O Holy Night

  I have noticed and studied about how winter time is the time when most people have depression, gain weight or are the most stressed (and not stressed because of christmas because we know that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. Yes it can be stressful trying to get christmas ready, but in the end it makes us happy) .If you think about it, without Christmas (according to me) winter would be the most dreadful thing ever! But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is Christmas. The season to be jolly, even though its really not! Why are people so happy during the winter? and what is this  Christmas Spirit? 

     I think that the reason people are so happy during christmas is because we are celebrating the birth of our savior. And I know that a lot of people don't believe in christ and only celebrate christmas for Santa and presents, but i believe that Christmas is a huge part of celebrating christ. When Christ came to earth he taught us so many things. He taught us the way we should live, good standards and virtues that we should have. When we give gifts to others, its because we love them. We love people because it is godlike gift that we as his children inherited. Like it says in my favorite christmas song ‘O Holy Night “ Truly he taught us to love one another His law is love and His gospel is Peace” We give gifts and perform service projects during the Christmas season to show others our love and our affection for them. We learned this from the Prince of Peace. 

He is the light and life of the world and of the year. He is always shinning and showing us the way. I think that it  is the light of christ. His example. When we follow his teachings and his example, we will feel the Spirit of Christmas. We will feel his love. Think of how happy you are when you serve someone. When you do the right thing. That is the spirit. That is the love. And it’s this same feeling that we get at christmas time. 

     Christmas is SO symbolic of that. we have all our houses decorated with lights and a christmas tree with a star at the top (or an angel). We try to do good each year so we can be on Santa's’ “nice list”, You’re hopefully surrounded by your family and loved ones. Christmas is all about Christ. He is the joy that this season brings and this Christmas season i would like to focus on living and doing what he has taught, and by doing that, i will feel his love and find joy in this hard time of the year. I am so grateful that we have a savior. Someone who loved us so much that he gave his own life. God has a plan for each of us and it started when christ was born. To all my friends out there He wants us to live with him again, and we needed christ to atone for us so we could make it back. I love thee Lord Jesus, my Savior, my Brother and my King. 

In Poche Parole..

Ciao tutti

Well... this is it... 

i don't really know what to wright about... Im super sad to leave the mission. Its blessed my life in more ways than i could have ever imagined. Ive learned so much and grown so close to my savior. I HAVE LOVED these past 18 months with all my heart. they really are the best months of my life.

Some of the things I've learned the most are

How important prayer, scriptures and church are. These three things will help all of us endure to the end. they help us feel the spirit everyday and they let us invite the savior into our lives. The scriptures are POWERFUL beyond measure! when we read them we have a power to overcome the temptations of the adversary. Prayer is one of the most important things we can do everyday! When we pray we can literally have the savior by our side and if we have faith we can do all things! Church is a way in which we can show christ that we accept his atonement for us. Think about it. when we don't take the sacrament we are telling christ that for that week we wont remember him and that we don't want to accept the gift of the atonement that he has given us. (thats already payed for... its a waste.) 

Ive learned the importance of the plan of salvation. and especially to have an eternal perspective in all things. in poche parole S.M.I.L.E (Spiritually Minded Is Life Eternal) 

Ive learned how to show others your love for them. its called SACRIFICE when we sacrifice and do things that maybe we don't want to do (like dishes or buying the toilet paper this week even though i did it last week too.) we show those in whom we are with that we love them. Especially when you LOVE that person. imagine how selfish we are when we don't do things for those we love simply because we don't want to. check yourselves. AND ESPECIALLY DONT COMPLAIN!!! 

Ive learned how important and powerful our desires our. they can lead us to do good or evil. and we need to be careful with them. in the end if we really have a true desire to follow god but we struggle to do it. in poche parole it means that we are trying. and that we are doing the best we can. 

Miracles happen, Angels are here on earth helping us.

and a whole lot more I've learned!!!

Ok funny story!! this week we were teaching our simp gianni and for our last lesson we taught him the law of chastity! and he read the pamphlet and the next time we saw him he comes up running to us and says (this is a gianni phrase..) "in poche parole" the law of chastitiy is....etc. and as hes telling us all the rules he says "don't look on a women and lust after her" and as he is saying that a women walks by who was pretty good looking and his head follows her and he ends up with his mouth open and not talking... hahahahah we were laughing SO hard!!! AS he was talking about not looking at women he was doing it! hahah sorry maybe that sounds a bit stupid and gross but it was soooooooo funny! then we hit him in the head with our scriptures. 

Agata is great. she isn't going to get baptized this week but she is going to get baptized. that is the important thing! 

This week i pack friday night and leave early Saturday morning to take a 11 hour train to rome. ill be in rome 3!!!!!! for church and then p-day ill be at the villa for my last interview and i should be leaving early morning tuesday.... so thats it. 

I love you all so much! i cant tell you guys how much my mission has meant to me and how grateful I've been to serve a mission. I'm truly lucky! everything i say about my mission is an understatement... and just like alma says " i cannot say the least part of which i feel." 

