L Italia Sta Fiorendo!!

Ciao Tutti!

This week was AMAZING!!! So Saturday we took trains down to Caglieri and early on Sunday morning (we woke up at three in the morning) and we FLEW TO ROME!!!!! The stake conference was amazing!! Conferenza di palo! So PRESIDENT BALLARD CAME!!!! and the reason we flew in so early is because guess what?? he wanted to meet the missionaries!! He had a meeting for just the missionaries! It was so amazing he talked to us for about an hour and he said some amazing things to us, and he talked not just about missionary work in general but he talked about missionary work in Italy! it was so amazing and then after he shook every missionaries hand!!!! (just the missionaries in Rome, napoli and sardegna cause we were the only ones there for the conference (that is how big our stake is though)) SO, I SHOOK PRESIDENT BALLARDS HAND!!!!!! It was awesome|!!!!!! He is so an Apostle of the Lord!! Oh, and at the conference he split the stake!!! So we now have two stakes!!!!!! oh and guess what? He brought us up in front of the whole stake and he was said "PLEASE USE THESE MISSIONARIES!! They are here to help your missionary work! Tell your friends and your family and then ask the missionaries to help you with your work!" Which was so great because that was just what we needed!!! The members aren't that excited about missionary work here but his whole talk was about it. It was sorely needed!!! He told the members that "a missionary has never died of too much work, so put them to work" haha I'm so happy!!! It was sooo amazing!! then he gave a Apostolic blessing on the members which was really cool!!!!!!!

So the reason that it seems like Ive been emailing forever is because in the morning we go to the library, but we only have a certain amount of time on the computers for free. Then we have to walk all the way across town and finish at another Internet place, just in case your wondering.

So I just want to say HOW MUCH I LOVE ITALIANS!! They are the best!! Every Friday night there is a karaoke night under are apartment and it's a bunch of old men singing with accordions and singing their little Italian hearts out!!! It's the best! I just sit in my bed and kind of dance to their sweet tunes!! Especially the well known song "volare ohoh cantare ohohoh nel blu di.... blah blah blah"  I LOVE ITALY!!! SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!

On the way back from the conference it was raining and the plane had a bunch of turbulence!!! It was so fun!! It was so bad some people were screaming! But me and my companion were like "it's like a roller coaster" and we were just laughing! (there was like 10 missionaries on the plane.. it wasn't going down)

OH Weird thing, so during the conferenza there was a BYU study abroad group there and I saw this girl named Amy who I worked with at shabby apple and then I saw Kimberly Haymond!!! You know, I grew up with and went to back to school party's with when we were in elementary school! So weird!! Also the new greenie in our district (I'm his mission mom°) he is like best friends with Jesse walker and he knows Tanner! hahah so weird!!

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE THIS WEEK!!! if I can remember right this week its Rachel's birthday (well last week) and Grandpas and Carly pacheco and just everyone! so BUON COMPLEANO!!!

So in cagliari we found a store while waiting for our train that had TACO SEASONING!!!! and even better (mom and Wesley) WE FOUND MILO!!!!!!!! You know the Australian hot chocolate that me and Wes were addicted to!!!! Anyway I gotta go but I love you all so much!!! Sorry my email I think is a little short today, LOVE YOU!!!!!

 Sorella Felice

Here on Giligan's Island

Ciao tutti!!!

I LOVE MY NEW ISLAND!!!!!!!!!!!! It is PIU BELLISSIMA!! Everyone here is super nice and there are millions of cute little old Italian men EVERYWHERE! Oh my goodness it's really just beautiful here! The streets are so tiny that cars can't drive on them and EVERYTHING is cobblestone which is hard to walk on all day long during finding. hahah But it's Italy so I really can't complain!!! I wish I could describe how beautiful it is here! It's not only beautiful but it's also very clean compared to my old ghetto!!! Rome will always be my city but I love it here!!! Sorella Kippen and I are the only sisters up here (literally we are in the middle of nowhere). Our members are the best!! They spoiled the sisters here, they set up our apartment and its new and HUGE!!! It's all furnished from Ikea. So we have all Ikea furniture and our beds are so nice. They have the cutest sheets! Our closet runs along the whole wall. It's almost like a walk in, and then we have like a bran new kitchen!!! I cant believe how nice it is! I am so grateful. 

