Week 35 - Rome, 8/10/2015

Hello Folks!! Well this week was pretty insane. It was probably my busiest week in the mission so far and it was incredible. It's been super fun to be in the trio too. We laugh and have a really good time together, which is really happy because I won't lie I was a little nervous about being in 3... But there was no need to fear :) 

Okay so a really weird thing that happened.. So we have this other woman that we are teaching... She's like a little quirky but you know "va bene." However she went from quirky to seriously bizarre this week. So it was too hot for her to come to the church, because she's older and literally it's been so hot, people over the age of 50/60 need to stay inside, so we told her we'd go to her house. So we trek out to her house which is like super far away and she picks us up and she's got like no bra on, (her shirt was also like kind of see through) and she's like I'm sorry it's to hot to wear a bra, I'm just so restricted, and were like uhh okay makes sense... But anyway So we then go into her house and we are like okay, so we are sort teaching the plan of salvation and in the middle of it, I literally have no idea how she got on this tangent, she starts talking about how she used to be part of some very controversial political groups andddd then she says, human flesh tastes really good, it's very sweet. And now I'm quoting here "sorella cano, I want to eat you. We could eat your thigh." Then she turns to me and says, sorella Kennedy, your thin you could eat her other thigh. And she was DEAD SERIOUS. It was the weirdest, slightly disturbing, most bizarrely hilarious thing ever. Clearly we will not be doing lessons at her house anymore... She's going to need to come out to the church where there are more people as witnesses, to make sure we don't not get cooked. Hahahahahaha okay on a more serious note. 

WE HAVE A BAPTISMAL DATE!!!!! The man we found on our phone! So we had our second lesson and he comes in and is like I know that I will be baptized in this church. And we hadn't even taught anything yet. We just were like mouths open... Well okay. So then we taught him the plan of salvation and the whole time he was paying so much attention and was asking us all of these questions and ugh it was so awesome. And then we invited him to be baptized and he said yes!!!! The first week of September! :) and then he told us about how we have a lot of work to do with him because he has a lot of questions, and before he does something he likes to be in 100%, so he really wants to understand and know before. And then he told us about how he had researched the church on the Internet and he said, you know I know that there are people out there that will say terrible untrue things about you because that is how the world works and because you are good people. So don't worry because I don't believe and I won't read those things. Then he told us he went to Mormon.org and chatted with the missionaries online there too and he said to us, everywhere I go all the information is the same. I really like that. Ahhhh. It was soo so so awesome. Then he came to our pancake dinner that we had on Saturday and when we called him the next night he told us that he had really been touched by the spirit and everything that was there. Eeeeek :) it was so so so awesome. 

So yup that's the week!! 

Love you!

Week 34 - Rome, 8/3/2015

So this week we have some crazy news. So there was a sister that had to go home because she was sick and she can't get the medicine she needs here, so she's has to go home, so we got a call on Wednesday that sorella nagliati is getting emergency transferred to what is called Rome 5, and sorella Harmon, sorella cano and me will be in a trio for the rest of the transfer. (So that'll be an adventure) haha but sorella Harmon is super awesome so I think it'll be fun and there's only 2 weeks left in the transfer. But this week we saw some really awesome miracles. The week before we unfortunately were dropped by two of our simpatizzante, but we had no idea at the time that we would be having 3 new ones coming our way his week!! I know can you even believe it? 3 new Simps in one week... I think we found 3 new Simps the whole time I was in battipaglia... Okay maybe not but kind of.. Haha so seriously that was super awesome and I'm so happy because we have so much potential in the people we are working with right now. We talked to this one woman this week and we read 3 Nefi 11 and after we finished she was like, this is so clear, everything in here is exactly like what the bible says but in one chapter and so much more clear. And we were just like YES!!!! Ding ding ding... Haha it was so cool, that she felt the spirit of the Book of Mormon and was in tune enough to learn and see the clearness and doctrine taught by Christ when he came. That was super awesome. Also something I really saw this week was how much Heavenly Father is really aware of exactly where we are and when. There was this evening that was just nuts... So first we had found this old number in our phone the other day and called it and this man said he wanted to meet so we met in the church and had this awesome lesson of the restoration, it went really well and at the end he told us, I will put my whole heart into reading the Book of Mormon, and we were like woooo! But it was interesting because during it I felt like we had gone pretty fast, but then we finished and another simp called us right as we finished and was like do we still have the appointment right now? And we were like uhh..... So we thought the appointment with her was the next day but she thought it was then so then we booked it out of the church and ran to the metro. Then during this there were two metros that we could've gone to, and we were like oh we'll go to Cornelia instead so we went and then while we were there we saw this woman who we had talked to about the church that same morning in this random palazzo like 30 minutes away by bus on the same street at that same time. Then we ran to our appointment. But moral of the story was that it was incredible to see how God knew all that was going to happen. Our lesson was fast, our other simp called us, the way we took to get to the metro, all such small things but that really came from Heavenly Father so that we could get it all down. I think that is one of my favorite things in the mission. Is to see the everyday little pieces that I know Heavenly Father has control over. It's so apparent in the mission life how much Heavenly Father has a play in our lives when we listen and when we watch. He really does know where every person is individually and is always looking and watching over them.  In other news... My back is finalmente feeling better. Seriously. Wooo! It gets tired at the end of the day or like today for pday we went and walked Rome so it was really tired but in the other days it hasn't hurt at all. So I'm so happy about that. I got permission to use a backpack instead of a purse ( don't worry this doesn't mean I'm carrying more things ;) but the weight of like 3 things I do carry are evenly distributed. Also I got my skirts!!!! Mom they are so so so cute! Seriously all of them! Geez you spoil me. They are perfect because they are so comfy and so light. I love them. Thank you thank you!!! love you all, Sorella Kennedy