Con Tutto Il Mio Cuore

Sorella Felice 

pics

me on the bus today 

this guy with his pony on the sabbath

GRAPE SEASON!!! one reason i love september in italy! 

Four in a Fiat

Ciao tutti!!!

This week went well. We had my last zone conference which was really sad!! and i gave my death testimony which didn't go so well.. when i got up there i said buongiorni tutti instead of buongiorno... i was SOOO nervous! but after that it went alright.. i decided not to use anymore italian in it after that slip up. 

AHHH so during the conference we got a text from agata that said she wanted to get baptized before i left and that we should start planning it!!! and then that night we called her and she told us that she didn't want to get baptized anymore. that she was looking up stuff on line and she said that she really didn't have a testimony and that her mom was yelling at her for the decision..etc. it was like the saddest day of my life i just kept crying and crying... and then the next day she told us that all was good and that she wants to still be baptized but she isnt going to tell her mom about it cause there were so many problems at home.... so.. thats were we are with agata. she isn't going to get baptized before i go, but thats just fine. as long as its in her time and  and its right. 

Yesterday we went to church in enna. its a little city that just barely got missionaries this year and just two months ago they baptized there first member. so we took agata and our new convert (from the other sorelle that got taken out) and we went to enna for church!! it was soooo cool! the spirit is soooo strong and the chapel is the living room of the elders apartment haha but it was great i was looking at all the people there and there were 4 missionaries, 2 non members, and 4 new converts (three from catania and the one from enna) so it was super interesting, if you would have gone back just 1 year there would have only been 4 missionaries. anyway. that was fun and cool. 

last night we found two baby cockroaches which means there is some mother hiding in our house we cant find.... :( also we decided that the bakery under our apartment is breeding them so we refuse to buy anything from them. 

Nothing too exciting happened this week. besides the fact that I'm in love with italy and never want to leave. catania is sooo beautiful!! 

LOVE YOU ALL SO  MUCH!!!

Sorella Felice 

pics 

agata, new convert veronica me and cano in the back of a tiny yellow fiat on the way to enna

me and cano 

and then us at church!!!! 

Its kind of lonely in a house of two…. unless you go into the kitchen at night… then you'll have hundred of friends!!!

Ciao tutti

Well this week was just hectic! the sorelle left and now its only me and sorella cano in the big scary house of monsters. We cleaned it really well this week though and we do the dishes every five seconds so that maybe the cockroaches wont have enough food and want to leave. (thats are plan but shhhhh dont tell the cockroaches!) This week has been super stressful cause we now have our work (which was a lot! not going to lie... like less actives potentials... etc.) and now we have the work of the other sorelle which was a lot bigger!!! AHHHHHH to many people to see in to little time! Also this week is the week of death in all of the mission . FERRAGOSTO. its so hot in italy during august that everyone leaves and goes on vacation, but this week is the actual week of holiday so all the stores are closed and everyone is GONE! so not only do we have a lot of work but we cant visit them cause everyone is at the beach or on vacation... wahoooo. I'm lucky that I'm not in a small city though like foggia or sassari. (they are like ghost towns for a month) at least cantania has tourists. 

AHHHHH also big news!!! I SAW ANZIANO BIRBERG THIS WEEK!!!! it was so exciting!!! he is going to palermo which is on the other part of the island also its another zone so that was the last time ill see him on the mission :( but it was super fun!!! love that kid! 

What else happened this week. Church yesterday was CRAZY!!!! first off we get there and all the members are waiting outside waiting for someone with the keys to come and open the gate. and sorella cano and i ask all the members if they can greet our simps that were coming to church and make them feel welcome (cause they don't... its a huge problem. last week we had someone new come and not ONE person said hi.) anyway then the members got in a huge fight and they were like sorelle how are we supposed to love these new people when we don't even love each other.... ughhhh so frustrating!!! i think its for this reason that this city used to be THE MISSION OF CATANIA and now its a city with four missionaries. anyway that stinked but then everyone brought a friend to church and we have TWO NEW REFERRALS!!!!!!!!!!!! crazy!!!! and we have appointments with them this week! so that was cool.

ok other than than nothing to exciting has happened (besides the fact that I'm getting fat here in sicily with all the good food!) look for the rolly polly at the airport in five weeks! LOVE YOU!!!!!! 

Sorella felice 

pics

a giant leaf i found 

all of us at a phillipino party with a priest 

me and birberg

Agata!

Ciao tutti!!!!

I'm losing me desire to write emails so... bear with me this might be really short.

This week we had a AMAZING lesson with one of our simps! last sunday she said that she was thinking about not taking the lessons anymore cause she wasn't getting an answer and we talked to her for a long time and then this week we had a lesson with her about testimony. Anyway long story short she asked me when i was leaving and i told her blah blah blah and she said OH NO you wont be here!! and i said for what? and she said i got my answer last night and IM GETTING BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHH we are trying to see if we can have her baptism on the 13th (my last saturday) but she is leaving for vacation soon and not coming back till a couple days before that date.. but oh well. Im just soooo happy!!!!!! she told us that she prayed and asked if she should get baptized then started reading in the bible and she was reading a part where john the baptist was preaching to the people and tells them to be baptized and converted unto the true gospel of christ. and she said i felt peace and i KNEW! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh im so excited!!!!!

other than that nothing really exciting happened..

