New Girl

I'm training the bishop's daughter. By that I mean I'm training KAITLIN''S bishop's daughter... from Rome.  I'm training Sorella Gillespie.  Her dad is the bishop of Rome 6. nbd.  She just saw Kait at Christmas.. 

(Gillespie Family with Kaitlin at Thanksgiving)

This week was NUTS.  So I dropped Sorella McPeek off in Milano Centrale and Sorella Astel & I headed out to find our greenies in the Milano chapel.  

It was so fun.  There were like 10 new sorelle and 8 anziani and I had a blast seeing all my friends from other cities.

My companion is Sorella Gillespie and I still can't pronounce it right.  I keep sounding it out too Italian and she gets mad hahahah. 

All the new sorelle came up to me and said, "SORELLA O'CONNOR we heard that you didn't want to be a trainer but they made you be one".. #thankyoufratellojeter 

My companion thinks I don't want to be training her, hahaha whatevs.

things that were crazy that happened this week:

So we had an appointment with a really old member really far away & I have been there before on foot because we didn't know the buses & it took 3 hours but I found out which bus to take.  I wasn't exxaaccttlllyyyy sure where the bus stop to her house was because when we went it was dark and raining but those are minor details..

So I was explaining to my new companion that sometimes we get on buses without knowing where we're going to get off, and you just have to have a little prayer in your heart and hope the Spirit tells you the right one to get off... & we got off on the wrong bus stop really, reeaallllyyyy far away.. 

So I had to cancel our appointment because at this point it's too late at night and it'll be too late for the old lady.. 

So I decided that we'll just go to the other side of the street and wait for the bus to come back in the opposite direction, right?  Go back the way we came... so 30 minutes later we flag down the 202 and we're the only people on the bus because it's late (and at this point I'm thinking to myself we are not getting home until 11 and I'm gonna make Sorella Gillespie cry and I'm an awful trainer).  

The bus stops like an hour on foot away from our house. and the driver tells us that at night this bus doesn't go back to Monza.... So I just sigh and say "Okay, thank you.." 

You'll freak out because this bus driver says "Ohhhhh raggazzi.... I'll just put the bus on 'fuori servizio' (out of service) and take you there." 

AND THE BUS DRIVER DROVE US HOME!  We didn't even have to call the zone leaders... It's like you don't understand.. t h a t n e v e r h a p p e n s. 

It was a miracle.

miracle number 2:

 I feel like I've told you about Carmen our brazilian investigator.. she didn't want to set a baptismal date until after she had finished the Book of Mormon.. Well on Sunday we had an awessoommeee lesson on baptism and she cried and told us she was thinking about the first week in April. 

So I told her "no."  Then she twisted our arms until we said "okay." just kidding. 

And theeeennn we had a lesson with her yesterday and when I asked her where she was in the Book of Mormon she turns to....... Moroni 10.. 

and I'm like "CARMEN YOU'RE FINISHED!!!" 

and she looks at me kind of funny.... so I'm just like "Whaatt?" 

and she says "I'm not done".. and starts flipping through the guida (guide).

I take the book and flip the page over once and show her where it says "FINE" (the end) & then I explained what the topical guide is, hahahah. But she finished the Book of Mormon!  

We were so happy & Sorella Gillespie got to do her first baptismal invite(= it was so cute.  Sorella G couldn't understand anything because it's half in Portuguese, but she's a champ. & I love Carmen. 

miracle number 3! 

 I GOT MY PACCO! I got my package! They didn't give it to me when I picked up Sorella G.  So I complained to the office elders because I knneewww it was there & they were just too lazy to bring it over.  

So they gave it to our zone leaders yesterday to give to me & I ate so much junk food I still feel a little sick...#yolo stoked on the brown sugar and chocolate chips... but I'm not gonna lie I was expecting things with Jimmer and Whittney inside.  (Yes Mom, we compare packages.) 

things about my new companion:  

She's great!  I made her call all of our leaders the day she got here to introduce herself (Bishop, Relief Society Pres, Ward Mission Leader.. etc) to kind of see where she was at.. 

and how fearless she is AND SHE DID IT! 

I made a little script of what she was going to say, possible responses and what to say if they said that.. and she dove right in.  (I didn't make my first Italian phone call until my second transfer & I had no other choice.)  

So she's going to be awesome!  She came pre-trained and already knows a lot of Italian.. She took it at BYU. 

reward for the new girl:  gelato

Ohh also there is a new elder who is the onnlllyyy member of his family because after he heard about Brandon Davies (BYU basketball) he started doing research on the church & then got baptized and is a missionary now.... such a cute story. 

moldy

I got a call from Sorella Carlock the other day because her companion has to come here for promesso stuff... and shheee told me that there was MOLD in our washing machine in Genova and that I have to check all my clothes for mold now.... pretty much all my clothes are moldy... sucky. I know. 

can you send me cheap things from ASOS?  and I have to toss my hoodie. Can you send me another comfy hoodie from ASOS and a chambray shirt?.. Also I saw a black skirt from Zara in a window with big white leaves on it... Do you think they would ship to the mission home?  

Sorella Gillespie isn't the shopping type... and she wants to get up at 5:50 in the morning to go running... and I do it.... yeah, I don't know how long it's gonna last... but I'm supportive.

LOVE YOU ALL LONG TIME!!!!

(Email Sent - February 26, 2014)