Ciao!

Family!!!! Vi voglio bene, sapete!!!!?

I am in love with the big city!!!! It is so wonderful, taking the bus, walking on the wide streets with giant buildings all around and most of all I love talking to people about the gospel and there are so many people to talk to here, it is wonderful.

I have already gotten made fun of in dialetto (dialect, is that how you spell it?) and there is poop every where and there are tons and tons of apartment buildings (perfect for doing house, right) and I get to ride a bus with a bunch of sweaty stinky italians and I couldn't be more happy! I have not seen the sea yet, but I can smell the air and it is gloriously fresh and fishy!

We still have a car here, but we only use it a tad (I have served in the only two places where the sorelle have a car, lucky me!). The car is a totally manual, so I have to for sure learn how do use the clutch. Pray for me! We practiced in a parking lot the other day and I am realizing that my foot and my brain are not in correspondence, so I need a lot of practice!

So I cannot give you my address yet...:( Sorry... We are moving apartments in a week or so, so I will give you the new address when I get it.

The ride coming to Bari was terrible! I took an over night, 10 hour bus ride across sicily and the foot of the boot, I didn't sleep at all. It was cool though because we took a ferry at midnight from Sicily to Italy and there was a light house! I thought of you mamma!
Sorella Clark is an amazing missionary! She was with me in the MTC, not my companion, but in my class, so we are the same age in the mission, both in our 6th transfer. I am already learning so much from her. She has taught me new ways to find, like using an invite to do a serata familiare and new appraoches to start talking to people on the street. She is so sweet to everyone and is always smiling. Also, I have a great testimony of referrals now. She asks everyone for referrals and it is paying off. We had a lesson with an investigator, Bright, from Ghana, and he brought two friends with him to come and hear our message. Miracle referrals! Speaking of Bright. He called us yesterday and told us that he prayed about the Book of Mormon and that night he had a dream, telling him that it was from God and that he needs to continue to read it. He was so excited about his dream that he called us first thing to tell us about it. How lovely! He has a baptismal date for the 29th of September!

My ward is great! It was small this Sunday, since everyone is still on Vacation. The Bishop came in and said oh thank goodness, new missionaries, you are giving a talk today since all the planned people called and said they couldn't come. So I had like two seconds to prepare a talk in a different language. It went well, well I took up ten minutes, so that was good. I think it was just because I was trying to tell a story and it took me forever to tell it since my italian is still lacking, (cio e' it sucks:)). Then after church some members made us lunch!

The food in Bari is so good, they have these things called Panzarotti, yeah it is like fried pizza and it is to die for! No worries though, I am not getting too fat!;)
We had a very interesting experience last night. We were doing strada by the castelo in centro. A young man sitting on a bench looked up and saw us and started to wave to us to come over. Turns out that he is a member from Romania and he was thinking, just at that moment, how he would like to see missionaries to help him find the church here, since he is brand new to Bari and low and behold we were there. Seriously, things happen for a reason! The Lord answers our prayers!
I miss Mistretta so so much. However, I am realizing transfers are imperitive for growth, this big city experience already is stretching me and helping me to learn and grow so much, even if it is difficult to transition, I know I am supposed to be here and I am glad that other wonderful sorelle get the chance to learn and grow from Mistretta.
Thanks again for all you do for me!

I love you all too much!!!!

Con amore e baci e abbracci!!!

Sorella Comollo

GUESS WHERE I AM GOING!?

Oh my goodness, this has been a CA-RAZY week!

First off, Happy Birthday Alex!!!

We had the most incredible thing happen. One of our investigators told us that he has never cried. He said that he thinks that it will be a sign from God, if he cries because he is moved be something, to go in a certain direction. Well, after the closing prayer of our lesson it was super quiet, the spirit was there, we told him that we would see him later and reminded him to read the Book of Mormon, he didn't respond. We felt like we should go, to keep the lovely feeling there and not make it flee with inane small talk. Well, as we were leaving, Nino didn't even say good bye, we got to the door, over a choked up voice and with tears in his eyes he asked us to shut the portone on the way out! He cried! He was feeling the spirit and it moved him enough to cry!!! He got his sign, I would say. This experience for me was a miracle and I felt so happy to know that this man, who has so many struggles and strifes is learning what the spirit feels like, he is learning that he is not alone, that God lives, he is real and he loves him. This experience was contrasted with an experience we had the very next evening, a giant processione in Mistretta... and I mean giant! Usually there are around 4,000 people in Mistretta, well on Saturday night there were close to 25,000! It was pazzesca! Their patron saint is San Sebastiano. They took his statue out of the church, put it in a dome covered with cerubs, gold, and money, tones of money and then fifty men dressed in folk outfits carried him around the city, all in bear feet (they all were wearing socks at least, so they didn't get hurt). Not only did they carry this huge statue, but they ran with it (and then rested and then ran and then rested). It was fun to watch and the art that was around was lovely to see. But in contrast with the feelings of what happened with Nino and the excitement of knowing he felt the spirit our of an eternal happiness, whereas this traditional festival was fun and exciting, but it did not last.

