Week 42

(Week 12 Bari)

Its a Wonderful Life.... Biggest news is that I'm staying in beautiful Bari and will receive a
GREENIE!!! I'll also be STL (Sister Training Leader) which will be super fun to get to do
exchanges with all the sisters. We are basically in charge of all the Sorelle in the zone. I'll be doing exchanges with them and checking up on them weekly and just like their cheerleader/mom. Also... At zone conference sometimes the STL gives a training section... Basically I work with the Zone Leaders and let President know how our zone is doing.

Quick update on main investigators...
Maria is rocking it. Sadly she has a hard time remembering things so
we are going really really slow. I think she will still be able to be
baptized the 28th. She's awesome! 

Rafaela. Literally the miracle investigator of my mission. We had the
best lesson ever with her, a member named Angela, and one of the
Anziani's investigators named Giulio who is basically a member just
not baptized. We had an awesome discussion about the Book of Mormon
and Giulio shared how he has been brought closer to Christ through
this book and Angela shared how she was re-activated thanks to it.
Rafaela shared how she never had a desire to read the Bible, but wants
to follow Moroni's promise. She's incredible. 

Camilla, our Peruvian princess... She is doing awesome and her lesson
this week was super sweet. We talked about the importance of reading
the BoM and coming to church. Her mother was able to share experiences
and help Camilla understand what we were teaching. Eternal Familes...
That's what it's all about... 

Miracles for the week:
We have been without hot water for weeks. We have literally had ice
cold showers and using a whole lot of soap on dishes. Thanks to senior
couples and awesome members we now are nice and clean with clean
dishes! 

Buses in Bari are NEVER on time or sometimes don't come at all. One day we
were so blessed with buses. We had a super full day and somehow buses
ran perfectly and we even had to run for two because they were early!
Heavenly Father sure helps us out. 

One day we were waiting for a bus... And talking to two super cute girls about
English Course. A car pulls up and a woman asks the girls if they want
a ride. Turns out the woman was the mom and aunt of these girls. She
then asks us if we want a ride as well. So, we get in!!! Hahaha it was
the best experience ever! We had an awesome gospel conversation and
now they know we are normal people. The mother, Antonia, ended up
actually living below the Anziani and we were able to exchange phone
numbers! Don't worry mom, we both felt good about getting in the car,
we don't normally do this ;) 

Best miracle of the entire week was watching my dear Sorella Jones
"die". Never has there been a missionary work so hard till the end.
What an example she is to me. Her last day here in Bari we were
everywhere and doing so much right till the end of the day.

I've been super grateful for this transfer and everything I've learned
from Sorella Jones. I know I was put with her so I could become a
better missionary. Heavenly Father always knows what's best for us and
how to push us so that we will grow! 
I'll miss my beautiful Sorella Jones!!
Goodbye Sorella Jones and Reber!

One of our lessons this week with
an investigator really taught me about the importance of progression.
Really and truly that's what this life is about. If we aren't
progressing we aren't improving and becoming more like Christ. Super
grateful for the Antonement and the opportunity it gives me to overcome
weaknesses and make them strengths. 

Thanks for all the love and
support from everyone! Have a wonderful week! 

Sorella Carrie Nelson

Ponderize scripture: 4 Nephi 3 

Typical Claudio!  Haha he is a member who is waiting to receive his mission call!

What I found in the bathroom.....Luckily Sorella McFarland saved me.

Sorella McFarland (My companion til actual transfer day!)

Gelato!!!

Our Madagascarians!

One of our English course students drew a picture of me!

Our investigators Giani and Lidia!

3

The GANZ! (YSA)

Jesus us my Joy!  Haha good Ol Graffiti

Sorella Preston (in blue polka dot dress) was my "investigator" from the MTC. She was in Italy and came to church with us in Bari.

Bus ride along the coast.

Kittens on the doorstep.

Sooooooo pretty!

Week 41

(Week 11 Bari)

Buona settimana

One of the things I've learned in my mission is how often miracles
happen. Heavenly Father literally loves us so much and has blessed us
with incredible experiences. 

First miracle: none of our plans for Monday night worked out. We ended
up doing some bus/street finding. The miracle was that we ended up
seeing three of our investigators and two less actives. It was so
neat! The lord puts us where we need to be when we need to be there. 

Second miracle: Rafaela! We were calling some potentials and we
accidentally called the wrong Rafaela but she said she was excited to
see us so we set up an appointment and the whole bit. She is about 46
and really wants to find the truth. The first thing that blew us away
was that she was perfectly on time! This lesson was probably the best
lesson I have ever taught my entire mission. We literally did
everything according to Preach My Gospel. We got to know Rafaela for a
little and then we did how to begin teaching and started the
Restoration. Then as the end was coming we invited her to be baptized
and she said Yes and we got her set with a date and everything. We
ended with a prayer and set up our next appointment. I HAVE THE
BIGGEST TESTIMONY OF PREACH OF GOSPEL! We could hardly believe how
well everything went and how strong the spirit was! We know we only
saw this incredible miracle because of the inspiration from our church
leaders of how missionaries should teach. Can't wait to see Rafaela
again! 

Third miracle: Camilla! The 11 year old Peruvian girl. When we met
with her this week she was so excited to learn. She has now accepted a
baptism date!!! The biggest trial with her and her family is getting
them to church. They live a twenty minute train ride away and the
trains don't return to their home after church... 
The wards here in Bari had a talent show and the entrance fee was at least one carton of milk.  It was a huge success.  They always hold parties and stuff late at night so we only saw a couple of acts but all the milk went to a childrens hospital/medical center.

