One Year

This week I'm ssaaaaddddddd...

It's possible that I'm just grumpy because I haven't eaten in 22 hours...  

expect miracles

I'm rooting for baby Holland over here & expecting miracles.

We had a special zone conference yesterday and all the "dying" missionaries gave their testimonies & it was sad/sweet.

Last week President told us to get 21 lessons this week... which we did but I hated it!  So I was just super stressed out and so tired all week.  It was rough. but we did it. 

setting records

Then at zone conference, President was showing us graphs about our total lessons and last week our mission taught 1700 lessons!  Usually 1400 is high... He said that never in the entire history of this mission have that many lessons been taught & 1/3 were with members!  That's pretty good.  

Physically I'm worn out, but I'm happy that President is happy (EVEN if I'm still a little mad at him for not letting us wear sandals..) 

I'm just tired, you know? & I feel old.

March 20, 2013 (when she was "brand new")

The assistants did a scambi with Tanner & Lovett so they brought me all my million packages on Monday! 

they love me
But that also meant I STILL didn't get any mail at zone conference.. hahah everyone just looks at you like "Awww, poor girl" & I'm like "HEY!  MY PARENTS LOVE ME.  You just can't see it right now."  

On the bright side, I still love Carmen & she brings my joy<3

gelato miracle

It's time to talk about a miracle..

So it was Saturday afternoon and we still needed six lessons before Sunday night to hit 21 lessons.  We were on our way to see a less active & she bailed. Then another one of our investigators wasn't there either...  We were sad because that meant we needed 3 street lessons that day.  So I was feeling bad & decided we needed to get gelato.. obvi. 

So we had passed by this gelateria before one of our lessons that day & thought to myself.. 

"I've NEVER seen this place.. it looks good."  

SO WE WENT BACK & because we had no where to go, I said "Let's eat it inside." (I NEVER say that.. it always feels like a waste of time.)  

double happiness
Anyway, we decide to sit at the booth & we're just eating our gelato being happy.  I got fior di panna and amarena..  Then the gelato man comes over to me and tells me to try the mango flavor and just sticks it in my cup!  So I'm double happy and keep eating my ice cream... 

Then he comes over and gives Sorella G another scoop of ice cream.. Then he comes over again to ask us how we like it.  Everyone here thinks it's so funny to ask us if the ice cream here is better than in America (like they're just fishing for compliments).  

fishing
So we tell him how good his ice cream is.  Then he says, "You know my sister is a member of your church in (some South American country) and I've been a bunch of times when I go down to visit her and I love it and the people and the doctrine but I didn't know we had one here." 

reel'm in
At that point my mouth just drops & I'm trying to keep my cool, but I get so excited and I make Sorella Gillespie write down his phone number.  I'll be surprised if he's not baptized by May.... Plus he owns a gelateria and will give us free gelato if we pass by & it's probably the best gelato I've ever had. 

miracles.

Last pday we went on the roof of the duomo in Milano & there were a lot of stairs, 

but it was pretty. 

Also I got to see Sorella Astel & Anz Miller at zone conference and I looovvvveeeee them.  I just wanna hang out with my buddies all the time.

ALSO I got a Valentine's Day card from Marielle & she's my best friend<3

And I got my towels and salt and vinegar almonds (I ate them all already, YOLO) & I loved my Abe notebook.  Fun fact:  paper here is waayyyy different than in America.. I was like, "Why is it so short?" Then I remembered that it was from America.  I miss American things. 

Dad said it's gonna rain this week & that makes me saaaddddd)=

Some days are harder than others... but I'm still glad to be here & 

I love Italian things and Italians and Italy. 

I sent Dad & Scott letters this week, so you can look out for those..

out of time 

WLFM (it just doesn't flow the same, does it?) 

I'll see you literally 6 months from today, Pajina

(Email Sent - March 19, 2014)

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

No Tights, Need Bikes

It's sunny, so I'm not wearing tights. YOLO

This week was nuts. soooo many miracles!  We taught the most lessons I've ever taught in Muggiò this week. 

& I went on a scambio with an Italian and I was so terrified.  Sometimes I hate scambios when I have to stay in my city..& it was so bad!! hahahah.  But so bad in a way I couldn't control, so it's okay.  

it's my job
We are still without bikes here & it's my job to find the bikes. 

BACKSTORY:  The day before we missed our bus and this woman pulls up next to us in her car and says (translation),"I saw you missed your bus!  Are you headed towards Monza (where we live)?" 

So obviously I say yes and get into the stranger's car.  (Sorry Mom.  Sometimes you just do it.)  We get talkinnngg and we're chit chatting.. and we tell her we're missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints..  

She asks us where our bikes and helmets are... 

bikes
So we tell her we don't actually have them because we are new... then (miracle) she tells us a lady in her palazzo is selling two bikes!  She gives us her number and calls us and tells us her neighbor wants 20 euro for them (SUPER CHEAP).  

She thinks that the lady stole them but we don't ask & don't tell..  

