Email from October 30, 2013

I was trying to send you more pictures, but they were not working to send. I am sorry. I am trying, but the connection from the cord and the device just did not work, but here are these. My companion and I bought a pumpkin and we will be carving it and will take pictures of it. And I will send you those. This week has been very interesting. Remember our baptism dates, they came to church! It was awesome. I think I could not stop smiling (it took about eight weeks to get them to come to church, but they came). We are working with a lot of part member families (One that we will be committing to a baptism date soon :) ). We had a lesson with them the other day and it was so awesome; the investigator prayed to bless the profeta. 

The other day we were going to a town outside of Milan. So we took the Metro and while we were waiting for the metro we met a pregnant lady. I started talking to her about the English class that we were holding and she just got so excited. She told us that she always wanted to learn English. So we got on the metro, took the one stop and got off. We told her that we are going to this town and she said she was too. Then we told her what street and she said she lived on that street. I think my companion and I were thinking perfect. You see, we actually had no idea where the street was or where in this town. So God sent us a messenger to guide us. We explain to her why we are here and we asked her if we could see her and she said yes. She has 9 siblings and there would have 14 but 5 died and only her parents and one of her brothers are not here; big family.  But I will tell you how that goes. 

I am in the Ovest stake. There are two stakes in Milan. It is not freezing cold yet, but it has started and yes it snows here in Milano, a lot. Normally during Autunno it just rains. 

Probably you have heard this a lot from the other missionaries, but I would like to tell you. In consiglio the last time we heard a lot about making a family mission plan. I would like to ask you guys if you have one? If not make one!! We had a Seventy here at our stake conference and he talked about his. In his he said, he wanted his family to give out one book of Mormon every month. Have the missionaries over for Family home evening with his a investigator or a friend. They wanted to go out with the missionaries each week. They wanted to talk to a certain number of people about the gospel. But If you have one already perfect. If not would you be so kind as to make one. It would be very useful for the missionaries. If you have not made one you can even ask the missionaries to help you guys. I know you are busy, but it would be awesome. I love you all and we have been helping members here make them and they have been giving us so many referrals. Last Sunday we had a member come with a list of names written for us to contact. 

I love this work. The last week I have just been seeing it so much more. My companion and I have been working on the different attributes of Christ. Last week was patience and this week is Knowledge and Virtue and each week we will change it. It has been very interesting to watch as the week progresses the different challenges and miracles. I love the mission. And I love you all. I hope your week has started out well and I hope that it will end well. 

Happy Halloween. 

Love, 

Ali 

Eating Gelato

With Sorella Heupel

Pavia

Genova

Sorella Mckell Forbes

Sorella Mckell Forbes was visiting Disney World with her family this week and they visited our Ward.  It was great to meet them! She was a missionary in the Milan Italy mission and knew Alison on her mission.  Her blog was the first one I started to follow when Alison went in the MTC. They are a wonderful family!

Pictures I found on Facebook

These pictures were posted on Facebook by Ty Madsen a former missionary in Alison's mission. We think it was taken about a year ago when she was in Milano 2 with Sorella Gomez.

Email from October 23, 2013

Hello Family, 

Hey so here in Milano we are having a rainy day. This morning I had to start all the paper work to renew my permesso di soggiorno (residence permit), that was strange. So my goal will be to go back to school in the fall. I am fine with all of that.  I got your package and I like them. The skirt was a little big, but it still works (side note I am wearing the scarf right now :) ).  

So the situation with the bikes is this, the bikes stay in the city. If they are in terrible condition, normally you would need to buy a new one. When we enter the mission our mission asks us to give them a certain amount of money and then from then on if you need to buy a bike you will be reimbursed. Lately every city at least that I have seen because a lot of cities have been open have newer bikes. Actually I am not sure why I always get the bike. It just depends on who needs them and I never know. It seem that each sister I serve with has the bike. Giulia has not put her papers in yet. There was something wrong with the dentist's papers and they need to be translated into English. But she said after that they will be off. But I am excited to know!!! 

I want to tell you about this miracle that happened yesterday it was absolutely amazing!! So we went to teach a lesson, this family that we are working with the other night. It went so well that at the end the two of them accepted a baptismal date. We had been trying for a couple weeks to ask them but never felt right until the other day. And after we asked, one of them asked if it would be possible to push the date up and be baptized as soon as possible. It was just the most amazing thing. The two that accepted the date are children. One is eight and the other is 10 and their mom was fine with it and she almost accepted the date as well. But the 10 year old told us, I have never told anyone in my life this and starts crying and says I say prayers to God and ask for help and He tells me what I need to do and the spirit was just so strong and we had a Senior couple with us and she told him how he had felt the spirit in his life. But it was just an awesome day! 

We normally have consiglio della missione once a month. So we had one this week and we will have another one in two o three weeks. They are always held at Milano Lampugnano. All the zone leaders and training sister leaders go to this meeting.

Well I love you all so much and I hope you have the most wonderful day. Oh Parker I am proud that you made it.(her brother made it into NHS) 

Love, 

Ali

Picture

Sister training leaders of the Milan Italy mission

Email from October 16, 2013

Hey family,

So good news I am staying in Milano Navigli for another transfer with Sorella Heupel. We are excited to have the opportunity to continue to work together.

Sister training leaders, they opened up another one for this next transfer so officially next transfer there will be 14.  They opened up a new one, is Lugano (Switzerland for the next transfer), They opened one in Rimini. 

Lodi was so cool. I was will Sorella Harward. I have done two other blitz with her so it is cool. I was on the bikes again. It is funny how that works out. The thing is the bike that I used was way to high. The companion of Sorella Harward is so tall and then there is me and I am yes taller than almost all Italians but Americans are tall. So It was a interesting combination with me and the bike. In Lodi we taught an amazing lesson. She almost accepted the baptism hard question. But one day she will accept it. 