Week 33 - Rome, 7/27/2015

Hello family!!
Well this week was another week in Rome I guess you could say. Haha
let me give you the haps
So first on Monday we had a family home evening with one of our Simps,
(he's having a hard time progressing because he's not doing anything
we ask) but we watched the restoration video of Joseph smith together
with a member and it was so so so awesome. Seriously. It is crazy the
spirit that comes when you say the first vision in the words of Joseph
smith. Like literally... It is so strong. So the video finishes and he
was clearly touched and he looked at us and he says wow, that was was
fantastic, really beautiful!! And then we all bore really strong
testimony of the prophet and how we know that everything that we just
watched really did happen. It was super cool, and the you could tell
he was really touched.
Then we have this other dude that's a simp, and he's not who you would
immediately think would be interested in the church, but he's reading
the Book of Mormon and praying and sincerely wants to find out if this
church is true!  Anyway...... so then this week we asked
if him if he knew that these things were true if he would be baptized
and drumroll..... He said yes!!! But then when we tried to set a date
with him he said he wasn't ready... So we wait on that but he said yes
so that was awesome!!
Then we were pretty bummed this week because we had set up this whole
thing to have the Bulgarian woman that we met be taught by Skype. And
I cannot explain to you what a like big deal this was, and like ugh
everyone was pulling for it all to come together and it finally did
and then we are going to the appointment with her and she says to us,
no I don't want to hear them anymore, I don't understand them, I need
to leave right now. Just totally one 100% shut down... And we were
just like... MANAGGA... (That's dang it in Italian) so
that was a bummer... But idk there was some reason that we did it
all... Maybe in the future she'll remember and will be ready.
And finally we got to meet with the woman who we found at the
information desk of the hospital this week! And it was awesome....
Seriously. So we started by giving her a tour of the church because
she had never been to a Mormon church before. And she walked in and
said, I'm excited. Ummm music to my ears. Then after that we sat down
and taught the restoration and as is said the first vision she looked
at my with eyes just so big like she was soaking in every thing and
after she told us that she believed it was true, she said she could
feel it when we said the first vision! WOOO!!! Then after we finished
we told her that in the next lesson we would explain the questions
where did we come from, why are we here, and where are we going and
how God has a plan for each one of us... And she was like wow how
beautiful, once again with eyes just in disbelief and awe. Ahh it was
so so so so cool. The spirit was touching her heart so hard and it was
so amazing to get to see.
In other news... I went to an orthopedic surgeon this week and he told
me that my sacroiliac joint is out of place... So we went to the
chiropractor and he did basically the lightest adjustment I've ever
experienced, and then told me to come back in 3 days. I'm going back
tomorrow and we will see what happens, I'm still in a significant
amount of pain, and so the nurse told me to ask him again what I can
do to help it... I don't have a huge amount of trust in him.. But,
we'll see. Other than that I've been a little frustrated with the fact
that I'm in pain and can't do things a lot of the time... Ugh. So
annoying. You know me and I hate not being able to do things, I
usually would just go on, but I'm trying to be smart and not dumb, so
you should be proud of me for that.
But I found this SICK talk that I wanted to share with you.
It's called Man Down, by president eyring. Here's the part I liked

