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

One Eternal Round

Hi. 

I can't keep this to myself any longer.

Have you ever had a moment in your life that has been so big, so huge, so meticulously crafted that you feel like everything you've ever done in your life, in your entire eternal existence has led up to that particular moment?

Welcome to my life.

You are never going to believe this. I'm getting transferred. Where, you ask? Well, to Florence...for 10 days. And then I will be opening a city - the first time sisters have ever been in this city. This city just so happens to be called SIENA.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM GOING TO SIENA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And guess who I'm going with???? SORELLA NILSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE OPENING SIENA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it????????? I can't!!!!!!!! It doesn't make sense at all! I'm supposed to do another transfer with Slla Heupel because I'm training her and we've only done one transfer together so far. And Siena is such a small branch that one of the Elders there has to be the branch president, so sisters have never been there. But President called on Monday and told me that he's transferring me. He was like "hey, I know you're training, but I'm gonna transfer you. I'm sending you with Slla Nilson to Firenze, but you'll only be there for about two weeks, and then on the 15th you'll be heading to open Siena for sisters". He called while we were on the bus, and I was just shaking. First of all, to get transferred like this, COMPLETELY unexpected, and then to go to Firenze (that's the Italian name for Florence) AND THEN to open Siena!!!!!!!!!! I haven't been able to sleep for the past two days. Even right now my stomach is doing all kinds of flips because I can't believe it's even real. The first sisters EVER to serve in Siena and we BOTH studied abroad there two years ago. We already love the city, already love the branch and already love the people. Slla Nilson is serving in Milano 1 right now, so after I hung up with President, I called her (which may or may not have been illegal, but I feel like the circumstances warranted the occasion). President called me right after he called her, and she was still crying when I talked to her!!! WE ARE OPENING SIENA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The branch still needs a missionary to be the branch president, so to solve that, we're going down with a senior couple - the Capeces. He served in Italy as a young missionary, so he speaks Italian. They were the institute couple here in Milano, but since they split the stake all their activities have been suspended and so they're moving down to Siena. She doesn't speak much Italian, but she's learning! Slla Capece called me this morning and said she saw our names on the transfer board in the mission office this morning and wanted to tell me that she's excited that we'll be there with her. I am still freaking out! Slla Nilson and I joked in the MTC about being companions and serving in Siena together...and now it's really happening. Even now my heart is about to beat out of my chest!

Slla Heupel, poor thing, is getting a new companion/trainer in Slla Gomez! She is so great. She has been serving in Rimini, and she, too, is training! So she's leaving her trainee to take my trainee, and Slla Bunker, my former trainee, is taking Slla Gomez's trainee in Rimini. Yeah! Craziness!!! I think Slla Heupel was more freaked out about all of this than I was, but now I'm really starting to get anxious. I'll be in Firenze is like 30 hours!!!!!!!!!

I'm trying to think of other things that I've left out, but I'm so caught up in everything I don't even know what to think anymore. Slla Nilson and I are both in a complete state of shock and pure excitement. When I think about all the bazillions of miracles we're going to see in Siena, my heart just wants to explode. And then I think about all the members there that I still love and remember and I can't wait to see their reaction when we show up on Sunday!!!!!!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, I feel like that's the only news, but it's really just the biggest news. In other news, Happy Birthday to my Mom!!!!!!!!!!! You are the best mom ever and I love you so so much!

It just started to sink in this morning that I'm ACTUALLY going back to Siena and that my email next week will be written from Firenze. The Capeces can't move into their apartment in Siena until the 15th, so the Elders that are there right now have to stay until then so that they can hand the scepter over to Anz Capece. That's why we're going to be in Firenze for 10 days, because we will be living in the Anziani's apartment, but we can't live there until they leave. So President told me that he wants us to just do finding work in Firenze until then and then when it's time to go to Siena we'll just hand over any investigators to the Elders that are serving in Firenze. President also wants us to try and do a scambio (exchange) with the sisters in Reggio-Emilia and Rimini in that time. We'll see. I'm so excited I can't even stand it.

Oh, I'd like to take Slla Walton's name off of the wall of shame. Mammina, I got your letter on Thursday! At least somebody loves me! Also, thanks to my BFFcousin Sarah. Rilee lyiek'd your email this week. And yes, I do remember that FB message from Feb 2010. 

And also, since I'll be in limbo for the next week or two, I will have no address, so any letters this week should just go to the mission home or wait to be sent until I know what my address in Siena will be.

Siena. How could I have ever known four years ago that going to BYU would put me on the path to learning Italian and to studying abroad in Siena. How could I have ever known two years ago that I would serve in the Italy Milan Mission. And how could I have known that I would be going right back to where this all started - back to Siena. 

God loves us. He is so insanely involved in our lives and most of the time we don't even notice. He is Eternal, and everything He does is perfectly planned for us. Slla Burgoyne once said something I'll never forget, she said "Life is NOT fair; everything is tipped in our favor so that we can have success." I testify with all of my heart that that is true. Count your blessings. Name them one by one. You really will be surprised.

I love you all! Have a fantastic week!!!!

Love,

Sorella SOH