Anyway love you all!!!!! hope you have the best rest of the summer EVER!!! (i don't think that really made sense.) HAVE A GOOD WEEK!!! 

Vi Voglio Bene

Sorella Felice 

my comp hahah

me and agata (our simp thats getting baptized!!!!!) we went to a restaurant today called old wild west hahah

IM ON TOP OF THE WORLD!!!!!

Ciao tutti!!!

TODAY WE WENT TO MNT. ETNA!!!!!!!! it was sooo cool!!! its one of the tallest and most active volcanos in the world!! ahhhhhh so cool! and you can see like all of sicily..... well not all but a lot!! and it has been going off all week so there was still lava at the top (which we couldn't see but you could see a bit of red and then just smoke. ) it was super fun!!!

this week was FERRAGOSTO! which is the week most dreaded in all the mission. everyone leaves. we didn't have one appointment with any of our simps... so that was cool. but its better here then being in a small city so i cant complain. We cleaned our house all day for ferragosto (cause there is no work so the mission does a cleaning day). what else happened this week...

not much im just going to send pics today.. really nothing happened this week so... I LOVED THE VOLCANO super cool!!!!! 

ok also fun fact in the catholic church. sometimes that put out priests (dead priests) on display and this week we found one that you could actually see he was disintegrating (is that the right word?) anyway love you all!!!!!! 

mwhahh

sorella felice 

Catania…. continued

Ciao Tutti!

Well this week not a lot happened....

ok really I'm just looking in my planner and really NOTHING excited happened. We've just been visiting our homies here in catania and teaching the gospel...

OH DUH! transfer calls came and IM STAYING IN CATANIA WITH CANO TO DIE wahooo. however the worst part is that they are blowing out the other sisters. Sorella stephens is going to rome to train (which i am really happy about cause she hasnt been able to see rome and she has been in the south her whole mission so it should be super fun for her to die up there. ) and then sorella furlanich died this week... :( ...(ok when someone finishes there mission we use the term to die.) so me and cano will be all alone here in this HUGE city!!!!! Besides the two elders. (the crazy part is that sassari has 8 missionaries and its a tiny tiny tiny city that used to only have one set of elders there, and catania is a HUGE HUGE HUGE city that used to be a MISSION!!! and now there are only four missionaries here. However the sisters were blown out cause the ward doesn't deserve 6 missionaries. no one helps the missionaries here and so pres. decided to take them out, which is super sad. 

Also i have to defend myself all alone against the mother cockroaches!!!!!! this morning we found one that i killed that its antennas were like 4 inches long!!!! AHHHH so gross!!! we all woke up at five cause the sisters had to get to the airport to fly to rome to die and sorella stephens just starts screaming and all of us are up on chairs just screaming at 5 in the morning trying to figure out how to kill this beast of a cockroach.... (wow my adventures here are sooooo exciting) 

This week we did a lesson with this less active family (they are my first less active family that i really believe they are doing the best they can and they literally cant get to church. i love them so much!!! its a single mom with two little girls... ahhhh i love them!!! but we did this lesson with them this week where we made a cake and all the "ingredients" were the things we need in our life like flour = prayer.... etc.. and the little girl who is nine came up to me and gave me the biggest hug after and told me that she loved the church!!!!!!!!!! it was soooooo cute!!! and she isn't baptized but she wants to really bad but she cant :( anyway that was fun!

This week one of your simps dropped us (it happens super often but this is one I've praying for and i had a lot of faith and hope that she was going to get baptized.) anyway we called her and she was like i don't want to learn about the gospel anymore sorry. and we asked her if we could at least go and get a gelato with her, saying we really just want to be friends (cause that is what she needs. she is super depressed and never leaves her house and never hangs out with people) and she told us that she didn't want to do that.... it was really sad... and then today we saw her on the bus and she SPRINTED off!!! AGHHHHHHHHHHHH i don't understand!!!!!!!!!!! Its sucks when you know how to help someone and they wont let you!!! and I'm devastated that she wants to remain in this state of depression.... :( 

Yesterday we ate dinner with an american family that works on the military base here in catania and they made us chicken enchiladas!!!!! wahooo soo good AND REFRIED BEANS!!!!! and dried mango and a betty crocker chocolate cake.... ahhhh troppo americano!!!! 

anyway really thats all that has happened love you so much!!!! have a great week

Sorella Felice

Ps i went on a cereal shopping spree and bought a ton of master crumble (mom) that will last me till the end of my mission hahah 

pics. me and kimberly making the cake (well frosting the holy ghost hahah) 

a little boy trying to shoot me when i was doing an english lesson to this cute family

Some priest with the name felice