April 21, 2016

Italy Here She Comes !! They are Soooo Lucky !!! 

Bekah Leaves for Italy on April 26th and Arrives on April 27th
 (No more Dear Elder letters - Remember to Email Bekah)

Thursday- It was a great Pday! On the way back from the temple it was raining so naturally we got soaked. It was fun even though it was really cold! We did little jigs in the rain because how can you not do a little jump and skip when walking in the rain?

 

Friday- There really is never enough time in a day! There's so much Sorella Mckenzie and I want to learn and study! We also got our flight plans so that was really exciting! I will fly out with the Sorellanza. I'm so grateful we are all going to the same mission so we don't really have to say goodbye! We practiced street contacting. I'm so grateful that I will still be with Sorella Mckenzie when I have to hand out my first Book of Mormon when we get to Italy! I don't know what I would do without her. She's the best! 

 

Saturday- Happy one month! A good quote from one of our teachers today was "when you fear, think of love". I really liked them. It's going to be a little scary talking to strangers about religion, but when you get scared think about how you love them and you want them to have all the best opportunities for happiness. They deserve to know. We had a brother sub our class this day and the sorellanza couldn't stop laughing. We aren't used to males being in our classroom. Plus, one of our other teachers told us to give him a hard time as a joke haha. 

 

Sunday- The BYU Men's chorus came for the devotional. They sang an awesome African version of a song and "I Can Go The Distance" from Hercules. It was awesome! Always got to love Sundays!

 

Monday- My companion in the sweetest. She does so much for me and I just love her! It's going to be weird getting used to a new companion. It was just another fun day in class with the Sorellanza. We talk about great things. All of us love to read even though we didn't really have a ton of time for it in college so we can have some awesome classic literature book talk. 

 

Tuesday- I screamed and I shouted because my sister is having a BABY GIRL!! We did our last TRC with skyping. I loved it even though sometimes it's hard to understand or hear them over skype. 

 

Wednesday- During Afternoon class we went on a walk. I'm so pale that even though we were only outside for only 20 minutes my legs go some serious sun! Our teacher talked to us about the different culture in Milan and things that we would need or want. It was super helpful! 

 

I love the Book of Mormon so much! It is so important to read it to receive strength and personal revelation. As I was reading it yesterday, I read about where Nephi breaks his bow. He makes a new one that probably isn't nearly as good as the one he broke. He did what he could then he asks God where he should go to find meat. This reminded me of myself. I by no means have the best language or a perfect knowledge of everything. But I did my best and I will put my trust in the Lord and ask him to direct me. I will open my mouth so that the Lord may speak through me. If I don't open my mouth, then how can the Lord use me?

 

I love you all so much and next time I email you I will be in Italy!!!!!

 

Sorella Anderson

                          I just love my companion Sorella Mckenzie - She is the Sweetest !!

                                                           Walking in the rain

                                                            Dancing in the rain

                                  The Romans making fun of the Sorellanza I'm sure

                                 The Temple gates were closed on Sunday - Sad

     When you lose your companion after hosting... haha just kidding but it's a funny picture

    "You are a disgrace! You will never bring your family honor!" -Mulan This is a nightly ritual!

                               When your sister is having a baby girl and you called it!

                                  You just can't help but jump for joy and tell everyone!

April 14, 2016

Wanna know something crazy?? Only one more P-day in the MTC. We should be getting our flight plans this weekend. So then I can tell you guys next week what they are.

 

 Thursday- It was an amazing P-day at the temple. We were able to do Italian names that our teacher had given us to do. Class that night we talked a lot about what kind of missionary you want to be and how to get over plateaus when you feel like you hit them. It's nice because everyone has different talents in the mission field and everyone is called to do a specific thing. Some missionaries may be good at organizing branches, others baptism, or maybe you're needed to help with training. You really never know, but God knows. 

 

Friday- There was a final beam ceremony for the final beam they are putting on the new MTC building that is under construction. All the missionaries, workers, and employees got to sign it. It was kind of cool. It was just nice to be outside. Haha, while we were outside there were elders making a woodchip house. They spent a full hour on it. It was pretty impressive. I wish I could've taken a picture haha. Spring is so beautiful here. There are so may flowers, lilacs, and tree blossoms. It always smells amazing when you walk outside! It's one of my favorite things.

 

Saturday- Not a whole lot happened. We were able to have personal study outside which was really nice and I read the Bible Dictionary definition on prayer. It's really amazing and I encourage everyone to read it:)

 

Sunday- It was fast Sunday! My district did really good with our "frabbia" (hanger). It's a word our district made up. Fame mean hunger and rabbia means hanger. It was really a great Sunday and the testimony meeting was amazing! 

 

Monday- We got to have Chick-fil-a chicken sandwiches for dinner. That was really amazing! It was a big hit in the MTC. Something kind of funny and random: I needed to iron a skirt so I plugged in the iron went into my room to get something, come back out it's being used. So I get ready go out plug it in and while it's warming up go brush out my hair. By the time I get back it's being used again. Ah! I try one more time and as I'm going to the iron I see a girl headed the same way... Luckily her room was just right by the iron and I didn't have to wait again!

