25 August 2010
Cool, I didn't know that Grandma and Grandpa were going to the temple dedication. That is nice that they get to be there. So I guess when we meet Ukrainians this week I can tell them that my grandparents are there right now. I don't know how to say Kiev so that they understand what I'm saying though. Haha.
Well last week we met with some peope for a first appointment, we had met them on Lungomare one SUnday and we got permission to go to Statte to teach them because Grazia didn't really like the idea of Anziani that she doesn't know coming to her house. But we went and they were very open and very sincerely interested, and just amazing people. It was exciting. It'll be interesting down the line, they both smoke and they've got a nice little bar in their house and coffee and stuff going on so we'll have some word of wisdom stuff to deal with. And they have been together for 17 years and have four kids but they aren't married, and I don't know if she is divorced after her first marriage or if they're only separated. But they are great, and their four year old daughter is adorable. Aldo prayed at the end of the lesson, and he was trying to say thank you that we came over and helped them to feel happy, etc, but he couldn't remember our names so he said Sorella Asky e Sorella...and then Grazia said "Stevenson" and then Noemi the 4 yr old said "queste belle ragazze". So cute. Unfortunately we were a little late to the lesson so we were a little late to the bus but the Anziani from Statte came and drove us home so we wouldn't be too too late home (mostly because they didn't want us waiting at the station alone for the bus to our house).
Thursday morning we tried to go to the Questura since we didn't Wednesday and they told us that we had to wait for a letter telling us when to come back to do Sorella Askew's fingerprints. So eventually I think that they will get done, but sometimes organization kind of stinks--the finger printing "appointment" meant very little in Ragusa. We ate lunch at Sorella Bicchierri's house, it was the last day her nieces were with her before they had to go back up north to start school and stuff. Which I guess was a good thing because apparently she doesn't really keep food in her house when her nieces arent' there. Her older niece has been a member for three years and wants to go on a mission in a year and a half when she turns 21. They're both cute girls. Unfortunately we missed our bus, but Sorella Bicchierri took us home when she drove by and saw that we were still waiting, and that was nice. (she lives in San Giorgio, which is a paesino not too far from Taranto.)
Friday we had correlation, which always throws us off a little because it means we can't do planning until Saturday. But it was good. Then in the afternoon we found a really cute girl from Chile who doesn't really understand Italian yet but we asked if we could bring her a Book of Mormon and she said yes.
We went to San Giorgio again to see Sorella Casti, and then ran over to Andrea Di Pietro's pizzeria, we wanted to talk to the kids who work with him, but we weren't really there for long because the bus came at 8:20 so we had to run. Somewhere in the process Sorella Askew lost her planner. We looked on Monday for it but it wasn't there.
Saturday we finally planned, yahoo. and then after planning and pranzo we ran down to see Patrizia, who is like a completely different person. When I went with Sorella Hostetter she never even talked to us, she just kind of stared at us. Now she talks to us like we're friends and it's a pretty big change and really cool. Still not interested in coming to church but I think we need to keep asking her. After that, we went to see Enza. She read the plan of salvation opuscolo! She likes us, she just doesn't want to admit it. But she likes when we come over and talk to her. We'll see how it goes, if she becomes more open to the gospel. She's a cool lady. Then we met some English course students who talked to us FOREVER, we'd never met them before. And then we had to go to church to practice for a musical number because Sunday was missionary week in Sacrament meeting.
Sunday, some guy came down to tell us that there was a man upstairs in Principi Evangelici who said he was invited to church by a Sorella from California, and that he had been an investigator before but never got baptized. So we went upstairs and it was a man we had talked to on Monday, who had said that the Bible seemed like it was enough for him, and I just told him that the Book of Mormon is scripture too and that as we read it we can learn even more about Jesus Christ. He said "well that interests me" and then he rode his bike by us later that week (and we didn't remember who he was...but we waved because he looked familiar) and he said he had started reading the Book of Mormon again and finished 1 Nephi and that he'd come to church on Sunday "se Dio vuole". I said "e Dio vuole!!!" as he was riding off and then he came on Sunday. And then later his friend who had been there on Monday when we spoke came as well and brought another friend. Cool.
