Ritornata!!!

Hello everyone!

I'm back!!! Did you miss me?...don't answer that.

Well, I have no idea what to say, but I figured I should at least write something. I've been home about a week already. I've been sucked back into the black hole of Facebook, so you can find me on there, and I've also got the same phone number that I had before I left.

Seeing as how I don't know what to say because I have no idea what I'm doing with my life anymore, I'll just post a couple of airport pictures. :)

 With my MTC Sorelle! They all served in the Rome mission, so I hadn't seen them for about 16 months! My mom got the travel office to book me on their same flight!

Seeing the fam for the first time in 19 months! 

My GIGANTIC little sister got the first hug...while I just cried and cried

Mom got the second hug! (With my sister crying in the background)

Barbara, it's time to come home...

Buongiorno a tutti!

Well. This is it. The last email. My last pday. My last few hours in Italy. My suitcases are mostly packed. The new missionaries are here. My ministry as a full-time missionary in the Italy Milan Mission is ending.

So you're all dying to know - how am I doing???? To be honest, I've been doing okay. Well, at least up until the past few days. Mostly I felt like the end of my mission would never come, but now here it is, right around the corner. I'll kind of randomly start feeling major butterflies in my stomach, and today was the worst because transfers are tomorrow. But I'm doing alright. Mostly because I know that my time is up. I know that I've done all I could. And I've done a lot. I feel so satisfied with the past year and a half of my life. I feel fulfilled. I've been so beyond blessed that I can't even believe that my life is real. I've learned how to love. I couldn't be happier. That doesn't mean that I've been happy every second of the past 19 months, but I know that every one of those seconds has contributed to the missionary/person/woman that I've become. Dad, I know that you keep telling me about how Squeaky has grown so much that I won't even recognize her, but to tell the truth, I'm not sure if you'll even recognize me. I am 5000 times better than I was before, if you can believe it. I feel like the fulfillment of the scripture in Luke 9:24: "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." What I have now is better than anything I left behind.

Well, now that the mushy part is over (for now), practical things! Transfers!!!! I'M GOING TO BE A DOUBLE NONNA!!!! Yep! Slla Bunker AND Slla Heupel are BOTH training!!!!!!! Slla H is staying in Rimini and Slla Bunker is training AND opening in Bergamo! There are all kinds of wonderful things happening all over the mission with all of the new sisters coming in. I'm so proud of Slla B and Slla H. Slla Lyman is obviously staying here in Milano, and Slla Stewart (who was in the same MTC group as her) will be coming up from Genova to be her new companion. I'm super excited for them.

Oh! And the Sorella conference! It was awesome! I was so nervous the whole time because in the morning Slla L and I played our duet of the mission hymn and then in the afternoon I had the incredible opportunity to bear my testimony to all the sisters. It was the first time I've cried about going home. I wasn't the only one crying, either!

This week has positively flown by. We've been super busy with appointments and stuff. At the end of church on Sunday, at the end of RS, I asked if I could say something and so I stood up and told everyone that I was leaving and thanked them and told them that I loved them. Some of them clapped...and yes, it WAS awkward...and I had a lot of people come up and talk to me after. Everyone told me how much they'd miss me and how I had brought so much joy and happiness into the ward. I feel kinda bad for Slla Stewart who is coming to replace me here because I'm a tough act to follow!!!

I spent most of this morning packing (or rather staring at my suitcases feeling overwhelmed), and then this afternoon we went to meet all the new sorelle that just got here - all ELEVEN of them - and take them to the Duomo. I met Slla Lopez! She is AWESOME!!! I had actually written to her in the MTC and she even wrote me back. I kinda selfishly hope that Slla Bunker or Slla Heupel will be her trainer so that she can be part of my training family tree!

