Email from November 27, 2013

Hey Family, 

So this transfer, I am staying in Milano Navigli again and with Sorella Heupel. She only has this next transfer and then she will head home. So she will go home in January. But we are excited to have another wonderful packed transfer together. My companion and I know that the other four sisters that came in with her are going home on the 21 of dicembre and there are a few elders that are doing the same. But  my companion is staying the whole way. 

I have a funny story to tell you guys. So we have this amazing investigator who will be getting baptized in a little over a month and this newly reactivated member (meaning was less active). But the thing is the other day we were over for dinner with them ( and just between you and me I have never eaten so much rice in my life until I met them). But so I had finished my plate of rice but I still had the food that goes on top left over. So they asked me if I would like more, just a little bit, so I said un po and they put triple than what I wanted. And then they asked my companion if she wanted more and they put a little bit because her plate was still quite full. Okay please do not laugh too hard or think too bad about me. But while I could not eat that much rice it was too much. So while they were turned, there was another plate of rice of one of them and so I put about half the rice that was on my plate onto his plate. I would have got away with it too, but my companion just could not stop laughing which made me start laughing and then the member saw the plate of rice and the other plate and said "ho capito, ho capito." meaning that the member understood. And we all just started laughing. And now when ever we go over there is a little joke about that.

The people that I just wrote about, when we told them that there would be a possibility that one of us might get transferred, the investigator said "why did you not plan my baptism before one of you leave?". Haha they are planning on getting married in the beginning of next year. They made us promise that we would be there for their wedding. So I hope it is in February. This investigator we helped her plan the other day an FHE. Because she has to teach the FHE for her family (all her inlaws are members). 

The cultural activity went so well. My companion and I made pumpkin cookies, brownies and truffles. We taught these two young women how to line dance. And so america did a line dance. Everyone loved it. There were so many people, the people were standing up and sitting on the floor because there was not enough space. But because it started very late we did not have a chance to talk with people. We heard that it ended at like 11 at night or later. 

 - The mold has not grown back yet, so we are good. 

Cool story last night this ecuadorian thought I was Italian because of how I look and started talking to me about the church. He told me that he saw our tags and that I looked italian and how normally everyone that he has talked to does not speak Italian that well, he thought he could learn more about the church. So I just want to thank you mom for the fact that people think I am italian, until I speak. But so yeah. 

Well that has been our full week. I love you and hope all is well. 

Love, 

Ali 

P.S.

The less active Giulia that I helped reactivate official put in her papers!!! So we will hear from that in a little bit!!!! 

Email from November 20, 2013

Hey Family, 

Well the thing is if my companion and I continue to treat the area with bleach it will not grow back. So we will continue to do that.  (her apartment has a mold problem that they have to clean often and we asked if it was better)

The world just keeps getting smaller and smaller. Haha sometimes the connections I cannot understand, they just pop out of nowhere. Yup he came into the mission the same time. (We ave a new family in our Ward and the father was Elder Day's Bishop. Elder Day is serving in the Milan, Italy mission and went into the mission at the same time as Alison. We seem to have these crazy connections all the time)

From the last time that I emailed you we had two exchanges. We went to Lodi and Muggiò. Yes Muggiò was a new area that we got as well. When we went to Lodi I was with Sorella Alley (who was in Rimini before) and then in Muggiò I was with Sorella McPeek (a new missionary in the mission). I think I really like doing exchanges because it is fun to work with different people and get to know about them. But with my memory I do not remember all the facts. But when we were in Lodi yesterday we got to pass by this cool castle in one of the small towns and no I did not have my camera to take a picture it is a mental picture now. But one thing I really realized I love doing is placing Books of Mormon and watching them light up. We gave yesterday this 16 year old girl a Book of Mormon on the bus. She had been struggling to know if God exists or not. And she was a little bit confused on how I could believe in him. I explained to her and told her all she need to do was ask him if he exists and read this book and she would know. And she said she would. So one day she will be baptized. 

So we are having this multi cultural activity this Friday. And I cannot wait. All the members are just so excited they are telling us about all their friends they are bringing. And the missionaries also planned on having an activity in two week or so. It will be like a mini olympics. The missionaries in my ward, we all sat down and planned this out and it will be a three ward activity (my companion and I had to inform everyone and make it more detailed), but I am so excited for it. 

