27/08/2014 Settimana di consacrazione

Well let me just start by talking about this week. What does consecration mean? Basically, it is a cleansing, dedication and devotion, to make clean and to refresh. Well, Thursday, Friday of last week we were not able to meet any of our goals and we only had one lesson! I'm not sure what happened exactly, it was just two rough days. I was feeling down, Sorella Carter was discouraged too. And (confession) I was feeling homesick, which I never thought would happen! Not that I don't love you all, because I do. Well anyways, Friday night I prayed out my heart to figure some stuff out. The next day, I woke up at 3am ish throwing up. I threw up all through the morning and as a result, we had to stay in Saturday. So that made three days in a row of not much success. I think I ate some bad pesto or got a bug or something. Such a bummer! 

I asked the Anziani for a priesthood blessing, and not only was it for health but it was an answer to my prayer. Miracle. Besides sore stomach muscles, I felt great on Sunday and have felt great since! I am so happy, and we have taught some awesome people so far this week. Small and simple things... like needing to take a day off to <cleanse> are how God brings about even better things. 

At church on Sunday, an investigator of 12 years came and found us. She is half Italian/American and is from Milano. Pretty much she said, I know that this church is true. I believe all of the doctrines and I want to change my life but I need your help. So, she is going to pick a date for baptism tomorrow and we are going to help her get there. So cool! On the other hand, our dear friend Mercedes has not been coming to church or responding to us... so her baptism will get pushed back. We don't have many people we are teaching right now but we met with some members to get more lessons lined up. I can feel good things to come :)

Last week, I started talking to a guy on the bus and I couldn't think how to correctly say there are 7 kids in my family, so I ended up saying that I have 7 kids of my own. Oh, language is soooo much fun!

I have an irrational fear of fire. Carpet does not exist here as a side note, everything is tile or wood. Well, the stoves and hot water runs with gas... and it scares me... so in the next 1.5 year surely I will overcome this fear of fire :) 

To answer some questions...

The most delicious thing I have eaten... ice cream, of course. And torta (cake) and food from South America! I don't remember what it is called, but it's delicious. We had arancini this week. Look it up. Deliciousness in a ball. 

The weather is cooling off. I fear it will be a cold winter because the summer has been so mild. Today, we are going to Como to go hiking. The weather is perfect and though yesterday it was groggy, today is sunny and bellisimo!

There are six missionaries in this war, Four elders, two sisters. So just Sorella Carter and I share an apartment. 

I love Milano! It is a huge city but it is so diverse. Downtown, I don't like so much. Treno parc is a beautiful area, though. There is a park right next to our apartment where we go running every morning we get the chance to do so. 

Italian men are not super attractive. Only on occasion, like the guy who helped us at the police station on Monday. I had to get finger printed to get my permesso di soggiorno.

Italian members are so strong! I Love them!!! They always try to help me with the language and correct me. It is much fun.  We visited with a great family yesterday; they even had a dishwasher in their kitchen (rare). But it felt like home. They were so cool.

I can now maintain conversations with strangers on the metro, tram or bus and most of the time I can understand what they say. Italians talk So Much! The gift of tongues I'll tell ya, is real. My sentences come out slow sometimes but I can read better and piano piano, slowly slowly with time I am getting better. It's a miracle. 

We email every week in an internet cafe. There is just a room of computers and phones and copier, and we come to email, pay like £2 then leave. 

No one responded to my enduring to the end questions last week. Fail!

This week: go look me up on mormon.org. Type in my full name and read it. Then browse through the website. It's good stuff.

Love you all! Thanks for being awesome :) keep writing and keep the questions coming. Life is good. I love the gospel, I love my savior. OH!

Go watch this video.... <confio en ti>

Ciao!

Sorella Hastings =)

Love and Be Loved

Dearest mia famiglia è amici,

Just some things for voi (ya'll) to know: San Siri stadium is right here in Milan, not too far from our apartment. Kinda cool. The cemeteries here are all fancy and cool, too.

 I want toget life savers and attatch them to the pass along cards :) think about it... good plan?

Yes, there are lots of mosquitoes. My legs look like they got attacked! such is life. Sorella Carter hates bugs, and so it's really funny when there is a bug because she screams and freaks out! She's a handful, my madre. She is from San Diego and writes poems, like I do. She eats chick peas (she loves them) it's so weird. She is crazy, but it's fun. I am learning a lot from her.

