Hi! Remember how last Thanksgiving I was in the MTC?!?!?!
I've been a missionary for a year. I kind of had a panic moment last week. GAH! Crazy. Time flies.
First of all, let's talk about how today is Thanksgiving. What did we do you ask? We went to Fratelli La Bufala. And ate a LOT of food. A lot. I ate like this yummy mozzarella cooked in cous cous for an apetizer and then a full pizza with Parmigiana di Melanzane. MMM. And then, I ate the BEST cheesecake of my life. Remember how cheesecake is my favorite? Well, Fratelli la Bufala style, is made from latte di bufala. Most freshest delightfullest thing I do believe I ever had eaten. I won't lie and say I don't miss the home made turkey potato yam stuffing feast of years past (I don't count last year because that was th eMTC version...) but I'm pretty grateful for the excuse to eat A LOT of good italian food. I am not complaining. AFter this we are going to go buy a christmas tree. And then I hope to write the family some letters. P day flies by SO fast here in Milano! I really have no idea how I already only have 2 hours left! I don't know what happens. Grandma and Grandpa, I've been working on a letter for you for two weeks now. Hopefully I can finish it and get it to you subito!
Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAT! I missed it yesterday. Sorry. But I hope it was a good one! Buon compleanno!
Second, my new companion!!! Her name is Sorella Lyman. She is from Raleigh, North Carolina and is GREAT! She already basically speaks italian. She studied for 2 years at BYU too. She speaks really well. We're really excited about this time we have to serve together here in Milano. I was really surprised I am training again. I did not expect that. But I guess the Lord knows what he's doing. I'll tell you what President told me about it in interviews later in this email...We have had a CRAZY first week. A lot of things out of the ordinary that happened. It's been good times. On Sunday, our first night doing casa together, we had a miracle. THe night before we chose two streets to try. We went there and it was dark and I won't lie, a little scary. But we had to be there! We rang the first building, no one answered. So we moved to the second and an old lady leaned over the balcony and yelled at us, "don't you have anything better to do?!" So I yelled right back "WE ARE MISSIONARIES AND WE TEACH PEOPLE ABOUT GOD AND JESUS CHRIST!" I think that's pretty important.... BUt she kept yelling, we kept ringing, got someone who told us to come back another time, then moved on. I didn't feel good on that street so we got to our second. We almost went left but something told me turn around and go to the one with the big light in front of it. So we did. Sorella Lyman was ringing the citofonos. WE got in the first door. We're ringing at the second and someone leans out the window asks who we are we tell him and we hear a woman inside "tell them to come up!" So we went up. AT the door we started our teach to find about having peace in this life. They invited us in. 4 young adults. We sat down and they said "so who are you again?" WE told them we were missionaries and carried a message of peace and one of them said "well tell it to us." So we did. We had a prayer. Taught them the restoration, invited them to read and pray, set up a return appointment for sunday, said a prayer and left. It was a miracle! That never happens doing casa! That was maybe the second time on my mission I think. Greenie power! As Sorella Gomez said when we told that story to them... I love my collega!
Martin is a rock star. He may or may not have a surprise coming your way, family. I'm really excited about it. I won't tell you what it is, but you'll be happy. Mom will probably cry. Just sayin.
Patrick hit a road block this last week. We're trying to work through it.
Abby came to church! And all the philipinos love her! She's already best friends with all of them. She's going to get baptized on the 15th!
Have you seen the Conference Ensign yet? (ps mom can you send me that?!) Open to the talk by Elder Nelson about missionaries. And then look at the picture of the missionaries. And then look at where those missionaries are. Yeah, those are just my fellow Milano missionaries representin. We made the conference issue! Well, I didn't, but my friends did. :) We're a great group. If I do say so myself.
INterviews were yesterday! REmember how I LOVE trainings and conferences and interviews becasue my mind is BLOWN every time by the Wolfgramms? Well, it's true. They are amazing. (can I just add a side note... last week I learned that last year the Italy Milan mission had 319 baptisms. That is triple what it had three years ago. Just sayin...) I had a good chat with President during my interview. I told him I was really surprised to be training again. And he said "Me too." He said he didn't want to have people train back to back like that and that initially he had moved me, but then he went back and started thinking with his heart and inspiration instead of his head and had to put me back. I guess I'm where the Lord wants me! I was really grateful for him and for the things he told me. He is the greatest mission president in the world. I'm convinced! But President and our Sorella just came back from a Conference in Madrid. President said that the Presiding authority there told them that at their training before conference the first presidency and quorum of the twelve said "The Lord is hastening this work." And then President quoted a scripture from DandC about how the hastening will happen in its time and then followed that up with "It is hastening today." HE told us we will have a 30 percent increase in missionaries in this mission next year. We will probably have up to 50 sorelle! (we have 30 right now). I had chills. Yesterday they talked a lot about preparing ourselves for this hastening and correcting what we need to to be able to help in this hastening. It was such a good conference!!! I am so excited for how the work is going in Italy right now and there are so many miracles! And there will only be more!!!
I wish I could tell you more, but there's too much to tell! ha!
I love you lots family!!!! happy thanksgiving! I am so grateful for you. I am so grateful for this gospel. For this mission. For my Savior. For the Book of Mormon. For my Father in Heaven. For the miracles I see everyday. For the amazing people I've met this last year. For the amazing experiences that are to come. For all the good times but also the difficult. I'm grateful I have the opportunity to grow and to change and to learn and become more like my Savior. I know that He is real and that He lives. And I'm so grateful for the chance to share this testimony every day!!!
VI VOGLIO BENE!!!!!
Sorella Forbes
(imagine me doing my turkey noise...)
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