So, getting over here was an experience. Let me tell you about it. We took a plane from Rome to Cagliari and then 3 trains until we reached Sassari (with all my suitcases). So I left Rome at 6:00 in the morning and I didn't get to Sassari until 11:00 that night. I have yet to see a flamingo because apparently they are only in Cagliari, but we are going there this weekend. Guess why?  ELDER BALLARD IS COMING TO ROME!!!! So all the missionaries in Napoli e Sardegna and Roma are going to go to the Conferenza Di Palo with him!!! I'm so excited!! I get to go back to Rome!!!!! Oh and I get to see Elder Ballard!!

So my card reader broke, so no pictures of the BEAUTIFUL Sassari today. I'm sorry! Just imagine the most Italian town you can think of with everyone hanging their clothes out to dry and little cobblestone streets everywhere!! OH YEAH, THERE IS ALSO A BEACH (not that we get to enjoy being on it, but we can enjoy looking at it)!!!!!! LOVE IT!!

It's interesting being with someone younger then me in the mission. We are really working on our Italian! Luckily the people here only speak Sardo (Italian-Spanish mix) to each other and they speak Italian to us so that is good. I did learn that "ciao" in sardo is "ajuice"!!! You can tell it sounds a little more Spanish than Italian. Oh and Sards are very proud to be Sards!!! They don't say they are Italian they say they are Sards. hahah Which is funny. They name all their food with the word Sard in front of it.. like "dolci" is a kind of sweet and they call it here "sard dolci" or "sard potate" (which is just potatoes) They are hilarious!! I already love them so much. they eat a lot of snail here though!!! help me! I refuse to eat snail!!!!

Fun fact our apartment are by these old baths (you know in history when people would go take there "yearly bath" well we live by those) they look super gross, but very pretty and old!! Another fun fact, in the Internet point this lady is listening to "girls just want to have fun" right now. hahah good times!

Ok next thing about Sassari!! So you know how Milan is like fashion capitol of the world? Well, in Sassari they have all of the Milan fashion stores :)  I might be broke when I leave this island!! I have never seen such beautiful clothes. That sounds so weird, but it is true!!! Everything is just soooooooooo nice the clothes are such good quality!!!! ahhh the shoes!!!!!! The SHOES ARE TO DIE FOR!!! Mom we might need to come here when you guys pick me up!!!!!!!!

Another thing I am so grateful for... WE HAVE A REAL CHURCH BUILDING! It's like real!! It has a steeple and everything!!! It's beautiful!! Rome 3's Church was actually and old prison... so there were bars on the windows (hahah so our investigators couldn't escape mwahah jk)! The members here even bought our apartment for the missionaries to use. They are so nice!! and there are even big families, and ok well there is one huge family! and that's about all the members hahah In fact it's not even a ward it's a branch but its soooooo amazing I JUST LOVE IT HERE!!!!!!!!

TELL NATHAN TANTI AGURI ON BEING BAPTIZED!!! I wish I was there! I'm so excited that you guys are so close to being sealed as a family!! You are the best and I have THE BEST nephews in the whole world!!!!!