I feel like I don't know what else to say. Partly because I want to be able to talk about SOMETHING when I get home, but partly because everything seems so trivial with respect to the end of my mission. I told Slla Lyman this morning, "I can't believe that when I get home I'll be able to tell people that I'm a returned missionary." It's true. Who woulda thought that little Katie Soh would grow up one day to be a full-time missionary in Italy? My full-time mission isn't over - just completed. Next comes the new mission of "real life". I'm excited. I'm excited to put into practice all of the things I've learned. I'm excited to be a full-time member missionary. I'm excited to have a new calling and help other people. I'm excited to see my family. I'm excited to be able to talk with the friends I've made on the mission and my former companions. I'm excited to just love everyone I see. I'm excited to speak in English, even though I probably won't be very good at it at first.

Thanks for reading along, everyone. I'm sure all these emails have been probably mostly just boring, but I just can't express in words what has happened to me. You'll see it when you see me...you won't have to wait long. 

I love you all, really truly.

Con tanto tanto affetto,

Sorella Sobeck-Walton-Bunker-Jones-Silva-Heupel-Nilson-Lyman-SOH

***note from Nicole that the title this time comes from a song from the LDS musical "My Turn on Earth."  You can listen to it here if you're interested.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmR3DNBRrzo

The Final Countdown

Hello everyone!!!

Well the biggest news is that the Church has just changed the email policy and so now missionaries are allowed to email friends and new converts in addition to emailing their family members!!! And now we have 90 minutes of internet time instead of 60!!! Of course this news is coming on my second to last pday...dangit! [Note from Nicole: she said I can give you her email address, so if you want to send her a short message here it is: katherine.soh@myldsmail.net - send it by Tuesday night, probably, since we never know what time on Wednesday she'll get online and she will be home NEXT FRIDAY!]

Yeah. It's my second to last pday. Tomorrow is the sorelle conference. And then I start the "last days" - "my last Friday in the mission", "my last Sunday in the mission", etc. YIKIES!!!! To be honest, I haven't really been freaking out about it. I thought I would be, but I'm not. Mostly I just feel like my mission will never end. We had a Zone Training Meeting on Monday and I had the opportunity to bear my testimony in front of the zone (dying testimony) and it went fine. I think a few people kinda cried, but it's because I talked about moms, haha. I already asked President and he said that he's going to let me and Slla Hanks give our testimonies at the end of the sister conference because we're both going home next week.

Next week. Yikes. It does mean, though, that I have to ask something I've never asked you all before. I have to ask you to NOT send me any letters! Any letters that haven't been sent already probably won't get to me, so if you have a letter waiting, just send it to my house in AL...not that there are any.

I heard through the rumor mill that Flavia got baptized!!! Down in Battipaglia, probably. Is it true!??!?!?! I hope so. She is so awesome!!! I love her so much!!!

I got letters from Slla Walton, Slla Lopez and Erilyn this week! It was a great week! OH!! And Slla Nilson - I met Claudia!!!! She's in my Stake and so I met her at Stake Conf this past Sunday. I went up to her and was like "are you Claudia?" and she said "how do you know?!" Apparently she saw me last year while I was serving in Torino...I was SUPER surprised about that - I didn't think ANYONE would remember me from Torino, let alone someone who wasn't even a part of our ward! She is a total babe and loves you a ton. OH, and I also saw Fllo Fergnani there! They just moved to Milano 1 a couple of weeks ago! I was SO shocked to see him.

This week has been kinda nuts. Let's be real, my whole last transfer has been kinda nuts. We had a scambio with the sorelle in Varese last Thursday and I was with Slla Pearce again! I scambioed with her a few transfers ago down in Rimini. She is a rockstar and contacting and I learned a ton from her. She told me "I know I'm not really that cool of a person, but if you ever want to hang out after the mission, I would be down." I told her "...I'm not really that cool." haha

So our Zone Training Meeting on Monday was in Como. This time we took the train to a different station in Como and it stops right by the lake. Holy quack, Como is BEAUTIFUL!!! I always wanted to serve there...and not because George Clooney has a house there! The church building there is really cute, too. It looks like a former villa or something. Super nice.

