It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS!!!!

 

Hello everyone!!!!

 

Can you believe it's the last pday before Christmas??? I'm so excited I could throw up! I can't believe that I'm coming up on another Christmas in my mission. For some reason the other day the thought came into my head about how long I've been in the mission and how little time left I have and I though I was going to have a heart attack. I've thought about it before, but this was the first time it's ever given me anxiety to think about it! We're in week 5 of this transfer and I've only got two left after this. SCARY!!!!

 

Oh. My. Heavens. I am SOOOO excited to hear about Lauren Hafen's mission call!!! That is so awesome! And so spur of the moment! Super awesome. Also, it means that I will graduate from BYU before she does, and that gives me great comfort...for a while there I was thinking I wouldn't, and that's not good! :)

Well, I'm sure everyone is dying to know about how the live nativity went. To tell the truth, it was pretty good! Luckily Slla N and I both have some background experience in acting, however limited that may be, and since we were the main characters it ended up being pretty believable. And I'm sure it strengthened our companionship...I mean, it is a tender moment to pur your arm around your pregnant wife and guide her through the streets of Bethlehem. And most surprising of all is that I was actually a very convincing looking man! Slla N used some black eyeliner to thicken my eyebrows and draw a beard and mustache on me, and then I tried to hold my jaw differently. It was funny because the next day in church one of the sisters in the ward brought in pictures that she had printed of us and showed them to everyone. The people who weren't all the nativity all pointed to me as Giuseppe and were like "who is HE? Have I seen this guy before?" and there were pretty shocked when I raised me hand and was like "um, that would be me." Haha. I sent some of the pictures of it in a separate email (they were forwarded to me by Slla N), so hopefully you'll get a kick out of those. After we finished taking all the pictures, I looked at Slla N and said "Maria! Fammi un panino! Ho fame! / Mary! Make me a sandwich! I'm hungry!" and everyone laughed really hard. Of course in response Slla N fake slapped me in the face...

 

Monday was our Christmas Zone Conference! (aka the anniversary of our friendship, Slla Baker!) Fortunately, neither Slla N nor I was asked for an encore performance in the nativity we did, even though I was cast as an angel last year. Personally I think it's worth NOT being in the nativity just to see President Wolfgramm sing and dance as we sang "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Last year the Wolfgramms gave everyone in the mission a tie (boys) or a scarf (girls). This year they gave us new ties and scarves, but they definitely beat last year's ties and scarves because - get this - they got the Kellys (the mission President in Rome and his wife) to give the SAME EXACT ties and scarves to all of their missionaries. The Wolfgramms give them to us to unite us, and now we are united with all of the Rome missionaries. I feel like I don't ever want to wear any other scarf. I don't know if it's happened in any other country in the entire world, but ITALY MISSIONARIES ARE UNITED. We're all working for the same cause, the same people, the same purpose. So very awesome.

 

I'm sad that I can't come with you to Hawaii for Christmas this year. I suppose I could say that I'd rather be here in Siena than in any other place in the world, but let's be real, who WOULDN'T want to spend Christmas with their entire family in Hawaii?? It's hard to beat. I will say, though, that if I can't be with the people I love the most for Christmas, being here in Siena is definitely where I would rather be. I love serving in Siena. I love being able to put on that black nametag every morning. Sometimes I look in the mirror and see my tag and I think "how in the heck did THAT get there?! And what is MY name doing on it???" and I can't believe anyone ever thought it was a good idea to let ME be a missionary. I love my companion! There really aren't words to describe how I feel about Sorella Nilson. We're like sisters in every way and I love her to death! I even told her "I can't wait to talk to your family on Christmas!" haha. I love being her companion. I love this city. It really is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I love that I now speak English with Italian grammar. I love this branch. I love that they ask us to do crazy things like be Mary and Joseph in their nativity and that they know that we'll actually do it. I love being able to serve the Lord. I love being able to get to the end of an entire street of 100% rejection and know that I'm doing exactly what the Lord wants, and do it without any kind of gratification. I love that I know that I am in the exact right place at the exact right time in my life. I love the gospel. I love that it's true and perfect. I love that no one can ever change that or take it from me. And also, I love YOU!!!!!!

 

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Dio vi benedica!!!!

 

Love, and lots of it, from

SORELLA SOH

Hola Amigos!!

Hellooooooo everyone!

Can you believe it's Wednesday again? And apparently it's BYU's finals week...YIKES! I looked at our transfer calendar yesterday and almost had a heart attack. I told Slla N "We only have TWO pdays before Christmas!!! Ahhh!!!". We have our Christmas zone conference next week, the next week is Christmas (AND it's transfer week!) and then it's new year's!!! Hokey smokes.

Shout out to Nurse Judy (an axe-murderer friend...yeah, try explaining what THAT means to your companion!). I got your Christmas card in the mail yesterday and I'm rather jealous of your Disney Cruise! Usually when I tell people here that I worked at Disney World they stare at me with wonder and amazement and say something like "wow! That's so cool!".

I have an announcement: Our branch is putting on a live nativity (but with no real animals...not even any Primary kids). One of the sisters in the branch here has been working really hard to put it all together. Her husband isn't a member, but he's been helping build a little manger and set stuff up in the chapel for it. Unfortunately we don't really have anyone that can participate because we just don't have that many people in our branch...which means...yep...that Slla N and I have been cast as leads in our live nativity. Slla Nilson will be starring in the role of Mary!!! And. Well. Yeah. So. Um. I also have a leading role. And...I will be taking on the role of...Joseph. Yes. I am Joseph. Slla Nilson is Mary and I am Joseph. Yeah. We had a practice rehearsal last Friday and I felt really bad because we could NOT stop laughing, and when I say "we", I mean everyone who was there...except this great sister who is wanting to put it all together. I don't know how we're going to pull it off. I told everyone that to prepare for the role of Joseph, I just wouldn't shave. Unfortunately I've inherited my father's (and my mother's) inability to grow a beard...so we're looking for a plan B. But really, I've been thinking a lot about how I'm going to not look like a woman. The only thing I have been able to think of is to wrap up my torso Mulan-style and put on a fake beard - it's the shape of my body and the shape of my face that really make me NOT look like a man. Sigh. We're having a semi dress rehearsal tomorrow night, so we'll see how it goes. The real "show" is going to be this Saturday evening. I want people to come and support this sister in our branch, but at the same time I kinda don't want anyone to come because then people might actually see me dressed up as Joseph...