Ok, so there aren't as many foreigners here... So I don't have very many fun stories like there was in Rome so I'm sorry if my emails might get more boring.  hahah (this Internet point is great, she is now listening to (whats the song that goes "listen to your heart when hes calling for you") it is just a bunch of old women 80s songs hahah)

So my district here has Anziano Wozl who was in my first district. He is Austrian and he has an Anziano who is from Sweden hahah its kind of strange. Sorella Kippen is from Ogden, and we get along really well! We have been working super hard! We do a lot of finding because the branch doesn't actually have that many less active members. It seems like everyone knows who we are already though, we talk to a lot of the same people everyday! hahah Well anyway, that's about all i have to say. Oh, JK this week we were finding and we heard this huge commotion and we went down a couple of alley ways and we found an ITALIAN RAP CONCERT!!!! let me tell you Italian rap is pretty intense!!!! Then we found and old Spanish castle??? Ok, that is all. Anyway I love you all so much. Thanks for all the emails I love hearing about your lives sooooo much. I love you all like crazy and oh my gosh I only have a year left :(....... (gulp) i need to learn Italian... I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

con affetto

Sorella Felice

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale....

CIAO TUTTI!!!

SO GUESS WHAT!!!! I GOT TRANSFERRED!!!!! and I'm being transferred to somewhere I never ever EVER thought I would go!!!! also if you want to know i have to fly to my new area and i am only allowed ONE SUITCASE!!! OK here we go! my transfer call is that I'm leaving Rome three obviously and I'm going TO THE ISLAND OF SARDEGNA!!!!!! (i wish you could caps lock on the caps lock to make it bigger!!!) MY ZONE IS SASSARI!!! its a super small city and the very top corner next to SPAIN!!!!!!!! also you ll never guess!! THEY SPEAK A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE!!! ITS CALLED SARDO!! AIUTAMI!!! It's a mix of Spanish and Italian...... I don't even know Italian!!! oh and even a bigger twist! MY COMPANION IS YOUNGER THEN ME!!!! im her follow up trainer!!! It's going to me and my new comp Sorella Kippen in a little town in the middle of NO WHERE!!!! and also the people in my ward said that they don't even understand sardo and they are Italians!!!! PRAY FOR ME!!!!!!! oh and my city is pronounced "sauce a ree" I am actually really excited for it!!! I really wanted to go somewhere down in Calabria but I'm excited!! I can't wait to learn Spanish Italian and I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED!!!!

So this last p-day we went into Centro and we bought gelato and guess what flavor we got!!!!" BASIL!!! It was really weird eating like basily ice cream... hahah but it's soooo Italian!!! Also fun fact about gelaterias (gelato stores) in Italy. if you ask to try a flavor they get REALLY mad so you don't usually try flavors before you choose.

Did you ever find out if they have calabreses sauce at Grenatos??? Because I will die without that sauce!! I learned how to make it but I'm worried i wont make it as well!!!

OK, so last week I did a huge long scambi (when they switch companions) and on pday we went to piazza del popolo. We were sitting there watching everyone drive around on Segways and this gypsy comes up to me (I know another gypsy story (que roll eyes)) and he hands me a rose!! and I was like "non grazie" (No Thanks) but he kept shoving it into my hands. So I told him I wasn't going to pay him for the rose. Then he said "for free just for you!!" I said "Ok, if you want to give me a free rose, thats fine with me". Then he pulls out a friendship bracelet out of his pocket and ties it on my wrist (which im still wearing!) So I told him "Thank you" and then he leans in really close to me (like really close!!! I almost fell off my bench) and he says "a kiss is all it costs!!" hahahah!! Anyway I kept the bracelet but he got mad when I told him telling him I was a missionary for God. hahah he did take the rose away, but left the bracelet. funny story!

oh yeah and on this scambi I went to ostia which is right on the beach!!! it was really fun except we went to a dinner appointment and the members gave us meat and mozzarella balls (which is such a typical Italian meal) however for some reason they gave me 7 MOZZARELLA BALLS AND UNCOOKED BACON!!! NEVER EAT UNCOOKED BACON! It does some funky things to your stomach!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone else got salami and like 4 mozzarella balls! Why do I always get served the funky stuff?? 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I FORGOT TO TELL YOU!!!! FLAMINGOS COME FROM THE ISLAND OF SARDEGNA!!!!!!! IM GOING TO FLAMINGO LAND!!!!!!