Monday we went to see Annarita Chirico, who is moving back to Milano in a week. It will be good because she'll live near her kids, but I hope that she will keep going to church.
In the evening we went to see Grazia and Aldo again, and we watched the Restoration video and gave Noemi a coloring page we copied from the Liahona and it was a really cool lesson. They are really neat people, I really like them. They didn't read the chapter we left, and I really hope they do this time, they said they would. They were really nervous to tell us that they hadn't. It was just really cool to watch the film and realize how much Joseph Smith did to serve the Lord. And it's really cool to recognize that the people here in Italy really are pioneers as well. There are a lot of priesthood holders who have donated tons of time and talent to moving forward this work, like the man who is the Stake President in Sicilia who has previously served as a district president at least two times, and as a missionary, and so much more. It's so awesome.
Yesterday was Zone Conference. I love those things. It's neat to hear President Kelly speak and to be able to recognize that this really is his calling for right now, that he really has been called of God to do this work in this moment. He and Sorella Kelly are really great. We did a musical number as sisters, that was fun. With interviews and everything we ended up deciding to just spend the night in Bari since today is pday and our internet place still hasn't reopened. So we're here. We ought to have just planned on it because we HAD considered that it might be an option but in the end we didn't bring clothes or anything. We went to San Nicola's church. Santa Claus. I left him a Christmas list...other people leave 100 dollar bills. I don't know if it's sacriligious to leave a Christmas list for Santa or not so maybe you should cut this part out when you post it online?
But it's been a good day. And yesterday was a good day. The gospel is true, and that's the important thing. And these people do need to know it. Our ward mission leader gave the coolest talk in Sacrament meeting this week about how the Book of Mormon is such a priceless gift that we take for granted and that we need to knock it off, read it, and OPEN OUR MOUTHS. He's a cool guy. It was a cool talk. And even though it had been an incredibly irreverent sacrament meeting it got way more reverent when he started to speak.
By the way, I was wondering if maybe I wrote my address wrong in another email? It's supposed to be Via Cesare Battisti 269 but I got a letter from Alex that said 209 a couple weeks ago and that's the last thing I got and normally there's a letter from Grandma Stevenson every week so I just wondered if I somehow sent you the wrong address or something?
Well I love you all very much, and I hope you have a great week,
Love Liza
Well last week we met with some peope for a first appointment, we had met them on Lungomare one SUnday and we got permission to go to Statte to teach them because Grazia didn't really like the idea of Anziani that she doesn't know coming to her house. But we went and they were very open and very sincerely interested, and just amazing people. It was exciting. It'll be interesting down the line, they both smoke and they've got a nice little bar in their house and coffee and stuff going on so we'll have some word of wisdom stuff to deal with. And they have been together for 17 years and have four kids but they aren't married, and I don't know if she is divorced after her first marriage or if they're only separated. But they are great, and their four year old daughter is adorable. Aldo prayed at the end of the lesson, and he was trying to say thank you that we came over and helped them to feel happy, etc, but he couldn't remember our names so he said Sorella Asky e Sorella...and then Grazia said "Stevenson" and then Noemi the 4 yr old said "queste belle ragazze". So cute. Unfortunately we were a little late to the lesson so we were a little late to the bus but the Anziani from Statte came and drove us home so we wouldn't be too too late home (mostly because they didn't want us waiting at the station alone for the bus to our house).
Thursday morning we tried to go to the Questura since we didn't Wednesday and they told us that we had to wait for a letter telling us when to come back to do Sorella Askew's fingerprints. So eventually I think that they will get done, but sometimes organization kind of stinks--the finger printing "appointment" meant very little in Ragusa. We ate lunch at Sorella Bicchierri's house, it was the last day her nieces were with her before they had to go back up north to start school and stuff. Which I guess was a good thing because apparently she doesn't really keep food in her house when her nieces arent' there. Her older niece has been a member for three years and wants to go on a mission in a year and a half when she turns 21. They're both cute girls. Unfortunately we missed our bus, but Sorella Bicchierri took us home when she drove by and saw that we were still waiting, and that was nice. (she lives in San Giorgio, which is a paesino not too far from Taranto.)
