20 January 2010
Well hello wonderful family of mine.
I've been transferred! I am no longer in Ragusa, I am in Catania. It's a pretty big change, from a teeny tiny freezing cold city to a big one with a beautiful view of the ocean and I don't even have to wear a coat! It's really kind of miraculous. We wear coats at night, actually, just not in the day. I'm pretty excited about being here, I needed the change. My branch mission leader in Ragusa told me before I left that the Ragusani are more depressed and less friendly, they're friendly of course but a little more formal, and the people in Catania are warmer and more open and maybe a little crazier. This was proved a little the first night when a man walked up to us and said “Excuse me, a testimony...” and started saying something about the Bible and wickedness and stuff and then at the end said “thank you” and walked away. It was pretty funny. But Catania has a lot of good work going on and I'm pretty excited to be here and to be a part of it.
So last week was pretty good. Wednesday night all we did was branch correlazione, I have no idea what the name in English is. But it was pretty decent, they talked a lot about charity and unity and not judging other people. Of course correlazione nella Sicilia would not be complete without a good argument but you know, it was fun. And overall fairly uplifting. And then we had choir practice which was a pretty exciting event.
Thursday was crazy. We taught the babies English and they got in fights about who got to sit next to me, they were really upset when someone else took their seat and stuff. Then we had a few plans that all fell through so we ended up walking around and talking to people, and we met some not Italian lady on the bridge on Via Roma who said to meet her on Monday, and she brought a friend and the Anziani met her because we weren't there. Then we saw Sorella Turtula and went and talked to her at the church for a while, her mom was really not happy though because it was getting later, but then Fratello Micozzi walked into the church and he knew Sorella Turtula's dad and was just way nice and respectful it was kind of a miracle. Fun day. And then English course and we were pretty sure when 8 pm came and almost all our English course students were gone that we were safe from transfer calls...but then Anziano Sapio came and handed me the phone and said President wanted to talk to me. So, he said we've been doing a lot of good work in Ragusa, and now it's time for a change and to be in a new area where I'm not the new kid, and said I was coming to Catania to be companions with Sorella Hirsh. And Sorella Robb is training in Ragusa. And we both totally knew that it was going to happen almost exactly that way, but we didn't want to admit it. But we didn't think Sorella Hirsh would be staying in Catania because this is her fifth transfer here now, and Sorella Miller had only been here for three.
So the packing began.
Friday was super super cool. We called a bunch of people to invite them to Giuseppina's baptism and at 6 we went to the church to get ready. The Anziani and people had been there since 4, there was no hot water so we were trying to boil water and heat it up a little bit. Hahaha. It was a little bit impossible. She got there, felt the water, and said no big deal she would just pretend it was like her house when the hot water goes out, she was going to do it anyway. We had a lot of people come to the baptism, it was nice to see all the member support there. And my name was in the program because I said the opening prayer. Cool, huh? And then we did a musical number—I believe in Christ. I sang the first verse, Sorella Robb played a verse on her viola, and then we had the congregation join in for the fourth verse. It was really great. And Giuseppina got baptized! At the end she said she didn't even feel like it ws cold and she would do it again if she had to. And we asked how she felt and she said super happy “non immaginavo che fosse così, non immaginavo che fosse così bello.” She never immagined that it was so beautiful.
Saturday we had to salute a bunch of people and tell them I was leaving and they needed to go to church. And then we met with Esther and Justice who are not yet ready to be baptized but still plan on it someday. But they aren't keeping commitments, they said that they would come to church and they did not. And we met with the Criscione for the first time in a long time, and it went really well. And then they showed us a really cute little warm apartment that we think the sisters should definitely move into.
Sunday was Branch Conference and it was really good. Elvira still comes to church but she just talks constantly so she can't learn and neither can anybody else. But all three of our inactives that we see regularly came to church! Sorella Turtula, Trombadore, and Palermo. It was excellent. And after sacrament meeting Sorella Palermo asked President Sorrentino if he'd send some members to her house to instead of just missionaries. YES! We've been trying to get them to send her home teachers and visiting teachers, now that she's asked maybe they'll be more motivated to do it. And I got to say goodbye to everybody that I wanted to so it was all good.
Monday morning we came to Catania, and we unpacked and went through the area book and there is so much good stuff going on in this city I'm so excited. And we had a lesson with these really great and very sincere people who have been coming to church for a long time and known the missionaries for a long time—Salvo and Angela—and they aren't married yet and so Sorella Robb made a piece of bread with salt and a piece without, and had them sample each, and they didn't notice what the first one was missing until they tasted the second one. It's like the gospel. They could get so many more blessings if they were baptized, but first they have to get married. SO this week they are going to pray about getting married and fast and stuff.
Then yesterday Sorella Robb got her newbie, who is way cute and was way exhausted. They went straight back to Ragusa because she got here alone, so they've got the city. But Catania is so good. We had a really good lesson with a member present and a really cool investigator who has been investigating lots of religions and called up for a Book of Mormon.
It's pretty cool to be in a new place, I need to figure everything out all over again, but I'm excited. And Sorella Hirsh is wonderful, she's from upstate New York and she's not afraid of talking to everybody that she sees and I'm really excited and pretty sure I'm going to learn a lot from her.
I forgot to write down my address so I could send it, but I'll send it next week. The mission home is probably just as fast though, I'll get mail at least once a week from there. I'm super excited. This gospel is so great, and so is this work.
That's really cool what you guys are doing at the temple!
I love you guys, have a great week!
