December 26, 2012 - Natale! Christmas!

 Buon giorno cara famiglia! (Good morning dear family!)  How did the rest of your Christmas go? It was SO great to see all of you and talk to all of you! We have such a great family and I am so blessed. I love and miss all of you. Soon enough we will all be reunited and partying together again! MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

And yes, I'm getting transferred to the beautiful city of Savona. A city on the coast of the Mediteranean sea. I'm so excited! The region of Liguria is beautiful! And they are famous for foccacia and pesto. Two of my favorite things. :) The work has been going really well there this last transfer. We'll be praying to be able to keep that up. I'll be with Sorella Durfee! I'm a little bit sad to be leaving Milano because we have so many great golden people here! But that's alright. They will be in good hands. 

Our Christmas was so fantastic. First, our Christmas zone conference was a blast! So many marvelous things to tell... let me summarize. Our training was about opening up and bearing more powerful more personal testimonies. Then they had the "dying missionaries" bear their testimonies. Sorella Lloyd bore the most amazing testimony I do believe I have ever heard. I shed quite a many a tear. Oh I love that woman. I will miss her dearly as will the people here in Italy. Her homecoming with be Jan. 14th if you want to go, parentals. In Lehi. I'll see if I can get the exact info. She is so wonderful. We had great times in Pordenone together. Then Sorella Lloyd sang O Holy Night with Sorella Lyman on the violin. Then the Wolfgramms talked about Christmas. Then we did the nativity "alla Wolfgramm" and sang Christmas carols while everyone was getting ready. That was a hoot. It included President playing the role of Rudolf. Heel-clicks included. That was a happy moment. Then we watched some clips of the life of Christ. Then President and Sorella Wolfgramm gave us all scarves and ties to unite us as a mission. It is beautiful. I love the Wolfgramms! 

OUr Christmas Eve was quite wonderful as well. We taught a beautiful lesson with Sara, Gianni's daughter. Then we went and sang at the Duomo with the other Milano missionaries. Then we went to midnight mass. Then we went home and slept until 7:30. Then for Christmas we went to the church at Milano Lampugnano and watched a Disney movie with the Sorelle there. Then we went to lunch at the Dulin family's home. Best philipino meal ever! Then we went home and slept for a bit. Then we went and talked to you! Then we went home and I wrote a letter to myself to be opened next Christmas (our teachers in the MTC to do this last year and I've decided to make it a tradition. Mine from last year was pretty great.) It was such a fun Christmas! My favorite was singing carols at the Duomo. We sang a few others that were not quite Christmas, but still brought a good spirit (Called to Serve, the mission hymn, the Spirit of God, Joseph Smith's first prayer... ha... It was the Anziani's idea.) That was fun to spread some Christmas spirit to everyone there. 

It's been a good week. I love being a missionary. It's the best time of my life. I can't wait to talk hours on end to you about everything that happens here. There is no way I could possibly include everything. Ever. But I will talk for hours on end about everything. 

Be ready. :)

Love you so much family! Wish me buon viaggio (good trip) to Savona! Transfers actually aren't until Friday. So I'll leave Friday morning. I'm excited. Vi voglio bene! Buon Natale!  

(I love you!  Merry Christmas!)

Sorella Forbes

Sorella Forbes and Dear Sorella Wolfgramm, the Mission Mom.

 The Mission Nativity

Me and Sorella Cano, our dear RS President here.

 I may or may not have offered to let her come stay with us in a year or two. 

She wants to visit Salt Lake with her daughter. She's amazing. 

And then Via Meda on Christmas Eve. 

This is pretty close to our apartment. We are blessed.

 

 Us and the Assistenti. We've served in the same ward for quite some time! 

Now we're all being split up. Bummer deal. They are awesome. 

Anziani Herrington and Sciaretta.

 Our Christmas choir at the Duomo!

 All the Sorelle on Christmas Eve. 

Someone gave us all roses while we were singing... ha!

                                                              Me on Christmas morn. 

Christmas lunch with the Dulins!

December 25, 2012 - An Italian Skype!

     Had a wonderful conversation with this beautiful girl!  She is so happy!  and loving her missionary life!  We are so proud of her...five months to go.

December 19, 2012 - I vero spirito di Natale "The True Spirit of Christmas"

"L'amore di Cristo è il vero spirito di Natale." 

"The love of Christ is the true spirit of Christmas.

