A story about a nun...

Highlight of my life: This morning while riding on the way to the internet point, I stopped at a light and looked to the person on my left. I am a huge fan of awkward bike conversation so I immediately struck up conversation without even really thinking. The victim: a 80 year old Nun.

Sorella Alley "Oh how are you? Today is sure a wonderful day!"

Sister Veronica "I am fine, and you?"

Sorella Alley "Oh I am great! Just enjoying the sunshine."

Sister Veronica "What is your name?"

Sorella Alley "I am Sorella Alley"

Sister Veronica "..........no, I am Sister Veronica. Who are you?"

Sorella Alley "I am Sister Alley. We are both sisters."

Sister Veronica "But how can that be?" 

Sorella Alley "Well, if you would like, I can come to your..........cathedral? and teach you how that can be..."

Sorella Veronica " No thanks, I believe you."

Sorella Alley "okay, well remember CHrist was resurrected. Have a nice day"

I have a super important question

I have a super important question - It literally cannot wait.

What do you can an alligator in a vest?

An investiGATOR! 

oh ya, missionary jokes all day long! 

How about that general conference?! Each talk just sent my spirit a boogin' with joy and I was spiritually feasting the entire time. Mashed potatoes, who nees them? I have Anziano Holland. Turkey - that is for the weak. Elder Bednar offers better. Still hot rolls, not even a temptation. Dieter is totally a temptation. Rainbow jello, okay that I could do but I would still trade it for President Monson. Oh golly, la conferenza generale was the best one yet! I prepared myself for a week and prayed that Heavenly Father would make known to me what HE thought I needed in my life. I did not focus on receiving answers to questions or thoughts, instead, I said, "Padre Celeste, you know better than I do, what I need......I will do my best to open my heart and listen with my spiritual ears. Aiutami." And help me HE did! I received wonderful very personal revelation and my testimony became a bean stalk that I might just scale my way to the CK. 

Thanks to the big fam for having my italian people to the house and giving them some wonderful BBQ cibo. For reals, they are my people and I am so happy they got to experience the Alley way of life. Siete Bravi! 

Sorella Alley turns 22...

Buon compleanno a me!!! Tanti Auguri a me!!! Well, ya'll know me, and I believe in birthday week celebrations and not just birthday day celebrations. Luckily for me, my sweet companion and the other sorelle caught the fever! The sick details follow....

Get it, sick...fever......oh I am funny.

"Sunday Birthday Lunch! Quintonator made the
cake and it was delicious! Sono una mamma fiera.

Well, we started off Friday with celebrations. The cutest couple in the world since Gordon B and Marjorie Pay, Remo and Edda Ramini, invited us over for a birthday lunch. Remo, who has been blind for about 10 years, made the meal. Blind chef. Cool. After, they brought me a gift - a beautiful silk and woven yellow scarf, swiss chocolate and 2 pictures of themselves. I was so completely surprised and overwhelmed that these little weird things called lacrime - cioè a foreign liquid that accumulates in the eyes, fell down the smiling cheeks. I have a moment every transfer when I am completely overwhelmed with a confirmation of "Yes Sorella Alley, this is where you are supposed to be." It's the Lord confirming His choice to little ostinata Sorella Alley. It was a wonderful day to start of the celebration! 

March Madness, Birthday Madness and Missionary Madness!

All in the same month! Let's jump right in...giovedi we had a Zone conference and I totally had a "clicking" moment - hastening the work doesnt mean that we are going to find golden contacts after hitting the pavement for 72 hours every week. Hastening the work is being done through members because THAT IS WHERE golden referals are and that is where the Lord wants us missionaries. Click. So after that, we visited a family, the Eusebio's. Shout out for Elizabeth, they have been in Italy 10 years, but are BRAZILIAN! They were instantly loving and I felt at home within minutes. I loved being in their house and look foward to developing a real relationship with such incredible people.

