Letter #50 - 8/26/14

Ciao Famiglia! 

Sorry not a lot of time to write, but this week has been sooooo great! We were able to hit Presidente Dibbs sfida (challenge) of 21 lessons this week for all the new missionaries and 3 new investigators! We are so tired but it was so worth it! We literally saw so many miracles, ahhhh no time to tell you about them all, but two of our new investigators are 19 years old and super awesome.

Here is a funny story – on Sunday in Sacrament Meeting they chose a hymn NO ONE knew, including myself, so it was one of the funniest things ever. All of us were trying not to laugh, and our Branch President made an announcement at the end saying that all that matters is that we are trying. Its hymn number 89 in Italian, so if anyone wants to teach me that one when I get home for the next time I am the branch pianist that would be greatly appreciated, haha, oh man.

My greenie made a Harry Potter reference this week in weekly planning and I told her I have never been more proud of her, haha. We laughed for like 5 minutes straight, haha. Oh and here’s one for will – he will like this. One of our investigators didn’t come to church on Sunday and the first thought that came into my mind was that scene in Harry Potter 5 when he is yelling at Voldemort "you know what, I feel sorry for you! Because you’ll never know what love really is!!" haha. So yeah, Harry Potter applies to missionary work all the time.

Today we went to the mosaics and it was so fun! Sorella Nilsen loved it. I can’t believe we literally live right next to these beautiful places. We are so lucky to be here. Sorry this is so short, but I spent all my time emailing back and forth with my Mom today!

All is well here in Ravenna :) We love it and are seeing the Lord’s hand in our work every day!

I love and miss you! Have fun at Hood Canal!

Vi voglio bene! (I love you).

Sorella Yost

 

 

 

 

Letter #49 - 8/19/14

Ciao La Mia Famiglia!

Come State?! Well this week has been CRAY!! But in the best way possible. Last week we went to Bologna for the new missionary training and it was so fun. Sorella Nilsen just showed everyone up and knew all the answers; I was so proud of her, hahhaha – scherzo (joking). But she did like know all the answers to everything. Her parents just finished serving as mission presidents so she already knows like everything, but I got to take all the credit - super nice, haha! ah man.

On the way to Bologna we taught a train lesson! Shout out to Sorella Lopez (my trainer who taught me the art of train contacting). She would be so proud of me; I’m a little rusty but still remember all she taught me, haha – but it was really cool. And we taught another train lesson on our way to Rimini the other day too. Train finding is back, Haha! So Whenever we are on the trains, look out. Mom you got to talk to Sorella Lopez on the phone? I’m so jealous of both of you, haha! I want to talk to you both! ahhh soon enough.

We had this really awesome branch activity on Sunday night for a member’s birthday and one of our investigators was there and she just loved it. It was so great. He lives out in the fields in the countryside so it was so beautiful. And then this week president Dibb challenged all the new missionaries and their trainers to teach at least 21 lessons (so from Monday to Sunday) and Sorella Nilsen and I are already at 8! We are being so blessed. Two people have let us into their houses while we were doing casa (house finding) and one is a 19 year old girl who was so amazing. SO AMAZING. She accepted the book of Mormon and everything.

We are so ready for ferie agosto (August vacations) to be over so people don’t go on vacation but we are seeing so many miracles. We were counting up all of our bug bites on our legs yesterday when we went to unlock our bikes after getting rejected for like an hour and a half of finding and this lady felt so bad for us she stopped and talked to us and we ended up teaching her a lesson and she gave us her address and phone number and everything. The Lord does work in mysterious ways, am I right? Haha. But it was so great and also funny.

Sunday my collega (companion) and I are teaching the Young Women’s lesson on dating, hhaa – so funny. Probably the two most unqualified people in the branch; so it should be fun.

I hope all is well back home! I CANT BELIEVE YOU TOOK OUT THE HEDGES in the front yard?? Haha, so funny. Hopefully by the time I get home the house is still facing the same way ;) – stop changing everything!! Haha, scherzo (joking).

Love and miss you! Talk to you soon!

Sorella Yost

Letter #48 - 8/12/14

Ciao Famiglia!

Well everyone, she has arrived! Her name is Sorella Jenny Nilsen, she is a blonde, 5'6" gem from Salt Lake City Utah. She’s 19 years old and just so great. I’m just obsessed with her already. Man, I haven’t realized that I am getting old in the mission until this transfer. I guess life has been going on back home this whole year and no one told me?! Haha, scherzo (joke). But really - REALITY CHECK! I’m like a year done with my mission, I can’t believe it. Good thing I have 6 months left ;) oh man.

So first of all - last week was crazy fun. Sorella Carter and I were trying to get to Milano, but of course our train was in ritardo (delayed) so we only had 4 minutes to change binarios in Bologna with her 2, huge suitcases - that only had half their wheels! IT WAS CRAY, literally no other way we could have made the train other than a straight-up miracle from Heavenly Father. We had to each carry one of the suitcases down the stairs through the crowd of people, drag it behind us as fast as we could in the underground, and then each carry a suitcase up the stairs. It was intense. Sorella Carter was struggling and told me to go on without her and stop the train (the power of a missionary). So I ran as fast as I could with the bag and got on the train and then she got up the stairs and ran and just made it on the train before they closed the doors. We were sweating, and almost crying; There are angels among us, people. I have a huge testimony of that. Then we made it through Milano, and then through the metro, and then to the church in Cimiano. It was such a miracle.