I had my scambio with Slla Beus last week! I went back to be with her in Firenze on Thursday. Slla Beus also has the same first name and me and Slla N, so that's kinda weird. She is from Farmington! She's also a twin! And no, her twin is NOT a tooth and a spinal cord that was removed from a lump on her neck. Anyway, we had a really good scambio. She is in her 3rd transfer and was trained by the incredible Slla Padula. She told me that she's heard all about me from Slla Padula (we were in the same district my first transfer in Milano) and was really nervous about our scambio because she was a little, I dunno, I guess intimidated or something because Slla P just raved about me and how if she could be like any other sister in the mission it would be me. Yikes. No pressure, right? I told Slla B right off the bat "look, don't be surprised if I'm not as good as you think I am!". But our scambio went really well and we talked a lot and learned a lot. I swear these new missionaries just keep getting better and better! Hastening the work!

Well, we still don't have any progressing investigators, despite our best efforts. We hardly have any investigators at all, for that matter. We've been tracting door to door so much. We've met some really cool people, but just haven't been able to move past the "I'm kind of interested, but really busy" stage, which is a bummer. We're trying to be patient and diligent and keep working and knocking on doors and talking to people. The hardest thing, I think, is trying to keep your spirits up when NOTHING goes your way - your plans fall through, the bus never comes, and door after door is a no, sometimes a BIG "no way josé!" kind of no (but meaner). So, the work is...well...we're working, so I guess the Lord's purposes are being fulfilled. There's still a lot Slla N and I have to work on, but it's line upon line, I guess.

Slla N's dad is her Stake President, and he told her that he just released one of the Anziani that was serving in our mission. I guess this Anziano told her dad that "Slla Soh and Slla Nilson are the face of sister missionary work in the Milano mission" and that "everyone was surprised when they got put together" hahaha. Just a fun fact! By the way, mom, have you ever talked to Slla N's parents? I think you and her mom would get along and I think her dad and my dad would be best friends.

Anyway, I would email you all some pictures, but I don't have any. You shouldn't be surprised. BUT! I love you all very much! Keep reading your scriptures! I started the BoM again last week in Italian and now I'm in 2 Nephi 20 or so. So! Read up, Buttercup!!!

Un sacco d'amore,

Sorella Soh

a few things I forgot - 1. Happy Belated Birthday to my beloved Slla Walton. Mammina! I love you! I thought about you on your special day, even if I kept forgetting to email home about it

2. Happy Birthday to my Dad on Tuesday! Yeah! I love you Papa Bear!!!!

3. MY half birthday is on Saturday!!! And yes, YOU SHOULD feel old when you find out that I will be 23 1/2.

4. I bought boots last week from the Chinese store. 22 euro. Not coming home with me.

5. I also bought myself a Christmas present...it's a Swatch. It's so cool and I love it. And yes, I really, really DID need it. I NEEDED it. Really. (At least Sarah H. will be proud of me!)

Ralph Chunk Barf

Hi.

Wednesday again. Yikes. Shout out to Lori Diamond and family this week who sent me a card. Thanks! It was much appreciated. Also, I think the mailman here only works part-time because I feel like mail takes twice as long to get to me here than it did when I was in Milano. Weird.

Well it was inevitable considering the circumstances, but Slla Nilson and I worked ourselves sick last week. Really. Slla Nilson spent all week with a sore throat and sinus congestion. I was okay at first, but then I started to feel like barf. And then once Slla N started to get over her sore throat, SHE started to feel like barf. So we spent almost all week shuffling around our apartment feeling unhealthy. It did give Slla N a chance to use her favorite word, though, telling me every so often: "I feel like a loaf." (Her favorite word is loaf.) We slept a lot of it off and Slla Nilson had about half a pharmacy of medicine in her, so hopefully the sickness is mostly over. We're still feeling the remaining effects, but I feel better about the rest of the week. When I have eaten, I've eaten mostly saltine crackers and whatever else doesn't make me want to throw up just by looking at it. We've wised up, though, and yesterday we went and bought bus passes so we don't have to walk everywhere all the time. Hopefully that will help us to not run ourselves into the ground. 

Oh. My. Rain. It has rained almost non stop for the past week. I was glad we were sick and had to stay inside because if not, we would've gotten sick because we would've had to come home soaked to the bone every night. And good thing today is pday because my left boot finally had had enough, and so now the zipper officially doesn't work anymore. I have part of it zipped and the other part of it connected with a safety pin, but obviously that's not gonna last me the rest of the winter, especially with the rain. So, Merry Christmas to me, I suppose, because today we're going to go buy me new boots. But hopefully that means I won't have to come home with soggy socks at night.  As we were getting on the bus to come do our email today Slla Nilson looked at me, pointed to her semi-broken umbrella and said "oh man, if my mom could see the state we're in, she'd throw a fit. Our umbrellas, boots, gloves, hair!!!..." and we just laughed. Sure it'd be nice to buy new everything, but who has time for that?? We both go home sooner than we think (even though we don't like to talk about it), so at this point we both have a "oh well, it's going in the trash anyway" attitude about most things, haha.

We're doing a scambio (exchange) with the Firenze sisters tomorrow! I am going up to Firenze to be companions with Slla Beus, (from Kaysville/Farmington!) and her companion, Slla Eaton, is coming to Siena to be with Slla Nilson. They are both pretty young in the mission, but then again I suppose everyone is young in the mission compared to us moldy oldies! It's nice to have other sisters nearby. Siena is so far from Milano!

Before Slla N admitted that she was sick, we were out knocking on doors, as we are sometimes wont to do. This was last Wednesday night. So we get to this door and ring the doorbell and no one answers even though I could hear a high-pitched voice from inside. So we ring again and then knock. A little girl answered the door and before I could ask her if her parents were home (and chastise her for opening to a stranger!) her dad popped out from behind the door. We told him who we were and he didn't seem to understand, so he called his wife over. They are a Peruvian family, so I guess she was the only one who spoke Italian. So we to her who we were and she said, "well, we're not really interested in religious stuff, but he is!" and then handed us over to another guy. But then the woman said "he doesn't speak Italian, but he understands if you talk slow!" So we start talking to this Peruvian man who had only been in Italy for 10 days. And wouldn't you know it, that gift of tongues just never fails and I just started speaking to him in Spanish. We ended up being able to talk to each other without any misunderstandings and even set up a return appointment with him in the church (which unfortunately he didn't show up to). But it was just really cool. As we walked away Slla Nilson was like "Sorel, you totally just did that whole thing in Spanish!" and being awkward at accepting compliments I said something like "Those three transfers in Milano weren't for nothin'!" Anyway, it was just cool.