So something funny about Italian fashion!! So Milan is THE fashion capital of the world, but by the time the trends reach Rome they are a little different.... the show "What Not To Wear" would be a very good asset here!!! However once the trends hit Sicily they just become HORRIBLE!! That was super random....

So I'm going to tell you about some of the missionary "problems" we have. Like "first world problems but this is a "First missionary problem". When one of your investigators has cute nail polish and you say "your nails are so pretty" They will then give you the bottle and say paint your nails and i'll come on Sunday to get the bottle back... Then, not thinking, you have another investigator who for some stupid reason I said the exact same thing and she got the same idea as the other investigator and now they both expect me to be wearing their nail polish in church on Sunday.... please help me..... missionary problems

Oh, So also on scambi this week I learned how to make EGGPLANT PARMESAN!!! its SOOSOOO good!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We went over to our Filipino friends this week and they were having a girls night where they do each others hair and make up and stuff, so they made us join in. Then they made Filipino food for us ( SOOO GOOD) And then at the end they told us that our district is the closest district they have ever seen in Rome 3 EVER!! and it's so true!! at our last district meeting we were all crying. We even all bought matching scarves and ties and took pictures. EVERYONE said that they don't think they'll ever have a better district. We had 10 missionaries!! It was so fun and we had good traditions!! Its going to be SOOOOO sad to leave them tomorrow!!! By the way, one of the elders is coming to sardegna with me. Oh and SORELLA BRADFORD IS OPENING UP PALERMO!!!!!!! FOLLOW UP TRAINING ONE SISTER AND GETTING ANOTHER GREENIE!!! You probably don't know this but Palermo hasn't been opened for sisters for over 15 years. And when it was, it was closed very fast because its SOOOO dangerous (mafia)! It's in Sicily and she will be one of the only sisters that have ever served there!!! So cool!!!

One more story.. so last night we went to one of our ward members homes (WHO I LOVE!)!!! She told me that she wants my family to come over after my mission to have a huge pranzo (party)!!! Also they are Spanish and they love music so we always feel apostate going over there for dinner cause they listen to music during dinner. and Sorella Benitez said that I have the most beautiful voice she has ever heard?????? (bwahahah) She really meant it too?!! So weird!! Anyways, so we are over there and her daughter came in with their new dog and the dog runs and jumps on me on the couch and IT PEED ALL OVER ME!!!!! and our phone!!!!! That's our punishment I guess for not telling them we can't listen to music during dinner!!!

Also they told us that the US attacked syria?? is that correct??

Anyway I love you all so much and I hope that everything is going well at home and where ever else you might be!! I just want to say really fast how much I LOVE this work!! I LOVE IT!! I love that everyday I get to learn about our Savior and his love for his children!! I have such a strong testimony about the Book of Mormon! I know that small things are great things brought to pass. I have a testimony of this because before my mission I used to read my scriptures every night! But just by studying them instead of just reading them, I have grown SO MUCH closer to my Savior then I would have ever had if I had continued to just read! I promise you that if you study your scriptures every day you can over come anything!! Through the enabling power of our Savior Jesus Christ we can be strengthened in any situation!! All of this starts by just doing the little things!!!! I'm sorry that was really scatter brained!!! I just want to say that I love my Savior and I'm so thankful for the opportunity I was given to serve! I love you guys so much!!!

vi voglio bene sempre

Sorella Felice!

This is Doris - let me tell you about her for a sec. Doris is from Nigeria she left home at a very young age to go to school to read and while she was at school her Mom died. The lady she lived with beat her every day! She finally graduated elementary school when we was a teenager and left. She met her husband Sunny who is a member. They lived in Libia she was pregnant with her fist child Millicent and she was beaten several times while pregnant from people in the camp she lived in. So Sunny took her to Italy. While they were coming to Italy their ship sank and she and Sunny and her girl Millicent were on a raft for four days in the middle of the Mediterranean. Then when they got to Italy she found out  she was pregnant with Divine. She ended up going into early labor which she almost died from and Sunny ( I love him) found out she was in the hospital, he dropped straight to his knees and prayed for 5 hours. He knew it was better to pray for her then try to make it to the hospital and end up not making it in time. Doris lived and now they live in a mafia owned refugee camp. I have so much respect for her and I have learned more than I ever thought I would!