“Almost all of us have seen a battlefield portrayed in a film or read
the description in a story. Over the din of explosions and the shouts
of soldiers, there comes a cry, ‘Man down!’
“When that cry sounds, faithful fellow soldiers will move toward the
sound. Another soldier or a medic will ignore danger and move to the
injured comrade. … Whatever the risk, someone will run low or crawl to
get there in time to protect and give aid. … The histories of such
groups are full of stories of those loyal men who were determined that
no man would be left behind. …“… Our comrades are being wounded in the
spiritual conflict around us.
“… You are under covenant to go to a spiritually wounded child of God.
You are responsible to be brave enough and bold enough not to turn
away.”
Ahh i just loved that. I think about that a lot out here in the
mission. We really are on the front lines of the battle, and it's
our job to rescue those who are out lost in the field. Just about
Everything about being a missionary is uncomfortable, scary, and
hard... But it's a battle and there are not only other people relying
on you to rescue them but the Lord your Sargent is counting on you to keep the
pact you made to help him help them. So even when you are scared, or
tired, or there is risk of pride or comfort, you push forward, because
you need to find the people that are screaming "man down."

Love you nerds!!
P.s. I love my videos!! I got all of them :)))) you guys rock. Thank
you thank you! I'll try and go pick up my package to!! Im soooo
excited!!!!!!

Week 32 - Rome, 7/20/2015

Hellllooo family.
I miss you guys a lot. I don't know what it is about Rome but it is
hard in a homesickness kind of way. Like seeing the tourist families
everywhere and living in a place that is more Normal instead of like
super cultural shock.. Idk I just miss you guys all the time. There
are days when I wake up and I'm literally like if I don't talk to my
family today, I'm calling president and going home. But it's not in a
like I want to go home way its in a like my heart just aches all the
time because a piece of it is missing kind of way. Like I feel
literally like a part of me is not here, (which is the truth) but ya.
Moral of the story is the mission is hard, and I miss you guys every
single day.
In other news, I went to the doctor again this week because my back is
still hurting pretty bad. They did an X-ray and found that nothing was
wrong all though that fracture from years ago is still present, they
were worried that it was new from my accident but they called a
specialist and he said he's about 98% sure it's not new. So in the
meantime, I got some new drugs. Well just one, it's like a super
antiinflammatory that I take once a day. I'm not allowed to carry
anything. This is really annoying because I just feel useless. Also
I'm not supposed to sit, stand, or walk for extended periods of time.
Sitting hurts really bad, like after an hour or an hour and a half, I
have to move. So after they told me this I was like uhh am I supposed
to stand on my head? And the nurse just awkwardly laughed... And was
like well ice, lay down, and don't push yourself. Ugh. So this has
been super frustrating for me because my back hurts just in general
a lot of the time. I've also been exhausted,.. Like literally hailey
coma status exhausted... I asked the nurse about this and she told me
that as my body telling me I needed to sleep to heal. So... Idk it's
just so hard because like I want to work and go out and like do that
but then I want to sleep and I'm in pain
But today I slept
for an hour and a half and we just hung out at home so I'm hoping that
will help me get back into normal mission tired instead of body
healing tired.

Sent from my iPad

Week 31 - Rome, 7/13/2015

ON 7/7/2015 WE WERE EMAILED BY THE MISSION PRESIDENT AND INFORMED THAT HAILEY HAD BEEN HIT BY A CAR.  WE WERE TOLD THAT SHE WAS NOT CRITICALLY INJURED BUT HAD ABRASIONS, BRUISING AND HAD HURT HER BACK.  THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE ONLY INFORMATION WE WERE GIVEN EXCEPT THAT SHE WAS IN THE CROSS WALK AND A CAR DID NOT YEILD WHEN TURNING RIGHT.  WE OF COURSE WERE INSANE WITH WORRY. THIS IS THE FIRST LETTER WE RECEIVED AFTER THE ACCIDENT........

Hello family.
So I am alive and functioning :) let me tell you what
happened. I was crossing a street where cars turn down and there is no
light or anything so I crossed and this car came down really fast and
side swiped me. Really I was protected a lot. He didn't hit me head on
but side swiped the whole left side of my body and ran over my foot.
Luckily it was going so fast nothing happened to my foot except I have
a burn on my leg from the metal, but it's not super bad, I've been
scraped worse, and it is bruised around it.  I walked away from it,
thanks to the shock, but after wards my back was in pain. I went to
the doctor and he said nothing was broken, and that I would just be
sore for s couple of days. So I came home and I was definitely sore. I
have a big bruise on my lower back so that hurt if I walked on it to
super long. Then I think my sciatica was irritated because that whole
area was irritated, sooo that was annoying but nothing too serious. I
stayed home for two days because walking all day was hard, but I've
been on A TON of ibuprofen and I ice it every time I am home. When I
wake up it hurts the worst and if I've been standing for a long time.
But I'm being really good about resting and I don't feel like anything
is damaged, just bruised. When we walk a long time I make sure I sit
down. I'm really sorry that you've been worried all week, but really I
was protected by Heavenly Father.