Well, another short email this week, but this room is freezing and it's slowing my fingers down. I love you all and miss you and hope you have a fantastic week!

Love from Siena,

Sorella Soh

Within spitting distance of December

Hi...or should I say ALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHA!!!!!!!

Well, I have about a bazillion things to write about in this email! First things first, shout outs this week to the fantastic Penny Wadham who sent me a fantastic package full of treats! (Just so you know, I counted everything up to make sure there were really that number of each item! You are the best!) Also shout outs to Nana and Heidi Van Etten who sent me letters this week. And of course my lovely parents who write me faithfully. And Slla Baker who finally sent me her address. 

So, if any of you happened to read the conference Ensign from this most recent conference and happened to see the picture in the midst of Elder Nelson's "Ask the Missionaries! They can help you!" talk, you may have noticed that the picture of the missionaries on that page was taken in Milan! No, I'm not it in, but YES, I know who they are!!! Probably half of those missionaries are home by now, but it's still cool to see that our mission was represented! Go Milano!

Oh! Also thanks to the Madison Stake Activity Days girls who sent me letters!!! It was the BEST to get letters from them! And a girl named Erin sent me her address and asked me to write her back, so I've got a postcard written to get mailed to her.

I'm so glad it's pday because it POURED rain ALL DAY today. It's still raining. It's been raining for our 24 hours straight. And raining pretty hard. Yikes! Welcome to Tuscany in November, I guess!

I finished the Book of Mormon this morning! That makes two times this year! Now my new BoM goal is to read the whole thing in Italian before the end of my mission. Yeah!

We had a zone meeting yesterday and I met a new Elder who just got here last week or two weeks ago or something. He's in Livorno right now and his name is Anziano Locklear. Yep. Guess where he's from? Pembroke!!! Well, now his family lives in Tennessee, but with a name like Locklear, I knew he had to be a Lumbee!  We kinda know the same people...which is weird!

We put up our Christmas tree today! It looks really cute! I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!! I can't wait!!! They've already hung up the Christmas lights in the city. That's probably the best part - seeing the city all lit up with Christmas lights. Yeah! Our Christmas Zone Conference is on the 17th, so any Christmas cards, letters or packages have to get to the mission office BEFORE THE 17th!!!! If not, I have no idea when I'll get them, but it'll definitely be AFTER Christmas, which is no fun.

Does anyone know what snooker is? I'd never heard of it before in my life, but someone told us that it's really popular in China (at least where he's from). Apparently it's like pool/billiards. Yeah. Snooker.

Coolest news ever: I got a letter from Slla Sobeck, my MTC companion. She's serving in Roma 3 right now and she said that there was a baptism last Saturday of a guy who - get this - is a construction worker on the Rome temple!!!!!!!!!! YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! A CONSTRUCTION WORKER ON THE ROME TEMPLE JUST GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!! When I read that I wanted to jump out of the car and run around like a crazy!!! HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?!? Ahhhh!!!! BOO-YAH!

Well, last thing - the Luau!!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!! Probably the biggest success of my mission, short of a baptism. Seriously, it was that good. First of all, we spent hours cutting out flowers from colored paper and then poking holes in them so people could make leis. It was a huge hassle, but it was a huge hit and totally worth it. So when people first got there we had them make paper leis and that was good to have something for them to do while we waited for more people to show up. Then we had a prayer and brought out the food. After everyone was done eating, we went into another room and I taught them how to hula to a verse of Pearly Shells, and EVERYONE participated! No party poopers! And then they all sat down and I played a few songs on the ukulele - Over the Rainbow, Hey Soul Sister/I'm Yours mash up, Pua Olena and then Kawaipunahele. Pretty much everyone was floored. And then we had a spiritual thought about "aloha" meaning "love" and then we said a closing prayer and had dessert. I made haupia! And Slla Capece made cupcakes and stuck little umbrellas in them...and I had the suggestion of putting red gummi bears on them (sunburnt bears!). Anyway, it was a huge success because we had like 30 people come! (keeping in mind that we have like 20 active members...if that) and TWELVE-read it-12 were NON-MEMBERS. It was awesome!!! It was so much fun. I could go on and on about the miracles, but alas, time is up.

Well, I love you all very muchly a lot! I am in the best mission in the whole world, and the best city in that mission! What a great time to be a missionary - the hastening of the work has begun! Keep reading your scriptures!!!

Love,

Sorella Soh

Giorno di Ringraziamento

Hello dear ones! (as my grandfather would say)

My email is coming a little later than usual today because this morning we went with the Capeces to San Gimignano. Bellissima. I'm really grateful for the Capeces - they cart us around in their car to appointments and are always making sure we're all right. I really don't know what we would do without them. They are awesome!

Mom, thanks for the package you sent! I about died when I saw that massive bag of Lucky Charms. I LOVE LUCKY CHARMS. They're even more delicious than I remember them. Maybe one of these days I'll open up my selfish heart and let Slla Nilson have some :)

Shout out to Auntie Kim who sent me a snail mail letter this week! Thank you! And if you find that you've seen everything there is in Istanbul and Constantinople, maybe you could swing by Byzantium...you know...if you have time :)

I am so grateful to be in Siena. It is BY FAR the most beautiful city in our mission. Sometimes I'll catch a view of the Tuscan hills as we are out and I just can't even believe that I'm here and that these things are real. I'm grateful for our amazing Branch and their testimonies. We love them and they love us and we couldn't be happier! We are having our Hawaiian party on Friday and almost everyone said they are going to come! We are super excited for it.

Thanks to those of you who wrote me letters of encouragement this week. I can't even begin to tell you all what it means to me. I am grateful for all the letters/emails I've gotten because it really has shown me who really means it when they say that they love me and miss me.

I am thankful for Slla Nilson! We are like sisters! I mean, we have the same first name. We talk about everything, we drive each other nuts and we love each other a lot. I am thankful for ALL of my companions, especially my mom/trainer Slla Walton, who I don't think knows how much she has influenced me as a missionary - for the better! We are going to be friends FOREVER! I'm even thankful for the sisters who I only scambio'd with or was never companions with at all. We really do have the best sisters in the world.

