Sorella Nelson: July 2016

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Week 55

(Week 2 Rome)

After this week I'm still not sure where I'm at... Rome, Egypt, Africa,
Peru?

It's been a really great and full week here in Roma 1! Between getting

completely lost on buses and walking and walking and walking we were

able to see a lot of tender mercies and meet some cool people!

We met the two investigators the Sorelle had left, Rasim and Tana,

they are from Albania! We got to know them super well! They can hardly hear what we say and they live right next to the train station

so teaching was super super hard. Also, right during the first vision

part of the lesson, a train zoomed right by! Erg! They aren't

physically able to do anything right now so we shall see what the Lord

asks us to do. They are bravi anyway.

Coming home was quite the

experience... We had taken a train and a half to get to them and Rasim

told us to just simply take a certain bus and we would end up right at

the church. So what did we do? We took it! And we were soooo lost!

Eventually we ran into the Anziani on a bus and they told us to get

off in two stops. At the second stop it didn't look right so we got

off at the third and ohhhh man! We had gone way too far! After three

or four more buses and asking literally everyone directions we ended

up safe and sound at home. I'm grateful Sorella Erickson was crying

from laughing just as hard as I was the whole time! Super grateful for

this sweet new missionary. Her patience and desire and overall spirit

are really blessing us!

We have been searching for the people the Lord has prepared and have

been visiting the parks here! They look like Africa but we have been

able to teach some really cool people! A woman from Czech Republic

(shoutout to you cuz!) a man from Persia, and some wonderful South

Americans! Super excited for this week and see who will progress!

Highlight of the week! Zone conference! The coppia Simoncini came to

pick us up in their car and take us to the zone conference early in

the morning. This couple are the literal pioneers of the church here

in Italy and are absolutely incredible! Her father was the first man

baptized in Sicily and now they have a strong family in the gospel.

Anyway, on the way to the zone conference he finds out I haven't been

back to Rome since I arrived in the mission and asks me if it would be okay

if we took a detour. We went to see the Rome TEMPLE!!! I cried the

whole time we were there it is so beautiful! Being at the temple sight

with this Italian couple was the best experience. Seeing how faithful

they have been without a temple in their country and to see their

excitement for this temple just got the best of me. How blessed we are

to have temples. What happiness and peace and comfort they give us!

The work goes forward! It's hard, but it's worth it!

Have a superb week everyone!

3 Nefi 5:26

Sorella Nelson

So around Italy people put cool stickers all over. My dictionary and a couple other books are covered with stickers I find so when walking we found this awesome Rome sticker and I had to get it.When we find cool stickers we go to all costs to get them.

This is the park in Rome.... Africa or Rome???

The top of the hill we live on.

Piazza di popolo! Pretty sure this is where the man is almost drowned in the movie Angels and Demons. This obelisk is actually from Egypt. A pope will conquer a city, bring back things and mark it making him a "Good Pope".

Another Piazza...It seems like every corner has something like this on it.

Week 54

(Week 1 Rome)










I have safely arrived in the city of all cities. ROME! It's massive and
it sure is going to take us a while to get around quickly but I'm not worried.
Leaving Bari was the worst!!! Sweet little Camilla, her sister and mom, and
even the dad came to Bari to salute me and I just didn't want to leave! We also
got to see all our investigators which was a huge miracle before I left! Then
the actual transfer day came... Goodbye Sorella Torres. I definitely lost it...
I was crying before the train even pulled into the station. What an amazing
Sorella she is! She taught me so much about missionary work and about myself.
We really worked hard together and talk so well together. I already miss her tons
but she is going to continue seeing miracles in that special Bari city!

Bye Sorella Torres, I lietrally have never cried so much as I did saying goodbye...



Handing my baby off to her new companion.





Rome! After an anxious five hour train ride to Rome I picked up my second
greenie! Sorella Erickson!!! She is a tiny little thing and just the sweetest
human ever! She is from Hooper, Utah and one of ten kids! I'm excited to see her
grow, grow, grow and use her energy to grow the Lord's work here!

Tender mercy!  Passed through my dear Caserta (first area) on the way to Rome!











New greenie.... Sorella Erickson!!!!



Finally saw my long lost MTC companion Sorella Tingey!!



The three Sorelle from our MTC group together again!