I feel like I don't really know what to write today. Most of what I remember about the past week is just how much I love all these people that we teach. Jennifer is so awesome and is still progressing so well, even after her baptism. I ordered a Spanish Triple Combination for her and we're going to give it to her next week...after I attempt to write a note in the cover in Spanish! Good thing we have some native spanish speakers around that can check it to make sure it makes sense! Mishell is so cute and I love being with their family. The members all keep asking me how many days I have left. They're so funny. When I was in Torino, I picked up a coat that used to belong to a former sister and I've had it all my mission. I'm wearing it in a few pictures - it's a black and white speckly pattern kind of . coat. Anyway, I never planned on taking it home with me, and I told that to Jennifer's mom, Crista. Well, Crista said "Well then I want it!!!" and she even tried it on, haha. So in exchange for the coat (which wasn't even mine to begin with) I told her that I want a meal! So on Tuesday we're going over to have a typical El Salvadorian lunch with her! Not a bad deal, right?! haha

Well, that's about all I've got time for. Hopefully I haven't bored you all to death, but even if I did, you've only got one more email left from me to be bored with! OH!!! I FINISHED THE BOOK OF MORMON IN ITALIAN!!!!! I finished on Sunday morning. Keep chugging along in your reading! Ce la fate!!! I love you all very much! See ya real soon!

LOVE,

Sorella SOH 

Marching Along

Hi.

Well. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what to write this week. It's not that nothing has happened, but it just seems bizzare to me that my release date is this month. Like, in two weeks. That really weirds me out. I don't really know if I'm "trunky" because I don't even know what is going on in my brain anymore. Mostly when I think about going home I think "What the heck am I gonna do all day??" because the thought of sitting around doing nothing because there isn't anything for me to do kinda weirds me out. Good thing Slla Lyman is here to help me out! I had a mini panic attack last Wednesday night and she helped talk me through it, haha. 

We've been going scambio (exchange) crazy these past few weeks, and this week is the craziest of them all! Yesterday we scambioed with the Milano Lampugnano sorelle and then tonight and tomorrow we are doing another scambio with the sisters in Varese! It's definitely been keeping me on my toes, that's for sure. And the best news of the week? We're having another Sister Conference!!! Next Thursday!!! Apparently mission presidents are discouraged from having sisters-only conferences, and so I think this'll be the last one. I just got super lucky because they're having it before I leave! I'm really excited to be able to see all of the sorelle in the mission one last time. President has already asked Slla Lyman and me to do our ukulele-violin version of the mission hymn for the conference, so we're excited about that.

Geez, I feel like the week has gone by so fast that I don't even have any cool experiences to share this week! Oh! Wait, Mishell was confirmed on Sunday! That was cool. She's officially a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! We were a little bit nervous because this past Sunday was the first Sunday on the new schedule - that is, the first Sunday of having Sac Mtg first and RS/EQ last. Mishell lives kinda far away and is usually a little late to church, so we were just praying really hard that they would be able to get to church on time so they could do the confirmation and it worked! They walked in just as we were about to start singing the opening hymn. Whew! Last week we went to go see them and we gave Mishell her own Triple Combination scripture set. She was super excited about it, but probably mostly because the edges of the pages have gold on them...her little brother was super jealous - "I want the gold book!" haha. Slla Lyman and I both wrote a little note in the front cover. Hopefully she'll be able to make out my handwriting!

I don't know what it is about this ward, but I feel like I'm friends with everybody! Even the kids! During Sac Mtg, three Primary kids were sitting in the row behind us...that is, they were sitting behind us until we sat down and then they came and sat with us. I had like three little Filipino kids hanging all over me, cuddling up next to me and drawing pictures of me and Slla Lyman in my planner. And then after church as I was scrambling around in the hallway as usual trying to talk to everyone, I kept having these two tween-aged girls (sisters) come up and hug me around the waist from behind saying "this sorella is my favorite!!!". And then later on that day we were visiting a less-active sister who has three kids. We watched a little movie called "Il Mediatore" (which might be called "The Mediator" in English, but I'm not really sure), and sure enough, the kids snuggled right up next to me on the couch while we watched it. One of them even climbed up on my lap, which is against mission rules, haha. Next week is Stake Conference, so we'll see if any little bambini come and find us...