Week 30 - Rome, July 6, 2015

Well this week was pretty cool! Let me tell you the highlights :)
1. Well Tuesday morning we woke up and sorella cano told me that the
night before she couldn't sleep so she was just laying there and she
heard me talking in my sleep...But I wasn't speaking in English...I
was talking in Italian in my sleep!! How nuts is that??! So crazy. I'm
pretty sure it was because I was dreaming we were doing street
finding... Kind of like when I used to dream anatomy while I slept....
Now I'm dreaming missionary work... Not super effective for sleeping
but I was pretty excited to hear I was speaking in Italian in my
sleep. Then we went to a district meeting and I seriously love our
district leader. He is just so so intune with the spirit and it's
awesome. He came in and said today I want to talk about when we hear
our leaders talk about faith and we feel like they tell us that we're
not hitting the numbers because we don't have enough faith and I'm
going to tell you that that is not the case. You have faith. And he
basically said that when you get sent to areas that are hard and
heartbreaking and no one listens you are not the people without
faith... But in fact the people with the strongest faith, faith enough
to handle that. People that get sent to missions where they see 40
baptisms... They need to see that. You are different. I cannot tell
you how much I needed to hear that. It was just such a breath of fresh
air. And I just felt like Heavenly Father was talking directly to me
because I had basically been sad about this exact thing for like a
week. It was super awesome.
2. We had a lesson in a post office... Haha
3. I went to the eye doctor and it was basically the least useful
thing ever. Well a) My prescriptions in both of my eyes are worse but
not like super bad... But I was really wanting to find a solution for
this whole close up thing and he basically told me I just need to move
things farther away from my face like an old person... Not super
helpful or effective. But whatever...
4. While we were coming back from the eye doctor i saw This woman on
the metro who was reading my tag and she was like what kind of
community are you from? And I was like well were the church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints or the Mormons. And she was like what time
is your church? And I was like uhh Sunday's from 9:30-12:30, and she
was like what's your phone number I would love to meet with you. And I
was like uhh... Okay here's our billitino, what's your number so we
can call you too? And she was like "oh I don't remember my number but
expect my call because I really want to talk to you". And I was like uh
"okay sweet". So then we left and like that was that. Now people tell us
they will call us all the time and then they forget and all that
stuff. But Then Saturday morning rolls around and she calls us, and is
like "is this sorella Kennedy"? And I was like uh ya, and she was like
"I'm Lydia from the metro, I told you id call! When are you free so we
can meet?" And I was basically just having a heart attack on the other
line that she legitimately called us back with the intention of
meeting. So we are meeting with her tonight in the church. Pretty
stinking nuts. So I'll keep you posted on that, it'll be super
interesting to talk to her.
5. We taught 3 lessons in one day. That was amazing... :) a new record for us!
6. Fun fact.... It's about 1000 degrees here with 110% humidity,
seriously. You walk outside and you're sweating. When I shower, I literally turn it on cold.
Because the only way to cool down is to do this. It's crazy. When we
come back we should come in the winter, because seriously it's like
Palm Springs WITH humidity.
7. We found another miracle. We felt like we should go to the hospital
to do finding. This may seem odd but it is listed in preach my gospel
as something to do so we've been meaning to do it literally for like
the whole transfer sooo.. Saturday we went. So we get to the hospital
and we go and ask the front desk woman if there is like a list where
we can sign up to talk to people or where people can call us if they
want to talk to someone religious, and she was like who are you? And
we were like we're the Mormons, and she was like oh my gosh.... The
Mormons... They used to come to my house years and years ago. I can't
believe you're here. And we were like "uh we can't believe it either...
Now we know why we came."  And so sorella cano told her that God had
sent us to her and this was not a coincidence and she was like "I know,
I can feel something inside my heart telling me that, it's this
feeling I can't describe, look I have goosebumps!" And we were like ya
that's the Holy Ghost telling you that this is good. And she was like
wow. And so then we got her number and she said she wanted to meet
with Us . We walked out of there and we're just like whoa. God is so
aware of his children.
8. Sooo yesterday we had this secret special conference in Rome for
just the Rome missionaries. One of the sorelle that is going home is
the granddaughter of elder cook, so her whole family came to pick her
up and he offered to do a fireside for the missionaries in Rome. So it
was like 50 of us and anziano cook in a Room. It was super cool. He
talked about a couple of different things but one of my favorites was
just that we don't need to worry so much about teaching exactly the
order of the lessons in preach my gospel. Like we need to listen to
the spirit and teach to our investigators and I just thought that was
cool because I've been feeling lately that sometimes we need to just
stop and like tell people that there is a loving Heavenly Father. Like
how much power and comfort can we as members feel from that message
alone? That we are literally spirit sons and daughters of a Heavenly
Father... Of a king, who loves us infinitely and perfectly. Just so so
cool. I feel like sometimes we get so wrapped up in teaching the
lessons that we forget that people need to hear that and understand
it. Even if they don't join the church, that knowledge alone can
change their life.
9. So at the conference I saw this elder couple that I had met when I
went to the mission office on Wednesday for my apt, and they had been
in battipaglia for 18 months before sorella argyle and I went and they
were here because they heard stefano was getting baptized and they
were super close to him and they can fly for free because of their
son's job so they came and I got to meet them which was super cool
because when we got there they were just like a legend. But anyway....so
at the conference I saw them again right after they had seen the
baptism on Saturday so I got to see pictures and everything and then
they said to me, sister Kennedy you are famous in Battipaglia. 
And that was just basically the coolest thing ever.
The woman gave me a huge hug and was just like I'm so glad that we met
you, we really feel like we know you, thank you for all you and
sorella argyle did for the people there. So that just was the best
thing ever.

