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Cari miei!

Lots of craziness this week and I don't have a lot of time, but here's some pics of this week with some of the highlights! 

Le foto:

Our bff Gaia❤

Deborah passed her Baptismal interview so things are good to go for this Saturday :)

Isn't she the sweetest?? 

Can't believe this crazy adventure started one year ago this week. I'm thankful for everything I'm learning and for how my testimony has grown. I'm so thankful for our Savior. No matter what we're going through, He is there and loves us perfectly. I'm thankful for the power of prayer and that we always have someone that's listening. Love you guys so much! Baci! 

Pasti, pizze, e pigiami! (2)

Hi guys! Our wifi stopped working last night before my group email sent so we had to send them off this morning! Not breaking rules :) I hope everything is going well for you guys! We're so blessed to be here in Caserta right now.

Il battesimo di Gianfranco!
Gianfranco was baptized this Saturday! It was amazing! So my companions and I have been teaching him and his best friend Rory together since July when I got here but Rory left for Chile for a few months so we passed him to the Anziani because he's a man. The baptism started on Standard Mormon Italian Time...it was supposed to be at 11 but it actually started at 12:07 haha. We have to do the baptisms here on the military base in the "nondenominational chapel" (covered in everything catholic haha) because we don't have a font in our church. The font was super shallow and only went up to their knees and Gianfranco isn't a small guy. He's easily 6'2" haha so they basically pancaked him flat on his back on the ground haha! But they got it done and he is now a member of the church!! It was a great day :) We had lunch and dinner with American families on the base afterwards so that was fun! I'm so thankful I was able to be here to see it.

Zina our cute Ukrainian simp & babushka :)

Our cute little 9yr old Nigerian investigator is all set for her baptism on Feb 3rd! We are so excited for her--not only for her baptism but also because her family has started coming to church again. We've been visiting them several times a week since I got here and the first time they came to church was Christmas and they've only missed one week since! I get teary-eyed every time they walk into church as a family. 

Pizza party with Veronica (our new convert) and the rest of our English Course friends :)

A few nights ago we were at our favorite pizzeria and our friend Gerry from English Course walked in and paid for our pizza for us! I felt like I was serving in Utah haha. I always hear about that happening to other missionaries but it's never happened to me haha! So blessed!!

Comp item. Matching "ciao bella" pajamas hahaha...matching white fleece pants and all.

We had a few meal appointments this week which was really fun. Sorella Neuberger had her first Italian meal appointment because typically the Americans are the ones to invite us over here. Italian food is the best. I can't count how many times I've said that on my mission haha.

I'm so happy to be here as a missionary at this time. Last night we were doing finding as a district in centro and I just felt so grateful that I get to constantly be sharing my testimony of Christ and the Restoration of the gospel. What a privilege that is!! Sono veramente grata per il mio Salvatore Gesù Cristo e per tutto ciò che lui fece per me. So che Lui espiò per ognuno dei nostri peccati e se ci pentiamo, possiamo tornare al nostro affettuoso Padre Celeste. So con tutto il mio cuore che Dio e Gesù Cristo apparvero a Joseph Smith e che Joseph restaurò la vera chiesa di Cristo sulla terra di nuovo. Cristo vive e questa è la Sua chiesa! 

Spero che la vostra settimana sia fantastica! I love you guys!! 

Sorella Hess

Piazza Monte Gemma 9

Roma 00141 Italia 

Il battesimo di Gianfranco!

Zina our cute Ukrainian simp & babushka :)

Comp item. Matching "ciao bella" pajamas hahaha...matching white fleece pants and all.

Pizza party with Veronica (our new convert) and the rest of our English Course friends :)

Conquered the Fufu...

It was a great week. I can't believe I've been here in Caserta for over 6 months. I love it here so much! It truly feels like home to me. Not a whole ton of stuff happened this week that was extra exciting. We've been working with a lot of less-active members. It's fun to see them recognize the Spirit again during our lessons. One of our Less-Actives has a 9yr old daughter that we're teaching who should be getting baptized here in a couple weeks. She's the cutest! We taught her the plan of salvation this week and she LOVED it. It's fun having to simplify the lessons down to a child's level because it makes us focus on what's the most important. Also Gianfranco gets baptized this weekend! It's been a long time since he started investigating the church so it's really exciting that it's happening!! 