Friday we had correlation, which always throws us off a little because it means we can't do planning until Saturday. But it was good. Then in the afternoon we found a really cute girl from Chile who doesn't really understand Italian yet but we asked if we could bring her a Book of Mormon and she said yes.
We went to San Giorgio again to see Sorella Casti, and then ran over to Andrea Di Pietro's pizzeria, we wanted to talk to the kids who work with him, but we weren't really there for long because the bus came at 8:20 so we had to run. Somewhere in the process Sorella Askew lost her planner. We looked on Monday for it but it wasn't there.
Saturday we finally planned, yahoo. and then after planning and pranzo we ran down to see Patrizia, who is like a completely different person. When I went with Sorella Hostetter she never even talked to us, she just kind of stared at us. Now she talks to us like we're friends and it's a pretty big change and really cool. Still not interested in coming to church but I think we need to keep asking her. After that, we went to see Enza. She read the plan of salvation opuscolo! She likes us, she just doesn't want to admit it. But she likes when we come over and talk to her. We'll see how it goes, if she becomes more open to the gospel. She's a cool lady. Then we met some English course students who talked to us FOREVER, we'd never met them before. And then we had to go to church to practice for a musical number because Sunday was missionary week in Sacrament meeting.
Sunday, some guy came down to tell us that there was a man upstairs in Principi Evangelici who said he was invited to church by a Sorella from California, and that he had been an investigator before but never got baptized. So we went upstairs and it was a man we had talked to on Monday, who had said that the Bible seemed like it was enough for him, and I just told him that the Book of Mormon is scripture too and that as we read it we can learn even more about Jesus Christ. He said "well that interests me" and then he rode his bike by us later that week (and we didn't remember who he was...but we waved because he looked familiar) and he said he had started reading the Book of Mormon again and finished 1 Nephi and that he'd come to church on Sunday "se Dio vuole". I said "e Dio vuole!!!" as he was riding off and then he came on Sunday. And then later his friend who had been there on Monday when we spoke came as well and brought another friend. Cool.
Monday we went to see Annarita Chirico, who is moving back to Milano in a week. It will be good because she'll live near her kids, but I hope that she will keep going to church.
In the evening we went to see Grazia and Aldo again, and we watched the Restoration video and gave Noemi a coloring page we copied from the Liahona and it was a really cool lesson. They are really neat people, I really like them. They didn't read the chapter we left, and I really hope they do this time, they said they would. They were really nervous to tell us that they hadn't. It was just really cool to watch the film and realize how much Joseph Smith did to serve the Lord. And it's really cool to recognize that the people here in Italy really are pioneers as well. There are a lot of priesthood holders who have donated tons of time and talent to moving forward this work, like the man who is the Stake President in Sicilia who has previously served as a district president at least two times, and as a missionary, and so much more. It's so awesome.
Yesterday was Zone Conference. I love those things. It's neat to hear President Kelly speak and to be able to recognize that this really is his calling for right now, that he really has been called of God to do this work in this moment. He and Sorella Kelly are really great. We did a musical number as sisters, that was fun. With interviews and everything we ended up deciding to just spend the night in Bari since today is pday and our internet place still hasn't reopened. So we're here. We ought to have just planned on it because we HAD considered that it might be an option but in the end we didn't bring clothes or anything. We went to San Nicola's church. Santa Claus. I left him a Christmas list...other people leave 100 dollar bills. I don't know if it's sacriligious to leave a Christmas list for Santa or not so maybe you should cut this part out when you post it online?
But it's been a good day. And yesterday was a good day. The gospel is true, and that's the important thing. And these people do need to know it. Our ward mission leader gave the coolest talk in Sacrament meeting this week about how the Book of Mormon is such a priceless gift that we take for granted and that we need to knock it off, read it, and OPEN OUR MOUTHS. He's a cool guy. It was a cool talk. And even though it had been an incredibly irreverent sacrament meeting it got way more reverent when he started to speak.
By the way, I was wondering if maybe I wrote my address wrong in another email? It's supposed to be Via Cesare Battisti 269 but I got a letter from Alex that said 209 a couple weeks ago and that's the last thing I got and normally there's a letter from Grandma Stevenson every week so I just wondered if I somehow sent you the wrong address or something?
Well I love you all very much, and I hope you have a great week,
Love Liza
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