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)

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)

It's A Girl!

Thank you kindly for all of your heart-felt prayers this week.

Sorella McPeek got transferred to Bergamo & I don't know who my new companion is yet because 

I'M TRAINING. 

yikes.  I need 1,000,000 extra prayers these next few transfers..

& this week was Valentine's Day!!!   Sorella McPeek had a hard day so I just bought her a pizza (like a whole one) 

e v e r y t i m e she started to cry.. we bought a few pizzas this week.

There's such a thing here as kebab and there's such a thing as pizza.  There is also such a thing as kebab pizza.  It would bloowww your mind & break mom's healthy heart.   We had one this week & I just.... well, it wasn't one of my proudest moments... 

kebab pizza and an overpriced Dr. Pepper from 1976

diet starts now #yolo

valentine's day love

But there was also a baptism on Valentine's Day which was awesome.. 

Agata is really terrified of the water so she had both of the anziani stand in the font with her and one said the prayer and the other stood behind her to catch her when she went back..  

The whole time she was in the water she was whispering, 

"Oh Dio, Oh Dio Padre Celeste aiuto aiuto"  It was so sweeeet. 

(translation:  "Oh God, Oh God Celestial Father, Help, Help!") 

look both ways

Also I almost killed Sorella McPeek this week... da vero. (for real)  To cross the street, you just walk into oncoming traffic and they stop for you.. except buses.  I ran.. she was a little slower.. & it really was a close call.. #yolo (literally)

ask god

In church this Sunday a member walked up to us and was like, 

"Io c'è un amico (I have a "friend") e lui ha una domanda (& he has a question) deve chidedere la Madonna o Gesù Cristo? (Should he have to ask Mary or Jesus?)   

I was just kind of confused... and thought "Really? Did that just happen?" So I said, "Chiedere a Dio.." (ask God)  It was so simple, but he was so happppyyy after. 

I had to give a talk in church not this week but last week.. They asked me 5 minutes before Sacrament Mtg. started so that's always a thrill.. But it's fine.  I wasn't even scared! 

baby girl sorella

I've been making predictions on who my trainee is going to be & I personally think she's either Austrailian or Chinese... But she's probably American, which will be fine too.  

I have scheduled soooooo many Italian things to do>=)  Next pday we're making fresh pasta with a member and I'm gonna take her to all the old crazy Italian ladies in the ward with oxygen tanks and cats..

 & I'm going to teach her to say funny things in Italian. 

& I talked to Bishop about her giving her testimony in church on Sunday... hahahah  >=) 

But I promise I'll play nice. 

off with her head

Also I found out to not wear tights in the winter is literally the worst thing you can do in Italy.  Evidently, you hhaavvvee to wait until Maggio (May) or the Italians will cut your head off or give you 15 pairs of tights the next Sunday... it's a real thing.

jacket on your legs... so warm at night

care package

I haven't gotten my package yet because I haven't been to Milan.  I'll get it tomorrow<3  My zone leader got transferred to the office, so I've got a solid in.  

I bought Sorella McPeek something for Valentine's Day last pday at H&M.  There is one connected to our grocery store. It's bad because it's so easy.  

exchange rate

And this week I have to buy 100 new undershirts and tights.. and a new shirt for tomorrow..  I found out I can pay in dollars there!  Like it runs my card through in USD.. But then I also found out that 50 euros equals 70 dollars then I was sad.

I now accept H&M gift cards from all my loved ones.. Soorryyy again Dad.. and I haven't even bought boots yet because I haven't found any I'm in love with.  I'm praying I'll get transferred to Florence so I can buy super cheap, super cute reallly, really Italian ones>=) black or brown?  

My life is so hard. 

I got Dad's thank you card.. & I loved it hahah.  It still made it to my apartment even with the wrong adresss on it! 

Sorella McPeek bought me this for Valentine's Day:

 

Then she knocked it over 

and I had to mop it all up. :(

(Email Sent - February 19, 2014)

Have Mercy

So I got a text message this week saying that I have to pick up my new promesso... in VENEZIA. 