Saying goodbye to our cute ward :(

Sorelle Pancheri and I blowing out Birthday Candles cause we are one day apart and I have no room in my "one suitcase" for the cake mix we bought to celebrate in October. So we decided to have a joint birthday party?!! haha. 22 was the only candles we have even though we are turning 20 and 21, So we just made do!

Rain is a GOOD thing

CIAO TUTTI!!

So this week was awesome!!! the heat is finally going away and we are getting A TON of rain!!! i love it!! the thunderstorms are SOOOO intense here! are power has gone out quite a few times!! which actually kindof stinks cause we will come back and all of our food will have gone bad in our fridge, oh well though ITS RAINING!!

Ok so this week we were leaving our appartment and sorella pace and i start heading down the stairs and sorella bradford is locking the door and she goes "oh crap we need your keys we left ours inside"(side note the doors lock here as soon as you close them even if you dont have a key) so i look through my bag and i realized i had left my keys inside too!!! and the bad thing was that we had a baptism that day and i had left my talk and sorella pace had left her violen in their cause we were planning on comming back to get them! so we tried to call the office but they didnt have a copy of our key so we went onto our roof and we were like maybe we can repel onto our balcony and somehow breakinto one of those doors (well i wasnt going to let anyone do that cause i just have this mental picture of someone falling three stories!!) anyway so we tried for about an hour to break in and we couldnt so finally the assistants came over and they had like xray paper and they slid it into the door and then just went crazy on the door (like kicking it and stuff) and the door just popped open hahah anyway thats about the only thing exciting that happened this week besides some guy last night called us and asked if i would go to egypy with him and marry him????? we have gotten all of these SUPER creepy calls lately and its probably cause we have been doing a lot of finding haha but if it gets worse we might have to switch phones with the anziani.

SO THIS WEEK WE HAD 2 BAPTISMS IN ROME 3!!!!! it was soooo awesome!!! they were both the anziani baptisms but one of them was a phillipini named joyce and she is 19 (SAME AS ME!) And we just bonded really well so she asked me to talk at her baptism so that was really fun!!! phillipini are the best people ever!! and they make REALLY REALLLY GOOD FOOD!!!

So the other sorelle have this golden investigator who said the first time she saw the book of mormon she knew it was true and started crying!!! she is awesome! but she has THE CUTEST little boy in the whole world and on sunday he sat next to me at church the whole time!! i love that little kid!! he is about the same age as marley!!

So this week sorella pace and i did a but load of bus finding!!! (cause it was raining and no one was in the parks) so we have found that if you talk to someone who is south american they already know who we are!!!! so we have this new stradegy of talking to every south american we see! and we have gotten A TON of numbers and potentials from it hahahah there are a ton of people from columbia and peru here its crazy!!!! in fact there are just a lot of people here!!!! we have given out BOM in arabic, tagalig, bengali, romanian, russian, polish, and of course spanish and italian!

So the other night i guess i was sleep talking A LOT and everyone said that they couldnt go to sleep cause i was like talking really loud and i was talking about bread hahah random

ok so i dont have a lot of time today cause im actually going on a scambi to ostia right after this (WITH AN ITALIAN COMP!!) But my random fact of the week is that in italy they use army time!!! so its going to be weird getting use to like regular time again!! anyway  i love you all so much and miss you tantissimo!!!! VI VOGLIO BENE!!!

Sorella Felice

She finally got her card that says she can live in Italy! 

Joyce's Baptism

"Carlo Felice" Street. Funny cause her Sisters name is Carly!

Cool building with Christ and his apostles on the rooftop

Cool Door?

Cool Graffiti?

Paulas whole zone after Joyce's baptism