Okay, so big news, I am getting transferred!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot imagine myself anywhere but Mistretta now, ormai it feels like home and the people our my family. However, I am so excited to see my new home and meet my new family in BARI!!!!! nella puglia! I am going to serve in the Bari Liberta' ward. A ward, not a branch! Weird! We got the calls on Saturday. Sorella Sobeck is staying in Mistretta and training for the second time.

I am going to miss Mistretta so much. I really feel like I was meant to be there at this time in my life and in the life of the people there, especially the members. Words cannot express the joy I have felt in doing this work in Mistretta. I do feel ready for new experiences, but I will never forget or negate what I learned in this tiny village on a mountain top.

There is nothing better than the gospel. I am not only seeing it touch the lives of these crazy italians, but also mine, in a way I never thought possible. I am excited to serve the people of Bari and work harder than I have ever worked before with all the knowledge and experience I have acquired here in Mistretta!

Pres. Portera, my branch president in Mistretta gave me a note before I left this morning and it made my life. He thanked me for my work and enthusiasm and positive aspect on life. He said that it was very much needed at this time, for usually the branch is united, but in the past couple of months it has been going through a rough time. As I thought about this I realized that things really do happen for a reason. I was supposed to go to Mistretta at this time, they needed a crazy happy, hard working Eva (Sorella Comollo), I am not trying to be prideful or anything:), to help them get through a time when a crisis is around every corner. I will send you a copy of his note, it is so sweet. He has such a strong testimony of the gospel! 

I know that this church is true! I know that there is nothing better than having this knowledge. They gospel is incredible and changes peoples lives for the better, for the best!

I love you all so so so much!!!!!!

Have a great week!

Love,

Sorella Comollo

SLOW WEEK

Ciao!
No one wrote me except Rosie! I love her most now! jk I love you all:)
Oh dear, August in Italy... Let's just say it has been a slower week for work because almost all of our contacts have told us to return in September. We did a lot of finding and sure enough thanks to the advice of President Kelly and that of Anziano Holland we loved every minute of it, including the hours of rejection.
We met a lady who told us that she met Jesus 20 years ago and fed him beans and pasta for lunch. She was sweet:)
We had a lesson with a Jahovah's Witness couple. They are wanting the same thing of us that we want of them. They gave us their book, "What does the Bible really teach us" and during the lesson read to us from it then would ask us questions where they only answer one could give was what they had just read. I was annoyed, not gonna lie. There was no spirit and their beliefs about the plan of salvation were making me frustrated. They do not believe that there is a pre earth life and that Adam and Eve made a huge mistake and that God doesn't know everything, etc.. I felt so strongly to bear my testimony. For that is what brings the spirit. I bore it about how I know that God knows them individually and about the true purpose for this life. After that I felt like the dynamics of the lesson changed. I know why now in the Doctrine and Covenants there is that scripture that warns us that we are not here to be taught, but to teach. And the quote in the White Handbook from Brigham Young, not to use the time on your mission in frivolety. These people need to know the truth and not be tossed to and fro on every wind of doctrine. Sorry for my rambling.
The Branch here is suffering a little. We had a member, who is a little crazy, get offended and vowed never to come again, apperently she has done it before so President Portera is not too worried. She made a big scene in Sunday School and it kind of freaked out our investigator... The Portera family lost a big job opportunity, my heart almost stopped working when I heard what happened, some one scammed them out of a ton of money. (I love that family so much! They are having the struggle of their life lately and still they are faithful, they are trusting in the Lord and they know that all will be well and are serene). The Purpari's are still wrapped in drama... I have fear sometimes to bring investigators to church because of all of the problems in this branch. I know it is bad thought and I feel bad about it, but that is how I am feeling lately. Hopefully, things will pick up this week. I am praying hard and trusting in the Lord. I know that there is a reason the church is in Mistretta and I am not going to give up on it!
I love you all so much!
Have a good week!
Sorella Comollo

Il signore ve bendica

Ciao i miei cari,

 Giuseppe finally has decided to get baptized! I was thrilled! He has gone through so much and now I can see that he really does want to become part of the fold, diciamo. His baptism will be on the 15th of September!

