Sorella Nelson: Week 21

(Week 15 Caserta)

This week...
Sorella Hamilton

MONDAY We spent pday in sorrento with the Napoli elders, it was so fun
and beautiful!! We had a ton of fun and got some sweet lemony
souvenieurs:) we found a pizza place in Napoli with '3 pizzas for 10€'
sign and totally stuffed ourselves with 1.5 pizza each. #worthit. Unfortunately though this day was pretty stormy (didn't ruin our fun
in Sorrento!) but it did put a monkey wrench in the entire Italian
train system. Trains were cancelled and delayed all over the place in
a classic display of how everything in Italy works. If the sky is
gray, don't leave the house. So we did get home later than expected,
forcing us to cancel an appointment which was a bummer BUT we did get
some stellar phone calls made!

And then after a series of very curious
events I found myself riding on a a grate type seat on the back wheel
of the borrowed bike from one of our less actives, clinging to Sorella
Nelson as she pedaled us furiously to the church at 9pm, bundled up in
every warm clothing I had, with a fork in my hand ready to dig through
the dirt in the planter next to the door to find a church key that we
thought had been lost to the world. Once again, we were quite the
sight.

TUESDAY This day included lots of running around, trying to find
people, key copiers, members who gave us bidones, and all sorts of
things. We did have a special little experience with Sorella Bove who
wants us to teach one of her friends! So that should be happening
soon.

WEDNESDAY Another zone conference. Another day we had to wake up at
like five. We shivered our way to the train station in the early
whispering a of he morning, boarded a cozy train to Napoli, and met
the Battipaglia sisters at the station so that Sorella Barona and I
could practice our addestramento. I ate a mortadella sandwich for
breakfast. Zone conference was good, lots of inspiration and
motivation, pictures can be found on the mission blog. Then another
crazy series of events. One of the sisters in our zone had a seizure
and bizarre episode during lunch, so to be short, I went home to Caserta with her while Sorella Nelson went with her companion back to
their city so they could grab supplies for a trip to Rome. But, when
we were notified that this sister would in fact be emergency
transferred to Rome, she and I hobbled to the train station, took a
train back to her city so she could pack her bags and say some
goodbyes.

Zone Conference November 2015

I was so exhausted this day. But I'm so grateful for the
loving care that was shown to this sister during her episode. I've
never seen such priesthood power so close before. President Waddoups
and the zone leaders gave her a blessing of health so powerful that it
silenced all the missionaries in the chapel for the duration of it and
long after. It was a really really crazy day. And she's okay.

Sorella Nelson:

THURSDAY
We ended up in Battipaglia to help the sisters pack up to take her to
Rome. The Assistants came and we loaded up Sorella Gidalgo Guzmans
stuff and sent our Sorelle on their way to Rome! We hurried to the
train station and because there were train strikes had to wait for
about 2 plus hours for our train. We SLEPT all the way home we were so
exhausted from the last crazy 24 hours!!!

We had a lovely
American/Phillipino Thanksgiving dinner with a wonderful couple on the
American base! It was just the couple, us, and the Anziani. We ate turkey (that's a given), cranberry sauce, rolls, potaters and gravy, rice, shrimp
salad, egg rolls, green bean casserole, the spiciest stuffing ever, and pecan and apple pie and ice cream!  It was very different but I loved it.  We stayed for about two hours.  
Kindest couple ever and they made each of us a "take out" box so we
had lunch for the next day! Man, I have forgotten how heavy American food is!!  I felt sooooo gross and almost sick after. Everything was so sweet and just heavy!!  Haha  we were talking after how we didn't have a fruit course or any fresh tomatoes.

Then we caught the train to get back for
English Course! Once again, we LOVE our English course students!!!

FRIDAY
Went to try to find a less active, we think the mother gave us the
wrong address... Anywho... We will find her SOON! Then our day was
just ALL OVER!!! To the church to scan a receipt, bus station looking
up times, back to the church, then to the train station, sometimes a
casa or church planning etc. We ended the day with the Sorrentino
couple from the ward! They are sooo awesome! We were all spiritually
uplifted with the wise words of Il Libro di Mormon and we ate some
delicious pasta, cheese and tomatoes, and lovely bland panettone cake.

SATURDAY
This wonderful wonderful woman Jacqueline was a less active referral
we found! She is from Uruguay and when her family moved to Italy they
didn't know where the church was so they stopped coming! She and her
mother are cento per cento spectacular! We met at their train station
and they drove us to their supermarket they own! We went in a little
back room and Jacqueline made us sandwiches and brought juice from the
supermarket! Super cool! They want to come back to church and we hope
to see the, this next Sunday. We also want to try to teach her 14 year
old son and her husband! #eternalfamilies

SUNDAY
The good ol Chiesa! I gave a talk this day, huge shoutout to Sorella
Hamilton and our friend Daniel for helping translate it into Italian
for me! Came home, pranzo, had time for a quick nap, language study
and went to the Familiga Galardo where we shared a message about
prayer.

Sorella Hamilton brought her ribbons and had them tie a knot
holding both ends and not letting the ribbon go. (You have to fold
your arms, pick up the ends of the ribbons, then undo your arms and
then you can do it) hence, prayer works wonders! We ended the night
with a gesso with the Anziani, this week about English course. A
"lovely" man who spoke English came and "fell in love" with me and
tried kissing my hand ... Grazie a Sorella Hamilton, we got the
strange man away.

Haha awesome night and hopefully will have more
"students" (investigators)!



I've learned a lot this week about patience and humility. With the
crazy events and that we only had three lessons total this week I know
that because things don't always work out how we planned, it doesn't
mean that we failed. Things happen that are out of our control.
Heavenly Father knows when we try and is proud of all effort that we
give for his work!