Last week I went to Como. Cool place, though it's a tourist town. I didn't talk much at all and I hope that Sorella Pond doesn't hate me. I am trying to be bold, and I can carry on conversations in Italian for the most part now. I can understand the gist of everything. I love Milano. Yesterday, we had lunch way out in the middle of nowhere (so pretty) with Olivia, from Africa. She fed us food though it was mild. Rice and beef on the bone and sauce. It was yummy. 

Story of the week: Yesterday we visited with a less active lady who we hasn't met before. We taught her about Heleman 5:12. Good scripture. Well, I knew that she couldn't see well because I could tell from her eyes, but when we left I asked my companion, so, can she not see well? Then she burst up laughing because, as it turns out, Laura was blind.

So we taught the whole lesson and I got most of it, except I missed the beginning when she said that... she was blind. Language barriers are fun! 

Second story: This week we met a lady on the metro who invited us to go to church with her. We also invited her to come with us. So, we went to her church, The Church of Christ, for an hour. She was Filipino and so were most of the people there, with a few exceptions. The church originated from the Philippines and we believe most of all the same teachings, but there were a few things I noticed were missing while we were there: The gift of the Holy Ghost and the pastor taught by fact, not by the spirit; the doctrine of repentance and resurrection and also of the plan of salvation and Il Libro di Mormon. It was an interesting opportunity and it was a miracle because we walked away with a firm confirmation that this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints is true! And there are so many people out there in the world so close to the fulness of the truth, so close to Christ, but they don't know of the fulness. And that's why we are here. Without that fulness, we can't fully come unto Christ. well, they tried to convert us to their church (i don't think they knew much about missionaries) but we invited them to ours, I don't think they will come though.

Third thing: I ate an Italian meal this week. fratello Lauriola, the ward misison leader, invited us sorelle over for lunch. We had bread, delicious rice stuff (olives, tomatoes, peppers, tuna, etc.)- because they eat cold foods in the summer, then pork chop meat deliciousness, I ate a fig- it was yummy!  and of course, gelato :) Success. They live in an actual, custom build casa outside of Milano. It was a great experience. A good family.

This is week of consecration. We hope to see more success. Our bap date is sept 13, and she is looking good. Mercedes is awesome and so sweet. SO many miracles happen every day. It's the little things. sometimes God's plan is our backup plan, according to my collega, but it's true. It has been super rainy here and the weather is getting cooler. we had to pull out the coats/jackets yesterday. It's beautiful, though. Pretty sunsets, pretty skies. 

I think that's about it. I love you all! I read everyone's emails this week, but if I did not respond thank you, I'm sorry, I will next week! be aweomse! Smile! be happy!

Life is good :)

3 Nefi 5:13 is our mission scripture. we changed I to us. It's a good one.

Also, if you have small quotes, or pictures, or things I can decorate my planner with, feel free to mail them. Feel free to ask questions, too.

Oh! One more thing.

Tell me, how do you endure to the end? what does it mean to endure to the end? why is that important in life? what scriptures can back that up? How did Christ endure to the end?

That is your homework.

Ciao!

Flight here: our pilot was silly, I don't know, we sat on the runway taking off and landing forever so we got to the airport late. Just the way things happened, mi collega and I were waiting for phones and i let her go first, then I had no time to call. Everyone else was on the phones and got to call home... except for me. I am sorry. Whatever. You will just look forward, family, to hearing from me at Christmas when I can actually speak Italian well :) it's good. all things happen for a purpose, right?

Well on the end of flight from Chicago to London I got sick! My ailly tummy. We landed in Milan and walked off the tarmac to the airport, then I threw up. I through up again on the bus to the church where we met as missionaries. I threw up again at the church. then I threw up again just before dinner. Mama mia, what am I going to do with my stomach? Now, adesso, I am well and feel great! I think i actually slept through the night last night. I have good energy today so that's a blessing :)

We stayed in a lovely hotel that night and got to go out to dinner. The restaurant was nice, but the food was cosi cosi. Salad first, then pizza, then a huge piece of lasanga, then ice cream. i was so tired and still felt sick, but it was good. We met our collegi the next day after some training. What they did was have the trainer walk up and introduce, then call my name. I knew when she walked up that I would be her child. and here we are. Sorella Carter! From Boston, has been here for one year, pretty much speaks perfect Italian and is super-duper crazy, but awesome and very patient with my lack of understanding the lingua. She's so great.