Here's probably the most exciting thing that happened: 

The Battipaglia Sorelle came to do a scambio with us and I was with Sorella Barnes from North Salt Lake. She's the same age as Sorella Neuberger in the mission so in her 2nd transfer. We were visiting a woman in our ward that's from Ghana and we didn't realize that she would be feeding us and we had just eaten a couple hours before so we weren't super hungry. I've heard all about "fufu" but I had never tried it on my mission yet. It's basically a huge piece of dough that is on one plate and then a bowl next to it with soup in it. Our soup had a full-on chicken (bones and all), mushrooms, and a bunch of other stuff. You eat it all with your hands and dip the bread dough in the soup. It was dannnng spicy. I had no clue how hot African food is so shoutout to Sis Caroline Richards and my cousins and friends serving down in Africa. 💛 Our eyes were watering the whole time. I probably chugged a whole two liter bottle of water by myself hahaha. AND, she gave us each enough dough to feed a family of 10. Hahaha we were DYING by the end. I've never prayed so hard to be able to finish something and keep it down with a smile. It was way nice of her to feed us and I'd always wanted to try it--I just hadn't eaten spicy food for almost a year so we weren't used to it haha.

We got to teach the Young Women yesterday which was a blast. It made me think of my sisters Hailey and Sadie :) It was on why Jesus Christ is important in our lives. We asked them a rhetorical question that I've been thinking a lot about. What is the difference between knowing about Christ and knowing Christ? Do you know Christ or do you know of Him? It reminded me of the talk from this last conference by Elder Bednar. I invite you all to read it and to ask yourself if you truly know Christ. I'm so thankful for my Savior and that I get to be a full-time representative of Him. 

Ok one more funny story: Last night we were going through the area book calling old simps. I called a lady who tells us she has 17 cats and several of them are dying right now so she's too busy to meet with us. I ask if we can help her with anything and she says just to pray. So we're praying for her cats and maybe she'll find time to meet with us ;) Haha.

Vi voglio un Napolitano di bene! 

❤/

Sorella Hess

Piazza Monte Gemma 9

Roma 00141

Italia 

Fufu! Doesn't do it justice for how filling it was haha.

One more of Pompeii last week 

🎶"And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that they loved"🎶

My people :) 

Sorry we're a day late! Yesterday was Zone Conference so P-day was bumped to today. #notapostate :) I hope somebody got my Bastille song reference in the subject line...We went to Pompeii today for P-day😊 It was the coolest!!

This week was unreal. Easily one of the best of my entire mission. We are happy the holidays and Italian parties are coming to an end and hopefully people will want to start meeting with us again but the Lord has provided for us these past few weeks and we've been able to stay busy. We've been to Napoli 5 times in the last week for last P-day, MLC, Zone Meeting with the District Leaders, Zone Conference yesterday, and today to Pompeii!! Lots of traveling but each of the meetings have taught us so much and we're ready to attack 2017! 

It's been TROPPO FREDDO this week. Probably the coldest I've ever been in my life haha. No joke. We are wearing so many layers it's ridiculous. (3 pairs of tights guys😂) It snowed in Caserta for the first time since 1986 and the whole city pretty much shut down for the entire day even it only lasted for a few hours haha. Every time we go to Napoli our train goes right past Vesuvio and it is BELLISSIMO covered in snow. We're so blessed (we say that probably a hundred times a day).

Remember the less active we have been working with that came to church on Christmas?! She came again this Sunday and brought her 3 cute kids! We are teaching her 9yr old daughter! We were so happy to see them together in church :) It's so special to be able to see people come back to the fold❤

Last night after Zone Conference we were visiting a Less-Active member in the ward. She had a friend over at the time, and I'll be honest, I was initially a little disappointed because I didn't think we'd be able to get them all to come together and listen to the spiritual thought because there were a lot of kids and people there. BUT, we were able to sit them all down and teach them the Restoration. It was amazing and we added the friend as an investigator. She has a cute 8yr old daughter too! I was also super proud of my companion in that lesson. She continues to amaze me every single day and she teaches me so much. I swear I'm learning more from her than she could be learning from me. I'm blessed with the best!