But yeah so that has been our week, plan for the activities and other things and all our investigators are awesome. 

Love, 

Ali 

Cleaning the mold

Sorella Carter, Sorella Hanson, Sorella Heupel, Sorella Bucco

The mold in the apartment

 

Carving the pumpkin

Email from November 13, 2013

Hello,

Well I forgot to tell you about that. So last week yes we stood in line. We had an exchange with the sisters from Piacenza, Sorella Carter and Sorella Bucco that day. So they went with us as well. We woke up around 5 in the morning that day. I think we were a little bit like Zombies. Took the metro to the Duomo where we waited in line. The line was quite long and in the end after 3 hours none of us got tickets for the play. But it was an entertaining morning. 

The weather has been absolutely bipolar. But it is starting to warm up a bit. But I am good. My companion was here in the winter last time and she said it started snowing the 7th of December; so we will see if it starts again. I am extremely excited to see the snow. 

Okay I do not think that you guys are stalkers. I just think it is absolutely funny. That you guys have the craziest connections. And I have never even met her. I think that she did leave right before me. 

The meeting with Anziano Teixeira was really good. He really focused on getting 21 lessons. And he challenged each companionship in the next week to get 21 lessons. So my companion and I are working our tails off to get it. We also had a consiglio for the mission the day with Anziano Teixeira. There are about 10 companionships of Zone leaders and eight sister training leader companionships who were present. The Assistants chose four Companionships to do a stewardship report. And My companion and I happened to be the only sister training leaders chosen to give the report. They called out our names in the beginning of the meeting to say who would give the steward reports. It was about the most nerve wracking thing I have ever done in my life. I think my heart was pounding out of my chest. They told us to talk about our goals for the sisters, how the work in our area was going. At the time we had 8 progressing investigators and right now 7 but it still is something. After Anziano Teixeira and Sorella Teixeira came up to me and told me that they really enjoyed our stewardship report. I think that eased me a little bit. 

But you asked about the work and the work is going great. We are talking and trying to find new people to work with through our own efforts and also the efforts of our members. I think I spoke about how we have a baptism in January and she told us today that right after her baptism she is going to Ecuador so she can get a divorce and come back and marry the man that we helped reactivate. And her family can be sealed (after a year). I am so excited!!!!! 

Well on Saturday we cleaned off the mold from our ceiling. It was absolutely covered. We had gloves, face masks and we went to a ferrementa (hardware store) to buy bleach. But here in Italy it is hard to find bleach we went to three different store and we only found the watered down stuff. But it worked and we hope the mold stays away. (funny story my companion and I had to look up the words like crazy to explain what we wanted. I now know how to say mold, skylight, and bleach in italian). 

Well our week has been absolutely amazing. And I love you. 

ALi

Alison is sitting right next to Sister Teixeira, she is the fourth from left to right

Email from November 6, 2013

Buon Giorno! 

This week has been an amazing week. I probably told you that my companion and I have been working on Christ-like attributes together and this week we have been working on Charity. We have had awesome experiences that have been helping us grow. It is so funny because your capacity to love people in the mission is insane. The people you serve, your companion, the members, investigators, the Italian people and the list can just go on. Sometimes you think your heart will just stop growing and then it just continues. My companion and I have just been meeting the most amazing people. 

Mom and dad: What happened to the lady you met on your way to the town outside of Milan?  Is she interested in the church? Did you see her again and were you able to teach her?

Alison: We have not had the chance to meet with that lady yet (she cancelled the appointment), but we will. 

   

One thing I love is watching the change that the gospel makes in everyone.  I love watching and seeing as people come to know the truth. It is absolutely amazing. And cannot wait to see what it is going to do in the people that we meet in the next couple months. 

Mom and dad: Do they celebrate Halloween in Italy?

Alison: Italians do not really celebrate Halloween. Maybe we will see a couple of Italians out on the streets in costumes, but there are no decorations. Actually a pumpkin is very rare to find.  But we decorated a small pumpkin. 

Mom and dad: We think it is awesome that you are teaching English! How is that going?

Alison: Well it is pretty much the same thing that we do in each city. We teach English class to the people that are trying to learn english. 

I thought it was quite cool that you guys got to see Sorella Forbes. Sorry that I did not tell you guys before.

Well I love you all and I am proud of all the work that you are doing. I hope that you have a wonderful week. 

Love,

Ali