I have fallen asleep every day here! Yesterday, we went to visit a member to make a family mission plan with. Italians... talk... SO MUCH and SO fast. It was So hard to stay awake! I could not understand her, and I felt really bad. But I survived, thankfully :)

What do you want to know every week? I could tell so much.

Oh, I am in Milano, in Lampugnano! There are two other sets of elders in our area, making three sets of missionaries in the ward. The ward is huge for here. We have a baptism date set! She is so sweet; Mercedes.  OK: so there are lots of foreigners here. Ghanaians, Filipinos (which mean English lessons) Romanians, other Africans and lots of South Americans, and occasionally we meet an Italian ;) we got fed rice, plantains and eggs this week. I thought I was in Italy? Ha, it's funny, but the work is good. We have so many people we need to follow up with. I feel like our mission goals are really low, and I want them to be higher, so I'm going to see what I can do to boost the work. 

Everyone in Italy smokes and drinks coffee. Well, instead of coffee the members drink Orzo. Nasty stuff. with sugar though, itàs managable to swallow.

August: vacation month. It is true, this town is empty! So crazy. I will send a photo of a sign that says they are closed until Augusto 25. Fare augost, or something, is the 15 of august and everything is closed, including the metro and buses. Friday will be a fun day, but luckily we have new missionary training so that will take most the day.

They rarely cut the grass here, and they don't plant it. It all just grows naturally grass like and green and wild. Pretty, though. In Milano, there are no houses. I have not seen one. Apartments, tall and wide and big everywhere! Security here is big too. A gate to the complex, a gate for each individual building, and you turn the key on our door four times because there are four locks. Have no fear, our home is safe. Oh, and I am not on bikes! If I'm going to get fat it will probably happen in these next few weeks. 

The first transfer for verdini (greenies) is 12 weeks. Probably, I will be here for these first two transfer and one following. That's just my guess.

I now know why they call tomatoes a fruit. They are so delicious here! I am eating a small margharita pizza as I type. It's delicious! So, something to adjust to. We do not have dinner here. We have to eat as we go if we want. As a result, I am always so hungry... we'll work on that. We have lunch at 1 and then have an hour of lingua study and additional companion study while all the Italians are home from work napping. Here, we do not SYL but we LYL. Live your language, meaning we can parle italiano outside and in public and speak English at home.

Sunday... was exhausting! I understood what the lessons were about, like the priesthood and charity. But I couldn’t really understand what they were saying. Then we went to lunch with a member and taught here hopeless friends. Her boyfriend is in the mafia, she drinks and smokes and hates to go out in public, she cries all the time and just has no hope for life! So sad. It was hard, because she spoke fast and unclearly and I couldn't really understand her, but I wanted to help her. I tried, my collega tried. It was interesting.

Well, I think that's about it. Please send me mail!!!! A missionary with mail is a happy missionary :) if you send packages throw some pictures of Mary on them, for fun.

The gift of tongues is real. My collega says I am so awesome, and after I bore testimony in church on Sunday the Anziani were impressed at how well I did. The members compliment me and everyone helps me with what to say, they don't get offended. It’s great. I don't usually see at first how well I can speak, but after a lesson or something I'll realize, wow, the spirit was totally just helping me. It is so hard and I wish I could speak English. In fact, even in English it is hard to speak. That was one of my fears coming- what if I get in a lesson and have nothing to say. Well, I can smile and I do, and bare testimony, but it's still hard, ya know? 

If anyone has tips on how to brave, how to talk to strangers and puts words in my mouth... I'm working on it. 

Really, I am well. This was a long week but I am adjusting, I am blessed and I love it here. Different than expected, and much similar to Paris actually. It's a good place.

Ci vediamo!

Vi voglio bene,

Sorella Hastings =)

Love and Be Loved

Firstly, i want you all to look up the scripture D&C 62:3

Read it.

Think about it.

On Sunday, we had the privilege of getting Sheri Dew to speak to us in relief Society. Last night for the devotional, John H. Groberg (the man of the story ofThe Other Side of Heaven) came to speak. So awesome. He talked about testimonies. We all have a small testimony even if we don't think it's big. When we pray, we are testifying that we believe somewhere there is God listening. So, testify. Pray daily, go up to someone and tell them that you know Christ is your savior or something. The more you testify, the stronger you will grow, and angels record it in Heaven. That's pretty awesome.