I'm grateful for my health and that my poor body hasn't sent my spirit an eviction notice...heart, might, mind and strength! I'm grateful for my ancestors and my good genes! I'd also like to thank my excellent Soh ancestors, because Soh is an excellent last name and Italians never have a problem pronouncing or remembering it!

I love President and Sister Wolfgramm. They are the best. I am so grateful for all that they do and all of the sacrifices that THEY make for us. 

I am grateful for my family. I have the best family in the world. My parents are incredible. I love them. My dad is my hero, my role model. I want to be just like him. He is wise, powerful and so fun. My mom means everything to me. She is so smart and strong and has such a strong desire to just do what's right. I am grateful for my brother who has always loved me and never, EVER criticized anything I've ever done, not even as a joke. He's always respected and encouraged me in anything I've ever wanted to do. I am grateful for my sister. Without her I would not be where I am today. I love her more than anyone else in the world. I am grateful for Sarah Hafen! She is my best friend, and I don't know what I'd do without her.

I am grateful for the miracles that I've seen and the things I've learned on my mission. It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but I've learned more here than I could have ever learned anywhere else at this time in my life. I am SO grateful that I still have 4 months left! I'm grateful to have a knowledge of the Plan of Salvation, to know that there IS a God and He is my Father. I am grateful that He has allowed me to be one of His representatives here in Italy. Called to serve.

I love you all! Have a very happy Thanksgiving! Eat some pumpkin pie for me!

Love, 

Sorella Soh

p.s. Sorella Baker! DAI! L'indirizzo tuo! Mandamelo!!!!!

Blitztract

Hyello!!

Guess what? It's transfer week! Crazy, right! It should come as no surprise that Slla Nilson and I are staying together in Siena, but boy, there are some CRAZY things going on with sisters! The good news is that they are opening a companionship of sisters in Firenze, so there will be sisters close by! Right now I think the closest sisters to us are in Rimini...and that's not really close at all. But the end of this transfer means that I am about to enter into double digits in my transfers - transfer 10! Slla Nilson was talking to one of the Anziani on the phone yesterday who is going home the same transfer as her. He said "it's weird to think that we only have 12 weeks left, huh?". It seems like such a short amount of time when you put it that way! As I was thinking "man, I'm glad that's not me!" it occurred to me that I only have 18 weeks left! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only 18 more pdays!!! Only 18 more emails!!! I might pass out.

Well, I'll be honest, the work here is slow. We were talking to the Capeces last night, and Anz Capece (who served as a young missionary in Italy 45 years ago) said "the Church has ALWAYS had a hard time in Tuscany. It hasn't grown very much in all these years." The circumstances are such that we should probably be discouraged...but we're not! Actually, it's pretty opposite. We LOVE being here! Our desire and motivation is still way high, even though our "success", numerically speaking, hasn't been super hot. Sunday night we had nothing to do - no appointments, no members to visit (they all live like an hour out, by car), nothing - so we decided to do the only thing you can do on a rainy Sunday evening when it gets dark by 5pm: knock doors! So we had planned to go to Via Michelangelo. It took us about a half hour to walk there and there were no sidewalks, only a very slim road shoulder. So we get to this street and decide to start at the far end and work our way back. It took us two hours, but we rang every citofono(intercom)/doorbell we saw. In the end, it was over 100 doors. Over 100 doors, over 100 rejections. No one wanted to talk to us. No one on the entire street. Usually we can at least place a pamphlet or pass along card or something, but no one wanted anything to do with us. And though it probably wasn't the funnest thing I've ever done in my life, all I could do is shake my head a bit. I mean, what else could we do? And to be honest, it really could've been worse, even though it was raining. As we were walking back down that little road with no sidewalk, in the rain, in the dark, I was feeling pretty bummed. But then as we turned with the curve of the road, the view opened up and we had a killer view of the city lights and a little bit of the green hillside. Slla Nilson turned to me and we both kinda looked at each other with a "man, we are so lucky" kind of look. I mean, hello! We live in Tuscany!!!! It's only one of the most beautiful places in the world.

I don't think I've ever felt more like a D&C 4 missionary more in my entire mission. Serving the Lord with all my heart, might, mind and strength? Check. Times four. I have never been so exhausted in my entire life. I've been tired before, but this is past tiredness. My body just aches. In the morning when the alarm goes off, we've gotten in the habit of just saying some form of public transportation - car, bus, train, vespa - to measure our level of tiredness. And I mean that in the sense of "I feel like I got hit by a bus" or "I feel like I got hit by a tractor". Just saying the vehicle saves us from having to say the whole sentence. Even if we have nothing to do, we go out anyway and try to talk to people we pass on the street. It hasn't been very fruitful, but I know that the Lord is keeping track of our efforts, even though they don't seem to be making any difference. 

Since no one really wants to talk to us about the gospel, we're focusing on just getting people in the church. We've been trying to leave genealogy pamphlets with people and we just started up an English class. We had two people come to the class last night, but we're hoping for more. One of the new converts here put up some English class flyers for us in some of the universities here and just a few minutes ago we got a call from a girl who is interested in coming. 

I feel like most of my pleas for counsel and advice have gone unheard/unanswered, but if you're still reading my blog after over a year and you are not either of my parents, maybe I can count on you to send me an email/write me a letter! I've only got three transfers left. What counsel would you give an old missionary with three transfers left?? In any circumstance - keep in mind my companion only has two transfers left. As members, returned missionaries, parents, children, members, non members, less active/inactive members, church leaders - people NOT living in a missionary mindset - what advice would you give me? And don't procrastinate! My time is a'tickin'! (and mom, ask President Draughon, too!)

Speaking of time a'tickin', my internet time is up. I love you all very much. Your prayers on my behalf are more valuable to me now more than ever. Thank you. You are the best!!!!

Lots of love from the best city in Italy,

Sorella Soh

p.s. sorry this email is short...don't know what happened!

{Note from Nicole - I've been asked not to post Katie's direct mailing address online, but if you email me I can give it to you.  Or if you really can't bear the thought of snail mail, if you want to send your email to her to me I will forward it - not supposed to give out her missionary email address either, by her request, since she only gets an hour a week online.  nicolesoh (at) yahoo.}

The seventh day of the eleventh month

Hi. 

It's November. I've been in Italy more than a year. Yowza.

First things first, I've already heard about the elections - one of the benefits of having a senior couple (with internet access) close by! To be honest, I'd basically forgotten about it being election day. Voter apathy, I suppose...or that I'd much rather just focus on my work here than what's going on in the political sphere. Eh.