Rome 1! The past Sorelle left a couple of investigators and when we called
to set up appointments almost all of them dropped us except a super old couple
so we are basically starting from square one. It's going to great! The ward…..
I feel like I am in Peru! Almost everyone is South American and from Peru!
There is just a handful of Italians in the ward... Sooooo different. Our ward
mission leader is super great and is also Peruvian! This Sunday they had all
the new missionaries bear our testimonies. It was awesome. Sorella Erickson
absolutely blew everyone away with how awesome she already is and I got up and
basically told them all we are ready to work together. 



After church we had an awesome miracle. I felt like a missionary out of
the district. We were talking to the Bishop and R.S. President about what we
could do for the ward and they just looked at each other and then the Relief
Society President smiled and invited us to pranzo at her house where we could
talk! She fed us and then we got the whole run down of the ward! It was
awesome!!!! We are all just excited to restart and get things down the right
way! She has given us some names of sisters she wants us to visit. I'm just
seriously so grateful to have the trust of this ward and have some awesome
leaders that are going to help us accomplish our work!





Cool story!!! We went to go see a less active sister and as we were walking
down her long hill I saw the top of a massive church so I asked her what it
was. She just laughs and says it's St. Peter's Basilica. (VATICAN!!!!) We are
literally three or so metro stops away from the great and abominable church!
Crazy! 

Anywho, I'm really excited to work here in Rome and get this work rolling.
I'm grateful to have greenie magic with me and I feel just super full of energy
to do my best here.





Sorella Nelson









Goodbye Maria!!



Goodbye Gabriella!



Goodbye English Course!!



Goodbye Antuanet and Camilla!











Matching Sorelle aprons.



Gelato with my new district Rome 1.





Visiting Trevi Fountains with the Sorelle.

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Week 53

(Week 23 Bari)

Transfer call drumroll.... I have been called to Rome! I'm super
excited! I will also be training again! There aren't any Italian
sisters coming in so I know she will for sure be American this time. I
will miss my Sorella Torres and Bari soooo much, but I'm ready for a
change!

Quick last investigator update for Bari-

Gabriella loves church but doesn't want to be baptized and doesn't
really have a reason...

Cristina, the young 21 year old, is so amazing! She has read half the
Book of Mormon and is totally progressing
Camilla, my dearest Peruvian, she came to church for my last Sunday
and brings her little BoM and is just waiting for her mom to come to
church with her so she can be baptized in August!

Maria... something has happened and she has lost her big fire. She still
likes to learn, but it's been hard getting her to come to church
nowadays.
Lidia and Gianni rock and are hopefully coming to church next Sunday!

It was a super super full week, but I will share a couple favorites
from the week.

One day all our plans for the morning fell through. Our plan A's and
even our plan B's. It's literally the worst! Luckily our plan C was to
head to our magic park and find a new investigator.
We said our prayer before going in and we tried talking to everyone!
We definitely were rejected by many young people, Families and old
people until our last person. There she was sitting on a bench in a
simple white dress. Maybe it was the whiteness that caught our
attention... Comunque, we went right up to her and asked if we could
share a message about Jesus Christ's restored church. She said
absolutely and that she would love to listen.

Man, this woman,
Katarina is incredible! We taught the Restoration and were with her
teaching for at least 30 minutes. She was so excited to receive the
Book of Mormon and said she loves studying scripture. She had read the
Koran! (Don't know how to spell it...) basically she is looking for
the truth. At the end of the lesson she put together that we are the
Mormons! She told us that the Anziani had helped her mother with
groceries before and that she sees us all the time around the church.
I can't wait to hear about Katarina's progress!

Note for all
missionaries: little acts of service go a long way! Thanks to our
Anziani in the past, Katarina had a lot of respect for the church and
us as missionaries.

We said goodbye to our Poggio Franco Anziani on Saturday. They were
incredible zone leaders and finished the mission together. They were
seriously awesome examples to all of us on finishing strong.


We already miss these two Anziani!  These zone leaders were in Poggio Franco with us and finished their missions together this past week.  

I'm
always super grateful for the wonderful missionaries I've gotten to
meet.

Saying goodbye to Bari Poggio Franco ward... Worst thing ever!!!! I
got to bear my testimony and play the piano for them all one last
time. We were all crying and all the sweet sweet relief society
sisters thanked me for what I've done for the ward.

I remember when I
first arrived here in Bari I was so overwhelmed by how well the ward
functioned and the beautiful church. Bari has probably done more for
me than I have done for this ward in these last six months.

The learning just never ever stops... Every day we are learning and
improving... I wish by now I was a perfect missionary, but I'm
grateful for six more months of learning.

I'm ready to preach the gospel in Rome!!!