Love Sorella Eliza Stevenson
I've been transferred! I am no longer in Ragusa, I am in Catania. It's a pretty big change, from a teeny tiny freezing cold city to a big one with a beautiful view of the ocean and I don't even have to wear a coat! It's really kind of miraculous. We wear coats at night, actually, just not in the day. I'm pretty excited about being here, I needed the change. My branch mission leader in Ragusa told me before I left that the Ragusani are more depressed and less friendly, they're friendly of course but a little more formal, and the people in Catania are warmer and more open and maybe a little crazier. This was proved a little the first night when a man walked up to us and said “Excuse me, a testimony...” and started saying something about the Bible and wickedness and stuff and then at the end said “thank you” and walked away. It was pretty funny. But Catania has a lot of good work going on and I'm pretty excited to be here and to be a part of it.
So last week was pretty good. Wednesday night all we did was branch correlazione, I have no idea what the name in English is. But it was pretty decent, they talked a lot about charity and unity and not judging other people. Of course correlazione nella Sicilia would not be complete without a good argument but you know, it was fun. And overall fairly uplifting. And then we had choir practice which was a pretty exciting event.
Thursday was crazy. We taught the babies English and they got in fights about who got to sit next to me, they were really upset when someone else took their seat and stuff. Then we had a few plans that all fell through so we ended up walking around and talking to people, and we met some not Italian lady on the bridge on Via Roma who said to meet her on Monday, and she brought a friend and the Anziani met her because we weren't there. Then we saw Sorella Turtula and went and talked to her at the church for a while, her mom was really not happy though because it was getting later, but then Fratello Micozzi walked into the church and he knew Sorella Turtula's dad and was just way nice and respectful it was kind of a miracle. Fun day. And then English course and we were pretty sure when 8 pm came and almost all our English course students were gone that we were safe from transfer calls...but then Anziano Sapio came and handed me the phone and said President wanted to talk to me. So, he said we've been doing a lot of good work in Ragusa, and now it's time for a change and to be in a new area where I'm not the new kid, and said I was coming to Catania to be companions with Sorella Hirsh. And Sorella Robb is training in Ragusa. And we both totally knew that it was going to happen almost exactly that way, but we didn't want to admit it. But we didn't think Sorella Hirsh would be staying in Catania because this is her fifth transfer here now, and Sorella Miller had only been here for three.
So the packing began.
Friday was super super cool. We called a bunch of people to invite them to Giuseppina's baptism and at 6 we went to the church to get ready. The Anziani and people had been there since 4, there was no hot water so we were trying to boil water and heat it up a little bit. Hahaha. It was a little bit impossible. She got there, felt the water, and said no big deal she would just pretend it was like her house when the hot water goes out, she was going to do it anyway. We had a lot of people come to the baptism, it was nice to see all the member support there. And my name was in the program because I said the opening prayer. Cool, huh? And then we did a musical number—I believe in Christ. I sang the first verse, Sorella Robb played a verse on her viola, and then we had the congregation join in for the fourth verse. It was really great. And Giuseppina got baptized! At the end she said she didn't even feel like it ws cold and she would do it again if she had to. And we asked how she felt and she said super happy “non immaginavo che fosse così, non immaginavo che fosse così bello.” She never immagined that it was so beautiful.
Saturday we had to salute a bunch of people and tell them I was leaving and they needed to go to church. And then we met with Esther and Justice who are not yet ready to be baptized but still plan on it someday. But they aren't keeping commitments, they said that they would come to church and they did not. And we met with the Criscione for the first time in a long time, and it went really well. And then they showed us a really cute little warm apartment that we think the sisters should definitely move into.
Sunday was Branch Conference and it was really good. Elvira still comes to church but she just talks constantly so she can't learn and neither can anybody else. But all three of our inactives that we see regularly came to church! Sorella Turtula, Trombadore, and Palermo. It was excellent. And after sacrament meeting Sorella Palermo asked President Sorrentino if he'd send some members to her house to instead of just missionaries. YES! We've been trying to get them to send her home teachers and visiting teachers, now that she's asked maybe they'll be more motivated to do it. And I got to say goodbye to everybody that I wanted to so it was all good.
Monday morning we came to Catania, and we unpacked and went through the area book and there is so much good stuff going on in this city I'm so excited. And we had a lesson with these really great and very sincere people who have been coming to church for a long time and known the missionaries for a long time—Salvo and Angela—and they aren't married yet and so Sorella Robb made a piece of bread with salt and a piece without, and had them sample each, and they didn't notice what the first one was missing until they tasted the second one. It's like the gospel. They could get so many more blessings if they were baptized, but first they have to get married. SO this week they are going to pray about getting married and fast and stuff.
Then yesterday Sorella Robb got her newbie, who is way cute and was way exhausted. They went straight back to Ragusa because she got here alone, so they've got the city. But Catania is so good. We had a really good lesson with a member present and a really cool investigator who has been investigating lots of religions and called up for a Book of Mormon.
It's pretty cool to be in a new place, I need to figure everything out all over again, but I'm excited. And Sorella Hirsh is wonderful, she's from upstate New York and she's not afraid of talking to everybody that she sees and I'm really excited and pretty sure I'm going to learn a lot from her.
I forgot to write down my address so I could send it, but I'll send it next week. The mission home is probably just as fast though, I'll get mail at least once a week from there. I'm super excited. This gospel is so great, and so is this work.
That's really cool what you guys are doing at the temple!
I love you guys, have a great week!
Love Sorella Eliza Stevenson
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