Week 51

(Week 21 Bari)

While in the mission I've heard many missionaries tell me to watch in the Restoration when we are about to teach or while we are teaching The First Vision. They had told me that Satan ALWAYS will make a phone ring, a dog will bark, a window will slam shut or something else to drive away the Spirit. Well, I can testify that is true! 
Sorella Torres and I have been going crazy teaching to Restoration to all people, members and investigators. In fact, Satan always does something when that special moment comes in the lesson. 
Example: we were finally able to see our dear investigators Lidia and Gianni, after months! It's been hard to see them and we were so ready to bring the spirit with the Restoration. The lesson was incredible. At the start they were talking about all sorts of things, but as soon as we opened our mouths and started teaching the Spirit was literally tangible. 
The lesson was going so well and it came time to recite The First Vision. THE PHONE RANG!!!! Haha Sorella Torres and I just looked at eachother and mouthed "Satana". Luckily the Spirit came back and we had a beautiful lesson. I've just really had my testimony strengthened of this experience of Joseph Smith. That one event really changed everything and this is the "good news" we share with everyone! Satan knows it and does everything in his power to stop the conversion from happening.
I bear testimony that Jospeh Smith spoke the truth and really did see our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The church is restored!!! 
Investigators are doing well, our investigator Gabriella finally came to church Sunday! I've been teaching her off and on since I got here and this was her first time! She LOVED it! She stayed all three hours and at the end before we could ask her what she thought she just tells us she will be back next week! 
We picked up an awesome new girl named Cristina this week from English Course. She is 21 and super super spiritual. She has had a really hard life and we are really excited to get these lessons going with her. Overall, it was a very good week here in Bari. 
My "greenie" is so great that I feel like I am in a normal companionship a lot of days. I definitely have a testimony that God knows us and shapes us into the people He wants us to become. I can see many changes in myself from this past year and I know that the Lord has shaped me and continues to with different challenges and experiences. I'm super grateful to be part of His wonderful church and be able to bear testimony of the story of the restoration. Church is true! Vi voglio bene assai! 
Sorella Carrie Nelson 
Alma 57:21

Saw a goat herder taking care of his flock while on bus ride.

When Sorella Nelson cooks lunch.  BBQ chicken salad with tomatoes and cherries.

Birthday pancake from the Anziani.

Birthday gelato with the Sorelle.

Crazy crazy Angela had us over for my Bday and we ate gelato!!!!

Panzerotti for a birthday cake!!

Surprise birthday pancake breakfast!

Beautiful beautiful baptism this past Saturday!!!  Guiliana's sister came all the way from Boston for her baptism.

It's so hot now days I eat Popsicles during language studies!!

My favorite city in the world.

Literally the prettiest bus route ever.

Week 50

(Week 20 Bari)

What a fast fast week! Quick shout outs for the week to my awesome
dad! Happy Birthday and Father's Day! Second shoutout goes to my
beautiful sister Kirsten and brother in law Sam! They were married in the Logan Temple this past Thrusday.  Soooooo happy and so
proud of them!!! 

For all those who know what missionary work is like you know that the
work literally has high points and low points. Sometimes investigators
progress and all is well and you feel on top of the world and like the
best missionary ever and then the work starts to take a turn downward,
and it's stressful and you freak out that something is wrong but in
reality it's just a pattern and it has to go down so it can go back
up. Anywho, after being in this city for almost 6 months I've
definitely seen some ups and downs. 

Last week was rough with
appointments falling through and investigators not investigating, but
this week Heavenly Father is pulling us back up! It's the best feeling
to watch the Lord's hand in the work and as the work changes and we
stay constantly hard working He always blesses us.

T

The magic park - there is a great big park in our proselyting area and
we are convinced it is magic. The Anziani also agree it is magic.
Without fail, every time we say a prayer before we enter and go in we
always find someone and teach them the restoration. I've never loved
finding so much! 

We found two new investigators from the park! Luigi
is probably the coolest atheist/I'm Christian, 22 year old. We simply
asked him if he believed in God, shared the Restoration and he wants
to learn more. So Rad!
The Anziani go to this park literally everyday so now the trouble is
that we both end up there at the same time. 