Lily in Italian is gilio (gi-leo)

Look up the song Hurrah For Israel.  We sang that last night in the choir. It is a wonderful song. On Monday night the Germans left for Germany. they are in the same building as us downstairs so all of the Italians, the Romanians and the Germans sang God be with you till we meet again, in our languages. Time is bittersweet. I am excited to get out there and be real, but I love this spiritual boot camp and I love the people I have met. I will miss them. Good thing we have eternity, right?

Well, a district goal we had on Sunday was to empty an entire cereal column in the cafeteria. We went to Capn crunch. Between the eight of us and the help of some others whom we didn't count, we got down 25 and probably only had six worth left in the column, but the workers came and refilled it. We were so close! Fail. I don't know if we will try again or not. 

We have played basketball for gym and Sorella is helping me dissolve my fear of large, flying orange balls. it's fun. I enjoy it. this week we are going to do some biking and I will try out my awesome padded biker shorts 

I am out of time. Sorry. Five more days now. We head out Tuesday morning and arrive in Italy around noon there, which is like early in America. Don't know when I will get to email again if p-day there is on Wednesday. Stay tuned. 

If anyone sends dearelders, don't send any more to the MTC past 10am on Mondayor I won't get them.

We had a really cool experience yesterday teaching our teacher. We were supposed to be teaching Dario, the "investigator" but the spirit prompted us to go away from our plan and actually teach our teacher. He is having a rough time. I will write a letter and tell about that, because I am out of time and also shouldn't share the story with the world.

Don't forgot about me. Things are really real now.

Vi voglio bene!!!!

Sorella Hastings =)

Love and Be Loved

 

I feel like a different person. I could have said that the second week at the MTC. This place is awesome, as I've said. I love it. We leave in two weeks. Mama mia I might be slightly nervous! But, it's good. life is good.

I never know where to begin. Today we went to the temple. Oh, it's always so wonderful.  Guess who we ran into? Sorella Tiechart! One of our teachers here at the MTC. She is from Whyoming, she looks italian though. She is amazing; we love here. She is so sweet. It was very happy to see here there. 

The highlight of this week: Monday one of the Germnas found a baby bird on the cement. he picked it up and tried to make a nest for it. Like, tiny tiny bird, smaller than my palm (I have small hands). Well yesterday morning we went to check on it, and found that it had falled on the ground again. So I picked it up and it got very happy, it stopped shaking and was very calm. we moved it to under a tree. It was so hungry, we didn't know hwat to feed it. Pretty much we were praying for it in every prayer we said. Well after lunch we fed it some strawberry, it pooped, and I felt like such a proud mama! We told our teacher last night, and her loving animals, had us take her to it. She picked it and took it home, and was planning to stop by a vet to ask what to do with it. No other birds had been helping it so we thought OK. Iam glad she took because we would have been distracrted knowing there was a baby bird lying around, can't fly and about to die. We'll find out what happened with it tomorrow: it think it's a survivor though. I can feel it.

So I believe I have talked about TRC(training resource center.) Tomorrow and next week for TRC, we GET TO SKYPE PEOPLE FROM ITALY! UM, woohoo! And, um, yiiiikes. We will be praying constantly for the gift of tongues, understanding and to get our message across. I am way excited. The lnaguage is great. It really is SO amazing how much I can speak and without the power of God and the Holy Ghost, it would not be possible. I am trying to improve my writing and speaking skills this week. The langugae is cmoing quite well. Mi collega and I had a lot of lightbulbs this week with conjugations and such so it's been grand.

I'll tell ya what, we have not gained weight, though (from my medicine) I feel like a fat balloon. I swear I'm gaining weightless fat. I am feeling well. No complaints. I take vitamins daily so thta's good. I hate my stomach medicine. Like I said, it's mkaing me fat. I omnly take when I absolutely need it, liek after eating spagehhti. 

If you want to learn the language famiglia, go to Deseret Book in Gilbert. get the little purple vocab and phrases book Italian. it's agreat tool. The big board display book shows you what conjugations and such.

Self control is staring a piece of German chocolate cake in the face... and then walking away. One of the biggest temptations at the MTC, I'll tell you. We have 2-3 different options for meals every day. Sundays we only get one option. 

So, I washed my one and only dress today. It shrunk length wise like 4 inches. How do I fix it?

Look up this song on LDS.org: "Mandate voci di gioia all'eternal" It is and Italian only Inni (hymn) and we are singing it as a district on Sunday. We love it. Popolo is the funnest part. 