The love of Christ is the true spirit of Christmas. Says one of the first presidency. I can't remember which. But it was from the first presidency Christmas devotional. I'm trying to keep this in mind this week as we are nearing Christmas. I LOVE being a missionary at Christmas time. This week we've started a teach to find approach about how Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy, and then leading that into thinking of and learning more about Christ can help it be a more joyful time. And then how the Book of Mormon helps us do these things. Something like that. But it's great. We've got some people talking to us with that. Christmas is in the air here in Milano! It's BEAUTIFUL! There is a giant tree in front of the Duomo. It's beautiful!

This email probs won't be much since I'm talking to you next week!!!! I'm so excited. I can't believe it's already Christmas. That is just crazy. 

This week has been a strange one. We're just now getting back on a normal schedule. We've been traveling around a lot and we had a scambio with the Varese sorelle, so we're trying to get back to normal. Ma va bene. My scambio with Sorella Bush was fabulous. We set a baptismal date with Karin, Martin's ex on Thursday. I just love her so much! I have a good feeling about her. Abby will not be baptized this month, but she has so much faith and knows this is right. We're praying hard for her. We also started visiting a part member family this week. The wife and oldest kid are members. They have two younger kids baptism age that are not baptized and the dad is not a member. They had a son die a little over a year ago. They had met with misisonaries before then but he was never interested in baptism. He loves the church, thinks the book of mormon is true, but never wanted to take that step. We had a beautiful lesson with them on the Plan of Salvation this week and I believe this could be the dad's time. THey want an eternal family. I love them so much!

The snow is coming down hard here. ON Friday we had to go to Bergamo so Sorella Lyman could play the violin in a concert there. That was fun. We're just getting to share all of our talents! I love it. Sorella Lloyd and Brown from Milano 1 also went, and the Bergamo Sorelle both have studied classical voice. Sorella Padula will be a famous opera singer some day, and I was in heaven listening to her on Friday at Bergamo. Beautiful!!! That was fun. We all stayed the night with the Bergamo Sorelle. Then our train the next morning was cancelled because of the snow, but we caught one not too long after. But that was fine. Didn't get much sleep because I was on the floor and it was cold, and loud neighbors, but we have amazing sorelle here! I was grateful to get to spend some time with them and hear all of them share their talents. I was the page turner for the piano players. :)

About that call, dad... sorry about that. Here's the story really quick. We were at correlation with our ward mission leader. he asked us what we were doing for Christmas and I said we had to find someone to help us out with a computer to skype. He said he had it on his phone and we could use that. He said "let's call right now and see if it works!" I said no no no fratello... and he kept saying "Dai! Facciamo!" And so i didn't think he could  call a house number from skype so i gave him the house number. He was calling and a voice machine came up in english and he passed me the phone, but it had ended by the time I got it. I was thinking "IT doesn't work!" And he said "facciamo un'altro. Vediamo cosa dice." So then he dials again and hold the phone up to my ear. I was expecting to hear a machine again, instead I hear "Hello?" Uh.... that's my dad... "HELLO?!?!" "HII!!!" "AAAHHH!!!" Fratello LaFranceschina takes back the phone really quick I'm up running around the room laughing with Sorella Bush and he just yells "Ciao da Italia!!!" in the phone. And hangs up. Oh gosh. My heart.... I hope it didn't scare you too bad. All is well. haha.

About the call next week. If all else fails we are coming to this internet place about 4-5 PM our time. 8-9 your time i believe. I'll send an email from the phone booth again if that has to change. I'm excited!

Something to think about this Christmas season: 3 Nephi 1. The Christmas story in the Book of Mormon! Read that chapter. I like to categorize the people into 3 different groups. Those with different levels of faith. I'll talk more about it next week. Thoughts?

Love you family! I'm so excited to talk to you next week! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS E BUON NATALE TUTTI!!!

Vi voglio un sacco di bene!

Sorella Forbes

 Going to see the "Last Supper" Painting.

Beautiful Italian Sorelle

 Creepy bone Church...

 Sorella Lyman and Sorella Forbes at Christmas time.

   Me at the Duomo! Christmas!!!

 Snow outside our balcony. 

The Albello family! I love them. 

They are from the Philipines. They made me wear a Santa hat. ha! They are the greatest. One of the families I always want to be in touch with. 

December 12, 2012 - I Saw Sorella Willey!!