Since Sorella Jones is "dying" we've been trying to live up her
mission to the fullest these last couple of weeks. This week we did
bus preaching! Hahaha basically it went like this. We would go to the
bus station and when a bus was packed with people we would hop on. She
would then give a brief spill about our church to everyone on the bus
while I would run around giving out cards to everyone. It was soooo
much fun! We definitely have gotten our boldness up! Haha we felt a
lot like the apostles and prophets in the scriptures just having a
desire to talk to EVERYONE! During street finding with all the
missionaries it's incredible because we all just stand in different
spots and don't move. We don't have to move because we literally talk
to every person who passes us. 

I feel so blessed serving with incredible missionaries here in Bari.
At first I wasn't very excited to be the youngest missionary in the
whole district but I have learned soooo much. I now realize how many
blessings come from obedience and how to really continue searching to
grow the work. I've learned so much from Sorella Jones this transfer.
We have had so much fun together, but we have worked incredibly HARD
together.
The church is incredibly true everyone! Reread President Thomas S.
Monson's talk from this last conference for this week! We are so
blessed to have a living prophet! 

Sorella Carrie Nelson 

Ponderize Scripture! 3Nephi 5:24

Yummy focaccia!!

Scambio with Sorella Conde!

Correlation with Ruben our ward mission leader.

Anziani.....

The panzarotti

Soooooo much cheese!!!

The Lassandro couple.

The Lagattolla coup

Another Sunday night power finding in centro!

Graffiti!

Gross bus.......

Feeling sick after our Sunday pranzo....

Bari train station.

Graffiti.....

Giuseppe and beautiful Sorella Reber.

We pretended I was district leader this week.

Anziano Fitzner taught us how to iron during district meeting...

Love Sorella Jones!

Le Sorelle!!!

The beautiful Polignano

A peacock we found.

Week 40

(Week 10 Bari)

Picture of a baptism that happened in Battipaglia which is close to my past area Caserta!!!  Sooooooooo pretty!!!

It's another Monday here in the Italy Rome Mission! Another wonderful
week has come and passed and here I am writing all my cari! We had a
super killer week here in Bari. We saw literally sooo many miracles
that I now really realize how little of part missionaries play in
missionary work. 


Italian graffiti.  Saints and Santa Claus.

Last transfer Sorella Taylor and I randomly met a Peruvian girl on the
street while asking for directions. She told us her mom is a member so
we got all the contact information to go see her. Now, Sorella Jones
and I have been to see them three times! We discovered that not only
the mother, Edit, is a member, but also the girl Antuanet is as well!
When we went to visit them this week we met little Camilla who is 11
years old (just like Carli!) and is not a member! She is seriously a
miracle! We had an awesome lesson on the baptism of Jesus Christ and
halfway through she turns to us and says, "Jesus wasn't Catholic
because the Catholic Church didn't exist back then." Haha she is so
smart and we are excited to teach her the lessons. 

We had an incredible Family Home Evening at Sorella Magno's house this
week. She is a rockstar and invited our investigators Maria, Lidia and
Giani all to come along with a member Sorella Spagnoletti and the
Fitzner senior couple. It was so great! We sang songs, taught about
prayer and then as we were eating our dolce, Giani started asking some
deep questions about the Restoration. We had explained these things to
him in our previous lessons but when it came from Anziano Fitzner,
Giani actually listened! Senior couples are so underappreciated! They
do so much not only for the wards, but for missionaries AND their
investigators! Giani respected the seniority of Anziano Fitzner and we
were able to continue our FHE. 

Funny moment, at the FHE Maria was told how we are baptized and
freaked out because she thought she would be naked! Haha, luckily her
concern was quickly resolved with pictures of Sorella Magno's baptism.

Maria is on FIRE!!!! Maria loved the FHE, and has been telling
everyone that she needs to be baptized! She came to the baptism of the
other Bari Sorelle and 100% felt the spirit. As Rosa, the girl who was
baptized, was sharing her testimony at the end, Maria turns to us and
just keeps saying this is true and such a "Bella cosa". She later went
up to Rosa and says, "I'm going to be baptized! How do you feel?" Rosa
told her how great she felt and Maria was just beaming like a child
holding a giant gelato! Maria is seriously doing so so well! She is
reading the Book of Mormon and just has the biggest desire to know for
herself the truth of these things. 

Baptisms all over Italy happened this week! One of the happiest emails
I've ever received came from a past companion Sorella Robertson. She
told me that a girl Luana from Caserta, my past area, was going to be
baptized that Saturday! We had found her standing outside the church
one day and we invited her to English course. She came that night and
kept coming. After a couple courses we noticed she showed a lot of
interest in the spiritual thoughts so we got her number. And then...
We both were blown out of Caserta... We had left notes for the next
Sorelle about her, but I had no idea how the work was going or if
anything ever happened with her. I'm sooooooo grateful I was able to
play a tiny tiny part in helping Luana find this church! Miracles
happen and now she is baptized and confirmed into this beautiful
church! 

The church is true everyone. We are all in the same team in this
amazing work. Have an amazing week and don't forget to pray for
miracles! 

Ponderize scripture: Alma 51:21 

Sorella Carrie Nelson


Sunday night Mostra!  We had so much fun doing this with all the youth!!



Sunday pranzo with Sorella Spagnoletti.





Yummy!!

Rosa from the other ward was baptized!!  Here she is with the youth, the sisters, and senior couple.

She is soooo beautiful!!!  Happiest day for the Liberta ward!

Little notes, little notes..... This is one of those little notes we left for the Sorella who were transferred into my last area Caserta after I left about the girl Luana who we had first met outside the church one day.  She is standing on the right in the white shirt.  Fun to think about her.

Picture from friend Denis who is still currently in my last area Caserta.  It's a picture of Luana's baptism.