Another P-Day? Already

Mamma Mia, un altra settimana ha gia passato! Come?! Hellllllo Family! Literally, I am pretty sure pday was two days ago but nope here it is again. To start of the week, hear's a little story and you can judge me if you'd like. I "woke" up this morning literally terrified that someone was after my six color scripture marking highlighter pen. So after locating it, I did the best thing I could do to keep it secure, and I slept with it. Yes, this morning, the alarm went off and I thought to myself, "that was a weird dream" only to find my pen tightly clenched in my hand. But alas, I can resume morning studies with a secure pen.

Miracle Time! I dont even know where to begin. 

Fiona! She is a cousin of a recent convert that we have been meeting with for bout two months. She totally wants to get baptized but we had to set her date for the 1 feb because she wanted to get married first. She was married Tribally in Nigeria but wants a legal marriage in Italy. Well Sunday night we meet with her and all timid like, she says, "I am really tired of waiting to be baptized, can I just get baptized and just not see my man until we are married?" ummmmm, did you just ask to be baptized earlier?! Welcome to the fold my sister, salvation is just around the corner! After cleaning her situation with President Dibb and her moving in with her cousin, she will be baptized Saturday! She is so cute and cannnnnnot wait to take the sacrament. 

Cara Famiglia Mia,

   Che cosa posso dirvi?! Io so, SONO UN NUOVA ZIA! Ben venuta alla terra mia nipotina! Tu sei bella come la tua mamma!

So excited to welcome little Leah into the world! She is beautiful beyond words and is going to be so spoiled. I LOVE HER. Anyways, transfer news. I am staying in Lodi with Sorella Smart for another transfer. As last transfer ended with a dud, and almost 0 investigators, we are hoping to start of stronger and stay stronger. 

In this weeks edition of "Thank you various siblings for preparing my investigators" we travel to......drum rolllll..... BRAZIL! Sit back down in your seat, Elizabeth. We met Leah on the street on Dec. 6 and were finalllllly able to meet with her this Monday! She is passing through some trials right now but totally accepted the BoM and wants good change in her life. So we have a return appointment with her and we are planning on bringing her heaven. Did i mention she's a professional cook? Oh, and she's beautiful! It's kinda intimidating. We are the ugly missionaries. hahaha

2014 New Year's Day

Buon' Anno Famiglia Mia!!!

 

I cannot believe it is 2014!!! How did that happen!? Somehow, a hop and skip across the ocean makes time FLY past and we are welcoming in the new year, tis the year I will rejoin you on my beloved soil of America. God bless 2014. To celebrate the new year, President banished us to the apartment. We had to be inside be 5pm. In Italy, you put a little alcohol in the bloodstream and it becomes a good idea to celebrate the new year by throwing out the old refrigerator. So to protect ourselves from flying refrigerators, we spent the evening inside the house. I did a little studying of the language, made scones, gave Sorella Smart a make over and cleaned. Turns out Sorella Smart is a bit of a light weight and fell asleep, so I read from Jesus the Christ and had my mind blown! That book is genious. Anyways, I woke her up for the new year and we watched fireworks from our porch. at 12:05 I was in bed. Hahaha welcome 2014! 

I think this email, I will spend a bit of time reflecting. Let us take a stroll down memory lane insieme. Lessons learned from 2013 -

Christmas Card from Sorella Alley

Wise Men Still Seek Him...

 

 

        May you all find Christ during this season. 

Tanti Auguri di Buon Natale! 

      con amore, 

 

                    Sorella Alley e Sorella Smart 

It is almost Christmas time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Fun with pancakes. Dedicated to THE hermana Alley"

Well, let's just change that with a little realization from personal study. Trasport your selves into my brain for a few moments, walk past the jumbled boxes of italian and straight to the study desk. 

Every day is Christ's day when you are His disciple. 

Everyday from now on everyday shall be Christmas! Epic realization.