Wow. I've written like four gigantic paragraphs. I hope my emails don't just bore everyone to death!

On that note...time's up! Is anyone else really freaking out about how I'll only be sending two more emails after this?? Hope they won't be as boring as this one has been! Have a great week! Keep reading your scriptures! I read Ether 10 and 11 today - I should be finished by next week!!! I love you all lots and lots and lots!!!

BUCKETS O' LOVE,

Sorella Soh

Yowza!

Hi!

I can't believe how fast Wednesday got here. I know I say that every week, but it really does surprise me. First of all, Slla Nilson, the news from your email this week got a gasp-and-groan from me...good thing I'll be hiding in Alabama when I get home! Also, Sarah, I'll be happy to finish off your bag of Cadbury mini eggs while I cheer you on along the finish line of your half marathon...and afterwards I'll buy you a cupcake :)

Well, Mishell has been baptized by water! She'll be confirmed this Sunday. The baptism went really well. I gave a little talk about the Holy Ghost and then Anz Herrington and I sang the "I like to look for rainbows" baptism song while Slla Lyman played the piano. The Italian translation of that song is a little weird (they have to add in an extra note and it kinda throws me off), but it was really good and Mishell's mom got all teary-eyed while we were singing. But it was good. There were a pretty good number of people there and even a handful of primary kids. The only weird part was later that evening when Slla Lyman and I were out knocking on doors and I looked at her and said "remember how we had a baptism today? Weird!" haha.

Oh, I'm attaching a couple of pictures. They're all from Slla Lyman's camera. The first one is a self-portrait of me in front of the famous Teatro alla Scala. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the inside is super cool. 

The second is from right before Jennifer's baptism. Me, Slla L, Jennifer, Crista (Jennifer's mom), and Fllo Ramos (who was the one who baptized her...as apparent from the white clothing). 

The third one is of us and Mishell. Poor thing, she is really shy and I don't think she liked having all the attention on her, but she was a good sport about it. 

So last week we were walking down the street and we walked past this guy who had just walked out of a store on the corner with two bottles of beer in his hand. He passes us and then says, "Hey, wait!" and so we turn around and he says "Are you from God?" and we say yes. So he puts down the just-purchased beer and walks over to us. I introduce myself, offer a handshake and he accepts, then kisses the back of my hand. Then he starts going off about how awesome God is and how everyone needs to know about Him and he's a missionary too and how no one cares about spiritual things anymore and all this stuff. He asks us what church we're from and we tell him and show him our nametags. He was super impressed about the nametags. He said "Hey, how can I get one of those?" so I tell him that he should talk to our other missionary friends and give him a pass along card with the Anziani's phone number on it because I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Then as we go to leave, he kisses our hands again, and then pulls us both in for a double hug. It was so awkward, but he was just happy to talk to us. He really was harmless, but it was a fun, kind of crazy experience.

Then the other night we were out in the middle of nowhere and it was snowing. We decide to catch the bus and get back to where there would be more people. Unexpectedly, there was a woman at the stop, so I started talking to her. We ended up following her around from bus to bus (she knew we were following her but she was okay with it...we didn't follow her all the way home) because she wanted to keep talking to us. She'd heard of Mormons before, but didn't know anything about them. So in the end we gave her a pamphlet and got her phone number. She was busy this week, but said that we could call and set up something for next week. It was really cool and she was really really interested and wanted to read the Book of Mormon because she'd never heard of it. Anyway, it was just really cool.

Well, I'm out of time this week! I feel like this is a kinda short email, but I take comfort in the fact that I've included some pics, so hopefully that'll help make up for it. I love you all very much! I read Mormon 2 this morning! I'm on track to finish in two weeks - a week ahead of my goal! Manca poco, eh!

Buckets of amore,

Sorella SOH