Dad, you remember how you told me you'd like to go to the American Military cemetery that is just outside of Florence? Well we drove past it a few weeks ago and then I saw it again yesterday as we were driving back to Siena. It looks pretty cool. We talked to the Capeces about going for a pday so we can go scope it out. And thanks for the luau advice. I was thinking that maybe I would go and buy some stuff to make a real flower lei and then give it away as a door prize or something, but I dunno. 

Sorry to hear about Squeaky's hurt wrist! Personally I think she should make up a cool story about how she hurt her hand, like she was fighting dementors in her ninja class or doing a backflip off the back porch or something.

Slla Nilson's dad emailed her a link with pictures of the Rome temple construction - it is really coming along! One of the members got up on Sunday and said that the Rome temple is the second largest infrastructure development in Italy right now, behind the Metropolitana in Milano...which basically means that hundreds workers have jobs right now because they have been able to work on the temple. Just another way that the temple blesses families. 

We had interviews with President yesterday during district meeting, which means that I got to get a big hug from Slla Wolfgramm! They were in Spain last week for a mission president something or other and they talked about the age change for missionaries. She said that they were told to prepare to receive 200 missionaries!!! We only have 135 in our mission right now! She also said that the church went from processing 700 mission calls a week, 14% females, to processing 4000 a week, 50% females. Can you even believe it??? Slla Wolfgramm told us "and they'll be here sooner than you think. So be ready, because you'll all be training!!!" Crazy!!! She also told us that the church is sending us four new senior couples - all of them speak italian (at least one member of the couple) and they are all going to Verona. Why? Microfilm. They are bringing 20% of the Church's camera equipment and will be working with the Italian Government to put all of their records onto microfilm. Isn't that awesome?! We had decided last week that we are going to try and push genealogy in our finding work because we have a family history library here (that's the computer I'm using today) and no one ever comes! We're gonna be putting that spirit of Elijah to work!!!

Slla Wolfgramm also told me some great news about the work in Milano...which I confess I illegally confirmed via text message last night...but it made me so happy I couldn't help but dance around our kitchen like a crazy person. Slla Gomez and Slla Heuple had a baptism last week!!!!!!!!!!! It was Nathaly, who had been in Ecuador with her mom, Alicia, for like two months. NATHALY IS BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!! And that's not all!!!!! Giovanna has a baptismal date schedule for THIS WEEKEND!!!! GIOVANNA IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!! For realz!!!!! AND THEN they told me that they have a baptismal date with a guy that Slla Heupel and I found last transfer!!!!! AWESOMENESS!!!!!!!!!! So super exciting I couldn't even stand it!

Well, I am loving Siena. I would write all about it, but they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'm just going to send a bunch of pictures. I love you all! Have a fantastic week!

Love,

Sorella Soh

Me and Sorella Nilson on the train to Firenze

By the ponte vecchio

Almost Cafe Rio... but not

junk food junkies

piazzale michelangelo

cleaning

trained to kill

kitchen chaos!

our Firenze district, Anziani Proctor, Ramjoué, Mendel Francom and us

in front of the church in Siena our first Sunday!

bundled up before the heaters turned on 

happy halloween!

the Halloween crepe Slla N made for me!!!

me and Anz Scheurn standing awkwardly next to each other 

me and Giovanna the night before I left and she was crying 

Jacinto, Giovanna, Andy and me

in front of the Duomo in Firenze!

in front of Santa Croche

me and Amerigo Vespucci!

ponte vecchio

ponte vecchio

on the ponte vecchio - and probs my xmas pic for this year...

again, but with the rowing team in the background

in front of something in Firenze... I don't know what it is

in front of Santa Maria Novella

piazzale michelangelo

the sisters in Firenze and Bologna Zones! And Reggio.

making phone calls... we only get service outside

Rainy Days and P-Days (Oct 31)

[So sorry readers!  I got distracted with Halloween and somehow forgot to post this one!]

Well ciowdy!!!!

Well, I feel like it's a tradition that my new cities welcome me with torrential rain, and Siena has been no exception! It started raining on Friday and hasn't really stopped since!

A few notes scribbled in my planner: mom, nana, someone - can you send me that recipe for haupia? I think I pretty much know it, but it'd be nice to be able to check. Also, if there's room in that package, mom, could you throw in some hawaiian punch drink mixes? I really like the orange ocean flavor. I like drinking juice and stuff, but not when I have to carry 5 liters of liquid a quarter mile from the grocery store to our house... 

It's gotten REALLY cold here lately. Some big cold front just blew/is still blowing through and so we've gotten down into the single digit celcious degrees - it was 5°C on Sunday! Good thing the Capeces like us because they have a car and picked us up on their way to church so that we didn't have to make the half hour walk down there. I've had to bust out my coats! And boy am I glad that I splurged on that 15 euro rain jacket in Milano last transfer! It has definitely served me!

Last week we went to go visit the RS president. She lives within the city walls! She lives in the Oca contrada, which is the Goose neighborhood. She told us that we'll have to come by another time so that she can show us the contrada museum!!! She takes care of her invalid mother, who is like 90-something, and after our little lesson, she let us say hi to her mom in the other room. She was in her bed and pretty much just trembling. Another woman was in the room with her and they were watching tv. Old Italians have a really hard time understanding us when we speak because of our accents, and to add on to that, she couldn't hear very well, so basically Slla N and I just stood there smiling at her (the mom). Then Slla N gets this genius inspiration and says "should we sing her a hymn?" and I was like..."yeah! Except the only one I really know is 'nearer my god to thee'". So we asked the RS president if we could sing and she said "yeah! I'll go get my hymn book". So the three of us - me, slla N and the RS pres - all sang "Nearer my God, to thee" for her mother. It was a really sweet moment. I sang soprano with them on the first verse and then the last two I sang alto. I would've sang tenor on the third verse (I know the tenor part because we sing that song all. the. time.) but I thought it would been too low for me considering that we started out a little bit low. Anyway, that was cool. And then on Sunday President Capece asks us to give talks because he doesn't really know anyone else yet. So it was Slla N and me on the program. We both had like 20 minutes! All in Italian! I talked about the Spirit and recognizing the Spirit and Slla N talked about remembering and forgetting. I received another cool analogy revelation for my talk, and compared the Spirit to a phone. Being able to feel the Spirit is like having a landline phone - you can only hear it ring if you're in a certain location. The gift of the Holy Ghost is like a cell phone that you have with you at all times and you can hear it ring anywhere that you go. But, you have to be worthy to feel the Spirit, so if you have your cell phone and go somewhere that doesn't get reception, you can't hear it ring even if you have your phone on you. So, moral of the story, don't go where your Spiritual cell phone doesn't get service!!!