Another cool miracle. After last Pday we were on the bus headed to
pass by a member and the Anziani called us saying there was a woman at
the church looking for us. Luckily we were a stop away from the church
so we ran off and booked it to the church. A past Anziano had found
this woman, Monica, and she wanted to meet the Sorelle. We were able
to teach her the Restoration and we are going to see her this next
week! AHHH! So cool! This is literally the Lord's work! 

Here in Italy everyone is a die hard soccer fan so Friday when Italia
played, NOTHING was open and NO-ONE would let us come see them. It was
seriously the craziest thing! It looked like Utah on a Sunday! We
decided to do English Discussion Group advertisement so we went to a
park (a different one). We saluted a cute family there and the older
woman turns to us and says, "Io sono mormone". She is an inactive and
I had never seen her before! The Lord isn't just blessing us with new
investigators but new less actives to work with! 

A sweet Fratello from the ward wanted to do some missionary work with
us one night so he took us to a less active woman's home and then to a
new contact! Her name is Olympia, she is newly married and it turns
out her father is an inactive man in the ward. So many crazy little
connections... Anywho, Fratello Caricola took us to her house we
chatted for a while and then when we could tell Fratello Caricola was
about to just leave we whipped out our Restoration Phamplet and
taught! Man, teaching is the best! 

This week has just been really cool to see the Lord putting so many
new people in our path. As we have been leaving old investigators we
have been seeing new prepared people come into our paths. I can't wait
for another week and to see more contacts and see all these new names
again and see if they are progressing! 

My testimony of being
contanstantly obedient, and hard working while the work rises and
falls has definitely grown. The Lord will bless us with people to
teach! I love missionary work! It's definitely called work, but it's
the best work ever!
Have a stellar week everyone! 

Sorella Carrie Nelson 

Ponderize scripture Moroni 7:45

Sooooooooooo......I guess I was a  bridesmaid for my sisters wedding this past week......

"Volare oh ohhhhhh, cantare, oh oh oh oh!"

The lovely Carbonara.

Salvation is knocking on your door! :)

#Trainrides

Focaccia after district meeting.  Comes close to my Napoli pizza but it still  can't be beat.

The blonde and the brunette.

Week 49

(Week 19 Bari)

What a week! It's been super crazy here in the Bari, Poggio Franco
ward with upcoming potential baptisms. Satan has literally been the
worst this week and has given everyone different sorts of illnesses.
Erg... BUT, the work goes on because good always triumphs evil! 

Maria was the first, she missed her interview with President because
she got sick so now we has to wait, but it will be good to help her
remember things really well. 

Camilla our Peruvian princess was sooooo excited for her baptismal
interview and then... Sore throat and missed bus... BUT, our ward is
incredible and are organizing everything for a beautiful baptism! Now
we will be able to have the mom there as well! 

Best experience from the week: Sorella Torres and I were teaching a
lesson to Antuanet, Camilla's older sister. She was baptized when she
was eight but hadn't been to church for years and years and when we
teach Camilla it is more like we are teaching both of them. Anywho, we
were doing a lesson with just her and we asked her if she had any
questions about anything and she just looks at us with a big smile and
just tells us how good she feels being back into church.
We had found this sweet girl three transfers ago in a little town and
now she is wanting to live the commandments, help her family, and just
literally beams with the light of Christ. I just wanted to cry after
she bore her testimony to us about how she knows the church is true
and can't wait for her sister to be baptized. What a complete
miracle!!! 

This email is really short but I just wanted to share that quick story
and bear my testimony of missionary work. The purpose of missionary
work is to bring others to Christ. Whether that be through baptism or
bringing them back to church, or sharing a testimony with a stranger
that God loves them. Some of the most precious moments so far in my
mission have been when I've seen someone so lost in their lives and
unsure where to go, come to church. What a wonderful opportunity we
have to not only bring our brothers and sisters outside of the church
unto Christ, but also our Fratelli e Sorelle inside the church come
back. I'm grateful for less active work and for the testimonies of
members of the church. I know we all mess us in this life but we
always can return. I love this work and all the things I learn. I'm
grateful to be a missionary!

Love you all and have an awesome week!
Alla prossima! 

Sorella Carrie Nelson

Our wonderful district!!