This past Zone Conference could easily be one of my very favorites that I've had so far on my mission. We focused on the Holy Ghost and preparing ourselves for the Worldwide Missionary Broadcast we will be having in a few weeks. I learned so many new things!! I could go on all day. One of my favorite parts was at the end when we had a group discussion about our favorite verses in the Book of Mormon about the Holy Ghost. I loved the verse that someone shared from 1 Nephi 4:6-7. "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless I went forth." I think this applies to all of us in some aspect or another with school, work, family situations, missionary work, friends, etc. I know I definitely feel like this as a missionary. I don't know what I'm doing a lot of the time. There are days when I don't feel qualified, but as we pray to be led by the Spirit, we will be able to go forward with faith and the Spirit will guide us to do the things we need to do to fulfill this work.

President Pickerd shared a footnote from a scripture that I've been thinking a lot about this week. It's in Joseph Smith History at the very end. It's Oliver Cowdrey talking and he says, "These were the days never to be forgotten." I know this is true with wherever we are RIGHT now in our lives. We will look back on these days and always remember them! Give it all to the Lord. As the time is flying by on my mission, I pray that I will be able to do this so that as I look back on my mission for the rest of my life, I will have no regrets. This is the happiest and most rewarding hard-work ever. I love my mission and being a representative of my Savior. A lunedì💕

Con amore,

Sorella Hess

Via Caduti sul Lavoro 3 

Caserta, CE 81100 Italia

Le foto:

Pompeii today! Vesuvio is in the background :)

Our cute Nigerian friends💕

La conferenza di zona

Auguri e Buon Anno!🎆

Hi guys :) Buon anno!! Happy New Years!  I can't believe it's 2017!! We were talking the other day about how when we were freshmen in high school and it was almost 2012 and we thought the world might end hahaha. That feels like last week!!

We had a great week despite the majority of our people we work with being out of town for the holidays. 

I'm in love with Napoli

Wednesday was really special. Remember our investigator Veronica who was baptized back in November? She was baptized on the same day as the anziani's investigator Evans. He's been able to receive the priesthood in the past month and he baptized his 9yr old son Joshua this week. It's been amazing watching them progress and now in a year they will be sealed together as a family with the wife who is already baptized. Yay for eternal families!!!

New Years in Italy is insane--especially around the Napoli area! Mammmma mia haha. It sounded like we were in a war movie. We could see easily 40 different massive firework shows just from our apartment window. We couldn't fall asleep until 2am because it was literally shaking our apartment they were so loud and close to us! 

As we start this new year I encourage you all to sit down and make some goals for 2017!! Let's make it great!! I read a few really great talks this week and here are some of the quotes I loved from them:

Last district pic! Holding up what number of transfer we just finished. Going into transfer 8 this week! Time needs to slow down!!!!

“The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

"There is something wonderful and hopeful about the word now. There is something empowering about the fact that if we choose to decide now, we can move forward at this very moment."

"Now is the best time to start becoming the person we eventually want to be--not only 20 years from now but also for all eternity."

"Keep trying. Be believing. Be happy. Don’t get discouraged. Things will work out.’” “I say that to myself every morning,” President Hinckley told a congregation. “If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us.”

I know these things are true and that the Lord will help us with anything we put our mind to if we put Him first in our lives! I love you all and being a missionary❣️ Forza Italia!! Here's to 2017!!

Handstand/self-timer gone wrong. Happy New Year💥

Con amore,

Sorella Hess

Via Caduti sul Lavoro 3 

Caserta, CE 81100 Italia

Handstand/self-timer gone wrong. Threw my back out for this pic hahaha. Happy New Year💥

Last district pic! Holding up what number of transfer we just finished. Going into transfer 8 this week! Time needs to slow down!!!!

I'm in love with Napoli!

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