Well, just on the Christmas devotional, but I was so happy and excited it merits the subject of this email. Sorella Willey, I hope you read this. And I hope you got my letter. I just love Sorella Willey. 

Buon giorno tutti! I'm still here in Milano. Still loving my life. My life this last week has been great. Well, it's great every week, but I live in Italy. So that's expected. We've been so busy! 

Friday we had the dance activity with the youth! It was great! We had about 8 youth come (including Karla, our investigator, Martin's daughter) and an older member who's kids wanted her to come check it out so they could come the next time if it was good. We're doing it again on Saturday. And they're coming. I guess everyone had fun. It was so weird teaching hip hop! I've been a missionary for a year now. And I haven't really danced for a year. But oh, it feels so good to dance. I'm so grateful. This Friday we are going to Bergamo so Sorella Lyman can play the violin in a concert there. We're just going all over the place. I'm so grateful for the opportunities we have to share our talents on our missions! We truly are blessed. 

We had our first snow this last week! It has  been so cold! We are layering up like crazy and staying warm. We've spent a lot of time outside ringing citofonos. We're always really grateful when someone let's us in.

I'm really excited about a lot of these potentials we have right now. They seem to really be prepared. It's still just been a problem trying to set up appointments with them. Especially at this time of year it seems everyone is working doubly hard. It's quite frustrating sometimes. 

Abby is still so great and wanting to get baptized. She wasn't able to come to church one week so we told her we would have to postpone the baptismal date, and she was disappointed, but then just looked up and said "okay when can I baptize?" And we told her the 22 of December. And she said she would be gone so "I will baptize the 29." Okay! We can do that. ha. She's reading the Book of Mormon every day and is praying and really sees that this will change her life and bring her closer to God and Christ. She's a champ. We just need to finish teaching her all the commandments and hopefully she'll have her interview next week and she'll be good to go. She's so sweet! Our philipino members all love her. They were so excited when she walked into church on Sunday. They'll take good care of her. 

Remember how last week I told you we were going to a big fair? Well, remember how it was the greatest thing ever?! They had stands from every part of the world. Italy had it's own pavilions. It was huge! Every region of Italy also had their own section and we tried a lot of food samples. I bought a wood carving from Alto-Adige, Fiorentino paper and journal, really warm socks from i don't remember where, and some goodies I'm actually sending home. I don't know if I can even describe it fully to you... I want to come back to it. Every year. It was amazing! Mom, you told me to buy a nativity. I tried. They had woodcarved nativities that were SO BEAUTIFUL! And I wanted one so bad. But they were way too pricey. We're talking 200 euros for a little one. So I just bought a hand carved Holy Family, With Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, a cow and a donkey. I like it. It's small, but means a lot to me. That's what's important. All the wood carving stands reminded me of all the wood carvings in Oberammergau when we went to Germany. I was in heaven at this fair! I think I spent all of my Christmas money. ha! We went to the Europe pavilion. I heard bagpipes. And we speedily walked towards the sound. They were calling to me. I'm scottish. I loved it. I wish we could have had more time there because we didn't even get to the Asia or Africa pavilions! BUt mama mia, it was beautiful. I'll be returning some day to that. 

Right now the lights in my life are Martin's family. Karla and Karin. His daughter and his ex. They are so beautiful and ready for the gospel. They've both accepted soft invites. Karla doesn't really understand baptism or even much about Christ, so tonight we're talking about that. And Karin loves talking about God and has so much faith! We're talking more with her about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon tomorrow. I love them!!!

Oh yeah, I went to Como on Monday. Remember how I love my life? Como is gorgeous! And the chapel there is even more gorgeous! It's the old italian villa of a cardinal. But they've redone it all nice and it is wonderful. There is still a panel with the Madonna and Christchild on the outside of the building. I love that they left it. It's beautiful. Ha. I'll send you pictures. 

Tonight Sorella Bush and Sorella Beutler are coming here for scambio. And I finally get to be with Sorella Bush! We're really excited. Finally on our fourth blitz together, we get to be companions. Happiness and joy. We're all going to see the Last Supper today too! It will be a fun day.

I'm good! The work is good! We're working hard. I'm really excited for the way things are going. Milano is doing great. The Lord is preparing so many people here to receive the Gospel.

I'm so grateful to be a part of it!

Vi voglio bene!

Sorella Forbes

December 5, 2012 - HO BALLATO! I DANCED!