I also had a lovely experience doing finding. I never really have loved doing street contacting, because the rejection is so forth right, while doing house it is not so harsh. Well, on Monday I took the advice of a member I met in Palermo, to say a little prayer and then just start smiling. That is exactly what I did and I talked to everyone in my path and I felt happy doing it, even at the rejections. We ended up having a street lesson with a guy named Luca who has seen so many hardships and death in his life that he gave up on God. He told us that when he saw us he saw a sincere happiness and wanted to know why and how to get it. 

We had another lesson with Giuseppe, the new one. He said something along the same lines. He said when he met us he saw a light in our eyes that he has never seen in anyone before and was envious of it. We told him that it was interesting that he said we have a light in our eyes, because that is a statement that people commonly use to discribe latter day saints. We also had another man in Catania tell us the same thing, that we have a light, and serenity and a joy that he envies and wants. It is interesting that this happens, there must be something there (cio e' lo spirito santo:)). I love missionary work, I love how it is not only helping others to become new creatures in Christ, but it is also helping me become and new, a much better creature in Christ.

We had Zone Conference yesterday. It was so great! We learned that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland came to stay at the mission home in Rome for 2 days on vacation with his family and he offered an apostolic prayer for the mission, the people in Italy, the missionaries and their families (so mamma, no worries you are covered:)!).

I will be having my preparation day on Tuesday next week instead of Wednesday. So be expecting to hear from me then!

I love you all so so much! I hope you know it!

Love,
Sorella Comollo

Agosto!

Famiglia mia!

I cannot believe it is already August!!!!! Time is flying!

We had a fantastic meeting with our district about asking about people for baptismal dates, not beating around the bush. I thought we were doing alright with talking about baptism with people, but we were not being really direct about it and explaining the importance. Whcih now that I think about it, not being direct, is so dumb. So since Monday we have been working on it.:) On Monday we talked to our investigator Jonatan to get baptized, he said yes when he knows it is true! Jonatan is really nice, he made us a CD with a bunch of techno music, we cannot listen to it, but the thought was nice:) Then on Tuesday we had an incredible lesson with a guy named Giuseppe. He said if he needed to get baptized again he would, so I asked him if he would on the 22nd of September and he said.... No... It was great though because now he knows what our goal for him is and it did not scare him away. He wants to learn more and he said he would for sure pray. Actually, he said that we were already a sign for him. We gave him a pass a long card with information about Enlgish course like a month ago. He came to the course and said he was more interested in the religious aspect, menomale! He then called us and said something along the lines like I feel like the Lord led me to you. It was awesome! He is so great I cannot get over it! We laughed so much together and I felt so comfortable around him, which doesn't happen all of the time because sometimes talking to people about religion is awkward. My awkward scale has sky rocketed, since I am surrounded by it I am now immune to it;)

We heard that President Nudo thinks a branch in Sant'Agata would be a great idea and he said he was going to talk to Pres. Kelly about it. We are hoping that perhaps something can be done to help this area more!

We talked to a lady last week about getting baptized, she said, vediamo. We went to see her again this week and the first thing she said is that she does not want to change religions because it would be like betraying her husband (a fun similie). She then pulled out her prayer book and started showing us more about her religion, that being the Catholic Church. It made me so sad to think that these people think that their words are not good enough, that they have to use other's in order to talk to God.

We are in Palermo for preparation day. The anziani planned to play laser tag and go bowling and then eat peruvian food with us (Personally, I would prefer to go around the city, maybe enter an ancient church and think for a tad while considering the art, but everyone else thought that sounded borning;)). The laser tag and bowling was closed for August. Welcome to August in Italy! There is no one and nothing is open! However, in Mistretta there are even more people because that is where the city people go to get away from the heat, in the mountains. So good for us, bad for Palermo:)   

I love love love love you all! 

I hope you have a lovely week!

Love,
Sorella Comollo