Week 28 - Rome, June 22, 2015

Well hello. Here are the highlights/thoughts of the week:
1. We found a new simpatizzante. She is awesome!! She was a contact of the old sorelle and we finally got a chance to meet with her. We went and taught her the plan of salvation because she recently lost her mother and afterwards she was just in awe and loved every bit of it. And then we gave her a copy of the Book of Mormon and she clutched it to her chest like it was a gift directly from God. It was so cool to see someone just hold a Book of Mormon like it was something precious. We called her later this week and asked her if she had read any of it and she said that she had and it was a little confusing but it was like opening a box of information and having things finally come together. WOWOWOW. That was basically the most beautiful thing I had heard in a while.  2. We got to talk to this really cool member in our branch who's like 90 years old. She's so awesome. We went to visit her and she went and got her handbag and pulled out her and her husbands missionary name tags that she had wrapped in handkerchiefs so they would be safe. She has been a member for 40 years and then she pulled out all these pictures of her husband and her at the temple and Of her husband making pastries for president hinckley :) it was just so cute and awesome to see someone who loves the gospel and is so strong. We had had a rough day that day so it really lifted my spirits. 3. Biggest miracle moment of the week. We were riding on the metro and sorella cano was teaching me how to sing how firm a foundation in Italian. There was this woman who was watching us and smiling and so I asked her how her day was and we started talking. Then we started talking more about what we do and about faith and all that good stuff and then she was just like I know I was supposed to meet you. There is a light in your eyes. You just have a light about you. And then she was reading our name tags and she stopped and just repeated of Latter Day Saints... And she got goosebumps and her eyes welled with tears and she said this is an answer to my prayers. I have felt this calling to become a saint but I didn't understand how or what that meant. This is what I have been searching for. And then we exchanged numbers and we're hoping to see her next week but it seriously was the most incredible thing. I was just boggled. What a blessing from the lord seriously.  So this week I think the thing that really hit me was how important it is to listen to the spirit and how much God is aware of us. There are so many times when we just had small thoughts enter into our minds of where to go and where to be and we met people and went to places that we would not have known had we not willing to just go. But also it was incredible because the lord knew where those people were  and where we are and it's just so amazing to recognize how close God and Christ is entwined and aware of the work. It really his work and we're just instruments for him!!

A humungous Gelato I ate:)!!

A friend from Battipaglia!

Group trip to Colleseum on Pday!

Last Photo with my first Companion - Sorella Argyle

Dear friends from Battipaglia!

