Monday, May 23, 2016

May 23, 2016

Hi guys!! Tutto posto?? This week was so great!! We had so many awesome spiritual experiences:) 

For my permesso di soggiorno (basically my visa to stay in Italy for the next year and a half), we had to do a culture class twice this week for 3 hours each. It was so boring haha. There's an elder in our district who's been out for one transfer longer than me so he had to do his culture class too, so there were 4 Mormon missionaries, and then 3 Nigerian nuns. Quite the group😂 I was able to talk to them about Joseph Smith though and then later on they got our number. I don't know if that means they want to learn more about OUR church or if they want us to learn more about THEIR church haha. 

We had 5 member appointments this week for pranzo (lunch)! I love these members in this ward so much. We had lunch with this cute older woman this week and I can honestly say I've never been so full in my entire life. I thought I was going to die hahaha. Funny story: we were eating this fruit called nespole (sort of like an apricot) at the end of pranzo and as I started peeling mine, a massive earwig crawled out on my hand. You guys. I thought I was going to die. I kept my cool and casually smashed it on my plate and was a champ and proceeded to eat the nespole and the little lady didn't even notice. #missionaccomplished.

We have scambio's this week in Crotone and I'm super excited for it!! I'll be with Sorella Dustin who has been out in the mission field for about 3 weeks so I'll be the senior companion😂😳 

We added two new investigators this week. It's a mom named N and the daughter named A who's 17. We taught them Saturday night and it went so well!! It was a testimony builder to me because I felt like I was able to speak and say what I wanted. I know it wasn't me speaking though. It made me think of this scripture:

D&C 100:5-8
5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;
6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.
7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.
8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.

The language is coming "piano piano" (little by little). I know that if I'm doing my part and studying and striving to always have the Spirit with me, Heavenly will make up the rest. 

Today for P-day we went to a man in our ward's pizzeria. It was delicious! I still feel like I'm living in a dream and I'm going to wake up and none of this will have been real. I'm so thankful for all I'm learning here and for these amazing people in Italy. I love this Gospel and am thankful for the joy it brings to my life. I love you guys!! Have a blessed week!! 

Sorella Hess

Sent from my iPad

Pics: with the nuns in our culture course
Walking along the ocean after our lesson on Saturday with our senior couple's daughter :)
Today at Ettore's Pizzeria as a district

Monday, May 16, 2016

I❤️Taranto May 16, 2016

Monday, May 9, 2016

Week 14 (I think!) May 9, 2016

Buongiorno cari miei!! Spero che tutto sia bene per voi:) I can't
believe it's already Monday again! Time really is FLYING!! I feel like
I just emailed yesterday haha!!

We had a fun week! We had several lessons with our investigators and
we bright members with us. It's amazing what a difference it makes
having a third person there to share their testimony too. We met with
Margherita (24yr old) this week and taught her the Restoration and she
prayed at the end of the lesson and the Spirit was so strong. She's
such a sweet girl. She's out of town for the next week or so, so we're
hoping they get home soon and we can continue to work with her.

We had 2 lessons with M! She's amazing!! She told us that she
lost her keys the other day and her husband and daughter were really
upset at her for it. She decided to pray like we had taught her and
she found her keys right after! So cool!!:) Gotta love answers to
prayers like that😊

Today for P-day we went and toured the Aragonese Castle of Taranto. We
have the Sorelle from Crotone with us because we have scambio's
tomorrow and then Zone Conference on Wednesday. It's been nice to have
some girl time and people to speak in English with😂 The only people
we ever speak in English to are the Anziani in our district so every
once in a while it's good to be around other girls haha.

This morning I was reading an article from the November New Era from
1996 (haha I downloaded them all from the year I was born😂). It has
the cutest article in it called "A Reason to Smile." I encourage you
all to go read it!! It's awesome. It tells this story about having a
good attitude:
“A father is aboard an airplane on a short business trip. He has with
him his five-year-old son and is almost wishing his son were not there
because it is a very rough trip. There are downdrafts and updrafts and
head winds alternating with tail winds, and some passengers are
feeling a bit queasy. Apprehensively, the father glances at his son
and finds him grinning from ear to ear. ‘Dad,’ he says, ‘do they do
this just to make it fun for the kids?’”

I love this! We need to remember how important it is to be positive
and remember how blessed we are. D&C 31:3 D&C 78:17-19 :)

I love you guys!! Thank you for all you do for me. Have a wonderful week:)
"God our strength will be, press forward ever called to serve our king."

Con amore,
Sorella Hess

Sent from my iPad

One of our English course students brought us panzarotti 😍
Gesso!!
In the castle today in Città Vecchia:)

Monday, May 2, 2016

May 2, 2016 'My Big Fat Italian Wedding'