I met my new collega (companion) on Thursday and we have seen so many miracles together already. Yesterday we set a goal to stop 35 people when doing street finding and we did it! We finished like 10 minutes before we had to go in, so we were talking to everyone we could, trying to get them to stop. It was so great! And on Sunday, I gave a talk and played the piano, haha that was fun. Also our less active member came to church and our investigator also came to listen to my talk! So that was a huge blessing :)

We are surviving ferrie Agosto (August), a.k.a. everyone bounces for a last minute vacation over here before school starts, haha. It’s been crazy, but so fun. And with the school year starting up again so that will be good for missionary work.

Oh and one last little story! Yesterday we had one of the coolest lessons with one of our investigators. We taught the restoration and her two little granddaughters were there and they loved it! We did this little cup lesson for it that I had learned on the mish from Sorella Hoffman – and they were just so in tune and the spirit was so strong. We asked them how they felt and they said that they felt really happy. It was so cute – then the grandma said that she thinks she is about to discover something really great with us. It was such a powerful lesson, and then at the end we asked one of the little girls if they would say a prayer and she was scared to so I told her I would help her so she came over by me and I helped her say the prayer.  It was like the cutest thing ever, oh man.

Crazy week! All is well here! The mission is the best, I am so thankful every day I am out here. I am so tired but still have so much more to give.

Love and miss you all!

Sorella Yost

 

 

Letter #47 - 8/5/14

Ciao Famiglia!

Guess what? I’M HAVING A BABY!!!!! IT’S A GIRL!!!!! What? That’s right – I’M TRAINING!!! So, basically this is what went down – Sorella Carter and I were like so sure that we were going to stay together; we even made nature themed matching planners for next transfer (haha we don’t have very many Ensigns left) but then on Saturday afternoon we got a call from President Dibb and he first told Sorella Carter that she is getting transferred to Milano and she is going to train there and be in a three some with a sister that finishes her mission in 2 weeks (going home early for school) and so then we were of course freaking out....then he asked to talk to me.... and told me that I would be staying in Ravenna AND training as well. Yeah. So that happened, haha, so great. Sorella carter and I are so sad to leave each other but so excited that we are going to be training together. She is going to be such a great trainer and kill it in Milano. AHHH, but I’m freaking out! I’m going to train! I feel like I’m still a baby in the mission, but I’m actually starting my 8th transfer, haha weird! And I know that Sorella McPeak is training too, Mom! So I will get to see her! So excited :) I think that a greenie is exactly what Ravenna needs. It will be so fun and she is going to love it here. It is so beautiful and I just love our Branch.

Oh, and by the way, I am the new Branch pianist – whooo! Haha, so that should be fun. I am also giving a talk on Sunday, so pray for me. Haha, luckily I don’t think we are in charge of teaching Young Women’s this Sunday. So it’s going to be a crazy week. We head to Milano in like an hour and then tomorrow I will pick up my companion! So get excited for pictures of that next week.

Tell Cali and Sarah congrats for me for getting married! I loved all the wedding pics! They looked beautiful! and nice job on being on time for church Mom, haha, so proud.  This week the weather has been crazy... we had a huge storm on Sunday night that started when we were out on our bikes riding to the train station to go to a city called Russi to visit a family in the Branch. It was the worst storm I have been in so far on the mission. We were SOAKED, literally. We looked like we had jumped into a pool in our clothes; our makeup was like washed away, our hair was dripping, I could pour water out of my ballet flats, haha. It was insane – everyone we saw was just huddled under coverings, there was no one on the streets, haha. So we tried to ring out our clothes the best we could while standing on the train but we were still dripping water, haha, and when we got off the train to meet the member at the station to get a ride to her house – and when she saw us her jaw literally dropped, haha. As soon as we got to their house they made us take off our shoes outside, wear the husband’s sandals upstairs, and then change into some of the wife’s clothes, haha it was hilarious. We looked like we had been through it.

Then on the way home our train was in ritardo (delayed) so we took some pictures at the train station. Hope you enjoy them, haha.  Another miracle – our less active came to church again this Sunday! This is her fourth time now! Such a huge miracle. She even bore her testimony and everything, so great.

This week we have still been rejected a lot but we have also seen countless miracles and tender mercies from the Lord. WE GOT IN ON CASA (door to door). That doesn’t happen often! Huge miracle. We have just been really learning that everything we do, we do it for the Lord. Even if the results don’t come right away, we are working hard and trying our best for the Lord and he is proud of us. We just have to trust in His timing and do our part. Everything works out in the end.

I am just so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission, so grateful. It has changed my life and will continue to do so forever. The lessons I am learning out here are so incredible and my testimony is stronger than ever before.

I love you so much famiglia mia! have a great week and I will talk to you soon with my greenie! :)

Sorella Yost