The work here in Milano has been picking up. You remember that family that you told me about and how they know your friends well they have been the biggest help in our missionary work here. They give us names of less active, inactive, friends to work with it. We have been finding amazing people. God is truly helping us through members, investigators, new converts to find people to teach.  M just disappeared so we will try in the future after a bit of time.

So yesterday was a day of miracles. We were teaching a lesson and the member offered to take us to the bus stop, so we get in the car with her and then she ends up taking us the 20 minutes in the car to the other town and we made it on time to our lesson. Then, we had that lesson, it went great, got a new investigator and after they offered to take us home because they were going towards Milan. We were just in time for everything. It was a tender mercy from the Lord. 

Okay so I have not officially gotten the packages, but I asked the assistenti and they said that my packages are in the office and I should be getting them soon. 

I hope that you are all well. 

Love,

Ali

Email from October 9, 2013

Hey Family, 

First, Conner I am so proud of you. You are awesome and one day you will win so much more! So you have to keep going! Do not get discouraged buddy. (Alison's little brother played in a tennis tournament for the first time on Saturday)

Quick question, does anyone in the family speak Italian? (there is a family in our ward that the father's family come from Italy)  Because I need to keep practicing after. 

(Alison is giving her brother advise on how to prepare for his mission next year)

Parker, my advice to you would be to study preach my gospel. That is your life, so study it. Also study the scriptures and pay attention to what you are reading, because if you already have that understanding of the scriptures before, it will help you so much. Pray for missionary opportunities. In Conference it said that and it works miracles! 

Last Friday there was a funeral for a member in the church. The missionaries were asked to sing a musical number. I was thinking of the last funeral I was at and the difference between this one and that one. There was the hope that after this world they would see him. And this one, yes it was sad and there were a lot of people crying, but the family knew they would see him again.

Mom and Dad: Where do you go to watch conference?

Alison:  In Italy we are only able to watch the first three sessions because the Sunday afternoon is broadcast at midnight. So we watched the Saturday afternoon and the Sunday morning in Italian. We went to the church at Lampugnano which is Milano 1. 

Did I tell you guys about M? I am not completely sure if I did. But it is this  woman who is depressed and angry with the life God has given her. But we feel this need that we need to help her. We thought about letting her go and not working with her and then during conference that talk that Elder Holland gave was perfect for us. We both felt that we needed to keep helping her, but it is hard. I will tell you guys how it goes with her. 

I love you guys, I hope all is well. 

Love, 

Ali

Presidente and Sorella Dibb's testimony (Italy Milan Mission)

This testimony from Presidente and Sorella Dibb was written in the Italy Milan mission blog. It is written for the missionaries and their parents and so I felt I would share it here in Alison's blog.

What a privilege it is to serve a mission here in Italy with your capable, spiritual, humble, helpful and patient family members and friends. We pray that each missionary knows of our love for them and that we are all children of our Heavenly Father who loves us.  Each day brings new challenges and opportunities for growth.  As we seek the guidance of our Father in Heaven, and spend our full-time and focus in His service to bring about His work in the Italy, Milan Mission, we know (and we hope that your missionaries know) that He wants us to succeed and He will continue to help us in our work and in our lives.  We strive to serve together to become disciples of Jesus Christ, to do our part to assist the Holy Spirit in teaching the Doctrine of Christ and to make available Heavenly Father's eternal ordinances to all of His children and especially to those of His children in our great mission of Milan, Italy.

With admiration and appreciation for you and your missionaries,

Presidente and Sorella Dibb

Email from October 2, 2013

Hey Family, 

Alrighty this week has been quite good. We had an amazing miracle last Saturday. My companion about a year ago served in Milano as well. This Saturday we had set up an appointment to teach a family (found in the area book). My companion after the lesson said that when we got to the apartment she said recognized their house. She told me that she recognized the people and as we were walking she said I taught these people exactly one year ago. We had passed them to the other sisters. So it was quite exciting.

Mom and Dad: Were you able to see the General Relief Society Broadcast?

Alison: No we do not watch general RS conference until Saturday at 2 our time, right before conference.

Mom and Dad: Were you able to find the member that knows the Velardis (a family in our Stake)?

Alison: I told them that you guys know the Velardis and now they want all the information on them. How they are doing etc, because it has been a little while since they have heard from them.

Mom and Dad: What is Reggio Emilia like and other places too, Lodi, Pavia? Are they big cities, rural?

Alison: I was with Sorella Russel and we were on bikes. I seem to be having a lot of bike rides. Reggio Emilia  is nice. With the bikes we went out to this country part where we got a little lost, but palazzi (buildings) everywhere. Churches on every corner, but that is everywhere in Italy. There are small alley ways. kind of cool.  We will be in Lodi this next Tuesday, so I will tell you then. But Pavia is a small town, and is very quiet. This week we did another scambio with the other sisters in Cimiano and I was with Sorella Palumba (she is an Italian missionary).

Cool side note is I got to see Giulia the less active who sorella Eaton and I helped reactivate who is putting together her mission papers! She translated them all to English two days ago and is almost ready to put them in. I am just so excited. I literally am going to be jumping up and down when she tells me where she is going.

Mom and Dad: Did you get the padded envelopes we sent?

Alison: So I think I probably will get the package at interviews or when we have a zone meeting.

Sad news, the Ecuadorian is not responding any more to our phones. We had a no show the last week and we cannot get a hold of her. So we are giving her a break, but we will keep trying because she is awesome. 

Well I love you guys and I hope that everything is going good. 

Ali