Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Week 57

(Week 4 Rome)
"Love of work is success"

Basically I want to start off bragging a little bit about my greenie
Sorella Erickson. She has always been super scared to talk to people,
but this week she absolutely killed it! On buses and metros we were
both inviting people! One time we were on a bus, I was at the front
and she was towards the back, I thought she had heard me when I said
the next stop was ours, but she was talking to someone and didn't
hear. Well, I hopped off and then as the doors were closing I realized
she wasn't off. Haha she saw me at the last moment and I yelled, "get
off at the next one!" We were both just laughing and laughing as I
booked it down to the next stop to meet her. Good laugh, but now we
stay closer on the buses. Haha I'm the worst trainer!

August vacation... Everyone is gone... Literally almost every time we
meet or call someone to set up a return appointment, they tell us to
call them after August... Noooo!!!! Since everyone is gone and there
aren't many people in the parks we've been able to do some good less
active work.

Carmen, from the Philippines! An absolutely amazing Sorella and is
ready to just start over again. She has a beautiful family who is
active in the church and she is just the missing piece in this eternal
family! We went to her home and she fed us a fabulous Philippino meal!
Pumped to work with this Sorella!

Rositta, from Ecquador! She is a rockstar! Since we are both new we
had no idea that she has just started coming back to church. She had
been inactive for over a year and finally decided she wants help
coming back! These sisters are soooo much fun! They seem like they are
our age just in older women bodies. It's the best!

During Sunday pranzo with a member from Paraguay we got a phone call
from a woman who apparently is a member! She said she had found a
pass-a-long card and decided it was time for her to come back to
church! Hopefully we will see her this week!

Teach when you find, find when you teach has been something I've been
trying really hard to be better at. I'm great at the second part, but
sometimes I just give people a card without bearing testimony and I
decided I want to actually teach! This week I was given several
opportunities to do that but my favorite experience was when a woman
actually came to OUR door. She needed some info about the electricity
in our house so I gave it to her and then we just got talking and she
asked the best question, "what are you doing here?" Hahaha well... We
are missionaries!!! It's was a great visit and we were able to teach
her a quick restoration and invite her to church. My testimony has
grown of this principle. The Lord really gives us opportunities when
we ask for help to improve our work and habits.

The mission is the best. I wish it was sometimes just all filmed...
The hard moments, the hilarious ones but really just all the miracles!
There are just sooooo many miracles everyday and a single email just
can't explain how blessed we really are! I Love being a
missionary!!!!!

Sorella Carrie Nelson
D&C 75:3
President McKay has said, "Let us realize that the privilege to work
is a gift, that the power to work is a blessing, that love of work is
success."

District unity color scheme on Sunday.  Brother and Sister Thompson, our senior couple, are from Australia.

Our kitchen....
Pranzo (lunch)
How much do I love clams? 10!!!!  You put them in spaghetti and soooooo buono!!!  They're kinda chewy but super yummy!!


Cutest Carmen from the Phillippines!!
Cutest two little sisters from Equador and the meal they made for us. 




Outside a member's home.


Throwing it back to when my MTC group left the MTC almost a year ago!
When it's late and you are waiting for a bus....
That's the Vatican at the top of the treetops!  Just a metro stop away!
It's braided hair season.
Long hot days and wearing out my companion.













We found a panda suit/costume in the 'death closet"  Death closet is where missionaries leave clothing and other things behind when they just can't pack it all in.  Why a panda suit????



P-day at the Colosseum!!!!!









Spanish steps where Audrey Hepburn sat in the movie Roman Holiday.



The streets of Rome....


Ending up the P-Day with a game of chess.

Cleaning the church brings out my inner wizard.



Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Week 56

(Week 3 Rome)
"God knows where we are"

This has been the big theme of the week. I don't think I've ever had a
week full of just difficulty knowing what to do. Since we are both new
in the city, we don't know where many people love and how to get to
different places. Throughout the entire week we had plans not work
out, but it was amazing to see how we were blessed as Heavenly Father
put someone in our path.

The first time was after we went to see an older sister in the ward.
She is from Portugal and has the cutest accent when she speaks
Italian. It would be the equivalent of a southern hick accent. It's
the best! After we saw her, we walked outside to find another Sorella
of the church taking out her trash. We had no idea she lived across
the street! We were able to visit with her and she told us of two less
active sisters who lived two streets down. Huge blessing! We saluted
this sweet sister from Africa and booked it down to these two other
Sorelle. We found the house, the name and rang the bell. They weren't
home... As we turned around to head out we heard, "Sorelle!?" They
were in their car getting ready to leave! Sooo cool!!! We got to meet
them and they are the sweetest! We decided to ask them if they knew of
other Sorelle who lived in the area and they said if we walk two more
streets down there is an active sister in the church. YES! We were so
pumped then to just run and meet the whole ward this evening, but this
sister really wasn't home... Bummer. We went to get our bus and we end
up getting a little lost... BUT! We met that last sister on the last
bus we took that evening! Huge miracle! The Lord put literally
everyone in our path that evening even when we didn't really know
where we were!

Really the Lord always knows where we are! We tried to find a
different less active one evening and we were lost again! (Maybe Im
just bad with directions) anywho, we asked a man who was outside
washing his car where the certain street was and he brought us inside
to meet his son and wife! We were able to leave this sweet family with
a message and Phamplet even though they don't want to learn more. We
eventually found the road, but I was grateful the Lord gave us someone
to teach. Throughout the week He really blessed us with finding some
new contacts and people in the past who had met with missionaries. We
still are struggling to figure out all these crazy buses, but we have
been very blessed in the moments only the Lord knows where we are.

I adore the members here! We have some from Egypt, Peru, Africa,
Austria, America, England, Portugal, Uruguay, and basically all over
the place! This week we were able to see our Egyptian members and hear
their beautiful conversion stories. Something I loved that they said
is that they were finally able to FEEL the truth. It's true! We also
ate with a Peruvian family and were able to hear about their
conversion. Now this family has children sealed in the temple and they
are stellar member missionaries. It's amazing to see what can come
from the conversion of one strong member. We are all soooo different
but when we all meet together on Sunday we are all a family and come
together for the same purpose. I love this gospel and that we can FEEL
the TRUTH! I'm grateful to be a missionary and be involved in the real
gathering of Israel!

3 Nefi 16:3
Sorella Nelson
Che abbiate una buona settimana!




Quick Sunday pictures outside our church building.





Making pranzo with ward member Martin!




We made pizza!
Chicken burgers and watermelon.

A taste of the diversity in the ward.  Left, Sorella Rossetti, Africa, the rest are from Eygpt!

Street market shopping today!!


A man named Dario we taught at the park.  He gave us some mango juice after our message.

We joined the Italian fashion trend of loose pants.  Literally every Italian wears these or a dress.

Waiting for a bus.....



Lots of time spent in these metro tunnels!
Peruvian dish!  Papawanagallo or something like that.  Super, super yummy!
Favrotie Fratello in the ward.... Fratello Aranda!  He is from Peru and is our ward mission leader.