"La conferrrrenza generrrrale"
Ciao!!
This week has been really good. General conference was soooo good. We also got access to WhatsApp and our mission has smartphones now. Pretty crazy how much technology we're incorporating into the work.
One of our investigators told me this week that my accent is so adorable. She said not to change a thing. But I have never been able to roll my R's, which is just the worst. So I am currently on a personal quest to learn how to roll my R's. Whenever Slla. Hoffman and I are not at an appointment, I try it; usually I just sound like "Thhhhhh," but I will get it sooner or later haha.
For General Conference, the morning sessions were broadcasted on Saturday and Sunday night at the church building, so we invited several investigators and less-actives to come, who said they would. Sadly, none of them showed up. This is a pretty regular occurance. The perk, though, is that the other missionaries and I got to watch it in English-- because there was no one to watch it there in Italian-- and we brought snacks, like popcorn, brownies, etc. It was super fun and the talks were soooo awesome. If any of you did not get the chance to watch it, go to lds.org and watch it now! My favorite talks were by Joy Jones, all the ones by Uchtdorf, Holland, Hallstrom, Callister, and Ellis. Sometimes watching or reading talks can give us the best strength and encouragement we need, because life it tough.
This last week and a half or so has been a lot of running for the bus and long appointments and not returning to our apartment the entire day. Our area is so big that a good chunk of our time could be transportation. We don't have a car, so we ride the bus or tram, depending on where we have to go, and we have to time everything right. Also some people want to talk a lot more than we anticipate; which has happened a lot this week. If you can imagine us saying goodbye, "Ciao, buona giornata! Ciao ciao!" and then they close the door and we sprint down the stairs, out the apartment building, and down the street, that is pretty much exactly what happens.
For P-Day today, we traveled to Sorisole, which is a paesino (like a little town) about an hour away, but still in our ward boundaries. We decided to go on a hike which was very very uphill and at the top there would be waterfalls. So we go on this hike and it was really nice. It actually felt good for my lungs to be tired haha. It's several miles uphill and we get there and there are no waterfalls. So we talked to an Italian man on his hike with his little walking poles and he told us there were no waterfalls of any sort around there. Turns out Anziano Christensen ha sbagliato (he done messed up) and we ended up at the wrong place haha. But it was still really fun. We also saw a duomo on the way up and went inside. It's so amazing how many hidden gems there are here in Italy.
This morning I read D&C 58:2-4, and it says:
"2 For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.
3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.
4 For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand."
Sorry it's so long, but I thought this was important to share. I know that we go through hard things in life. Sorella Hoffman and I teach people whose families have been murdered, people who are going blind, people who have no money but still want to feed us, people who do not feel God's love because of all of the terrible things that have happened to them, or do not feel God's love because they are numb inside. But I know He loves us. We cannot even comprehend the immense blessings that He has for us if we just have faith through the hard times and remember Him through the good times. We just have to press forward.
I am attaching a couple pictures of the duomo we saw today and a picture that Sorella Hoffman and I took for our new WhatsApp profile, just in case any of you forgot what I look like haha. I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Vi voglio bene ❤
Sorella Johnson
Ciao!!
This week has been really good. General conference was soooo good. We also got access to WhatsApp and our mission has smartphones now. Pretty crazy how much technology we're incorporating into the work.
One of our investigators told me this week that my accent is so adorable. She said not to change a thing. But I have never been able to roll my R's, which is just the worst. So I am currently on a personal quest to learn how to roll my R's. Whenever Slla. Hoffman and I are not at an appointment, I try it; usually I just sound like "Thhhhhh," but I will get it sooner or later haha.
For General Conference, the morning sessions were broadcasted on Saturday and Sunday night at the church building, so we invited several investigators and less-actives to come, who said they would. Sadly, none of them showed up. This is a pretty regular occurance. The perk, though, is that the other missionaries and I got to watch it in English-- because there was no one to watch it there in Italian-- and we brought snacks, like popcorn, brownies, etc. It was super fun and the talks were soooo awesome. If any of you did not get the chance to watch it, go to lds.org and watch it now! My favorite talks were by Joy Jones, all the ones by Uchtdorf, Holland, Hallstrom, Callister, and Ellis. Sometimes watching or reading talks can give us the best strength and encouragement we need, because life it tough.
This last week and a half or so has been a lot of running for the bus and long appointments and not returning to our apartment the entire day. Our area is so big that a good chunk of our time could be transportation. We don't have a car, so we ride the bus or tram, depending on where we have to go, and we have to time everything right. Also some people want to talk a lot more than we anticipate; which has happened a lot this week. If you can imagine us saying goodbye, "Ciao, buona giornata! Ciao ciao!" and then they close the door and we sprint down the stairs, out the apartment building, and down the street, that is pretty much exactly what happens.
For P-Day today, we traveled to Sorisole, which is a paesino (like a little town) about an hour away, but still in our ward boundaries. We decided to go on a hike which was very very uphill and at the top there would be waterfalls. So we go on this hike and it was really nice. It actually felt good for my lungs to be tired haha. It's several miles uphill and we get there and there are no waterfalls. So we talked to an Italian man on his hike with his little walking poles and he told us there were no waterfalls of any sort around there. Turns out Anziano Christensen ha sbagliato (he done messed up) and we ended up at the wrong place haha. But it was still really fun. We also saw a duomo on the way up and went inside. It's so amazing how many hidden gems there are here in Italy.
This morning I read D&C 58:2-4, and it says:
"2 For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.
3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.
4 For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand."
Sorry it's so long, but I thought this was important to share. I know that we go through hard things in life. Sorella Hoffman and I teach people whose families have been murdered, people who are going blind, people who have no money but still want to feed us, people who do not feel God's love because of all of the terrible things that have happened to them, or do not feel God's love because they are numb inside. But I know He loves us. We cannot even comprehend the immense blessings that He has for us if we just have faith through the hard times and remember Him through the good times. We just have to press forward.
I am attaching a couple pictures of the duomo we saw today and a picture that Sorella Hoffman and I took for our new WhatsApp profile, just in case any of you forgot what I look like haha. I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Vi voglio bene ❤
Sorella Johnson
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