We had to go to Verona on Monday night because Slla Nilson had to go and pick up her permesso di soggiorno aka a little ID card that says she's allowed to live in Italy as a missionary. She served 8 months in Verona! Anyway, we took the train Monday afternoon and got to Verona like 4 hours later. A member family fed us dinner and drove us to the sisters' apartment there where we stayed with Slla Oakes (who was companions with Slla N in the MTC) and her trainee, Slla Hanson, who is from Windemere, FL! Anyway, it was fun to chat with them and also really really cool to see the changes in Slla Oakes. My one-year in Italy mark is coming up on Friday. Can you believe I've lived in Italy for a whole year? Crazy. Anyway, Tuesday morning we went to the place to get Slla Nilson's Italian ID and then had some time before we got back on the train and went back to Siena. It took us about 6 hours to get home because we missed a few trains and things, but now we're back and we don't have to make any other trips for the rest of the transfer!! (Except when we go to district meeting in Firenze, but the Capeces drive us to that. Woo! They are awesome!)

I have a bunch of pictures to send, but we are using computers at the library and therefore can't upload ANYTHING. Slla N has her camera cord, but it does us no good because the uploading feature is blocked. Dangit.

We were walking past a book binding shop last week and I stopped to look in for a second and the guy who owns the shop saw me and called us in as we were walking away. So we went back and talked to him. It's kindof a long story that isn't really worth spending email time on, but the point is that I'm thinking that I might buy myself a new set of scriptures (in English) and have this guy bind them in a handmade leather cover. We'll see. I haven't decided yet, but it's brewing in my thoughts.

Speaking of brewing, Happy Halloween, everyone! Italians don't really celebrate Halloween, although they do acknowledge its existence. Mostly the celebrate tomorrow, All Saints Day, where they go to the cemetery and honor their dead loved ones. (Guess we'll be talking about the Plan of Salvation while we contact tomorrow!). They make a special kind of bread for this holiday - pane dei santi / bread of the saints - and the RS pres gave us a loaf of it on Sunday! I think the branch really likes us. We already love them a ton, so it's all good. I have a really good feeling that all of our 100% genuine love for these people is really going to help the work here and in turn help these people. I love it! It's so great!

Well, outta time! I love you all so much! Pray for the missionaries in your ward - by name!!! Put some real intent behind those times when you've prayed for "missionary opportunities" and then haven't done anything to look for said opportunities. 

LOOOOOOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorella Soh

C-N-ah

Ciaooooo!!!!

WE'RE IN SIENA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So much has happened in the past week I don't even know where to start. Let me get some things out of the way first, though. One, thanks mom and dad and nana for the letters you wrote! I got them at zone conference last Friday. Nana, I met the Calls! I didn't really talk with them a ton, though, because we were at church and I was too busy talking with the branch members. BUT, I did meet them, so that was cool.

Also, mom, when I saw Slla Jones at the transfer circle two weeks ago she gave me 20 bucks...she said YOU had sent it to her so that she could send ME all the birthday cards that got sent to Savona. Haha. You are so cute! In reality she just put them all in zone mail and so it didn't cost her anything.

Uh, what else...oh, as for a package, Slla Nilson and I came up with a few ideas ;) other than lucky charms (oh man I LOVE lucky charms!!!), more peanut butter because I'm almost all out (just regular red creamy...my mission has stripped me of all of my pickiness/peculiarities...almost), syrup for pancakes! and fruit snacks. Oh man, making that list is making me so hungry...

And dad, Slla Nilson is dead set on us having a ward party luau. I think it's a little tacky, but in all honesty, I think the members would absolutely love it. I still have those hawaiian music CDs, but if you have any advice/suggestions about little luau things that the members here might like, I would willingly accept them. Slla N and I also decided that we want to send all of the members here Christmas cards with a picture of us in it...we'll see how that goes! We have all kinds of crazy ideas that we want to put into practice.

But enough about those things, let's talk about SIENA!!!! Well, we got here on Wednesday...and spent the rest of the week CLEANING. We lost two full days of work and then some because we were cleaning our apartment. The Elders left it pretty neat, but ohmyheavens it was filthy. There were tiny bugs crawling all over in the food cabinet, in the flour and in the food. The cabinet was on top of the fridge (which was purchased 2 weeks ago), but under the cabinet and on top of the fridge there were those tiny bugs EVERYWHERE, in the folds of the rubber sealing on the door of the fridge and even FROZEN INTO THE ICE IN THE FRIDGE. Anything we moved had giant, half-dollar sized spiders living there, and as Slla N was pulling BoMs off the shelf, silverfish started running out in every direction. Every 5 min or so I would hear her say "OH MY GOSH, SORELLA!!!!!!". It was pretty gross. I killed more spiders last week than I've ever killed in my entire life. We destroyed and threw out our couch, and as we did so, bugs, spiders and more silverfish started running everywhere. Our apartment was a bug-killing war zone. We couldn't even stand to eat in our own apartment. It was bad. Really bad. The senior couples that were down helping us were just disgusted. They helped us move old stuff out and then they went to IKEA and got us a bunch of new stuff - chairs, cabinets, dressers, light fixtures - the whole lot. Our apartment looks really nice now, actually, and best of all - IT'S CLEAN! I feel like if any of the mothers of the Elders who have lived in that apartment the past year could've seen the state of their apartment, they would've had a heart attack. I mean, I'm not even that picky about cleanliness and I was just appalled. It was bad.

So! Basically Sunday was our first time out in the Italian-speaking world for more than 2 minutes! We went to church and Anz Capece was sustained as the new branch president. It was cool. And we as the new sorelle got to bear our testimonies. Guess what? THEY REMEMBERED ME!!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it!!! They were like, "what are YOU doing here ???" They totally recognized me and knew who I was. It was SO COOL! They remembered that I had gotten up to give my testimony while I was there as a student. They were like "yeah, you were the one that got up there and said 'ALOHA!!!'" It was so awesome. Slla N and I were like on the brink of tears while we were up there bearing our testimonies, and I saw at least two of the members wipe tears from their eyes while I was up at the pulpit. It was the coolest thing of all time. I have never been more conscious of the Lord's hand in planning my entire life. So cool.