I have developed a new method of contacting people. it's called "lucky Helmet". My helmet is not big enough for my head, so every time i put it on, i have to redo my hair and squish it on and smash it on. So, instead, now I only take it off when i absolutely have to. So I walk around with it on and do the errands with it on. This week the I taught 3 lessons on the street with Lucky Helmet. I shall describe my method with first lesson example - we stopped (on our bikes) for a stoplight and I looked to the person next to me. naturally he knew I was american because I had on a helmet. He said, "nice helmet American." So i said, "Thank you, would you like to come to church with me on Sunday?" hahaha nice transition Sorella Alley. Well we had a quick lesson, prayed with him (still on my bike) and sent him on his way. Guess who came to church on Sunday?! Lucky Helmet proves itself! So it has become part of me, I only take it off when necesarry. Building the kingdom of God, on awkward helmet stop at a time. 

Happppy Humpty Dumpty Day to Hermana Alley

Happppy Humpty Dumpty Day to Hermana Alley - oh and Happy Year to me! It is crazy to think that it was a year ago today, I became a missionary. I have learned many things in this year, far to many to scrivere but let's jump right in to this week!

"everyone loves a nice rifle in the happy couple's picture"

"Naturally i celebrated Irish with Green Eggs and Salami!"

Last week, we were in a little area called Villafranca and we were feeling a bit down. We had two options, we could either go home and do area book contacting, updating and calls and be home on time, or we could stay out and work till nine and guaranteed get back late. We dediceded to hit the Miracle Fence. We talked to quite a few people who were "non mi interessa" and one specific man wanted to argue about us for an hour about why we think we can marry Jesus. Brother, that is not us, that is your people called Nuns. Bah! We were a little further down when we walked to the station to catch our train (40 minutes late....) Well, there we met Luca who walked up and initiated the conversation. He said he knew instantly we were Americans (not because of the accent WIN!) but because we are both tall and blonde. haha So we leered him into our perfectly laid trap and had an hour lesson with him. At the end, he invited himself to church and asked us for the restauration pamphlet. MIRACLE FENCE SHATTERED! The concept of the miracle fence is as follows.

Casa di Gulietta

I must start off this email with wishing my favorite mamma and the little niblet happy birthday! Naturally, I celebrated your days of birh in my own little country and I sounds like you both will celebrate fantastically in yours! Buon Compleanno you two! AUGURI!

Now, this week in my life....well I was a missionary again...ummmm nothing super eventful happened but I will just ramble for a few paragraphs. So in each area, I seem to find a few people who become "my people". It's the darndest thing, but I have come to really believe that I knew this people premortally, It is more like our spirits communicate to each other and express more than our words actually do. I found my people this week in a older couple, the Ramini's. They are converts to the church of 11 years, when they were 62 (and people think they are too old to change). We have visited them twice and I have completely fallen in love with them. dang city of love. Fratello Ramini was gone blind and his wife just takes wonderful care of him. They are both artists and have a zeal for life that is uncommon amongst loss who have more years....Last night we were sitting around their table as we feasted on salami and olives (PROPRIO ITALIAN) and I just looked up and knew........I knew them before this life. They quickly volunteered to be my itailan grandparents and they are perfect for the job. People are the best part of this mission! I think Heavenly Father thins the veil a little bit for His missionaries because I feel love and support of those on the other side daily.

Miracles in Verona

The mission time wrap is crazy - pretty sure twas yesterday I giggled through your emails and yet here I am again...still giggling. But what a celebration it is to feast on the words of loved ones.

So Miracles is a good way to describe Verona. Sorella Quinton has stuck with me through the hours of being lost in the rain and having angry non active members slam doors in our faces. She has shown Coach that she is ready to play and set 6 BAPTISMAL DATES THIS WEEK! We had 6 referrals from street contacts and she set 6 dates with each of them. So in the last week - 6 baptismal dates and 6 new investigators. Essentially, we completed the monthly goal of the previous companionship and then some in a week of being in Verona. MIRACLES! 

This week we had an incredible lesson about the apostasy and how churches all have parts of the truth. It is always interesting to tell someone that their church is a direct fruit of the apostasy....and you just hold your breath to make sure they dont immediately kick you out of their house. But during this lesson I felt the Spirit testifying about the truthfullnes of the restored gospel. I am so grateful to have the truth in my life and know the source of All Truth.