So miracle time! Monday, consisted of 9 straight hours of tracting. Yes, 9. We did our studies and lunch straight through so we wouldnt have to interrupt our mindset of finding. Side note to senior companion Alley *that was a terrible idea. Anyways, after being denied, for 8  and half hours straight, I was pretty frustrated and a little discouraged. We crossed a bridge and I contemplated jumping....okay its not that bad but all you RM's understand this feeeling. Well, I spy a woman and we purposefly put ourselves in her way. New method i am trying. It's called You Talk To Me Because You Ran Into Me First. Anyway, after we said we werent Jdubbs, she listened and actually asked all the plan of salvation questions. Oh baby, it was exhilirating. Well it turns out this woman lost her son 11 years ago when he was 23. She just starts sobbing! Well my good old contagious eyes, just jump right on in...so we are both tear streaked at this point. We did the entire plan of salvation leesson on the street, prayed for her son to make his presence felt in her life and made a return appointment! Lesson learned. Sorella Alley, sometimes it takes 8 plus hours proving to God that you are serious about His work BEFORE He gives you His referall. Flip, it was incredible. 

Auguri di Buon Natale un po di presto ma va beh!

I am wiggling in my chair and just counting down the days till I will hear the sweeeet squaking of Andrew and the first words from Graham, "Ciao, Sorella Alley come stai?!" Yes, first words will be in italian. 

Okay, lets just jump right into the goods of the week. Shout out to Stephen's glory days once again. We had dinner with Maria and Richerd last week and she made an authentic Republica Domenicana meal for us. She pulled out these MASSIVE GREEN BANANAs. I am not kidding, like close to a foot long. Apparently they are called Plantina or something like that.....but she deep fried them into these crunchy little morsels of island blast in the mouth. Hope that is somewhat accurate to what Stephen ate or I just got tricked by a foreigner. 

Alright, weather update for all your cold salt lakers-.you havent been cold until you have been in the humidity. Yes, today is -10 degress with so much humidity it's like you are sweating but you are not being really you are shivering and the tears freeze in your eyeballs. Also, it gets SOOOOOO foggy here. You cannot see more than 5 feet in front of your face and the land is blanketed in it. So crazy, and the natives say its the worst this year. Makes tracting fun, anyone we find we talk to because we usually literallty walk right into them. However, when someone is one a bike - it's scary because it looks like a black monster is coming straight for you. Satan. 

Tanti Auguri di Buon NATALE!

Well not, quite but almost. Non posso credere è natale già! Wow, It is decembre! To celebrate, i prayed for snow and we got snow for the first time! But not enough to cover anything.... ;( and now it is just freezing. If it is going to be freezer there should atleast be snow...

But miracle time. We were tracting last Friday night in a paezzinni (little town) close to the church. No one was out (naturally, it was frigid) so we had to resort to knocking doors.....by that I mean ringing bells on the gates. No one was having it. So the last one we rang before heading back was a success!!! An older man, once we stated we are not the local Jdubbs, invited us in for "one minute" to get warm. The first time I have ever been welcomed into a house! Well we talked to the older man and his wife, shared Ether 12:27 with them and then bore testimony. They invited us back and we taught them yesterday the Restoration. My very first successful casa story! Took 8 1/2 months but I was thrilled! Well, Mimo and Angela are being prepared to accept the gospel, and I am going to help them along. Wooooo

Well, my new companion is Sorella Madison Smart from Draper. She is 19 but has a rock solid testimony. She was fortunate enough to be trained by a native italian (I must apologize to Sorella Burkman for handicapping her lingquisticaly) so she speaks very well. Very humbling for you know who. She is not confident in her teaching skills so we balance each other's weaknesses well, funny how the Lord knows us. We are planning on working hard this transfer because she has never had a baptism. It is about time she had one! Funny story: I here a crazy popping and sizzzling noise in the kitchen and i meander my way in to see what is happening. Well there is Sorella Smart barely holdng on to a pan of smoking oil and egg plant. The oil got a little to hot, and she tried to "cool it off" with water.......now chemistry wasn't my best subject but........I do know flaming oil and water dont mix. hahahaha thankfully I had baking soda that took care of the problem right away, then we put the emergency numbers on the fridge. hahahaha