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