Sent from my iPad

Week 27 - Rome, 6/15/2015

Well this week was pretty good.  Here are some of the highlights.  We had this really cool miracle. So about a week ago we had been doing like 2/3 hours of finding and we stopped and talked to this woman who was sitting by a bus stop.  We found out that she had only been in Italy for 2 weeks and she was from Bulgaria.  She doesn't speak very much Italian but we managed to convey that we were missionaries and she pulled her bible out of her bag.  We showed her the Book of Mormon and told her we wanted to give her a copy in her native language and we asked for her number but she couldn't remember it because it was brand new.  So we gave her ours and went on our way.  Then this week we were walking through a piazza and stopped to talk to English course student and then we saw this woman sitting by herself.  So we went over and said hello and it was her and she told us that she had stayed at the bus stop we met her at all morning hoping that we would pass by so that we could see her again.  Then, she had just come by chance to this piazza because this was in the evening.  We were baffled.  So she gave us her number cuz she had it then and then we talked her to the church which was nearby and showed her where it was so that she could come to our activity the next night!!! It was amazing.  The Lord just totally led us to her and her to us.  Also, we picked up this family from the other Sorelle that has a dad that is less active but the mom and kids are not members and we went and taught them the plan of salvation and afterwards we asked "where do you want to be after this life?" and everyone said "the celestial kingdom" and then the mom closed with a prayer and said "please bless my family that we can all make it back to you in the celestial kingdom"and i just wanted to jump up and down and do my happy dance.  It was so cool to see a family understand and desire for the plan of salvation. 

Week 26 - Rome, 6/8/2015

Hello!!! WHAT'S UP?? Well this week was pretty awesome!! We saw some really cool miracles! Okay first let me give you some down low on our area. So our area is the metro A line from Termini(which is like the main station in Rome where the trains come in and where you switch lines) all the way to the last stop Batistini. This includes a lot of famous things such as the Colessuem, the Trevi fountain, Piazza Del Populo, the Vatican, and other such things. It is pretty incredible. Last week for p-day we literally just like walked around that area in Rome and it was just so beautiful and so cool. It's super interesting because you would think with so many people visiting everywhere that it would feel like New York City or something with lots of hustle and bustle. But in reality it is full of people but maintains this tranquillity or sense of idk something different. Walking around downtown Rome you can really sense that there is some magic in the air. The more time I spend in Italy the more I see and feel Frau (hailey's grandma who passed away) here. Especially being here in Rome I couldn't tell you exactly what it is but there really is an energy here that is similar to her. And the more I talk to Italian people, especially ones that are relatively normal....The more I see how much Italian papa has in him. I wish that papa could speak Italian because I think he would really enjoy talking to the people here. He really is a true Italian at heart with his mannerisms, his thinking, and his gentileness and behaviors towards others. Well we had some cool moments this week. First we got to English course and there was a girl there who had asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon, so we gave an impromptu lesson about that and then later in the week we gave a spiritual thought from Moroni 7:40-48 where it talks about hope and she asked afterwards for the page number so that she could read it again at home, so that was super sick. We went up to a zone conference and when we came home......oh boy did we see some miracles. We had a lesson planned with this man and so we met him for the first time because it had been a while since the other sisters met with him and he came in with the plan of salvation pamphlet and recited the whole plan of salvation to us by memory. Then we talked abou the importance of prayer and coming to church and then we invited him to be baptized a month from now and he said YES. We literally have a real live baptism date!!! Then after the lesson he prayed and thanked God for his church, the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints... Annndddd he came to church on Sunday! So that was seriously the craziest cool thing ever.  Then on our way home from that lesson we were talking and we met this man on the bus who was like "are you from the church of Jesus Christ of latter dat saints?" And we were like  "ya". And he was like "where is the branch here I am new here and I was friends with the missionaries and they gave me a Book of Mormon and I was reading it".... And I was like "wait have you been baptized?" And he was like  "no... I had to move here two days before I was supposed to be baptized in my other country." And we were like ahhh!! He didn't have a phone here yet so we gave him our number and pray that he calls us one day.  Then we have this other investigator who is like this 80 year old man and he's like so cute and funny. And something really neat that I just love about being a missionary and I really noticed it when we taught him this week is that the Lord helps us feel the love that he has for others. It's incredible. I was just looking at him and felt this overwhelming sense of love for him and I just knew that Heavenly Father knows him and loves him specifically. It's incredible to be a part of a gospel where you can really find out that you have a father in heaven who knows you and loves you personally. 

Well those are the highlights :) 

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Week 25 -Rome, 6/1/2015

Well this week was pretty stinking nuts.... I must say. 

