Week 28

(Week 22 Caserta)

I totally took each and everyone of these pictures! Most beautiful day
searching for less actives. Thank goodness the streets were beautiful
because we walked forever!!! Yes, I timed the car perfectly... Haha

Hair trim courtesy of Sorella Robertson

Try finding your way on a map like this 

Melting snowman from home....adds a little humor each day.

180......

La Mia Famiglia!!!!!
Complete 180 turn around here in the wonderful city of Caserta! Where last
week was rough, tiring, and just hard work this week was full of
miracles, silly moments and lo Spirito Santo! 

We started our week off with Lucia. We called her in the morning and
she said "Dove sei? Ti aspetto a piazza Margherita." And then she just
hangs up! We dashed out of the house asking people where piazza
Margherita is and somehow we found her! We wanted to take her into the
church and have a lesson but... She needed her morning coffee so she
could walk the 7 minute distance. Haha comunque, we got her into
church and had a wonderful lesson. 

We saw her again later in the week
and had to be sooo Bold with her! She believes that Christ doesn't
understand her and she can't receive answers to her prayers. Her
favorite thing to say is "I knock but He doesn't respond to me" over
and over and over! 

She has a 45+- daughter who is mentally handicapped
from when she was 18 and Lucia has really been upset over that. We
were really excited when she came to church on Sunday! The Bryan
couple missionaries were back and were able to give her a ride to
church! During the sacrament hymn Where can I turn for peace, "who who
can understand, He only one". Lucia said "non e vero quello!" Haha
meaning that's not true. She kills me and I love her so much. 

GianFranco will not be baptized until at least March so we are
focusing on helping him stop smoking until he is off of probation. He
is so awesome and just has the biggest desire to start fresh. 

ORNELLA!!! She is this week's miracle! After English course we were
about to do a lesson with GianFranco and member friend Rory and
Ornella popped in to meet us. The Anziani had invited her to English
Course on the street and they introduced her to us. We invited her to
stay for our spiritual thought with GianFranco. Her eyes were sooo big
the entire time! After we all ate the brownies we made, and GianFranco
and Rory left, we got to know her a little better. 

She is 30 and LOVES
to sing and loves America. She offered us a ride home but what was
hilarious is right before we got in her car she said, "dopo un dolce,
ci vuole una sigaretta." Meaning (after something sweet, a cigarette
is needed). No worries, Word of Wisdom will come soon . We saw her
again the next day and we did my favorite lesson (La Restaurazione)
and she loved loved loved it! She wants to be baptized and the whole
shabang! 

Coolest thing about Ornella is that she can already recognize
the spirit. During and after our lessons we have had with her she
talks about how she hasn't ever felt like this and that she hates
leaving because she feels so good. She is soooo cool!!!! 

Here are a couple great stories from the week

Gaetana (another investigator) has a daughter who was super sick and
was in the hospital. We went during pranzo to pay a visit and were
able to teach Gaetana, her daughter and husband and other patients and
mothers who were also in the room! Hospitals are the place to do
finding!

Side note... Hospitals here are soooo sketchy! The hallways are dark,
everywhere smells like smoke, and anyone can go anywhere. We didn't
check in or anything! 

Caserta had a massive water leak so a huge section of the city was
without water for the whole day! Guess who's apartment was in that
section? Haha ours. We had done an awesome run and workout and came
inside to discover we had no water. We considered trying to wash our
hair in the bidae toilet since there was a small stream of water or
just not showering... We decided to head to the church and see what
the situation was there. We packed all our clothes and shower gear and
hurried to chiesa. The water worked there! We found a custodial shower
type of thing in the men's bathroom, gave it a quick cleaning and made
do. Desperate times call for desperate measures! 

I've learned in the
mission pride can't exist. You do whatever you need to. We were just
so grateful we were nice and clean and treated ourselves to a
delicious cornetto and hot chocolate. :) 

I loved doing finding this week!!! We found ourselves with some extra
time between lessons and such so we would either invite people to
English course or ask them if they had ever seen our name tag before
and start a gospel conversation. It was so much fun!!! We taught a man
the restoration while he was copying something for us, and others who
were just out for a stroll. 

Something I will never get used to people touching me ALL THE TIME!!!
Don't get me wrong, I love it but sometimes... Sooo many kisses on
cheeks, men always making a handshake a little too long, women rubbing
my arms, others giving hug after hug after hug! I have become a much
more touchy person during these 6 months but I wonder if I will ever
reach the Italian level... 

Wow, Heavenly Father loves us sooo much!!! I know that because I
changed my attitude from last week I was able to see all the blessings
that the Lord gives us. I am so so grateful for the Atonement and the
chance it gives us to start over every single day. Nothing brings as
much happiness as does the hope of the Atonement (gelato is close but
lasts about 3 minutes). Jesus Christ's love and sacrifice is a lot
more than three minutes of happiness. 

I have felt power from the
Atonement this week when I have had the courage to stop people on
streets and speak with them and be able to see the positive things in
the day instead of the negative. This gospel is just so true! I know I
have said it a thousand times but I just feel so blessed to be part of
this work! 

A dopo tutti! 

Vi voglio un sacco di bene! 

Sorella Nelson

P-day at Pompeii

At the royal palace.

Showering at the church.....