Cosenza

Buongiorno tutti: so transfer calls came last Monday night... and I have been transferred to the mountainous città di Cosenza!! I AM IN LOVE. It is gorgeous here with greenery-shrouded hills and two large rivers that converge under a rustic old bridge. Seriously I already love it so much and we haven't even been here a full week yet. And here comes the best part: I got transferred WITH SORELLA MCKENZIE FROM CATANIA. That never happens but Sorella McKenzie is such a fantastic companion and we keep telling each other how excited we are to be blown in together and how much fun we are going to have working together! The biggest blessing with this transfer is that we both want to work hard and are praying insieme con forza to find that one person who is ready to accept the gospel and be baptized since that is our mission meta.

Our biggest challenge, however, is time. We have a ton of special conferences to go to even aside from the Rome one, she is going home in five weeks, and we have to travel to Crotone and Taranto to do all the scambi we need to do for her as Sister Training Leader, so we are really stretching to fit in all the things we need to do. But, that being said, it is only motivating us to search and pray harder and rely more on the Lord, having that sense of urgency and knowing that we need to really lay everything on the table this transfer with faith to experience the miracles.

The branch here is great- in our first 24 hours we had already met at least 5 really strong members and they have loved us so much and fed us twice. We really just need to help love the less actives back and get teaching the gospel to the many English group students to help the branch grow. We are hopeful and working toward miracles! They are awesome and I really feel so at home in Cosenza.

Spiritual thoughts of this week- post conference I have been pondering what talks and themes stuck out to me and I have been returning to President Nelson's talk quite a bit. I kept thinking about it this morning as I was reading in the 27th chapter of Mosiah where it talks about the experience and conversion of Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah. Perhaps my favorite aspect of this chapter is that after describing this massive life-changing conversion from an "abyss" of sin to relief and joy, the final verse begins by saying,

" How blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth."

It reminded me so much of President Nelson's talk because he describes how joy in essence is using the Atonement, and that our relief from sin and guilt enables us to fully access the joy of life, then share it with others. It was a beautiful reminder to me that in order to be the message and radiate that joy of the gospel, it is vital to embrace the Atonement everyday, seeking the Spirit's guidance in our repentance and teaching of it, and utilizing prayer as a workshop with our Heavenly Father where he helps us fix things we need to change and gives us inspiration as we move forward. I am so looking forward to this conference on the 20th and can't wait!

The Lords Hand

Obviously the biggest miracle has just been meshing so quickly with this amazing little city. I just feel so excited about this transfer and all we will be doing, and the Rome conference will be amazing. That being said it was hard to leave people in Catania- S. had watery eyes and it was so weird saying goodbye to the members and our amazing district of missionaries, but leaving the work there in Sorella Muce's capable hands was a blessing because I know everyone we were working with needs her. I have seen the Lord helping me step up in a big way to embrace the work here because there isn't much, and we have a lot to create. He has helped me have the confidence to make the phone calls, plan the lessons, learn the city, and look at missionary work with fresh eyes trying to find new ways to help people here progress. I feel so filled with hope that through our immense love already, our creativity in finding and teaching lessons, our diligent study and very personal pleadings with the Lord, Sorella McKenzie and I can help this branch bud.

I have a renewed gratitude to our Father in Heaven for his beautiful, perfect plan for us and I see him shaping me to fit mine. I love this gospel so much and I pray that especially this transfer, I won't let a minute pass by forgetting what simplicity and joy it brings to my life!

I love you all so much and happiest of birthdays to dear Grandma Preece coming up this week!!!

Xox Sorella Gleave

Blessings of Conference

I have to tell you about our ward activity this last Friday mamma mia! We did a lip sync and it was
epic. Sorella Muce and I did Wannabe by the Spicegirls, and the Anziani did a fantastic backstreet boys "I Want It That Way" fully
choreographed feature. Truly there is nothing funnier than watching a bunch of older Italian people lip sync old cheesy Italian love songs-
I'll see if I can share the videos haha.Other fun this week was after District Meeting Wednesday we went out
for Anziani Garretts birthday lunch and had a proper Italian feast of Linguine D'al Mare and beef fillet con Parmeggiano, and after a lunch
appointment Saturday win the a really fun sassy lady in the ward, we met her niece on the train ride home! We only found out after we
talked about the church and gave her a Book of Mormon that they were related so that was an awesome miracle!

 

YES! It was so fun to hear Carol! We watched conference all together as American missionarie huddled around one computer in the
genealogy lab if the church because the chapel was in Italian, but when they announced she was speaking I yelled, "Carol- YES!"
Saturday morning session was soooo good. All the talks really reminded me of my patriarchal blessing which was cool and I loved a president
Uchtdorf's talk. It was fun to feel homey with conference but I missed the brunch and rolls-

 

This conference is a really huge blessing and I am praying that we are really getting ready for the temple.

The greatest desire of my heart would be to do those temple tours serving
in Rome, so I'm doing my best to get Italy ready.
Our investigators are good, S. was pretty busy this week so we only saw him once and then at conference! But this week we are going
to help him get ready to receive the priesthood and do family history getting names ready for the temple. He's still a champ and works every
morning at 82 years old helping a younger guy in his cobbler shop since he's done that since he was 12!

The only other notable things really are a mom who is around 50 named M. and her 17 year old son E. They are very
intellectual and she talks. So. Much. But it has gotten a lot better this week. Initially they were just all over coming to our free
English group twice a week, but agreed to do lessons before, and they came to most all of conference in the church!

But yeah they are interested, and they are the kind of people who want to know everything before talking about any
kind of commitment, and they have some difficult ties to the Catholic Church, but I am looking forward to working with them more.
On a sad side note, after 2 months of up and down bipolar lessons and struggles with commitments and he word of wisdom, N. finally
texted us and dropped us. Sad for him but someday hopefully he'll be ready to accept repentance and have the courage to make changes in his
life to find the joy!

 

We have THE COOLEST opportunity coming up on he 20th. WE ARE DOING A WHOLE MISSION CONFERENCE IN ROME!!! with President Nelson,
Elder Hallstrom of the Presidency of the 70, Bishop Causse, and President Kearon again so something amazing to look forward to!!

Overall I'd just say I felt the lords hand in continually seeing these miracles of meeting new contacts, helping me have the courage to speak
up and really emulate and radiate the joy that the gospel brings me when I am on the train or the street, and having so many little
nudges, promptings, and guidance from Heavenly Father with conference and the announcement of this meeting for us on the 20th in Rome.

Xoxo Em