 

Tuesday- We taught TRC to a native Italian through Skype. It went well but we couldn't really tell how she was feeling because we could only see half her face and then we got cut off early because the internet connection was bad. Man, our teachers are way too nice to us and I really need to work on my Italian. I'm just grateful I don't have to learn an Asian language because that would be hard.

 

Wednesday- We didn't host but my district was chosen to be demo missionaries for the new missionaries' workshop they had. It was a lot of fun! We basically just showed them how to do introductions and get to know investigators. It was fun to see how excited they are and how eager they are to bear witness of Christ. (It was weird to do this in English.I accidentally introduced myself as Sorella Anderson.)

 

My little thought that I have is from D&C 121:8-10. We all have trials and really struggle sometimes. But we are not as Job from the Bible. We have amazing people around us to bear us up and help us. Most importantly we have Christ and Heavenly Father. With love and support from all these people around us, we can draw the strength we need to get us through whatever our struggles might be. I'm grateful for my district and how we all help each other:)

 

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week!

 

Sorella Anderson

 

 

                We have to wear a cardigan on Sundays as a rule from our branch president...

                 I try to be obedient. It still drives me crazy sometimes

                                  This is how we feel when we get to be outside on the grass.
                                                        (Yeah I love Utah grass !!)

                                 They gave us a microphone for the demos. Big mistake.

                                                   I love you all!

April 7, 2016

 So I'm going to start off with the Words of the Week!

Perdonare- to forgive but Pedinare- to stalk haha You have to be super careful about that one letter difference in lessons haha! Funny story: Sorella Smedley had been trying to say "Jesus suffered for our sins". Suffered is sofferto but she had been saying soffrito. This means deep friend. She had been saying for like a week before she found out hahaha! 

Thursday- Another great day at the temple and P-day is our favorite day! Our teacher is a convert who served in Milan. She told us what she loves about the gospel is that even when you have the best days, there are an infinite number of days that are going to be better.:)

Friday- It was April Fool's day and we couldn't help but pull a few small pranks on the Romans. It was funny. They didn't mind and had a good laugh! The days are pretty much the same everyday. We continue to teach investigators in Italian. Even though they aren't real investigators, it's amazing how the Spirit can help us teach to the needs of the investigators.

Saturday- It was finally such a beautiful day! It was also General Conference which was amazing! we were able to sit outside on the grass for a little bit in between sessions. It was amazing. I felt like I was going to get sunburnt on my face because I'm not used to the sun! haha. Sometimes in life we have questions that we want to be answered. We can only expect the Lord to answer them if we ask and do what we can to search for an answer. 

Sunday- A great day of General Conference! We went on a little walk around the MTC campus and it was just so alive! Everyone is loving the nice weather. Elder Holland's talk was amazing! I encourage anyone who hasn't heard it or read it to read it. It was probably my favorite talk that I heard on 

Sunday. That night we watched Legacy. It's a movie about the Pioneers and it has a little love story in it. "Love is funny now"- Sorella Mckenzie. All the missionaries couldn't help but laugh at the little flirtations that were shown in the movie haha. 

Monday- That afternoon we went on a walk and played I spy in Italian with our teacher. Her name is Sorella Donakey and I love it because she thinks of inventive ways to teach. We played a conjugating game too which is fun! My competitive side came out so I got really excited about the game haha. Sorella Mckenzie and I had an amazing companion study this night, It was funny because at the end we were falling over our desks and chairs giving each other a hug. She's so sweet! 

Tuesday- Sorella Smedley did my hair for me which was great. They devotional was by Ardern of the Seventy. He was really good! He's from New Zealand and he talked about the 10 lessons he learned on his mission. One of the things I really liked is that he said "pay the price". Put in the effort it takes to be the best missionary you can be. Do whatever you can to develop that one thing you're working on. Side note: there was a BAT flying around the auditorium!!! It was funny and kind of creepy! Everyone was watching it haha. Even the speaker pointed it out. It finally landed on a wall just above this one older brother. I don't think he knew it was above him because he didn't move. 

Wednesday- We hosted new missionaries again but there weren't that many. We went to class and did the usual stuff. We taught members in Italian again. That was fun! It's so awesome to meet new people and just learn about them. It's amazing the Spirit that you feel when you teach and really apply it to them. 

I know I share lots of funny things but I know my purpose of why I'm out serving a mission. My mission is to invite and help people to come unto Christ. As I have been learning, my faith in Him has increased. I know that because of Him we always have someone to turn to. I know because of Him we can be healed. Because of Him we can live again. Because of Him we can have hope. Think of something you can do or work on that will help you strengthen your faith in Him. It will bless you and you may receive answers that you didn't think you needed in the first place.

I love you all! 

Sorella Anderson

                                          Man was Samuel H. Smith a looker.
                                          We just can't stop fan girling over him.

                                    We love it when Sorella Smedley does our hair for us!

                                April Fools Day - Prank on the Romans as she calls the
                                missionaries going to Rome.
                                     We changed the purpose to an Asian language.

                                         Put 33 on their wall because that's the page
                                         that says no flirting in the White handbook

                                We tease the other district about it because they have
                                Elders in their district