Serving An 18 Month LDS Mission

In the LDS church, when a girl turns 21 she has the opportunity to choose to serve an 18 month, self-funded mission. I have wanted to go on a mission since I was a little girl. My parents both served a mission in Rome in the 1970's. In 2001-2002, my sister Letty served as a missionary in Hong Kong and my brother Algot in the Philippines. As soon as I turned 21 I submitted my papers. The Prophet and 12 Apostles determine through inspiration which of the more than 300 missions worldwide each missionary will be assigned. I was overjoyed when I opened my mission call and discovered that I was called to Rome, Italy! I feel immensely blessed and I feel that God has been preparing me to serve the Italian people. Each week, while I am on my mission, I will send my sister Letty an email and pictures to post on the blog. I won't see this blog till I come home, so I will be unable to directly respond to your comments until then. However, the sidebar will always have a current street address for me, and I promise I will respond to your letters! If you would rather write via email, just email your letter to my sister and she will print it out and send it me with her weekly snail mail!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Letter #13 and Pictures from Cosenza, Italy

Dear Family,
 
Sorry that this email is coming on Tuesday. We will not have time to write tomorrow. I am going to Rome for 2 days :) :) I am so excited!!
 
As a Sister Training Leader I have  to go to a leadership conference they are having at the Mission Home. All Zone leaders and Sister Training Leaders will be there!! I am ecstatic! Sorella Worsham will stay in Taranto with Sorella Hibbert while Sorella Buckley and I take the bus to Rome. THIS IS THE 1ST TIME I HAVE BEEN IN ROME SINCE I ARRIVED 10 months ago!! I feel so blessed! 
 
Other exciting news: God is working miracles in our branch. This Sunday we had an amazing Sacrament meeting. It was completely based on missionary work (all discourses have been based on Missionary Work for the past 2 Sundays). The 1st talk was by one of the Anziani and then the Ward Mission Leader spoke. The final speaker was the Branch President. He got up and said "We are distracted!" He said that he was sad that not many members had come to the leadership broadcast on missionary work, and he invited all to still watch it on lds.org. He then went on reading from the church handbook about how members need to help the missionaries. He said "The work of Salvation has existed since the fall of Adam. A Savior was needed! And the message of Christ needed to be declared." He then went on to summarize and read selections from each of the speakers at the missionary broadcast.
 
IT WAS AMAZING! He was guided by the spirit. Our Branch President has never been against missionary work, but he seemed without direction. Now he has direction. God has worked a change in our branch. We will be starting a split calendar where members can come with the missionaries and we can go to lessons, do finding, or go visit in-actives. Whatever the Lord needs! I am amazed!! 
 
Purtroppo. I do not have a lot of time to write. But it has been a long time since I have sent pictures so I will attach some.
 
I love you all
P.S. Ann I got really cute earrings with your birthday money and I will get something else :) 
P.P.S. Mom, thank you so much for putting money in my USAA account - you were so inspired. Without that I would not have had money to go to Rome!  Thank you!


Anziano Gonzalez who gave a talk at the October 2012 General Conference came to our branch. This was taken after church. His wife has ancestors who are from Saracena, so they were here doing family histroy. I got to translate for him!!! :)
I cut my hair last Wednesday! This was the before picture.
My actual hair now. I was terrified - this was the shortest it has ever been!
Before - Front of Face
After my cut it was fancy.
I AM SO CUTE!


 
 









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