There are two sisters that are new converts here in Siena, and their story is incredible. One of them got baptized last November, and the other got baptized in April. The older sister, Lorena, told us about how she met the missionaries. One day she was sitting at the bus stop waiting to take the bus home from Siena, and the Elders came up and started talking to her. She was tired and not really interested, but she had read "Gesù Cristo" on their nametags and that caught her eye. She was raised in a Muslim environment (she's Albanian and has ice-blue eyes). Anyway, her bus comes, so all the Elders can do is give her a pass along card. A few days later, the Elders get a call from the mission office saying that someone has requested free material from off the church website, and sure enough, it's Lorena. But get this, when she came to Italy seven years ago, she brought along a book in Italian that her dad just happened to have (they have no idea where he got it from because it's in Italian and they're in Albania). The name of this book? The Book of Mormon. Yeah. So she brings this book to Italy with her, hoping that maybe it'll help her practice her Italian even though she has no idea what it is. AND THEN she tells us (and this is the point where she started crying as she's relating her story back to us) that there were pictures in the front of this Italian book, and she had ripped out the picture of Christ that's in the front of the BoM and carried it with her wherever she went. When the Elders handed her the pass along card, guess which one they gave her? Oh, just the one that has THE SAME PICTURE OF JESUS on it. She goes home, looks at the picture of Jesus on the pass along card, then looks at her picture of Jesus that she pulled out of the BoM and just starts crying and crying and can't stop. And then she got baptized. THIS IS A TRUE STORY AND IT HAPPENED NOT EVEN A YEAR AGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Incredible. I just can't even wait for more of the miracles that this city has.

Well, time is up. My testimony has really been strengthened lately about the the perfect sense that God's plan makes. It's awesome. Read about it. Check it out. Say your prayers and don't forget to pray for President Monson!!! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Love from the BEST city in all of Italy,

Sorella Soh

p.s. I do have pictures to send! I just don't have a way to get them on the computer

Toos day

(Note from Nicole - Katie sent this yesterday but I was so bamboozled by being out of schedule that I didn't get it posted.  But it was sent on Tuesday - or Toos Day if you prefer.)

Ciao Famiglia!!!!

So last week I told Slla Nilson "don't forget to tell your family that we're doing pday on Tuesday next week instead of Wednesday!" and then of course I forgot to write it in my own email...d'oh.

Yeah, we're doing pday today because tomorrow we are moving to Siena! We're catching a ride from the senior couple that works in the office who is driving down from Milano to bring furniture to the Capeces in Siena...we're still not sure if we'll all fit! Anyway, they are going to be here in Firenze around 2pm. Tomorrow we have an appointment in the morning and then we'll come straight home and wait to get off to Siena! The branch probably knows by now that we're coming, but I don't think that makes it any less exciting.

I haven't been feeling very much like a missionary lately, mostly because I still can't get over the fact that we're in Firenze and now going to Siena. Also, we did TWO scambios (exchanges) this past week, so we were out three full days. We left after pday was over on Wednesday to go to Rimini. Slla Bunker is there right now! She and Slla Nilson were together (and set a baptismal date with someone!) and I was with Slla Bunker's half-trainee, Slla Pearce (from Provo). It's only her second transfer! She is a good missionary, though, and we learned a lot from each other. It was probably one of the best scambios I've ever done. It was fun to be with Slla Bunker again, too. I forgot how much I like her! She has really grown a lot as a missionary, and it was so cool to be with her again after, what, four or five transfers and hear her speak Italian. It's gotten so good! 

On Thursday night we went straight from Rimini to Reggio Emilia where we did a scambio with Slla Sloan and Slla Lofley. Slla Lofley was trained by Slla Bunker, so in mission lingo, Slla L is my granddaughter! Reggio Emilia is where they had all those earthquakes a few months ago. I was with Slla Sloan. Fun fact - Slla Sloan and I were in the same Italian 102 and 202 classes at BYU! So that was cool to be able to scambio with her.

I can't believe we're headed to Siena TOMORROW. The branch here in Firenze is pretty bummed that we're leaving, and we're sad to go. If we weren't going to Siena, I don't think we would've ever consented to leave Firenze. It's only a branch here and there aren't a ton of members, but the ones they've got are stellar. Slla Nilson and I felt nothing but love as we were in RS the first hour. It was Fast Sunday, so in Sacrament Meeting the last hour, I couldn't help but get up and bear my testimony to the branch about how much the Lord loves them and how amazing the Spirit is in their meetings. It was funny because when I stood up and went to wait on the pulpit to bear my testimony, I didn't see that Slla Nilson had gotten up at the exact same time to stand up and walk the other direction to the pulpit! We just couldn't stay in our seats! It was really great and we will really miss this branch. A member even invited us to eat dinner with them on Sunday night! And one of the members came up to us after church was over and told us to write home and tell our families that they (the members) were grateful for our testimonies and that they love us and are sad we can't stay...or something like that. Basically they want you to know that they love us! Haha.

My computer, again, does not have any way for me to upload pictures (why did I lose my USB cable in Savona????), but I did take some pictures last pday, mom! Slla Nilson got some cute ones of me on/by the Ponte Vecchio. OH! Which reminds me! We saw Flavia on Saturday! She finally is done with her cancer treatments in Milano and so is moving back down to her home in Avellino (by Naples). They drove their car down and stopped in Firenze because Flavia and her sister had never been before. We met up with them on the Ponte Vecchio and it was fun to be able to see her again because I don't know if/when I'll ever have that opportunity again. She bought me and Slla Nilson matching bracelets to remember her by, haha.

Poor Slla Nilson and I have just been dead tired since we got here. Those two miles to the church really add up! I feel it is worth noting, however, that my jeans are starting to fit better and better. I wore them for about an hour yesterday as we were cleaning and packing a bit, and other than the strange sensation of having both of my legs encased in denim, they fit pretty okay. They didn't necessarily look good on me, but lucky for me that doesn't even matter. My poor body...it's been sacrificed to the Lord!

Well, outta time again. It's strange how the time just zooms along. I mean, October is already halfway over. Before we know it the year will be over, too. Yikes. I love you all very much and hope all is well. Hug the kitties for me. And eat some Krispy Kreme for me. Slla N and I were talking about Krispy Kreme the other day and it made me want some really bad. Keep up the good work with reading the scriptures and FHE and praying and all of that. The blessings will just keep flowing!!!