&&&& it turns out that she lives next to a member! like their doors are across the hall!  So she's obviously going to get baptized.. but most importantly we're about to get bikes..

So it's scambio time and the only time we can get the bikes is during our scambio.  I call the senior couple in charge of all that stuff and he gives me the green light on getting the bikes.. 

jk
We spend 45 minutes getting to the place and I'm looking at the bikes.. riding them around making sure they work, looking silly.. when the senior couple calls and tells us he's just gonna buy us new bikes and to not get them.  

So we awkwardly say no and have to leave them with a pass along card because we were gonna be late for Family Home Evening... But then no one came to Family Home Evening..  

Then the next day we saw Carmen, whom I love, & then got on a train back to Pavia (where the other sisters were).  We're at our train stop just waiting when we start talking to this laddyyy and then we get on the train and keep talking to her... 

wrong way
We give her a Book of Mormon & say a prayer with her when we notice that we're in LODI! and we took the wrong train with her without even noticing until we got to Lodi.... 

Sorella and I have to get back to Muggiò by 6:00 because we have a baptismal interview with Kiara and the district leader is coming from Merate and we have to open the church.. so I'm starting to stress out.. 

sorted
I call the anziani and make sure they can open the church for them and they're nice and say yes.. but then Kiara's mom called and said that her husband took the car and they can't get there... so I start freaking out 

& I'm still in Lodi with Sorella Palumbo (maybe Kait's comps knows her; she's from Palermo) and I have no control.  So I call everyone!!! literally everyone. and no one will do it because its Feste Della Donna.. but we figured it out eventually & it was stressful & I've got Sorella G back... 

she took pictures...

Also it's still sunny.. and I never want to wear tights again. (=

President said that we can't wear sandals this summer and I want to kill myself. :(

(Email Sent - March 12, 2014)

Things They Don't Tell You ...

about training:

You will be so tired all the time.

You will have to do all the work by yourself and set a perfect example and never mess up.

You will have to do almost all the cooking.

You will have to force your trainee to do roll plays.  Everyone hates roll plays, but you just have to do it.

You will step in dog poop because you're looking at the map and talking on the phone at the same time.. twice. 

You have to explain why you do everything the way you do it.

You will have to sort the trash.

"greenie munchies" are real.

You spend all day in a giant pep talk and over-praise your trainee.

You will have to give her your sleeping coat )=

Sarcasm leads to tears. 

& you will hate to way you look all the time. 

But somehowwwwwww you're still happy. 

This week has l i t e r a l l y been the longest week of my life. 

it's a real thing

Last pday we made fresh pasta with Sorella Colombi.  You know that scene in Letters to Juliet when Amanda Seyfred's boyfriend is working back in his restaurant in NY and she walks in and there is all the pasta hanging from walls and racks and things?

 and you think to yourself, "Well that's dramatic.. No one would actually go through all that effort to hang individual pieces of pasta."  

It's a reaaaalllll thing.  They do that here, hahah. 

never happens

This Sunday I was feeling sad because we finished 1st hour in Relief Society and Carmen wasn't there yet, so I thought she wasn't coming.  

But then SHE CAME!  with a friend!  

Her friend comes every once in a while.  She works in Switzerland and this week she said that she's been thinking she wants to get baptized because she found the church in Switzerland & she likes how it's all the same everywhere... even though it was in French and she couldn't understand anything. 

hahah, whatevs I'm happy.  We ended up having SEVEN investigators in church on Sunday.  That's neevveerrrr happened to me before. 

trying to be like Jesus

We went to Milano twice to get Sorella G her abbonamento (I don't know if there is a word in English) because the first time they said they were "too ttiirreeeddd" (classic Italians).  

Every time we go to Milano we end up helping lost models find their way around.  It always makes me feel ugly, but I'm just trying to be like Jesus. &  I took Sorella G to Luinis.. it's her new favorite food.

Then we went again YESTERDAY because we had new missionary training which is just 6 straight hours of teaching the greens how to be practical.. It's torture for the trainers, but I muscled through it.

the missionaries of Muggio

They fed us lunch, so I was happy I didn't have to cook. 

christmas in march
I'M GLAD YOU GOT YOUR PACKAGE!  I put an envelope in it for Marielle... it was an Italian Vogue..

(Paige also included an art book "Edited By: Sorella O'Connor"

She used sticky notes for commentary

 and to sensor any immodesty.)

I was thinking about it this week.  I knew Scott wouldn't get overly excited about the ties, but I didn't care because they'll make him look good & they say handmade in Italia.. 

I GOT YOUR POSTCARDS from Harry Potter World.. The Italians were dying when I told them such a place really exists... 

Also Anziano Tanner gave them Hot Tamales his parents sent him through amazon.uk  &&& theyyy HATE THEM! hahahah.  But they were all making each other try it.  It was so funnnny. 

Okay I love you! 

Hope you had a good week hanging out with all my friennddsssss, 

Sorella O'Connor

(Email Sent - March 5, 2014)