Yes. I danced. Want proof? Here's a picture: 

We had a ward talent show. Martin and some members knew that I danced and had actually found me on YouTube, so they said I had to dance. I called President last Wednesday. I told him the situation and asked him if I could. He said, "well, OF COURSE!!! Sorella Wolfgramm and I are coming!" Haha. I asked him if I could listen to music to practice and he said "well, I would expect you to!" Haha so Martin found me the song "Somebody to Love" By Usher and Friday morning for exercise I choreographed a bit to add to what I could remember. It felt so good to dance again! Ah! I loved it. The ward loved it too. We announced after we'd be doing an activity where I would teach the youth to dance modestly this Friday and all the adults were saying "Anche vecchietti?!" (also for the old people?) It was fun. So maybe we'll be doing this dance activity a few times? I have permission. They've done two in Firenze with and Anziano that break dances and it's been a big hit. They are finding alot of people to teach through it. I'm excited. The Wolfgramm's are the greatest. THey came and after Sorella Wolfgramm gave me the biggest hug and said "I hope I get to see you dance again!!" And Presidente shook my hand and said "è fantastica!" I just laughed. It was so much fun. I call them my parents away from my parents. :)

Yesterday we got invited to attend Consiglio with all the zone leaders, the assistants, and President in the Mission Home. That was fun! First of all because Sorella Wolfgramm made breakfast AND lunch for us (Those zone leaders are so spoiled. Nobody cooks like Sorella Wolfgramm cooks), and second of all because it was really neat to get to see the overall scope of what's happening in the mission. I have a better appreciation for numbers! ha. We also set the Standards of Excellence for next year and we got to give some input. It was a great fun experience.

So the last two weeks were SO ROUGH, work wise. We're keeping our spirits up and trying to keep working in faith. Literally ALL of our appointments we set up with potentials fell through and we haven't had a whole lot of success in finding. We only taught 7 lessons last week. And that was with 1 progressor, our new converts, and some random things here and there. It was hard! Sorella Lyman hadn't even been able to give her first real baptismal invite! Which is strange. We invite to baptism every day, most of the time. But our faith and hard work is paying off. Yesterday we got 3 new investigators. 1 is a woman we found doing casa last week. She seemed really open and was understanding and accepting, but then to baptism she said absolutely not... vediamo. We have another appointment with her next week. Sandra is the cutest golden girl! A member brought her to the talent show on Friday and she was curious to know more so we set up with her and Monday we had the greatest lesson! The spirit was so strong! I recited the first vision and after the spirit hit us all in the face SO STRONG! It was one of the strongest times i can rembmer feeling it after the First Vision. We sat in silence for a second and I just asked her "How do you feel right now?" And she said "Meravigliosa!!!" She accepted everything. Including baptism. She said she already believes everything. She's the cutest. I just love her! And then we had an FHE with Martin's family and our member family, the Ramos fam. It was so great! We shared a story from the Book of Mormon and Karin at the end said she never really got what the Book of Mormon was and thought it was just the Bible but now she sees that it's different and is interested! We have an apointment on Saturday with her. Not to mention Martin's daughter of 15 years that we are seeing tonight! I'm so happy! That was a miracle.

Last Thursday Martin brought his daughter to the church so we could help her study for her english test she had next day. So we studied a bit with her hoping that there would be an opportunity to ask if she wanted to learn more about the church (Ammon approach!). There was never a moment and she kept running in and out of the room (there were a lot of members there practicing for he talent show and she has made friends with a lot of the youth) and I was getting frustrated because we were wasting time. But something kept telling me to just wait and be patient. So I did. Then I was making calls and she came back in the room and was sitting down, asked me who I was calling and I just told her all the people who might want to learn more about what we teach and she said "can we talk for a second?" So I said YES!!! And we went in another room away from her dad and all the noise and she poured her heart out to me. I was able to bear testimony of some basic principles and express a want and the ability to help her. Needless to say, she is being prepared to accept the gospel. She will really be able to see the blessings. I'm so excited to teach her!

So this week things are picking up. We're feeling really good about it and still think we can have at least one baptism this month (Abby!). We just need to get people in Church!!! We're working hard and being blessed.

Love you family! Hope you all had a good week! Happy Christmas time! There are lights all over Milano and it's beautiful! But with that has come the COLD! It's cold. I'm layering up. And I bought some really warm boots. 

Vi voglio un sacco di bene!!!

Sorella Forbes