their names are Vincenzo and Anastasia and they are fantastic. Silvia was also there again and wouldn't stop kissing my face... Weird... but that's how it's done.

FRIDAY: finally met Africans!!! They are super cool and actually really hard to understand... Their names are Evan and Felix. Super fantastic and we invited them to church. On our way to a lesson on the American base we had some free time for more finding. We passed this lady and then we were trying to decide where to go. I decided we should go back and talk to the lady and man I'm glad we did!!! Her name is Tonya and she is from Bulgaria. She has no work or anything, her parents are dead, she has a child, and one of her eyes was burned so she can't see well. Sad sad, but we didn't have a lot of time so we invited her to church but she was super duper awesome.

SATURDAY: BAPTISM DAY. The Vernazzani family has been taking the lessons for over three months from the Anziani and were baptized today! It's was a beautiful day, but also a sweaty day, soooooo caldo!!! The baptism was done in Campania. So so beautiful! Since we don't have a baptismal font, baptisms are in the ocean or in swimming pools! Kinda cool! They chose to be baptized in a BEAUTIFUL place! Legit Italian home with this random modern pool. This fam who was baptized is AWESOME!!! It's the parents and a son Jonathan (14) and a daughter Isabella (12). The baptism was wonderful and the Spirit was definitely there. After the baptism... OH MY GOSH. My stomach has NEVER hurt sooo much! It is not a myth that Italians don't let you say no to food. Every single Italian woman made sure I had tried EVERYTHING at the lunch after the baptism. Sorella Hamilton and I were seriously about to burst... The ladies are just the cutest but they give you the saddest look and insist you eat everything and then on your way out they hand you a cupful of gelato because they think you apparently have 15 stomachs... Later this day we went and taught a lesson to Vincenzo (English course student and also a member) and his nonmember mother. Lesson was okay, the mom basically wanted to talk the whole time and I still can't understand everything they say here but I felt that we helped her maybe feel the Spirit so that's good. FUNNIEST STORY... Vincenzo was walking us back to the train station and we were going to be late so we are running and we pass a park where a tree is literally on FIRE!!!  No lie!!! We couldn't just leave the tree and we don't know a "911" number so we hop the fence and are throwing dirt on it until we find a bag to fill with water... I definitely felt like a super hero! Haha and then we were sprinting to our train and Heavenly Father blessed us since we put the fire out because we didn't miss the train!

SUNDAY: church was fantastic! Two of our African friends came to church and that was the happiest!! Evan and Felix said they want to keep coming so that is super super awesome! After church we went to find the lost Maria Russo. We had tried twice to find her home but we finally found it! Background... She is a member and about 65, has 6 cats and she is very large. She had been boiling pasta and went to drain the pasta but something happened and she ended up pouring the water all over herself! She has had over 18 surgeries these past years and She has been in a lot of pain so we were glad to finally find her. We walk into her home and she starts bawling when she sees us! She just keeps saying "Sorelle Sorelle Sorelle" as she is crying and kissing us. Then... She wants to show us her burns... We will just say that I got to know Maria Russo on a more personal level... Haha we left her with a great message about having faith in the priesthood because the Anziani came later to give her a blessing. Great Domenica!

Lord is blessing us here in Caserta, it's not always easy to see it but HE STILL IS!

Something familiar...

Con amore!

Caserta at Night