TANTISSIMO AMORE,

da Sorella SOH

The Traveling Assisterisstants

Oh ciao...FROM FIRENZE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sitting at an internet point that's within sight of the bus station where I first arrived my first time ever in Firenze. It's the most insane thing ever. Yeah. I'm really in Firenze.

I don't even know where to begin. Last Wednesday night our ward mission leader organized an FHE at the church for all the members to come say goodbye to me and Anz Scheurn who also got transferred (to Ravenna). Giovanna came with her two sons. She cried. It was the first time I'd ever seen her cry. She doesn't cry. It was crazy. I love her so much! Flavia came, too! She had been back home in the south and was coming back on Wednesday, so she got off the train, went straight home, threw her stuff down and got herself together and then came straight to the church to say goodbye. It was so good to be able to see her! It was kinda  weird to see how the members and other people responded to me getting transferred because they all seemed like they liked me and would miss me. I didn't even know if they would remember my name without the nametag! But I don't know, maybe they will actually remember me. Hm.

Well, on Thursday I rode the train down to Firenze with my new companion Slla Nilson (!) and with two anziani - Anz Mendel, who I had never met before, and Anz Moh!!! He will be in my district once we get to Siena! I love Anz Moh! My old MTC district leader. It was really fun to get to talk to them a bit and also to see how much Anz Moh has grown as a missionary since we were in the MTC last year. The train ride took almost 4 hours. There were two other people in our train car and near the end of the ride (when they weren't sleeping) they started talking to us. At some point the whole "hey, you're hawaiian?!" thing came up and I just so happened to have my ukulele with me in the car...so...I played the mission hymn for these two people on the train. Of course they really liked it. Hopefully good things will come of it, even if the woman we talked to lives in Rome.

We're living in an apartment that the sisters used to live in. There haven't been sisters in Firenze in a few transfers, so we're the only sister missionaries in all of Tuscany (I know...everyone wants to be us). They are selling this apartment after we leave, though, so that they can find a new apartment for sisters that is closer to the newly built meetinghouse that they have here. So I think that means that they'll put sisters back in Firenze in a few months. Siena is the farthest city south in the mission, and the closest to Rome, which means that I'm so close to my MTC sisters it's like I can feel them near me!

I wrote a list of things to write about, but it's in my planner. Which I left at home. Like a knucklehead.

Oh! Mom! Before I forget, I meant to say this last week but I forgot, last week I sent a package home. It's not anything special, sorry, just a bunch of old letters and a coat I never wear and also my red shoes that I never wear. I thought about sending home gifts, but I was strapped for time and I know that you can just buy your own stuff when we come back to Italy together. It cost me 45 euro, but hopefully customs won't be that bad because it's all old, used stuff.

Last transfer President had traveling assistants that basically just went around and did companionship exchanges every day with the Elders in the mission. I had suggested to Anz Herrington (who is a NOT traveling assistant, but a regular assistant) that they should have traveling sisters. Well, this is about the closest we'll ever get! Slla Nilson and I have no idea what to do! We don't know the area, we don't know the ward and we don't really need to know. Basically all day we walk around contacting people. We've gotten some new investigators who we'll have to give away to the Anziani when we leave, but it's really hard to know what to do when we know that we basically have no time here. Somehow, though, we have 5 appointments scheduled for Saturday! Tonight we are taking the train to Rimini to go do an exchange with the sisters there (slla Bunker! and slla Pearce, who is new) and then tomorrow night we are headed to Reggio to do an exchange with the sisters in Reggio (Slla Sloan and Lofley). It's been nutz! We leave here at about 6:40pm tonight and won't get back until about 9:30pm Friday night. We are so tired. We are like zombies. I have never been so tired in my mission. Mostly because we don't have bikes, we don't know the city or the buses, and even then there aren't any buses that go from our house to where we want to go. We used the scale on the map the other day - basically every single day we have walked at least 10 miles. EVERY DAY. It's ridiculous. The only way to get to the new church building is on foot, and that's two miles away, so going to the church and back is already 4 miles of walking. I've never had such a hard time waking up in the morning. And of course our hunger level has also skyrocketed. Geez.

It's so fun to be companions with Slla Nilson! I think the one thing that puts our companionship over the edge is that we have the same first name. What?! We were in the MTC together, we both studied abroad in Siena in 2010, we were even in the same Italian 202 class for a while, we're opening Siena together...and we have the same first name. It just doesn't get much more ridiculous than that. I love it. We have had a lot of long chats about the mission and things we've learned and what we still want to learn and do and all kinds of things. It's been really fun to be companions with someone who I was already friends with - my other companions I didn't even know until I was companions with them!

Today we've planned to take this city by storm! We only have a few hours to do everything! Luckily we've both already been here, so we don't have to go in and see everything, but there's still so much we want to do. And more importantly, there's still so much we want to EAT. Yeah! Pizza, gelato, panini...it's time to start putting back on the weight I lost in Milano! (because clearly walking 10 miles every day has no effect...) I brought my camera with me and will do my best to remember to take pictures while also not looking like a tourist. Slla Nilson and I have secretly hoped that we'll run into some American members who are here as tourists so that they can buy us gelato. They always want to take us out to lunch/dinner and stuff, but I would gladly settle for a gelato. We'll  see!

Well, I don't really know what else to say! I would talk more about the work, but we're mostly just doing a lot of finding work (tracting, I guess they call it in English) and walking a lot. I can't believe it's already October! Oh! Conference!!!! It was awesome!!!! Mom, you might have to just send me a copy of the conf ensign as soon as you get it...I don't know how long it'll take the office this time around, if they ever get us a copy! Maybe you can just snail mail them straight to our house (aka not in a package). We were freaking out about the announcement that you can serve a mission at 18 for boys and 19 for girls!!! Slla Nilson's dad is her stake president in Alpine, and she said that he told her that he's just been slammed with interview requests. UN'OPERA MERAVIGLIOSA!!!! Can't wait to see how much the church is going to grow because of this announcement! We are very excited!

We talked to the Anziani who are currently in Siena and they said that the branch doesn't know that they're leaving OR that we're coming. It's gonna be a huge surprise! They'll probably figure it out eventually, but it's just crazy that it's all actually happening. And I'm happy that I'll get to meet Nana and Opa's friend. Is the the program director?

I've already been out 13 months. I can't even believe it. I hope I've made a difference in my own life and in the lives of others. If not, I've got 5 months left to make something happen! Here's to five months in Siena!!!!

TANTO AMORE PER TUTTI VOI!!!

Sorella Soh