First I had to say goodbye to everyone and their mom in Battipaglia. It was the busiest we had been in a while... we literally ran everywhere. But the beautiful news is that I got to see everyone I wanted. I was really happy about that. Okay so then we packed up all my stuff and we literally RAN from our house.. which is 30 minutes away from the station to the station, while our friend Stefano brought all my stuff in his car.. we of course went out of Battipaglia by the skin of our teeth.. haha. 

Then i had to say goodbye to Sorella Argyle at the train station... it was terrible. In fact... i cried. I seriously am going to be her friend FOREVER. I want you guys to meet her soooo bad. Ugh. Shes so awesome. Then we got to Termini.. which is the big metro/train station in Rome. So we arrived with all my stuff and Sorella Cano came and picked me up. Then we had to drag all of my suitcases to my new house which is an hour and a half away from Termini via metro and bus. Okay so here in Rome 1 there are 4 Sorelle. So we live in a house of 4. I basically got blown in again because okay --  so there were two companionships. One of them got blown out and so then the other companionship split and they both got new companions. So Sorella Cano and I got put to the work of the Sorelle that got blown out. So we don't really know a lot of people.. well okay I know NOONE and Sorella Cano knows only a little bit about some people. So that's hard. 

Well okay let me tell you about Sorella Cano... Sorella Cano is from Columbia but has lived in Milan for 18 years.. so she is basically Italian. She does not speak basically any english.. so thats interesting. I have to speak Italian ALL THE TIME. However it is really going to improve my itlaian so that will be cool. She told me i speak well for only being here for 6 months which made me so happy because I was terrified that I was just going to drive her crazy with my italian because she has basically only had companions that speak Italian as their native language or they are super old in the mission so they speak well. Okay so Sunday I met the ward (yes that is correct I said ward) before I was in a branch of like 25 includingus (ward members) and now I am in a ward of like 80 with a real chapel building and everything. Its NUTS. I was like oh my gosh... what do i do.. haha but the people seem nice and i am excited to know them. I don't know why but i really feel like part of the reason i am here is to friend the ward. One woman told me i sounded like i was Italian... i was like your joking.. maybe you thought i was Sorella Cano... haha but it was still cool all the same. 

I think that this area is going to wear me out. Rome is a tiring city physically because it is so big. I also think more than anything, mentally im going to be exhausted. Speaking in Italian all the time is really tiring. So that will be an adventure. But i must say that Rome is BEAUTIFUL and so different than Battipaglia. I am so excited to bring you guys to come and see it. I can't wait to walk around as a tourist.. haha not as a missionary. Fun fact... we are gettting Ipads this week!!!! So next week i will be emailing you from an Ipad!!! How sick is that!!  Also spiritual story for you. We had been praying to find a family to teach because we want more simps, so we prayed and prayed and then went out to do finding. So we went out and walked  around this park for about an hour and nobody really was super interested or didn't want to see us again. So we finally talked to this woman and she was SO excited. Literally, there are not people like that in Battipaglia. So she said we could come over and do a family home evening with her 2 sons. AHH. I am super excited about that. 

LOVE YOU

Week 24 - Battipaglia, 5/25/201

Well to go out with a bang this week I though I'd catch the stomach flu from Sorella Argyle... so we did not get to do as much work as we would have liked. We were stuck in the house for 4 days while I puked everything inside out. However we had some really neat experiences. We were helping a less active, and so she had taken us out to Eboli with her while she was fixing her car. So we were in this back alley mechanic shop road with fields all around and we were just talking about our time here in Battipaglia and wondering about the people we have talked to here. Then sorella Argyle yells look, its Zeezrom. (okay side story: we met this man on a train probably 2 months ago who was a lawyer and did not believe in God but was friendly and ended up talking to us for a while about the church and about God. he gave sorella Argyle his business card. we nicknamed him Zeezrom but obviously thats not his real name.) Okay so he comes just randomly strolling down this street and looks at us and double takes and gets the biggest smile on his face and says Ciao Ciao!!! and shakes our hands super vigorously and we were like do you remember us? and he was like Come No? Come No? and was just smiling and then he told his lived at the end of this street and that he would love for us to come visit some time and then just said he was so happy he saw us and kept walking down the street. Sorella Argyle and I were just baffled. Seriously. What are the chances that we would meet this man... who we haven't seen in 2 months... on the side streets of Eboli on this random morning. I'll tell you there was no chance about it. It was really really cool. 