Whhhaattt?  I'm still trying to figure that out & I don't really want to go.  But it's fine.. I'll suffer through it somehow ;)  McPeek is mad because it's after transfers, and she thinks she's getting transferred.  So I might be going to Venice next week, nbd.  

Paige in Venice

be mine

This Valentine's Day we're having a baptism!  Well the anziani are, but she wants us to sing at it.  

I'm just like, "Laddyyy... I can't sing but I'll do whatever you want me to because you're cute."  

She's an old Italian lady who was what we call  "eternal investigators" because they are basically members and come to church and read and follow the commandments.  They are just afraid of commitment.. 

This lady isn't afraid of commitment, though hahah, she was just afraid of water.. lol but we're excited. 

mail strike

We had another zone conference and I didn't get mail again but it's fine.. I'm just coming to terms with it.  

sorelle at zone conference

We were late though because I had to do fingerprinting at the police station.. but we weren't too late because the super cute couple Ronald and Mariuxi (who are getting married in May so they can get baptized) had to do their fingerprinting at the same time.  

r.i.p. poncho

So they just drove us there after! but then Ronald took my poncho away!!!! and gave me his umbrella.. which was nice but it's like.... that's my poncho)= rip

They're so cute though.  We teach the girlfriend English and just chit chat about the wedding. She likes to make us food and look at magazines...  

travel plans

We saw my favorite Brazilian yesterday and she showed us SO MANY PICTURES of her when she was young in Brazil & I'm sold on going with Kait.  She said we can visit her at her house too because she wants to move back soon.  

She lives on an island.. whhaattt?  Like Bella and Edward honeymoon status island. #yolo.  Mom, you can come too.. Also I left my cashmere gloves at her house last time on accident & she washed them for me >=)

break-it-down

I had a breakdown in the rain the other day.. 

(Not really the look you're going for as a missionary.)

Okay not really a breakdown, but I realized I had gone kind of crazy when we were standing in the rain waiting for a bus at 8:30 at night and I was standing in a big puddle, wearing my poncho, explaining to Sorella McPeek the fundamentals of fly fishing, hahahah.  It happens.  

It sounds like you had so much fun in Idaho!  I'm suprised hahah.  I was thinking about you in the cold when I was in the cold.. meno male its not thhhaaatttt cold here.

Valentine's Day is weird here because it's after Saint Valentine so it's kind of like a Catholic holiday, hahaha.   But Catholics know how to party, so I'm not sad about it. 

myth buster

We had the beessttttt lunch on Sunday.. I don't know how to say it in English.. fresh pasta? hahah like she made it herself.. then salad & then meatballs. 

(myth:  Italians NEVER eat spaghetti WITH meatballs hahah always pasta first... then they change the plates and eat the meatballs after.. never together.. that's gross)  

Then we ALWAYS ALWAYS finish with fruit.. then we drink orzo>=)  (warm drink made of roasted barley)  We are super classy out here.  

But really, it was dreamy.  

These pictures are from her balcony.  Next week for pday she's going to teach me how to make homemade pasta. Whhaaddupppp? 

four greats

Anziano Tanner is the great great great great grandson (4xs great) of John Tanner. 

(John Tanner was wealthy church convert from 1830s whose donations saved the Kirtland Temple lands from repossession) and he went on a scambio with the Merate anziani.  

They told all the members ahead of time and they ALL gave him bread because of it... I thought it was funny.. like why bread? 

(Editor:  Because after giving up all his fortune to help the church, the prophet Joseph Smith promised John Tanner that his "children shall never again beg for bread."  Watch video:  Treasure in Heaven )

I really don't know what else to say other than AUGURI to Kait for hitting her year mark. 

Paige and Kaitlin saying goodbye February 6, 2013

I don't care if you don't want to party.. that's a big deal!  

(My fav Equadorian drink Tropicaallllll 

--this one is for Paula Garcia--

 It's soooo bad for you but soooo good>=) 

like a bottled ghetto Shirley Temple.)

Sorry you'll probs get transferred.  

Let's pray its not Napoli.... jk... but you know I'm serious... 

xxSorella Miley Cyrus

(Email Sent - February 12, 2014)