Letter #39 - 6/10/14

Ciao Famiglia! :)

Come state(how are you)??   Literally as I type this I have sweat like rolling down my face, haha it’s SO DANG HOT here! It’s 35 degrees Celsius and thanks to Dad’s conversion cart he sent me that means it is 95 degrees Fahrenheit. What-The-Heck??  And it’s only June!! We might die, haha, and it’s really humid in this part of Italy too. But it’s okay, because the Anziani brought over their two extra fans (no AC remember? :)) for us the other day so now we study/sleep/eat/pretty much everything with those fans blowing on our faces, haha, blessed be the day.

Also, I discovered Mago Gelato this week, so all is well, all is well. It’s my favorite. When we do hours of finding, we reward ourselves with it, haha.

This past weekend we had this culture festival thing here in Ravenna and so there were all these different groups that had booths and we worked at the Church’s booth there this weekend and saw sooo many miracles. It was so great; we just would go out and talk to everyone at the festival and invite them to come over and look at our booth. We ended up giving away some copies of the Book of Mormon and we got many phone numbers so it was a huge success. I will send send pictures of the booth :) .

Then we did scambio (exchanges) this week so I was with Sorella Pace in Rimini! it was really great - all of our appointments but one ended up cancelling on us (or not showing up) but it’s okay! So we did a lot of finding, which I am starting to get better at with all the practice.  We were able to get a few people to stop and talk to us :) so that was really fun.

But I’m happy to be back in Ravenna with Sorella Carter, Ravenna is just so cute and Italian and I just love it. And Sorella Carter is so great, I just love her. We really, really hope we don’t get transferred – we are even planning post mission trips together, haha, she so great. Mom you and her mom need to be best friends. We came to the conclusion that you are practically the same person :) haha but yeah, I just love my companion, she’s so great.

OH MY GOSH GUESS WHAT!!!!! Remember my new convert Alice from Montevarchi? She got baptized in February? Well her mom and little brother just got baptized this last weekend!!!!! AHHH!!! I am sooo happy for them. We were teaching them back when I was still there and Alice’s mom had a baptismal date but she decided she wanted to wait for her son (11 years old) to get baptized with him and so they have been taught this whole time and finally got baptized last Saturday! I am so happy for them, and I am so proud of Alice and the huge example she was for them :) and another little boy (also 11) who was the son of a family in our branch in Montevarchi got baptized with them too on Saturday! The missionaries have been teaching him forever and he got baptized with his new friend, Alice's little brother :) HOW CUTE IS THAT?! I know. Just so happy.

Also I am giving a talk in sacrament meeting on Sunday so say a little prayer for me if you can, please and thank you.

This week we saw another huge miracle with our less active sister we have been working with because she came back to church again for the second week in a row! MIRACLE. We are so happy, we can tell a difference in her and she is just so much happier now. Her heart is truly changing, it’s been so amazing to see her reactivate herself and let her heart be softened by the Lord. I just love this work, there are so many miracles.

Today we went with our Branch Mission Leader and his wife to a city called Comacchio and it was so cool! It’s a little city about 45 minutes away and it’s a water city so we rode around the city on the gondola and saw lots of old churches and it was so fun! Then they got us lunch and gave us a ride to the grocery store to do spesa (shopping). How sweet is that? We were so grateful. It was such a fun pday. They are just the cutest little couple and took such good care of us all day. So mom, all those missionaries you take care of over there in Seattle? yeah there are people like you out here in Italia too :) thanks :)

I think that is all for this week! We are finding and seeing miracles. Not everyone talks to us, but there are always the few that do and that’s what we are focusing on :) I hope you all have a great week! Good luck on finals and the ACT Abbi! (just choose B!), haha. I love and miss you Abbi, Anna and Will! Thanks Mom and Dad for all you do for me, I love you so much! Talk to you next week! :)

Sorella Yost

 

 

 

 

Letter #38 - 6/3/14

Ciao Famiglia!

So guess what! Today is my half way mark! How crazy is that?? 9 months down, 9 to go :)

Today we went to San Marinio and it was sooooo beautiful. There are these three towers and it is just this super amazing view of Italy from them. It was so fun. But I thought I was going to die on the bus ride, it was so winding and we got so car sick, haha classic, but so fun!

Also, remember how I told you the ocean was forty minutes away? Yeah I lied. It is like 10 minutes away from our house by bike, haha! So we are going there next week for pday :)

This week we saw a huge miracle! One of our inactive members came back to church for the first time in years this Sunday and then even bore her testimony in fast and testimony meeting! It was a huge miracle, we were so excited. We go and visit her every week and have started reading the Book of Mormon with her and everything and she finally decided it was time to come back. We are so happy for her because it has been so many years since she has been an active member. And she had such a great experience too, all the members were so nice to her and made her feel so welcome. It was so great.

I also got to play soccer with a little 6 year old boy in our branch this week after we went to go visit his mom and it was so fun. He was so cute, I loved it.