Then we got transfer calls... I will write you a dissertation via letter of my feelings and like what happened person to person while I left but lets just say that I love the people here and turns out... they love me too. :) Sorella argyle told me i was the sunshine of Battipaglia and that I have a way of making anyone feel important and loved. That was pretty neat. Some cool news is that letters to and from will be much more regular and reliable in Rome so I can send you a letter every week with much more info than these emails haha. This morning we went to Gerardos house in the mmoutnains of Italy! Itwas incredible! Here is a picture. The other pictures is with pasquale (standing next to me) and stefano the other man. They are seriously two of my favorite individuals. We are super short on time today but i am going to write you a letter with info on all of this anddddd i m going to try and print out pictures and send them to you so you can see them all. :) 

IM GOING TO ROME!!!!!!! 

okay so rome is divided into 6 zones. My zone is called Rome 1. This is like legitmate Rome. My area has the Vatican in it! annnddd what's even crazier is that is the only other area Sorella Argyle has served in. She was there before she came here with me to Battipaglia! Seriously its so crazy. Then my new companion's name is Sorella Cano. She is from Columbia but has lived in Italy for alot of her life. She doesn't speak english..... soooo i will be really improving my Italian haha. I dont leave Battipaglia Until Thursday!! So these days i am just trying to say goodbye to everyone I want to talk to and taking pictures and packing! Its really hard to say goodbye to the people. I cannot wait to bring you guys here. I seroiusly LOVE the people here. They are incredible. I'm so excited!! Its so hard to leave but it feels right and I am ready for something new. It is really sad to leave Sorella Argyle too...but ahh!!!! I cant wait for you to meet the people here. YOu will LOVE Them. 

Week 23 - Battipaglia, 5/18/2015

Well... This week was pretty great! We went on a scambio and Sorella Argyle left me here in Battipaglia by myself! AHH. Well i mean i got my other companion but I had to run Battipaglia because she didn't know this area! i was scared but we managed to make it through unscathed. :) Then okay we have this male investigator. He is AWESOME. He's in his 70s and comes to English Course every week because he lived in London for 20 years and so he likes talking to us because it helps him maintain his english. so we picked him up about 2 months ago. He had been taught by the Sorelle about a year ago but through a series of unfortunate circumstances stopped being interested in the Church. So we became good friends with him and then im not really sure like when we started legitamately teaching him but we did. It has been amazing to see him grow. (He is one of the few Italians that actually listens and thinks about what we have to say... most of them do not.) We found out that a year ago he didn't even believe in God he was literally atheist and now he says the most beautiful prayers and prays every day. He's also reading the Book of Mormon and has such a sincere desire to find the truth.However it is coming piece by piece. I tried to teach an atheist English course student that there is a God and that the Book of Mormon is true. This was haha pretty interesting. I am good friends with this student and so I felt like i should ask him there other night if he felt like the Book of Mormon could be scripture after we talked about the Book of Mormon in English Course. So we start talking and I start testifying and trying to teach more about the Restoration and then he's like I don't believe in God and I was like oh... okay. Well why? and he was like there's no need. So I testified to him that there is a God and that that knowledge changes our lives for ever and has blessed me in so many ways and he essentially told me that praying and receiving answers is all a psychological effect and that I only think there is a God because others have told me it and because I want to believe it and so I feel that it is true. I didn't really have a way to respond to that so in the End I just told him that I knew that God was real and that he could know it to and that i'm not here to convince him that there is a God but because I am his friend and God is important to me so I want to share my knowledge with him. Haha it was a very interesting conversation and if anything it made me so grateful for my knowledge of the Savior and of our Heavenly Father. I could not imagine living without believing that there was something bigger out there. One last really cool story. So our friends who are a couple call themselves our Italian parents and so because the woman doesn't have any kids I thought it would be cool to do something for her for Mothers Day. So Sorella argyle came up with idea to Heart Attack her so we wrote out a big note and 20 characteristics of her and then walked out to their house and heart attacked their door. We were super nervous because we were pretty sure they were home while we did it and we didn't want them to come out or to hear us. So we sneakily did it and then ran haha. About 2 hours later during one of our lessons we got this text from her that said she had walked outside to go to work and had stopped and saw the door and started to cry. She LOVED it. She was just dying over it. And they had been home the whole time but we were so sneaky they didn't even hear us! :) So we went to the yogurt shop later cuz she was working and she saw us and just lovingly shook her head and then hugged us super big and just kept talking about how amazing and how happy it made her and how she will never ever forget us. It was seriously one of the best feelings I have had on the mission. I think that she really needed that and that it will be something she remembers for the rest of forever. Its really cool to see that you can share God's love for people not necessarily by preaching but by just loving them on a person to person level. I think Heavenly Father knew that would be really neat for her and so he helped us figure out what to do for her.