Accoding to my district, they say I am Shmie, Anakin's mom form Star Wars. We all have a Disney Character, and they couldn't figure me out. So that's who Iam.

Did Mike read my little note? 

What's up with the plane that went down in Russia or whatever? Liz, you should update me on that and other such news. Thanks.

Two weeks and I will be heading to Italy. I think it is confirmed that P-day os Wednesday so you will go two weeks after next week, without email. No worries though. We stay in a hotel our first night thjere. More later. Gots to go to dinner. every day is the same thing, same scheule here, but new ecperiences and new things we learn. We have fun. T.C.  Christensen came this week; that was neat to here his stories.

If you have spiritual wolves tempting you, run away. If you can't run away then I stay strong until you can run away. The savior will help you with that. Turn to God in prayer for everythjing. Miracles will happen,  even if you can't see it.

Ti voglio bene!!!

Pics:​

Mia collega in our classroom, and Poco, the baby bird we saved.

Sorella Hastings =)

Love and Be Loved

July16, 2014

We got to go the Marriott center this week for devotional. This is the walk over. It was nice to be in the real world :) This Sunday is our last evening there. Do a drive by around 7 and you might see us walking :)

   

Heather Hastings	Jul 16 (1 day ago)

I never know how to start these emails. New missionaries are walking in to the MTC as I type so it is loud and exciting. President Nally, the MTC president, ate breakfast with the Italians yesterday that was fun to listen to him. Do you know him dad? I think you are older than him. He served in Auckland.

I just want to say that I love being a missionary. It is probably the greatest experience ever. The MTC is amazing and I really love it here! It is a little bit scary to think I will be leaving in three to go to Italy, more because of the language than anything. I was thinking yesterday, that I have learned more Italian in 3 weeks then I learned French in 3 years. It is amazing. The secret? The Holy Ghost, the gift of tongues. Man it doesn't seem real, but I'll tell you, it is very real.

I don't have much time so I will try to be descriptively brief.

Anziano Harding always stands in a dance position because he is a ballroom dancer, and it reminds me of Becca. He walks flat like she does and walks on his toes.

We taught Dario this week and were trying to help him with his marriage. I had something profound to say about how he could talk with his wife to make this better, but thanks to the language barrier I had no idea how to say, so I advised him to tell her "Ciao, Ti Amo" and smile at her. We all then laughed hard and so now it's a little joke we have. You had to of been there; it was funny.

We did TRC last week. Training resource center. We practice teaching members who need help, in Italian of course. My life is always in Italian now. Tomorrow is SYL, speak your language. We are supposed to talk it all day to all the Italians. will be interesting. I feel like it might be a quiet day.

So I have heard rumors that P-day in Milan is on Wednesday. I sure hope not! I guess we shall see.

Well, I sent you my schedule. So I counted it up that we pray daily anywhere from 12-18 times a day. We sing about 4-7 times daily, Italian hymns (Inni). we sit in class for six hours, which consists of teaching, using TALL (the online language program) learning language and studying doctrine. We study personal, companion and language study for another 3 hours. Monday's are the worst days because we are so tired and wake up at 6 for 6:15 service. This week, we got released from cleaning early so we went back to sleep for a bit. Well, we slept through breakfast, and we slept through gym. A good two hours almost. then we got up and went to class. I feel like we broke a rule, but it was very much needed and I slept wonderfully since. 

This place is beautiful. Anyone who says they don't like it is just crazy! Though I will be ready for something new after six weeks, I think.

So I got lots of mail this week! Five letters from friends, a package and a whole bunch of dearelders from Liz ;) I enjoyed it.

If anyone writes me letters, please change the AUG06 to AUG05 to make it easier for the mail people. That is the day we leave. I don't have any travel info yet.

Mi piace cercare arcobaleni quando c'e pioggia. (I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain.) It has rained some this week. T'was lovely.

I'm not sure what else to say. I am hungry right now and chibo (food) is on my mind. I love you all. My life is great, and I hope yours is too. I pray for all of my family and prospective family every morning and night so with that, I hope that you are all doing your best, being your best and trying to be more like Christ. Work hard, know that he LOVES YOU and He and His plan is really all that matters as long as we follow him. Maybe I will write a letter describing more what class is like. We are going to the temple today so We'll see how much time I have. 

Ti voglio bene!!!

P.s. thanks for the letters and all. Keep them coming. just know that sometime within the next 17 months, I will write you back ;)

Sorella Hastings =)

Love and Be Loved