This week has been kind of hard on us because we have just been doing hours and hours of finding but we have been blessed with some amazing miracles that help us to keep going. We even were able to teach a lesson while doing casa (door to door finding) yesterday! That is the first time that has ever happened to me on the mission; straight up miracle. Also in the park the other day, we met a little girl from Nigeria named "Gods-timing-is-best" not kidding. That is her full name, haha! I have heard some crazy names on the mission but that one takes the gold for sure. She was so cute. And we taught her mom and she was super amazing. Hopefully she keeps her return appointment :)

Well I think that is all for this week! I can’t believe it’s already been 9 months. But then again I can’t believe there are still 9 months to go, haha! I love every day out here! I hope all is well back home enjoy the last few days of school :)

I love and miss you all!

Sorella Yost

Letter #37 - 5/27/14

Ciao famiglia!

How are you all?? So this week was a little rough, it all started on Friday when I started to not feel super great, but I tried to persevere and we went to teach a lesson to one of our investigators in the park.  But I wasn’t able to get through it and ended up having to run out of the lesson and throw up behind a bush in the park. I literally left my companion in the middle of Joseph Smith’s first vision and everything, haha! It was horrible timing.

So then we went home and I was up all night throwing up and just slept on the bathroom floor and everything. It was awful. But I just slept all Saturday morning and then we went out so that I could play the piano for the musical number at a little boy in our branch who was baptized on Saturday night. It was such a great baptism. He was so excited, he is thirteen years old and the Anziani (Elders) have been teaching him. Our branch president and his wife are in the process of adopting him and they sang "a child’s prayer" and I played the piano and Sorella Carter directed. It was really cute.

But I am feeling a ton better now! So all is well and back to normal :)

We have been seeing lots of miracles here in Ravenna and the work is starting to pick up. We are just trying so hard to find those people who are waiting to hear about the gospel. We were doing casa (door to door) in a neighborhood on Monday night and were just getting rejected left and right but we ended up finding a woman who was taught by the Anziani years and years ago; and she LOVED us! It was such a huge miracle. She said the last time she saw missionaries was a year ago when they came to try and find her but couldn’t come in because she was home alone. Well guess what. We are women and we will never have that problem, haha! So we are super excited about her. She was super amazing.

And then we have had some amazing lessons with several less active members these past few days too and we are just seeing the hand of the Lord in our work every day. We know if we rely on Him, he will guide us where we need to be. We just have to be willing and ready to act. It’s been really hard but so rewarding.

Also, in other news. Sorella Carter and I found the best gelateria (ice cream shop) in Ravenna the other night. THEY PUT CHOCOLATE IN THE BOTTOM OF YOUR CONE ABBI. I know! It’s great. Mom you would love this place. Some day we will go here together.

And my companion is just the best, I love her so much. This morning she let us sing Christmas hymns during companionship study. And she took such good care of me when I had the flu. Hopefully we get to be together for a second transfer. We will start praying now.

I think that is everything for this week! Everything is great here in Ravenna, We are just pushing forward and trying to find :) I love you all and hope everything is good at home!

Love and miss you! Talk to you next week :)

Sorella Yost

 

 

Letter #36 - 5/20/14

Ciao from Ravenna!

Oh my goodness, I LOVE this city so much already. It is so perfect and cute. So this area has been open to Sorelle (Sisters) for only one transfer now so we are basically opening up a brand new area. It’s crazy fun. We are basically starting from nothing. But that’s okay; we are working hard and already seeing so many miracles. On Friday we made a goal to find one new investigator every day this week so that would be 7 for the week from Monday to Sunday. So yesterday we went out finding and we found 7 new investigators in just one day!!! It was so amazing. We could not believe it.

One of the new investigators we found was there in the park with her 13 year old son and they were so nice and she wanted to learn more and loved that we were out there talking about Christ. It was so refreshing, haha. So we are so excited to meet with them again tomorrow and really hope they will be able to come to the baptism on Saturday for a 13 year old kid in the branch. It was such a huge miracle. Blessed be the day.

We are on bikes here in Ravenna and it is like the best thing ever. I love it. I hope I am on bike for the rest of my mission, haha. Our bikes names are David and Isabella. They aren’t the prettiest bikes around but we love them comunque (however), haha. But really, bikes are the best. Riding in a skirt is a bit difficult but I think I am starting to get the hang of it. And I have only had one minor accident and I rode into a wall because a car got close to me and freaked me out, haha. But I’m totally fine, my hand just got a little beat up. Don’t worry mom, I always wear my helmet and everything :)

Last week we had new beginnings for the young women in the branch! There are 2 of them and Sorella carter and I are the first and second councilors in the Young Women’s presidency. So we taught Young Women’s on Sunday, ahha. It was actually really fun. I really liked it. They young women are super great. But so last week we had New Beginnings the day after I got here and we set up for it and both gave talks at it and everything, haha. It went really well though! It was really fun.

It’s funny to have gone from a tiny branch (Montevarchi), to a huge ward (Allesandria), back to a branch (Ravenna). I really love it though, I am so lucky to have served in each of the areas I have been in and with each of my companions. I LOVE Sorella Carter, we get along so well. She’s so great.

Well I think that is everything for this week! I hope everything is well back home! Oh and congrats to Anna for making the Eastlake cheer team! that is so awesome! :)

The church is true! Have a great week! Love you!

Sorella Yost